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Gardening

Celebrate the Potato in September

September 2, 2017 by Heather Leister

September is the special month of the year that is set aside to celebrate the wonderfully dependable, always reliable potato.  This solid side dish performer works with almost any meal and if you planted potato starters in the spring then you should have a harvest ready to be served up this the fall. Mashed potatoes are always a solid side dish but if you’re looking for something different here are six ideas for side dishes this month as you celebrate the potato!

Hashbrowns – Who says that hashbrowns have to stay put on the breakfast menu? Try serving them at dinner and adding in bell peppers, onions, and your favorite spices for flavor. Serve the hash browns with a traditional dinner menu or make it an evening of breakfast. It’s always a good time for pancakes and bacon!

Funeral Potatoes – A Utah classic, funeral potatoes are a satisfying comfort dish for any occasion, even a weeknight family dinner. Potatoes can be diced, sliced, or shredded before you add them to the recipe. This potato dish can be as simple or as elaborate as you want to make it, the varieties are endless. Here’s a basic funeral potato recipe from Lil’ Luna to get you started if you’ve never baked this comfort food before!

Baked – You can’t deny the simple, great taste of a baked potato. Toss the potatoes in olive oil and kosher salt before baking and they’ll come out of the oven crisp on the outside and warm and fluffy on the inside. The beauty of the baked potato is that each family member can create their own. Whether it’s with simple butter and salt or fully loaded with sour cream, bacon, cheese, and green onions, everyone will have a say in how this potato dish is made.

Photo Credit: Flickr

Grilled – While the weather is still warm outside you may not be in the mood to use your oven to cook potatoes. If that’s the case you can always grill them. Grilled potatoes are an excellent choice when you’re already planning on grilling meat for dinner. Slice or dice the potatoes and then put them in a foil packet. Don’t forget to spray the foil with non-stick cooking spray to prevent the vegetables from sticking to the sides.  Add in bell peppers and onions or cheese and bacon, depending on your taste preference. Seal up the foil packets and place them on the grill earlier than your meat as the potatoes will take longer to cook.

 

Photo Credit: Food Network

Potato Salad – Potato salad isn’t only a dish for summer potlucks! If you find yourself in the mood for a potato side dish but want something a little lighter, try a potato salad. You can stick with the traditional recipes or try one that’s eggless, or a version that uses red potatoes and vinegar.

Potato Wedges – Celebrate the potato with homemade potato wedges.  They are about as family friendly as you can get. Wedges can be served with simple, kid friendly main dishes or fancier adult fare. While cutting the potatoes can seem like a chore, in the end the homemade taste will be worth it! Try this recipe from Our Best Bites for oven fries and experiment with the different seasoning. 

Photo Credit: Pixabay

 

Enjoy the month with your homegrown potatoes, but if you didn’t grow any, plan ahead for next spring.  Western Gardens carries in the spring a variety of only the best potatoes to grow in your own garden.  You will be able to celebrate the potato even more next September.

Other Delicious Potato Recipes and Information:

Ranch Roasted Potatoes

Garlic and Rosemary Mashed Potatoes

Smashed Potatoes

Planting Potatoes

 

Filed Under: Holidays, Recipes, Vegetables Tagged With: Gardening, potato recipes, potatoes, recipes

3 Simple Tips for Picking Ripe Cantaloupe

August 22, 2017 by Wendy Pettit

tips for picking ripe cantaloupe

If you’re like me, you can use some tips for picking ripe cantaloupe, because it can be hard to tell when it’s ready to eat!

I find it disappointing to be preparing a cantaloupe for dinner, only to take one taste and it is bland and flavorless.  I’ve learned my lesson and discovered how to choose or pick a cantaloupe that is ripe and ready to eat.  Now when I’m either picking fruit at the store or from my own garden, there are three simple tips to remember to help you wisely spend your money and time.

vine ripened cantaloupe

Follow these simple tips to choose a melon that is ripe and ready to eat.

