Tips & How To's

Garden Grow Box – Kids Friendly

April 11, 2017 by Vanessa Roush

WELCOME GARDEN FRIENDS, HAPPY TO SEE YOU!

Want to have a garden this year? Wondering where to begin? Start with this simple garden grow box that you and your children can create together. Here are some simple guidelines that worked for me.

Before heading to your local lumber yard, decide what size of box you want or have room for. For this example, we are building a 4 foot by 6 foot box, which is a great size just right for the new little gardeners who will help to create it. However, you can make it the size that fits the space you have.

Garden grow box SUPPLIES:

SUPPLIES: 2 10′ boards cut into 2 six feet and 2 four feet lengths. Smaller hands can handle the 4′ boards!

SUPPLIES: Deck screws, drill bit, power drill and/or screw driver, and those helping hands.

1. Two 2’’x8’’ x 10’ long pressure treated beams: (approx. $14 each) Make sure they are straight by pulling them out and looking down the side of them. Also make sure they aren’t severely bowed or have big knot holes. If you don’t have a chop saw at home, have someone at the lumber yard cut both of your boards at 6’. You will be left with two 6’ pieces and two 4’ pieces. This also makes it easier to transport them home. You can also rummage through your scrap wood at home and see if you have something that is at least 6” in depth.

2. A package (or at least 12 pieces) of #9 2 1/2’’ Deck screws: (approx $10 or less) You could also use #10 3’’ screws. They come in a few different colors so you can get a box to match the wood so they are less noticeable. Most of these screws have a star driver head. Some boxes come with a bit to fit them, but check just to make sure.

3. Drill bit a little smaller than your screws (optional but highly recommended): For a #9 screw, a drill bit size of 3/32 is recommended. Pre-drilling holes prevents the wood from splitting and ruining the board. If this sounds like Greek to you, take your screw and look for a drill bit that is slightly smaller in diameter. Or ask someone at the lumber store; they’d be more than happy to help! This is an essential step if you’d like to involve kids. You pre-drill the holes, and then let the child drive in the screws.

4. Weed block or Landscape fabric: If you have an area that is prone to a lot of weeds, put down some weed block or landscape fabric before you set your box in place. Layers of old newspaper in the bottom of your box can work too. Another option is to spray the weeds using Killz-All or Weed-Free Zone. If you do this, make sure not to cover the sprayed weeds for 7-10 days giving the chemicals time to kill the weeds. There is no problem using these products on edible vegetable gardens. The product only works to kill the unwanted plant via the plant’s leaves.

5. Power Drill and/or Screw Driver.

Garden grow box ASSEMBLY:

Putting the box together is easier if you have an extra set of hands, but some rocks or a wall will do if you’re doing this project solo. Enlist the help from a child by asking them to hold one of the boards up for you. The box can be assembled in a few different ways, or styles.
Option A: Assemble each board on the outer part of the corner on one end, and then inner part of the corner on the other.

Option B: Assemble the shorter 4′ boards on the outside of of the 6′ boards or vice versa.

Step 1: Take a 6’ board and a 4’ board and put them together at a right angle. Make sure they are flat against each other. Using your drill bit, pre-drill 3 holes in a line at the top, middle and bottom of the side.

Step 2: Then switch to your screw bit or use a screw driver and drive 3 screws into the holes you just drilled. You should now have two boards creating a right angle or an “L” Shape.

Step 3: Now add the other 6’ board and repeat the pre-drilling and driving the screws.

Step 4: Repeat with the last 4’ board.

Step 5: Set your box in its place. To help cut down on weeds, place a layer of landscape material from your independent garden store.

The fun has just begun. Fill with quality soil and get those seeds and plants ready! The box is!

Now you are ready to fill with a high quality dirt. Bumper Crop from your local independent garden center, like Western Garden centers, is an experienced gardener’s favorite!

Bumper Crop for your soil is a gardener’s favorite.

Stay tuned for the next episodes of this Kids in the Garden experience. Their love for gardening is growing, but see what plants these two choose to grow in their grow box!

Snow Mold on Your Lawn – 8 Simple Ways to Solve

March 11, 2017 by Wendy Pettit

Welcome Gardening Friends! Thanks for stopping by.

