Organic insect control and some are really pretty COOL and work.

[Wanda P]

There are many benefits and lessons to learn from organic gardening. Among them is how to control insects through plant diversity. When insects like bees and leafhoppers can control
their own populations, there's no need for pesticides.

Insects keep themselves in natural check because some of them are natural predators of each other, says organic expert Erica Renaud at Seeds of
Change in El Guique, N.M. "But also they are competing for food
sources, so when that happens they will monitor and manage their own
population."

To create what Renaud calls an "insectary," pick the right plants. For example, purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) (figure A) is a native species that attracts butterflies and bees. "This is an example of both an insectary and cover crop, so plant this to attract
insects and pollinators and to cover the soil and protect it from
erosion," she says.

Figure B

Cover cropping is another organic technique where crops are planted for the sole purpose of conditioning the soil. Used to promote soil fertility,
cover cropping also helps with water drainage and weed control.
Buckwheat (figure B), fava beans and clover are great cover crops.

Compost plays a huge part in the organic growing process. At the Seeds of Change farm, composting is done on a large scale in formations called
windrows. A windrow is usually about eight feet wide and five feet tall
in full form. The compost is a mixture of manure for nitrogen, twigs
and leaves for carbon and vegetable matter for nutrients.

As a general rule, the more compost is turned, the faster it matures. The maturation process for one windrow is eight to nine months. At the end
of the process, it should look just like soil—indicating a high humus
count—and have no unpleasant aroma. "If your compost still has a bad
anaerobic smell—it has too much oxygen and is still fermenting—then
it's not ready. It can actually be toxic to your plants," says Renaud.

Figure C

One of the objectives of the farm is to develop new organic varieties of crops that can grow in a range of climates. Onions are one such crop
popular among growers all over the country. The 'Rossa Di Milano' onion
(figure C) has a globelike shape, keeps for a long time and has a sweet flavor.

Figure C

Lime, lemon, cinnamon (figure D) and Italian large-leaf basil are popular herbs. 'Red Rubin' is a favorite among growers for its striking purple foliage. It can be used
as a culinary herb as well as an accent plant.

Figure D

Genovese basil (figure F) is particularly popular because it's used in making pesto. Harvest by pinching just below the leaf nodes (where the leaves are attached to
the stem). This helps to make the plant bush out, giving you more
volume and more basil to harvest.

Some brightly-colored flowers at the grocery store are synthetically dyed, but you don't have to sacrifice flower color when you go organic. There
are several cultivars of zinnia (figure G) that come in a
variety of colors and can be harvested all season long. But gardeners
aren't the only ones attracted to their brilliant colors. "Butterflies
are really attracted to color," says Renaud. "There are lots of pinks
and oranges, and they are really attracted to that."

ANOTHER SOURCE OF INFORMATION, IS THIS LOVELY LADY HERE..!

Here's a shortcut that can help make quick work of gardening chores, especially in the pest control department. It's an organic way to save time and money while
making your garden more beautiful.

"I don't like to spend much time in the kitchen, but that's where I found all these kitchen-cupboard remedies for pest control," says Marianne Binetti. For
example, all too often the slugs in her garden take over her flowers.
Since the mother slug lays her eggs at the base of the most tender,
succulent plants, the babies proceed to pulverize her precious
petunias. But Binetti sprays a homemade half-and-half mixture of
ammonia and water on the slugs. "In order for the solution to work, you
have to spray it directly on the slugs," she says. The bonus is that
the ammonia converts into nitrogen, so as you're killing the slugs,
you're actually fertilizing your plants. And Binetti suggests using the
leftovers to wash the windows.

"I use beer as snail bait," adds master gardener Paul James. "I put a little bit in a shallow container, and I place it in the garden. They crawl in, but they can't crawl out."

Figure A

And look at what the pesky worms have done to Binetti's beautiful cabbage. To protect her cabbage, Binetti sprinkles self-rising flour on the
cabbage leaves. The worms eat the flour, and when the sun comes out,
the worms explode.

Figure B

Just take a cup or two of self-rising flour, pour into a small paper bag and roll up the top of the bag. Poke a few holes in the base of the bag and
sprinkle the flour over the cabbage. Binetti recommends applying the
flour to your plants during the early morning since that's when the
worms are most actively eating. Once the mercury starts rising, so will
the worms.

Figure E

Who knew potatoes would have an eye for trapping insects? Binetti catches the bad bugs in her unique version of mashed potatoes. First, she
buries a few potatoes in the soil. The potatoes lure all the bad bugs
that typically eat root crops. Once all the bad bugs are in one spot,
she removes the potatoes and mashes them. Just take a potato and slice
it into smaller sections. Poke a skewer through each section. Bury the
potatoes a couple of inches in the soil. Space each slice about a foot
or so apart in your root crops. The skewers stick up through the soil
to help you find the potatoes later. In a couple of weeks, pull the
potatoes up to reveal all kinds of bad bugs that would otherwise be
eating your crops. Remove the bugs from the potatoes and squash the
little culprits.

Figure F

If fungus is a problem, use a solution of half skim milk and half water. When sprayed on the foliage of roses, it prevents mildew and black spot
from growing. Spraying for black spot should be done in the morning so
the leaves will be completely dried in the sunshine. The skim milk
forms a thin film over the leaf and prevents black spot from
developing.

Figure G

Another hot tip from Binetti's kitchen is using chili powder to spice up your bulbs. Chili powder keeps the moles, voles, mice and squirrels from
digging up bulbs because of the hot pepper in the powder. "Varmints
don't like the bitter taste of chili powder, and I'm sure the blazing
heat is a deterrent, as well," she says. Just sprinkle a little chili
powder on top and around the bulb and plant accordingly. "I like to
sprinkle a little on top of the soil, too," she adds. "This keeps the
dogs and cats from digging up the freshly worked soil."

The next time you hunger for fresh new ways to get rid of pests in your garden, check the kitchen first. You'll find that all these gardening shortcuts
and easy solutions may give you more time to relax in your garden.

Resources

Guests

Marianne Binetti
Gardening Expert / Author
PO Box 872
Enumclaw, WA 98022
Phone: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]
Website: www.binettigarden.com