Plant Stand

Last year I planted freesia bulbs in my back yard; sadly squirrels dug up a lot of them. I recently planted the survivors into pots. I mounted an old spice rack to a wooden frame (my husband actually mounted it). I fastened a screen to the front to help deter unwanted pests. Fingers crossed...

Gardening Tip - Fingernails

Before heading out to your garden, scrape your fingernails against a bar of soap to prevent unsightly dirt from getting under your nails. This will make washing your hands a breeze with a lot less scrubbing.

Regrowing Onions

Here's a handy little tip from my FIL (father-in-law), the bulbs of store bought green onions can be replanted. I planted this one last summer, and it still produces healthy stalks. If you plant one be sure to cut it back every once and awhile or it will flower.

Tree Peony

I've waited for over three years for my Kamata-fuji tree peony to bloom. It was worth the wait.

DVD-R Spindle

Question: what would you do with the stick that comes with the DVD-R Container?

Answer: plant seeds.

Use tape to mark 1 1/2 inches (the planting depth according to the seed package) on the end of the stick.

Insert the stick into the soil and carefully pulled it out (the dirt will fall into the hole if you aren't careful). Drop the seed in and cover it with soil. Repeat.

I LOVE Composting!

I've been backyard composting for over a year. I was so tired of piling up my neighbor's leaves and our mowed grass in the street for the City to pick up. It felt like such a waste.

SELECTING A COMPOSTER

There are many different types of composters available. This site gives detailed info and specs on compost bins for less than $100, but it isn't necessary to purchase a bin; my auntie digs a big hole and buries organic material.

I purchased an Earth Machine (EM) through a program offered by Santa Clara County Recycling and Waste Reduction Commission. The County offers a free composting class and the EM for $55. I did a lot of compost bin research and found the EM to be the best for the price. It is round, making it easier to turn the compost and the screw-on-top keeps out unwanted critters.

GETTING STARTED

I dug up a sunny dirt area in my backyard and placed the EM directly on top of the newly turned soil. I added the big pile of leaves and freshly cut grass; basically, adding equal parts of "browns", which are high in carbon, and "greens" which are high in nitrogen.

Brown: dry leaves*, cardboard (paper towel, toilet paper, wrapping paper tubes)

Green: grass, kitchen scraps (fruits, veggies, coffee grounds, tea bags, cut leaves)

NOTE: Do NOT add animal waste, meat, or dairy

I mixed them together, then added water. The mixture should be damp like a sponge, not sopping wet. After a few days of "cooking" the pile decreased in size.

I kept adding materials (trying to maintain the 50% brown, 50% green mixture), watering and turning the heap until the bin was 75% full. A couple of weeks later, I wasn't completely satisfied with the progress, so I mixed in roughly two gallons of compost that I'd gotten from the City to help the process.

COMPOST COMPLETE!

Four months later it was ready!** It looks like damp soil when done. I didn't water it for a couple of weeks (but continued to turn) to let it dry out a little then sifted out all the things that didn't break down completely (and put those things back into the bin for the next batch).

In the second batch, I added a lot more kitchen scraps and ended up with a bin full of earthworms. They must have come up from the soil under the bin.

I found this helpful Troubleshooting chart at the bottom of www.calrecycle.ca.gov for reference.

* The instructor in the class I attended said that anything that falls off a tree naturally (vs. cut) is considered brown

** Breakdown slows during colder months. Keep adding material and turning; it will begin cooking when the weather gets warmer.

Plant Food Jugs

I use empty apple juice jugs to mix plant food and water. I write the contents and when to use on the outside, saving the extra for use the following month.

Garden Booster

If I know I'm going to be gardening in an area for a while, I'll pull out my son's old booster seat to sit on. It makes weeding tolerable.

DIY 2 Liter Bottle Planters

I have been interested in DIY planters for a long time, so when I found these two tutorials (tut) I couldn't wait to get started. I planted basil in two different planters

(I had a few

young plants left over from a previous experiment*)

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Self-watering Planter

I found this video tut on www.teachermadevideos.com. I was pleasantly surprised when this DIY self-watering planter actually worked. Instead of scrap cotton I used one of my son's worn socks to absorb water.

