Super Homemade Herbal Insect Spray

If you've got lots of bugs and want a super bug killing solution without resorting to dangerous chemicals, let a few herbs help. I put this herbal bug spray together last year and certainly helped with whitefly, mosquitoes and aphids.

Bugs hate it. It uses five super bug-busting herbs that are easy to grow in the garden. Another bonus is that just having these plants growing in your yard can

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Marigold Bug Spray

Marigold bug spray, and organic bug spray made with French marigold flowers(Tagetes patula) discourages asparagus beetles, whitefly, tomato hornworms, mosquitoes, and lots of other crawling and flying bugs.

It's a nice alternative to stinkier sprays like garlic or catnip; both are effective but can put a damper on a patio party if you happen to be down wind.

Marigold can attract spider mites,

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Make Herbal Mosquito Repellent

You can make yourself, and your yard, less sweet-smelling to mosquitoes by employing four traditional herbs:

Parsley
Garlic
Catnip
Marigold

You can use them as a spray with either a vinegar or water base. A garlic and pepper spray follows, but in a pinch you can just rub the leaves of any of the herbs above on your skin (marigold could stain if you're not careful, though).

Garlic Pepper

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Companion Planting Herbs

If you've been playing around with the idea of companion planting herbs, I have a few ideas for you.

Herbs Make Amazing Companion Plants

Here's why:

They're easy to grow, and most varieties will adapt to the soil that's available.

Many herbs are fragrant in a way that bugs absolutely hate, too. One herb variety can also protect against a number of different insect invaders, so if you don't

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What Caught My Eye

From bees that build nests out of flower petals to some truly fine tips on taking better photos, there's a lot of spring activity in the cyber-garden.

I spent my weekend feeding peonies, thinning out oregano and weeding around my lavender bushes. It was chilly, so when I finished I came indoors and made some very nice lavender tea and started a new batch of lavender sugar. Everything is

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Herb Markers

It's remarkable how many folks end up visiting my blog because they're stumped for an easy (or more attractive) way to identify their herb plants.

Well, actually not so remarkable if you think about it. Many immature herbs lack a distinctive fragrance, and recognizing the difference between peppermint and chocolate mint can be a challenge.

Although my family can tell a parsley leaf from a clump

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Growing Marijuana

I'm not advocating growing illegal substances, but it's always nice to see folks so passionate about their herbs. Marijuana (Cannabis sativa) is a greedy crop that needs plenty of nutrients and lots of light. It doesn't like acidic soil.

Growing marijuana in any quantity indoors is impractical, but the new hydroponic setups, like the compact AeroGardens make it possible to cultivate a single

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How to Keep Herbs from Bolting

(Delayed bolting means a larger harvest of tasty leaves.

One bane of fast growing herbs is that they bolt quickly when the weather starts to warm up. Bolting is the process of rapid growth (sometimes looking leggy and spindly). Plants quickly flower and set seeds. When most plants enter this phase, they stop producing leaves. To encourage your plants to keep leafing, as opposed to flowering,

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