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5th Annual Authors in Bloom Blog Hop

Welcome to the 5th Annual Authors in Bloom Blog Hop and Facebook Party where you’ll discover amazing gardening tips and fabulous fresh new recipes! AND, you’ll have the opportunity to win a TON of wonderful prizes and giveaways.

Dianne Venetta_AIB Logo_2015

Today I’m sharing an interesting gardening tip I discovered via Home Guides. Now, garlic is a great aphid repellent and used a lot when it comes to companion planting–a basic tenet of organic gardening–and planting it near roses will do wonders to keep your bushes healthy and happy by repelling aphids. But did you know that orange peels work to repel aphids, too?

orange peel and aphids

Organic Authority says that placing orange peels around affected plants will deter the pests. Better yet, tear the peels–not all the way through–and attach them to the stems near the infected area using the tear. In a matter of hours, it will be problem solved. Seems orange peels contain d-Limonene, a natural chemical that destroys the waxy coating on aphids (and ants!) causing them to suffocate and die. Sounds harsh, but so is the discovery of a dead rose bush.

DS AIB hop giveaway

Hope that helps! For my giveaway today, I’m offering a collection of adorable cupcake-themed kitchen towels and a colorful DIY Tote-N-Go bag. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You are also eligible to win the grand prize ereader (value $200). To win the grand prize, you MUST visit each and every author/blogger on the hop.  Each site will post the links of participating authors but please feel free to reference my site to find the author link list at any point in time. Some authors might offer more than one entry to win, ie. a “follow” on Twitter or a “tweet,” maybe even a visit to their facebook or pinterest page, however only one entry is required to enter.

Don’t want to enter a particular giveaway? No worries. Simply enter grand prize giveaway here, then leave a comment in the author’s comment section of their Authors in Bloom post and you’ll remain eligible to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

“Giveaway ends April 16th at 11:59 PM EST. Open to Legal Residents (18 years of age or older) of the US only. Prizes cannot be shipped to PO Boxes. Winner will be selected by Rafflecotper.com and be notified by email. Winner will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is selected. Please note that Dianne Venetta, host of the Authors in Bloom Blog Hop, is not responsible for sponsors that do not fulfill their prizes. I have represented each sponsor with the expectation they will fulfill their prize and in a timely manner. I will contact the sponsor regarding your prize(s). The sponsors, in most cases, are shipping their items to you directly. I will make every effort to assist you in obtaining your prize. If there is an issue with a sponsor, please notify the blog you won a prize from within 30 days for assistance, after that we may be unable to assist you. The product provided for the review was free of charge from the company. The product offered for the giveaway is free of charge, no purchase necessary. My opinions are my own and were not influenced by any form of compensation. Facebook, Twitter and Google+ are in no way associated with this giveaway. By providing your information in this form, you are providing your information to me and me alone. I do not share or sell information and will use any information only for the purpose of contacting the winner.” VOID where prohibited by law.

Now get hopping, you have a bunch more chances to win!

87 thoughts on “5th Annual Authors in Bloom Blog Hop

  1. Deb p says:

    Garden tips, Get someone to help with the heavy work. Save your back , use your legs.

  2. James Robert says:

    I have no tips but could use some on how to keep animals out of your garden

    1. DianneV says:

      I only know how to keep the birds off my blueberries — string twine over them like resorts do over their pool decks. It works!

    2. Sally says:

      Fence

    3. PJ Sharon says:

      Try spreading dog (or human) hair around the edges of your garden. You need to do this several times throughout the season, especially after heavy rain, but it will keep animals out.

  3. Great tips about the orange peels. Never knew that. I think companion gardening works very well, though. I always use radishes to deter pests from my cucumbers and it seems to do a good job. Plus, the birds like it when I let the radishes go to seed.

  4. It’s been some time since I’ve had a garden. I really miss it, but my health simply doesn’t allow it at this time (but maybe in the future). I love the tip with the orange peels. I wonder if it would work with sugar ants in the house?

    1. DianneV says:

      Maybe! Worth a try, right?

  5. Ami says:

    Cannot wait to start reading your work!! I’m always on the lookout for another author’s books to obsess over lol!

  6. Anne says:

    No tips, I have as far from a green thumb as one can have.

    1. Anne says:

      acm05atjuno.com

  7. Lu Worley says:

    I only know strong herbs such as mint, rosemary, oregano. etc. planted around vegetables help keep insects away. Also epson salt around your garden will kill insects.

