Mulch:

Mulching will keep the moisture in the ground and help protect your trees and shrubs from drying out over winter.

Mulching will give new roots more time to develop for recently planted trees and shrubs. It will help minimize the effect of freezing and thawing of the soil during the late winter and early spring season.
You will need to apply a four to six inch layer of mulch around the base of the tree or shrub. This will prevent heaving by maintaining a more constant soil temperature. You do not want to mulch up against the trunk of the tree or main stem of the shrub.
Mulch also prolongs plant dormancy in the spring and reduces the chance of late spring frost injury to new leaves and flowers.

Sunscald:

Sunscald is an injury to the trunk of young trees. Sometimes called Southwest injury, because it usually occurs on the southwest side of young trees. Sunscald occurs on warm winter days as the sun shines and heats up the bark on the tree trunk, cells within the tree break dormancy and become active. When the sun sets and the temperatures get colder and the bark temperature drops rapidly, the active cells are killed. This bark may look sunken, cracked or discolored. By spring, the discolored bark may crack and fall off. Young trees, newly planted trees, and thin-barked trees (cherry, crabapple, honey locust, linden, maple, mountain ash, plum) are most susceptible to Sunscald. You can protect these trees from Sunscald by wrapping the trunk with tree wrap.

Tree wrap is put on in the fall and must be removed in the spring to prevent disease and insect damage. Your young trees may need to be wrapped every year until their bark has thickened.

Water:

Stop watering once the ground is frozen; trees and shrubs no longer absorb water after that time.
Salt Damage:

Salt that is used for de-icing sidewalks and roads in winter can cause damage to your trees and shrubs. Damage occurs when salt is deposited on dormant stems, buds and needles of trees and shrubs. Salt can damage roots, foliage; can cause stem injury and reduce growth. To help prevent damage to trees and shrubs install a screen to act as a barrier. A screen can also protect your plants from wind and sun.

Pest Control:

Rabbits, mice and deer can cause damage to plants in Winter. These animals feed on the tender bark and foliage during winter months. Clear away weeds, leaves, tall grass and fruit from around your yard and around trees and shrubs. This will help reduce the nesting material and deter pests from making their winter home at your home. You can also put up tree guards around your tree trunks.

For products to help you protect your plants, trees and shrubs in winter, please visit Henry Fields Seed and Nursery

Need any other tips for your winter garden? Click here to send us your question!

Preparing your vegetable garden in the fall will help make your gardening chores easier for next seasons spring plantings.

Fall is the time to prepare perennial vegetables for winters cold temperatures. Remove dead stems and foliage to prevent the spread of disease and insects. Cover with mulch to prevent root damage.

If you will be tilling your garden before winter, leave plants in the soil and till the beds under with organic matter, like leaves and grass clippings.  Diseased plants should not be tilled in the garden. Toss them in the trash.

Leaves and plants that are tilled into the garden in the fall season will have time to compost and release valuable nutrients to the soil as well as improving soil structure.

Tilling your garden in the fall will not only add valuable nutrients to the soil but will also expose many insects, larvae and pupae to the winters cold conditions ending their life cycle. Covering your tilled garden with mulch will help prevent the soil from washing away and will keep down the winter weeds.

If you will not be tilling your garden until spring, remove all plants and put them in your compost pile. Any diseased plants should be tossed in the trash.

Wait until spring planting time to apply fertilizer to your garden. Applying fertilizer in the fall will only wash away before it’s time to plant your garden.

Bringing in your house plants before it gets too cold out will help your plants avoid the shock of sudden changes in  temperature, humidity and light.

