Clovers Garden Tips

   Not all seed starter pots are created equal! Some like plastic or peat are hard on the environment while others are not so great for the seedlings. Luckily innovators have come up with a great alternative that’s friendly to the planet and tender seedlings.

Peat Pots are not Eco-Friendly.

   Peat pots are made from material dug out of peat bogs. This harvest destroys these important wetland ecosystems which purify water; mitigate flooding and erosion; and function as the Earth’s most efficient carbon sink. Peat bogs also house rare wildlife species and native plants and, because of their highly acidic nature, provide an irreplaceable ecological record dating back 10,000 years.

Scientists consider peatlands to be as important to our planet’s health as rainforests and their harvest releases Co2 into the environment contributing to increased global warming. 

EcoPaper Pots are Better for the Planet.

Made from 100% North American recycled paper, EcoPaper Pots a much more environmentally-friendly and sustainable alternative to peat or plastic.

They’re 100% biodegradable and, like mulch, naturally break down after transplanting helping to build the quality of garden soil.

Nothing is destroyed in the manufacturing process but instead these seedling pots become part of the recycling process, reusing materials already in the system.

Also Better for the Seedling.

EcoPaper pots are naturally permeable and porous so roots can breathe; water can soak through; and pots will not become moldy or soggy like peat or plastic pots. They naturally decompose so there is no need to remove the plant from the pot when transplanting. This means less stress on the tender root system giving each plant a great head start to becoming a strong, fruitful producer.

Starting Seeds is Better for your Garden.

Starting plants from seed gives you total control over the entire process. You choose: the seed attributes (heirloom, organic, saved from last season): the inputs (organic soil and fertilizer choices): and exact planting time for your conditions. Homegrown plants have no exposure to nursery pests or diseases so all of your garden plants are protected.

The birds, bees, and insects who visit your garden are also protected because you can choose native species (rarely found at big nurseries) and eliminates pesticides, herbicides, and the especially deadly neonicotinoids from the beginning.

Ready to start growing? Browse our seed starting pots here.

Would you like to learn more about starting seeds at home? Click here for access to our Garden Guide library.

Just like people, garden vegetable plants grow best when they’re with friends! If you struggle with pests, critters, or even want a better crop, companion gardening can help! For instance, did you know that bee balm and mint planted near tomatoes will enhance the flavor? 

Gardeners have been using companion planting for centuries as a natural approach to harnessing each plant’s unique qualities to mutually benefit each other. There are hundreds of combinations to try (or avoid) so knowing the family of your plant is a good start (for example, broccoli and cabbage are from the same family so they have the same likes and dislikes). Also, knowing your garden helps determine the problems that need fixing (for instance, not all gardens have trouble with cutworms). The easiest approach to companion gardening is to plant flowers and veggies in a haphazard way. No long rows, no big patches of one plant, just all jumbled together in your plot. This confuses insects and critters as they’re looking for their favorite treat and effectively camouflages plants from their enemies!

A little more specific approach depends on your garden so we’ll get you started with just a few of our favorites. It’s a great idea to consult a thorough gardening guide or books like the Farmer’s Almanac and look up the plants you want to include.

Here are five companion ideas for your garden:

Repel insects. Plant chives at the base of your rose bushes to repel aphids or radishes near your cucumbers to deter beetles.

Maintain soil health. Corn is a notorious user of nitrogen so plant beans alongside the corn to help protect and replenish the soil.

Provide a structure for climbing vines. Plant vining cucumbers next to sweetcorn or popcorn. The two plants will not compete for root space, the vines have support from the corn stalks, and the cukes will be done producing by the time you need to pick the corn. 

Shade tender plants or create shade to keep weed growth down. Plant spinach or arugula in between rows of onion sets. The greens grow early and deter weed growth while the onions mature after the greens have been harvested.

Friends and enemies. Beans like cabbage, carrots, pea, or marigolds but hate onions or garlic. Cucumbers like cabbage and tomatoes but hate sage. Lettuce loves beets, carrots, and chives. Tomatoes love cukes, parsley, and peppers but not kohlrabi, mature dill, or corn.

Tip: By deterring bad bugs and building soil health naturally, you’ll also decrease your garden’s dependence on pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizer.

Shop our Pepper Collection Here (All are included in the Buy 2, Get 1 Free Sale!).

Whether it’s salsa or chili con carne, doesn’t it sometimes seem like a shot-in-the-dark when you’re adding hot peppers? As you’re carefully chopping and mixing, you’re always wondering if the salsa is going to end up bland or flaming hot and you won’t really know until it’s all put together and ready to eat. Of course, a few surprises are fun in life but picking the right type of pepper will help you take the guesswork out of home cooking and gardening.