    1. DianneV says:

      Lavender works to repel fleas, too. ;)

  8. Kelly says:

    Nope, I am totally a brown thumb. I just started to try a little fairy garden to test my thumb again though! I might have to put oranges in it just to be safe!

  9. Taylor says:

    To deter deer from eating your flowers, plant flowers that they typically do not like such as lupines or marigolds. These still bring great color and texture to your garden and yard and will help offset the deer!

  10. Carly Carson says:

    Lots of great tips, although the thought of trying to attach the peel to the stem is daunting to me. (Can you tell I’m not a gardener?)

  11. Benita says:

    Talk to your plants, baby them, make sure they get lots of water, plant food and love.

  12. BookLady says:

    Place crushed egg shells around plants to prevent slugs from devouring the plant.

  13. Thanks for the orange peel tip! If that will get rid of ants and aphids, I will be your slave forever. My tip is for a eco-friendly weed killer. white vinegar and epsom salt—1 gallon vinegar, 2 cups epsom salts, 1/4 cup dishwashing liquid. Spray on weeds as early in the spring as you can, but not anywhere near your treasured plants–this stuff is lethal, but a good rain or watering will wash it away. Looking forward to more posts on this blog tour!

    1. DianneV says:

      Definitely going to try this tip!

  14. Throuthehaze says:

    The only tip I know about is using crushed eggshells.

  15. Neena Martin says:

    We have 7 dogs so I only grow in containers so they don’t get into anything harmful to them.

  16. Janice Santillo says:

    No tips as gardening is something I’m not very good at , even though I enjoy it.

  17. Colleen C. says:

    I will have to try the orange peels…

  18. Rita Wray says:

    I put my coffee grounds around my plants.

  19. Linda Romer says:

    Hello Dianne, my husband is the gardener and he has strings going across the top of the fence for when the green beans start growing. Then he attaches a string to the vine and then to the top string across the top. Homemade trellis. I will tell him about your ideas, Thank you

    1. DianneV says:

      We use the same system to make bean forts out of pole beans! FUN :)

  20. Judy Cox says:

    I knew about the garlic, but did not know that orange peels would work also. Thanks for this great giveaway hop and all the tips!!!

    Judy Cox

  21. Amber Ag says:

    No tips of my own sadly. I really like your orange peel tip though. Saves on throwing stuff away. :)

    kissedbymidnight@gmail.com

  22. Zana712 says:

    I like to use coffee mulch for our garden!

    1. DianneV says:

      Great way to increase acid content in soil – my potatoes LOVE it!!

  23. Rachel says:

    Sadly, I do not have any gardening tips. I rent and don’t have a garden. Wish I could have one though!

  24. Lori H says:

    Epsom salt is great for your tomato plants. Cats are great for scaring off rabbits, birds, and squirrels ;)

    1. DianneV says:

      LOL – Perfect!

  25. nancy burgess says:

    No tips but I love reading tips from others.

  26. bn100 says:

    no tips

  27. Laurie Bergh says:

    I have a fake owl that sits on a post in the garden to try to keep critters out.

  28. Carol L says:

    Thanks for the tips. I have no tips because I haven’t got a tinge of green on either thumb. Thanks for being part of the Hop.
    Carol L

  29. Don’t plant too early, its snowing here so not time for planting yet.

    1. DianneV says:

      Did you see my spring snowman? http://www.facebook.com/bloominthyme

  30. Savannah Miller says:

    My tip for a garden would be “See the big picture” one year I planted a bunch of stuff without thinking how they would look full grown…. Needless to say by the end of the season I had a hot mess :)

  31. Kathy O says:

    Love the garlic tip. My hubby is the gardener as I don’t have a green thumb, but I love love flowers.

  32. Mary Preston says:

    Marigolds make a great companion plant.

  33. Sharon Extine says:

    I have no tips, but I like to read all the other tips. Thanks.

  34. darla says:

    To be honest I don’t have any. :(

  35. Sandra Watts says:

    I do not have any tips for gardening but I will be trying the orange peel tip. Thanks for sharing that.

  36. Chris Bails says:

    Great tips. I am not a huge Gardner, hut do love my plants. I love planting annuals and taking care of flowers already there. Live your books and love this Blog Hop.

  37. Renee Rousseau says:

    Don’t feed the squirrels peanuts once you plant your garden because they love to bury their peanuts!

  38. Michelle Champion says:

    I admit, I am not a very good gardener, but I should try this for the pretty plants on the side of the house. thanks

  39. Virginia Horton says:

    No garden tips here, the groundhogs eat my tomatoes every years, so my green thumb doesn’t work to well.