When the snow finally melted off our back lawn, my grass looked like it was dying. If yours does too, it could be a lawn fungus called SNOW MOLD. Don’t worry too much, snow mold seldom destroys the lawn; your lawn will recover. This annoying disease can appear when the snow melts off the lawn in the spring. Your turf will have circular type patches of matted straw-colored grass and can have a top layer of stringy mold. (It reminded me of a salad mold that once grew in my refrigerator.)

Here are 8 simple ways to solve SNOW MOLD on your lawn, and better yet, prevent it from happening.

Current Problem Solutions to Snow Mold –

In the spring when you discover the mold, take action by gently raking the area. This will help the air circulate through the lawn to dry it out and stop the mold from growing further. Be careful not to rip up the grass. The disease usually affects only the blade, so the crown of the plant is still good and will recover. Throw away the grass you have raked up.

According to the proper schedule, regular fertilizing and mowing will help your lawn outgrow the fungus. The lawn will green up and the damaged blades will eventually be cut off.

If your lawn has extreme snow mold, and you have tried the above solutions, a disease control product may need to be applied to the affected area. See your local garden center, like the experts at Western Gardens, to obtain the correct product. It’s always a good idea to take to the garden shop samples of the diseased plant and a photo of the area.

Snow Mold Preventative Actions –

In the fall, be sure to rake leaves off the lawn. This can be annoying if you have trees that take all winter to lose their leaves, like a Sycamore.

In the fall, be careful not to use excessive nitrogen fertilizer. This will help slow down the growth of the grass before winter arrives.

In the fall, be sure to continue mowing until the lawn’s growth slows down. Make sure your last mowing is a shorter cut. The taller the blades of grass when winter hits, the more snow mold is encouraged to develop. (I believe this was the culprit for our problems this spring. We put the lawnmower away and then had a mild fall.)

If each year you have this problem in certain areas, apply a fungicide to the grass in the fall. Be sure to talk with your local garden expert for the correct preventative product.

In the winter, if piles of snow build up where you or the street plows have worked, be sure to disperse the snow. Where the snow is too deep on your lawn, it can take much longer in the spring to melt, inviting snow mold to grow with the warm spring temperatures.

SNOW MOLD on my Utah lawn

This warm weather signals time to dig in the dirt; but first, I’m going to walk barefoot through my recently raked and drying lawn.

Beneficial Insects You Want in Your Garden

September 15, 2016 by Vanessa Myers

Welcome Gardening Friends! Thanks for stopping by.

Do you ever see insects in your garden and wonder which ones are friendly and which ones aren’t? Which ones are helping and which ones are harming? Then keep reading, I’ve put together 10 Beneficial Insects You Want in Your Garden!

Ladybugs are definitely beneficial for your garden

Image by snowpeak under a Flickr Creative Commons Attribution License

10 Beneficial Insects You Want in Your Garden

Bees will help pollinate many of your flowers

Image by zoxcleb under a Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License

1. Bees

Bees are pollinating powerhouses and you want to see as many of them in your garden as you can get. The more pollinators you have in your garden, the more fruit your plants will produce.

Braconid wasps lay their eggs in caterpillars

Adult Image by berniedup under a Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Pupae Image by Bev Wagar under a Flickr Creative Commons Attribution License

2. Braconid Wasps

If you have ever found a tomato hornworm on your plants, you have seen the havoc that they can wreak. It won’t take them long to munch away all of the leaves on your tomato plants and you should squish it as soon as possible. However, if you ever find one that looks like the picture above, leave it alone. Braconid wasps are predatory and these beneficial insects lay their eggs in pests like the tomato hornworm. The larva feed on the caterpillar’s body, then emerge and form cocoons. This ultimately ends in the demise of the hornworm and more wasps to hone in on your other pests.