  1. LOOK – Cantaloupe should be a nice golden yellow color.  Don’t pick cantaloupe that are greenish.  They are not ready!  Don’t worry about rough spots that may be on the outside of your cantaloupe.  They don’t mean anything as to the ripeness.
  2. FEEL – You should be able to feel the edges of the outer skin.  A smooth skin means it is not ripe.  The flower end (the end not attached to the vine) is soft.  You should be able to press it gently in.  If it springs back out after pressing, your cantaloupe is ready.
  3. SMELL – Place the flower end or the “button” of the cantaloupe just under your nose and take a whiff.  A strong sweet aroma indicates the cantaloupe is ready.  Sometimes you will smell the strong aroma without smelling the button.  If it doesn’t have a scent, don’t pick it or buy it.  It is not sweet.

Cantaloupe from the store or market can be yummy, but my favorite is freshly picked from my garden. Now when I eat cantaloupe, it is like a little slice of heaven. Picked right off the vine, it is heavy, fragrant, juicy, and still warm from sitting in the sun.  I love to garden!

TIP FOR GROWING:  Be sure to begin your seeds indoors early spring so you can have good healthy larger plants when it is warm enough outside.  Melons like a long hot growing season!

Filed Under: Fruit, Gardening, How To, Tips & How To's, Utah Gardening Tagged With: Cantaloupe, Gardening, melon, ripe fruit, tips, Utah gardening, Western Garden Centers

Harmful Garden Insects: Organic Management

July 18, 2017 by Marjorie Carter

 Welcome, Friends! Glad you’re here for some tips to organically manage those pesky harmful garden insects so you’ll have produce left to harvest!

Harmful garden insects can be managed organic methods

All yards and allotments will have harmful garden insects every year; it’s part of nature.  These insects need to eat in order to feed the beneficial insects.  Eliminating ALL the harmful insects from your garden would be time, labor, and resource intensive. You also run the risk of depleting the food source for beneficial insects and other animals that feed on the harmful critters.

Wise Goal – An important and wise goal is to control the harmful garden insects enough to reduce the damage to your garden to a manageable level.  Meaning that by harvest time, there is something left for you to eat.  Losing one or two tomatoes is manageable and probably hardly noticed, but an entire decimated crop means there’s a problem to address. 

aphids are harmful garden insects that can be easily controlled

Aphids – One year we had aphids on our herbs which was easily treated by spraying the affected plants with neem oil, a wonderful organic product found at Western Gardens.  This significantly reduced the number of bugs.  They were further kept at bay by some helpful ladybugs, also found at your garden shop. 

Neem Oil is safe organic product. Read label

We were careful to thoroughly wash our herbs before eating them to remove any remaining aphids. Washing anything you harvest before eating it is always a good idea anyway.

Harmful garden insects include the Leaf Miner

Leaf Miner – Last year, our challenge was leaf miner larvae on our Swiss chard.  In this case, we simply discarded any leaves that had been extensively chewed.  Otherwise, we snipped off the parts that didn’t look as appetizing, like anything that had a visible egg attached to it (usually on the underside of the leaves), washed everything, and then enjoyed our tasty green salad.

tracks of leaf miner on pepper plant leaves

This year, now that we know to look for the leaf miner eggs on the leaves, we were more attentive with our starts for our garden and inspected them daily, looking for them or other harmful garden insects.  We found eggs on our pepper plants and did our best to remove them when the plants were small.  We used a piece of duct tape wrapped around a finger to remove the eggs.

duct tape wrapped around one finger helps lift off insect eggs from plants

We found that using a gentle fingernail was still too rough for the tender young leaves, so gently touching the tiny eggs with the sticky duct tape easily lifted them off.  

Eggs of the leaf miner on pepper plants

Once the plants were more mature and could withstand a little insect activity, we were less vigilant at egg removal, but still mindful of looking for eggs once in a while.  Read more on homemade remedies for treating leaf miners by clicking here.

harmful garden insects also include squash bugs

Squash Bug – This year, we planted pumpkins for the first time.  We had heard of the dreaded squash bug and had been looking for them but hadn’t seen any damage to the plants.  Then, just last week (late June), one of our pumpkin plants was nearly devoured overnight by something.

Squash bug eggs are easy to spot and remove.

