Beneficial Insects: Spiders

Two banded spiders with two totally different lifestyles...

Pictured above is the large banded garden spider, Argiope trifasciata. This type of spider is an ORB weaver, spinning their webs into circles commonly seen in gardens.

Below is pictured the hunting white-banded crab spider, Misumenoides formosipes. A predator with no web spinning abilities it attacks its prey, hopefully a garden pest!

While they both look kind of strange and creepy neither one of them is dangerous; to humans that is...

NASTURTIUMS Tropaeolum majus

MEDICINE: A native to South and Central America Nasturtiums have long been used in Andean herbal medicine; as a wound-healing herb, and as an expectorant to relieve chest conditions.

FOOD: Any part of the plant can be eaten if it is harvested during the growing season and used fresh.  The mature seed can be ground into a powder and used as a pepper substitute.

ART: The seeds yield a high percentage of a drying oil that can be used in making paints and varnish.

Pumpkin Harvest Time!

No giant pumpkins this year but plenty of diversity!

Howden, super sweet and casper pumpkins will fill our hearts and platters with jack-o-lanterns, pies, breads, soups and best of all ROASTED PUMPKINS SEEDS!!!

(mmmm, yummy.........)

Companion Planting, Plant Guilds and "Who likes What?"

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Companion planting is an ancient gardening method which makes use of the synergistic properties found in Nature: cooperation to achieve optimum health and viability. Creating a plant guild utilizes companion planting, among other methods, to create functional connections between plants, soil, animals –one that mutually benefit all elements in the guild.

We humans have a task to help Mother Nature in our own gardens by choosing plants that respond well to each other, nestle and help each other grow and in some cases actually feed their neighbors.

Have a peek at the chart in our blog post HERE and see what plants you may have in your garden you can move next to your Rose or your Apple tree to see how they nurture each other over time. Contact us if you need help!