The cold season is upon us, people!

Here’s a way to get some quick relief from that head cold that your ten year old brought home from school to share!

1.     Take two cloves of garlic and crush them into a stout coffee mug.

2.     Take two rose hips, either from your yard or purchased from the health food store, quarter them and add them to the garlic in the mug.

3.     Pour boiling water over all.

4.     Allow to steep 7 to 10 minutes.

5.     Using a spoon, remove the bits from your mug.

6.     Sweeten with honey and drink.

Many gardeners here in the Rogue Valley grow their own garlic and most of us have roses growing in our gardens.  In fact, there are so many wild roses growing out and about the rural areas of the valley that have not been sprayed that – with permission from the property owner – a person could realistically gather plenty to support a family through the cold season.

The back-story on garlic and rose hips:

Garlic has been promoted as having a plethora of health benefits.  Some are substantiated and some are not.  Three areas in which garlic’s benefits have been proven are:

Colds:   One of the most common ailments garlic has been touted to treat is the cold.  Upon the onset of the sniffles, many people testify that consuming a clove or more of garlic takes them away.  How can a clove of garlic possibly help?  Studies have shown that garlic extract improves immune function; giving our natural defense system a boost and helping it conserve the levels of antioxidants in our system. It is this strengthening of the immune system that aids in its support for other health related conditions.

Hypertension: Another heart benefit of garlic is its ability to help control blood pressure by thinning the blood. The chemical found in garlic, called ajoene, thins the blood and keeps clots from forming. Studies done with general populations have shown that where there is more garlic consumed in a population, there is also a reduced incidence of hypertension and heart disease.  Although garlic's heart healthy benefits may be new to some, for centuries Chinese herbalists have been using garlic to treat people with angina attacks and circulatory disorders.

Infection:  Since 1858 garlic has also been known for its anti-bacterial properties. At this time Louis Pasteur discovered that bacterial cells died when they were saturated with garlic. Other instances of garlic being used as an antibiotic in history include WW II, when British doctors used it to treat those wounded in battle.  Albert Schweitzer used garlic to treat typhus and cholera. Garlic is known to have not only antibacterial but antiviral and antifungal properties as well. It is effective against intestinal parasites, recurrent yeast infections and the growth Candida albicans is slowed by garlic. With this in mind, it should be considered only as an aid to antibiotics in fighting infections, as it is not enough to replace them. Garlic can help by stimulating T-cells that help fight infection.

People have been talking about rose hips tea for years.  When you think of roses, you probably think fragrance, beauty, softness, but how often do you think vitamin C, vascular system or capillaries?   During World War II, the English government organized the harvesting of all available rose hips to make vitamin C syrup, since fruits were virtually unattainable at the time. Rose hips are reported to have up to 60 percent more vitamin C than citrus fruit and are rich in bioflavonoids.  Bioflavonoids are important to build and strengthen body tissue. This in turn strengthens the vascular system.

Rose hips are taken by many today as a natural way to get vitamin C, vitamin E and vitamin K,  and help to prevent and treat various infections, especially colds and flu.  Rose hips are also taken to speed the healing process for bruises and skin irritations.  Inflammation and sore throat can find relief with rose hips, which come in capsule form and are usually taken 3 times daily. Women receive extra benefits from rose hips which help uterine cramps, heavy menstrual flow and some breast disorders.

In addition to vitamins C, E, and K, rose hips contain calcium, citric acid, iron, niacin,  phosphorus, tannin, vitamin A, B1, B2, and P. As a natural stimulant it gently allows movement of the bowels, as a diuretic rose hips helps cleanse the urinary system and as a tonic the rose hips strengthen organs and supports the immune system.

Stressed and tired? Rose hips will help. Nervousness? Try rose hips for relief. As a matter of fact, rose hips provide innumerable health benefits to the skin, the immune system and the urinary tract.  Studies have even shown that rose hips can help prevent the development of kidney stones and prevent diarrhea. Additional studies have proven rose hips are helpful to the circulatory system, respiratory system, the thymus gland and as a blood cleanser.

There are few side effects for most people who take rose hips. Some do complain of headache, heartburn, insomnia or nausea.  Most people have no issues or complaints with rose hips. 

Never attempt to replace any medicine with herbal or plant based remedies without talking to your doctor first.  Although rose hips have medical benefits, they are not a substitution for many prescribed treatments.

