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Nature usually keeps insects in line with birds and other predators but sometimes certain creatures get out of control. Weather, over-population, and disease can cause unbalance in nature.

You also need to make sure there is not place for insects to hide and no diseases decaying matter for bugs to hide in. I you notice you have an insect problems and you plants are suffering, you can hand pick the insects of any plant and destroy them. You can also dislodge them with a strong spray of water.

But if you have an all out attack on your garden plants there is an insect spray you can make that will handle the problem quickly.

And yes, it sounds a bit strange.

Bug Juice Insect Spray

Collect a trowel of the damage-causing pests, and liquefy them in a blender with 1-cup (8 fl oz/250 ml) water. (I keep an old blender on hand to use for such purposes) Strain and dilute the mixture with 1-gallon (4 l) water, and pour the juice into a spray bottle.

Select plants that are infected with insects and spray. This mixture will not harm the plants. This is effective on nearly all pests, including beetles, squash and stink bugs, cutworms, army worms and even slugs

NOTE: Do not use bug juice on fleas, mosquitoes, or other blood-sucking insects that transmit disease.

Provide habitats for predators.

A single toad, frog, bird or bat consumes hundreds of insects a day. Toads and frogs are fun to watch in the garden areas and are harmless.
photo credit: Stryker W@SP

I had a toad that lived in my garden near the cumber patch for years. He either hid under the cucumber leaves or used the clay terra cotta planter I placed in the garden in a shady area. I also had a saucer of water sitting nearby for him. I enjoyed watching him in my garden areas.

Bats and birds are also helpful in keeping insects under control so provide houses for them to encourage them to stay in you backyard. The bat houses I place down by my creek. I am not fond of bats but they love mosquitoes and I don’t.
photo credit: Wagner Machado Carlos Lemes

Overall the best way to control insects is to notice the problems as soon as possible and take immediate action.

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Rainfall every other day creates the perfect setup for foliar fungal diseases on vegetables.

Many fungal diseases thrive and spread in a humid climate where plants stay wet for long periods of time.

Other fungi prefer cooler wet weather.

Whichever situation you are facing in your area, these conditions will create plant disease unless extra steps are taken to help.

Good air circulation will help plants stay healthy. Remove any sickly leaves and keep weeds down.  You may also decide to plant disease resistant vegetable varieties as a precaution for humid or wet weather conditions.

Fungicides such as Daconil can be used to help combat these diseases. Always make sure you diagnosis the plants problem before spraying a fungicide.

Many fungal diseases appear first as leaf spots. Common plant diseases in the garden are early blight and late blight on tomatoes and Irish potatoes, rust on snap and pole beans, and powdery mildew on squash, cucumbers and watermelons.

Another weather condition that affects the vegetable garden is fluctuations in day and night temperatures.

Stunted growth and dieback may occur and about the only way to correct this is to replant the plants. It may seem drastic but unhealthy plants do not produce well and may spread disease to healthy plants

Deformed tomatoes or catfacing are common problems if the weather is cool and cloudy at the time of bloom. And tomatoes tend to crack during rainy periods when the temperature is relatively high. This happens more when rains follow a long, dry period.

Many of the cosmetic flaws found on fruit may be attributed to drastic changes in temperature and moisture levels during the flowering sage and even during the first stages of fruit developing.

Lack of pollination, petal drop, or no fruit in some vegetables may also be attributed to drastic changes in weather patterns or abnormal temperatures.

Sprays will help any disease from plants that are stressed from bad weather conditions but poor fruit or vegetable crops really cant be controlled unless you grow you crops in containers, which can be moved indoors or into a greenhouse or if you can cover your crops.

Poor weather conditions can affect any area and my NW Pennsylvania garden has seen a few too many unpredictable gardens seasons in the last few years.

For this reason I have learned to always grow a few tomato and pepper plants on the patio or in a greenhouse. I also grow strawberries year round in hanging baskets. I also keep row cover handy for covering my plants against rain and cooler nights.
photo credit: quinn.anya

If your garden is suffering from poor climate conditions these ideas may help and your weather may also improve.

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One of the worse challenges for your garden is hail.

In my area we don’t have many hailstorms and they only last a few seconds. But a few seconds in a newly planted garden or hail falling on delicate plants can be disastrous!

