Hey all!
About a week ago, I was thinking what a great thing it would be if there were still reusable canning lids. How great it would be not to buy them again and again. Well, a couple days later I finally got around to looking, and found these.
http://www.reusablecanninglids.com/
Has anyone tried them? This is definitely something that I'm interested in, especially if I ever get to be the kind of gardener that actually has something to can! Let me know if they've worked for you.
I'm sort of discouraged as far as my garden goes right now. There are just so many insects ready to devour stuff! I'm not one to run out and buy sprays to coat all the plants with, ecpecially sallad greens. I don't know that much about gardening at all, much less about how to get rid of insect pests in safe ways. Now that my second crop is starting to grow, I have baby arugula, chard, broccoli raab and beet greens. I would like it if they had even a chance, but they're only 2 inches high and already full of tiny holes. I need a good source of information on organic plant protection. Does anyone have any recommendations for me? Something that's fairly simple to understand, and that I can learn from quickly in my "spare" time? I'd love any information you all can give me!
Those lids look very interesting! I too have issues with keeping mine straight - I don't throw mine away, but after actual canning they get "demoted" to refrigerator pickle lids, but keeping them straight is annoying! I kind of had to chuckle at the website's comment "If you ever wear this lid out, we will replace it free!".... what does it mean to wear it out, like as in botulism? do we really need a replacement then LOL? Would love to actually see them!
ReplyDeleteAs for the insects, honestly the best protection is floating row covers, the little hoops with cloth stretched over - it will keep insects out, for the most part. That being said, it involves some work, money, and spare time which is why I haven't done it yet! My garden is horribly infested with squash bugs at this point, I don't even grow squash LOL! This time of year is so hard on the garden.
Rodale has a good handbook of organic pest and disease control. Unfortunately I find most of the time the best control turns out to be prevention, which is a little late by the time you've discovered that you have a problem! I've also found the internet useful as far as identification. Obviously you need to be able to identify exactly which pest you're dealing with, but some bugs just aren't common enough to show up as individual entries in the books.
ReplyDeleteIt took me two years to figure out that I was dealing with Asiatic Garden Beetles, in part because they're nocturnal so I couldn't *see* them defoliating my basil, but also because, although they're apparently endemic in the northeast, they don't seem to be a big enough problem anywhere else to warrant a photo in any of the books!
Nice to meet you Alison! I feel so silly cuz. guess what!? I have that book! I didn't know I had it, but I do. My husband is an avid collector of books, and he'd picked it up quite a while ago. I actually saw it once, but it's so thick and intimidating! ;) But, I'm going to give it a chance. So thanks! The thing is, if I'm going to "prevent" then I have to know how.
ReplyDeleteErin- It's so funny that you thought about the lid guarantee that way! Maybe you're right, that would definitely guarantee that nobody wanted a refund or replacement, wouldn't it?
I think you're right, this time of year is hard on gardens. There certainly weren't so many pests chewing on the leaves in the spring.
Patty, ha! you have found out my big secret, I'm a HUGE cynic LOL! I find strange humor in things like that.... my husband actually "got" me and would laugh when I would make comments like that, that's how I knew "he was the one"!
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