Victoria Day Games Begin!

In preparation for this Victoria Day weekend, last night, Friday night, I visited one of my favourite nurseries. I go to this nursery when I want something interesting and unique. Or to get ideas. The plants are luscious and of high quality. The prices are not!

So last night I did some scouting after work at this nursery. I get ideas for my baskets from their baskets. I was shocked at their prices this year. Prices were no less than $20 CAD for a basket, though I have to say, they were gorgeous.

For herbs, there were some nice sized and beautiful looking organic plants, but they wanted $6.99/ea! I think not! At a local supermarket, I spied a deal of 5 herb plants for $10. I'm going there for the herbs, since I've not this year started my own from seed.

I did find something I've been wanting at this nursery. San Marzano tomato plants. I've been reading that they are the best for tomato sauce so I picked up four of them. They were reasonable. If I had more room I would have bought more.

Tomato Blight Destroys Crops in Southern Ontario

This summer I purchased an heirloom tomato plant. It started off great. But look at it now. Very sad. Only two tomatoes. I thought it was me who failed the tomatoes, but it seems there's a blight in Southern Ontario destroying crops, especially organically grown crops, even those grown by experienced farmers.

"Ms. Sosnicki's entire crop of field tomatoes near Waterford, Ont., about 130 kilometres southwest of Toronto, was destroyed this year by late blight – the same fungus responsible for the Irish potato famine. Spores of the fungus have scattered across much of Southern and Eastern Ontario, and the Northeastern United States.

The cool, wet conditions in the last few months has amounted to what agriculturalists call 'the year without a summer.'"

From Thursday's Aug. 20, 2009 Globe and Mail

Being a tomato lover, I was disappointed the heirloom plant became blighted. I just love home grown tomatoes. They have that "umami" flavour that you just can't get from tomatoes purchased elsewhere, unless they're direct from a local farm. I did, however, get a nice tomato surprise. Last year's tomato plants reseeded and those pictured to the right arrived this year. They look much better than the heirloom, but we'll see if they last until they're ready to pick.

For more about blight, this FAQ is an interesting read.

How to stop slugs and snails from eating your plants

Something's Been Eating My Sage!

Do the leaves on your plants look as if some beastie has been nibbling? You may have slugs or snails. I noticed that my Sage has become a meal for snails or slugs, which I know lurk during the day in my garden, then dig into my plants at night.

They also love my Hostas. A friend of mine gave me some beautiful Hostas from her garden, which are very precious to me. I notice that they too are being eaten, so I've researched some ways to organically control these pests. These methods are also good for veggie gardens where slugs and snails like to feast.

Diatomaceous Earth (DE)
DE is readily available from your local nursery. It's a very fine dust of diaton skeletons. These are made of silicon and very sharp to a slug or snail, and even ants. The snail or slug will get miniscule cuts as they slither their way through the dust. It may not kill them but it will deter them!

How to use: Sprinkle the dust around base of plants, and on leaves.

*DO NOT INHALE*

Egg Shells
Egg shells not only deter slugs and snails, they also act as a fertilizer. They are especially beneficial to fast growing plants like fennel, peppers, green beans and tomatoes. They deter slugs and snails in much the same way as DE.

How to use:

• Rinse shells thoroughly and air dry
• Place in bag and crush
• Spread crushed shells around bases of plants

Make a Beer Trap
This method seems to be favoured by people I've talked to and in books I've read. The critters fall into the beer and drown - cruel, I know, but it's them or your plants.

How to use:
Bury a recycled pie plate, plastic container in soil so that the brim is level with the soil. Some people just place a saucer in their gardens. Fill with beer to near to top of container. Check trap daily to dispose of pests and refill with beer.

Copper Strips
Studies have shown that slugs and snails get an electric shock when in contact with copper. You could try Doff Copper Slug Tape - 4m - Protects Approx 12 x 5 inch pots.

How to use: You can purchase copper backed paper and staple it to 3" wide boards, placed as a border around your garden.

I'd love to hear about your methods to control slugs and snails - what did you do and did it work. Or if you have general feedback on the content of The Bloomin' Blog, feel free to leave a comment.

And if the are non of these work, you may find a solution in 29 Ways to Get Rid of Snails and Slugs in Your Garden

Sources
The Truth About Organic Gardening, by Jeff Gillman
The Organic Gardeners Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control, by Barbara W. Ellis and Fern Marshall Bradley
To buy these books, click on the Indigo Chapters.ca link to the right.