We assumed it was the infamous squash bug.  This assumption was reinforced when, upon closer inspection of the plant, we found a mating pair of squash bugs with a third one waiting on the side-line and eggs attached to the underside of the remaining leaves and the stem. We posted photos of the damage to a Facebook gardening group and learned of some other likely culprits.  That night my husband went out with a headlamp and a bottle of neem oil to investigate.

earwigs are harmful but also beneficial

Earwigs – Someone suggested the damage looked like the work of earwigs.  My husband found several earwigs eating on the plant and a swarm of them hiding in a nearby crevasse. Earwigs are a complicated insect in the garden.  They are not only harmful, but also beneficial.  They aid in breaking down organic matter (composting) and they also eat aphids and other harmful insects. However, when there are too many of them around a young susceptible plant, they can be very destructive.  We could also see evidence of earwigs damage on a few leaves of nearby tomato plants.  This minimal damage doesn’t pose a risk to a plant that has hundreds of leaves to perform.  In comparison, the pumpkin plant had only a dozen leaves to start with and most of those were very damaged. 

earwigs eating pumpkin plant leaves

My husband sprayed neem oil on the earwigs on the plant, in the swarm nearby, and even in their nest. It’s still uncertain whether the plant will survive though it already shows signs of new growth. We monitor it closely to prevent another insect attack that would probably kill it.

Another organic alternative that works to kill earwigs is diatomaceous earth, which also now offers a nice dispensing bottle which helps cut down on waste and mess.  Check it out at Western Gardens.

diatomaceous earth is a natural organic product to control crawling insects in the garden.

As for the squash bugs, not the main culprits to the pumpkin plant, they were probably snacking on it also.  We’re still removing eggs as we find them (using the duct tape trick mentioned above) and killing any adults.  Their numbers can quickly get out of hand. Again, diatomaceous earth works well to control squash bugs.

Beneficial vs Harmful Insects – Lady bugs, praying mantis, and birds are a few examples of creatures that feed on the harmful garden insects; hence, we like to see these around around the yard.  When considering how to handle any harmful garden insects, the first reaction should generally not be total annihilation.  Rather, try to reduce their numbers and also allow the beneficial insects and animals to do their part until the plant is mature enough to withstand the damage. 

Good luck and happy hunting!

CLICK HERE to read about beneficial insects you want in your garden.

10 beneficial insects you want in your garden! If you spot these in your yard, you're in good shape!

Filed Under: Flowers, Gardening, How To, Insects, Tips & How To's, Utah Gardening, Vegetables, Veggie Gardening, Yard Care Tagged With: Gardening, harmful garden insects, harmful insects, How To, organic management, organic pest controls, Utah gardening, Western Gardens

Fresh From The Garden Gift Tags

July 12, 2017 by Jenn Crookston

gift tags for garden produce for neighbor gifts
We’re heading into the very best time of the year when it comes to fresh fruits and vegetables.  If you’ve got a garden you know how quickly, once things start to ripen, you can end up with lots of extras.  These Fresh from the Garden gift tags may be incentive to get out and share your joy!

I have loved sharing my bounty with friends and neighbors over the years.  It’s always nice when something I’m not in need of brings a smile to someone else’s face.

July 15th is National “Give Something Away” Day.  I created these bright “Fresh from the Garden” and “From our Garden to You” printable tags to celebrate this fun day.  Grab a small basket (or large, depending on your bounty), fill it with garden fresh fruits and veggies, print off a cute tag and deliver to one of your favorite people.

This would also be a cheerful tag to use with a fresh loaf of zucchini bread or other garden fresh treat.
Ready to print garden gift tag for giving fruits and vegetable away from your garden.

Click HERE for the Fresh From the Garden tag.

Garden gift tag "From Our Garden to You!" - ready to print

Click HERE for the From Our Garden to You tag.

I think sharing is one of my favorite things about having a garden (and having chickens, I love sharing fresh eggs).  In the past, a few neighbors and I were very intentional with our gardening.  We looked at the things we knew we wanted to grow and used a lot of and then sort of split up the planting.  Why would everybody in the neighborhood plant zucchini plants when we knew a couple well maintained plants would supply more than enough for us all.  Same with tomatoes and cucumbers.  As I’m trying my hand more at canning having a couple plants each of my own has been awesome and there is still plenty to share.
Fresh from the garden gift tags to use on a basket of produce for someone in need.
I hope you take advantage of National Give Something Away Day this July 15th.  Remember while these fresh from the garden and from our garden to you tags are created for you to gift something from your garden this is also an opportunity for other ways to give something away.

