The other day a customer requested that I stop by and help them identify the perennials they had planted in a raised bed. These raised beds were gorgeous, with Russian sage, meadow sage, lilies, grass pinks, sedum, etc. and though they had lost a few things (the gentleman admitted that he may have pulled some things by mistake), the gardens, by the time we got done pulling the worst of the weeds, were very nice. The one thing I noticed was the smell - not a lovely, damp dirt and flower perfume smell that is heavenly when you're gardening; but this awful cat urine odor that turned my stomach.
I suggested the cat-scat stuff that you can buy at a Lowes or Home Depot, but if you're like me, you prefer not to use chemicals. In my gardens, I always have to consider the animals and children that tend to play in them. Hence, todays topic. A friend sent me an email with the top ten uses for used coffee grounds, and one caught my eye:
"Kitty repellent. To keep kitty from using the garden as her personal powder room, sprinkle grounds mixed with orange peels around your plants."
Well, who would have thunk it - coffee grounds and orange peels - two of my favorite smells - will repel kitties. Chalk one up for beneficial reuse of waste! And it won't screw up my olefactory experience when I garden, either - double-bonus!
Also, I thought I'd post the sucking bug repellent we recommend to our customers for use on veggies, etc. It works quite well, though it does require re-application after a rain. I've actually updated the recipe based on experience with the spray over time:
Soak 3 ounces of finely minced garlic cloves and a teaspoon of red pepper flakes in 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil for at least 24 hours. Slowly add 1 pint of water that has 1/4 ounce liquid soap or commercial insecticide soap mixed into it (I do this in a quart jar that I can screw shut with a lid). Thoroughly mix by shaking (this is the best way I've found to emulsify the oil) and then strain the concentrate into a glass jar for storage. To make up spray for application, add the concentrate at a rate of 1 to 2 Tablespoons of mixture to a pint of water. If this is effective, try a more dilute solution in order to use as little as possible.
For other natural bug spray recipes, check out the internet. There are tons of resources for the natural gardening - and a lot of them are cheaper than running to the store to buy the latest pesticide. Here's a couple links to get you started.
Canadian Country Woman: Natural Bug Sprays
About.com Natural Mosquito Repellents
Suite 101.com Organic Pest Control
Do you have some tips for organic gardening or a link you'd like to share? Please do!
I suggested the cat-scat stuff that you can buy at a Lowes or Home Depot, but if you're like me, you prefer not to use chemicals. In my gardens, I always have to consider the animals and children that tend to play in them. Hence, todays topic. A friend sent me an email with the top ten uses for used coffee grounds, and one caught my eye:"Kitty repellent. To keep kitty from using the garden as her personal powder room, sprinkle grounds mixed with orange peels around your plants."
Well, who would have thunk it - coffee grounds and orange peels - two of my favorite smells - will repel kitties. Chalk one up for beneficial reuse of waste! And it won't screw up my olefactory experience when I garden, either - double-bonus!
Also, I thought I'd post the sucking bug repellent we recommend to our customers for use on veggies, etc. It works quite well, though it does require re-application after a rain. I've actually updated the recipe based on experience with the spray over time:
Soak 3 ounces of finely minced garlic cloves and a teaspoon of red pepper flakes in 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil for at least 24 hours. Slowly add 1 pint of water that has 1/4 ounce liquid soap or commercial insecticide soap mixed into it (I do this in a quart jar that I can screw shut with a lid). Thoroughly mix by shaking (this is the best way I've found to emulsify the oil) and then strain the concentrate into a glass jar for storage. To make up spray for application, add the concentrate at a rate of 1 to 2 Tablespoons of mixture to a pint of water. If this is effective, try a more dilute solution in order to use as little as possible.
For other natural bug spray recipes, check out the internet. There are tons of resources for the natural gardening - and a lot of them are cheaper than running to the store to buy the latest pesticide. Here's a couple links to get you started.
Canadian Country Woman: Natural Bug Sprays
About.com Natural Mosquito Repellents
Suite 101.com Organic Pest Control
Do you have some tips for organic gardening or a link you'd like to share? Please do!
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