After many an attempt, the simplest of solutions has worked in getting rid of an unwelcome guest at my hummingbird feeder.  I’m sure you don’t need a picture to guess who these guests were.  I had tried everything to get rid of the ants that were climbing down the wire from which our feeder hangs…off the eave of our house, and onto the feeder.  They then proceed to climb into the holes…and meet their fate in the sweet liquid within.  This of course leads to NO hummingbirds at my feeder.  Very sad.   Then the idea hit me…I slather Skin So Soft on my skin to repel bugs, I wonder if it will repel ants?  So (and I’m not an Avon representative and this is not a sponsored post) I took my large bottle of Skin So Soft outside, and a couple of paper towels, poured the SSS on the paper towels and wiped the eave and any wood around the area that the ants would use to make their way to the feeder….and IT WORKED!  I have not seen an ant since I did this just a few days ago…and they have been a daily annoyance.  I went out and re-applied today.

Just another thought…there was a spill from the feeder once, and zillions of ants gathered around it, so I took Diatomaceous Earth (all natural solution) and sprinkled it all over the area.  This didn’t hinder the ants from coming to eat what they could, which kills the ants.

I hope this helps someone!

(The picture is use under Creative Commons License, downloaded from here on Flickr.)

I know, that sounds completely nuts, but I have been so anxious to test a bug spray for organic gardeners, that I am EXCITED about the fact that there are aphids on my roses.  Even though the plants came up early due to an early warm spell, there have been no bugs on my rose bushes…until today.  The Aphids have arrived with a vengeance!

To show you how well the spray works, I first went outside and took this picture around the middle of the afternoon:

Just look at the fat little green aphids busy enjoying one of the several rose buds that I have on the bush I showed you in the post previous to this one.  There were many more on other branches, too.

SO, I took my trusty bottle of EndALL insect spray, which you see pictured below…oops, I forgot the enlarged picture of the aphids….yuk!  I’ll show you that first:

And here’s a picture of the insect spray good for organic gardeners sitting in front of my little rose bush:

I followed the instructions, spraying lightly all over the areas that had aphids without letting the solution drip all over the ground, just a nice mist.   Then I went inside, and waited for a couple of hours.  By then it was later in the day, so lighting was different, but the number of aphids was WAY down, and by tomorrow, I can assure you they will be gone…the few left behind did not look good at all.

I realize my picture cuts off some of the stem, and isn’t as close up, but I think you can see the difference!

This also worked great when I sprayed it around the eave of our house to keep ants from coming to our hummingbird feeder which hangs off the corner of the roof…I’m not sure if it’s supposed to kill ants, but it did deter them.  Here’s a closeup of the label for you:

I’m expecting great things from my little rose bush this year, and no aphids are going to get in the way of that, thank goodness!  I’m sure this is going to be a great help with my other plants as well, and so happy it’s safe for organic gardens!

As a gardener, I wanted to see what kind of supplies they show online…this gives me a good idea of what I might find in the store before I head out the door. I visited the link above, and used the search box that says “What are you shopping for” along the top, and put in the word “gardening” to see what they offer for those of us who are spending our days in the garden, and here is a partial list of what I found:

• Gardening Gloves
• Gardening Tools
• A bucket organizer
• Gardening Aprons
• Knee pads
• Kneeling pads
• Hoses
• Shovels
• Rakes
• Plant Foods
• Pesticides

And on the list goes, there were over 40 web pages with many gardening items on each.   So, I feel confident that I can find what I’ll need at Kmart.  Prices are good at Kmart even when there isn’t a special, so it’s an extra-special treat to be able to shop there when prices are reduced. 

This weekend the sale included outdoor items like grills, patio equipment, etc., I wonder what the sales in the future will include? 

You can keep up with the latest “tweets” if you’re on twitter by following @kmartdealsnnews so that you don’t miss upcoming specials.

I went outside and saw the first rosebud today, and all the way down the tender new stem there were aphids, not just a few, the whole stem was completely covered.  So I came in and put together a solution of water and white vinegar, and sprayed the little bugs…I think it is supposed to kill them…and strange as it sounds, I don’t like killing anything, even little aphids, but it’s the rosebush or them, so we are going to give this natural solution a try, and see how it works.

I’ll let you know.  Hope you are having a wonderful 4th of July weekend!

• Gardening in Containers – this post contained some thoughts and ideas for those who don’t have space for a garden, or just like the idea of gardening in containers.
• Keeping Deer Out of the Garden – another post with some ideas and a helpful article, we have only had trouble with deer during droughts when they try to make their way down to our lake.
• Tropical Climate Gardens – for those of you fortunate enough to be able to grow tropical gardens, this is another helpful post.
• Vegetable and Organic Gardening eBooks that you might find helpful.

Do you have any favorite gardening articles or posts to share?  Please let us know in a comment!

I remember when I was a young girl, I wanted to start my own garden on our property, so my mother allowed me to try to grow in a plot along the side of our house. I remember getting a few plants to grow, but not with the same skill as my mothers gardens. I was pretty much left to learn on my own by asking questions, reading, no one did the work for me. At that time there wasn’t the emphasis that there is now on organic gardening, or using organic gardening products in the garden. In fact, when I was raising my children, there was some awareness of this, but not with the same passion that we see today.

Do you garden with your children? Do you have a site about gardening with children? Please share in a comment. When thinking about organic gardening products, and how important it is to teach children to garden organically for the health of the earth, as well as our own health in the case of vegetable gardening, I was looking at some products at saferbrand.com and liked all the basic products that I saw for killing weeds, as well as organic bug control in the garden or around the home. I but also found the site educational, explaining the difference between natural -v- organic, providing mulching information, and more.

Here is a video that I hope you’ll enjoy:

I’m a member of a nice new group called “Gals Go Green” an a while back someone posted a great pesticide recipe. I can’t use it until Spring, but those of you that are in climates where you can garden may like to try this:

All- purpose insect pest spray
(Organic Gardening, 1996)

1 tsp powdered red hot pepper
1 garlic bulb
1 small onion
1 liter of water
1 tbsp of soap
Knife
Strainer
Chop onion and garlic. Add powdered red pepper.
Mix the above ingredients into the water.
Soak for 1 hour. Strain. Add soap. Stir well.
Fill the sprayer. Spray plants thoroughly.
Repeat spraying when necessary.

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