EDEN'S GARDEN - Part 20

Garden Pests and Pest Control

March 25, 2022November 28, 2015 by Norman

Identifying Beneficial Insects and Garden Insect Pests

Garden Pests and Pests Control-scale insects — Scale insects

One of the many challenges that many homeowners and gardeners face is dealing with pests that not only invade but destroy our gardens. There is nothing more hurtful than laboring so hard to establish your dream garden by devoting weekend after weekend to give your yard a total makeover and in the midst of all that joy and excitement disaster strikes.

All of that hard work seems to be headed down the drain. Your lovely garden that was once the talk of the neighborhood is now nothing more than a thing of the past. Though all may seem hopeless, the good news is there is still a chance for recovery in the midst of your frustration.

Understanding Pests

One of the keys to pest control is to understand the conditions that cause them to thrive along with their life cycle. Garden insect is divided into two categories, In the two groups we have good bugs and then theirs is the bad bugs.

It is said that for every human being upon planet earth there are about a million or more bugs. So as you can see, the insect world outnumbers us, humans.

It is also a proven fact that the majority of bugs are good bugs so we see that the probability of us losing the battle with the right knowledge and care is very slim. In actuality, it is this small number of bad bugs that does all the damage to our vegetable garden, our herb garden, our fruit trees, our landscape, and even our interior plants.

So in this article, we will be looking at ways to destroy these pests that seek to become a menace to our landscapes and gardens. Research has also shown that we can not totally get rid of all those bad bugs, but what we can do is to keep them at an acceptable level where they will no longer be a threat by decreasing their population, the process of which the good bugs are used to control the bad bugs is called BIOLOGICAL CONTROL.

Biological control is an environmentally safe way to keep the bad bugs under control.

Good Bugs

Now let’s begin our research with some of the good guys.

First of all, what is the purpose of these good bugs and how do they help us?

Well, the good news is that the good bugs feed on the bad bugs. They do not feed on our plants only on the bad bugs. You may have seen some of them in your garden but did not know what they were and mistook them for the bad bugs. Talk about the mistaking of an identity!

Can we now have the drum roll as we bring into the spotlight ‘the good guys?

LadyBugs

Let me introduce to you ‘the ladybug’. Ladybugs are not bugs but are actually beetles. There are about 4,000 species of lady beetles worldwide. These beetles can be purchased online or from your local nursery.

As soon as they are delivered you can release them into your garden. The best time to release them is in the evening time so they don’t fly away. Once they are there the females will start laying their eggs which is an added bonus. Lady beetles feed on a whole list of insects including aphids, tomato hornworm, mealy bugs, scales, whitefly, mites, cabbage moth, broccoli worm, and a host of soft body insects

Praying mantis-garden-pest-and-pest-control — *Praying Mantis*

Those bad bugs don’t stand a chance with the praying mantis on the loose. There are about 2,500 species of praying mantis. The praying mantis gets its popular name because of how its two front legs are always bent like they are praying.

The life cycle of the praying mantis consists of three stages: The egg, nymph, and adult stage. These insects can be found mostly in warmer climates.

The majority of these insects can be found in the rainforest. Others can be found in Meadowlands, deserts, and grasslands. The praying mantis can also be purchased online or from your local nursery.

These insects feed on fruit flies, grasshoppers, spiders, whiteflies, moths, crickets, flies, cockroaches, aphids, caterpillars, mosquitoes, beetles, and other soft body insects.

Lacewings

Lacewing insects are another group of insects that you can release into your garden to control bad bugs such as spider mites, caterpillars, citrus mealybugs, aphids, thrips, cottony cushion scales, and other insects. The adult lacewing does not kill other insects but feeds on sweet nectar and pollen.

The lace larva eliminates bad bugs. The adult female lays her eggs on the foliage or leaves then after a few days, the eggs hatch and the larva emerges from the eggs.

Soldier Beetles

Soldier beetles have a very beautiful color of orange mixed with spots of black. This beetle can be found in your garden feeding on aphids, mealy bugs, caterpillars, whiteflies, and other soft body garden pests but also including sad to say the beneficial insects.