To begin your pepper education, we’d like to introduce you to the Scoville Heat Unit Scale (SHU). Every pepper is measured for hotness against this scale. A score of zero means no hotness at all and as the SHU rises so does the pepper’s temperature. This fluctuates according to many factors including: the weather during growth, how long the pepper was left on the vine (it gets sweeter and hotter with time), if it’s cooked with fatty foods or served with dairy products (which will lessen some of the heat); or if it’s eaten raw or cooked (cooking will break down the meat and tamp down the heat).

If you’ve used Jalapenos before, use that as your benchmark of hotness (it comes in at around 5,000 SHU). So for instance, one tablespoon of chopped Devil’s Tongue will be about 35 times hotter than one tablespoon of chopped Jalapeno. Of course, if the spoonful you eat has a lot of that tablespoon, it will be hot! When you start working with the really hot peppers, remember they will quickly add heat to your dish – start small and add more until you get to your desired taste. It’s much easier to add than to take away!

Always wear gloves – all parts of the pepper are hot but the inside membranes and juices are the hottest. Even with gloves on, don’t touch your face, eyes, or nose. Keep milk on hand, too, as it will kill the burn much faster than water. Along with heat, each pepper has a unique flavor and color. Bell peppers have sweet and meaty flesh and are perfect for crunch and color; rubbed with olive oil and grilled whole; or sautéed and added to tomato sauce. Their sweet flavor and pretty colors only intensify if left on the vine to turn from green to yellow to orange to red. Chile peppers, too, come in a wide range of colors and the less hot versions can be made into lovely relishes, pickled with onions, or added to burgers or shishkabobs.

Peppers are also quite nutritious: a one-cup serving of raw green peppers has 3 grams of fiber; 220% of your daily Vitamin C needs; 20% of Vitamins B6 and A; and is a good source of Vitamin E. Many varieties, such as the Chocolate Beauty with its lovely deep brown fruit, also lend themselves well to patio pots or landscape plantings.

Choose these naturally mosquito-repellent plants for any patio garden or high traffic outdoor space. In warmer zones many of these plants will grow perennially.

Bug Free Kid Zone & Patio Garden

A. Lemon Grass

B. Lantana Camara

C. Citronella Geranium

D. Any Mint

E. Lavender

F. Butterfly Bush

Thai Chicken Lettuce Cups

Recipe created by Chef Katie Chine and served at the 2013 White House Easter Egg Roll.

Ingredients:

2 TB olive oil.

2 tsp. peeled, minced fresh ginger

1 clove garlic, minced

1 TB lemongrass, finely minced

½ lb. ground chicken

¼ cup mushrooms, finely chopped

¼ cup water chestnuts, rinsed, drained, and finely chopped

2 TB fresh cilantro (chop 1 TB finely, reserve remaining leaves for garnish)

1 TB green onion, finely chopped

1 TB fish sauce

Season with salt and pepper to taste

8 large butter lettuce leaves

Directions:

Heat oil in skillet and add ginger, garlic, and lemongrass. Stir-fry about 30 seconds until fragrant. Add chicken and stir-fry for another 4 minutes. Add water chestnuts and mushrooms and stir-fry for 2 more minutes. Stir in cilantro, green onion, and fish sauce and heat through. Season and let cool. Scoop into lettuce leaves and garnish with sprig of cilantro.

The beauty you’ve worked so hard to create outdoors can easily be turned into gorgeous wall art, all for a fraction of the cost of decor store prints. And all you need is one good digital photo of the one-of-a-kind subject matter right outside your backdoor! Whether you have an expensive multi-lens camera or a simple smart phone, you can freeze frame that beauty with just a couple clicks. Getting a good shot doesn’t require advanced skills. Just remember these simple garden photography basics:

1. Look at the subject matter with an artistic eye. Instead of trying to capture the entire floral arrangement, select by color (for example, capture how the colors blend together or contrast within one flower); look at the different forms of the plant (try a Celosia Comb Mix for some interesting shapes); or look for seasonality (shoot the same tree in all four seasons.) Sometimes just one part of the flower – such as the interior pistil – makes a fantastic shot.
2. Frame your subject. Look at the area around or behind your subject – is it cluttered with furniture, parked cars, flagpoles, or downspouts? Move your shooting position to avoid these distractions. Flowers look very artistic when shot from close-up and this will help eliminate the “background noise.” Most computers have a basic photo-editing program to crop photos or add text.
3. Play with lighting. Take photos under different light conditions or at varying times of day. Shoot from multiple angles so the light falls differently on the subject matter. Play with photo-editing settings to adjust the lighting effects or even make it monochrome or black-and-white.
4. Take your time. Spend a chunk of time watching the activity in your garden and you’ll eventually notice birds, butterflies, and bees that stop by. These make great shots – just use your “sports” mode and snap a bunch as they flit around the blooms. (And by the way, sitting in your garden is a great stress reliever!).
   