Some Pests Targeted by Various Braconid Wasps:

Aphids
Beetles
Caterpillars
Squash Bugs
Stink Bugs

Butterflies and moths are good pollinators for your garden plants

Image by Michael Khor under a Flickr Creative Commons Attribution License

3. Butterflies and Moths

Butterflies and moths are not just dainty beauties that like to flit around your garden. They serve as pollinators for many different flower species, enabling them to produce fruit. They can potentially be harmful while in the larval stage as caterpillars since they eat away at leaves. Many times, though, it’s not enough to ultimately harm the plant and you can allow them to complete their metamorphosis.

Damsel bugs are one type of beneficial insect

Image by Bennyboymothman under a Flickr Creative Commons Attribution License

4. Damsel Bugs

Don’t confuse damsel bugs with damselflies, which are similar to their relatives, the dragonflies. Damsel bugs are true insects that love to go after many of the pests that snack on your vegetable garden plants.

Pests Targeted by Damsel Bugs Include:

aphids
small caterpillars
moth eggs

Image by Join the Dots under a Flickr Creative Commons Attribution License

5. Dragonflies

Dragonflies can consume their bodyweight in bugs every 30 minutes, so they’re a great help in keeping the pests at bay!

Hover flies will eat aphids, scales and thrips

Image by Smabs Sputzer under a Flickr Creative Commons Attribution License

6. Hover Flies

Hover flies, also known as syrphid flies, flower flies and drone flies, are great for controlling aphids, thrips, scale insects and caterpillars. They are almost as effective as lady bugs in controlling aphids!

Lacewings will eat a large variety of harmful insects

Image by Mick Sway under a Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives License

7. Lacewings

Lacewings are a helpful addition to the garden because the larvae are voracious predators of many pests including: aphids, spider mites (especially red mites), thrips, whitefly, leafhoppers, some beetle larvae, eggs of pest moths, and mealybugs.

Both ladybug larva and adults are beneficial insects

Image by norio_nomura under a Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License

8. Lady Beetles

Lady Beetles, more commonly known as Lady Bugs, are a popular addition to many gardens. They are sold in local nurseries because they’re so effective at controlling aphids and other pests like small caterpillars, thrips and other soft-bodied insects.

One insect that is beneficial in your garden is the minute pirate bug

Image by gbohne under a Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License

9. Minute Pirate Bugs

Minute Pirate Bugs are tiny bugs (less than ⅕ of an inch long!) that are helpful in ridding your garden of pests including: aphids, spider mites, and thrips. They are very predatory, and can consume up to 20 thrips larvae every day!

Praying mantises are so named because of how their legs are folded

Image by siamesepuppy under a Flickr Creative Commons Attribution License

10. Praying Mantises

Praying Mantises are helpful hunters because they prey on flies, crickets, beetles & moths. These are great bugs to see in the garden! But you should note that they are indiscriminate hunters…they eat pesky insects as well as beneficial ones, so just prey that they eat the pests! 😅

Honorary Mention: Spiders

Spiders are not included on this list because they are not actually insects. Like other arachnids, they have eight legs, while insects have six. Many people shudder just at the thought of them. However, they truly are one of the most beneficial creatures to have around your garden since they take care of a lot of pests. If you can stifle the urge to squash any that are nonpoisonous, your garden will thank you!

What are your favorite beneficial insects? Let us know in the comments below!

3 Ways to Get Rid of Snails

July 10, 2016 by Kirsten

Hello, thanks for stopping by!

Have you ever had issues with snails or slugs eating your garden? I sure have! They’ve devoured some of my favorite plants, which motivated me to find some safe, natural ways to get rid of them!

3 Ways to Get Rid of Snails www.westerngardens.com

This is a pot I was prepping to plant in early Spring. I especially love the bright colors, they look so happy!

But this is what was left of my purple decorative kale after a gang of snails enjoyed it for a week or two. I actually found 5 or 6 snails sleeping contently in my pot. I was not happy with them! If you need to protect your plants too, try one of these cheap and easy methods! Beer Traps, Egg Shells and Sluggo all have benefits, so keep reading to see which one is right for you!

3 Ways to Get Rid of Snails

1. Beer Traps

I developed this particular trap to make it easy to get rid of the snails after they drown in beer.

Beer Trap Supplies:

2 disposable plastic cups
an old pencil
a can of beer

In the evening, dig a hole outside in your vegetable or flower garden, near your plants. Place the cup inside the hole. Make it level with the ground so the snails don’t have to climb far.

