Healthy plants a natural way to protect gardens

Q: This is our first time planting a garden. We would like to protect the garden with natural pesticides. Do you know if there is an effective organic pesticide that can be used?

Cathy Howell, e-mail

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Georgia Perimeter College

Christmas fern is a great option for outdoor gardens in North Georgia.

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• Listen to Walter Reeves Saturday mornings on NewsTalk 750 WSB-AM from 6 to 10. Call 404-872-0750 to ask questions.
• His Web site, walterreeves.com, contains thousands of answers to lawn and landscape questions. Watch "Gardening in Georgia" each week on GPB. Details at gardeningingeorgia.com.

A: The best way to protect a vegetable garden is to make the plants healthy and to attract beneficial insects. To that end, follow my suggestions at xrl.us/SOILAMEND. Plant dill, fennel, salvia, zinnia, agastache and clethra flowers among your vegetables to bring pollinators and pest predators into the garden.

If your garden plants are affected by a pest or disease thereafter, send a photo to your local extension office (800-ASKUGA-1) and they’ll tell you how to achieve organic control.

Q: I’m making hummingbird nectar. If I remember correctly, where I came from in Virginia, it was common knowledge that the nectar should be red to attract the birds. Do you agree with this?

Bob Bishop, e-mail

A: No, the red nectar color is not necessary. The feeder color is what attracts the birds. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology suggests that a red ribbon on top of the feeder will also attract these fascinating creatures. Although local populations vary markedly each month, keep hummingbird feeders up all year long.

Q: Is August a good time to plant perennials? I want more flowers that will come back each year.

Jane Davidson, Cherokee County

A: I think late September is a better time to plant perennials and shrubs. The soil is still very warm but the air is not so hot that plants demand lots of water. Remember to visit www.outdoorwateruse.com to get your permit to water new plantings. Download a great list of perennial flowers at xrl.us/PERENNIAL.

Q: I talked with a friend that grew up on a Wisconsin dairy farm and he says his dad would put old, closed pottery crocks into the fresh silage as they were loading the silo. When it was time to start feeding the silage, they would work carefully so as not to break the crocks. These were now full of alcohol, which they would drink like moonshine. Could this effluent be captured and made into engine fuel?

Alton Howell, e-mail

A: America is built on the inquisitive minds of folks like you.

Making silage is the process of “pickling” farm products like corn stalks or fresh grass so it can be fed to livestock later on. Many farmers do this in tall, tubular silos which are sealed against oxygen and rain. If a crock full of corn or barley seed and water were stored in a silo for several months, I have no doubt it would produce a skull-popping liquid sufficient to fuel a weekend-long hoedown.

Your idea is a good one, but scientists and farmers are already ahead of you. Lots of research is being done on producing alcohol from hay, pine chips, peanut hulls and other farm byproducts. Keep your eyes peeled for other uses for waste materials; our country needs them!

Q: Please tell me the names of ferns that will grow outdoors in North Georgia.

Gavin Campbell, e-mail

A: I’m particularly fond of Christmas fern and autumn fern because they are evergreen. I like Southern shield fern because it is deciduous but very drought tolerant. Lady fern and cinnamon fern are great for damp areas. All do best in semi-shade.