Mosquito-repelling Plants

      Here are some lists of plants to try out next time you’d like to enjoy the outdoors without being attacked by swarms of nasty little blood sucking mosquitoes. Some plants are said to be strong enough that just having them around will cause mosquitoes to flee. Other plants can be snipped and strewn around the area you’re in, and if that doesn’t work, try rubbing some on your skin. (the ones marked with an asterisk are suitable for rubbing on skin*)

The plants that are most widely reported to repel mosquitoes are:

       Bergamot* (especially the rose-scented variety)

       Catnip* – reported by Iowa state university to be 10x more effective than DEET.

       Marigolds- mosquitoes don’t like their scent.

       Lime basil*- effective as a live plant or when burned.

       Citronella(west indian lemongrass)

Other plants that are said to repel mosquitoes:

       Peppermint                 tea tree                    Clove                        

       Rosemary                    lavender                   Lemon Eucalyptus*

       Lemon Balm                thyme*

       Pinapple weed*- works when crushed and rubbed on the skin

      Ageratum(flossflower)- emits a scent that offends mosquitoes

      Holy basil*- floating seeds on water kills mosquito larvae

Wild plants that are reported to repel mosquitoes:

      Nodding onion                    Snowbrush

      Sweetfern                            Cedars 

      Garlic*

And as an extra measure of defense against mosquitoes, Mother Earth News magazine’s website, http://www.motherearthnews.com/natural-health/natural-mosquito-repellents-zm0z12jjzhun.aspx?page=2 , has a nice article on how to make a mosquito trap at home.

Glorious Groundcovers

Plant Name	Zone	Light Preference	Soil Preference	Water Preference	Height	Special considerations
Corsican Mint	6-9	Shade to part shade	Moderately fertile soil that holds moisture well. 5.6-7.5	Requires constantly moist soil.	½ -1”
Wavy-leaf basket grass	Grows from Maryland to south florida.	partial sun to full shade	Tolerates lower fertility. Not enough information on soil ph.	Keep soil lightly moist.	About 2-5”	In some states, this plant is listed as an invasive exotic, but may be manageable in your area. Doesn’t need mowing, and can handle foot traffic. During the winter, it becomes dried up and light brown, but new growth begins again in the spring.
Creeping Jenny	2-10	Sun to part shade	Average to fertile soil 6.1-7.8	Prefers moist soil but can adapt to dryer conditions.	Forms mats about 1” thick, 18” spread	Bright yellow when in sunnier areas, lime green in the shade. Division
Baby tears	10-11	Part sun to full shade	Moderately fertile loam 6.1-7.5	Needs plenty of moisture	4-6”	Blooms in March and April
Creeping Thyme	4-10	Sun	Light, well drained loam, sandy, or rocky soil 5.8-6.8	Water occasionally if soil is very dry	Up to 3”
Marjoram	7-10	Full sun	Light, well drained 6.5-7.5	Water when soil dries out	24-36” Sweet: 12” Mounding: 3”	Marjoram is a variety of oregano, which has the same smell and flavor, but without the bite.    “Mounding marjoram”, introduced by Betty Rollins, will stay around 3” tall.
Ajuga (bugleweed)	3-10	Full sun to shade	Well drained,  tolerant.   3.7-6.5	Average to moist. Water if soil becomes dry.	Up to 6”	Seed from named cultivars will not come true. A member of the mint family and can spread beyond bounds if conditions are right.
Asiatic Jasmine	7-11	Full sun to  shade	Moderately fertile soil. 5.5-7	Water moderately to keep soil lightly moist when establishing, rain should suffice thereafter.	12” if left natural	Can be mowed to keep at a lower height or left natural to form a 12” thick mat.
Nasturtium	9-11	Full sun to part shade	Light soils with moderate to low fertility 5.5-7.5	Low. Water if soil is very dry.	9-16” for mounding variety	Different sources disagree on how much sun nasturtiums prefer, so try moving potted plants into sunnier or shadier areas and observing the results in blooms and leaves
Dichondra	8-11	Full sun to part shade	Well drained, loam 6.6-7.8	Keep soil moist if establishing seedlings, then let soil dry out between deep waterings.	2”	Doesn’t need to be mowed.

Plant Name	Propagation	Best time to plant	Germination time	Native Origin
Corsican Mint	Divide the rootball	To be on the safe side, plant seeds when temperatures will be above 50º for at least 1 month.	Around 12 days	Corsica, France and Italy
Wavy-leaf basket grass	seeds		Not enough information available.	India and southeast Asia
Creeping Jenny	Cuttings, dividing the rootball		About 1 month	Europe
Baby tears	Seed, division, stem cuttings.		Not enough information available.	Mediterranean
Creeping Thyme	Seeds, cuttings, division and layering.	Spring is ideal time for planting. It can also be started in fall 6 weeks before frost.	7-10 days	Mediterranean
Marjoram	Seeds in march	To be on the safe side, plant seeds when temperatures will be above 50º for at least 1 month.	8-14 days.	Mediterranean
Ajuga (bugleweed)	Seeds, division		21-28 days.	Europe
Asiatic Jasmine	Plugs and cuttings		Not grown from seed	Korea and Japan
Nasturtium	Seeds, cuttings		7-14 days	South America and Mexico
Dichondra	Seeds, stem cuttings, rootball division		7-14 days during warm weather.	Southeastern United States

Quick and Dirty Composting

Here is a quick and dirty guide to composting. Basically, its just notes i took down from  Mike McGrath's Book of Compost.

Compost is useful in the garden because :
             -It can be used as a totally safe organic fertilizer.
             -It helps prevent weeds when used as mulch.
             -It prevents/ reduces the incedence of plant disease.

Steps to making good compost:

           1. Collect "fall" or dried, fallen leaves with a leafblower(in reverse, used as a leaf sucker) 
               or rake.
           2. If the leaves arent completely dry, you can let them dry out in a vented container 
               before mixing them with the other compost materials.
           3. Collect "wet green" (grass clippings) and kitchen scraps and store in a separate
               container.
           4. Combine 4 parts brown, dry material with 1 part "wet green" material and toss it into
               the compost bin/tumbler.
           5. If you can shred the materials into smaller pieces, it will help the compost break
              down faster, as will turning the compost occasionally. Depending on the size and 
              amount of your materials, the breakdown can be completed in as little as 8-10
              weeks.

How it works:
           - The dry brown materials in the compost provide necessary carbon and microbes that   
              start the breakdown process.
           - The "wet green" (lawn clippings and kitchen scraps) provide nitrogen that the microbes
              feed on.
           -The combination of the dry brown and wet green generates heat.

Things that you can add to your compost:

            All vegetable scraps                                            Shrimp shells
            tea bags                                                                crab
            coffee grounds                                                     lobster
            wood/vegetable ash                                            weeds that haven’t gone to seed
            paper items(tissues/cardboard)                        herbivore wastes (animals that never eat
            cotton balls                                                           meat-rabbits, chickens, horses, etc)
            stale bread and other non-meat foods              vacuum cleaner bag contents as long as it
            hair and nail clippings                                         contains no plastic or metals
            eggshells
          

Things to KEEP OUT of your compost:

           most animal materials(cheese, dairy, bones, meat or fat)
           ashes from barbecue grills/coal fires
           dog and cat poop