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Thank you for visiting the Country Care Gardens site! We've designed it to serve as a resource portal for Nebraska Gardeners. We hope you find the information we've gathered useful during your gardening season. Visit us at Country Care Gardens soon!

Home Gardens Are Essential For Bumblebees!

Pollinating insects have been in the news lately because of their declining numbers and the impact this may have on many food crops. The good news is that it appears that wide-open spaces and acres of natural areas are not critical for at least one pollinating insect's health. On the contrary, small home gardens can provide important habitat.

A research report in the Journal of Applied Ecology in England discusses the recent National Bumblebee Nest Survey that was conducted by Rothamsted Agricultural Research Station in collaboration with the Universities of Newcastle and Southampton. More than 700 volunteers surveyed their own gardens plus one of six different countryside habitats for bumblebee nests. They found home gardens contained the highest densities of nests (36 nests per hectare), followed by hedgerows, fence lines, and woodland edges. Nest densities were lowest in woodland and grassland (11 to 15 nests/hectare) areas.

Researchers theorize that gardens provide a large variety of potential nesting sites due to the diversity of garden styles, structures, and features, and they offer a consistent pollen source with flowers blooming all summer long. Bumblebees can nest in garden features as varied as compost heaps and raised flowerbeds. This research points to the importance of home gardens in supporting pollinators.

For more information about this research, go to: Science Daily.

Sourced from National Gardening Association Regional Report

BumbleBee.org

How To Cope With Pest Deer

Deer have become a major pest of gardens throughout North America, from rural farms to urban parks. People and deer share habitat like never before. How can we keep our garden plants intact, yet live in peace with our hooved neighbors?

When trying to foil any pest or nuisance animal, learn about its habits, likes, and dislikes. It's no surprise why deer have become a problem. There are fewer predators than years ago, and many gardeners have moved out into country areas where deer have long roamed freely.

Deer in rural areas are often more timid of human presence and activity than those in suburban areas, so different control methods may be effective. Your county agricultural extension service or local wildlife management office can give you the most accurate information about deer activity in your area. Article continues here...

The Lowdown on Organic Sprays

Organic pest controls are very popular with vegetable gardeners trying to avoid excessive pest damage and also have less impact on the environment. However, detailed information about the organic pest control sprays available can be hard to find. Now a new resource guide from Cornell University will help organic gardeners and farmers decide on which sprays to use for various pests and diseases, and determine how safe they really are.

The Resource Guide for Organic Insects and Disease Management , (Cornell University Press, 2007; $15) features detailed information on various vegetable crops and the organic sprays registered for use on them. The first section provides cultural information and management practices for a number of important vegetable crop groups, such as brassicas, cucurbits, and solanaceous crops. For each family, key pests and disease problems are described, as well as control techniques.

The second section has fact sheets about specific sprays to be used, such as spinosad, neem, and copper. Not only are the materials and the insects and diseases they control explained, their impact on human health and the environment is also discussed. A third section explains other pest control methods, such as planting resistant varieties and trap cropping, and lists additional resources for growers.

To order a copy of The Resource Guide for Organic Insects and Disease Management , visit: Cornell University .

Sourced from National Gardening Association Regional Report

Nuisance Aquatic Insects

Several kinds of aquatic insects may become a nuisance by their presence in homes, backyards and swimming pools. Many are attracted to lights and may accidentally enter structures or fall into swimming pools, while others may actually live in neglected pools. They do not cause harm to humans, pets, domestic animals, structures, possessions or crops. They will not reproduce or establish themselves indoors. Some such as the dobsonfly, backswimmer and giant water bug can inflict a painful bite if handled carelessly. Article continues here...

Gardening with Kids!

Many other writings on kids' gardening start with what to grow and how to design and build a kids' garden, prepare soil, and plant, but this primer is not just about creating one garden for your kids. It's about taking advantage of “gardening moments” with your kids every week in your own backyard... and front yard and in the garage and at the windowsill and in the basement...

Through the seasons there are big projects and little opportunities for gardening with kids that can fit seamlessly into your life. This primer will help you learn to recognize those opportunities and turn your kids' questions into fun discoveries. And you'll get the garden-building basics too! Article continues here...

Building Great Soil

To paraphrase a famous campaign slogan: "It's the soil, stupid." Meaning, of course, that--no matter what varieties you plant, or how you stake, feed, water, and pamper them--it's all for naught if your soil is not in good condition. (And, even if your soil seems to be in prime condition, it can always stand improving from year to year.) Article continues here...

Spiders In and Around the House

Myths and a few fatal poisonings have made many persons afraid of spiders. The only dangerous spiders locally would be the black widow spider, brown recluse spider, sac spider and tarantula (sold as pets). Others may be annoying by their habit of building webs across doorways, in corners, on furniture and in other places. Unpopular as they are, most spiders are shy and harmless to humans. Most have fangs too small or weak to puncture human skin. They usually will not attempt to bite unless accidentally trapped or held. Most are quite beneficial by feeding on harmful insects (flies, crickets, etc.) and mites in and around the home, yard, garden and field. Wholesale destruction of spiders should be avoided, if possible. Some southern states not only tolerate spiders but encourage them to inhabit the house as an aid in nuisance insect control. Article continues here...

Controlling Crickets

Certain crickets occasionally invade homes and become a pest by their presence. Homeowners complain of their monotonous chirping, which can be annoying especially at night when trying to get some sleep. Indoors, some crickets can feed on a wide variety of fabrics, foods and paper products. Cotton, linen, wool, rayon, nylon, silk and furs are susceptible, along with soiled fabrics, sizing from wallpaper, glue from bookbindings, fruit, vegetables, meat and even other crickets. An occasional cricket or two in the home usually presents no serious problem. However, large populations may congregate around lights at night, making places unattractive. Article continues here...

What You Can Do With Yard Waste

Lots of homeowners are being forced to do what canny gardeners have been doing for years: finding ways to use grass clippings as a resource in the landscape. Bans on landfilling landscape waste mean that homeowners have to find other ways to dispose of them But many gardeners have recognized the benefits of recycling grass clippings in their yards and gardens for a long time and wouldn't think of bagging them for trash pickup even when they could. Article continues here...

A Weekly To-Do List for Nebraska Gardeners

Beneficial Insects

The Most Beneficial Predator

Home Brewed Pest Control

Planting Trees & Shrubs

Controlling Mosquitos

Controlling Aphids

Controlling Grasshoppers

Fur Bearing Crop Culprits

Drought Gardening

Companion Gardening

A Short Guide to Historic Gardens

Controlling Skunks... and should one ever need it... Removing Skunk Odors