You can check out your local garden nursery for this insect or you can attract them by planting goldenrod or catnip in your garden.

Damsel Bug

Damsel bugs are another one of the good guys that help to protect our gardens against these outlaw bugs whose only objective is death and destruction. Damsel bugs are a light brownish and white color.

These bugs feed on a host of insects including mealybugs, thrips, leafhoppers, caterpillars, and other soft body insects. They can be collected from alfalfa fields by using a net or you can check your nursery to see if they carry them.

Damsel bugs go through three stages which are egg, nymph, and adult. The eggs are laid in the stem of plants. Damsel bugs eggs hatch soon after they are laid. The nymphs shed their skin several times before entering adulthood.

Assassin bugs

Asassin bug-garden-pest-and-pest-control — *An Assassin Bug*

Assassin bugs live up to their names by eliminating the bad bugs. These good guys have no mercy when it comes to the enemy. There are 135 species of assassin bugs worldwide. The male is somewhat large, it has thickened forewings with membranous tips for handling prey. Adults are black, reddish, or brown and have very small eyes. The assassin bug also has long slender legs and a narrow head. The assassin bug uses its needle-like beak to injure its enemy. It then injects a venom that paralyzes its victim. This venom liquefies the internal contents of its prey. The assassin bug then uses its straw-like beak and sucks out the contents.

Nutritional Facts About Peaches

January 27, 2021November 27, 2015 by Norman

Promoting Your Health with Peaches

Peaches are a favorite with their somewhat velvety fuzzy skin and its nice beautiful reddish-orange color. Peaches can not only be eaten by themselves but they can be added to many dishes, pastries, desserts, and drinks.

Sweet peaches-the-benefits-of-peaches — *Peaches*

Peaches belong to the rose family, which consists of plums, apricots, and also cherries.

Peach varieties

One of the great things about peaches is that there are many varieties you can choose from, so you can mix it up a bit. Peach slices taste great when frozen with sweetened cream. As a child, this was one of my favorite desserts that I always looked forward to.

Nutritional Facts About Plums

January 27, 2021November 27, 2015 by Norman

Building a Stronger with Plums

Where would plum pudding or plum pies be without plums, this small but delicious fruit is very sweet and is reddish-purple and dark purple. Plums belong to the peach and the nectarine family.

Sweet plums-the-benefits-of-plums — *Plums*

Plums also contain a list of vitamins that can help build up the body’s defense system to fight against disease and sickness.

Vitamins content

The vitamin content of plums includes Vitamin K, fiber, Vitamin C, copper, iron, and potassium. This vitamin aids the body against low blood sugar levels.

Nutritional Facts About Bananas

January 27, 2021November 27, 2015 by Norman

Take advantage of this Superfood

Bananas are not only used to give that delightful added flavor to the many pastries, drink, ice cream and baby food that is enjoyed but banana also helps to bring balance to our diet that goes a long way in ensuring that we have good health.

Yellow bananas-the-benefits-of-eating-banana — *Yellow Bananas*

Fun facts

1. A banana has the ability to float on water.

2. Banana has been grown for thousands of years.

3. The part of the banana that is planted in the ground is called a sucker.

4. A bunch of a banana is called a hand.

5. Theirs is a coat that goes by the name of a banana split tail.

6. Half of the bananas that are eaten are eaten for breakfast.

Nutritional Facts About Celery

January 27, 2021November 23, 2015 by Norman

Benefits of Celery

One of the wonders of celery is celery cannot only be used for food but their leaves can be used as a garnish to decorate dishes giving them that extra touch.

The leaves of celery can be added to soups, here where I live in the Bahamas one of the dishes that is a favorite is call peas soup.

Nutritional facts about celery-celery — *Celery*

We will talk about that a bit later on how to prepare this mouth-watering meal. But celery including the leaves is a part of what is used to cook this wonderful soup.

Nutritional Facts About Broccoli

January 27, 2021November 23, 2015 by Norman

Promoting Your Health with Broccoli

Broccoli like other vegetables is best eaten raw or semi boil, however over boiling can destroy valuable vitamins, a good way that I like to eat broccoli is semi boil with melted cheese. Here are some fun facts, salads, Vitamins, and healing compounds broccoli has.

