Cheap gardening tips!

Got an old set of blinds you're about to dispose of? Window-blind slats make great plant i.d. markers! It's simple: remove the slats and cut them into 8" lengths (make sure one end is cut to a point). You can write on them with permanent marker to label what you've planted so you never forget "what is where"!

Starting seeds? Those paper egg cartons work great- Just cut the top off and place it under the egg compartments, fill them with seed starting mix and add seeds. Each section can be torn off and placed directly into the ground without disturbing the root system and the carton is biodegradable.

Place packing peanuts in the bottoms of pots to provide good drainage and reduce weight. Leave enough room for the plants' root systems to fully develop.

You can turn almost anything into a planter- like a vintage teapot, worn out boots, a hollowed log, an old tree stump, a leaky bird bath, an old instrument, or even a wooden chair without a seat can easily become a flowerpot holder, or turn an old washtub into a raised bed for herbs!

Get more green peppers from your plants by placing a few drops of honey on them when they begin to blossom. This attracts bees who will pollinate the plants.

Recycle an old mailbox by placing it in the garden in a handy spot and use it as a small tool shed. Keep an extra trowel, clippers and gloves in it so they are close by when you need them.

Design your own stepping stones by lining a foil pie pan with plastic wrap and filling with cement (I have used quickcrete- works great and comes in a wide variety of colors). Just before it sets, decorate it with handprints, marbles, shells, rocks or anything you want...maybe even a hot wheels car!

Milk jugs have many uses and can always be recycled afterwards~ One idea is for berry picking: cut the top off and put your belt through the handle. This leaves both hands free to pluck berries as well as somewhere to collect them! Another idea is a slow release watering method: poke a small hole in the bottom corner of a jug and fill it with water. Cap the jug and place it next to the plants so the water slowly leaks out giving the plant a better chance to soak up the water!

Try hanging old CD's or foil pie pans in the garden or in fruit trees to deter pests that want to feast on your goods. The noise and random light flashing should do the trick, and if you move them around a bit it keeps them guessing.

Save $$$$ by laying down some old newspaper or cardboard under your mulch instead of expensive landscape fabric. It does the trick at keeping weeds and grass at bay and it's biodegradable.

Line large flowerpots with newspaper and put recycled egg cartons in the bottom. This helps retain a little more moisture so the roots don't "cook" on hot days. Simply soak the cartons overnight and break them up into chunks before adding soil.

2 Comments | Post Feedback

The bell peppers are sweet!

My daughter eating a pepper from our veggie garden last summer. She loves the peppers, snap beans and tomatoes because she can pick them herself!

so nice to see your little girl eating freas veggies! So many kids don't even have a clue where their food comes from and many more don't like veggies. So sad for them!!
When my 2 boys were about 4 & 5 their dad took them outside to get corn for dinner. When they didn't return I went to check. I found all three of them standing in the garden eating corn off the cob right there. They moved on to the peas and shelled and ate as they meandered on to the tomatoes. As I watched them they finished their dinner and went to the peach tree for dessert. I wasn't a country girl myself so watching this was a real treat...besides, I didn't have to cook that night!

I enjoyed reading your post.

My mom did the same thing with old mini blinds. I have a baggie full of them! :-) And you had a few things I hadn't thought/heard of . . . where to you place the honey on the pepper plants? ON or NEAR the blossoms? I like the idea of using an old milk jug as a container when harvesting. No berries for us, but I think we could use this for cherry tomatoes or green beans.

Love the pic of your little girl. Mine won't touch peppers. But she loves edamame, and I thrilled to find some seeds at the nursery last week. We haven't grown many veggies for a couple years b/c neighborhood cats were using my raised bed as a litter box (yuck!). We started using it as a cutting garden and grew just a few veggies in containers. But we just put in a new, improved raised bed. Looking forward to a nice variety this year (and hoping that this will widen my daughter's horizons)!

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