Here are a few tips to help your plants adjust to living indoors again:

Before bringing in your plants:

• Clean your windows inside and out. Clean windows let in more sunlight.
• Move plants in the shade about 2 weeks before bringing them indoors. This will help prepare them for the drop in light in your home. Once inside your house your houseplants may have some yellowing leaves or dropping leaves from not having enough light. You may need to add light from a fluorescent glow light.
• Soak your pots up to their rims in a tub full of lukewarm water to force insects like ants, sow bugs, millipedes, and ground beetles to the surface. Insects that are living in the soil will either drown or float to the surface so you can remove them.
• Inspect for other insects. Other insects like aphids, spider mites, scales and slugs will be happily living in the foliage of your plant. Inspect the foliage thoroughly. Wash the plants leaves carefully with water before bringing the plant inside. You could also use
  Plant Guardian Houseplant Insecticidal Soap to wash off the leaves.
• Stop fertilizing. Most plants need a rest period, or dormancy. Fertilizing when plants aren’t actively growing results in a buildup of fertilizer salts in the soil that can damage plant roots.
• Don’t over water You probably watered your container plants every day during the summer but indoors they will not require that much water. Let the soil surface get dry to the touch before watering.

Plants that have outgrown their pots over their summer vacation will need to be re-potted.

To check for crowded roots, turn the pot upside down while supporting the plant with one hand on the surface of the soil. Ease the plant out of the pot. You may need to give the bottom of the pot a few taps to loosen the root ball.  If there is a mass of roots and very little soil, then you will need to repot into a larger container. If the root ball looks good but there is a heavy top growth you may want to prune the top.

Add Pot Stickers to your new and old pots to help keep insect infestations to a minimum.

Got any tips for your fellow gardeners? Click here to Contact BornToGarden.com and share your best tips with our community!

If you’re looking for information about what type of container to grow your bonsai in, or what kind of soil is best, or which fertilizer will help your bonsai grow, our new page is just for you. You’ll also find lots of information about wiring bonsai trees, propagation and pruning bonsai trees, and even some historical information about the bonsai tradition.

You’ll find the answers to questions like:

• Can a bonsai tree live forever?
• Why do bonsai leaves change color?
• What is the proper soil and light for a bonsai?
• Where did the bonsai really originate?
• What is behind the tradition of displaying bonsai trees?
• What part do humidity and air circulation play in the health of your bonsai?
• And much, much more!

Check out our new page for all the answers: “All About Bonsai”

Here are some tips to help you mow your lawn properly.

Keep mower blades sharp.

Sharpen your lawn mower blades regularly. Dull blades will rip and tear the grass leaving frayed tips. Sharp blades will give the grass a cleaner cut and will help the lawn resist disease and stress. Inspect the mower blade frequently.
 
Wait for lawn to dry before mowing.

Wet grass can stick to lawn mower blades,
preventing blades from making sharp cuts.
Mowing wet grass also encourages disease.

Change your mowing pattern.

Cut your lawn in a different direction each time you mow. Changing your mowing pattern will help keep your grass to grow straighter and help prevent the grass from matting down. For example: mow your lawn east to west one week then north to south the next.

 
Don’t cut your lawn too short

Don’t cut more than one-third of the grass height in any one mowing. Taller grass has more area on the leaves to gather energy from the sun and will develop a deeper healthy root system. It will also shade the ground keeping the soil cooler and prevent weed seeds from germinating. If you mow your lawn too short, more light will reach the soil giving the weed seeds a chance to sprout. When your lawn is too short, it will be less drought tolerant. 

 
Leave grass clippings on the lawn.

If you have a mulching blade on your lawn mower leave the grass clippings on the lawn.
The grass clippings will slowly breakdown adding nutrients to the soil and reducing the need for fertilizer. Clumps of clippings will need to be raked to thin them out or you can mow over that section again to distribute the clippings evenly. Leaving your grass clippings on the lawn should not contribute to thatch buildup. 

 
Watering your lawn.

The best time to water your lawn is in the early morning. The wind and heat are usually less in the morning and the most water will reach your lawn and get soaked in to the ground instead of evaporating. Watering your lawn late in the day or evening will not harm your grass but might increase the chance of disease because your grass may remain wet all night.

