I love hearing from you and one of my favorite things about this blog is all the comments people leave and the sense of community we have. But because there are only 24 hours in a day, I can’t answer every single question that gets asked, or respond to every comment {because I’m either in the garden, cooking or busy just being a mom} so it really helps me out when you chime in and leave a comment helping another reader. 🙂
Recently there have been a few comments that I just don’t have the answers for and I was hoping you could help out. If you know the answer or have a suggestion, please leave a comment below.
Thanks for you help everyone, I appreciate it!
~Mavis
Sherri would love suggestions about where to buy liquid pectin for making freezer jam and containers. She is making a large amount and would love not to have to spend a fortune. My first thought was Amazon, but maybe someone buys liquid pectin in bulk and knows for sure.
Darlene asked: Any ideas why my cauliflower turning black? I just planted this last week. Leaves are fine but the cauliflower is turning black.
Dani wants to know how to get rid of gophers.
Charles is a new gardener and is having problems getting root crop like radishes and carrots, and beets to produce. He also wants to fend off spider mites and other pests from tomatoes, cucumbers, and squash? He lives in Michigan.
Do you know the answer? Can you help? Please leave a comment below. Thanks! 🙂
Sara says
Sherri, while I can’t answer your question directly, have you tried using the powder by Ball for freezer jam. It requires less than half the sugar of others and you just have to stir the fruit with it for 3 minutes. Super quick! Mrs. Wages makes a similar product, but I have had some textural issues with that brand.
IC says
Pomona pectin is another one that uses low sugar. You can buy in bulk by the pound directly from the company or through Azure Standard.
The liquid looks so handy . . . but I went with the powder because I think all the liquid pectins contain sodium benzoate. When I run out, I’m going to go with home made pectin.
JIM says
I have heard that red currants can react as natural pectin when adding it to jams, jelliies etc.. I have not tried this but have spoken to some tried and true “elder” canners who had seen their Mothers/Grandmothers use currants rather than “store bought” pectins. Anyone else have experience with this?
Thanks.. Jim
Linda says
My mother planted castor beans to rid the garden of moles. the plant is poisonous so be careful around children and pets
lori says
Charles how far apart are you planting your root crops? If planted to thick root crops will all go to tops.
Steve says
You can use a sulfur spray to get rid of Spider Mites. It’s organic, but a little smelly.
sarah says
Darlene: Your cauliflower may have aphids in the flowers. I tried growing it once and could only eat the stems due to the bug infestation. My broccoli may have had the bugs too, but t least they didn’t show up like they did on the white cauliflower:)
If it is aphids, you can use insecticidal soap to kill them.
Kathy says
Lemon juice from fresh lemons for spider mites. Ratio of 2:3 Squeeze the lemons, mix with water in a spray bottle and spray your plants. I’ve done it for years and have had not one problem with the spider mites. Will also work on repelling ants, roaches, fleas and other creepy crawlers.
Diana says
We have an ongoing gopher issue on our 1 1/2 acres for many years. The best advice I can give is to be diligent in watching for their activity. We set gopher traps in the runs wearing gloves so no scent is left. We shove the dead gopher down the hole. All of my garden beds have wire on the bottom, and we plant major investment plants in wire. I have never had luck with gum, noise makers, or gopher purge. However this year I have started following permaculture principles in my orchard after seeing a comment on one of your posts. I have been making guilds around my fruit trees planting nitrogen fixers such as fava beans, insect attracting herbs such as dill, mulch plants such as artichokes, nasturtiums, daikon radishes and many others. I have had no gophers in the areas I have completed. Not a single one! We have planted a circle of garlic, daffodils, or chives at the drip line of each tree. I call them my “ring of fire”. The gophers don’t like the scent and have left that area of the property. My orchard is so happy and productive. I plan on continuing to plant more guilds, we have 50 trees on our property so I am doing them one at a time.
Liz says
GOPHERS: We had gophers a few years ago and we went on youtube and watched several videos on how to use traps to kill the gophers.The videos showed and told what types of traps to use. We went to Fleet Farm (in MN) and bought 3 traps, we had two adult gophers within 24 hours and 2 juveniles within a few days. We haven’t had gophers since.
Kim Springer says
For liquid pectin, you may want to contact one of your local restaurant supply stores.
Jen L A says
Not sure how true this is….but I once heard that you need to tie the leaves to cover the cauliflower head or it will turn color.
James Hodge says
Dani. when I was a kid going up on the Canadian prairies, My gramma use to put a garden hose in their hole , block of the other escape holes except one with a cage, turn on the water and catch them was they come out. Worked for her!
Edwin Losiewicz says
Make your own liquid pectin: http://www.pickyourown.org/makeyourownpectin.htm
Edwin Losiewicz says
Pour lavender oil and white vinegar in holes where you suspect the gopher is.
Molly says
Hi Mavis,
I read that you have a problem with slugs. Try putting beer in lids where you see slugs. They love the beer, get drunk and die happy. Check the lids daily to remove the slugs and replenish the beer.
Desi says
My college professor swore by the same thing. Only he used tuna cans and would put the tops at soil level.
Renay says
I don’t know if this will work for gophers, but it works for moles…. USED KITTY LITTER! will all the pee and poop in it. I took it and buried it around the perimeter of my property and all my moles left. The thinking is that they smell a predator and head elsewhere. Sadly for my neighbors…
Indio says
Where there is one, there are likely many others behind it when it comes to gophers. They usually live with the large extended family nearby. They dislike the smell of stinky animal waste. When i clean out my chicken coop, i put all of the droppings near their holes. When it composts they come back and i put more out. The problem with killing or trapping them is that you are catching the dumb ones and soon you will be left with the super smart ones who know how to evade the traps. i prefer to drive them out of the area than kill them off. I have seen a groundhog climb my 8 ft high garden fence, stand on top of my tomato trellis and hit the organic buffet in my garden. They dont always go under when they can just as easily go over. There is also a plant from the same family as poinsettis, called mole plant. They cant stand the smell and it protects about 20 sq feet so plant it near their multiple entry/exit routes.
jane says
Sooooooo regarding the root veggies, I’m in a community garden and am dealing with all the ingredients the previous gardener used. I was able to get some rooties to grow but as for carrots…….nada. The answer was charcoal. Agriculture grade activated charcoal. Apparently when its mixed into the soil for a short time, it absorbs all the other stuff and if nothing else will let you start with fresh, relatively virgin soil.
Cauliflower??? Make sure that you’re covering up your flowers with the big leaves. I wrap them up from the bottom and put a loose rubber band on top to protect from the weather, sun, anything that can discolor it. All of that goes out the window if its aphids……..grrrrrrrr, gardening Nemesis
jubob says
About the gophers, I have read to soak a wrag in ammonia and hang it in pantyhose by their hole. They don’t like the smell and leave. I do not have a gopher issue so have not had to try it. but it sounds like an easy cheap fix. this is supposed to chase off skunks, squirrels, raccoons and other garden snackers too.