All posts by Jordan Charbonneau

Organic Integrated Pest Management

As lovely and romantic as organic gardening can be it can also be really tough. A huge struggle for many organic gardeners is dealing with pests in an efficient and economical way without the use of pesticides or rodenticides. Developing an organic integrated pest management system or IPM can help.

Monitor & Identify

The first step is to monitor your garden and identify any pest issues. Record any problems in a garden journal and be as specific as possible. Research the type of pests you’re seeing and their life cycles. Are they cabbage worms or cabbage loopers attacking your broccoli plants? Also record dates and conditions when they attack your garden. Do aphids destroy your fall crop of lettuce or do the only impact your spring sowings? The more you learn about these pests the easier it is to prevent them. You should also consider at this time if the pests are actually a problem. Having to pick off a few tomato hornworms may not be worth putting major preventative measures in place if they’re not actually affecting the productivity in your garden and are otherwise easily managed.

Prevention

This is the most important part of an IPM. Once you’ve gathered information you can put preventative measures in place. Knowing a pest’s habitat and life cycle can be key. Examples of of preventative measures include planting a crop late or early to avoid a major pest season (ex. planting quick maturing cabbage early when it’s too cold for cabbage moths), attracting certain bird species to keep pest populations in check, encouraging or purchasing native predatory insect species (ex. ladybugs can be purchased online and are excellent at reducing aphid populations), growing pest resistant varieties, or using row cover over your most vulnerable crops. Sometimes you’ll need to employ a combination of these strategies. Often a well planned preventative strategy can keep your garden productive without a lot of additional work.

Control

In severe situations where pest prevention has been ineffective control measures are used as a last resort. These controls may be very effective against pests however they’re typically costly in other ways. Some, like handpicking can be very time consuming while others may actually be pricey for the small gardener like neem oil. Even though they aren’t as problematic as chemical pesticides they also may have unintentional environmental impacts despite the fact that they’re organic. Organic pesticides like neem oil, diatomaceous earth, or milky spore powder may be implemented with the intention of only harming a single pest species but unfortunately there’s no way to protect the good species. These organic pesticides can still kill beneficial insects like butterflies, bees, parasitic wasps, predatory beetles, and more.

Using integrated pest management can help you successfully maintain an organic garden. While no strategy is perfect, researching and recording your specific pest problems and then implementing preventative strategies can be effective.

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10 Easy Ways to Use Cucumbers

Cucumbers don’t seem to share the notorious reputation of summer squash for its summertime over abundance however they are productive. They’re also not quite as easy to preserve as something like tomatoes which are easily frozen, canned, or dried for delicious meals later on. If you’ve got baskets of cucumbers piling up on your kitchen counter try a few of these easy suggestions to make the most of your summer bounty.

Add them to smoothies.

Cucumbers are cool, mild, and refreshing making them an excellent choice for summertime smoothies.

Pickle them.

If you’re up for a more traditional preservation route there are many recipes for water bath canning pickles. Check out these recipes from Ball:

Kosher Dill Pickles

Bread and Butter Pickles

If canning isn’t your thing, try checking recipes for “refrigerator pickles.” These can’t be kept at room temperature like their canned counterparts but they will keep in the fridge for a long time.

Make frozen treats.

Cucumbers make wonderful additions to homemade fruit sorbets or popsicles. They’re nice and juicy without a lot of intense flavor.

Toss them in drinks.

Cucumbers are an awesome homegrown way to add excitement to your drinks. Sangria, gin & tonics, or even ice water with your fresh cucumber slices is sure to impress your guests.

Make gazpacho.

For those who haven’t heard of it gazpacho is a soup made from blended vegetables that’s served cool. It makes a great summer lunch and there’s tons of recipes to suit everyones’ tastes. Check out this recipe from the BBC, Green Cucumber & Mint Gazpacho.

Ferment them.

Fermented foods are great for your gut and pretty easy to make. Try this recipe for awesome fermented cucumber pickles.

Try a different cucumber salad.

Tossing a cucumber slices onto a plain salad can quickly get boring but their are plenty of recipes if you’re willing to branch out try searching for Asian cucumber sesame salad recipes or check Pinterest for more recipes.

Add them to a stir fry.

It may sound a bit odd if you’re accustomed to only eating fresh cucumbers but cucumbers are delicious in a stir fry or alone. Try frying some with a touch of oil, soy sauce, and ginger.

Make fresh salsa.

Cucumbers can easily be added to fresh salsa recipes like this one for taco night!

Make your own soap.

If you’re into crafts or diy projects or have ever tried soap making you may want to try adding some of your cucumbers. Search “cucumber soap” for recipes.