Little Gardener’s Tip: Now this might turn out to be a tear-jerker – but wouldn’t it be neat to have a yearly photo of your kids growing up? Start this year with a new tree, take a photo with the kids next to the tree, and repeat every year. Twenty years from now you’ll be amazed by how each has grown!

    All that hard work you’ve put into your flowerbeds, planters, and patio pots really deserves a spotlight, don’t you think? From candles to strings of light to unique solar light stakes, creative outdoor lighting can turn your patio into a warm and welcoming extension of your living room. And you don’t need to be an electrician to turn on the lights! It’s easy and inexpensive to light up every nook and cranny of your garden and enjoy your yard long past sundown.

   Lighting is not just for edging a walkway or illuminating a back step, use it to lighten up dark corners, showcase special plants, add interest to potted arrangements, or create mood lighting in seating areas. Be sure to choose outdoor-safe lighting with approved UL-cords and never bury extension cords underground or place under pots or rugs. Try these bright ideas to lighten up your spaces:

• Place staked solar lights in planters, flowerboxes, hanging baskets, or mixed in with foundation plantings.
• Use glow-in-the-dark spray paint on rocks and place around your garden or line your walkway. You could also paint your pots or planters with glow-in-the-dark designs. Most craft stores and home stores sell both tube and spray glow-in-the-dark paint.
• Loop white “Christmas lights” from tree branches, over your bushes, or drape along your deck railing. Or create your own outdoor light fixture by balling up the string and placing in an old-fashioned metal colander so the light shines through in an interesting pattern.
• Remove the stake and place the solar light top into a thrift shop chandelier or hanging light fixture and hang from a tree, pergola, or shepherd’s hook.
• Combine mosquito-repellent candles with your favorite collections or line your deck stairs for an evening party that’s bug-free. Browse our essential oils candle collection here.
• Fill a large urn, tub, or bowl with colored water and float candles and flower petals to create a romantic centerpiece.
• Play “Flashlight Tag” or “Ghost in the Graveyard” with the kids. It’s a great workout and guaranteed fun!

Little Gardener’s Tip: A solar-powered light makes a great nightlight. Put in a sunny window each morning and it will be charged and gently glowing by bedtime. And, of course, will protect your little ones from monsters under the bed!

Did you know mosquitoes are the deadliest animal on Earth?

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that every year, mosquitoes infect 200 million people with malaria and kill another 3 million. Every year. Tens of millions more suffer the debilitating and often fatal effects of other mosquito-borne diseases. These are sobering statistics and many have turned to toxic chemicals to control these mosquito populations. While this works to kill mosquitoes, it’s also known to cause cancer and other side effects. In poor Third World countries these methods are out of reach because they are so expensive yet these are the areas suffering the most. Because of this crisis, researchers started looking for non-chemical control methods . . . and they found it! The common flowering plant, Lantana Camara, repelled mosquitoes and protected people from these dangerous diseases.

A natural mosquito control method proven to repel mosquitoes.

Research published in the Journal PLoS ONE (Public Library of Science) gives scientific proof that Lantana works to deter mosquitoes – specifically those known to carry malaria in Africa. Researchers were focused on finding a lower-cost mosquito control alternative to bednets or insecticidal indoor spraying. The hopes of the study was to find a method that would be simple to install and maintain, be cost effective, and would provide broad protection from dangerous disease-carrying mosquitoes. Several mosquito-repellent plants were considered but lantana was ultimately selected because of its “size and vigor, year round growth, and known repellency towards the African malaria vector Anopheles gambiae s.s.” Not only does the smell deter mosquitos, but those that do feed from the flowers have shorter lives and diminished reproductive success.

By the end of the study, researchers had data from 231 houses with lantana screens and 90 houses without. Those with well-growing screens (some reached as high as the home’s eaves) had significantly less mosquitos caught in traps compared to the non-lantana homes. (Full study can be found here).

Can Lantana be used here for the same purpose?

Sometimes called Yellow Sage or Shrub Verbena, common Lantana has been a popular bedding plant for decades and is the go-to plant for many gardeners. Its lovely verbena-shaped blossoms emerge in multiple color combinations of pink, red, yellow, orange, and purple which last all summer long and make it an outstanding container or foundation plant. The medium green, leathery leaves grow in an upright and sturdy pattern and this plant has the outstanding ability to thrive in nearly all growing conditions especially poor soil, hot sun, and prolonged heat. Deer and other critters dislike the taste and smell but butterflies and hummingbirds love it so you’ll attract beneficial insects to your garden. Planted as a “mosquito fence” around high-traffic and outdoor living spaces, it really does help you better enjoy your precious outside time.

