My Top Tips for Garden Success! (2024) #30

[@heididettwiler9863]

Thank you Susan, you have a healthy beautiful garden. The idea of a journal is what I will adopt immediately!

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Wonderful! They are so helpful.

[@andrewharald]

Hey

[@dianepuskas6362]

I appreciate you mentioning resources to go to for help! I reach out to my county’s master gardeners and they are always helpful. Good luck everyone

[@SusansInTheGarden]

I'm glad you enjoyed the video, Diane.

[@clairequinn8665]

Hi Susan I love watching your videos😊

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Thank you so much, Claire!

[@andrewharald]

Hi 👋 claire

[@BenniLkitchengarden]

Great video again, Susan.👍 Happy gardening🌱

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Thank you!

[@VanDeWitt-u4y]

You look so cute today 👩‍🌾. Your garden looks beautiful!!!! Thanks for the inspiration to garden.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Thank you. I'm glad it's starting to do better now. Planning to do an update of the garden next week.

[@caroleferreira2846]

Great information. Once again I learned something I didn’t know.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Hi, Carole! I'm so glad you enjoyed it.

[@andrewharald]

Hi 👋

[@barbkenas5663]

Great info!

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Thank you, Barb!

[@DavidBrown-vx6fb]

Great information

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Thank you, David.

[@lucieengen7046]

Another great video Susan, thank you. I need to get better at journaling for sure. This ole noggin’ isn’t getting any younger lol.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

I'm in the same boat, Lucie!

[@andrewharald]

Hey Lucie

[@budgetgardeningvita]

Thank you for all these wonderful tips!

[@SusansInTheGarden]

I'm so glad you like them.

[@stevepethel6843]

I Thank God for great advice from you😂

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Thanks, Steve.

[@marilynm8812]

Hope you didn`t get wet. Your plants always look so healthy.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

I made it back to the house in time! The weather was crazy - sun for a few minutes, then dark clouds, then sun... But that rumble definitely got my attention!

[@wandabutler-nj3uw]

My biggest nemesis are grass hoppers marmots and chipmunks. No Idaho just across state line from you. zone 5b 6 a depending on which zone chart you look at.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Hi, Wanda. Ugh, grasshoppers, marmots and chipmunks are 3 particularly challenging pests. Grasshoppers are easier to control when they're young so it's probably pretty difficult to initiate a control strategy at this point in the season. However, there is an organic product you can buy that contains protozoans called Nosema locustae. They sell under the product names of Nolo Bait and Semaspore. You apply it to the top 2" of soil where their egg pods are. You can cover your more susceptible crops with floating row cover or window screening. And the following organic products are available for controlling grasshoppers: insecticidal soap, kaolin clay (you sprinkle it onto the foliage), Neem oil, or plant extracts such as garlic extract. As far as the marmots go, your best bet is to create some type of a barrier around your garden. The best height is about 5' plus 1' down into the soil. (I know, that a lot of work!) Electric fencing is another option. Or you can use repellents that contain peppermint oil, cinnamon oil or garlic oil. For chipmunks, you would need a barrier made from hardware cloth (since they're small critters) or use an organic animal repellent that is safe to use around edible plants. I hope some of these ideas will help! Hang in there.

[@annijohnson6210]

Thanks, Susan!

[@WinsomeWinslet]

Thank you for these tips. Will peas grow in partial shade as well? Or do I need to plant them in full sun?

[@SusansInTheGarden]

They need about 4 hours of sun per day so if you think that will work in your garden, I'd say go for it!

[@JanetEichelberger-yd3sx]

Hi Susan love your videos. I’m also in Spokane and wonder where you get your mulch that’s under your tomato plants. Trying to find a source that doesn’t use pesticides.

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Hi, Janet. It's nice to meet you. Those are just grass clippings from our front lawn. As I mentioned in the video, we don't use any herbicides such as Weed 'n Feed so we can use the clippings safely in our garden and also in our compost pile.

[@andrewharald]

Hey 👋

[@saminairfan45]

What’s the best way to control white flies?

[@SusansInTheGarden]

Whiteflies are so challenging! They have several natural predators but there can be so many whiteflies, I don't think they can keep up. You might consider using reflective plastic mulch before planting some of the more susceptible crops. The mulch is so reflective, it makes it hard for the flies to actually see the plants. It's important to remove and dispose of infested leaves. You can spray whiteflies off plants with a jet of water from your hose. Organic products include horticultural oils, insecticidal soaps, Neem oil or plant extracts such as garlic extract. Re: the insecticidal soaps and Neem oil, both are toxic to pollinators so you don't want to spray near flowers. I hope this helps.

