Catnip - info for the garden & maybe bad news 4 garden pests

Read in Sundays PARADE
Mosquitoes hate it more than the little devils hate DEET
Rats and mice hate it -- so maybe moles and voles and squirrels too?

Now to learn how it grows and what it looks like ---- wonder if it flowers?

Some good and bad, mostly good, reviews about the plant in PlantFiles And it does flower...

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/201071/

I may give a try myself.

I'll check it out to learn the bad.

Oh my - someone says that squirrels get intoxicated and fall from the trees!

I have catnip in a big pot. My cat, Ginger, has been busy tearing it up. My other cat, Shorty, discovered it and he likes to eat it. So now it is looking very bad. Ginger claws it and lays down in the pot and Shorty is eating it. Must figure out someway to give it time to grow back.

I HAVE to do something for the mole control and if it will repel deer ---- it would be all the more sweet! But, I don't know about slap happy squirrels toppling out of trees and killing themselves....

A piece of chicken wire held up about 6 inches off of the soil with plant supports so that the plant can grow and still have the tips out of the cage so the cats can eat it might work.

The moles are there for the grubs, so if you have moles, you have grubs. Bad little suckers, those grubs are. They damage lawns and eat gardens from the bottom up. I'm not a giant fan of chemicals, but I DO put down grub stuff and has the benefit of keeping the moles out because they have nothing to eat!

Lana - yes, I know about the grubs and plan on that attack but didn't I already miss the grub control time with regards to the pellets, sprays and such?

It is only too late to put down grub stuff when it gets cold in the fall. Otherwise, go at it. You'll need to be sure to water in the pellets well, but watering 3 times a week for two weeks should be plenty. I work down the hall from some entomologists, so they've talked me through this problem before. :)

Great I will do it.

Oh, and be sure to let your flowers ripen and dry fully, and then crumble them where you want next year's crop to come up.
I haven't bought catnip seed since 1988!

Every summer my furballs get fresh kitty weed; I harvest and dry it in the fall, so my three stoners can catch an occasional buzz. ( Usually when my DH and I are indulging in adult beverages. Hey, we all wanna have fun! :D)

Marsha.

PS: if you do decide to dry it, pick the leaves off of the stems, put it on a cookie sheet(s), and put it in the unlit oven. Turn it once a day, until nearly completely dry, but not crumbly. Put it in a Ziplock freezer bag, and it'll keep for at least a couple of years......yeah, like it'll last that long it you have stoners like mine!

I use the oven for two reasons:
One, it's just warm enough to help speed drying-you're paying for the energy anyway, might as well use it, and
Two, I haven't met a cat yet that could get the oven door open. If I do, he/she gets cooking lessons!

Marsha.

PPS- That's my Siamese laid out and mellow. She's a quiet stoner- just eats and sleeps.