Mosquitoes need standing water to breed, so if you are being bothered by the insects while out in your yard or garden, you may want to take a look around your property to see if you are providing them with the right conditions to set up shop. Old tires, bird baths, fountains (either not cycling water or cycling slowly), kids swimming pools, rain water barrels, and coffee cans are all things that can hold water and allow mosquitoes to breed near your home. They can breed in a surprisingly small amount of water, in a surprisingly fast time frame. If the kids were out in the pool on Saturday and didn’t dump it out, by the next weekend you could be hatching larva out of that same water.

The easiest thing you can do if you find standing water is to dump it out. That may not always be possible though, particularly if you collect rain water for your garden. There are special barrels available with covers that allow you to collect the water without the bugs, but that isn’t an option for everyone.

This year in the garden we had high numbers of mosquito larva in our own rainwater collection tubs, and no way to dump them or cover them, so we put garlic oil in the water. To make the oil, roughly chop fresh garlic cloves and put into vegetable oil. Let sit for a few days and then add to your water! In the heat of the sun the oil will disperse over the surface of the water and keep the larva from hatching, as well as keeping adults from laying fresh eggs.

Take caution when using this method as it may inhibit the larva of beneficial insects as well, so do not use it in ponds, and it will leave the surface of your water with an oily film. The water remains useful for watering the garden, and its nice to be able to enjoy the green spaces without fear of donating a pint of blood each day!

Shama will be holding a demonstration followed by a lecture about the healing properties of flower essences, using plants growing in our Cottonwood Community Garden. The weather is supposed to be nice, and Saturdays are always a fun time in the park, so come and learn about flower essences with us!

 If you want some more information on how to identify these plants, check out our guide

First of all , take care when harvesting large amounts of yarrow if using a knife or scissors. The plant has a property that numbs pain, and if you are handling it without gloves you may numb your fingers enough to accidentally cut yourself!

Second, yarrow should be avoided during pregnancy.  Also, Rarely, some people can be sensitive to it,becoming dizzy with use. Do not overuse yarrow, persistent internal use can cause inflammation of the liver.

Yarrow as a cold and flu remedy: Immediately upon onset of cold or flu symptoms, drink 1-2 liters of strongly steeped yarrow tea. This should halt the progression of the virus entirely, but only  if you catch the virus right away. If you wait until the cold or flu has taken a firm hold, it will help to reduce your symptoms, but probably won’t  get rid of the sickness entirely. You may want to drink some yarrow tea as a preventative if others around you are sick, but do not take it for too many days, as it is a very strong herb and can be hard on your liver.

Yarrow as a mosquito repellant: Yarrow leaves added to the fire are reported to repel mosquitoes. Some native groups made smudges of yarrow by lighting them on hot coals.

Yarrow as a facial treatment: Steaming your face with yarrow can help clear problem skin. Place yarrow in a bowl of very hot water, lean your head over the bowl and place a towel over your head to make a tent, trapping the steam in. Stay this way for 10 minutes, then rinse face.

We will be bringing you updates on our events and gardens as the summer progresses, as well as some more local plant and gardening info.

Happy Gardening!

So while you’re driving along admiring the flowers and you see some Goldenrod and wish to make a tea, got a little further into the woods or walk down a nice small trail without traffic to find yourself some healthy and clean plants good for medicinal use.  You can also find Goldenrod in the Earth Matters garden!

Goldenrod has many uses and medicinal benefits

• hot flushes
• kidney and bladder infections
• urinary tract infections
• vaginal thrush
• diarrhea
• nasal catarrh
• diarrhea
• whooping cough
• skin diseases treated internally
• chronic mucus

The leaves and flowers are used for making the brew.

Making herbal tea

The standard way to make an infusion, unless otherwise specified, is to pour a cup of boiling water over the material to be infused, let it stand for 5 minutes, strain it, and drink it.

• Fresh plant material
  • When the recipe refers to fresh plant material to be used, a 1/4 cup fresh material is used, following the method above.
• Dried material
  • When the recipe refers to using dried material, use 2 teaspoons of material when making it.
• Bark or seeds
  • Should the recipe call for bark or seeds to be used, use 2 teaspoons of seeds or 1 tablespoon of bark.
• Sweetening your infusion
  • You could sweeten your health drink with honey, should you so require, and a dash of fresh lemon juice may also enhance the taste.

This yoga class is hopefully the first of many.  Earth Matters Garden is a community space and if you would like to host your event in this space, please contact the garden coordinator through Nelson CARES Society at earthmatters@nelsoncares.ca .

Please check out the British Columbia Invasive Alien Plant Program http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hra/plants/raw.htm

From the website:

How to Use Report-A-Weed:

The steps for reporting a weed:

1. Navigate and zoom to the location where you spotted the invasive plant;
2. Activate the Report-A-Weed tool http://webmaps.gov.bc.ca/imf5/imf.jsp?site=mofr_iapp&startup=raw
3. Mark the location of the infestation on the map;
4. Enter the necessary data in the Report-A-Weed wizard screens.

Choosing plants is important for our immediate environments and the future of this area.  Invasive alien plants change the biology of the areas they grow in, altering the chemical makeup of the soil and affecting the variety, type, and population of the native plants.  Native plants are suited to the ecology of the area and they grow through their relationship with the climate, seasons, animals, and insects in the area.  Invasive plants alter these relationships.

Check out the CKIPC’s Local Weeds to Watch For and familiarize yourself with invasive species in this area: http://webmaps.gov.bc.ca/imf5/imf.jsp?site=mofr_iapp&startup=raw

As for the Entomosporium, research reports that a potassium bicarbonate based, broad-spectrum foliar fungicide in the form of a powder mildew is a preventative control and it may stop the fungus from getting worse, especially on our precious Saskatoon berry bushes.  The spots are yellow and are taking over the leaf, no doubt being cheered on by the wet weather we’ve been having.  Sigh.  Summer?  When?

Your comments and tips are more than welcome to help the garden out with these “pests.”

We are working on the strawberry patch today and trying to make it less of a lawn and more of a strawberry patch.  Jean and I were hard at work this morning and we had a huge pile of weeds and roots to show for our work!  Come check out our progress!!