Here’s a list of my tips to grow more veggies, keeps animals away, water the right way and more!
- Make plant markers by using an old mini blind. Take the slats, cut them with scissors and use a Sharpie. Go to Goodwill if you don’t have any. You can get one for .50 cents.
- Keep deer away from your garden by using human hair. I save my clippings when I buzz my head or you can go to your local hairdresser and ask for hair, they may look at you weird but they’re happy to get rid of it. Sprinkle it around the perimeter and replace every couple weeks or after a big rain.
- Use coffee grounds to fertilize your soil. Go to a local coffee shop and ask for their spent grounds. They save them at my shop for gardeners and have a sack behind the counter.
- If starting vegetables from seed is intimidating, try radishes. They’re really easy and go from seed to fruit in 35 Days.
- Also, to keep deer and other animals out of the garden, pee on the fence posts. This is easier if you’re a guy but if you’re a gal, be happy about multiple orgasms.
- To trap critters, I’ve had the best luck with the following bait; Raccoons love marshmallows and cat food. Rabbits like carrots (duhh) but love brussel sprouts and spray the trap with apple cider. Ground Hogs love apples and mice well…peanut butter is all you need.
- Don’t water during the day. It’s useless and a waste. Most of it will evaporate and if you water the plant, the sun can burn it up (think of water droplets as tiny magnifying glasses). Always water at the base. Keep in mind vegetables are made up of mostly water. A tomato is 90-95% water.
- If you want to get children interested in gardening, stay away from root vegetables. They can’t see the growth and understand what’s going on underneath the ground and can’t visualize it. Stick with tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, pumpkins and corn. The changes are visually stunning and fun to watch.
- Always plant flowers throughout your garden to attract pollinators. And besides, it atheistically pleasing.
- Grow organically and plant non-GMO seeds. Why put poison on something you’re going to eat. And if you’re growing organically, be sure your plants and seeds are not genetically modified. Why waste time gardening organically if you’re growing a tomato created by splicing fish dna and a strawberry?
On the topic of GMO’s….On Friday, The Farm Bill amendment that would have unambiguously given states the rights to label genetically modifiedingredients in food without fear of reprisal from biotech companies was been voted down in the Senate. The amendment, introduced by Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Mark Begich (D-AK), was voted down by 73-26. If your Senator didn’t vote for it, call their office. Here’s a link to all the Senators from every state Click Here.
It was all over every major news corporation, wasn’t it? Ohh wait, it wasn’t covered by anyone.
Plug: My wife created a site of wonderful artwork; whimsical themes for children in a variety of mediums. She offers original works, archival reproductions and can also create custom artwork for those who request it. Please visit her site by clicking on the banner above.
and finally a quick update on the farm…….in pictures. Happy Sunday everyone!
Lady bug on a bush bean plant
I need to trellis the peas.
Orange is my favorite color
Pumpkin patch is blowing up.
Two Barn Farm 
Great tips. I was totally unaware of the GMO legislation…so much political nonsense going on right now that I have been ignoring it. Your post reminded me that there is important stuff being decided, even in this election year. I’m going to see how my legislators voted. Thank you!
P.S.: I didn’t see a “like” button on Mindy’s site, but it looks lovely. I wish here well.
The “Like” is on the bottom left corner of the page or on the bottom right of the individual piece. Also a Pinterest button.
These are great tips! Thank you!
Thank you for the great tips. Useful information is ALWAYS apprectiated. I’ll checkout your wife’s link. And cheers to you for bringing awareness on the GMO crisis. (of course it wasn’t on the news-isn’t that part of the plan. you know, population control and to keep the medical and pharmaceutical companies on top)
Any tips on getting rid of Japanese Beetles? The warm winter here in New Jersey was great for bugs – now we have tons of them! I don’t want to use chemicals. Any advice? Thanks!
Hand removal is the best and most efficient organic control of JBs. They are also fairly susceptible to insecticidal soap sprays, but you should save that only if you have a BUNCH of the critters all over everything.