Using scissors, carefully poke 4 drainage holes in the bottom of the remaining cup. Poke two more holes near the top, just under the lip, for the pencil to go through. This will ensure a gap between the cups so you can easily remove the top one to dispose of the snails the next morning.

Place the cup with the holes and pencil inside the cup buried in the ground. Pour the whole can of beer inside the cup, leaving about an inch of headspace. This forces the snails to climb down into the cup, where they will drown in the beer.

We put a few of our snails near the cup, and they were immediately drawn to the beer!

He started in on his own.

And down he went for a drink.

We caught 5 snails the first night! To empty the dead snails, just pull the inner cup out and the beer will drain out the holes. Dispose of the snails and gently push the pencil cup back into the inner cup, and the beer will fill back into that inner cup.

This method is easy, it uses only a few items, and I saw results literally overnight. The beer will last up to a week, but after being in the heat all day, I prefer to change it every other night.

Don’t Want to Buy Beer?

The yeast is what lures the snails to the cup to take a drink. If you don’t want to buy beer because you don’t drink or you just want to save some money, you can make your own yeast mixture with a few pantry staples!

DIY Yeast Snail Bait

1 Tbsp of flour
1 tsp of sugar
1 tsp of yeast
2 cups of water

Click HERE for printable Beer Trap instructions!

2. Egg Shells

If you eat a lot of eggs, this is a free way to deter snails from your plants—and I stress the word deter, as this will not kill them. Simply save the shells from your eggs and allow them to dry out for a day or two. Then, using the bottom of a cup, crush the egg shells into small, sharp pieces. Sprinkle the egg shells all the way around your plants, making a border. Make a fairly wide berth around the plant, or the snails will not be deterred.

Snails hate the sharp pieces and will turn around and look for another place to eat…but they will not die, which is honestly what I want…to get rid of them entirely! If it rains or if you water, you will probably need to sprinkle more egg shells around your plants again, otherwise they will be feeding on your plants the moment they get the chance! This isn’t all bad though…egg shells are great for the garden because they add a lot of nutrients to the soil.

3. Sluggo

Sluggo is a great option when it comes to purchasing a natural snail-killing bait. It is completely safe to use around wild animals and pets as it has iron phosphate—a natural mineral found in the soil. The snails eat the bait, lose their appetites, head to their hiding place and die within a few days. And it still works if it rains or if you water your garden! Sprinkle it around your plants about every two weeks. I purchased mine as a recommendation from one of the associates at Western Gardens and I love it!

Which One is Best?

There are other methods that claim to get rid of (or deter) snails. After trying just these 3 methods though, I have to say I loved seeing the dead snails in the beer. It’s so satisfying to see a difference that quickly. However, the Sluggo is the easiest method of the 3. Sprinkle the tiny pellets every two weeks and walk away. This gives me more time to enjoy other things! Like weeding. 😉 Both of these methods will rid you of snails, and hopefully prevent them from laying eggs before they die.

Have you had success in deterring/killing snails or slugs? I would love to hear what has or hasn’t worked for you!

See the Happy!

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DIY Kid-Friendly Bug Spray

June 15, 2016 by Sydney Anderson

Make this DIY Kid-Friendly Bug Spray at home with our quick and easy recipe!

Is your favorite part of summer spending those lazy evenings out in the yard, watching the kids play and talking to friends or family? Mine too! Avoid making other “friends” while you’re enjoying your summer nights…bugs!

Conventional bug sprays are filled with yucky chemicals that we don’t in our kids’ growing bodies (or our own bodies, for that matter!). They not only absorb through the skin, but it’s hard to avoid inhaling them while applying the sprays. We certainly don’t want to do nothing and get bitten…so what’s a mom to do? Make her own, of course!