Give Something Away Idea – Go through your home, find those items that are still in good repair that are just not being utilized by you or your family, then donate them as well!

Give Something Away Idea – Put together your own little farmer’s market where neighbors can gather and share their bounty.

Give Something Away Idea – Create a little swap-n-shop where people can bring things they no longer need and look through things others have brought that might be a perfect fit in their home.

You can download the free printable tags here and here.  We’d love to see how you use them!
Happy Summer!!

Filed Under: Crafts, Gardening, Holidays, Tips & How To's, Utah Gardening Tagged With: DIY, eat your garden, fresh produce gifts, garden gifts, Gardening, national holidays, tips, Utah gardening, Western Garden Centers

June Gardening To-Do List

June 8, 2017 by Western Gardens

Welcome gardening friends!  So glad you stopped by!

Not sure what to do in your yard & garden this month? Check out our June to-do list on www.westerngardens.com

Do you love to work in your yard, but aren’t sure of all the things you should be doing?  Then you’re in luck!  We’ve put together a list of things to do in June!

Not sure what to do in your yard & garden this month? Check out our June gardening to-do list on www.westerngardens.com

You may not need to do everything on this list.  For example, if you don’t have a cherry tree, you won’t need to worry about treating for Cherry Fruit Flies.  Just pick what applies to your yard and plan out when you will do it all throughout the month!

June Gardening To-Do List

➺Plant shrubs, trees and evergreens

➺Fertilize vegetables every 4 weeks with a slow-release fertilizer, and
fertilize roses

➺Watch For Insects show a sample in a clear plastic bag to a garden expert if you suspect a problem

➺Fertilize Lawns and apply iron sulfate if needed (to green up your grass)

➺Watch For Insects like grasshoppers, potato bettle, squash bug & spider mites.  If you suspect a problem, take a sample in a clear plastic bag to a garden expert.

➺Thin Out fruit trees for a better yield

➺Control Powdery Mildew on apples, apricots, cherries, peaches, nectarines,
grapes, peas, roses & euonymous

➺Treat For Cherry Fruit Fly when cherries begin to turn pink, unless already
using fruit tree spray

➺Control Peach Twig Borer once a month with spinosad

➺Watch For Slugs & Snails control with bait or other techniques

➺Adjust Sprinklers if needed, for increasing heat

➺Move And Replant Bulbs if the foliage has died down

➺Watch For Lawn Insects and treat as necessary

➺Prune & Fertilize flowering shrubs

➺Watch For Signs Of Lawn Disease take a sample to a garden expert if you
suspect a problem

➺Control tobacco budworm on geraniums & petunias

➺Control Weeds before they set & disperse seed

➺Plant Outside
Until June 15th: carrots & endive
Until July 1st: cauliflower, parsley, swiss chard, rutabaga
Until July 15th: beets & broccoli
Until Sept 1st: radishes

*This is not an exhaustive list.  If we’ve overlooked something important, feel free to leave a comment and we will add it to the list!

If you’re local to the Salt Lake area, come in to any of our locations with questions or samples!

Not sure what to do in your yard & garden this month? Check out our June to-do list on www.westerngardens.com

Filed Under: Gardening, Tips & How To's, To-Do List, Utah Gardening, Yard Care Tagged With: Gardening, How To, June gardening to do list, lawn, Lawn Care, tips, Utah, Utah gardening, utah gardens, Western Garden Centers, Western Gardens

May Gardening To-Do List

May 2, 2017 by Western Gardens

May Gardening To-Do List for all the things you don't want to forget (but don't have time to remember!)

Hello Gardening Friends, thanks for stopping by!

If you’re excited to work in your yard or garden, but not sure where to begin, then you’ve come to the right place!  We’ve put together a list of things to do throughout the month.

May Gardening To-Do List for all the things you don't want to forget (but don't have time to remember!)

