This is the third story in a three-part series on how to deal with garden pests chemical-free.

Garden pests—we all get them, but how do you deal with the pests without spraying chemicals on your food? No worries we are here to help! 
 
The final pesky garden pest we'll discuss are Japanese Beetles. I hate to say it, but Japanese Beetles are actually quite beautiful, with blue-green heads and copper backs. These small beetles are about a half inch long, travel in groups, and eat almost any plant. Favorite feasts for this pest include roses, beans, and raspberries.

Japanese beetles start out as grubs in your soil then emerge in June as adult beetles. As grubs, they destroy the roots of your grass before coming to the surface to then attack your plants. While their adult life is only 40 days, they can easy destroy your garden if left unchecked.
 
So what is a chemical free gardener to do? Luckily you have quite a few options! I seem to deal with Japanese Beetles every season since moving to West Michigan. Even if you do not have grubs in your soil the Japanese Beetles can easily fly over from your neighbor’s yard.

Row covers are quite effective in protecting plants if used during the beetles life cycle.

If covering your crops isn't your game, hand picking the beetles in the morning when they are most active is quite easy, as they are quite slow. As I catch the pests, I put them into a bowl of water.  If you have chickens, your feathered friends will enjoy the treat. If you are not going to feed the beetles to another animal add dish soap to the water so they cannot fly away.

​When handpicking just isn’t enough you can spray your plants with Neem Oil. I spray my roses with Neem Oil since handpicking around the thorns isn’t practical.
 
If you see Japanese Beetles in your garden don’t stress! You are now armed with a plan of attack to save your season. 
 
Happy gardening! 

This is the second in a series on how to deal with garden pests chemical free.

Garden pests—we all get them, but how do you deal with the pests without spraying chemicals on your food? No worries we are here to help!
 
One fine summer morning I strolled out to my garden only to find my tomato plants nearly half eaten. The tomato hornworm strikes again. Easily identifiable the plump bright green with white and black markings the tomato hornworm (also known as the tobacco hornworm) can destroy a tomato plant in a no time at all. If you find one be assured, there are others lurking nearby. Especially check the underside of leaves and the stems of your plants to find these pests.
 
So what is a chemical free gardener to do? Handpicking is the best organic solution to these pesky caterpillars. Simply pluck them off and either crush or drop into a bucket of soapy water. Don’t be alarmed by the fierce horns the tomato hornworm displays they cannot pinch, bite or attack you. One way to prevent tomato hornworms from ever striking is tilling your soil as this kills larvae before they become the dreaded caterpillars. Another method is to plant marigolds, basil or dill to deter these pests from entering your garden.
 
Happy gardening! 

​This is the first in a series on how to deal with garden pests chemical free.

Garden pests—we all get them, but how do you deal with the pests without spraying chemicals on your food? No worries, we are here to help! 
 
The first garden pests we’ll deal with are aphids. Aphids also come in variety of colors ranging from bright green to brown or even pink. These little buggers are so small, sometimes you cannot even see them on your plants.
 
So how do you know they are there? The leaves of your plants will begin to curl and turn yellow. The plants will also feel sticky and ants will be attracted to this sticky substance.
 
For a pest so small, they can cause a lot of damage on your young plants as well as your established plants. They feed on plant juices by attacking leaves, stems, flowers, buds and even the roots. Basically they will suck your plant dry potentially killing if left untreated.
 
So what is a chemical free gardener to do? Luckily you have quite a few options! A few seasons ago the Good Sweet Earth garden was attacked full force by aphids. I promptly ordered a slew of ladybugs. The beneficial ladybug feeds on aphids and controls the population. After a few days I didn’t see any aphids or ladybugs, but thankfully the ladybugs come back each season. While waiting on the ladybugs in the mail I blasted my plants with cold water and also used a mix of soapy water to spray on the bottom of the leaves. Dusting your plants with flour can also deter aphids.
 
If you see aphids or suspect aphids in your garden don’t stress! You are now armed with a plan of attack to save your season.
 
Happy gardening!

Michigan gives us a glorious six months to garden. Unfortunately, that simply is not enough time for some of our favorite vegetables to be direct sown into the garden. This gives you two options: either start your own or purchase starts from a farm or nursery. If you have a few seasons under your belt and feel confident starting your own here are a few tips and tricks to get you started.
 
