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 Ornamental Veggies: Urban dwellers and other small space gardeners can make better use of their space by tucking veggies and edibles in amongst their bedding plants rather than separating them out into distinct gardens. There are lots of unusual edibles available with gorgeous flowers and foliage. Try 'Red Burgundy Okra', 'Bull's Blood' Beets, 'Mascara' lettuce, and 'Lipstick' strawberries, to name a few.
Cheap Plant Tags: I found a good use for old plastic levelor blinds, I cut them up into smaller pieces with an angle on one end and use them as plant markers for seed trays and for markers in the garden.
Tall Tree Care: If you are a homeowner with tall trees which extend over your neighbour's property, it's worth getting an arborist or tree care company to advise you about any potential danger of the tree(s) splitting or dropping large branches which could cause property damage. They can tell you how long the trees are likely to live, and whether the roots will do any damage to the foundations of your home or garage as well. Most will come to the property and provide a quote free of charge. The best time to have major pruning done is during the winter - when the trees are bare, and tree care companies are not as busy, and may offer a discount on their services. If you do have work done, make sure to tell them you want to keep the wood chips they create when they put branches through the chipper/shredder - you'll have a good quantity of organic mulch in the bargain!.
Useful Bushel Baskets: One of things I always recommend gardeners buy are
bushel baskets. They are so handy in the garden clean-up area and can be lined with a plastic bag for a
cheap and easy planter. Most of the time the garbage guys leave them behind (although not always!) I tell
people to go to their local greengrocer and buy them there -- who want's to pay retail which is about 7-8
dollars. The grocer charges me 1-2 dollars and I find they generally last 2 seasons.
Hold Dirt in with Coffee Filters: You can use coffee filters as an alternative to rocks or terracotta shards over holes in containers to keep the dirt from falling out. Useful in hanging baskets. You can even use this method with the "upsidedown tomatoes". Just cut a slit in the coffee filter and place around the tomato plant before
filling the pot with dirt -- kind of like skirting on a Christmas tree.
Lighten Your Containers and Save Soil: To decrease weight and for really good drainage, use foam peanuts or broken pieces of styrofoam in the bottom of your pots, then fill with soil. While no one should go out and buy the stuff, it tends to sneak up on you anyway -- at least this way it can be useful and reuseable. I had an old foam cooler that worked great when I broke it up.
Pepper Plant Spray: A great way to help along your pepper plant blossoms in setting fruit is to add a bit of espom salts to a spray bottle and spray it directly onto the leaves and buds as they are just developing. Epsom salts contain magnesium which pepper plants need to produce healthy peppers. Peppers Like Matches: Pepper plants love slightly acidic soil and the simplest way to acheive this is by adding a few matches to the planting hole before putting in your plant. Be sure to cover the matches with a thick layer of soil before putting in your plant. It is important that the plant has access to the sulfur in the matches, but the roots should not have direct contact with the matches right away or they will be damaged.
Magazine Subscription Cards Put to Good Use: Instead of throwing out all those annoying subscription cards that fall out of every magazine, turn them into seed packets. Just fold them over
and seal the edges with glue or tape. Make sure to note what is in each
packet- unless you like surprises. Weed Control in Vegetable Gardens: A great way to avoid weeds around vegetable crops such as tomatoes or squash is to plant low growing, quick harvest crops such as lettuce or radish around the base of the larger veggies. This will fill up the empty spaces until the late harvest plants have filled out more, providing less places for weeds to grow. It will also keep the soil around the plant shaded and moist which means less watering. Natural Herbicides: If you have small areas or cracks and crevices that you need to weed try these natural herbicides. They won't damage the environment and are nontoxic to mammals and beneficial insects. Vinegar and salt is great for places where you won't be growing anything in the near future. Spray directly on plants. To remove young plants, pour boiling water directly on them. This is the simplest, yet safest herbicide there is. Just be careful to avoid plants that you don't want to damage. Super-size Your Basil: Tired of waiting until midsummer to harvest basil fresh from your garden? While waiting for your seedlings to develop into plants, root some basil cuttings from bundles purchased at your local market. Place a few cuttings in a bottle of fresh water. In a few weeks you'll have rooted basil plants ready to be grown in your garden or in containers. For more unusual varieties purchase a few plants from a garden centre. Once established in your garden, take cuttings and root them as well. Cuttings rooted from already rooted and thriving plants have a higher success rate.
