Plant with purpose: Pest Control

Plant with purpose: Pest Control

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Anything I plant or attempt to grow must have a purpose, other than looking pretty. As a busy mom of two, and a side of extra farm/cattle hand, I don’t have the time or space to care for things that are just pretty. A good part of homesteading is being purposeful with your resources. Your time, your space, and in some places your water, are all valuable. Make sure you are using them the best you can. 

Is that useful?
Most of my plants and herbs have come from either (a) I sure use a lot of “x” I wonder if I can grow that in Nebraska instead of buying it. Or I heard (b) could be useful for “y” I wonder if I can grow that to have on hand, so I don’t have to rely on (c) when “y” happens. I would then look to see if growing whatever it was, was possible in Nebraska and if it was annual or perennial. Remember the time part? If it can come back year after year or readily reseed itself, I’m in! If it was an annual, can I trick it by bringing it inside, or take a cut of it to start next years plant from, or are the seeds easy to collect and get started? It’s not saving me much $$ if I constantly have to buy a new plant. 

I started with two main types of plants ones my family could eat or ones that repel bugs or snakes (I hate those). We spend a lot of time outside and I disliked putting bug spray on, so what plants do mosquitoes not like. 

Here is what I found for the pests
Citronella – It is related to geraniums, but has a much stronger scent, that is given off whenever the leaves are rustled. I love the smell of it and the misquotes hate it. This is a perennial in tropical regions, but not in Nebraska. If I ever build my greenhouse, I could move the large pots in for the winter and they might overwinter. 
The good news is you can start new plants from cuts. When the plant is in active growing stage take a cut and dip in water for 24 hours then stick in the wet soil. I have not successfully accomplished this though. The batch I had going good, my 2 ½ year old helper decided to pull them all up right before the killing frost. ☹ I will be trying again this year however, as these are the best but not very cheap to buy. 

Geraniums – much softer scent, but still repels mosquitoes. These are easier to bring inside over the winter, but they need warm and plenty of sunlight. 

Cat mint – I love this on and the butterflies do to! This one is super easy to grow and will fill its space. I have mine in an old mineral tub. It can take the full sun and dry of forgetful watering (I have seen the leaves start curling, soaked it and it came back)! The best part is it over winters even in a large pot. 

Lavender – so many uses for this! I have it right by my tack room door, not only for mosquitoes, but also its calming scent for nervous riders. This one is a perennial if you get the correct variety but will not do well in a pot overwinter.

Lemon balm – can be perennial in the warmer regions or if is in the ground. Bonus is you can also cook with this one! Use the leaves for tea or seasonings. 

Lemongrass – I have this one not for mosquitoes, but for snakes! This one is also a perennial in tropical regions. You are supposed to be able to take a part of I the plant root, soak it for 24 hours the plant in soft soil, and it will restart. I did not have luck last year. A few got started with a small root, but never matured enough to plant. 

Peppermint – This one is a must if you want to keep bugs, mice, snakes away from an area. Grow it in a contained area though because it will take over. It will come back year after year or at least reseed itself, even in a large pot or old stock tank, if you can keep the dogs from digging it up or smothering it. We have snakes everywhere at our house and one pot of this and the snakes avoided the front porch. I’m adding 4 pots this year to surround the garage door openings. Plus you have peppermint tea!

Marigolds – Many bugs don’t like the smell of these and will avoid them. I plant them around my garden and have seen a decrease in some of the common garden pests but misquotes don’t seem to care. These also readily re-seed!

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Where to start?

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The biggest hurdle for most people who want to be self sufficient, is how do I feed my family? Start with a little bit at a time. If you try to take on to much at one time, you burn yourself out. What does your family use? Herbs? Vegetables? Fruits? How much space do you have? Is it full sun or part shade? Are those plants able to grow in your climate zone? Do you need a greenhouse? What is your soil like? Does it need improved?

A simple gardening start is herbs. You can grow them in pots just off your porch or in a designated area in your yard. Think of what you use the most of: Oregano, basil, peppermint, parsley, rosemary, dill, cilantro, etc. If you have sunny windows you can even bring many of those pots inside in the winter and continue to harvest from them. Now choose to grow them instead of buying them! The herbs I listed are easy grow especially if you buy them as plants. Starting them from seed takes a bit more, but that is for another day…

Next the garden. What vegetables do you and your family enjoy? Grow them! Cucumbers are an easy one to grow but take up space. However, have them climb a fence or arch and you suddenly have way room! Tomatoes are also easy and do well with full sun. They are also versatile in preservation and so many uses! Spaghetti, salsa, simple sauce, soup, just to name a few. Peppers also do well in most gardens. Think what kind of peppers? Hot, sweet? What are you using them for? Fresh eating, cooking, as a spice? 

Choose a few more plants to try every year. Every year you will become more comfortable with the plants you have and will be ready for more. My aim is to grow all the vegetables we need for the entire year. My first garden (2014) I grew a few tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, cucumbers, pumpkin, and corn. I didn’t harvest a whole lot of the produce because the garden was planted late and the soil was terrible. That fall I cleaned the horse pen out right into the garden! That following year? The plants were healthy and very bountiful! Now I add a little horse poo every fall and my garden continues to expand. This year (2020) I have, tomatoes, sweet peppers, hot peppers, cucumbers, snap peas, green beans, carrots, radishes, lettuce, spinach, broccoli, onion, and garlic. My herbs are no longer just in the pots by the house but have their own area as well. 

The best plants I’ve found are heirloom varieties. You can find all sorts at Seed Savers! The flavor tends to be better and as a bonus the plants produce seeds that you can start next years plants from! 

The next few blogs are going to focus around planting with a purpose in mind.




As I've grown in  my journey as an entrepreneur, mom, gardener, and livestock owner, I struggled to find a planner that met my needs and kept me organized. So I MADE MY OWN. You can take a look at it on the link blow and buy it on amazon below
Don't want the whole calendar part? I got you! I pulled the gardening and animal care pages out and put them in a book all their own. 

Wanting a community to lean into? Join the FREE Helping Your Family Homestead for Food group! This community is for the Mommas, looking to stay home and raise their kids, but unsure how to keep everyone fed and make ends meet. I share tips from my journey from the office, to half the income and feeding my family from home, while maintaining good nourishing food. Tips include: gardening, bulk buying, caning,/preserving, livestock, homesteading, and home remedies. Your family is precious and this group is to help you gain the knowledge and tools to keep your family well and not reliant on outside professionals. Remedies and tips are easy and simple for the busy momma, time is precious after all, including pregnancy, birth, young kids, and illness. Trust your Momma gut again! This community offers the resources + community you need to help get started on your journey and prepare for whatever future you envision. 
 
Starting to garden doesn't have to be hard! I gathered all the tips I've learned over my gardening learning curve and made them into a simple course to jump start your gardening your life. 

I've had 3 very different pregnancies. After the first traumatic birth, I learned better and how to care for my body naturally and prevent common pregnancy and birth problems before they arise. This quick course will get you the tools you need to have a naturally healthy pregnancy, labor, and delivery. My first pregnancy I had a normal western medicine all the things pregnancy. My second? I flipped to completely natural, no medicine. Bonus: Preventing Preeclampsia Without the Aspirin & Healing from Birth Trauma
Supporting Your Family Naturally From the Inside Out community!! This community is for the Mommas, looking  to Support Your Family from Nature for Wellness. Tips range from nutrition, herbals, detoxing, natural cleaning, and essential oils. Basically all the things I’ve learned slowly over the past 5+ years if my journey. We have moved off Facebook, so to better serve our community and be able to discuss openly option for providing for your family in the best way possible.
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