A healthy garden attracts all kinds of pests—raccoons, rabbits, beetles, to name just a few. We’ve compiled a list of 22 tried-and-true strategies to combat them without the use of harsh pesticides.
Banish Japanese Beetles with Garden Lime
Dust green beans with garden lime to repel Japanese beetles.
Use Food-Grade Diatomaceous Earth
Food-Grade diatomaceous earth acts as a natural, abrasive barrier to crawling insects like stinkbugs. Sprinkle food-grade diatomaceous earth beneath growing watermelon, cantaloupe, squash, and all fruits and vegetables resting on the ground, as well as on plant leaves.
Adios, Aphids
Aphids and grasshoppers can wreak havoc in flowerbeds and vegetable gardens. Try this: blend 2-4 hot peppers, 1 mild green pepper, and 1 small onion, and a one-quart jar of water. Pour mixture into a spray bottle and apply as needed.
Want to repel deer, raccoon, skunk? Click the link below.
Roses are red, violets are blue and they have also earned top honors being named Plant of the Year by the International Herb Association. Every year, the association selects plants that are considered outstanding for decorative, culinary, or medicinal use. This year, they have selected Viola, a genus of flowering plants.
With their brightly-colored blooms that resemble cheerful faces peeking out of the foliage, Violas make a great addition to any early-season container or garden plantings. Blooms can be found in a variety of colors, including solids, bicolor, and mixes.
In the language of flowers, a common practice in the Victorian era that allowed messages and emotions to be shared with others, Violas symbolize thoughts filled with love. It is also the birth flower of those born in February.
Members of the genus Viola – including pansies, violets, and Johnny jump ups – are cool-season plants that grow best in spring and fall. They should be planted in areas with morning sun and moist, well-drained soils. As the weather warms in late May and June, many cool-season plants will fade out and stop blooming but can be moved to a cool, shady place in the garden to extend their growing season.
Violas are also great for pollinators. These cool-season annuals supply early spring pollinators with much-needed nectar.
In early March, pollinators emerge looking for food sources to survive. There are very few flowering plants at that time, except spring-blooming bulbs like grape hyacinth and crocus. Planting cool-season annuals provide an important addition to their spring diet. Johnny jump up flowers even have thin dark stripes that serve as guides for the pollinators to find nectar as they visit the flowers and pollinate other flowering plants by transferring pollen.
When planting Violas in spring or fall containers, add interesting twigs, like birch, contorted filbert, or curly willow to the center of containers. These elements add height and interest to the arrangement of low-growing flowers. If planting these annuals in-ground, group them in large masses to create waves of color amongst shrubs, ornamental grasses, or perennials.
An added bonus to including pansies or violets in the garden is that the flowers can be harvested and added as a colorful edible garnish to soups, salads, and desserts. They can also be candied for a sweet treat. If you plan on eating the flowers, raise them without chemical treatment.
Past International Herb Association Plants of the Year to also consider planting in your garden are parsley (Petroselinum), anise hyssop (Agastache ssp.), coriander/cilantro (Coriandrum sativum), and savory (Saturea ssp.).
By Horticulture Educator Brittnay Haag
Source: Gardeners Corner Summer 2022: University of Illinois Extension
Get to your gate quicker by knowing what TSA looks for. To help, we rounded up the items, substances, and packing strategies (or lack thereof) that are getting your luggage flagged by the TSA, causing your things to be tossed at security checkpoints or simply adding time to this not-so-fun part of your travel experience
Liquids, gels, and pastes (including toothpaste) can’t exceed one 3.4-ounce container each (aside from these 12 items), per the TSA. Consumables must also comply with the rule if you’re carrying your luggage on board, however they can be packed in any quantities in checked luggage. All of these must fit into a one-quart bag (again, this is only for carry-ons). Only one bag is allowed per traveler. Exceptions include baby formula, medications, and other items for special-needs travelers.
Liquid medications
You’re allowed to bring clearly labeled prescriptions in your carry-on, per the TSA, which you should always do, just in case your other luggage gets lost or delayed. Additionally, you can bring medication in liquid form that’s more than 3.4 ounces—and you don’t even need to put it into a resealable bag, unlike other liquids. However, you must tell the TSA officer that you have these medically necessary liquids before your search, as they will likely require additional screening.
