The Finer Art of Pest Control

I have been discussing spider control on my homemaking blog.  In this particular infestation I have had to resort to using chemical insecticidal control because four identified species are venomous and there has been a burst in the funnel spider population so reducing their numbers is important to lessen the risk of a problematic spider bite.

Anytime I have to resort to chemical pest control it

The Grasshopper Incident

King of Denmark is a wonderful heirloom spinach that performs nicely.  One look at the mature plants and you will easily see why this variety is king just from the sheer size of it.  A few days ago I noted that the King of Denmark spinach was looking rather good.  Then I noticed that something had been helping itself to a taste test.  A couple of days later I found the critter responsible for the

Funnel Spiders

Funnel SpiderAugust 30, 2010

One of the first things we noticed when we moved here were the large funnel spiders (grass spiders).  As spiders go these are about the size of a quarter.  Their webs are a thin whispy sheet with a characteristic funnel shape that the spider hides in.  They were everywhere to the point that we resorted to spraying to knock down their numbers a bit.  The risk to

Japanese Beetle (Popillia japonica)

Japanese Beetle
(Popillia japonica) 
Aaugust 26, 2010 
A couple of days ago I posted about velvetleaf that is considered a noxious weed in some locations.  I noticed that despite a bad reputation with reducing yields in cash crops that my peppers didn't seem to be adversely affected by the velvetleaf in the beds.  I have been pulling before the velvetleaf was able to flower.  Upon closer

Raccoons and Corn

Raccoons and CornAugust 19, 2010
Our neighbours to the north put in the most amazing raised bed system I've seen.  It consists of 3 larger beds joined together forming a flattened Z shape.  They are not growing using the square foot method.  In one of the runs they planted corn and they even added a really neat support system that I will use if I decide to grow corn next year.  I haven't grown

Earwig Damage on Parsley

Earwigs (Forficula auricularia) are a common sight in many gardens.  They are attracted to damp locations so can be found under plants, in mulch and anywhere else damp like decaying vegetable matter.  Earwings are more of a nuisance indoors.  Despite their appearance earwigs aren't harmful to humans.  There is the old wives' tale that earwigs get into your ears when you are sleeping and while it

What's Eating My Sweet Basil?

Herbs generally are rather problem free plants in the garden yet this year I have encountered more problems with herbs than in previous years.  The oregano has been attacked by spider mites and fungus gnats.  Earwigs attacked the potted parsley and I just discovered an unidentified caterpillar attacking the potted sweet basil.  I'm hoping this isn't a sign of things to come for this growing

Spider Mites

Spider MiteJune 17, 2010

It would appear that my oregano in the raised beds has been hit with the double whammy of fungus gnats and spider mites.  Both are known pests to oregano as are white flies and aphids.  At this point all I can say is I'm not amused.  At any rate the infestation isn't too bad so can be controlled.

Spider mites are 8 legged, spider-like creatures ranging in colour from

Fungus Gnats

Fungus GnatJune 17, 2010


The gardens and yards have been hit with fungus gnats.  Fungus gnats are comprised of a number of species in the insect order Diptera, family Sciaridae (dark winged fungus gnat species Bradysia coprophila, impatiens and paupera) that are about the same size as a mosquito.   These tiny little creatures cause minimal damage to herbs such as oregano where they were having

A Few Tips for Identifying Insects in Your Garden

Quite often you will see the signs of insect damage in your garden well before you see the insect itself and there are times that more than one insect species may be responsible for the damage.  Proper identification is very important because you don't want to kill off any beneficial insects but at the same time you want to control or kill off harmful insects.  In reality my goal in the garden is

An Early Evening Garden Visitor

We are very fortunate to live in a rural area with an abundance of wildlife.  Our house backs onto the water so there is an amazing variety of waterfowl throughout the year.  There are two pairs of Mallard ducks nesting on our property this year and Mute Swans visit daily.  Although some of the wildlife we encounter such as mice are not quite welcomed for the most part the wildlife tends to be

Dealing with Garden Pilfering

Every gardener regardless of garden location experiences some type of loss due to pilfering.  In most cases the culprits are of the four legged or winged variety.  In some locations more so urban than rural the home gardener may also encounter pilfering by the two legged thief.    Yesterday's post discussed turning the front yard of a residential home in an urban setting into a edible garden. 

Know Your Enemy

I've been watching our neighbour who is having quite the time with birds wanting to nest over his awnings that were installed last year.  Now nesting birds can be a problem anywhere but when you live near the water's edge it can be even more problematic.  We have a pair of nesting Mallards each year that always make their nest under our hedges so we know that area is off limits until the

Controlling Garden Insects Effectively

Yesterday I wrote about the reasons why electronic bug zappers should not be used in the yard or garden for insect control. One of the biggest problems with these devices is the do not distinguish between harmful and beneficial insects. In one evening they can easily kill 10,000 insects effectively destroying the balance in your yard. Less insects mean less insect predators giving other more

Tomato Hornworm

There have been several reports of late blight hitting tomato plants in the northeastern US states. Some home gardeners have reported late blight within 100 km of us as well so I have been on high alert watching for any signs. I am be especially careful to remove any damaged vegetation from both the plants and soil level. While I have had minor damage due to the storms that went through so far

City Chickens

We live in rural area on waterfront property on a small, dead-end road with about 20 other families which basically forms a very small, tight-knit community. We have neighbours on both sides but none to the front or back. Most here have vegetable gardens but there are a few that don't. This spring one of the families set up things to raise chickens. Now if you were to see the location and the

White Nancy Lamiums

White Nancy Lamiums(Lamium maculatum)June 26, 2008Moving into a home with mature landscaping has meant discovering a lot of new to me plants. We moved in late June so that meant we had no idea what spring plants there were. Part of the fun has been identifying the various plants as they emerged to decide if they were friend or foe. This means that I have had a wonderful opportunity to expand my

Irish Moss

Irish Moss(Sangia subulata)I planted Irish moss in a small border bed bordering the garage. The bed is about five feet long, about two feet wide and is tucked between the garage and sidewalk. Like the other border beds here there is a deep layer of gravel for drainage in this bed. Here the Irish moss will be able to spread freely to fill the bed yet be contained from spreading elsewhere. What

Birdfeeders

There isn't a lot of actual gardening going on this time of year but that doesn't mean thing are not happening in the garden. I attract birds to my gardens year round using plantings and feeders. Birds are natural predators to some insects that can be a nuisance in the garden. The essentials for attracting birds into the garden are food, water and shelter. These remain the same regardless of

Laying Sod

Note: This is a modified entry from my homemaking blog. The pictures are the same but I have added or deleted parts of the descriptions. There may still be some overlap but there will also be more detailed information.When we decided to by this house we had the main goal of buying waterfront property for family use. If you have read any of my other blogs you will know what a strong emphasis