How to Attract Toads for Garden Pest Control

 Backyard Garden  No Responses »
Feb 052010
 

Are toads beneficial to the garden? Yes! They have a large appetite for bad bugs. And besides that they add laugher and interest to your backyard and garden areas.

Frog
Creative Commons License photo credit: darrenlewis1984

I never thought that much about toads in the garden until one year when I grew a unique cucumber with spines on the exterior. This vegetable grew like crazy and the trellis I put up for the cucumber plants looked like a jungle. It was so full the cucumbers were hard to pick and the area was shady.

One day I noticed I had left a little clay pot near the bottom of the trellis. (I cover all small squash and cucumber seedlings at night when they are young. It protects them from squash bugs.) I was going to pick it up and put it away until I noticed a toad was using it for a house. The pot gave the toad a dark, moist hiding place during the day.

The toad seemed content to stay in the cucumber patch area. It would watch me, tucked away in the pot, work in the gardens.

The next year I put a terra cotta pot back in the garden in a shady area and the toad returned. Every night, toads will stalk and consume 50 to 100 unwanted pests including slugs, cut worms, and flies. So if you like natural insect control, the toad is your answer.

To attract toads to your garden or near your pond or water garden, find a location to attract toads. You are looking for a soft, moist area with as little wind as possible. You also need an area about one foot square in an area that you can leave alone.

Next, build your toad a home. Any form of natural, miniature cave-like waterproof sturdy shelter will do. The toad just needs to be able to move in and out freely, remain on cool, moist soil while inside, and are hidden from overhead predators and severe weather.

The back entrance
Creative Commons License photo credit: mara

A favorite method is to lay a medium-sized unglazed terra cotta flowerpot on its side and sink part of it into the ground. Toads love to climb inside and the clay pot provides a moist climate. Stones or bricks can also be arranged into a permanent mini shelter, but they require more work to set up.

Some people recycle other types of old, broken heavy plant containers. They turn them upside down in the garden after breaking a large enough opening on the top edge as a doorway. By using a broken pot you have you can use colors that match your yard or plants. It can even be considered garden art.

You can even buy commercial toad houses in garden centers and garden supply stores. But why not have the fun of making the toad house yourself? And it’s a great children’s project.

The last step is to protect the surroundings. Place the pot in a place that has some privacy. And make sure the area has little or no chemicals that would hurt a toad. Those who attract toads for garden pest control usually use natural methods in their gardens, so toxins in the garden are probably not a concern. A pool area might have toxins though.

You can further attract toads by providing a flat stone for a sunning area that gets sun, but is also somewhat surrounded by vegetation or natural shelter. This will give them protection and a feeling of security.

Toads don’t need as much water as frogs; you can provide water by setting a shallow waterproof tray with pebbles and stones on the ground. A gradual edge works best, and no deeper than an inch or so of water is needed.

Note: Frogs and toads are disappearing, so when you attract toads, you’re also helping the planet.  And you are practicing natural garden pest control.

Posted by Denise at 11:52 pm  Tagged with: , ,

Gardening Trends 2010: The Edible Garden

 Backyard Garden  No Responses »
Jan 182010
 

The backyard garden is a hot trend even more this year than last according to the orders from garden magazines and garden supply companies.

Forming Head of Cabbage
Creative Commons License photo credit: Hair Squared
Growing your own groceries is taking over homes and communities. A recent survey by the National Gardening Association shows a 19 percent burst of new hobby country farms and urban edible gardens over the last year.

With this growing trend,  gardeners and small space backyards are coming up with new ideas to make the most out of their growing area. Rooftop gardens, fire escape gardens, and container gardening ideas are popping up in towns and cities everywhere. The use of vertical growing along walls and fences is becoming a common sight in busy downtown areas.

Many years back the garden was a mix of ornamentals and the edible – roses beside tomatoes, beds edged with herbs and veggies used as annuals. And many flowers were used as arrangements one moment and as salad decorations or spices the next.

As both parents went to work and more time was spent away from the home, gardening and the use of space were set aside. But times are changing.

With the trend towards “Going Green” lawns are being replaced with herbs, edible gardens and moveable gardens. With less emphasis on a green lawn there is a large decrease in the use of water, saving the family money and time. This is also  creating more growing space.

nasturtium fall herb garden
Creative Commons License photo credit: woodleywonderworks

There is also a movement to turn the front lawn into vegetable gardens and rain gardens. This garden plan uses mulches and hardscape for the design and mixed planting of edible shrubs, herbs and plants for color and interest.

If your thinking of revamping your lawn to a more environmentally friendly garden area your local garden center will be able to help you select edible plants and shrubs.

Posted by Denise at 10:42 pm  Tagged with: , , , ,

How to Read and Select Fertilizer for the Garden

 Backyard Garden  No Responses »
Jan 162010
 

All backyards, gardens and plants will sooner or later need some type of fertilizer. But what do those numbers mean on the back of fertilizer bags and in gardening books?

Ready to grow!
Creative Commons License photo credit: warrenski

If you plants are growing slowly, are turning yellow or look thin and scraggly you need to add supplements, or fertilizer, to the soil.

If you are familiar with the numbers and initials NPK you will be able to select the proper plant food you need for your lawn or garden areas.

Fertilizer numbers are known as NPK. They are represented on the package by the percent of each nutrient in the mix such as 10-10-10, 20-10-10, 5-5-5 etc.

A quick reference to remember what each number does is thinking UP (first number, nitrogen is for green growth), ALL AROUND (middle number, phosphorus/flowers), DOWN (last number, potassium is for root growth). Gardening success = Up, All around, and Down!

