Q: I read your article about cat litter in the garden. Now I have a problem. We have had cat litter in the garden for years. Besides my throwing it out there, when my husband makes the garden in the spring, my cats are thrilled because they have a large, easy-digging, litter box. Now what can we do? Is there something we can do to neutralize all this? From now on, I can throw the […]
B. Rosie Lerner, Consumer Horticulture Extension Specialist Herb gardeners can snip fresh herbs throughout the winter by propagating their garden plants now. There are several approaches to overwintering plants. One easy method is to dig up a plant, or a portion of one, and pot it up. Plants such as chives, lemon balm, mint, burnet and sweet woodruff can be lifted and divided into sections to create more plants. Dividing is a fairly foolproof method […]
Q: For the last two years, in the fall, we have had an invasion of ladybugs. They covered the south and west sides of our house. It’s now winter, and we still have ladybugs flying around inside our home. I don’t want to use insecticides, as ladybugs are beneficial, but when there are so many they become a nuisance. Any suggestions or ideas to help us would be greatly appreciated. – Susan Healton, Kokomo, Ind. […]
Q: For the last three years, my husband and I have had a problem with our zucchini plants. After one or two pickings, the plants are plagued with a gray-brown bug that looks like a stink bug. Soon, the plant dies. We have put Sevin on the plant as soon as we see the insects, but the plant still dies. We destroy the plant correctly and put diazinon in the ground to prevent further infestation but […]
(Released: 02 November 1995) By B. Rosie Lerner Extension Consumer Horticulture Specialist Though you may have thought your gardening chores were behind you, don’t forget to tuck your gardening tools into bed for the winter. Too often we forget to prepare our tools and equipment for their winter hiatus, but a little bit of attention now will be rewarded with years of good service from gardening tools. It’s hard to know when to call the […]