In the Garden ~ Natural Pest Control

 

    Every year, we are excited to start a new garden and every year we face the issues of dealing with common garden pests.  Since we garden organically, we do not use typical pest control items, so that our food could be consumed straight off the vine, or plant. 

Our number one pest removal is as simple as cooking oil and dish soap.  Two cups of oil, and 1 cup of dish soap combined.  Then take 1 tablespoon and mix it with a liter of water, to spray on plants.  This mixture helps to naturally remove pests such as aphids and mites.  These soft bodied insects absorb the mixture into their skin and die, and it’s safe to spray directly onto the leaves and stems of your plants.

Another great option that you can purchase from your favorite garden center is Neem Oil. Mix 100% cold pressed Neem Oil with some dish soap and the life cycle of the insect pest in your garden will no longer continue.  It’s just as easy to spray on the plants as the dish soap spray you just made.  

If you have slugs or snails in your garden; a lid filled with beer will draw them in and they will drown, consuming the liquid.  You don’t need a full can, unless you are placing more than one trap in your garden.  At least you know they will die happy, while moving around the beer trap. It is a more humane way of removing these pests than salt or a stronger pesticide.

Of course, there are natural deterrents that you can grow that will add safety to your garden area.   Nasturitium is a great plant to grow that also provides food.  The pepper scent will deter squash bugs, white flies and various beetles from eating away at your garden.  The flowers will attract beneficial insects as well, who might also feast on the pests you are trying to keep away from your harvest.  All parts of the nasturtium are edible, the flowers and the leaves. They make a great garnish for salads and other dishes. 

The most common plant around to help keep away garden pests of all sizes is the marigold.  Marigolds work wonders as a border flower at keeping out deer and rabbits along with a myriad of insects. The pungent smell repels the mammals while attracting those insects that will help to pollinate your garden for optimal growth. Companion planting marigolds works wonders on your garden at keeping it pest free.  

One more easy to use pest control is diatomaceous earth.  This fine ground power made from aquatic fossils works wonders on pests with hard exoskeletons.  The powder strips away the protective exoskeleton and causes the insects to dry out.  It makes for an easy to use deterrent that can be mixed into soil or spread around plants. Be sure to get the food grade diatomaceous earth and not the kind that goes in your pool. 

Inside your house, if your fruit is out on the counter or your trash cans are not covered, you might find that you have little gnats flying around. A jar filled with apple cider vinegar, and topped with plastic wrap with holes poked in it works amazing.  The smell attracts the gnats, and the plastic wrap traps them inside.  A safe and easy method to remove pesky gnats from your airspace.  

Organic pest removal is effective and easy to use, if you want to take the time to discover what works best for you and your garden.  There is no need to add chemicals to your body from the use of pesticides. After all you only have one body to live with, and this is your one chance to treat it the best.  You have already started by growing  a garden, continuing those good works in how you treat pests.

In the Garden ~ Perennials

    

     Color in the garden begins with perennials.  Yes, I know you can always add annual flowers for color, although you may have to possibly purchase and replant new annual flowers.  The initial time and effort expended in planting perennials, pays off in the long term, and sometimes creates more plants for you to share or move around in your garden. Therefore, one of the great aspects of perennial plants is the fact that they come back year after year.

    Some of our favorites are Irises.  They have lovely blooms in a variety of colors.  Most often people see purples and whites, though there are so many more choices.  Typically, they only bloom once per year, typically, they can cycle through blooms over the course of a month.  This year’s Iris blooms were not the best. I think partly due to the freeze we had in January.  No matter where we are, we will always have Iris in our garden. We are hoping to add to our Iris collect this year with some new varieties and colors, and are always willing to share from our plants as well.  

    Another crowd favorite are gladiolus.  The long, spear like stem blooms slowly flowering from the bottom to the top creating a riot of color late in the spring to early summer.  These flowers are wonderful to watch bloom and attract pollinators of all kinds.  The challenge is to make sure they do not get too too heavy and fall over as the blooms open.  So many color options are available in these flowers that you can match your garden to any color scheme.  