The first number: N stands for nitrogen.
Nitrogen promotes green growth. Use high nitrogen (20-10-10) for lawns leafy vegetables and young shrubs and trees.

The middle number: P stands for phosphorous.
Phosphorus encourages flowers and fruits. Use high phosphorus like 10-20-10 on perennials and annuals.

The last number: K stands for potassium
Potassium (Potash) encourages roots to grow. Use high potassium like 10-10-20 for establishing new plants and feeding root crops.

There are other forms of nutrients that will also add nitrogen, phosphorous or potassium to your soil. Online garden websites, your local Extension Office and gardening books will provide any additional information you might need.

If you remember the garden slogan “Up, All Around and Down you will be able to select the right fertilizer for your backyard projects.

Posted by Denise at 3:37 pm  

Start Perennial Shrub Seeds Indoors.

 Backyard Garden  No Responses »
Dec 222009
 

Perennial shrub seeds can be fun and an interesting challenge to grow. My first adventures with shrubs seeds were the different color varieties of the Rose of Sharon.

2009SpringSowing-8572
Creative Commons License photo credit: graibeard

I always liked this flowering shrub because of the color variety and the time it flowered, later than most bushes thus adding more color to the yard.

I was offered seeds in a seed swap so decided to look the shrub up and see its advantages and disadvantages and see if it would be a welcome addition to my landscape. It saw no red flags that indicated it would be a nuisance plant and made a deal.

I was lucky, seed planting instructions were included and over several tries I have added a few tips on my own. Below is a rough guide that will work with most perennial shrub seeds. When you get a shrub seed check online, at your local extension office or your local library for seed planting tips.

  • Check to see if your seed needs a clod treatment. (Time in the freezer or refrigerator to encourage the seed to wake up and start to grow when it warms up)
  • Either soak or nick the seed to help with germination
  • Prepare individual seed pots for the seeds and make sure there will be proper drainage. I always sit the pots on a tray of pebbles. This helps with drainage and adds humidity around the seedlings.
  • Water carefully from below and make sure the top of the soil does not get soggy.
  • After the seedling break the ground I will mist from the top and water from the bottom.

TIP: This was not mentioned in my Rose of Sharon growing instruction but it worked well with my seedling. I sat them on top of the television so they would have heat from beneath the soil. This will also work on top of the refrigerator or by using a waterbed heating mattress pad. By using heat beneath the soil my seedling germinated in less than a week.

Shrubs will grow slowly so I often plant them in decorative pots the first year and place outside on a patio or porch area.

In the fall you can either bring the shrub in for the winter months if you feel its so small to survive or plant outdoors. Often small shrubs like this I will place in a garden area I call the holding garden. It’s a place where small vulnerable plants can have more care and protection.

I planted most of my Rose of Sharon in a holding garden for two years then placed them in the backyard. They have grown well and have added beauty to the landscape.

I also gave a few bushes away or traded for other plants I wanted. And one other use for the Rose of Sharon bushes were bonsais. These shrubs make a very pretty bonsai.

I will be starting a new crop of Rose of Sharon after the holidays and will have a photo journal of their progress, which I will post. I will also be starting several other varieties of shrubs, trees and perennials for next years gardening projects in the next few weeks.

Posted by Denise at 10:41 pm  Tagged with: , , , ,

Bentwood Furniture for the Patio or Garden area

 Backyard Garden  No Responses »
Nov 052009
 

Bentwood furniture seems to tie the backyard in with the patio and home area. Bentwood pieces can include benches, planters, rockers and love seats. The Garden areas also benefit from bentwood garden art with the use of trellises, arbors and plant stands.
various pictures 025
Creative Commons License photo credit: Mike and Kelly Schellhouse

The Amish are on my property this week cutting hickory for their bentwood rockers they are so well known for in this area. They have been harvesting small amounts of Hickory wood on and off for about 15 years from the property.

The rockers have become a family tradition and each artist signs his rocker on the bottom and becomes known for his style. I have two handmade rockers with hickory that has been harvested off my property and used by the Amish to create furniture.

The Amish will be here two weeks collecting small hickory pieces no larger than four inches in diameter. As they collect and drag the branches off the hill they sort them for size then bundle them for transporting home.

Although the Amish use hickory and oak for their style of rocker, many use a softer wood like willow or pine. Basically if a branch can bend it can be used for furniture or garden art.

Harder wood such as hickory holds up better than the softer wood but with proper care all wood branches will work well indoors or out. The branches  need to be dried and treated properly before the furniture is made.

I particularly like the look of bentwood on the patio. It brings nature a little closer to the home and seems to blend the two spaces into one.

The You Tube video below shows Jeffrey Dreisbach creating a unique piece of furniture from branches.

His work is more artistic than what the local Amish make in my area. But the idea of collecting wood and creating furniture and other useful home products is the same.

There is a fun side to harvesting wood and branches from the woods and creating a useful but rustic piece of furniture.

Over the next two weeks it will be a learning to watch the Amish harvest the wood they need and still not abuse the land. The way they trim the hickory trees keeps the trees usable for lumber and shade but still supplies them with branches needed for their wonderful bentwood rocking chairs.

Shipshewana, Indiana
Creative Commons License photo credit: navets

Bentwood furniture may be a style that you would like to add to your patio, porch or backyard garden area.

For more information on the Amish rocker check out my article on The Gardeners Rake;  Amish Tradition and Harvesting Hickory

Posted by Denise at 10:04 pm  Tagged with: , , ,
 Older Entries  Newer Entries
© 2012 Backyard Oasis Suffusion theme by Sayontan Sinha