Mosquitoes, biting flies, and other pest insects are always around and ready to ruin your time outdoors, whatever you happen to be doing out there. Fending them off seems like a full-time job, but lately there has been an uproar about relief from an unlikely source. There seems to be a growing clamor around the … Read more
If your tomatoes are looking a little less than healthy as they begin to ripen, it could be an early blight to blame. That’s the bad news. The good news? If you’re looking for tips on how to eradicate early blight in your garden, you’ve come to the right place. Early blight can appear early … Read more
Also known simply as the fisher, the fisher cat is a forest-dwelling mammal found in the northern United States and Canada. If you’ve never heard of one of this creature before, its unique nomenclature might confuse you. Is it a cat, or is it some other kind of mystical creature that hunts for fish? The … Read more
I’ve always been quite lucky to not have to worry about too many pests in my garden. I’m not sure how I’ve avoided this common predicament – it’s something I hear echoed by so many gardeners near me. They struggle with all kinds of garden pests, including cabbage worms, cutworms, and of course – aphids. … Read more
Damping off is a plant disease that develops from fungi or bacteria in the soil. Also commonly referred to as “dampening off” this crop disease almost exclusively afflicts only seeds and the newly sprouting plants they yield. Damping off disease typically targets vegetable plants and flowers, not fruit crop seeds. Damping off disease causes the … Read more
An assassin bug infestation is no laughing matter. If you’ve ever dealt with these pests before, you know how frustrating it can be to have them on your property. Although some types of assassin bugs are completely harmless to humans and would rather spend their entire life cycles outside in your garden, munching on garden … Read more
Leaf miners are a destructive variety of insects that can destroy a garden or orchard in a single season, or harm plants enough to drastically reduce their yield. These tiny black fly larvae leave pale lines or blotches on the plants they carnage. These bad bugs are the larvae of the Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera Diptera … Read more
Moles, those burrowing little buggers can destroy your yard in a day. I have so many raised tunnels in my yard, we have made a game out of who can stomp them back down the fastest. They also drive my dogs crazy. They occasionally catch one but, my yard sure gets destroyed in the process. … Read more
Keeping the livestock safe on the homestead, no matter how large or small the land, can seem like an insurmountable chore. Barnyard and even backyard livestock live under constant threat of attack. Before you can adequately protect your animals, you must discover what predators are lurking about and likely to attack..and then what you can … Read more
Chickens draw in several animals that could endanger our flock. Due to the loss of their habitat, they have made their way closer to our homes in search of food. Some of these predators lurk in the shadows during the day, waiting for a stray bird to wander close. Or, like me, you may have … Read more
“That thievin’ fox was after my chickens!” ~Amos Slade