Rain, Halloween and Green Tomatoes

I was awakened at 3 this morning with a cat on my head and Bekah kicking me.  Every chance she gets, that girl will sleep in my bed.  I always said that she wouldn't be leaving for college still sleeping in my bed.  She's starting to scare me.

And Luna C. Kitten...You are DARLING, really you are, but those fish hooks and needles that are your claws and teeth?  I'm really not so enamored of this kitten at three in the morning.

I also learned it was raining when I finally gave up on sleep and got up for good at 3:45.  Raining on Halloween.    Lizzy did win a second place prize at the costume contest last night with her Marcel Marceau, but they are both looking forward to TOTing.  Even Bekx, at her "advanced" age.  We have plans, too.  One of Lizzy's friends, her mom and little sister are supposed to go with us.  Bekx is working on finding someone else to go since her friend got grounded at the last minute.  Really and truly a bummer, but I totally get the mom's position on why she felt it was necessary.

I was poking around the remnants of my garden yesterday, trying to make a decision about the tomatoes and wondering if the rain has ruined the hollyhock seed pods.  I have green tomatoes.  Lots of folks have green tomatoes still on the vine.  Over here, I wrote about how to dry them and how to store the dried 'maters:  
http://www.examiner.com/gardening-in-medford/wrapping-up-the-season . 

I remembered my Mama Grande making this for us as kids.  While I haven't quite figured out how to work around my red-dye-sensitive elder child and red jello (or artificially dyed red anything else for that matter...), I have fond memories of the faux raspberry jam she made with green tomatoes.  I don't have her exact recipe, and she's long gone now, but the method is still out there...

I know what you’re thinking and, while I may be certifiable in just about every other area in life, this is not one of them.  Jill Nicolaus from Dave’s Garden has provided the method and it’ll give you something entertaining to do with those last green tomatoes.

I’m sure that, with the recent threats of frost, you fled to the garden to save those last tomatoes.  Maybe you’ve got some set aside to slowly ripen.  Maybe you’ve been making fried green tomatoes, green tomato chutney and green tomato pickles.  Run out of ideas?  Round up your kids or grandkids – it’s time for something totally fun!

This jam is perfect to make with kids.  Three ingredients, no canning – just some chopping and stovetop cooking.  Be sure to gauge how much help your helpers are going to require.  Move a chair or step stool to the stove so they can reach for stirring.

Admittedly, “red raspberry” jam from green tomatoes likely won’t bring home a blue ribbon from the county fair compared to Mrs. Nesbit’s very best quality raspberry preserves.  However, the seeds give it an authentic look and the tang of the green tomatoes makes a nice counter to the sweetness.  A recipe attributed to Southern Living magazine reduces the amount of sugar to 1-1/2 cups and increases the amount of tomato to 2-1/2 cups.  I’ve heard that you can add a packet of unsweetened raspberry Kool Aid drink mix for extra zing.  For us, that red dye could be an issue, but moderation in all things is the key!

There’s an entertainment factor of epic proportion by transforming green tomatoes into something that tastes and looks like red raspberries.  Imagine the kick you and the kids will get out of revealing the “secret” of your homemade “raspberry” jam.  Imagine the kids giggling themselves silly attempting to explain to their dad that he’s just eaten a peanut butter and tomato sandwich!  Whether or not you have kids to help you, give this recipe a try.  Faux food recipes are not only tasty, but they’re really amusing to serve to unsuspecting guests.  You Red Hat Ladies – whip some of this “jam” up for one of your teas.  After all, it’s the right color! 

Green Tomato “Raspberry” Jam

2 cups minced green tomatoes

2 cups sugar

1 – 3 oz. Package red raspberry gelatin

Wash and stem or core the tomatoes and remove any bad spots.  Then dice or shred the tomatoes.  A food processor to roughly mince them also works well.

Put the tomatoes and sugar in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat.  Bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar and reduce the heat.  Simmer 20 minutes.  If you diced the tomatoes, cook them long enough so that they don’t look chunky anymore.

Add the raspberry gelatin and bring to a boil.  Now the jam is ready to be poured into clean jars.  This is not a shelf-stable recipe and you have to store it in the refrigerator or freezer.  This recipe makes about a pint and you can totally double it if you wish.

Well, it HAS been a year...

