By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

Oh how I love blackberries, raspberries, cherries, and gooseberries but so does rabbits, deer and other creatures of the wild.

While I am completely against killing these creatures great and small, I do utilize organic techniques that deter them away from my fruit crops.

Below are 5 techniques that I have used successfully.

The key to using these techniques is to always change it up. Animals, just like humans, become accustomed to everyday noises and distractions. Changing it up, keeps the animals on their toes or claws, no pun intended, and protects your crop.

1. Flash Tape – This tape is a specially designed tape that is red on one side and silver on the other. The tape is strung so that it twists upon it self. This twisting moves in the wind and gives the illusion of fire. To utilize this technique to its fullest, only put it out when you begin to see damage and take down at the end of the season or when the fruit is gone. Leaving it up will allow the animals to get used to it and it will become ineffective.

2. Loud Noises – A radio playing loudly can Read the rest of this entry »

Photo Credit: Fall garden by Indy Kethdy’s used under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

I am always sad when it comes to the end of a gardening season.

I think about the dishes I fixed, funny stories that I will share with my friends and how I and my garden have grown together.

This year, I have also thought about what the future holds for me and my family.

My family dynamics have changed. I am now an empty nester whose children visit for the fresh produce they miss.

I am also getting older and issues in the garden that drove me crazy in the past just seem to be part of life instead of an intrusion on my time. But as I walk down the garden path of the past, I also need to be cleaning it up so that I have a clean palate for the next garden season.

The first thing I do at the end of the season is to Read the rest of this entry »

Photo Credit: Red Bibb Lettuce by Justin Leonard used under CC BY 2.0

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

Gardening year round is one way I keep my food budget low or at least my vegetable cost.

But I cannot grow everything year round without a greenhouse and pollinators.

Below is a list of my favorite vegetables to grow in the fall and early spring along with some of my favorite out of the season growing techniques.

• Bibb lettuce which is a wonderful addition to any salad and wilted with bacon, hard boiled eggs and a vinegar-based salad dressing.
• Kale which is a superb green that is highly nutritious and easy to fix. It makes a wonderful salad raw, steamed and/or wilted with bacon and apples.
• Spinach is another highly nutritious green that can be eaten raw, cooked, sautéed, and creamed.

The techniques for growing these wonderful greens abound but I have found 3 simple techniques that do not require special equipment and/or commitment.

1. Growing in a pot. Greens are very Read the rest of this entry »

Photo Credit: Tomato Plant by Suzy Glass used under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

As an organic gardener and one of Native American heritage, I love to do things as natural as possible.

When my children were babies that included cloth diapers, homemade baby food and breastfeeding.

Back then I was viewed as a little weird but now these behaviors are becoming more common and in doing so more acceptable.

My “back to nature movement” was not limited to childrearing but also to my home and garden. I took down walls because I wanted a home that was more open and natural looking. I did not want to be limited by four walls.

I ripped my carpet up and laid Read the rest of this entry »

Photo Credit: Green Bean Teepee by David Silver used under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

One of my favorite gardening stories I have has to do with my children and my local library’s reading program.

The story begins with my children and I going to the library to pick up some books for their summertime reading program.

While my children searched for their favorite topics and stories, I was looking for the classics.

This included some I enjoyed as a child and some that had a moral lesson I hoped to teach them. My son picked out books on cars and dinosaurs will my daughter picked out books on animals. I picked out a book on children’s fables.

Before going home that day, we also stopped off at the feed and seed so that I could pick up some garden seed. Radishes, cucumbers, lettuce, and watermelon seed were a few I selected along with green beans. While this single step may seem to be insignificant, it was an important event that would set the rest of the summer.

So the next day, I set out to plant my new seeds. Lettuce was planted first Read the rest of this entry »