Nutritional facts about broccoli-broccoli — *Broccoli*

Fun Facts

1. Broccoli is a part of the cabbage family.

2. The head of broccoli is made up of tiny flower buds.

3. Broccoli can be eaten raw.

4. Broccoli has been around for more than 2000 years.

5. If broccoli is allowed to overripe it will turn yellow.

6. Broccoli contains fiber that aids in good bowel movement.

Nutritional Facts About Bell Pepper

January 27, 2021November 23, 2015 by Norman

Bell peppers Health Benefits

Nutritional facts about bell-pepper — *Bell Peppers*

Bell peppers can be easily grown and is a good choice for your home garden, I have had the privilege of watching my mother in law grow them in her garden and it was a delightful sight to see as they mature and grow so healthy not to mention harvesting them and being able to eat off our own labor. Nothing like harvesting vegetables from your home garden.

Nutritional Facts About Cucumbers

January 27, 2021November 23, 2015 by Norman

Cucumber and Your Health

As we looked at earlier in the article (vegetable garden) on growing and caring for cucumber, we learned that caring for cucumber is pretty easy. Also what I want to note here is that there are three cultivators of cucumbers. First, you have sliced, secondly, you have pickling and thirdly you have burpless.

Nutritional facts about cucumbers — *Cucumbers*

1. Slicing Cucumbers

Cucumbers that are grown to eat in salads are called slicing cucumbers, these cucumbers are picked before they turn yellow. Cucumbers that are grown for this purpose have hard skin and a smoother texture

Nutritional Facts About Carrots

January 27, 2021November 23, 2015 by Norman

Promoting Your Health with Carrots

Do you remember the bugs bunny cartoon series that old warner bros cartoon, I remembered him most for his famous phrase “what’s up doc” as he chewed on a piece of carrot, I am sure this made eating carrots interesting for a lot of children

I know of a family member who was inspired by this, from a toddler she would say what’s up doc and began to chew on a carrot stick talk about inspiration, what a way to get a child to eat her veggies. In this article, we will be looking at carrot varieties, the nutrients that they contain, and how they can help us combat certain illnesses.

Vegetable garden

January 21, 2021November 23, 2015 by Norman

How to Grow a Vegetable Garden

Vegetables contain a good source of vitamins that can enhance our health and strengthen our bodies to fight off sickness and diseases. Vegetables are more potent when eaten raw or semi-cooked.

Overcooking vegetables can destroy many vitamins they contain, so we will be looking at vegetables and how we can plant and care for them in our vegetable garden. There is nothing like growing and harvesting your very own vegetables from your home garden. The first vegetable that we will be looking at is carrots.

Planting and care of carrots

Carrots are not only one of the favorite of the looney cartoon character bungs bunny but are also a favorite of many worldwide, carrots are loaded with Vitamin A that is good for your eyesight which can increase your body’s defense system. So let’s plant some carrots.

Health Benefits of Herbs

January 22, 2021November 21, 2015 by Norman

Nutritional Facts about Basil

Basil herb-health-benefits-of-herbs — *Basil Herb*

Basil contains many vitamins such as Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Calcium, Iron, Vitamin C, Manganese, and Magnesium. Basil is rich in antioxidants

Antioxidants aids in protecting cells from damage, it also strengthens the immune system. Basil helps to improve blood flow. A study has shown that basil fights bacteria, chronic diseases, and viruses.

So as you can see there is more to basil than its stunning taste. So load up on this herb to improve your health and I promise you won’t regret it.

How To Grow Herbs

February 25, 2021November 18, 2015 by Norman

Steps to Growing Garden Herbs

Herbs are one of Eden’s wonders that can bring delightful taste to your table causing family and friends to keep coming back for more of those scrumptious meals, I have been cooking for almost 30 years and most of those years I have used herbs since the day I got introduce to them. So we will be looking at these fascinating wonders of nature and how we can grow them out of our backyard and how they can make us healthier.