You may not need to do everything on this list.  For example, if you don’t have bare patches to reseed or Spring bulb foliage to cut back, skip over those items on the list.  Just pick what applies to your home and yard and plan out when you will do it all throughout the month!

May Gardening To-Do List for all the things you don't want to forget (but don't have time to remember!)

May Gardening To-Do List

➺Train your Lawn – Turn Sprinklers On only when needed – Let the lawn tell you when it needs watering. Click here for more details.

➺Lawn Watering – Use a “moisture meter” probe to determine adequate moisture.

➺Water Conservation – Conserve water by watering before 10:00 am or after 6:00 pm.

➺Lawn Aeration – Its not too late if you haven’t already.

➺Set Lawnmower Height to 2½-3 inches. This allows the lawn to “shade” its soil making for a healthier lawn.

➺Lawn Broadleaf Weed Control (Liquid application) – for Dandelions, violets, etc. Weed-A-Lawn is a great product.  Spot treat or apply to big areas of lawn where needed. Follow manufacturer’s instructions.

➺Lawn Crabgrass and Spurge – Second application of pre-emergent granular (6 weeks after the first application).

➺Fertilize Lawn with a weed-killing post-emergent granular fertilizer —do NOT water in—apply it to a moist lawn and let it sit for a day

➺Seed Bare Patches in Your Lawn unless you’ve already used a pre-emergent, in which case, wait until September to seed bare patches.  Click here for more.

➺Weed, Thin Out & Mulch newly planted seedlings

➺Plant Your Favorite Annuals for beautiful color—most can be safely planted after frost danger has passed (some are hardy enough to be planted earlier, check with your local nursery)

➺Spring Bulbs – Remove Spent Flower Heads (aka dead-heading) and AFTER foliage fades and turns brown, cut back leaves.

➺Summer Blooming Bulbs – Plant dahlias, day lilies, and gladiolus.  Click here for instructions.

➺Plant Trees, Shrubs, and Perennials – Early spring or late fall are great times to do this.  Click here for tips.

➺Divide and/or Transplant Perennials – Summer bloomers: early in the month.  Spring bloomers: after blooming is done.

➺Flowering Shrubs  – Prune after they finish blooming.

➺Pest Control – Boxelder bugs are a nuisance.  Grasshoppers are best controlled when they first hatch.  Watch for Leaf roller on boxelder trees. Try to stay ahead of those slimy slugs and snails.  Closely follow directions on labels when using insecticides as not to harm bees.

➺Plant Outside
Kohlrabi, parsley, parsnips, potatoes,
Until May 15th: onions & peas
After last frost until June 1st: dry beans, snap beans, eggplant, peppers
After last frost until June 10th: watermelon & winter squash
Until July 1st: cauliflower, parsley, swiss chard
Until July 15th: beets & broccoli
After last frost until July 20th: cucumbers and summer squash
Until Sept 1st: radishes

and so much more….

If you liked learning these tips from the experts, here is another good tip – come in and visit us!

Be sure to check out our June Gardening To-Do List too!

*This is not an exhaustive list.  If we’ve overlooked something, feel free to let us know in a comment below!

May Gardening To-Do List for all the things you don't want to forget (but don't have time to remember!)

Filed Under: Gardening, How To, Lawn Care, To-Do List, Utah Gardening, Yard Care Tagged With: Gardening, how to's, may gardening, Monthly To-Do List

December Gardening To-Do List

November 5, 2016 by Western Gardens

December Gardening To-Do List We know you're busy! So we've written down the things you don't want to have to remember.

Welcome gardening friends, thanks for stopping by!

If you’re excited to work in your yard or garden, but not sure what to do in the cold December weather, then you’ve come to the right place!  We’ve put together a list of things to do throughout the month.