There are lots of different recipes for making your own bug spray because they are so easy to customize to the bugs you want to avoid. Different bugs dislike different scents, so add what you need in order to avoid those bites! Here are a few essential oils that are good to keep these bugs away:

Mosquitoes—lavender, eucalyptus, citronella

Flies—lavender, peppermint, rosemary

Ticks—lavender, lemongrass, eucalyptus

Some essential oils aren’t safe for kids, so I’ve only included oils in this spray that are safe for everyone…lavender and lemon. Both are fresh scents, safe for kids and good for keeping away mosquitoes and ticks! And if you want to add some plants to your yard to help repel mosquitoes, click HERE!

DIY Kid-Friendly Bug Spray

Supplies:

Spray Bottle
Label (you can print your FREE copy here)
1 oz witch hazel
1 oz distilled water
5 drops lavender essential oil
5 drops lemon essential oil

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in spray bottle and shake well to combine.
Shake well before each use.

Notes:

I put my Bug Spray in a 2 oz travel size spray bottle. They are inexpensive and small enough to carry in a purse or diaper bag!

Now that you’re protected from the bugs check out these fun (and FREE) outdoor activities:

Nature Bingo

Color Scavenger Hunt

5 Tips to Get Kids Gardening

June 10, 2016 by Jenn Crookston

Do you love planning out your garden? Do you eagerly anticipate all the delicious food you’ll be enjoying after all the hard work of caring for a garden? This is one of the highlights of Spring at our house!

But there always seems to be one downfall.

Life gets crazy and everyone gets busy, and no one wants to help. It turns into a bit of a Henny Penny situation…everyone wants to enjoy the delicious garden produce as long as I do all the work! And I bet it’s not just our family.

Over the years, I’ve come up with 5 tips to get kids gardening. These are easy tips for busy families, and they’ll help your garden look its best all summer long!

These 5 tips should help cover a variety of children’s personalities as well as their daily mood, and it’s nice to have a surprise in your back pocket if yesterday’s plan doesn’t work today!

5 Tips to get Kids Gardening

1. Get them their own tools

Everything is more fun if you’ve got your own supplies (bonus points if they’re cute and they match!). It’s also easier for kids to work with tools that fit them, and when it’s easier they’re a lot more likely to want to help!

(photo source)

2. Let Them Choose What You Grow

If they’re excited about the food you’re going to grow, chances are they’ll be excited about working in the garden to keep their plants healthy and growing strong. You can even give them a section of the garden to be in charge of. If they do all their own weeding and watering and harvesting, they’ll have a great sense of accomplishment!

3. Involve Friends

I know this might sound strange. What kid wants to go somewhere else and do chores? I’ve found that when kids are working with their friends, they don’t seem to mind the work. It can be fun if they’re working together, and popsicles are the perfect payment on a hot summer day!

4. Let Them Earn Money

If your child is driven by money, offer to let them have a produce stand with the extra veggies! We always seem to have a plethora of certain veggies (zucchini comes to mind!). Your produce stand can be as easy as some baskets set out on the curb, a folding table, or something as cute as this⬇︎

(photo source)

5. Work With Them

I don’t know about you, but it doesn’t matter if it’s a job inside the house or out in the yard, our children work harder and more happily when we’re working with them. I like to set aside about 30 minutes several mornings each week to work with my kids, weeding and cleaning up the garden area. This allows the kids to ask questions and get guidance and when we’re all working together, the work gets done quickly.
What tips do you have for getting kids to help you in the garden? Let me know in a comment below!

DIY Solar Lantern

May 31, 2016 by Heather Leister

Welcome, I’m so glad you’re here!

Are you looking for an inexpensive way to light up your yard at night? Look no further! These easy DIY Solar Lanterns can be created with a quick trip to the dollar store. They’re simple to make and add a fun element to your landscape.

All it takes is a few simple supplies and a few minutes of your time. This is a project that kids love to help with too! (or is it just my kids that enjoy taking things apart? 😉)

For this project you’ll need some empty mason jars (or other small decorative jars), inexpensive solar lights, canning jar rings (optional, but they do give them a nicer finished look), and some hot glue.

Start with the mason (or other small decorative jar…I’ve used both and they work equally well). The key is to choose a jar with a small opening. If you use a wide-mouth canning jar, the solar light will fall through the opening to the bottom of the jar.