If you have heard there is a chance of hail and you see that ominous yellow sky you may want to cover some of your more delicate plants. I usually keep larger clay pots near the garden so that I can cover up plants quickly.
photo credit: bestfor

For larger plants you may want to use metal pails. I even covered a large tomato plants with a 55-gallon garbage can one time. We did have a hailstorm and the tomato plant was fine.

And if you use trellises or plants where plants can climb covering the trellis with a tarp or leaning boards up against the trellis will protect your plants. I usually have attached hooks to my trellised so that I can attack wood pieces to the trellis to make a quick tent if I need to protect the plants from hail or cold weather.

My one relative that lived in an area more prone to hail built flexible row covers to use during the summer season when hails storms seemed to occur. They were light enough he could move them into place in a matter of minutes and cover with a heavy plastic to protect his garden areas.

I think of all garden challenges you can have, hail is one of the worst. You never know when a storm will happen, how long it will last or how much damage it will create.
photo credit: quinn.anya

So be prepared. Have tarps, covers or pots nearby and listen to the news and watch for that ominous yellow sky.

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photo credit: daitaWatering a garden or plants seems like it should be quite easy. But watering too much or too little can harm your plants, and some of the damage  may be irreversible.

Watering tips

The best time for watering is in the morning before heat and evaporation take their toll.  Grass clippings and mulch spread on the soil help to prevent the water from evaporating and let it soak into the soil.

Watering in the evening after 5 p.m. when the heat of the day so cooling will also work for most plants.

But if you plan to water in the evening, make sure you give the plants and soil enough time to dry before dew forms in the night. If you water too late at night you will have a tendency to attract slugs and other non-beneficial insects and disease into your garden.

Water the soil in your garden completely once a week. This means there must be enough water to soak down through the soil and get to the roots of the plants where it is needed.

Note: A few minutes of surface watering only encourages weak and shallow roots.

New plants need to be watered daily for several weeks to root growth. This is especially true for shrubs and trees.  Once your plants are established, be careful not to over-water them. Too much water will take air out of the soil and the plants will suffer or die from lack of air.
photo credit: Gnosticgardener

How to Water your Plants

Generally, plants should be watered at the base of the plant. Water the area long enough for the water to be able to soak into the soil.  You can check how deep the moisture is going into the ground with you finger. You want at least an inch of moisture; 3 inches would be better.

A light misting of the leaves occasionally can be beneficial, especially for houseplants.  But too much water on the leaves can promote fungal blights. And during the hottest hour of the day leaves outdoor plants can actually suffer from phototoxicity (burning of the leaves).

I like to water with a dipper and water each plant individually with water from a rain barrel. The water is warm and not as cold as from a sprinkler. Cold water can shock plants and set back plant growth and production.

But all people don’t have time to hand water and a sprinkler or irrigation-type hose is a much easier and faster. Just make sure to water the area long enough to get the moisture down to the plants roots.

And last but not least, different plants take more or less water. Check in gardening books and online to learn plants water needs and group plants in certain areas according to their needs.

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Both drought conditions in gardening and cool damp weather creates their own growing problems but with planning you can head off possible challenges that would slow down your crop production and beauty in the flower gardens.

This year my growing climate started out dry and warmer than normal, now I have moved into nights that are too cool and damp weather. I also live in a zone 5 growing zone so my growing season is shorter than most to begin with.

Here are a few ideas that have helped me keep my gardens warmer and drier in those cool summers.

Grow you crops and flowers in raised beds. Raised beds dry out faster, warm up quicker in the spring and can be built in such a way as to place a cover over the garden to keep rain off the plants and soil if you really are suffering from too much rain. (Plants that have too much rain will start to have yellow leaves, thin out and look unhealthy)

If your garden is already planted you may want to add a raised bed for plants and crops that are not doing well and replant or plant container planters. Container gardens can be moved onto porches if there is too much rain. I also have made mini tents to cover my containers when I have had wet cold summers.

Cover your crops with plastic or if you growing zone is short you may want to consider using a mini greenhouse for certain plants. I grow a few tomatoes, peppers, most of my gourds and a variety of flowers in a greenhouse n the summer. I can start these plants earlier and grow them late into the fall.

If your garden has a problem draining put in a small drainage channel with a hoe or spade to re-direst water. One year we had too much rain in the summer and I put in mini ditches in the garden. It helped.