As is the case with many vegetables cucumbers are actually very versatile. If you’ve got an abundance this season trying a few new recipes can help you eat more from your garden and spend less time in the grocery store. What’s your favorite way to use cucumbers?

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Eastern Beneficial Birds & 10 Ways to Attract Them to Your Garden

Among the gardener’s many friends are a variety of birds. Some species help pollinate crops while others wreak havoc on pest populations. Some help keep the rodent population in check while certain species eat the seeds off troublesome weeds. When planning an organic garden it’s definitely worth considering local bird species. Implementing a few simple strategies to attract them to your garden can help you naturally improve your yields.

  • Owls
    These nocturnal hunters are excellent at keeping rodents from stealing your crops. The most common eastern species that will hunt in or near your garden include Barn Owls, Eastern Screech Owls, Barred Owls, and Great Horned Owls. Barn Owls, in particular, have seen population declines and would benefit from nest boxes.
  • Hummingbirds
    Only one species of hummingbird is commonly found in the eastern United States, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. They are beautiful to see in the garden and help pollinate too!
  • Goldfinches
    Often overlooked helpers in the garden are the seed-eating birds. Goldfinches are a common variety that’s easy to attract and they’ll lend you a hand by eating the seeds of many common weed species.
  • Swallows 
    While there are many species in the swallow family that eat insects Purple Martins and Barn Swallows are two species that can be commonly found frequenting backyard gardens.
  • Northern Cardinals
    In the winter time cardinals will frequently be found at seed feeders however during the summer month they’re more than happy to eat pests in your garden. They’re very common on the east coast.
  • Blue Jays
    Despite their sometimes bad reputation, Blue Jays can actually be helpful in the garden. They mostly feed on nuts and seeds but they’ll also eat caterpillars and other insects.
  • Chickadees
    Chickadees are common throughout much of the east coast and have no qualms about hanging out in your backyard. Depending on where you live you may see Boreal Chickadees, Black-capped Chickadees, or Carolina Chickadees with the second two being more likely to frequent populated areas. Chickadees are omnivores, making them easy to attract to your garden during the winter so they’ll munch on insects during the summer.
  • Eastern Bluebirds
    These birds love to eat insects and could use some serious help. Eastern Bluebirds populations have declined due to competition with House Sparrows for nesting sites. If you’d like to attract them to your garden they’re happy to use nest boxes.
  • Hawks
    There are several species of hawks that can be found in the eastern United States but you’ll most likely to see Cooper’s Hawks, Red-shouldered Hawks,  Sharp-shinned Hawks, and Red-tailed Hawks near your garden and they can help keep rodents and other small mammals from overtaking your garden.
  • American Kestrel
    The American Kestrel shares may of the same features of hawks but they are actually part of the falcon family.

How to Attract Them & Keep Them Visiting Your Garden

  1. Research and put up species appropriate houses. Obviously, you’ll need a different sort of house for a chickadee than a barn owl but there’s more to it than that. Some birds also have distinct territories and won’t nest in boxes too close to their neighbors. Research your favorite birds’ requirements and make houses to suit their needs.
  2. Feeders are an easy way to get birds to visit your garden. Many birds like chickadees will really benefit from seed feeders out during the winter but will lend you a hand with insects during the summer months as well. If you have bears in your area you may need to take feeders down during the summer months.
  3. Provide multi-level gardens. Birds like natural areas. Perfectly trimmed lawns and just low growing plants won’t cut it. Birds prefer places to land and hide. Adding a blend of taller and shorter plants, planting some things in dense groups, and adding perennial plants, shrubs, and trees will make birds feel more comfortable visiting your garden.
  4. In the same sense, keep nearby wooded areas natural. Leave standing dead wood for birds to nest in and feed on. Avoid heavy pruning and creating manicured looking woodlands.
  5. Leave standing dead material like corn or sunflower stalks during the winter. Birds that overwinter in your area will often find insects in them to feed on.
  6. Add a birdbath to your yard especially if you live in a dry area. While some birds will actually use it to bath many will use it to get a drink while they’re visiting your garden.
  7. Spay/neuter your cat. As lovable as cats are they can devastate a local songbird population. Having a pet is a wonderful thing but contributing to stray cats is horrible for wildlife.
  8. Avoid using rodenticides and insecticides as these will travel up the food change and harm or even kill birds.
  9. If you can leave a few sturdy, mature trees around. These are preferable perches for larger birds like hawks and owls.
  10. Make your windows visible. Hanging things in your windows or adding decals to them can save birds from unnecessary collisions.

Of course, these are not the only birds that are helpful, there are tons of species! This list is just a few of the species common to the eastern United States that can be beneficial around gardens. Using these 10 tips can help you have a better garden while helping local wildlife. What do you do to attract birds? Did we miss anything?

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