Eco Gardeners

The Happy Gardener is committed to finding healthy, chemical-free garden products that are safe to use around children and pets. We have developed several Foliar Feeds that also act as beneficial pest control:

Deer Control: Springtime meals for deer unfortunately consist of our beloved pansies and tulips. How to control them? THG’s Foliar Feed plus Garlic is made to repel the deer also feed your plants through the leaf spores. Your flowers and trees will look great but taste and smell awful to the deer. It stinks but it works!

Japanese Beetle Control: For those of us who dread the upcoming Japanese Beetle months, it’s a great idea to get THG’s Top Selling Outdoor Foliar Feed ready so as soon as they arrive, we can wipe them out before they have time to reproduce. Lovers of roses, fruit trees, crepe myrtles and flowering plants, these pests can’t withstand our organic blend of vegetable-based soap and sea veggies.

Ants: Everybody wants to get rid of ants. Whether they are covering our houseplants or front steps, they are a real pest. THG’s Foliar Feed plus Cinnamint repels the ants and is safe enough to use in the kitchen.

Companion planting is an effective and chemical-free alternative to pest control.

There are specific herbs and/or flowers you can plant with your vegetables, roses, and shrubs/trees to decrease particular pests that they are commonly susceptible to.

Here are some companion plants and the pests they repel:
Anise: repels aphids
Basil: repels thrips, flies and mosquitoes
Borage: deters tomato hornworm and cabbage worms

The Happy Gardener’s Outdoor Foliar Feed is 100% vegetable based, safe for use around children and pets, will not harm the ladybugs or bumble bees, but will kill Japanese beetles and aphids on contact!

Shelter for Birds:
The best shelter you can provide for your backyard bird habitat is lots of trees and bushes.
Tall hardwood trees provide a breezy shade on hot, summer days and a canopy of leaves to hold off rain;
Bushy evergreens provide a warm shelter on cold weather nights. The snow will not pile up underneath the spreading boughs so birds can find food easier even in mid winter;
Thick bushes and shrubs give shelter from predators;
Berry producing bushes provide food.

Sample Tree Types for Wildlife:

Pine trees including white and loblolly pines have pine seeds that are a large part of the diet of many birds, such as evening grosbeaks, house finches and gold finches. Pine needles are used for building bird nests. Dense pine trees, like the white pine, are used by birds to perch and hide in. Other coniferous trees, like the cedar, also provide food and shelter for wildlife.

The Yellow Poplar provides Hummingbirds nectar, while yellow-bellied sapsuckers enjoy its sap. Yellow poplars produce seeds, which are favorites of cardinals. Hollow spaces inside this tree provide homes for squirrels and raccoons, among other animals.

The Red Mulberry produces berries eaten by at least 44 different types of birds. Berries produced by the mulberry attract songbirds throughout the summer.

Songbirds, ducks, and other animals eat the acorns of Oak trees. Squirrels are famous for hiding acorns to get ready for the long winter. Deer eat oak leaves and twigs. Oaks provide branches for bird nests and hollows for woodpeckers, squirrels, and other animals to raise their young in wooded protection. The leaves and branches provide shade and protection from the weather.

Having your garden certified as a Backyard Habitat is a fun and rewarding family activity. By inviting beneficial creatures to take residence in your yard you will enjoy the many pleasures of:
• Natural pest control
• Wildlife observation
• Environmental preservation
Simply go to the National Wildlife Foundation’s web site for details and download your certification application at www.nwf.org/backyardwildlifehabitat
Simple Suet Recipe: Provide your feathered friends with high energy, home-made suet balls. Serve them on your Happy Gardener Feeding Skewers:
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup lard or animal fat
1 cup flour
3 cups corn meal
Optional- dried fruit cubes, crushed nuts, oats
Mix ingredients well. Roll into 5” diameter balls. Place on a greased cookie sheet, freeze and serve.

Rotating your crops each season will help break the cycle of pests and weeds. Simply move your crop from one place to another to balance nutrient demands that crops make on the soil, foil insect and disease attacks, and deter weeds.

For effective crop rotation, divide your crops into these (4) different crop types for (4) different rotations:

1. Leaves: these plants thrive on nitrogen. Lettuce, salad greens, spinach, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale
2. Fruits: thrive on phosphorus. Squash, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants
3. Roots: love potassium. Onions, garlic, leeks, carrots, beets, radishes
4. Soil Builders: excellent for the soil because they store nitrogen from the air and release it into the soil. Legumes, beans, peas