I know.  I'm pathetic.  I haven't updated this blog in forever.  I've been horrifically busy and - of course - 92 million other totally lame excuses for not checking in here.

After talking with someone earlier today about an article on winterizing roses and rose hips, it was pointed out that I should write about what to do with the hips - the teas, the oil, the boo-boo juice I put on the kid's scrapes.

Ah, but that's not gardening.  So would go the statement from my editor, I'm sure.  I can't OFFICIALLY write about homemade botanicals or food and I find that odd.  Aren't these two thing intrinsically tied to gardening?  WELL, SURE THEY ARE!!!  If you're growing callendula to make a healing oil, and you're sharing how to get the best and biggest blooms, why isn't it also OK to tell how to make that oil.  (Which is great as a barrier for diaper rash, by the way.)

So - I'm taking to my blog and I'm gonna talk about everything (except politics and religion - I'm kind of offensive when I start ranting about either of those!).

There's so much in this big wide world - Great food, a fun craft here and there - maybe with something you've found or grown in your yard, some silly movie I saw that made me laugh, or even how to make a balm to save your feet from turning into camel claws this winter - Dude - I'm gonna share it. 

Nyah nyah!

I can't believe it's been so long...

since I've blogged here. Granted, since my editor decided that my posting my articles here before I sent them to her was something with which she did not agree - including, but not limited to, her telling me to take down this blog - I have limited time to devote to an extra article for the blog. I really need an extra six working hours a day. Who needs sleep, anyway?

Time has once again galloped along at a rate that I’m starting to find ... horrifying. It seems like just recently I was writing about fall clean up. Then it was winter, not being able to get to work due to the snow on the roads, building snow families on the back deck and gallons of hot chocolate. Spring and summer have come and gone – again – in seemingly the blink of an eye. We had some frost last Wednesday; not bad – didn’t kill the last straggling tomatoes or the watermelon that JUST WON’T GET RIPE – but frost all the same.

Conversations have turned from summer clothes and swimming in the river to how much snow we might get this winter and “Do you think Father Christmas could bring me a rad snowboard for Yule?”

The garden is not excluded from this either, you know. I’ve been thinking about the bags of shredded paper I’ve stockpiled from the paper shredder at work to mulch into the soil before it freezes. I’ve considered tilling and then covering with newspaper to kill off the weeds in the areas I’m wanting to use next spring. I’ve been wondering who made off with my garden cart and who I’m going to have to kill to get it back.

I’ve also been thinking about gourds…I grew some and it’s high time I did something with them.

Nothing really sets the mood for fall like gourds and Indian corn and pumpkins. Gourds are so cool and you can do a ton of things with them. Birds like them for housing, when they’re dried out with an appropriate hole cut into them for easy access.

Here’s what YOU can do so you can use them for fall decorating:

Harvest them when the stem is try but before the first serious frost invades. Cut them from the vine with a few inches of stem intact.

Wash and disinfect the gourds with either a diluted bleach solution (1 tsp. of bleach in a gallon of water) or white vinegar, water and grapefruit seed extract.

Gently dry with a cloth. Place your gourds on layers of newspaper in a warm and well-ventilated area (like the laundry room). Don’t put them in direct sunlight as this will fade the colors. And be careful not to scratch or bruise the tender skin.

Turn your gourds regularly and replace any newspaper the becomes damp with fresh, dry paper. Curing a gourd can take one to six months, so be prepared for your gourds to practically become members of the family – only members who eat a whole lot less than the human ones!

The skin of a gourd will take about a week to harden on the outside but will take at least a month to dry out on the inside.

When you shake the gourd and hear those seeds rattling around inside, it’s done. You can then apply wax, varnish or paint, cut a hole in it and get the seeds out, leave them whole for decorating or a variety of other crafts that you can easily locate through Bing or Google.

Happy Gourding!!

Staying green...

Procrastination is generally not a good thing, but when it comes to your lawn in the summertime, a little bit can be a good thing. So says the turf grass specialists at Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.

Summer lawn care and maintenance knowledge will make the difference between a lush, healthy law – just begging to be tip-toed through with bare feet – and a scraggly brown one. Grasses usually go into a state of semi-dormancy and are vulnerable to disturbance.

