Gardening in the Ozarks with Vicki Garner

Vicki Garner

If you want to learn about gardening or horticulture in the Twin Lakes Area, this is the show for you. Vicki lives in Mountain Home and all of the calls are from the KTLO listening area so the information is all local.

You can hear "Gardening in the Ozarks" each Saturday morning from 10:00 - 11:00 on KTLO-FM, 97.9 or
Click on the date below to listen to that show:
August 21
August 28

Click here to e-mail Vicki a question

Vicki's timely gardening tips:

Here is the address for for deer resistant plants:
http://njaes.rutgers.edu/deerresistance

Milk used as a spray on zucchini plants has been found to significantly reduce the severity of powdery mildew infection. Using skim milk is just as effective and cheaper than using whole milk. Mix 1 part milk to 9 parts water and spray plants once a week.

Another home remedy for powdery mildew on squash, melons and roses is to spray the plants once a week with the following formula:
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 quart water
A few drops of liquid Ivory soap
Be sure to spray the undersides of the leaves as well as the upper surfaces. Test the formula on a few leaves first to make sure they are not too sensitive.

To help repel deer from your garden, combine in the blender:
1-2 old eggs
1/3 of a small bottle of tobasco sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons of garlic powder
Blend well. Add water and mix. Spray on plants in the early morning or in the evenings. Repeat every two weeks. Also spray again after rain.

Hot & spicy spray for insect repellant:
Puree 2 whole hot peppers and 2 cloves of garlic in blender. Add 3 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of Ivory liquid soap. Strain and put in a spray bottle. Spray all parts of the plant in the early morning and evening.

Combine 1 tablespoon Epson salts in a gallon of water and use to fertilize roses, tomatoes and peppers. Pour in the soil around the plants. You can also use this on the foliage of roses once a month during the growing and flowering seasons.

Here's a formula to help your roses that have black spots:
Combine 1 quart water, 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon liquid soap detergent in a spray bottle. Shake it and spray on the undersides and tops of the leaves on a cloudy day or in the evening. It is best used before you see the spots but it will keep the black from getting worse.

Here is a good website to help identify weeds:
http://www.bayeradvanced.com/weed-identifier.html
The website has pictures, descriptions and recommendations for control and eradication.

Here is the website that has environmentally safe products you can order to help deter squirrels, moles, deer and other critters from your yard and gardens:
http://www.messinawildlife.com/

In order to determine if a catalog/online ordering source is really a good thing, log onto this website:
http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/
You will be directed to put in the name of the company you are thinking about ordering from and will be shown a score which is based on number/type of complaints that company has incurred.

It is best to have a soil analysis of your garden area to help your plants prosper and produce. Take several plugs of soil from different areas in your garden and put into a container. Take it to your County Extension Office. It will be analyzed for free and you will receive an print out as to the PH of your soil with recommendations.

Gardening in the Ozarks is brought to you by:

Carl Wayne's Nurseries
Paradise At Home Aquatics
The Truck Patch
Village Carpet