Wow, that sounds marvelous.
There is an organic treatment for fireants, but I can't remember what it is. Fire ants are definitely a Texas reality, huh?
Your garden sounds great! And dandelion tea is quite nice.
Get a turkey fryer or other large pot and boil about two gallons of water. Pour boiling water on the fireant mound trying to get it into the main holes. The theory is that you boil the queen and the colony dies. Did I mention the notice our legal dept insists that I tack on...(said in fast low-volume car-ad voice) Warning, boiling water is boiling. Pouring onto feet or other body parts could result in burns. Also use of potholders when handling scalding cauldron is recommended. Offer not good in all.....and so on. Anyway, good hunting.
Apple varieties? Here you are with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to grow Cox's Orange! A nice eating apple that you never see grown commercially (I don't think they store all that well).
http://www.allaboutapples.com/
va...coxsorangepippi
If you've got a serious fire ant infestation there may well be multiple nests and multiple queens. It's one of the more charming aspects of the biology of the "tramp" ant species (fire ants, Argentine ants, yellow crazy ants).
My husband likes to start 'ant war'. Find two fire ant mounds. Using a shovel with a large spade, carefully remove the top of one pile. Carry it over to the other pile, and put it down as carefully as you can. Then take the top off the second pile, and place it carefully on top of the first one. Place the remaining top on the second mound. He swears gasoline is best, but will do this instead.
I finally gave up, after keeping the kids inside for nearly an entire summer and now ABC come and treat. When they're big enough to stay out of the way of an ant war, we may go back to it.
Ants also do not like coffee grounds.
Jen - LOL. I've sort of done that, then my inner buddhist complains.
We've had good luck getting them to relocate to the neighbors' yards by regular accidental flooding (dh often turns on the soaker hose and forgets it until I hear the water running).
I've heard instant grits work well too.
We have severe fire ant problems down here as well. Our dog Spud had to go to the vet numerous times after digging out a mound. Both my husband and myself have been stung. It's unavoidable if you garden. We have pit viper too - which is even worse. We treat for the ants. We have to. Our dogs would end up in real trouble if we let it go. I'm glad to hear that bed you've been working on is looking so good. And, like wow! You are really planting? We are still having overnight lows of 12 degrees. And this is Georgia!
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