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LeSlugs are terrible. I have the same problem. One solution I’ve found works well: Take a shallow dish or bowl – one the slugs can crawl into easily, but not out so much. Fill it with beer. Place it in the problem area at night. The beer attracts the slugs for some reason. They get into the dish, but once in the beer, can’t get out. Works like a charm!
—Amy K.
I bought a Scuppernong grape from a local box store in Florida. I transplanted it three times before it started to flourish. Now, the vine is about 50 feet long and produces more grapes than I can use. The most difficult part is keeping the aphids off when the leaves and blossoms begin in early spring. I don’t use chemicals on any of my garden so I spray a mix of garlic oil, a couple drops of liquid Dawn, and a tablespoon of Murphy’s oil soap. add this to a quart of water and spray with any type of hand sprayer. This year was the hardest, so I would end up spraying three times before getting a handle on it. I make grape jams and use them for just eating enjoyment. These grapes are a bronze color with thick skin and lots of seeds. They get morning sun with good runoff. I grow them on the fence with extra horizontal chicken wire braced at each post. This makes a great bed-like arbor as I train each section to stay on the fence. Keeping the weeds and grass away from the base is important. The rest is happy grapes and a satisfied vine-keeper.
—Shufam S.
Blackberries (and maybe other climbing berries in the same ‘family’) cannot be planted in proximity to any of the nightshade plants. I found this out the hard way, when my tomatoes failed next to my new blackberry. I did some deep research and found this is a no-no.
—Melissa M.
Living in the desert, we have rattlesnakes. To keep them from surprising me in the garden, I use the little sparkly hand-held fans that rotate in the wind. They work so far.
—Valerie B.
