Garden Basics with Farmer Fred · Fred Hoffman

366 Thwarting Ant Invasions. Fair-Winning Preserves.

·33 min·3 clips

Debbie Flower shares her secret one-part boric acid to nine-parts sugar recipe that kills ant queens safely.

This episode of Garden Basics with Farmer Fred addresses ant control in garden beds and offers food preservation tips for fair competitions. Host Fred Hoffman is joined by retired horticulture professor Debbie Flower and master food preserver Wendy Rose. Debbie Flower explains that ants are attracted to raised beds due to the loose, dry soil and the presence of aphids, which provide honeydew. She recommends using boric acid-based baits, which ants carry back to the colony to eliminate the queen. Commercial baits or a homemade mix of one part boric acid to nine parts sugar can be used. For outdoor bait stations, she suggests placing the mixture in a lidded container with cotton balls and small entry holes, checking it daily. Another method involves sprinkling boric acid powder directly onto an ant nest in a mulch pile. She cautions against using sticky products like Tanglefoot on tree trunks, as they can harm birds. Wendy Rose discusses techniques for preserving small, early harvests, such as freezing tomatoes on a tray before bagging them. She also mentions dehydrating produce like zucchini using an Excalibur dehydrator or sun drying with cheesecloth-covered screens. For fair entries, she emphasizes strict adherence to published rules, including proper headspace and jar cleanliness. Judges prioritize these technical aspects before tasting. She advises using tested, safe recipes from sources like the National Center for Home Food Preservation, noting that bottled lemon juice, not fresh, is required for consistent acidity. A surprising insight is that a weaker boric acid solution, like a 1:20 ratio, may be more effective than a stronger one because it allows ants to survive long enough to reach the queen. Debbie Flower notes that ants' tunneling in soil can divert water away from plant roots. Wendy Rose reveals that family recipes often fail safety judging due to incorrect acidity levels for canning. She describes state fair judging as a public, supportive event with a sense of camaraderie among entrants. The tone is conversational and educational, blending practical problem-solving with friendly banter between the hosts. The style is advice-oriented, featuring clear, step-by-step instructions from experienced practitioners. Home gardeners struggling with ant infestations or those interested in competitive food preservation would find this episode highly useful. Listeners seeking highly scientific, data-driven pest control methods or advanced culinary preservation techniques might find the content too basic.

As heard by us

A practical ant-control episode with a preservation bonus.

This episode stays with a familiar garden headache, ants in raised beds and plant containers, and Debbie Flower offers a simple home formula for handling them.

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Why you'd press play

Fix ant invasions and sharpen your preserves.

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