I also let my nephew have a section on the lower garden for playing with his farming toys. It tended to be a little moister in that area and one day after a heavy rain while he was playing he hit water with his toy backhoe, which he thought was funny. I wasn’t quite as impressed at the time.

Black plastic will keep the soil warmer and will keep some of the water off the soil. I am not that much of a fan or plastic on soil but my neighbors have used it and seem to like the results.

The main thing to remember if you have too much water is to try and keep the soil dry and additional rain off if possible. And if cool temperatures exist at the same time covering with clear plastic to hold in heat in the evening and to keep additional rain off will help.

Usually a cool wet spell will pass in a few weeks and if you can keep the plants healthy during this time they will flourish later.

Also with flowers, make sure to deadhead the old blossoms. In cool weather they will get wet and rot which may lead to plant disease.

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This year I am hearing mixed reviews of gardening problems that relate to droughts or too much rain and cold. Both problems can slow down plants growth and the success of you plants. And of course I seem to be having a mix of both problems this year.

So how do you prepare for weather related garden problems? The answer, be prepared!

Drought Conditions

The best way to prepare for drought conditions is to set your garden up to deal with the lack of water. Here are a few suggestions that will help you.

Rich soil with loam and compost will hold water better than poor soil. So add compost and fertilizer to your garden at the beginning of the year.

Mulch your garden plot. After I have planted my garden I water the area well and immediately cover the ground with 2 to 4 inches of mulch. My mulch is a mix of compost, leaves, grass clipping and straw that has sat for a few weeks to age.

If you don’t have these materials on hand newspaper will also work. But you should be able to round up grass clipping from your yard or your neighbors.

Weeds require water, so remove all weeds as soon as they appear.

Use native plants in your flower gardens and around the yard. Native plants are drought tolerant.

Mow less and do not cute the grass not as short. Also if you live in an area that suffers from drought a lot you may want to consider removing the grass and going for a wooded look or add hardscape and rock and retire that lawn mower.

As a rule, lawns need about 1 inch of water a week. Test how much you’re watering by collecting your sprinkler water in a can. And if conditions are very bad in your area you may have to let the grass go brown and use that water for you garden vegetables.

Add a rain barrel to your yard. It’s amazing how much rain you can capture and reuse for plants and the garden area.

You can water by using an inverted plastic bottle that you have placed in the ground by a plant. Cut out the bottom of the bottle, take off the cap and place in the garden by water hungry plants. This bottle will act like a funnel and take the water directly to the plants roots. I use this technique with tomato plants, melons and my gourd crops. The funnel is put in place at the same time I plant the plants.

If your garden is small and you are using the “intensive garden method” water each plant with a dipper. Create a small inverted saucer near the plant to keep the water near the plants and hand water each plant. You will have no water run over suing this method and a small garden can easily be watered in 20 minutes.

If you have a sprinkler system, make sure its in good condition. Repair any broken or missing spray heads or emitters. You can also install a drip or low-volume irrigation system.

You may want to check out this Home and Garden article. It’s all about different irrigation systems and packed with great information: How to Build a drip Watering System.

I would also check plants for moisture before watering. Curling leaves, a grayish color and permanent wilting indicate under-watering. Leaves that turn yellow and drop off indicates you could be over-watering.

One other trick I have used in a drought is to cover my plants and give them shade during the hottest hours of the day, noon to 2 p.m. I only do this if the drought is very bad and the plants look like they are suffering.

With a little care you can keep you plants healthy when there is a drought. And hopefully the problem will end and your garden will be able to flourish without extra steps.

An article on gardening in cold and damp weather will follow in a few days.

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But whatever amount of lawn you have it need to be healthy and full with out bare spots for the lawn to have a flowing look. And a healthy lawn can be a centerpiece in your landscape design and will cool the temperatures around your home.

It will also add cleaner air to you backyard. Add a few plants for color and accent and you have created a perfect backyard oasis to relax in and enjoy your free time.

Planting a lawn

Plant cool-season grasses in early spring or fall and warm-season grasses in late spring to early summer.

The first step is to determine you soil mix. You can send a sample to your local cooperative extension service or test it yourself with a home testing kit. This will help you to determine what nutrients you have and lack, what the pH is, and whether or not you need lime or sulphur.

Your neighbors may also know the soil conditions that are most common in your area. I know I have high acid and clay in most soil.