Watering your lawn for a longer period of time and letting the soil dry out between watering will encourage the grass roots to grow deeply. Deep rooted grass has a better chance of withstanding a dry spell. Since weeds are usually at the surface of the soil this will prevent the weed seeds from germinating.

 
Mowing your grass properly is an important part of maintaining a healthy beautiful lawn. Make sure to read and follow all the manufactures operation safety tips for your mower.

 
They can blend in so well with the green leaves of your tomato plant, you may not even notice them; however, you will notice the  damage to the leaves and stems. They will eat holes in the leaves and at times eat the entire leaf leaving no stems.  During July and August they might even chew on the fruit of tomatoes and eggplants. Tomato hornworms have also been known to eat peppers and potatoes.

How do I know if I have Hornworms?

You will most likely spot the damaged leaves and stems at the top of the plant before you spot the hornworm. Hornworms will feed on the inside of the plant during hot sunny days and move to the outside in the morning and evening. You may notice large, black droppings (frass) that will pile up on the ground below the affected plants.

 
How do I get rid of Hornworms?

Pick them off using gloves and crush them with your foot or cut them in half with a garden tool.

If your Hornworm has small white cocoons attached to its body then leave them alone. The cocoons contain the larvae of a parasitic wasp that is a natural parasite of the hornworm. The wasps will kill the hornworms when they come out of their cocoons and search out other hornworms to attack.

Rototilling your garden after the season will kill the larvae that has burrowed into the soil of your garden.

Looking for more information about growing tomatoes or getting rid of tomato pests? Visit our Tomato Page.

Got a gardening tip for our readers? Click here to let us know about it!

Not all insects are pests.

There are many beneficial insects that you should welcome into your flower or vegetable garden.

Be careful using broad spectrum pesticides! You may kill the insects that are helping you keep other pests away. Insects also benefit your garden by pollinating your plants.
 
How to attract and keep good bugs in your garden:

Food
Its cheaper and easier to the good bugs you already have in your garden than to buy them at a nursery.

Many beneficial insects need to sip flower nectar to survive. Many beneficial insects need flower nectar to survive. To keep these insects in your garden, make sure to plant nectar producing flowers and a variety of plants that will bloom as many months during the year as possible. Plants in the cabbage, carrot and sunflower family will attract beneficial insects.

Not-so-Good Bugs
Ants can prevent good bugs from controlling aphids in your garden, so try to keep ants in check.

Don’t use persistent, broad-spectrum, contact insecticides.
These kill off good and bad bugs, but the bad ones will usually find their way back to your garden faster than the good bugs. So you’ll end up having to use more and more insecticide.

Pamper Your Spiders. Cover bare dirt with dead leaves or grass clippings to provide shelter for spiders. Spiders are the number one insect predator. 

Here is a list of some other beneficial insects:

• Dragonflies appear in a variety of colors. They have long narrow bodies, large compound eyes and four transparent wings.  They can be as big as 6 inches long and they eat mosquitoes, aphids and gnats.
• Praying mantises are brownish insects with wings. They are 3-4 inches long. They eat moths, flies and mosquitoes.
• Ground beetles are about 1 inch long and are iridescent black or brown. They eat soil-dwelling pests such as slugs and snails.
• Ladybugs or Lady beetles are the most familiar insect predator. Most ladybugs are round to oval with bright colors and are often spotted. Ladybugs eat aphids, mites, scales and insect eggs. Lady bugs are very effective in reducing infestations
• Pirate bugs are ½ inch long and are black and silver. They will eat spider mites, caterpillars and thrips.
• Soldier beetles are ½ inch long flat bodied beetle with a narrow, black abdomen and bright red head. They eat cucumber beetles, aphids, caterpillars and grasshopper eggs.
• Assassin bugs are ½ to 1 inch long light brown-green bugs that have a cone-shaped head and a long antennae. They eat a variety of pest in your garden including flies, mosquitoes, beetles and large caterpillars.

