Emerald Ash Borer

As most of you know, the Emerald Ash Borer (E-A-B) is in Wisconsin. That’s mighty close and not comforting. Minnesota has 867 million Ash trees, E-A-B’s main target. The main thing YOU can do is to not transport firewood. These guys are known to hitch rides! Here’s more info from the Minnesota Dept. of Agriculture:

• Emerald Ash Borer [MN Dept of Agriculture]

Corn smut!

Corn Smut aka Huitlacoche was a prized delicacy among Aztecs and is still eaten today. It’s a fungus that grows on corn. Personally, I’m not tempted but for those of you who are here is a link to some recipes:

• Sweet Corn Disease Nursery [U of Illinois Crop Sciences]

Hold on to your herbs through winter!

Air-drying herbs is SO easy and cheap.

For the best flavor, pick your herbs at the flower bud stage before they open. Pick in the morning after the dew is gone and before the hot noon day sun. The sturdy herbs like sage, thyme, rosemary, oregano, summer savory, dill and marjoram are best air dried. Pick a small bunch, tie twine around the stems an inch or two from the bottom and hang upside down in a well ventilated, sunless room. When the leaves are crackly and crumble easily, they’re done! Strip the leaves from the stem and put them in glass jars with screw tops or vacuum seal them. They’ll stay fresh for up to 18 months.

Some herbs like basil, lemon balm and chives are better frozen. They won’t look pretty but who cares, the flavor remains! Dice your washed herbs and stuff them in ice-cube trays, fill the rest of the space with water and freeze. Once they’re frozen, pop them out and store them in airtight containers.

Don’t swat the Yellow Jacket!

You'll just tick 'em off! You're best not to anger these guys as they can continue to sting you, unlike the honeybee who just gets one shot at you.

I found a simple, cheap, yellow jacket trap in the Aug./Oct. issue of Organic Gardening magazine. Using a "refrigerator door style" flat 2-liter bottle, mix up a 1/2-cup of water with a 1/4-cup of sugar, shake till the sugar’s dissolved. Add 1-cup of apple-cider vinegar, shake again, and then add a decaying banana peel. Add enough water to fill the container half full, cut out a 3/4-inch hole near the top of the bottle.

Find a place near their nest or somewhere away from your picnic table and lay the trap on it's side. The Yellow Jackets check in but they can'’t check out! HAHAHAHAHA! I’m not advocating killing all of them; just the ones that try to eat my brat!

The Dog Days of Summer are here!

As my dog, Gigi, doesn't appear to be thrilled with them, where did this term come from?

The ancient Greeks named these days after Sirius, the Dog Star. Apparently it was believed to be an evil time "When the seas boiled/Wine turned sour/Dogs grew mad ... Causing to man burning fevers and hysterics." Whoa, dude. It's just HOT! And a great time to relax on the deck with your favorite beverage!

Here are a couple of pictures I just wanted to share with you. My veggies, and a Dianthus that someone gave me last year having no idea what it would look like! Oh the joys of the garden surprise:

My veggies!

"Pink dianthus"

I’m just going to say it ...

... Dog Vomit Slime Mold. And here it is:

This goo fascinates me for several reasons. When I found it in my wood chip mulch, I thought my dog was REALLY sick which explains the name of this slime mold. It appears overnight and then changes color and texture daily as you can see (as I approach it with a stick!) It doesn’t hurt a thing; it’s just kinda gross!

Gadgets, gizmos, gnomes and gazing balls

Non-plant elements run the gamut. It’s a great way to put your unique personality in your landscape. Gnomes and natural elements are some of my favorites.

I recently went on a garden tour and discovered the perfect plants for my Fairy Garden ... Mini Hostas!

I’m not endorsing Tangled Roots to buy from as I’ve not done so yet, but I wanted to connect you to this site to check out the little mini's:

• TangledRoots.biz

Yikes!

I planted 3 determinate type tomato plants that will all ripen at about the same time! Normally I freeze my tomatoes whole (it's quick and easy!) but this year I’m going to also dry tomatoes. The variety I planted is called "Fresh Salsa" and they’re a roma style, which means they’re meatier and easier to dry. The less fluid content, the quicker they dry. Using a dehydrator, you lightly grease the trays, place your tomato slices (up to 1/4-inch thick) in a single layer and start the process. It’ll take 12- to 48-hours depending on how juicy your tomatoes are. When they’re the texture and density of a raisin, they’re done! Then cool, throw into a Ziploc bag and into the freezer. Dried tomatoes have a more intense flavor. Here are some recipes to enjoy:

• Tomato recipes

Lawn lookin’ a little less than lush?

NOW to the end of August is the BEST time to overseed your lawn. The soil is warm, so seeds germinate quickly while the cooler evening temps help growth. Put down 3 to 4 pounds per 1,000 sq. ft with a sunny grass mixture or 4 to 5 pounds per 1,000 sq. ft. with a shady mix. Always rake in your seed to get a good soil to seed contact for the best germination.

A stroll through the garden always offers up some delight along the way, and sometimes leads to an investigation:

Lemon yellow lily

Ants that keep “herds” of aphids?

How odd! How true! They’re called Dairy Ants. I had them on my "Coppertina" Ninebark:

A little soapy water cleaned up the problem.

Looking for Exotic Love?

That sounds like a risky statement but it’s actually one of the names of this plant:

It's also known as "Spanish Flag" and the Firecracker Vine. If you do a Google search, you might use those names or it's Latin name, Ipomea lobata. No sense in getting your computer all worked up! It's a native of Mexico and I just ordered seeds to start indoors next season.

Seedman.com is the source I bought from:

• Seeds from Around the World [Seedman.com]

Recipes!

My aunt and uncle from Verndale, MN, stopped by a couple of weeks ago. My aunt took one look at my rhubarb and said "You need some recipes." I’ve also added my FAVORITE zucchini bread recipe. It is one tasty treat!

• More Rhubarb Recipes
• 5-Spice Zucchini Bread Recipe

Striped cucumber beetles

While wandering back to where I tried cantelope and watermelon planting this year, I discovered yet another reason why I won’t be getting a taste of those fruits. I’ve battled a late start, squash bugs and now striped cucumber beetles. They look a lot like the 4 lined plant bug but their favorite foods include squash, cantelope, pumpkins and watermelon. This link will show you what they look like and what you can do about them:

• Striped Cucumber Beetle [U 0f M Entomology Dept.]

Is pinching rude?

Well, that depends! Pinching pennies is popular these days and, in regard to gardening, we CAN pinch plants. Or you can use pruners too. Someone asked me if they HAD to pinch or could they use scissors and WHERE do you pinch/prune?

Yes, you can use sharp scissors, pruners or your pinching fingers depending on how soft the stem is. The best place is to back the tip of your stem to just above the next set of 2 leaves. This encourages side shoots. To deadhead your flowers, do the same thing. The idea is to stop the plants energy from developing seed and send it to developing more flowers.