This worked so well, that I also made smaller ones using 16.9 oz. water bottles to grow mint plants (I'd read that ants do not like the smell of mint, but that's a future blog).

Upside Down Planter

This tut on www.cheapvegetablegardener.com shows how to make a hanging upside down planter. I was even more skeptical about this one, even though the Topsy Turvy has been proven to work.

*

Both of these planters would help decrease the damage from slugs and snails.

Slugs and Snails

This spring I had trouble with snails and slugs eating my newly planted beans. I performed an experiment in three separate slug infested areas to find a solution. Here are my results:

1. Copper pennies. This is a cheap version of copper tape. I'd read that pennies minted before 1983 have a high copper content and would give the slug/snail an "electric shock" when they slime over it. I gathered as many as I could find and circled my young sprout. It didn't work; the next morning the plant was gone. I could see a silvery trail over the pennies and after the first watering, I couldn't even see the pennies. FAILED.

2. Sluggo. Sluggo doesn't kill the slug/snail instantly, it takes a few days for it to work. After few weeks I found empty snail shells, but the plants were long gone. FAILED

3. Yogurt cups with Vaseline. I cut the bottom off a used yogurt cup slathering the top inch with Vaseline and buried the rim in the dirt (so they couldn't get under the cup). Watering didn't effect the Vaseline. I noted silver trail near the plant, but not on the cup. The photo on the left is after several pest free days. SUCCESS!

Plant Markers - Rock!

I'd been searching for a long time to figure out a way to mark plants in my garden. I tried using metal and plastic plant markers, but after one rainy season the ink wore off. I found this idea for a natural plant marker on the Martha Stewart website.

Unexpected Vases

Beverage Cup

I often indulge in a latte freeze from the food court of my local Costco for two reasons: the tasty beverage and the cool plastic cup.

The empty cup makes the perfect vessel to transport cut flowers. The straw hole is big enough to fit a few stems and since it's a cup it fits in a car cup holder! I've used them to send flowers home with my mom and also transported a few to my father's niche at the cemetery.

Toothbrush Holder

While at Dollar Tree looking for pencils for another project (more on

that later), I found this plastic toothbrush holder which turned out to be a great vase. The removable top makes it very easy to clean the inside. The toothbrush holes are angled in such a way that they hold stems upright and apart preventing the blossoms from bunching up; same engineering that prevents toothbrushes from "kissing".

Propagating Plant Stand

I made this plant propagating stand out of an old toothbrush holder and floral tubes. The plant in the photo is Coleus (a low-maintenance annual plant). I used a sharp, clean knife to cut small clippings from the main plant. I also removed the lowest leaves so that they fit through the holes in the holder and to prevent mold. Add water in the tubes, insert the plants and voila!

Garden Fasteners

I use little hair claw clips together with a stick to hold saggy stems upright. It's a little prettier than using cut up panty hose.

The plastic coated wire that come with packaged kid toys work well because they will not rust. They only work if you can get them out of the box!

TERRARIUMS

FRUIT/VEGGIE CONTAINERS

Truth be told I can't throw things away...so, I repurpose. I've used empty plastic fruit and vegetable containers to start seedlings.

It's important that the plastic containers have holes on the bottom so water can drain.

Fill the container 1/2 full of soil. Add seeds then cover with additional soil. Add water and close the lid.

Place the container in full sun, but remember to keep the soil moist.

Open the lid once the seedlings reach the top of the container. Plant, or repot, seedlings in the ground when they reach 1 - 2 inches tall.

2 LITER BOTTLES

During the colder months I used a 2 liter soda bottle as a terrarium for growing parsley. I cut off 1/4 the bottom of the bottle and fit it over the pot and used a tab from a bread bag to keep it from wobbling off.

I kept it in my kitchen window, removing the cap during the afternoon to let it cool.