• Green Lacewings  are one of the best insects to have in your garden. The green lacewings vary in length from about ½ to ¾ inch. Some have gold or copper colored eyes. You can easily recognize their light green bodies with large clear oval shaped wings that they fold above their bodies. They eat aphids, spider mites, whiteflies, small caterpillars and the eggs of several kinds of destructive beetles.

 Do your best to keep good bugs in your garden and you’ll have a successful garden!

Do you have a tip for gardeners? Send it to us and we may post it here to help other gardners with common planting questions and issues. Click here to contact BornToGarden.com

This year we had a bounty of cucumbers, and so, we also had a bounty of cucumber seeds.

Now, what to do with those seeds?

No, we are not going to spit them at our little sister…tempting perhaps, but no. There are much better uses for cucumber seeds:

One of the smartest things to do would be to save them for next year. Storing seeds is both a wise and economical choice. Instead of buying the cucumber seedlings from a nursery or a garden center, you can grow your own. It not only saves you some money, but the tiny seedlings are fun to watch grow, especially know that they are your very own.

To store your seeds until next season -

• Remove them from the plant gently and wash them, make sure you get any plant debris off of them.
• After that, take an air-tight jar and put the seeds in it. You can also add a packet of silica gel (you know those strange packets you often find in the pocket of a new suitcase or purse) to absorb any moisture.
• Next you need a nice cool place for them. It is essential that the spot you keep them in is dry and dark, otherwise the seeds will rot and you will end up with a cucumber shortage. A basement is a good spot - as long as it is not too damp. Another good spot is in the refrigerator, if you can spare the space, as the cold temperature will help preserve them.

What if you forget about your cucumber seeds in the back of the fridge next year?

Well, just in case you don’t plant the cucumber seeds next year, not to worry. They are good for up to four years.

***However, the older the seed, the longer it might take to germinate and the plants may not be as strong as they could be. So, its best to replenish your seed stock freshly every year.

Good luck! Don’t forget to let us know how your garden is doing and what your plans for the fall are! Click here to send us your garden news.

Certain plants and certain conditions are needed to attract butterflies and keep them coming back to visit your garden every day:

Step 1: A Warm Spot - butterflies are cold blooded and need the sun to warm them. Scan your garden area for a place that gets at least 6 hours of sunlight per day and it protected from the wind. Add large flat rocks for the butterflies to sunbathe on.

Step 2: The Right Plants - butterflies and caterpillars that will turn into beautiful butterflies rely on nectar rich flowers (see below for a list of flowers). Choose flowers of varying growth heights and blooming times. To feed the caterpillar larvae, plant milkweed (to lure monarch caterpillars), parsley and fennel (for black swallowtails), and yarrow, hollyhock, and borage (for painted ladies).

Step 3: Include Mud and/or Wet Sand - create a muddy area or include a container of wet sand in the area and keep it moist. Butterflies get sodium and minerals from these damp areas.

IMPORTANT!: Never use insecticides anywhere in your butterfly garden. Even “organic” pesticides and weed killers can harm these delicate insects.

Here some perfect plant choices for attracting butterflies to your garden:

If you find that you can’t locate some of these varieties in your local garden centers, try on line resources. Many times the on line prices are better, the choice is wider, and most offer some type of free shipping:

Gurney’s Seed and Nursery

Henry Fields Seed and Nursery

Spring Hill Nursery

BloomingBulb.com

Many garden supply centers also sell Butterfly Garden Kits and Flower Mixes, like these:

Hummingbird and Butterfly Mix

Butterfly Bush Collection

Asclepias, ‘Gay Butterfly Mix’

Bird and Butterfly Mix Wildflower

Wildflower Seeds, Bird and Butterfly Mix

Butterfly Flower Mix

Garden, Butterfly Perennial

Don’t forget to let us know how your butterfly garden goes! You can contact us with questions or comments by using our handy Contact Form.

