"To discourage moose, Gober sprays a product called Plantskydd"
ALASKA STAR
Friday, April 14, 2006
Alaskans can grow wisdom while waiting to plant.
Past Yard of Week winners share tips for better lawns and gardens
By AMY M. ARMSTRONG
Church activities and hockey keep Diane Gober distracted enough this time of the year that she doesn't go too crazy waiting for the season to begin.
Still, once snow loses its grip on parts of her yard, she cleans up what she can, dreaming all the while about what cultivating activity she'll soon engage in.
The Eagle Crossing resident's biggest summertime gardening frustrations include folks who let their dogs poop in her yard and the ever-wandering moose that travel through.
"But I have made my peace with the moose," Gober said. Thanks to the wit of her husband. He said the grocer in the vegetable section at the supermarket doesn't get mad when she selects from his stand, so why should she get upset with moose for eating the bushes.
To discourage moose, Gober sprays a product called Plantskydd - basically cow or pig blood watered down - on her plants. Sure, it temporarily changes their color, but that goes away fairly quickly leaving an odor that smells like death to the moose.
For now, she's trying to finish household projects she knows won't get done until fall ends the gardening season.
"I try not to fret as I am just waiting for the snow to go away," she said. Not worrying is a principle she also applies to her yard. "I like the stuff that doesn't take a lot of fretting over. If a plant was too much effort one year, I skip it for the next."
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