There are a number of things to look at with summer lawn care:

Fertilizer –
Fertilizing is one of the best lawn maintenance choices you can make. Misusing it will make things turn really ugly, really fast. Using a fertilizer that is higher in nitrogen may be a good thing in the fall or the spring, but in the summer, when the only cooler place is on the sun, you can burn the daylights out of your lawn. Go for a slow-release fertilizer with lower nitrogen for this time of the year and carefully follow the instructions for use. You might even want to forgo fertilizing at all until the season starts to cool off and head into fall.

Water –
One of the most common issues seen with summer lawn care is NOT ENOUGH WATER. You may be watering as you normally do, but remember – it’s summer – water evaporates much more quickly than other times of the year. Water your lawn until the moisture has penetrated the soil to around six inches. Also, consider increasing the number of times per week you turn on the sprinklers. Whatever you do, don’t let your lawn turn brown and then water them back to a green condition. This depletes energy reserves and stresses out the plants. A wise garden writer said in print recently, “Yes, grasses are plants, too.” Keep in mind that they need the same care as other plants in your garden. Water as early in the day as possible.


Yard Toys –
My kids bugged and bugged for a Slip N Slide. While I am generally not the mom to deny her kids summer fun – and I didn’t – I am a bit of a psycho (hey, now!) about them not leaving their stuff all over the lawn. That Slip N Slide (or tarp or whatever they’re covering your lawn with) will get smothered by that hot plastic. Of course, if you’re setting up a pool, it’s just not practical to tear it down and set it up. I’ve given instructions for repairing those spots in the past and may do so again in the fall, but the other stuff? Don’t leave that tarp or Slip N Slide laying around if the kidlets aren’t using them. No reason to damage your lawn when you’re doing all this work to keep it lush.

Mowing –
Mowing height adjustment is probably the most important practice in preparation for hot weather. Don’t mow ANY LOWER than three inches, even a little longer wouldn’t hurt. Lawns allowed to exist at this higher level will usually develop deeper roots and dry out more slowly than closely mowed grass. As the summer gets hotter and drier, the growth of your lawn should slow somewhat.

Other lawn care practices –
Avoid seeding, thatch control and the application of weed killers (including “weed and feed” if you use that type of product) until later in the season. September is a much better time for those things.

Mower Maintenance –
If you own your own mower, there are a few things you should do to take care of and insure the life of your mower. After each mowing, wait until the engine cools and then hose off the clippings and grass debris that may be clinging to the underside of the mower deck. Be sure to make sure that you have disconnected the spark plug cable prior to cleaning. Reconnect it afterwards.

It’s a good idea to sharpen, or have sharpened, the blades of your mower once a month or every six weeks. If you mow more than 4 times a month or happen to run over lots of rocks and debris, definitely once a month. Sharp mower blades are perhaps the one most important thing to focus on with your mower. Aside from the damage that dull blades will cause on your lawn, you could use up to 20% more fuel and you could spend a lot more time mowing that would ordinarily be required with sharp blades.

Always remember when reinstalling your blades that the sharp cutting edges of the blade should be facing down, not up! Most mulching blades are twisted, so make sure that the sharp end is facing toward the ground.

At the end of the season, don’t just put your mower away – prepare it first. Drain the fuel. Be sure to disconnect your spark plug prior to draining. By draining the fuel from your mower, you are preventing the remaining fuel from aging and potentially going bad inside your mower engine and carburetor.

Once the fuel has been drained, reconnect the spark plug wire and run the engine until it burns all the remaining fuel and runs out of gas.

Most mowers have instructions for putting your mower up for the season. If you still have the manual, follow those instructions.

Once spring rolls around again, bring your mower out of hibernation. If you’re not mechanically inclined, drag that mower to a shop to have it serviced.

If you’re up to doing this on your own, here are the few things you should do to get your mower ready for the season

Change the oil in the mower. If your mower has a two-stroke engine, oil is already mixed into the fuel and you can skip this step. Smaller, gas powered four-stroke engines will use 30 weight oil. Check the owner’s manual.

Replace the spark plug. These can fowl out and should be replaced at least once a year.

If your mower has a fuel filter, this should be replaced as well.

Replace the air filter. Your motor will need to breathe and if you kick up a lot of dust and debris while mowing, your filter could be choking your engine and it won’t function properly.

If there are issues with the way in which your mower runs, you may want to consider taking it in to a service shop.