    Let’s not forget a series of blooming herbs.  Lavender, sage, rosemary, comfrey,  and oregano make up some of the beautiful and simple edible plants that grow in our garden.  Small purple or white flowers bloom on these plants, typically in the spring.  Besides being fragrant they can help keep pests away, and can be dried to use in cooking and for making teas.  

    A large portion of our perennial garden is made up of varieties of lilies.  We have a variety of colors and various bloom sizes in our lily collection, which adds color and dimension to the garden.  One great thing about lilies and Irises they like to spread their wings and are easy to split and move around your garden from plants you already own.  

    Most of our perennial plants are in full sun.  We are slowly adding plants that require more shady areas.  Hostas, cannas, elephant ears and certain ground covers prefer a more shady environment.  I always think it’s fun to see the hostas reemerge in the spring from under the cover of winter.  Deep down you know you are gardening right, when your plants return each year to shower your yard in a wash of colors.  

    Perennial gardens might seem like a lot of work to start but if you have the patience to wait and watch your garden grow, the rewards in the long run will be great.  The return of your plants every year is worth the time and effort to me, instead of having to buy new each year. 

In the Garden ~ Victory Garden

 

        The effort at home during World War I was to encourage families to plant a Victory Garden.  Widely encouraged during World War II as well, Victory Gardens were a sign of support and self-sufficiency of the Americans on the home front.  Call it what you will, a garden is one of the best ways for people to feed themselves from the land they already own and occupy.  A Victory Garden became ways for neighbors to help neighbors during times of strife and challenge. 

Today the landscape of the American people has changed and gardens could have a bigger impact on today's culture than ever before.  Food deserts are popping up everywhere in large cities and create food scarcity for millions of families.  Food scarcity is a larger problem today than it was sixty or even seventy years ago.  Afterall, “13.7 percent (18.3 million) of U.S. households were food insecure at some time during 2024” (https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/key-statistics-graphics).  

Not everyone can grow a garden or have access to even attempt to grow in containers but there are other options available to help reduce food scarcity.  In our community alone there are several food resources that are open to applicants and provide a variety of food choices to help eliminate food scarcity.  There is even a community garden whose goal it is to feed those in need but provide a learning space for others to learn how to grow their own food and help them to become self-sufficient.  

Gardening is more than just feeding your family. It’s a skill that can be put to use to help others learn to grow food and provide nutrition in a meaningful and fulfilling way.  The sense of pride and accomplishment from growing your own food and sharing with those around you is worth more than one can measure.  “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”  The same concept can be given to the garden.  

A garden doesn’t need to be acres upon acres.  It can start at as two small pots of items you want to try.  Potatoes and tomatoes, or squash and cucumbers.  Find your favorite veggie and start out small, then grow as you learn more and can expand into more space.  Find a sunny window and allow your plants to flourish.  Learn from family, friends or the internet how to grow your favorite food.  Ask for help from your local garden center or attend a live class to learn how to grow your own food.  

Knowledge is power in all things, not just in your primary education but in all aspects of your life.  Work with your neighbors to grow different things and share the bounty with each other.  Come together and grow food to feed your body and your soul.  Whether you are growing food for your family or to share, the reward will be worth the effort in the end. 

In the Garden ~ Companion Planting

 

    This February weather has been pretty mild so far, but do not let it fool you into complacency, your plants are not yet ready to go outside.  What you can do instead is get ready to plant in the coming weeks by starting your plants early inside, if you have the space.  This could be anywhere you have good lighting or you can also use grow lights.  If you are really lucky, a green house.  To get some of the best yields you have ever had, we wanted to talk about companion planting.  

