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5 days ago | 
ashlandsource.com | Eric Larson |Larry Phillips
A few weeks ago while at the pool, I made a new acquaintance who asked me about moles. He said, “How do you get rid of moles?” I recalled some initial ideas about castor beans and a trap that works. Here are my insights as I reviewed my previous columns and current research on this topic. My answers to this question changed over the years from a quick solution to “Why do you want to get rid of the mole?” Moles eat grubs under your lawn. Voles eat plant roots. Moles don’t eat plants.
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1 week ago | 
ashlandsource.com | Eric Larson |Larry Phillips
A friend from church asked me, “Is there any cover crop to plant in the spring?”Traditionally, most home gardeners only plant cover crops in the fall. Spring plantings of cover crops will help improve the yields of selected vegetables. Lettuce and corn require a lot of nitrogen during their growing seasons. Fertilizer applied to the soil gives your plants what they need. Rain will wash out a portion of the nitrogen that you so diligently applied over time.
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2 weeks ago | 
richlandsource.com | Eric Larson |Larry Phillips
One of the questions I have had over the years is, “Why would you want to mix two different plants in the same row?”When I started gardening back in Overton, I would plant each packet of seeds according to the plan I had laid out, emptying each seed packet as I went along. That is traditionally how we plant our gardens. Companion planting is growing one plant to help another as part of a community.
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2 weeks ago | 
ashlandsource.com | Eric Larson |Larry Phillips
One of the questions I have had over the years is, “Why would you want to mix two different plants in the same row?”When I started gardening back in Overton, I would plant each packet of seeds according to the plan I had laid out, emptying each seed packet as I went along. That is traditionally how we plant our gardens. Companion planting is growing one plant to help another as part of a community.
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3 weeks ago | 
richlandsource.com | Eric Larson |Larry Phillips
My readers have asked, “What can I do to get my garden going now?” Because I love getting out in the garden, I feel disappointed not having a chance to plant your seeds and bedding plants in the soil. In north central Ohio, there is only a 10% chance of having your plants nipped by frost after May 19. That’s less than two months away. We do need to be patient. A few years ago, when I was at the pool, I met a teacher who spent time with little children.
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3 weeks ago | 
ashlandsource.com | Eric Larson |Larry Phillips
My readers have asked, “What can I do to get my garden going now?” Because I love getting out in the garden, I feel disappointed not having a chance to plant your seeds and bedding plants in the soil. In north central Ohio, there is only a 10% chance of having your plants nipped by frost after May 19. That’s less than two months away. We do need to be patient. A few years ago, when I was at the pool, I met a teacher who spent time with little children.
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3 weeks ago | 
richlandsource.com | Eric Larson |Larry Phillips
WARNING: It’s too early to plant your garden. You are still in planning mode. Recently, when I did the garden talk in Bellville, I made it clear that it is still very early to start turning the soil or planting a raised bed outside. Over 100 years of weather records reveal that mid-May is a safe planting time. May 19 is the date in Jeromesville and Loudonville where there is only a 10 percent chance of having frost to kill your new bedding plants.
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1 month ago | 
richlandsource.com | Eric Larson |Larry Phillips
If you can take notes on a topic, you won’t have to decide on a new workable plan tomorrow. When I make the same mistake over and over, I feel foolish. If we can keep a journal for the year and record experiences, it can be a start for planning the garden next year. Records can range from the plan for planting our garden to the results of the soil tests, the pests that we have seen in our garden when they appear, and how we managed the pests and the results.
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1 month ago | 
ashlandsource.com | Eric Larson |Larry Phillips
WARNING: It’s too early to plant your garden. You are still in planning mode. Recently, when I did the garden talk in Bellville, I made it clear that it is still very early to start turning the soil or planting a raised bed outside. Over 100 years of weather records reveal that mid-May is a safe planting time. May 19 is the date in Jeromesville and Loudonville where there is only a 10 percent chance of having frost to kill your new bedding plants.
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1 month ago | 
ashlandsource.com | Eric Larson |Larry Phillips
If you can take notes on a topic, you won’t have to decide on a new workable plan tomorrow. When I make the same mistake over and over, I feel foolish. If we can keep a journal for the year and record experiences, it can be a start for planning the garden next year. Records can range from the plan for planting our garden to the results of the soil tests, the pests that we have seen in our garden when they appear, and how we managed the pests and the results.