Thanks. They are certainly a big pain this year…
Great tips! I have marigolds and cosmos planted throughout my tomatoes. They work really well…now for those weeds……..:-)
Thank you for the tips!
I looked up the farm bill issue. Did you know that 49 countries around the world have this labeling requirement? This issue here in the U.S. is corporate greed. Funny how that keeps popping up isn’t it? In the State of VT, legislation was being considered requiring this labeling and the big giant Monsanto threatened to sue the State. The bill was withdrawn. What the heck is that?
The sad part of this is the lack of reporting.
Loved this post! Very useful tips and made me laugh out loud. I will never again feel bad about not being able to mark fence posts, and as an atheist, can totally vouch for tip #9. Thanks for the heads up about the senate decision, am going to check on that. Now off to see your wife’s artwork…
Any luck deterring chipmunks? They’ve taken over our strawberries, and I want to get rid of them although I can’t do anything about the hundred year old oak trees that spill acorns for them.
You can trap them with Prune pits, Popcorn, Peanut Butter or Sunflower Seeds and release them somewhere else far away from the old Oak tree.
Great tips and as a fellow Etsian, I favorited your wife’s shop. Very sweet illustrations!
Thanks Chandra! She’s working on some original vegetable artwork now so stop back soon 🙂
Great tips I will pass on. Thanks!
Hi. Thanks for the advice. Any tips on how to get rid of slugs… the bane of my days… Jane
Beer! Slugs love beer. Put a saucer of beer in your garden. The slugs come, get drunk and drown. What a way to go out!
I’ll have to try this on my slugs. Thanks!
I got rid of earwigs that way once too. I put the beer in shallow plastic containers with the tops at ground level. Two nights. No more earwigs.
I’ve had to give up on slug pubs. The local foxes seem to find slugs marinated in beer irresistible. And they either spill or drink the rest of the beer!
Great tips! I’ll leaving the peeing on the fence posts to my husband, though! I used wooden shems leftover from some kind of project he had for my plant labels, but it worked about the same. Finally, thanks for the (albeit disappointing) update on the GMO legislation. I’ll be following up as soon as I post this!
Thanks for the Farm Bill update. Forgot to check. I guess the fight is on here in California! We will see what happens in November and thereafter in the fight for GMO labeling.
I hope California makes the labeling happen. It’d be a gateway for all the other states.
I kind of love how the tigerlilly is smiling =) thanks for the link to your wife’s art work!
Thanks for the tips! Another tip is to mulch heavily with straw, dry leaves, and anything else that will keep the moisture in the soil.
Yep! That’s what I use. I always tell people to make sure they get straw and not hay.
Useful, thanks. Did you mean to say “atheistically” instead of “aesthetically”? Made me lol. Great idea about the miniblinds. That problem has been vexing me.
Haha! I meant aesthetically pleasing…as in philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, with the creation and appreciation of beauty.
I passed the hair deer repellant trick along to a friend of mine, she’ll be so excited to learn that! Thanks 🙂
Are you sure that ladybug is a ladybug and not a mexican bean beetle? http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/veg/bean/mexican_bean_beetle03.htm
Now I don’t know…. It looks a lot like a Mexican Bean Beetle. Are they in Ohio? Thanks for the link!
They are in Ohio and they’re on the “bad bug” list. He’s probably the little guy that’s been eating holes in your bean plant’s leaves. They’re easily controlled with neem oil and, funny enough, the beneficial ladybug will help control their population. 🙂
Thanks for the info Katie!
Thanks for the tip on human hair – does it work for rabbits, too? And the labels!
Interesting and practical tips. Thanks.
Been using the plant markers and only trouble is the sun bleeding the sign, grandchildren and birds removing the signs. My daughter in law gave me a big bag of Starbuck’s coffee grinds which I use in making a soil mixture. Use beer in a saucer for slugs. I don’t have a compost area, so I cut all my kitchen waste into very small pieces and throw it around the garden.