Companion planting is growing vegetables, herbs or flowers near each other to optimize the soil, bug deterrents and pollinators, for a stronger healthier plant and a larger yield.  Did you know that tomatoes love carrots?  While we usually plant basil with our tomatoes, they also love carrots.  Since carrots like cooler weather, start them first, then succession plant in tomatoes and basil, as the days go longer and the temperature increases.

Another favorite of ours to plant together is nasturtium and cucumbers.  Nastirtium is a flowering green, where everything it grows is edible.  The flower and leaves are a perfect addition to salads, and adds a bit of peppery spice to the dish.  Cucumbers thrive with nasturtium growing close by.  Ours took off and did not look back.  

Probably our most successful and favored planting companions is the “three sisters” combination of beans, squash and corn.  This triple threat works great together and produces wonderful yields when grown together.  With differing times of produce, you can have food all summer long with these companions.

We usually mix together our greens, in rows by and around each other.  Kale, spinach, arugula and chard all go well together and create bountiful yields when planted.  The cooler weather allows for greens to grow and thrive together early on in the season, and when planted next to each other, they all thrive.  

We have left the best for last, marigolds.  Marigolds are a garden staple and we plant these all around the edge of our beds to help keep away unwanted pests and to draw in pollinators.  Marigolds help tomatoes, summer squash, lettuce, and green beans.  These flowers are beautiful as well as beneficial for any garden.  

Do not be afraid to combine your plants this year for a stronger, healthy plant that produces more food for you and your family.  Companion planting is more than just planting next to each other, its a great way to ward off pests and optimize your garden to produce more.  Be sure to check out the chart from the Farmers Almanac website for more details and plants that we did not cover.  Happy planning and plating this Spring.

In the Garden ~ How Much Should you Plant

   

 

    It might seem early to start thinking about what and how much you want to grow in your garden this year but you might want to think about first how much you will need.  Right now is the perfect time to plant your onions, that will be ready for early spring.  But how many onions do you need to plant?  Of course if you do not like onions, then we can’t really be friends.  Just kidding! They do lend great flavor to dishes as a base so it might be time to rethink those onions.

For ease of simplicity we are going to use the base measurement of a family of four. For those who know my family, know that we are not a family of four but seven and four of those are teenage boys, which is sometimes like feeding two grown adults.  All this to say, take these numbers as a base and add in more of what you really like and maybe what you really want to eat.  Of course, how much space you have is also a contributing factor.  Are you only growing your garden in pots, then maybe you will have to ignore all these numbers.  If you have a good amount of space or friends willing to share and grow this will help guide for variety and fun.

Don’t forget that you can rotate items out as the weather changes. For example, those leafy greens and spinach will do very well during the cooler months, while tomatoes will not.  Rotate your choices to also add variety and diversification to your garden.  If you plan to preserve your items for use all year long, even better, that will stretch your garden into the winter months when you won’t be able to grow as much food.

I found a beneficial chart here: https://www.gardengatemagazine.com/articles/vegetables/getting-started/calculate-how-many-vegetables-to-plant/ They give a great breakdown of plants per person from one to four.  If this seems overwhelming, partner with neighbors or friends.  Do you grow tomatoes really well, volunteer to grow them all for everyone and see if they can handle all the zucchini and squash.  There are so many ways to grow your own food and be able to feed your family healthy, sustainable produce that won’t break the bank.  Of course each year you garden it gets easier.  As you learn more and figure out what works best for you and your garden, it becomes a source of pride and enjoyment.   

If you plan to preserve food you might need more space and more plants.  For example, you might need 5 tomato plants per person for a year's worth of tomato products, such as salsa, stewed tomatoes, and tomato sauce.  Whereas, you will only need one squash plant per person, to provide an adequate amount of squash for a year.  Those cucumbers are a higher number as well, such as 6 to 9 plants total for fresh and pickled cucumbers to last a year.  Create variety in having multiple winter squash plants that will yield enough for a year.  Five different options are, acorn, butternut, spaghetti, and the like.  These all have a stronger outer layer that will store well in dry storage along with those potatoes, onions and garlic.

