Fall is in bloom - in MY fall garden! :o)

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Had to share my excitement with you all. I planted my fall garden this past weekend. As most of you know I live in South Florida. I planted pumpkins (yeah, I know it's late for that but I just wanted to see if I could get any to grow b/c we harvested these seeds from a pumpkin we were cleaning out to carve in 1995!!). I also planted beets, broccoli, carrots, cherry tomatoes, pole beans, cantaloupe, green peppers, peas, lima beans and onions (green bunching). Well, last night after work, I went out to water the garden and things are beginning to sprout already!! I'm so excited. Now if I can just get it to flourish. The pumpkins hadn't sprouted last night, but when I was out walking my dog before going to work this morning, I saw them! They had popped through the soil last night! It was still kinda dark out this morning, but I still saw them. Also, the beets, broccoli, pole beans lima beans and cantaloupe are poking through the soil.

On a bad note though, the ANTS are back. Someone posted someplace to sprinkle laundry detergent (powder) all over the garden but won't that harm the little seeds/seedlings and make the food (if I get them to that stage) harmful to eat? What is your best solution for ridding your garden of ants? I'm not fond of chemicals but want to use something that will work but not endanger the seeds, seedlings, plants or the food these plants will (hopefully) produce. Any help is appreciated. Thank you.

Blessings,

-- Greenthumbelina (sck8107@aol.com), October 17, 2001

Answers

I've heard to pour cornmeal down their holes. The cornmeal is nontoxic to us, but causes their insides to explode. Also, Boiling hot water poured down the anthills.

-- Ann Markson (tngreenacres@hotmail.com), October 17, 2001.

DE works for me, and it takes care of the other bugs you don't want, like rolly pollies and earwigs. One other way to control them is to take boric acid (youcan find it in any pet supply place in the flea control area) and jelly. You mix a little of the boric acid with the jelly, suck it up into some straws, stopping before you get to your mouth, of course, then cut the straws into 1" sections. You lay them along the trail of ants. They eat the jelly, and take some back to the nest. It will effectively kill the colony within a week. The trace amount of the acid will not harm any children or pets that may consume it. Most economical way I know to get rid of them.

-- Wendy Antes (phillips-anteswe@pendleton.usmc.mil), October 17, 2001.

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