December Gardening To-Do List

You may not need to do everything on this list.  For example, if you don’t have Christmas lights to hang or snow to remove, skip over those items on the list.  Just pick what applies to your home and yard and plan out when you will do it all throughout the month!

december-gardening-to-do-list-2

December Gardening To-Do List

➺Check Ice & Snow Removal Products and replenish if necessary, before it snows

➺Make Sure your snow shovels and/or snow blower are in good repair, before you need them

➺Hang Christmas Lights Outside if you decorate with them, be sure to connect only 3 strands together—more than 3 can overload the circuit

➺Decorate Indoors with beautiful poinsettia plants

➺Buy An Amaryllis Bulb as a gift for your favorite gardener

➺Buy A Fresh-Cut Tree early in the season for the best selection

➺Impress Your Friends when you tell them your well-watered fresh-cut Christmas tree is less flammable than an artificial tree

➺Watch Trees during/after big snow storms, they may need snow knocked from their branches to avoid breakage

Don’t miss the list for January!

December Gardening To-Do List

Filed Under: Gardening, To-Do List Tagged With: Gardening, How To, Monthly To-Do List, winter

November Gardening To-Do List

November 1, 2016 by Western Gardens

November Gardening To-Do List

Welcome gardening friends, thanks for stopping by!

If you’re excited to work in your yard or garden, but not sure what to do in the chilly November weather, then you’ve come to the right place!  We’ve put together a list of things to do throughout the month.

You may not need to do everything on this list.  For example, if you don’t have upright bushes to tie or snow tools to inspect, skip over those items on the list.  Just pick what applies to your yard and plan out when you will do it all throughout the month!

November Gardening To-Do List

Photo by Russ Hendricks

November Gardening To-Do List 

➺Tie Upright Bushes like junipers and arborvitae with burlap strips to keep the
snow load from spreading their branches during winter

➺Cut Back And Mulch perennials as they go dormant

➺Deep Soak lawn, trees, shrubs & flower beds

➺Fertilize lawn if necessary, according to your schedule

➺Put Away any tools that are still out

➺Make Sure your snow shovels and/or snow blower are in good repair,
before you need them

➺Check Ice & Snow Removal Products and replenish if necessary, before it snows

➺Cover Beds With A Frost Blanket for an added layer of protection for your perennials

Be sure to check back for December’s to-do list!

November Gardening To-Do List

Filed Under: Gardening, To-Do List Tagged With: Gardening, how to's, tips, to-do list

Beneficial Insects You Want in Your Garden

September 15, 2016 by Vanessa Myers

10 beneficial insects you want in your garden! If you spot these in your yard, you're in good shape!

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
Dragonflies love pests like mosquitoes

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!

Filed Under: Gardening, Tips & How To's Tagged With: beneficial bugs, beneficial insects, bugs, garden, Gardening, insects, pests, Utah gardening

September Gardening To-Do List

September 1, 2016 by Western Gardens

September Gardening To-Do List

Welcome friend, thanks for stopping by!

September Gardening To-Do Lists...to make taking care of your yard easier!

If you’re excited to work in your yard or garden, but not sure what to do in the cooler September weather, then you’ve come to the right place!  We’ve put together a list of things to do throughout the month.

You may not need to do everything on this list.  For example, if you don’t have roses, then you won’t need to worry about letting the hips form.  Just pick what applies to your yard and plan out when you will do it all throughout the month!

September Gardening To-Do Lists...to make taking care of your yard easier!

September Gardening To-Do List

➺Plant trees & shrubs

➺Watch For Frost Warnings and cover tender crops if necessary

➺Don’t Store apples and potatoes together

➺Stop Dead-Heading roses and let hips form

➺Buy Some Spring Bulbs from your local nursery

➺Plant Spring Bulbs (tulips, daffodils, etc) at the proper depth with a complete fertilizer

➺Plant Pansies with your fall bulbs

➺Keep Up with insect and weed control, keep watching for slugs & snails {check out THIS article for 3 simple ways to control snails!}

➺Last Treatment for peach twig borer

➺Treat Lawn Weeds with weed spray

➺Lay Seed for a new lawn, or lay sod

➺Divide Peonies if necessary

➺Stop Watering fruit trees

➺Start Feeding wild birds, if you stopped in the spring

➺Install a Roof De-Icing Cable to avoid winter ice build-up

Be sure to check out October’s Gardening To-Do List too!

September Gardening To-Do List...to make taking care of your yard easier!

Filed Under: Gardening, To-Do List Tagged With: Gardening, How To, how to's, tips, to-do list

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