On the planting for kids, might I also add plant stuff that tastes good raw? I wasn’t allowed to cook without supervision when I was young, but I was allowed to pick whatever I wanted to. Lettuce and cucumbers are two I remember well.
Great tips!
#5 was killer! I totally laughed out loud:) good tips too. Thanks!
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Flowers are atheistically pleasing no doubt! Great post – super informative 🙂 I’m going to catch & release me a ground hog tonight!
John
I’ve heard Irish Spring soap also keeps deer out of the garden. They don’t like the smell. A friend of mine hung the soap from newly planted trees along her driveway. Kept them away.
The whole GMO thing is so scary. And what’s even worse is that the government is scared of the big giants like monsanto. Makes me so mad! They are nothing but a big bully. How do you even know your getting food/seeds that are non-GMO? I don’t doubt that they would lie about it on the packaging. Do you have to go with all heirloom seeds? I can’t even think about it cause it gets me all fired up! Thank you for the great post!
Reblogged this on Valerie Kingsbury and commented:
The Soulsby Farm is a wealth of information and a talented artist and child prodigy too! Wow. Thank you Soulsby family.
What a wonderful, informative post! Thankfully, I have not had a deep problem…my neighbors love me, and they are patient with my little quirks. Peeing on the perimeters, though….that might stretch things a bit.
Good stuff!! Thanks for putting this out there!
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I collected hair from everyone I ever worked on for years, it works great for rabbits, but the deer here don’t care what we do, same for the chipmunks 🙂 We finally solved our problems with covering the garden areas with wildlife netting, works like a charm and I am finally getting some food for myself out of the gardens
Very handy bro! Keep up the good work
Great gardening tips, and great photography.
The way I handle slugs is to go out every night about 10:30 or 11:00 with a head light, rubber gloves and a cottage cheese container. I try to get a minimum of 50 slugs, but have gotten as many as 250. Then they either get tossed out in the woods or put into a plastic bag and into the freezer. I can’t bear to kill them with scissors like friends of mine do…I figure its less painful if they just fall asleep and freeze. I could be wrong.
This one was too big for the freezer…
http://solarbeez.com/2012/04/02/slug-control/
I like tip #9 – I always forget to plant flowers! I had to pick up some Marigolds to help with that. Are there any other flowers you use in your garden?
Great tips and greatly appreciated since I planted my first garden this year 🙂
timely advice for us. we’re about to plant some seeds now that the arugula is spent. and the mini-blinds is a great idea. no more mystery plants!
AWESOME POST & GREAT INFORMATION! HOWEVER, I CAN’T SEE MYSELF TRYING TO URINATE ON THE FENCE POST AS A GIRL, BUT IT COULD BE FUNNY TO WATCH! LOL WE HAVE PLANTED FLOWERS AROUND THE GARDEN TO ATTRACT THE BEES AND IT DOES WORK! WE LOVE YOUR POSTS, KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK OF KEEPING US INFORMED! P.S. – WE’RE IN OHIO TOO!
No. 5 made me LOL, and I wouldn’t trade my status for your status. Just sayin’. No. 8 is my favorite, and a great suggestion. I had no idea about coffee grounds. This was a fun and helpful post. Thank you. Going over to check out zoeyzoo now.
This is great- thanks for sharing! I love learning more nontoxic ways to keep unwanted critters away from my tasty plants. We don’t have too much trouble with deer or rabbits at our place because we live on a busy road, but the bugs have been pretty awful this year.
Hey I nominated you for an award 🙂 http://domesteading.wordpress.com/2012/06/25/sunshine-award/
Thanks for stopping by my blog Vacant Pages, much appreciated. Love your blog, plenty of great tips and advice, keep it up.
I was nominated for the One lovely blog award and wanted to pass it on to you, so I have nominated you in my latest post
I love the photography! And I must say that I am always glad to read a blog calling attention to the blight of agri-business and the political power of the Big M. I don’t know what it’s going to take to wake people up about genetically modified foods, but I liked what you had to say! Keep it up! Debra
I love your tips, I didn’t know about the deer and hair, that’s very interesting. I now have a vision of you strolling the perimeter during your evening constitutional stopping at every post for a wee.