With good cultural practices and mower maintenance, lawn care – all the way around – can be easily accomplished and extremely rewarding. Good luck through the rest of the summer and don’t forget to take care of yourself in this heat. Wear a hat and some sunscreen and be sure to drink lots of water if you’re going to be out in this heat for any length of time.

Summer Mish Mash

I’ve got a little bit of this and a little bit of that to talk about.

I’m hearing a lot about moles and gophers this year. A lot. I even have my own not insignificant issues with moles. I’ve got mole plant. I’ve got castor bean plant. But the best thing I’ve found for moles? A cat. My family presented me with a large, orange and white tom cat, rescued from the Siskiyou Human Society (they work with Petsmart). He’s a fabulous cat. Loves the kids, absolutely LOVES the dog. Last night, I went on the hunt for the cat and found him sitting quietly in the side yard, about 18 inches from a mole hole in action. Watching him, I could tell that he could sense, or perhaps hear, the varmints under the ground. While he didn’t nab himself a mole last night, I know that it’s on his agenda and that nasty, large mole will be dispatched in short order shortly. Got moles? Rescue a cat.

I’m also hearing a lot about a variety of mysterious pests this year. Folks finding plants with lacified leaves and no clue as to what’s doing it. Today, we’re a lot more aware of the need to protect our environment and keep the use of poisons to a minimum. The days of flinging about clouds of dust and spraying everything that moves are on the way out. Organic and biological controls are the wave we are riding right now, and the wave we’ll continue to ride in the future.

Most garden pests have natural predators, but we don’t always have them waiting in our gardens for aphids to show up. I have yet to see a praying mantis hanging about, rubbing her front claws together, saying, “Oh boy, I can’t wait for the squash bugs to hatch!” There are things we can do to draw them into our landscape, but – more often than not – its mail order that puts the beneficial insects and nematodes where we need them. Ladybug Indoor Gardens in Jacksonville can provide pest identification, excellent advice and is an outlet for every kind of beneficial insect that would help you out with your pest problems. Diatomaceous earth will help with a myriad of garden pests, but you want the kind NOT meant for pool filters. Tiny fossils in the diatomaceous earth put minute scratches in the exoskeletons of the pest that walk over it and they wind up dehydrating. Think about a trip to Ladybug Gardens for perhaps no other reason than education. They’re really nice there, as well.

Let’s talk about nuts. I don’t mean your crazy friends, people from California or certain family members. I’m talking about hazel nuts, cashews, almonds and the kind. Little nuts. Most nut trees are too large to grow more than maybe one or two in the home orchard.

The dwarf Siberian pine bears edible pine nuts and grows to only around 9 feet tall. Some hazelnuts are actually more of a bush and work for a crackerjack hedge. There are hybrid nut trees that will produce in as little as 3 years, whereas the larger walnuts and butternuts can take up to ten years to bear fruit. The purple leaf filbert is a smaller hedge bush and you would need two of these. Purple leaf filberts grow to 8 feet or so.

Almonds are a stone fruit like peaches, only you eat the nut. When selecting an almond variety, be sure to either choose a self-pollinator or plant two trees. You will also have to encourage honey bees to come to your yard and orchard if you’re going the cross-pollination route. If you want honey bees to frequent you yard and orchard, stay away from pesticides. We need to do all we can to support the honeybee. No bees = no food. Hive collapse is more serious than any of us really knows, far reaching with an impact that is mind boggling. But I digress…

I would recommend staying away from cashews unless you are in an area that doesn’t frost. They are very susceptible.

Pistachios are actually a fairly large tree; 20 feet or so and you need two of them for production. They need a lot of water, but they also need really good drainage.

There are lots of different nut producing pines. Popular varieties are Siberian, Korean, Italian Stone and Chilgoza pine as well as several types of pinyon, including the Colorado pinyon. The Korean Nut Pine is very hardy, does well in our clay soil, is resistant to white pine blister rust and is a slow grower. A number of the edible pine nut trees are also very nice as ornamentals.

Other nut trees to consider might be the chinquapin, which is similar to a chestnut and of which you would need two for pollination. The ginkgo, also known as the maidenhair tree, which is not a small tree, but at lovely for cooking and eating, have well known health benefits and are one of the few nut trees not affected by pests or disease.

The monkey-puzzle tree is as beautiful and unusual as it is practical. The nuts are about two inches long and grow on a large cone. You can get as many as 250 nuts out of one cone. You can roast them and eat them like chestnuts or grind them and use them as flour, among other things. Monkey-puzzles are evergreen and will require a male and a female in order to produce.

