If you’ve thought about building a raised garden bed using cinder blocks, have you ever stopped to wonder, “What plants can I grow in cinder block holes?” I was in one of the big home improvement stores earlier this year, and I asked myself that very thing while loading cinder blocks onto my metal push…
I’ve been gardening for 10+ years, and in all that time, there are few pests that annoy me as much as spider mites. They arrive unnoticed, reproduce exponentially, drain plants of their cellular juices, and spin wispy webs in order to hitch a ride to other corners of your property (and beyond). One week, your…
Marigolds have long been prized by gardeners for their ability to attract pollinators and repel certain garden pests (such as nematodes), which makes them a particularly effective companion to plant alongside tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and other garden favorites. But have you ever wondered what kind of effect they have on spider mites? Do spider mites…
If you’ve gardened for any period of time, you’ve likely dealt with spider mites. These tiny little creatures appear unexpectedly and reproduce exponentially, and if you’re not careful, they’ll take over your garden in a few short weeks. However, if you plan your garden properly, you can intersperse plants that spider mites attack with those…
During the past few months, I’ve been writing extensively about spider mites, trying to share what I’ve learned over the years with other gardeners who are battling these tiny pests. One of the reasons I’m so interested in them is that they seem both inevitable and unavoidable: Every gardener I know–from novices to experts–has had…
I’ve dealt with plenty of garden pests over the years, but of all of them, spider mites might be the most infuriating. They show up out of nowhere and reproduce quickly, and if they aren’t stopped, they’ll suck the chlorophyll from your plants and kill them within a few short weeks. In fact, it was…
Have you ever had plants in your garden that looked great…until they didn’t. Maybe you noticed clusters of small white dots expanding across your plant’s leaves or even patches of dried or decayed foliage. Maybe, like me when I was a novice gardener, you saw entire plants wiped out in just a few weeks, only…
If you’re anything like me, you probably pay close attention to your plants, especially if you’re growing everything in the confines of your backyard. And I’m guessing there’s a good chance you’ve dealt with your fair share of spider mite problems since, as I’ve noted in this article on how spider mites spread, they can…
If you’ve ever lost a plant to spider mites, you probably know how frustrating it is. I had to rip out two heirloom tomato plants last year because I didn’t know what a spider mite infestation looked like and thus didn’t react soon enough to save my plants. Thankfully, I was able to mitigate the…
One of the most disappointing gardening experiences I’ve ever had involved spider mites. Many years ago, I had a beautiful spring garden and was particularly proud of my many tomato plants. But I was a novice gardener and didn’t recognize the early signs of spider mite infestation. By the time I realized I had a…