Do not be afraid to try something new to see how it works out.  If your goal is not to preserve food but to share with others keep those numbers high.  If you want to only grow enough for your family, I hope this helps to get you started.  Of course, it’s never too early or late to start your garden, so give it a try.  We hope to hear from you about all your growing success this year.  We will regularly post our wins and misses from our garden so be on the look out. 

In the Garden ~ The Benefit of Micro Greens

 

        Have you ever wanted to try micro greens?  Well today is your lucky day.  At The Oaks Bed and Breakfast we have been working with growing some micro greens and so far we can say it is turning out really well.  We have been working with all different types of greens to see what grows best and what we think, you the public, would like to try. 

We have even reached out to a couple of restaurants in town to see if they would be interested in topping their dishes with some local, organically grown micro greens for their customers as well.  You might also be asking, what is a micro green, and why should I eat them?  Let me explain, so that you can take advantage of these great growers by adding them to your diet.

Micro greens are essentially the start of a plant.  The baby shoots before mature growth that is tender and full of nutrients at the starting point of the growing cycle.  When a plant first begins the process of developing, they happen to pack in a lot of nutrients right at the first stage before setting fruit.  At this time of the growth cycle, the bioavailability of the plant's nutrients is the highest.  For you, that means you can reap the benefits these tiny shoots share at an early stage.

The micronutrient density of micro greens is considerable.  Potassium, zinc and magnesium all occur naturally in micro greens, which helps to support the inner workings of the gut.  The benefits of having a healthy gut leads to overall better health of people and improves lives.  If you feel good, you are bound to enjoy life better.  

A few benefits of eating micro greens are fiber, antioxidants, gut microbiome, and micronutrient density.   Micro greens are a great and easy source of additional fiber to add to your diet.  There has been a lot of talk about how important fiber is to your diet and what could be better than a few snips of micro greens added to your dinner dish.  They have been shown to help reduce constipation, prevent IBS, and even reduce digestive issues.  Of course, check with your medical professional to make sure  micro greens are the right fit for you.  All this and so much more can come from eating micro greens on a daily basis.

Micro greens are loaded with antioxidants.  Antioxidants can come from a variety of food choices such as berries but also from micro greens.  Who wouldn’t want to add more antioxidants to their diet to help prevent chronic illness, many of which are affected in the gut.  They can even help reduce inflammation in the gut, which is typically the cause of gut issues to begin with.  

Having a healthy gut microbiome really just makes you feel better overall.  Since micro greens are grown without the use of pesticides, you do not have to worry about them killing the beneficial bacteria that grows naturally in your body.   After all, pesticides kill off the beneficial and harmful bacteria on plants and then enters your system which can lead to problems.  By enjoying micro greens that have been grown without pesticides you are starting to reset the balance in your body. 

The easy production of micro greens make them more readily available to the public and general consumer.  They take less production time, and are easier and faster to grow.  Look for micro greens at specialty markets or give us a call to see what we are growing and how you can enjoy them at home to help improve your life. 

Do you want more information about the health benefits of micro greens?  Be sure to check out the following article from Bootstrap Farmer. Or take a look at this article from Healthline, about the amazing benefits of micro greens.   We hope you will grow to enjoy some at home or while dining out.

Herb Infused Cocktail ~ Rosemary Gin Rickey

 

    The Texas weather is starting to think like fall and lower the temperature, while the sun is down at least.  That means cooler mornings and cooler evening hours, which makes the perfect time to enjoy a herb infused cocktail by the fire.  The twist with this classic cocktail is in the honey rosemary simple syrup.  

    Never one to change a good thing too much, after all vintage is always a current trend.  Instead of just adding in a bit of rosemary to garnish, we have steeped the rosemary and honey together to make a wonderful and powerful simple syrup.  