After you know what your soil lacks for a healthy lush lawn you can improve the soil by adding 2 to 3 inches of organic matter over the planting area. Compost and bark are two organic materials that are often used.  A starter fertilizer may also be beneficial to your yard if you lack potassium and phosphorous.

Till the soil to mix in the organic matter to a depth of six to eight inches. This step may take several passes to get properly mixed into the soil. Smooth the planting area with a leveling rake.

You can sow seed, lay sod over the planting area or plant stolens. Which process you decide on will depend on your climate, time and the amount you plan to spend on your new lawn area.

In choosing your grass you can check which type of grass grows best in your area.  Your garden center or nursery will be able to help you select the best grass for the climate and even for the use of your yard. A yard with heavy traffic or children will need a hardier grass mix.

Also keep in mind that you need to plant cool-season grasses in early spring or fall and warm-season grasses in late spring to early summer.

Avoid letting your newly planted lawn dry out. You may need to water more than once a day for at least a week or two after planting. You will also need to keep an eye on the moisture of the lawn for six to eight weeks. If the lawn dries out it will die in places.

You will also want to keep children and pets off the grass until it is about 1 ½ inches tall. At this time you can let traffic on the yard and even mow it.  You may want to rope off your yard if you live in a town or area with many children to protect the lawn from intruders.

If your new lawn is watered well and has the right nutrients it will be healthy and look great for years to come.

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To disinfect your tools first clean off the dirt with a clean cloth and remove any rust from the tool.

Next mix one part bleach and nine parts water in a three gallon bucket. Make sure it is mixed well before disinfecting your gardening tools.

After removing the surface dirt, dip your gardening tools into the disinfecting solution and gently swish in the mixture for fifteen to twenty seconds. Remove the gardening tools from the solution and dry.

If you have time oil the garden tool handles to help keep them smooth and prevent splinters. 
photo credit: Unhindered by Talent

You should also sharpen any tools before the season begins. And when cleaning a sharp tool, use extreme care cleaning and drying the item.

Garden tools that are maintained properly will last for years.

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The built in pool can be made to fit in quite easily with a patio or terraced garden area but the above ground pool needs a little more creativity to make it part of your home and garden.

There are several fast end easy ways to blend your new above ground pool into the landscaping.

Add a deck. The deck will add to the space available near the pool and can double as n entertainment area. Place a few porch boxes for flowers in the rail and a container garden on the deck for flowers and vegetables. Carry the colors into the rest of the yard and you will create a flow in the backyard garden area. You can even add small potted trees that can later be moved indoors.

To blend the area under the deck into the yard you can put lattice board there to hide the space and use it for storage or put thick mulch under the deck and flowerpots or flowers by the deck edge. I have even seen vines used in this area and it has a very artistic look.

If you don’t have a deck you can place mulch around the pool area. You can add a few potted trees or mini container garden arrangements to add color. A bench an umbrella would also add a feeling of relaxation to the area.

A small arbor near the pool with vines will create a place to rest and shade if properly placed. It will make you pool area into a small secret garden area.

A patio will also blend the pool into the garden area. The patio can be as easy as laying down indoor outdoor carpeting and adding a few chair or more of a project with rocks or cement.

The main concern here is to enjoy the pool, the backyard and your garden areas. By finding a common design thread or with the use of flowers and colors you can easily blend your pool into the backyard garden area.

The Backyard Oasis has many articles on the backyard pool and how to set it up to make it part of your landscape design.

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At that time I learned I needed to sit down a draw out a garden plan. Why? It makes better use of your garden space and helps with succession planting. There are also plants that just grow better with other plants or that attract the same insect so it’s not best to group these in one spot of the garden.

I actually like to plan my garden in the cold winter months. It reminds me of spring and the new garden season coming up. It’s when I set with the seed catalogs and dream of the perfect garden. My one garden was an acre on year and I actually needed the plant to help others find my crops easier.

I don’t make a habit of referring a product so when I do it has to offer a unique product or enough information that I find it to be a “must have product.”

I recently discovered GrowVeg.com What I like about this program is you can lay out a garden plan very easily. This will be most beneficial to anyone planting a garden for the first time or has limited growing space.

Their blog site also has wonderful information. I was lost in their articles for quite some time. Whether you are a new gardener or have gardened for years, there is always something new to learn. Take a look the GrowVeg.com site and garden planner.  There are also many helpful articles that will benefit your garden. I think you will be impressed.

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