Green Spaces in Rural Places:

My garden is bordered on the north and west by our shelterbelts. We have planted lilacs to the east as a living fence and to allow me to labor in the garden sheltered from view. We aren't far from the highway, and I prefer to not have everyone driving by seeing me slaving away. The house itself blocks the view from the south.

Each fall, the trees will drop their leaves – lots of leaves. I will use the mower with the grass catcher to mulch and gather the leaves from the lawn. That mulch is deposited in the garden, mostly around the raspberry plants as those will lessen the winds' re-depositing the leaves back into the yard. The leaves from the shelterbelts remain where they drop and where the winds put them.

Now, box elder bugs seem to prefer those trashy areas. Enough of the adult bugs will shelter over the winter in that trash to repopulate my garden each spring. They also seem to love the Chinese elms that are in the shelterbelt just to the north of the garden space. In fact, those trees overarch that end of the garden, where I have my rhubarb, asparagus, and strawberry rows. Those trees not only help block the winds in the winter, they also provide much appreciated shade in the summer.  Unfortunately, they also provide the bugs.

I used to think box elder bugs were basically harmless, just annoying. However, this year I've noticed an explosion in their numbers. And the young ones are feeding on the leaves of my strawberry plants. That is unacceptable.

I mentioned planting chives amongst the strawberries in my last column to help deter the bugs. However, being a natural procrastinator, I haven't done that. And now is a little late in the season for transplanting. I'll try that next spring – maybe. Instead, I opted for a chemical fix for the bugs. I sprayed the area with Tempo, the most food-safe and effective choice I had at my immediate disposal. As the plants I sprayed aren't being consumed at this time, I feel fairly safe with that approach to the problem. I also did a fair bit of old-fashioned manual labor by raking the accumulated leaf debris from the Chinese elms farther away from the garden. That seems to have helped as very few bugs are seen now.

My herb garden, new this spring, is producing quite well. A person really doesn't need as much of any one herb as the plants produce at one time. Herbs want to go to seed fairly quickly and usually the flowering cycle isn't the most tasty. The tips of the herbs need to be pinched off to prevent flowering and seed production. Or you can harvest the herbs for later use and dry them. There are a few ways to dry herbs for later use. A food dehydrator can be used, though I've found that unless you use mesh on the trays, they'll fall through to the motor. You can also bundle them and hang upside down in a cool, dark place to dry naturally. Or you can use a microwave, as I've been doing.

With most herbs, the leaves are the  parts you want to use, not the stems or flowers. The leaves may be pinched or cut from the stems, piled on a paper towel atop a paper plate. Top that with another paper towel and microwave for short amounts of time. I'll put about a half cup of leaves between the paper towels and zap for 30 seconds. Flip the towels over, fluff the leaves, and zap again for 20 seconds. Flip, fluff, and zap again for 15 seconds. Continue flipping, fluffing, and zapping for less time, till the leaves are fully dry and crunchy. Pour into a baggie and crunch into flakes. Store, labeled, in the freezer, or transfer to an airtight container. A caution: do not microwave too long, or leave the room while zapping. I've had herbs try to burst into flame when done a few seconds too long. I will also say that I don't always rinse the herbs first. They take much longer if they're wet when you start this process.

My garden is starting to look like a jungle, but is producing wonderful treats. I've been enjoying fresh lettuces, green onions, swiss chard, carrots, and peas. Soon I'll have green beans and raspberries. LOTS of raspberries, the picking of which is labor-intensive, but the fruits of my labors are so delicious.