Rosemary Honey Simple Syrup

6 servings at 1 ounce

1/2 cup boiling water

2 TBLS Raw Honey

1/4 Cup Rosemary leaves

Add the honey and rosemary to a heat proof bowl.  Pour over the boiling water and stir until the honey dissolves. Let the rosemary steep for up to 20 minutes.  This also allows it to cool before making your drink. If you do not plan to use it right away, strain out the rosemary and place in an airtight container in the fridge.  This will last about a week.  Or you can freeze it into ice cubes for several months.

    The simple syrup is a great way to add a little sweet to your drink.  For anyone who knows me, knows that I do not like my drinks overly sweet, this makes the perfect amount to adjust exactly how you like your drink.  We are going to use about 1/2 ounce, so your simple syrup can go along way.  But if you have friends who like their drinks to be a little sweeter add another 1/2 ounce or so to their drink.  

    Rosemary Gin Rickey

serves 1

1 1/2 ounces Gin

1/2 ounces Rosemary Simple Syrup

1 ounce Fresh Lime Juice

1/2 cup Sparkling Water/Club Soda

In an ice filled glass pour all the liquids.  Stir to combine, and garish with lime wedge and rosemary.

    It's that simple to make this drink.  The longest portion of the drink happens to be making the simple syrup.  Once you have yours made it's pretty simple to put together.  Want to make your drink a mocktail?  Eliminate the gin and add in a bit more Sparkling Water or Club Soda.  Everyone in your group will enjoy this refreshing beverage.

    As always please drink responsibly and have a designated driver.  Cheers!

In the Garden ~ Sunflowers

 

 

               If you have recently driven by The Oaks Bed and Breakfast, and caught sight of our garden, you will easily be able to see that we love flowers.  All kinds of flowers are in bloom right now and we cannot seem to get enough.  Today for “In the Garden” I wanted to focus on the Sunflowers.  Now I’m the first to admit that when we planted these beauties the first year I thought they were going to be these beautiful, three foot tall or so  flowers that we could use to do cut flower arrangements for the rooms.  Never in my wildest dreams did I think they would grow to be what they are today. 

 

               I’m sure a lot of their height and proliferation is due to cross pollination.  After all the pollinating insects love our flowers.  You can find bees, butterflies and other winged insects flying around the garden finding all the best places to gather up pollen and spread that goodness around.  Our sunflowers have taken on a life of their own and I can only hope that they continue to do amazing as the years progress.

 

               This year I was a little more intentional with my flowers, believe it or not, and actually planted some new varieties.  Alas, I only see one new variety growing this year, and I partially think that is due to a huge rain that happened right after planting.  I think the water washed the beds out a little too much and then the birds swooped in to claim the uncovered seeds.

 

               Needless to say, the majority of our blooms are return plants from self-seeding.  We still have a few varieties that growing, I just wish from previous years, I had labeled them a little better when saving seeds from the heads.   This year, I will be much more intentional with my system for seed saving so that I can produce a larger variety of blooms for guests and neighbors to enjoy. 

 

               Sunflowers have a short growing season each year, right at about 2-3 months.  As you watch them grow you can see how the heads follow the sun throughout the day.  Nature is truly amazing to watch and experience at how it adapts and changes as time progresses.  So much so, that once the heads are fully developed they will face down and east permanently to protect the seeds from solar radiation. 

 

               Since their growing season is so quick you can direct sow seeds every few weeks to ensure you have flowers all season long and into the fall.  Many people who have pastures can plant sunflowers to attract wildlife such as dove, to prepare for hunting season later in the year.  Sun flowers provide food for wildlife and pollinators alike throughout the dryer summer months, and can help support your actual garden that you use for food.

 

               You can grow a variety of sunflowers in your garden depending on what you are looking to support.  Cut flowers have been engineered to not leave any messy pollen behind and come in a variety of colors.  The size of the heads vary from 3 inches to 12 inches depending on the type of flower.  One of the best things about growing sunflowers is their ability to return macronutrients to the soil. 