Is anyone thinking about what to do with the bounty we’re starting to see in the Rogue Valley gardens? Once you’ve taken care of your family, perhaps given some back to the community with that extra row or two you planted this spring, what then? If you’re like me, you’re probably overrun with tomatoes. Don’t have time for traditional “putting up” of the harvest? Try a dehydrator. Dry your sliced tomatoes, then pack them in pretty jars layered with basil and garlic and filled with a good olive oil. Pizza topping in a jar. And makes a great Hostess or Holiday gift. Aside from the fact that you may find that you eat it all before the Holidays roll around, of course.

There are lots of dehydrators on the market ranging in price from $50 to $500. If you really believe that you need a new one, perhaps rallying a few friends to go in together on one and everyone takes turns using it. Other options for finding a dehydrator would be thrift stores, the internet to check out Craigslist or even Freecycle (see http://www.freecycle.org for a group in our area) as well as the ever-popular garage sale.

Since most of us are drying fruits, tomatoes, peppers and other produce, the circular, tower style should work just fine. If it’s jerky you’re after, you really do want something with a thermostatic control. They’re usually square and have forced hot air that comes from the rear of the unit across the trays. The square trays are a lot easier to deal with if you’re making fruit leathers since you won’t have that hole in the middle of the tray to contend with.

The summer is progressing; we’re all spending time weeding and hovering over gardens waiting for our first fruits to ripen. I had the first few tomatoes this week along with some lovely sautéed onions and peppers on a turkey burger with a nice, melty Jarlsberg cheese and tomato. Before too long, we’ll all be swimming in produce. Some of us are already sowing our second round of some things while others are already pondering the winter garden. Still others are trying to figure out how to convert their entire garden to square-foot gardening and how many shitake-inoculated oak logs can be stuffed under their porch. Later summer means something different in every garden and to every gardener. And all of it bears with it a certain amount of fun and magic.

They're at it again...

The burrowing vermin. I loathe them with the heat of a thousand suns. At our old residence, we had them, but they rather limited themselves to the side yard where no one gardened and no one ever went, except the dog who would participate in epic excavation efforts. We figured it kept her out of trouble and gave her some exercise.

Now, though, I’m finding what I suspect are pocket gophers burrowing everywhere. Along the front pad of our front patio one evening, I could see the ground undulating with the creature’s progress. Attempts to capture and dispatch this particular little troll were brutally rebuffed and we were left with an empty shovel and no furry sojourner.

Seriously, they’re driving me mad! While I’m not near the point of blasting craters in my yard with a shotgun (yet), I have reached the point of pondering my mental health (no comments from the peanut gallery or my family, please) as a result of my attempts to rid my yard of burrowing vermin.

I’ve been told about and tried a lot of different things. Flooding the runs with water. Perhaps I should offer soap as well, since they seem to enjoy this. Gopher bombs? Hmph. Insert your favorite 420 joke here. I think they like it. It’s probably a big ol’ gopher party down there every time I set one off. Sonic gopher spikes. Well, yesterday morning there was a gopher mound literally RIGHT NEXT TO the fancy solar spike that was brought to me with pride, since it was on sale and didn’t require batteries. RIGHT NEXT TO IT. Yaaaaah!

I even forced a friend to drive me out to Gold Hill in search of Euphorbia lathyris, commonly known as Caper Spurge or Mole Plant. Truth be told, I actually thought I was looking for Castor Bean Plant (ricinus communis), and had to drive back and forth several time before I found “a weedy looking plant that had just set seed pods”. What I found was Mole Plant, when I was looking for the large, distinct leaves of the Castor Bean. Sigh. So, I leaped out of the truck, whacked off several hands-full and stuffed them in a bucket. Thus far, my attempts to root them are not working so well, but I suspect that I will – at least – get some seeds with which I can infest my yard.