[@saminairfan45]

@@SusansInTheGarden thank you so much for your reply. I have been trying some stuff but they are not completely gone yet😢

[@PLD244]

Great information Susan! I have your books and appreciate you sharing information. I am located in 5b and want to grow garlic this year. What variety would you recommend?

[@SusansInTheGarden]

I'm glad you enjoyed the video. I guess it depends on whether you want to grow hardneck or softneck garlic. We generally just grow hardneck and our favorite varieties are German Red and German Porcelain. But Inchelium Red is a great softneck variety. Here's a link to the video I created when I planted garlic last fall: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJnNh6OIdpZ1fJo. Garden centers will start carrying "seed garlic" pretty soon or you can order some online.

[@emkn1479]

Aphids are the least of my concerns, in fact I don’t worry about them at all. This is always the example given but I find that nature takes care of them pretty swiftly. I wish aphids were my biggest issue. It’s all the beetles and borers and root maggots that actually kill plants and jeopardize harvests that make me want to give up. We seem to have just about every pest possible for our area. Other people don’t and I can’t figure it out…feels like our garden is cursed. Add in the mammals and birds that want a piece of the produce and it’s a wonder we harvest anything at all. Gardening is hard. I still keep trying for some reason though 🫠 And I have a new respect for farmers!

[@SusansInTheGarden]

I totally get your frustration. You named some really challenging insect pests, that's for sure. I'm glad you haven't given up. There are different strategies you can employ for most of them. One important tip is to always move around where you plant families of crops (i.e., tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, potatoes and tomatillos) since they can be susceptible to the same insects. Many of the insects will overwinter in the soil so it's a good idea to clean up the plant debris by the end of the season... and if you had insect problems, it's best to dispose of the debris rather than composting it.

[@emkn1479]

@@SusansInTheGarden yes, I don’t compost foliage from the garden very often. Too much risk. I’m going to apply beneficial nematodes this fall. I assume that’s the best time? Or is another time best? And while I tried and somewhat succeeded in using plastic row cover to overwinter crops last year, I think all I really accomplished was building a sauna retreat for pests. I’m not bothering with that again. Wasn’t really worth it in the end. Have to work more on rotation, but it’s the cucurbit pests that are the worst and they seem to be everywhere. What about tarnished plant bug? What’s the best method for dealing with them? They showed up this year, along with a couple other new pests…🫠

[@SusansInTheGarden]

@@emkn1479 Regarding the timing on applying beneficial nematodes, you want to do it when the soil temperature is above 42 degrees F. I'm not sure where you live but if you have really cold winters, you might need to wait until spring. It's best to apply them on an overcast day and keep the soil moist for 2 weeks. Tarnished plant bugs (a.k.a. Lygus bugs) are another troublesome insect. Weed your garden frequently since they are attracted to, and can overwinter in weedy areas (as well as in garden debris). Organic products that will control them include insecticidal soap, kaolin clay (this is something you sprinkle onto the plant foliage), Neem oil or plant extracts.

[@emkn1479]

@@SusansInTheGarden just happened to catch your comment right away. Thanks for the reply. We are in zone 6b now, SWPa, but winters often aren’t very cold but for a handful of extreme days. I feel like with as unpredictable as spring is, maybe fall would be better…? I’ll do some research, thanks. I haven’t treated for the tarnished plant bug yet, but I’ll have to, since so much of our large property is “weedy”…it’s impossible on that front. They really seemed to set back my peppers this year. Then I tried to plant amaranth and they were decimated by pigweed flea beetles…like, really, nature? Can I just be spared from one pest please? 🫠😆 I’ll keep trying though…

[@SusansInTheGarden]

@@emkn1479 Man, you need a break! I'm hoping next year will be better for you.

[@barbkenas5663]

What do you use for your lawn if you don't use weed & feed?

[@SusansInTheGarden]

We don't use anything at all. We have a mulching blade on our mower, so once I have plenty of lawn clippings for mulching all the beds, I switch to that and let the clippings fall onto the lawn which feeds the plants.

[@barbkenas5663]

@@SusansInTheGarden thank you