Wrapped gifts
This is the worst: You spent hours perfectly wrapping presents, only for TSA officers to rip through them at security. To avoid this miserable situation, they recommend simply popping your gifts into gift bags or gift boxes so they can be easily checked, or keeping them unwrapped for now and bringing the wrapping paper with you.
Whether you started your first garden this year or are a veteran grower, we’re coming up on the heart of harvest season. One of the advantages of homegrown vegetables is that you can harvest produce at its peak quality and flavor.
But knowing when to harvest a crop can be difficult, especially if it’s your first time growing it.
Photo by Ken Johnson.
General Harvest Tips
Harvest in the morning: Almost all vegetables are best when harvested early in the morning. If you can’t harvest in the morning, keep produce out of direct sunlight and cool as soon as possible.
Harvest when plants are dry: When it comes time to harvest your vegetables, make sure plants are dry. If you harvest while plants are wet, you risk spreading diseases. It’s also important to handle plants with care and avoid damaging them.
Use pruners: Damaged areas can provide openings for diseases to enter. If the vegetables you are trying to harvest don’t easily come off, cut them off with a knife or pruners to avoid damaging the plant.
Snap or green beans should be picked when the pods are fully grown but before the seeds have started to get large. The beans should be crisp and snap easily. When picking, break off the stem above the cap and harvest frequently.
Cucumbers should be harvested before their skin turns yellow and the seeds become hard. The size of the cucumber will vary depending on the type. Pickling cucumbers are usually picked when they are between 2 and 6 inches long. Slicing pickles should be picked at 6 to 8 inches long and burpless should be 1 to 1½ inches in diameter and up to 10 inches long. Cucumbers develop quickly, so plants may need to be checked every other day.
Peppers can be harvested at any size. Green bell peppers are typically picked when they are mature and about 3 to 4 inches long, firm, and green. If you are growing colored bell peppers, wait until the fruits change color. One way to tell if the fruit is mature is that they will easily break off of plants when picked. Hot peppers can also be picked at any stage but are typically picked when fully ripe. The mature color of the fruit will be different depending on the variety.
Summer squash (straightneck, crookneck, or zucchini) should be harvested when they are small and tender. Pick when the fruits are 2 inches or less in diameter and 6 to 8 inches long. “When growing conditions are favorable, you may need to harvest every other day or daily,” Johnson says.
Winter squash (acorn, butternut, pumpkins) can be harvested when the fruits have turned a deep, solid color, no longer have a glossy appearance, and the rind is hard. Leave at least 2 inches of stem attached and harvest all squash before heavy frosts arrive.
Tomatoes are at their best quality when allowed to ripen on the vine. Tomatoes should be firm and fully colored. During hot conditions, 90°F, tomatoes will quickly soften, and color development is reduced. During these conditions, pick tomatoes when they begin to develop color and ripen them indoors. If plants still have fruit on them in fall, you can harvest mature green fruit before the first frost and ripen them indoors.
Source: By Horticulture Educator Ken Johnson Gardeners Corner Summer 2022: University of Illinois Extension
A recommendation form Lauren Conrad on The Easiest Houseplants to Keep Alive would probably be very helpful. This infographic will fill you in on some of the details. I can speak firsthand that I have yet to kill a Jade Plant…
Thanks to: Keep Your Indoor Plants Alive With This Valuable Information! – The Cottage Market
The free streaming hub is hosting classic movies, such as “Fight Club,” “Bridesmaids,” “Speed,” “Pretty Woman,” and “Tombstone.” However, the Roku Channel also is bringing beloved TV series including “Arrested Development,” “Will & Grace,” “2 Broke Girls,” and more.
Coming to Roku Channel in June:
Iconic Movies
American Sniper
Apache Junction (Exclusive 6/24)
Bridesmaids
Cast Away
Fifty Shades Darker
Fifty Shades Freed
Fifty Shades of Grey
Fight Club
Goosebumps (Exclusive)
Independence Day
Juno
Meet the Browns
Napoleon Dynamite
Pretty Women
Pups Alone (Exclusive 6/30)
Signs
Speed
Taken
The Descendants
The Expendables
The Expendables 3
The Karate Kid (2010)
The Maze Runner
The Transporter
The Waterboy
Tombstone
Rom-Coms
Dear John
Life As We Know It
How Do You Know
McLeod’s Daughter’s
Music and Lyrics
One for the Money
Step Up: All In
The Fault in Our Stars
Cult-Comedies
Agua Donkeys
Die Hart
Dummy
Children Ruin Everything
Legally Blonde
Reno 911! Defunded
Shrek
The Now
This Joka
TV Series
Arrested Development
Billy on the Street
Hernan (Exclusive)
My Name Is Earl
Punk’d
Undercover Boss
UnReal
Will & Grace
Weeds
2 Broke Girls
The Roku Channel is a free live TV streaming service that provides 270+ live linear streaming channels and more than 80,000 free movies and TV shows. The library contains entertainment from several different decades, including some major hits.