First, start off with a quality seed starting mix. Potting soil, topsoil, or soil out of your garden bed simply will not do for starting seeds. You can purchase premixed organic seed starting mix or you can mix your own. We mix equal parts coconut coir, sand, and vermicompost for successful plant starts.
 
Next you want to ensure you have fresh seeds from a reputable source. The older your seeds, the less likely they will germinate. To test the viability of your seeds place 10 seeds evenly spaced between two wet paper towels, roll up the paper towels and seal in a plastic bag. Check seeds in two days to two weeks depending on the seed variety.
 
Finally, timing is everything when it comes to starting seeds. If you start too early your plants can become root bound. On the other hand if you start too late, your seeds will not have the head start they need to reach their full potential. Here is a snapshot of what plants we will start and when here at Good Sweet Earth.
 
Peppers (sweet, hot, and every kind in between): 2/22
Tomatoes (cherry, paste, slicing): 3/7
Broccoli: 3/7
Herbs: 3/7
Annual Flowers: 4/4
 
Remember, some vegetables and flowers are best grown by direct sowing including cucumbers, peas, green beans, zucchini, sunflowers and lettuce. Our cool weather crops will go in the ground mid-April depending on the weather. The remaining plants will go in the ground after the last frost on May 16.
 
Happy gardening!

​You might not know its name, but chances are you’ve dealt with Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) at some point in your yard. I call it the Devil Weed, because, man, it is just straight-up evil. Thorny, persistent, invasive—those are just a few of the adjectives you could use to describe the Canada thistle (I have a few R-rated adjectives as well, but I’ll leave those to your imagination).

Canada thistle has an extensive and winding root system that can grow quite deep. It’s got green leaves that are lobed and covered in spikes, and it grows in a low pinwheel along the ground. If it goes to flower, it produces a cluster of purple balls that will eventually turn white like a dandelion head and disperse fluffy seed across the landscape.

A new plant is often able to grow from even a tiny piece of root left in the soil. And because of this, there is no quick and easy way to get rid of Canada thistle, especially without chemicals. Taking care of it organically is going to be a process. But it is possible.

Step one in getting rid of Canada thistle is to make your yard and garden a hostile place to this Devil Weed—and that actually means making your soil more fertile. While Canada thistle can actually grow anywhere, it thrives in less fertile soil and in open spaces without ground cover.

We’ve been dealing with an infestation of Canada thistle for the past three years at the Good Sweet Earth homestead. Just before we moved in, a new septic system was installed, which meant a whole lot of fill dirt being added to our front yard. Our first summer had us scrambling to figure out what to do with this wide-open area of bare soil. We settled on installing a large country garden, with new turf around it. Unfortunately, before we could really install the stuff we wanted (plants, flowers, grass seed), some real nasty stuff installed itself—including a large amount of Canada thistle. I mean, this area was prime real estate for this stuff: low-fertility fill dirt in an area with no ground cover.

So over time, we’ve begun making a dent in eliminating this nasty, thorny weed from our yard—but that’s the thing: it takes time. We’ve amended the soil, we’ve installed ground cover (both organic and non-organic), and we’ve been attack the plants themselves (without chemicals, of course).

And here’s how you go about attacking Canada thistle: Your first instinct might be to pull this thing out of the ground. But I’m here to tell you that pulling it is the wrong way to go about it. First of all, your fingers will pay the price for grabbing onto this thorny plant—even gloves are no match for the nasty pickers of the Canada thistle. Second, when pulling a Canada thistle out of the ground, you risk splitting the root; doing so will not only bring this nasty plant back, he’ll bring a friend—two will now grow in the place of the original.
​
Instead of pulling, I suggest cutting. Get a pair of scissors and cut it off at the ground level. Every few days, cut any new growth. By doing so, you’re forcing the plant to use its energy reserves to re-grow itself, but you’re cutting off the part of the plant that actually builds up new energy (the leaves). Eventually, you’ll see your Canada thistle population go down. It might not be quick, in fact, it’ll take a while, especially if you’re working on building up your soil’s fertility. But eventually, this Devil will be gone.