               Some of the varieties that we have are Honey Bear sunflowers, that have more petals in the center than traditional sunflowers.  Three of our traditional sunflowers are Chocolate Gold, Little Becka, and Strawberry Blond among others.  Our smallest producing flower is the Mexican Sunflower, that blooms out a beautiful reddish orange bloom.  These are prolific and I secretly want to spread them along the roadside of county roads to help increase the pollinator population.

 

               If you have never tried to grow sunflowers before, just toss some seeds out or get a bird feeder along with feed that has black oil sunflowers in the mix.  Move it around your yard and see what pops up.  You will not be disappointed in your sunflower production.

In the Garden ~ Drying Herbs

 

    One of my favorite items we grow in our garden happens to be herbs.  There are so many great varieties and options available, it can be a little overwhelming, but the reward is great.  Since we happen to grow so many I wanted to really focus this year on preserving and using my herbs in as many ways as possible. 

 

Parsley, sage and lavender

               We will often use fresh herbs in the majority of our cooking, especially certain breakfast items.  The herbs really give it the “fresh from the garden” flavor that we love and cherish.  Recently I’ve been reaching for my dry herbs more often and wanted to share ways to save herbs for future use. 

 

               Preserving herbs to maintain the most flavor and a natural state, would be drying.  There are four ways to dry your herbs.  Air dry, dehydrator, oven drying, and microwave.  I will briefly touch on all three and you can decide which is the best method for your time and energy.

 

               Air drying is probably the most natural way to dry herbs.  After collecting and washing, you gather your herbs into small bundles and tie them off with string or a rubber band.  Make sure your stems are long enough to hang.  Then in a cool, dark and well-ventilated area hang your bundles upside down.  You need good air circulation for this to work effectively.  In a few days time up to a week later, you can check your herbs for dryness by seeing how easily they crumble.  Once dry, remove them from the stems and store in an airtight container.

 

               Dehydrator drying of herbs is very similar but probably a bit faster than hanging to dry.  Wash and dry the herbs then place on the trays in a single layer.  Set the device to 95-110 degrees and follow any instructions from the manufacturer.  Again, the herbs are dry when they crumble easily. 

 

               Oven drying again starts the same as a dehydrator. Wash and dry and place on a baking sheet in a single layer.  Bake at the lowest temperature 180 degrees for 1-2 hours.  Check for dryness and store in airtight containers.

 

               Microwave drying will vary by microwave brand and how many herbs you are drying at a time.  This can be a little more involved because you will need to check your herbs more often to test when dry and will most likely be working in smaller batches based on the size of the microwave.  You will place the herbs on a microwave-safe plate or paper towel.  Cover with another paper towel and microwave on high until dry. 

 

               If you are like me and want to have a combination of herbs at the ready and in it’s own container look no further than a mixture of Herb de Provence.  This kitchen staple is great for a multitude of dishes and is made up of rosemary, thyme, oregano, savory, marjoram and lavender.  You can also find varieties with fennel seeds as well.  To make this great mix add in 2 tablespoons of each herb except for fennel seeds which is just 1 tablespoon worth.  Mix in a bowl and then store in an airtight container.

               Another great mix to have on hand is Italian seasoning.  The basics in this flavorful mix are basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme and marjoram.  Use a one-to-one measure to fill your vessel and close tightly.  Additional herbs you can add to this jar would be sage, fennel, or event garlic powder.  Which can also be made at home.

 

               Herbs are great fresh and dried.  We hope that you will take some of your herbs and dry them for future use.  The more you use the more you will have, especially since they will “shrink” when dried.  Just know that drying herbs is a great way to cut back your herbs to encourage new growth.  We hope you will take the time to save for the future and use what you grow by drying herbs.

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