You are probably driving any passing dog crazy because they try to keep every post as their own personal territory! 🙂
Thank you for the tips! They are perfect for new gardeners 🙂
Great tips – to help pollination we have also used companion planting this year. Her x
I have to laugh at the product ‘Predator Pee.’ I have an unlimited free supply of that and have been following your tip #5 for years after every steak night! (don’t tell my wife, she’ll make me stop, I am certain). Years ago we found an organic insect spray made of marigold oils…I have never found it since, but have had some positive effect from planting marigolds here and there among our vegetables. Thanks for the great tips!
Love it.
Excellent post. And thank you for the update on the Farm Bill being voted down. I’ve been trying to follow it lately but like you said, it isn’t being covered!! I plan on posting something about it as well, but I hope you won’t mind, I really would love to reblog this amazing post of yours on my humble blog. Your tips, and the link to your wife’s site, plus the GMO update – all of it is awesome.
Reblogged this on People Excited About Co~Existence = PEACE and commented:
This wonderful blog has nearly 2000 followers so while many have seen this, I cannot resist reposting to my own humble blog. He has filled this article with amazing tips, an important update on GMO’s and the Farm Bill, a great link to his wife’s beautiful works, as well as photos from their garden. May you enjoy!
On the mini-blinds, they do work. HOWEVER, wash the dust off or else even a sharpie won’t be permanent. I learned this with well marked garlic plots (in the fall) that went blank by spring. oops.
[…] Garden Lovers Everywhere ~ @ The Soulsby Farm, Dan Soulsby’s 10 Useful Tips for Every Gardener. I recently discovered The Soulsby Farm blog on sustainable farming and gardening, and I cannot […]
very helpful and interesting – thank you! love the ladybird! I have them all over my rosemary bushes at the moment
Can I add an 11? My mother swore by sprinkling carrot seed (how can you even see those little buggers without a magnifying glass?) on sticky tape and laying it into furrows. No idea if it worked or not but hey…it’s a hint! ;). Mindy’s work is lovely. I especially liked the turtle. Cheers on another great post 🙂
I like your trap baiting tips! I am going to go throw and apple in to get yet another BIG groundhog I have seen wayyyy too close to my veggies!
Great tips!
thanks for the tips. I made a wormfarm per your instructions. Fabulous! Is the liquid collecting in the lower tub something I should utilize in some way and how? Should I continue to feed with fresh scraps over the 90 day period? What happens after 90 days? What then? do I sift out the worms and apply the castings directly at the base of my veggies? Also, thank you for liking my blog.
Thanks for the farm bill info. I will most definitely be making a call. Also that mini blind idea is gold!
Reblogged this on Learning As I Go and commented:
I could not have said it better myself. These are 10 very useful tips for gardeners. I also love that they are frugal and green tips. Thank you Soulsby Farm!
Thanks for the tips!! I should of realizes watering my garden during the day was useless!!! I’m having issues with animals and bugs. I used pieces of egg shells in my soil and I planted some marigolds in hopes of steering them away.
“Grow organically and plant non-GMO seeds. Why put poison on something you’re going to eat. And if you’re growing organically, be sure your plants and seeds are not genetically modified.”
You said the right thing. That’s what I want to hear from other people. We all know the risk of GMO in human health so why do we need to consume it? It’s like suicide right?
Watering in the sun is not a good idea because it’s inefficient and wasteful, but water droplets acting as mini-lenses is a myth: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/7823032/Sunburnt-plants-myth-is-debunked.html
GMO’s are big money, and that is all so very wrong in all aspects. Non-GMO is the way to go .. and supporting small farms who work so hard to properly grow organic (non GMO) food .. is the way to go!
My organic vegie patch is the next major project for my house, so I look forward to seeing how your garden grows and learning from your tips!
Great tips,thank you!