Growing Basil

For me basil tops the list I use a few leaves from this herb in soups or when I am steaming foods, you can visit your nursery and purchase the seed or you can buy the plant itself, If growing from seed it will be of great benefit of purchasing garden soil. When planting from seed make sure that the seeds are not pressed too deeply into the soil, plant basil in an area where it can get enough sunlight about six hours is sufficient, make sure that the soil does not dries out completely, water more in hot weather.

Nutritional facts about oranges

January 27, 2021November 10, 2015 by Norman

Orange a Rich Source of Vitamin C

Oranges are a good source of Vitamin C and can aid the body in tremendous ways. Where would orange juice be without oranges or what about orange peel tea? We will be looking more in-depth at how this fruit can add zest to your life.

Nutritional facts about oranges-Oranges — *Oranges*

Fun facts

1. There are over 600 varieties of oranges worldwide.

2. You can graft an orange tree with grapefruit or any citrus tree and have a citrus variety growing from the same tree.

3. Orange trees were first grown in China.

Nutritional Facts About Apples

January 27, 2021November 7, 2015 by Norman

A Superfood to Add to Your Diet

Apples are a good source of vitamins. They are also rich in antioxidants, dietary fibres, and flavonoids. The phytonutrients and antioxidants in apples may reduce the risk of developing heart disease, hypertension, cancer, and diabetes.

Red apples-the-benefits-of-eating-apples — *Red Apples*

It is believed that the antioxidants found in apples can prevent and repair oxidation damage that happens during normal cell activity.

Try one its good for you!

Apples have the ability to reduce tooth decay by lowering the levels of bacteria in your mouth according to studies. So take advantage of this fruit and make it a part of your diet.

Preparing your Garden for planting

January 18, 2021November 3, 2015 by Norman

Steps to Successful Gardening

Before planting a garden it is always important to map out where the garden is going to be. The perfect location is

Cabbage-preparing-your-garden-for-planting — *Cabbage*

crucial because that will determine if your Garden will be successful or not. Be mindful to choose an area that is in a sunny location because plants need a considerable amount of sunlight in order to grow and survive. With good watering practices, your plants will be able to photosynthesize (the process of plants making food).

Garden Soil Nature’s Gold

January 13, 2021October 30, 2015 by Norman

Nature’s Gold

One thing to remember is that in order to have a healthy garden, soil plays an important part if you are to have any success. Those delicious fruits and vegetables that we see when we go to the supermarket can only be produced in part because of the soil quality that they were grown in. The soil is such an important part of a plant’s life that without it, we can forget about those wonderful fruits, vegetables, and herbs that we love and flavor our meals with.

Eden’s Garden

March 27, 2021October 29, 2015 by Norman

The website ‘Eden’s Garden’ was designed to make gardening and landscaping a fun and rewarding experience while acquiring the knowledge needed to manage a successful garden. Yes, we are going Back To Eden! As you search this website you will be learning the many aspects of landscape, gardening, interior plant scape, and a whole lot more.

About Me

January 10, 2023October 29, 2015 by Norman Richards

Natures Helper Connecting with nature by giving nature a helping hand Hi there! I’m Norman and I’ve been in the landscaping and gardening field for more than 22 Yrs. I have obtained a wealth of knowledge in this area. I love being nature’s helper. In fact my love and interest in gardening span all the way back … Read more

Garden fruits

January 21, 2021October 3, 2015 by Norman

Successful Fruit Planting

There is an old saying that goes “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”, from a child I have heard that saying and that saying is still true. From the begging that’s how the creator God design it to be. Fruits, vegetables, and herbs. So let’s go Edens way and make these fruits and greens a part of our diet.

Planting an Apple Tree

Red apples-garden-fruits-herbs-and-vegetables — *Red Apples*

The planting site off an apple tree should be in a sunny location with good drainage and proper air circulation, one thing to note is to add organic material to the planting hole such as dry chicken or cow manure or some other organic material. In the north plant in the spring and in the south where autumn and winter months are often rainy it is best to plant as early in autumn as it gives the roots a good head start before the spring season.