Kids & Pets Alert!:  After flowering, some cultivars will produce a berrylike fruit which turns black when mature. These berries are poisonous to pets and humans. If you have curious little fingers or animals, plant in an area they can’t reach or trim off the berry clusters when they first appear in their green stage.

How to use Lantana to repel mosquitoes in your garden.

Planting this gorgeous plant really is as simple as making space for it in all your gardens. Place it near high-use areas such as decks, patios, and entryways – rub or crush the leaves as you walk by and they’ll give off a citronella scent. Cut sprigs to add to bouquets for super repelling power. Leaves can be dried by laying out in the sun for a few days, then crushed, and burned in a glass jar to repel mosquitos. It is not recommended to rub this plant on your skin as it can lead to irritation. Combine with other mosquito repellent plants such as Citronella Geranium and Lemongrass in a deck planter for a real show-stopper that will smell heavenly all summer long. Plant en masse along the edge of your patio or doorways. Fill a windowbox with multiple colors and enjoy the hummingbirds coming right up to your window.

Start growing your Goodbye Mosquito Garden today!

The possibilities are endless but the supply of Lantana is not! With the renewed interest in its mosquito-control abilities, these plants are flying off the shelves so don’t wait to order! Besides, the sooner you plant them, the bigger they’ll get to fend off those pesky mosquitoes. When you order from Clovers Garden, we’ll include a handy planting instruction sheet so you’ll have everything you need to start. If you’d like to start reading up now on Lantana and all the other plants that work to repel mosquitoes, click here to join our gardening community and we’ll send you an email with a free ebook, Mosquito Repellent Plants. This great book has tons of planting info, recipes for making your own natural bug spray from the plants’ leaves, and even five original garden designs such as the one shown in this article. And you’ll get it FREE just for subscribing to our newsletter.

These plants can be planted up until first frost (or year round for Southern gardeners) and they only get fuller and more lush as the season goes on. Shop the full collection here.

If you have any questions about gardening with mosquito repellent plants, we’ll be happy to answer them. Just comment here — we check posts often. Thanks for reading and Happy Gardening!

Every gardener runs into common problems during the summer from blight to weeds to pests but few of us are willing to resort to pesticides or herbicides. These healthy garden tips can help minimize and eliminate pests in your garden and protect your plants as they grow.

#1 Start with the soil.

A healthy garden begins with the best soil you can find or create. For brand new gardens, buy the best from a garden center. Don’t be tempted to fill up from your community compost pile – these are often filled with weed seeds and worst yet, diseased plants. If you have an established garden, feed it in early spring with a good, rich compost or manure. Rototill this in well and let sit for a week or two before planting so it can settle and warm up.

Do you have blight in your garden? If you’ve noticed healthy tomato plant leaves suddenly turning brown and shriveling up, you probably have blight in your soil. The spores attach to droplets of water, splash up on the leaves, and eventually defoliate the whole plant. If you’ve had blight, you must either replace the soil or wait a few years before planting blight-susceptible plants in it. Frustrating I know!

#2 Use mulch (yes, even in your vegetable garden!).

After planting, lay down a thick layer of natural mulch (not treated wood chips). Great choices are hay, untreated grass clippings, or newspaper. These materials will keep weed growth down, help the roots retain water, and by the end of summer decompose to feed the soil.

#3 Pay attention to weeds and water.

We all know how busy life gets and we sometimes let the weeds take over or miss a day of watering. And we know this hurts our plants. But did you know it actually helps the pests and diseases? Big, bountiful, healthy plants (that are well-watered and maintained) actually keep weed growth down and are more resistant to diseases. Struggling plants will give weeds a foothold and attract opportunistic pests. If you find diseased or pest-attacked plants, dispose of them away from your own compost pile and clean your garden tools with a mild bleach solution.

#4 Start with good, quality plants.

Whether you grow from seed or buy from a nursery, choose plants that are suited to your climate and are raised without insecticides (bad for pollinators) or pesticides (bad for people). Always, always harden off your plants before planting and follow a regular feeding schedule during the growing season.

#5 Plant like crazy.

The best way to really stymie the pests is to plant your garden in a haphazard style. Combine multiple and different plants in one row, mix and match herbs and flowers, and create a more free flow style or cottage garden look within your fences. This gives you the advantages of companion planting (more on that here) but also truly confuses rabbits and deer! They will pass by your garden if the beans are hidden within a barrier of marigolds and deer-repelling hot peppers.