Source: What’s Coming to Roku Channel in June 2022, Including ‘Napoleon Dynamite,’ ‘Independence Day,’ ‘Fight Club’ – The Streamable
It’s time for another rundown of what’s set to leave Netflix over the next month. Netflix gains and loses content constantly. so it’s down to you to make sure you catch things before they leave.
The big removal for Netflix US in June 2022 so far is undoubtedly the beloved British series, Downton Abbey. We’ll be seeing all six seasons leave on the first of the month.
What’s Leaving Netflix on June 1st, 2022
A Cinderella Story (2004)
A Perfect Ending (2012)
Aashik Awara (1993)
Amelia: A Tale of Two Sisters (2017)
And Then Came Lola (2009)
Bad Blood (2019) – Netflix Original Removal
Battleship (2012)
Bill Burr: You People Are All the Same (2018) – Netflix Original Removal
Blade (1998)
Blade II (2002)
Blade: Trinity (2004)
Body of Lies (2008)
Chloe (2009)
Closer (2004)
Cloudburst (2011)
Company of Heroes (2013)
Coach Carter (2005)
Dennis the Menace (1993)
Downton Abbey (Series 1-6)
Dream/Killer (2015)
Extraction (2015)
Felon (2008)
Final Destination 3 (2006)
Final Destination 5 (2011)
Free Willy (1993)
Hall Pass (2011)
Happy Feet (2006)
Hairspray
Happy Endings (Seasons 1-3)
How to Stage a Coup (2017)
I Am Sam (2001)
I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998)
Jackie: A Tale of Two Sisters (2017)
Lens (2015)
March Comes in Like a Lion (2017)
Material (2012)
Maya Memsaab (1992)
Megalobox (2018)
Michael Lost and Found (2015)
Monster-in-Law (2005)
Mosquita y Mari (2012)
New Year’s Eve (2011)
Oh Darling Yeh Hai India (1995)
Pedal the World (2015)
Pet Sematary (1989)
Population 436 (2006)
Prince (1969)
Qila (1998)
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)
Shooter (2007)
Smoke & Mirrors (2016)
Sniper: Legacy (2014)
Stardust (2007)
Sucker Punch (2011)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2007)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie (1990)
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
Terminator Salvation (2009)
Tottaa Pataaka Item Maal (2018)
The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
The Blind Side
The Devil’s Advocate (1997)
The Disaster Artist (2017)
The Final Destination (2009)
The Girl King (2015)
The Mask of Zorro (1998)
The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996)
The Mitfords: A Tale of Two Sisters (2017)
The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)
Top Gun (1986)
Warrior (2011)
Wild Things (1998)
World Trade Center (2006)
Zoolander (2001)
What’s Leaving Netflix on June 2nd
Alone (1 Season)
Lady Bird (2017)
What’s Leaving Netflix on June 3rd
Documentary Now! (Seasons 1-3)
What’s Leaving Netflix on June 5th
The Night Clerk (2020)
What’s Leaving Netflix on June 6th
Vampire Academy (2014)
What’s Leaving Netflix on June 7th
The Night Shift (Seasons 1-4)
What’s Leaving Netflix on June 10th
A Haunted House 2 (2014)
The Witch: Part 1 – The Subversion (2018)
What’s Leaving Netflix on June 11th
28 Moons (Season 1)
Magic Phone (Season 1)
Man to Man (Season 1) – Netflix Original Removal
My Little Baby (Season 1)
Singles Villa (Season 1)
Under the Black Moonlight (Season 1)
What’s Leaving Netflix on June 13th
4th Republic (2019)
What’s Leaving Netflix on June 14th
Kanavu Variyam (2017)
What’s Leaving Netflix on June 15th
Charité (Season 1) – Netflix Original Removal
Charité at War (Season 1) – Netflix Original Removal
Fate/Zero (Seasons 1-2)
Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce (Seasons 1-5)
Kill la Kill (Season 1)
Madoka Magica (Season 1)
The American Bible Challenge (Season 3)
The Chase (Seasons 3 & 4)
What’s Leaving Netflix on June 18th
Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
What’s Leaving Netflix on June 24th
Reign (Seasons 1-4)
What’s Leaving Netflix on June 30th
Criminal Minds (Seasons 1-10)
Look ahead to July 1st, Netflix is set to lose all four seasons of The Originals.