Now is the perfect time to stock up on inexpensive solar yard lights for any DIY solar projects you might have planned. They can be found at the dollar store. Purchase the plainest, simplest solar light you can find. For this example I’m using a solar table lamp that I purchased at my local Dollar Tree.

If you (or your kids!) like tearing things apart, then you’ll enjoy this next step! Take apart the solar light, what you want is the black, round unit at the top. You will see the solar cells on the top, and the lights at the bottom. This is all you need for the project, so go ahead and recycle the rest of the light, or save it for another project.

Depending on the size of your jar, your light may fit down in its mouth, or it may sit on top. Either way, I like to secure the solar light to the jar with hot glue.

For a finishing touch, add a canning ring to the top of the jar. Again, a little hot glue works nicely.

That’s it! Sit your lanterns on your porch or hang them on a shepherd’s hook in your yard and enjoy!

Click NEXT for the list of supplies and directions!

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7 Plants A Black Thumb Can Keep Alive

May 24, 2016 by Sydney Anderson

Hi there, I’m so glad you stopped by!

Are you prone to killing innocent plants? Are you a self-proclaimed black thumb? Well, take a deep breath, I’m here to help!

I’m sharing 7 beautiful plants that will change your luck and grow your confidence (along with your plants!). Take it from a former black thumb, these plants are a breeze to take care of!

I’ve always admired beautiful gardens and flowers. Trying to have them in my home was another story. Part of the problem was forgetting to water them, and then overwatering when I did remember. The other part was buying the wrong plants and flowers for my area.

No matter what I did for years, every thing I planted died within a month. But not anymore! I am happy to say I have now kept three (four including the wine glass succulent in my office) houseplants alive for 2 months and a garden full of beautiful plants and flowers (that survived last month’s crazy warm/cold weather mix!).

House plants are easier to keep alive since you don’t have to worry about climate changes. If you’re a little nervous about keeping your plant babies alive, start here.

Click NEXT to see my favorite houseplants!

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7 Best Flowers for Beginning Gardeners

May 20, 2016 by Jennifer Day

Hi there! I’m so happy you’re here!

Are you just starting out in the gardening world and looking for a great list of flowers that are easy to grow AND beautiful? Then you’ve come to the right place!

But first, I come to you with a confession—I was a Black Thumb most of my life. What’s a Black Thumb you ask? If a Green Thumb is someone who can make a garden blossom and grow, a Black Thumb is the opposite—a plant killer.

Yes, it’s true.

I grew up with parents and grandparents who loved gardening, and who created beautiful yards and gardens every year. Their yards were curated beautifully and I loved spending time with the fragrant blooms, feeling a sense of tranquility and peace in their spaces.

When we bought our home several years ago, I thought for certain that I would have that same ability.

But, I was wrong. I should have known better. After all, I almost killed a nearly-unkillable plant while working for my Dad in college. I’d only remember to water it when it started wilting. And that was about once a month!

After a sad attempt at gardening the first Spring in our home, I basically gave up altogether. My husband takes care of our lawn and landscape, and we have never actually had flower beds—just beautiful trees and bushes. Things that are hard to kill!

This year, however, my black thumb has turned GREEN, and I hope you will join me on this journey!

Because I’m a beginner too, I am going to share with you 7 of the best plants for a beginning gardner. So grab those gardening gloves and shovels and let’s get to work!

Click NEXT for 5 TIPS before you start planting your flowers!

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Cool Season Vegetables vs. Warm Season Vegetables

May 19, 2016 by Vanessa Myers

Welcome, I’m so glad you’re here!

Are you itching for beautiful weather so you can get your veggies planted? You are not alone! Fresh vegetables are the highlight of most gardens, with fresh, healthy and delicious produce. Just make sure to plant the right veggies at the right time to get the best results!

Vegetable garden season is upon us and many gardeners are happily planning out their shopping trips to the nursery. It’s tempting to put out every kind of vegetable that you want to grow, all at the same time.

However, it’s important to know whether the types you are planting are cool season vegetables or warm season vegetables so that you can plant them at the appropriate times and help ensure the best crop possible.

Click NEXT to see the Cool Season Veggies and when to plant them!

Image by *Jay~bay* under a Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives License

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