In the previous article I shared my experiences foraging sea vegetables on Washington State’s San Juan Islands; today I wanted to examine some interesting uses that seaweeds can be put to back home in the kitchen and the organic garden.
I won’t list the many health claims associated with the use of sea vegetables, other than [...]

Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.) has been a godsend in battles with destructive caterpillars out in the vegetable garden. One of the most impressive things about Bt (aka Thuricide or Dipel), is that it targets and eliminates bad bugs without harming the non-targeted beneficial insects and pollinators.
B.t. accomplishes this feat because it is based upon a naturally [...]

The previous article shared a few strategies and ideas for quickly trapping groundhogs that have become a nuisance in the backyard garden.
But trapping is only half of the battle, once the critter is caged you still have to determine what to do with it next? To begin with, resist that temptation to take out a little [...]

I’ve endured my share of groundhog conflicts, and at times they’ve even had me talking to myself, but I’ve learned a few things about the best way to trap a woodchuck from my unpleasant experiences. If you are up against a troublesome groundhog that is devouring your garden or creating unsightly holes throughout your landscape, the preferred method to solve the problem is to trap the critter and find a new home for it.

I normally write articles offering tips on how to eliminate garden slugs and snails, but in this case the slug was far away from the garden and I was somewhat mesmerized by the size, beauty, and movement that this creature displayed as it traveled merrily along in its own little world without the slightest clue that it was being watched.

I received the following question this week from Richard inquiring into ways to control and eliminate smut on his sweet corn: “About half of my sweet corn patch is heavily infected with smut. I have been reading about solarizing to kill weeds. Would it work against smut?”

Okay Chuckie, you’ve enjoyed a good run for a groundhog, but the gig is up and this little chat is your not so fond farewell. We’ve spent the past few weeks getting to know each other quite well, but I have to be honest and let you know that you aren’t going to be missed, not for a second.

One thing that has always been a constant for me is that if I plant a single eggplant, flea beetles are guaranteed to make an appearance. For some reason these difficult to control pests are especially fond of eggplants and if left unattended will quickly chew hundreds of holes through the plant’s leaves.