Euphorbia lathyris, commonly known as Mole Plant, is an annual with opposite, lance shaped leaves which is often grown as an ornamental plant. It’s not really “weedy” looking, as I stated above. It’s somewhat attractive and interesting looking. Caper Spurge, as it is also known (and spurge is so much more fun to say) does occasionally occur as a weed on roadsides (like the ones I was directed to – Thank YOU, Russell!) and pastures. I’m finding that this is not all that common. Toward the top of the plant the leaves change into a triangular shape and have a conspicuous white vein in the center. When you break one of these plants, a sticky, white sap comes out. The flowers are fairly inconspicuous and will occur on the upper portions of the plant, yellow in color. The seed pods are roundish and appear to be in three sections, put together. It’s those seeds that I’m really after! Supposedly, it’s the roots and the seeds that are noxious to gophers. Mole Plant doesn’t kill them – They just go away. At this point, I’d be OK with dead gophers, but disappearing gophers would be cause for celebration. Careful with this plant – it is said to be poisonous.

Unlike the Castor Bean, these plants grow about four feet tall, but take up the space of about one foot in diameter, like a tower. They self seed when the plant falls over from drying out in the fall. I’ve heard that folks have been successful growing it with soil that is hard, high clay content, with minimal watering even through hot, dry summers.

With regard to Castor Bean, which I personally am going to try in my quest to rid my yard of varmints, it is a big, attractive, fast growing plant with huge exotic looking leaves. I found seeds from my favorite online shopping source and got three different colors. I have LOTS of varmints.

Castor Bean can be sown directly outdoors or started 6 to 8 weeks before the last average frost date indoors. They can also be planted just about any other time when frost isn’t an issue. Soak your seeds for 24 hours in warm water, then plant about an inch deep. Plant them outdoors in full sun. Castor Beans like rich, well drained soil, so dig in a few spades full of compost into the soil where you’ll be planting. Keep the soil evenly moist and mulch well. As your Castor Bean blooms, you can deadhead unless you are thinking to gather beans for future planting. In that case, you’ll want to let the seed pods form and gather them up. Fertilize with a good organic fertilizer every four to six weeks. Castor Bean gets big, fast. You may need to stake your plants. They’ll need plenty of space, so keep this in mind when planting or plan on doing lots of pruning otherwise. Tear out and discard the plants when frost gets them in the fall. If you’re in one of the warmer areas, you could treat it as a perennial, cutting it back and mulching heavily for over-wintering.

Both the Mole Plant and Castor Bean are said to be poisonous. I researched this and found a wide range of opinion on toxicity. I have also found it said that poinsettia is poisonous, but have been unable to locate any reports of death to humans or animals. Best to err on the side of caution and keep small children and livestock away from your Castor Beans. Deer do not eat Castor Bean.

Getting back to the varmints…

The other methods for getting rid of moles and gophers include traps with such medieval monikers as “scissor” traps, “choker” traps and “harpoon” traps. Nice. There are also live traps, but that begs the question of what to do with the varmint once you catch it.

I’ve read of a method, with no testimony to back it up, of opening a number of varmint tunnels, pouring in a baby food jar full of gasoline into each, waiting a bit for the fumes to flood the tunnels and then lighting the tunnels. Definitely not ecologically sound and rather brings to mind crowds of adolescent boys having a lark.

Daffodils, squill, anything in the allium (onion/garlic family), Mexican marigolds and fritillaria are all said to repel varmints. My varmints actually like squill, I think. Probably with a nice vinaigrette. Your mileage may vary. And you may wind up growing ONLY those things, if you’re really infested with a subterranean invasion.

I’ve heard that gum of the Juicy Fruit variety will kill varmints. Now that we’ve spent something equaling the National deficit on gum and fumigator bombs, I think I can categorically state that somewhere there’s a gopher who could be the world bubble blowing champion if only they’d let him into the contest. As for the bombs, again, insert your favorite 420 joke here. I bought castor oil, thinking that if they didn’t like the plant, how could they like the oil? Aside from the fact that it does not come in the convenient 50 gallon drum, I suspect that the varmints are moisturizing with it.

Hair clippings from the salon? Um, don’t think so. They may have taken up weaving rugs and blanket for their dens, because it sure isn’t killing them or driving them away. Used cat litter? My dog is having a field day with that one. M-80’s? I heard my neighbor using them, but they still have moles. And craters.

Of course, with the number of Dachshunds in Rogue River, you could probably find someone who would bring the little rodent-wieners to your house to excavate the vermin, but do you really want you yard dug up like that? I don’t.

So, with great sighing, eye rolling and the wringing of hands, I’m closing this week with the request for any suggestions for gopher removal, destruction or repellant. I’d love to hear it. In the meantime, I’m waiting on my Castor Bean seeds…