Here is a list of 20 plants you need to have in your vegetable garden. These plants may surprise you! I had no idea that these plants not only looked beautiful and tasted wonderful, but also can help deter pests and bugs from the garden.

1. Basil - A favorite herb of mine anyway - and I already had some in my garden of course! Basil repels aphids, flies, mosquitos, and mites. It also has fungicidal properties. If you plant basil around your tomato plants, you won’t have to worry about icky hornworms.
2. Borage - This one I was really not familiar with, but found out that it is an herb sometimes called the starflower. The leaves taste like fresh cucumber and are used in salads and soups especially in Germany. The flowers are sweet like honey and are often used as edible decoration. It is also good for planting around your tomatos as it repels tomato worms.
3. Catnip - Cats love it, but ants, fleas and mosquitoes hate it! I see this herb in the supermarket and until now have just passed it by not knowing what to use it for. Next time I see it, I’m buying it!
4. Chamomile - Great for a relaxing pre-bedtime tea, the camomile plant keeps cabbage moths out of your garden.
5. Chives - A baked potato isn’t the same without them, but aphids don’t feel the same! Plant chives especially around your roses and lettuce.
6. Feverfew - A really pretty flower that almost looks like a daisy, and found in old gardens. It is often used as a medicinal herb. For my purposes, it is known to keep moths away. I’ll put some in pots by my front door and see if it truly works!
7. Lavender - Smells fantastic, great for making relaxation teas AND keeps slugs out of the garden. Excellent news as I am not a slug fan at all.
8. Marigolds - These are traditional flowers that my mom always planted among our vegetable plants in the gardens we had as kids. Bugs cannot stand the smell of marigolds, so plant them liberally around your garden. French and African varieties also keep nematodes out of the soil.
9. Mint - Another great herb that no kitchen garden should be without anyway. But did you know that mint plants repel aphids, cabbage moths, and cabbage worms? I sure didn’t!
10. Nasturtium - A plant I’ve read about in magazines but didn’t realize is quite prevalent. This pretty little flowering plants keeps away aphids and whiteflies. Be sure to plant these around fruit trees, cucumbers and squash.
11. Onion - If you love to cook, you love the onion. We have lots of wild onions in our neck of the woods. Onions keep ants at bay. Which is good because we also have lots of those!
12. Oregano - Growing up half Italian, I believe I have oregano streaming through my blood. Either way, its great in tomato sauce and italian dressing, and oregano plants keep away cucumber beetles.
13. Pennyroyal - In the mint family, pennyroyal leaves have a strong spearmint smell. Ants don’t like it, so I definitely do!
14. Petunia - I knew a little girl named Petunia once…but I digress. Pretty flowers and the added benefit of repelling aphids, leafhoppers, and Mexican bean beetles.
15. Radish - A great entry for salad ingredients, the radish is smartly planted around cucumbers and squash to keep away beetles.
16. Rosemary - I love rosemary bread and so always have fresh rosemary around. Plant this in your garden to ward off the cabbage moth, bean beetle and carrot fly.
17. Rue - As in “you’ll rue the day” I guess, because this medicinal herb smells terrible! But it does keep away Japanese beetles (and gardeners…yuck!). ***GOOD TO KNOW: don’t plant rue anywhere near your basil - they don’t play well, and so neither plant will grow.
18. Tansy - Another pretty little flower, Tansy is disagreeable to ants.
19. Thyme - One of the herbs we can’t do without, Thyme plants deter cabbage worms and slugs.
20. Tomato - Yep, you’ve probably got these in your garden already. And if you also have asparagus, plant them together. The tomato plants will ward off asparagus beetles.

If any of this information surprises you, you’re not alone. We’ve always had gardens and while we knew about some of these helpful plants, we were surprised by a great many too.

If you have any great garden tips, please send them to us using our handy contact form or by leaving a comment on this post. We’d love to hear from you!