  40. Alisha Sienkiel says:

    I haven’t tried it yet but spraying milk on your cucumber and zucchini plants helps prevent certain diseases.

  41. Melody Gonser says:

    What a great tip. I am looking forward to trying it. Also a wonderful giveaway. Thank you

  42. Melody Gonser says:

    I put out vegetable empty cans and put in diet Coke and it attracts e-mails. Next morning snails will be dead and empty the cans.

  43. Jeanna Massman says:

    I live in Arizona so I’ll say this- watch out for rattlesnakes when your out in your garden!

  44. Michele Hayes says:

    No tips from me, I just let my garden do what it wants.

    1. Michele Hayes says:

      Forgot to include email: mybeach52 at yahoo dot com

  45. Jeanna Massman says:

    Forgot to leave my email. jeanna_massman@hotmail.com

  46. Tia says:

    No tips. I don’t garden.

    1. Tia says:

      videoclimber AT yahoo DOT com

  47. Beth T. says:

    My mother always grew beautiful roses and one of the things I learned from her was to plant them with some epsom salts in the base of the hole I dig. It seems to work well; I suppose the magnesium sulfate gives them some necessary nourishment while they are establishing their roots.

    1. DianneV says:

      Hm. I trying it! I love looking at my roses and the more beautiful they are, the better I feel. :)

  48. My mom always put chopped banana peels in the dirt around her rose bush. I’m not sure what it did, but her rose blossoms were always beautiful.

    1. DianneV says:

      Wow. She was way ahead of me. I just learned that banana peels do the trick to keep aphids away! AND, they’re an excellent source of potassium which helps a plant’s overall health.

  49. Melissa says:

    No gardening tips i’m cursed with a black thumb :-(

  50. Kathy Davis says:

    I have a garden every summer, and sometimes it yields more than others. This year, we are adding egg shells into our tomato plants’ soil. I’ve been told that it prevents “black bottom”. Ever heard of this? Does it work?

    1. ELF says:

      I can attest that adding the egg shells does eliminate the black bottom/end bloom rot issue. We mix the shells into the soil whenever we have eggs and the tomatoes didn’t have any problem this year like we did the year before.

  51. Earlene Gillespie says:

    I don’t have any tips, I really can’t do much in the way of gardening anymore. I just admire other peoples gardens. :)

  52. Liz says:

    Sadly my only gardening tip is keep my dogs out of it if you try one ;)

    1. DianneV says:

      LOL – Good tip! I’ve been trying to teach my dog how to walk between the beds and not over them!!

  53. Jackie Wisherd says:

    I am not much of a gardener so don’t have any tips. About the only thing I can grow with much success are geraniums. Even when I neglect them they have the will to live.

  54. Beverly Gordon says:

    I sometimes add a lil peroxide to my plants so the roots r airated andh ave room and it kills bad bacteria ooff of them

    1. DianneV says:

      Good thought!

  55. ELF says:

    I’ll have to try that, I usually spray with soapy water, but this would be more long-lasting a solution. I wonder if it would work with lemon peels as well?

  56. Thanks for the tip! We tried grinding garlic in a blender full of water and spraying it on our garden vegetables, with limited success.

  57. Deborah says:

    I’m sorry I don’t have any secret tips to share. I could use some tips myself! Can’t wait to plant some veggies!

    1. Deborah says:

      oops…forgot something didn’t I…

      sprocket 215 at g mail dot com

  58. Deborah says:

    I’m sorry I don’t have any secret tips to share. I could use some tips myself! Can’t wait to plant some veggies!

    :-)

  59. Linda Kish says:

    I leave the gardening to my DIL. She mostly gardens in containers even though we have lots of planter space to put things in the ground. I guess it’s because the dogs trample things in the ground.

  60. Leah Shumack says:

    I don’t have any tips as I tend to kill a lot of green things around my house. But we are going to attempt to do tomatoes this year!

  61. amy bowens says:

    No gardening tips! I suck at it

    1. amy bowens says:

      forgot my email amybowens34(at)yahoo(dot) com

  62. BookAttict says:

    I’m hoping to pick up some gardening tips, so I’ll stop killing everything I try to grow!

    1. BookAttict says:

      My email is: elizabeth(at)bookattict(dot)com

  63. Emily Endrizzi says:

    I don’t have many gardening tips. I’m just starting out. I do try to make sure I have good soil with lots of worms.

  64. Deborah says:

    :-) Ooh, am I a winner?!

    This was such a great hop…I found so many new (to me) blogs of interest!

    1. DianneV says:

      Congratulations!!

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