Growing Tomatoes in Containers: There are two types of tomatoes, determinate and indeterminate. Determinate ripen their fruit all at one time. Indeterminate have fruit production throughout the season. Determinant plants are better for container growing because they will stay compact (also the Husky variety, a dwarf indeterminant, is also great for containers). Indeterminant plants get huge and will need support.
Fast Rooting: When rooting cuttings in water, you can actually speed up the process by placing a piece of willow branch in the water along with the cutting. Willow contains natural auxins, a hormone that stimulates root growth and development. These chemicals are synthetically produced and used in powdered and gel rooting hormones. Fast Bulb Planting: Digging bulb holes can be difficult, even with the right tools. Instead try using a drill to get the job done faster and easier. You can purchase extra large drill bits (2 1/2" to 3") at hardware stores or through some garden supply stores. Do not try this if you have hard or rocky soil as it could be dangerous. Cheap Winter Mulch: Use a combination of compost, leaves, and dried plant material from your garden, such as annuals you've pulled up. Mound the mulch around the plant you want to keep warm. It's like a muffler for your plants.
Shredded Paper Mulch:
After using your paper shredder, store the paper until you have enough to use as a base layer of mulch with compost or manure spread over it to winterize your plants. Remember not to use glossy paper ads.
Line Wire Baskets With Sod: Instead of costly sphagnum moss, use freshly removed sod from your lawn to line wire hanging baskets. This is a great way to make use of all that sod that has been removed when you dig up a new garden. Place the sod grass side facing out, fill the basket with soil and plant.
Leftover Beer: Here's two great uses for leftover beer:
Secure Your Plants:
Do you have a pot that is on a rail and the wind blows it off? Screw the
bottom drip pan to the rail. That will hold the pot secure. No more coming
home to find out the wind has blown your flower pot off.
Recycle Your Glass Bottles:
Use empty bottles to grow plants such as coleus or philodendron in mini-water gardens. Simply fill the bottle with water, let sit over night, and add nutrients. Soak the roots in lukewarm water in order to remove all soil, and add plants to the bottle. Change the water and nutrients every month or so, and remember that a semi-opaque glass will yield lusher plants than clear glass. Super Sized Containers: Large pots can take a lot of soil to fill and they weigh a ton once they are full. It is unnecessary to completely fill a container with soil if you are planting shallow-rooted plants. Place some styrofoam chunks, styrofoam peanuts, old plastic pots or soda cans in the bottom of the container as filler. It will make the container lighter for easy moving, and save money too. Save Money: Purchase perennials in mid summer, when it is still early enough to plant. Many garden centers will have sales at this time of year and by next summer they will be larger and in full bloom. Quick Space Fillers: Often when you start a new perennial garden it will take some time for the plants to grow and your garden may look a little bare. Plant fast growing annuals in the empty spaces until the perennials grow large enough to take over. Save Your Flower Seeds: You can save money by harvesting seeds from your flowering plants for next year. Snip off seed heads when they are ripe and shake them into a brown paper bag. Make your own seed packets using paper envelopes. You can write the name of the corresponding plant onto the envelope or decorate them to give away to friends. Seeds should be stored in a cool, dark and dry place. Room Temperature: Plants prefer warm water. And as water sits, soil-harming chlorine evaporates into the air (not good for the air, but it has to go somewhere). Consider letting tap water sit awhile before you use it. Garbage Collector: Old buckets and bins that make fine containers for patio gardens sometimes end up in the garbage. Get excited about garbage day. The Potato Box: A simple box made of old two-by-fours or other wood and laid over potato plants will make hilling of potatoes much easier. The soil will be contained in the boxes. The Mint Pot: Don’t let mint and other invasive herbs take over your garden. Curb their wild tendencies by planting mint in a pot, then planting the pot into the soil. Tomato Cages: Those cheap wire tomato cages available at garden centres don’t do justice to the vine-growing power of this plant. Use a couple of stakes at least 4 feet tall, buy tomato spirals (they are taller and sturdier) or invent your own sturdy trellis for super-size vines. Tying Up Plants: Old nylon stockings cut into strips make wonderful plant ties for tomatoes or anything else that needs tying. Pop Bottle Greenhouse: Reuse two-litre pop bottles. Cut off the bottleneck, and place the 'greenhouse' upside down over seedlings to keep them warm in the early spring. Get Your Indoor Plants Out of the House: Houseplants love a warm summer rain much more than cold tap water.
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