Attica Ohio Community Garden Club

08/04/2026

August meeting at the library, 6 p.m.

08/02/2026

NOTES FOR YESTERDAY'S VIDEO

08/02/2026

08/02/2026

By August, most herb beds look brave but taste tired. Basil's gone leggy, the mint has flowered, and the oregano is more stem than leaf.

The fix feels wrong the first time you do it: cut them back hard, now, while there's still a month of warm nights left. Every one of these seven will answer with a flush of soft new growth — and that new growth is where all the flavor lives.

The chart shows how far to go on each. The only rule that matters: cut early in the week, water deeply after, and don't apologize to the basil.

September you will be harvesting like it's June again.

08/02/2026

The Hub, July 30 publication.

08/02/2026

The scrambling starts the moment the leaf breaks open. Bay leaves release three specific airborne compounds — let's call them chemical noise — that flood the space around a plant and jam the navigation system aphids and whiteflies rely on to find food. These insects do not use eyes the way larger animals do. They follow invisible chemical trails, locking onto the exact scent signature of a host plant the way a bloodhound follows a track. Eucalyptol, linalool, and eugenol do not poison that system. They drown it in static. The pest cannot distinguish the signal from the interference. But here is the part that puts things in perspective. In controlled lab conditions, bay leaf extract produced about 23% repellency against aphids. Neem extract, tested the same way in the same study, hit 83%. Bay leaves are not the strongest player in this game. They are more like a weak jammer broadcasting on the right frequency. Still, the frequency matters. The fact that a crushed leaf can briefly rewrite what an insect perceives as real — that is not a small trick. That is chemistry doing something almost philosophical. The plant is not hiding. It is making itself unreadable. [DXA22]

08/02/2026

NEW: "Mile-A-Minute" W**d confirmed in Jackson County, Michigan. Just this past week, officials confirmed a new population of the highly invasive mile-a-minute w**d in Concord Township. This marks the latest spread of one of Michigan's fastest-growing invasive plants.

This aggressive vine can grow up to 6 inches per day, which means it can reach an astounding 25 FEET in just 6 to 8 weeks. The vine climbs over trees, shrubs, and native vegetation, forming dense, thorny mats that can smother the native ecosystems.

The plant was first discovered in Michigan in 2020 near Albion in Calhoun County. The newly confirmed Jackson County infestation is just 4 miles from the original detection and less than 2 miles from another known infestation, suggesting the vine is slowly expanding its range.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR:
• Triangle-shaped light green leaves
• Small backward-facing thorns on stems and leaves
• Distinctive bright blue berries in late summer

Early detection is critical. This map below marks the two counties in Michigan, Calhoun & Jackson that have confirmed Mile-A-Minute detections. Officials have now surveyed over 5,600 acres in these two counties. No additional infestations have been found in Jackson county. Mile-a-minute w**d thrives in full sun and wet soils, but it can grow in a variety of conditions. Like many invasive plants, it takes advantage of open space and disturbed areas including roadsides, stream banks, forest edges and fence lines. If you believe you've found mile-a-minute w**d, report it through the Midwest Invasive Species Information Network (MISIN) to help monitor, track and slow its spread across Michigan.

07/24/2026

New Washington Herald publication, July 23.

07/23/2026

We will be giving presentations at the Seneca County Fair on Tuesday, July 28, 2026 in the Old Merchants Building.

🗣 Speaker Schedule:
1 p.m. - Composting for Your Garden with Steve Detillion
1:45 p.m. - Growing Hydrangeas with Susan King
2:30 p.m. - Growing Garlic 101 with Susan Nighswander
3:15 p.m. - Succulent Gardening with Donna Good
4 p.m. - What to Know About Poison Hemlock with Jane Staib
4:45 p.m. - Become a Master Gardener Volunteer with Linda Detillion

We hope to see you all there!

Can't make it to our presentations? Visit us any day during the Seneca County Fair from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the Old Merchants Building.