The Umbrella Academy returns to Netflix in June. Netflix
We’re heading into June and Netflix is having a relatively quiet month. There’s nothing on the level of Stranger Things releasing in June, but we will see the return of The Umbrella Academy. The show’s third season drops on June 22.
US audiences will also get to see the finale of Peaky Blinders, with the sixth and final season of the show hitting Netflix on June 10.
June 1
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Dear John
Dumb and Dumber
Edge of Seventeen
Eraser
His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass
Lean on Me
Léon: The Professional
Life as We Know It
Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
Mission: Impossible II
Mr Bean’s Holiday
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
Soul Plane
Steel Magnolias
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Boy
The Departed
The Fighter
The Girl Next Door
The Hurt Locker
The Players Club
Titanic
Troy
Vegas Vacation
We Are Marshall
June 2
Borgen – Power & Glory
The DUFF
Yuri Marçal: Honest Mistake
June 3
As the Crow Flies
Floor Is Lava: Season 2
Interceptor
Mr. Good: Cop or Crook?
The Perfect Mother
Surviving Summer
Two Summers
June 5
Straight Up
June 6
Action Pack: Season 2
Bill Burr Presents: Friends Who Kill
June 7
That’s My Time with David Letterman
June 8
Baby Fever
Gladbeck: The Hostage Crisis
Hustle
Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey
June 9
Rhythm + Flow France
Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration
June 10
Chickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness
Closet Monster
Dirty Daddy: The Bob Saget Tribute
First Kill
Intimacy
Peaky Blinders: Season 6
Top Gear: Season 27
Top Gear: Season 28
Trees of Peace
Vice
June 11
Amy Schumer’s Parental Advisory
June 13
Charlie’s Colorforms City: Mighty Movie Adventures
Charlie’s Colorforms City: Miss Weather and Friends
Pete Davidson Presents: The Best Friends
Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America
June 14
Jane & Lily: Ladies Night Live
Halftime
The Mole: Season 3-4
June 15
Centauro
Front Cover
God’s Favorite Idiot
Heart Parade
Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend
Maldivas
Web of Make Believe: Death, Lies and the Internet
The War Next-door: Season 2
The Wrath of God
June 16
Dead End: Paranormal Park
Karma’s World Music Videos: Season 2
Love & Anarchy: Season 2
Rhythm + Flow France
Sing, Dance, Act: Kabuki featuring Toma Ikuta
Snoop Dogg’s Fcn Around Comedy Special
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
June 17
The Martha Mitchell Effect
Rainbow High: Season 2
She: Season 2
Spiderhead
You Don’t Know Me
June 18
Alchemy of Souls
Charmed: Season 4
Spriggan
June 19
Civil
It (2017)
June 20
Doom Of Love
Philomena
June 21
All That: Seasons 2-3
The Future Of
Joel Kim Booster: Psychosexual
Kenan and Kel: Seasons 1-2
Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide: Seasons 1-2
Ray Liotta, the actor known for his roles in “Field of Dreams” and the Martin Scorsese mob classic “Goodfellas,” has died.
He was 67.
“Ray was working on a project in the Dominican Republic called ‘Dangerous Waters’ when he passed. He passed in his sleep. He is survived by his daughter, Karsen, and his fiancée, Jacy Nittolo,” his publicist Jennifer Allen told CNN.
Liotta’s many film and television credits include “John Q,” “Blow,” “Operation Dumbo Drop,” “Hannibal,” “Wild Hogs” and “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.”
More recently, Liotta narrated the TV docuseries “The Making of the Mob” and starred in “The Many Saints of Newark,” the prequel film to the hit television mob series “The Sopranos.”
He played plenty of tough guys, but that was not Liotta’s true persona.
How, after the critical and commercial success of Goodfellas, did the industry fail to make Liotta a successful leading man? In interviews, he seemed to suggest he’d gotten in his own way, passing up some good roles in an understandable effort to avoid typecasting. And though he was strikingly handsome, he didn’t have the kind of generic beauty Hollywood looks for (especially during Liotta’s generation) in a hero.
