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Volume 2, Number 21, May 24, 2007 (Read It Online) We gave lots of great tips this week including ideas for Inexpensive Raised Beds. Thanks for reading, Susan
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If you are an avid crafter, capable writer and own a digital camera, you are eligible to participate. Submit your craft projects to ThriftyFun and we will pay $15 for any crafts that we publish. More Information:
By Stacey from Orem, UT
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Rate It: Planting flowers in mass will make a huge "statement" even in a small area. Here is a favorite petunia window box. Add garden art for a more interesting focal point. By Great Granny Vi from Moorpark, CA
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Rate It: I buy plants that are marked down at stores that need to be re-potted. This way I get nice plants, but at a bargain price and save the life of a plant. This was in a broken pot with no blooms. It was my first time to grow an orchid. By Diane from Klamath Falls, OR
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Don't like to trim bushes because it's messy? Try this method. Put an old sheet under the bush you need to trim. Make sure it's all the way around the bush. Trim your bush as usual. After trimming, fold up sheet and dump trimmings in your paper lawn bag. No mess trimming anymore! Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf84161421.tip.html
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Rate It: Using Fall Leaves In Your Garden When you rake your yard in fall, don't throw the leaves away in trash bags. Spread them over the garden spot and wet it down. When you till the yard in spring, till the leaves in. It makes free mulch nutrients for the plants as leaves will decompose. By Dee C. Keep Leaves from Blowing Away You may want to consider putting something on top of leaves to prevent them from blowing away. I was able to get wood chips free from a tree service. A scattering of wood chips has done the job. Consider doing Ruth Stout style gardening. She even published a book on the subject. She does not till her garden. She pushes the mulch to the side when she plants and lets it mulch the new plant. Any time she got new weeds, she just covered them with more mulch. By Barbara Oak Leaves Oak leaves are especially good for evergreens, such as pines and even rhododendrons and azaleas. By snickybun Saving for Later Use We put our leaves into the dark green garbage bags (heavy duty ones) and then store them at the back of the property behind some bushes for a couple of years. When I open them up in the spring, the leaves have composted and can be dug into the garden. By Megan How do you use leaves in your garden? Post your ideas below.
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Rate It: Memorial in the Garden - Heart and Tear Shaped Flower Beds If you have a special person or pet you want to honor or remember, here is a design that I did in my garden. I made a heart design and a tear design by digging up the grass and making a flower garden and a shrub garden to honor someone special. It is in the shape of a heart and has a hemlock tree planted in it for the special person. Also I planted roses and flowers in the tear shape garden when I was sad. This also helps to deal with your sadness. You also have somewhere you can go and meditate. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf827053.tip.html
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Rate It: Use old, clean pantyhose to gently adhere plants to stakes while they are growing. Simply stretch pantyhose and cut both legs into rings. Stretch out and tie together as many as needed for the size of the plant to reach the stake. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf204195.tip.html
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Rate It: How to Make Your Own Rooting Hormone
When starting a new plant from a leaf or stem cutting, the cutting will be more likely to form roots and create a new plant if a rooting hormone is used. View This Article: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf203844.tip.html
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Rate It: Save On Watering By Collecting Rain Water Save on watering by collecting rain water in containers. Pretty tin buckets make cute 'collectors'. If you have a tin roof, you can place barrels under the eaves to catch rain water and then it can be gathered in watering cans to take where needed. In case of mosquitos check with garden centers and there is a tablet to rid water of the larvae but safe for plants. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf267078.tip.html
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Rate It: How to Plan your Herb Garden
An herb garden can bring a person a lot of pleasure because there's so many things that can be done with herbs such as herbal crafts, herbal teas and herbal seasonings. On top of this, you get to care and tend for the plants which, if this is all you do, is enough reason to grow an herb garden. Seeing how the herbs mingle together and enjoying their fragrance are other benefits. View This Article: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf000755.tip.html
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Rate It: Before I repot plants in soil that has been sitting in a bag in the garage or outdoors, I sterilize it and kill any hidden bugs by putting it in the oven at 200 degrees for about an hour. In a pinch, I'll wet soil throughly and microwave covered for a few minutes or until steaming. Cool before use, of course. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf537167.tip.html
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Rate It: I pick up cut thorny branches with a pooper scooper and put them into the trash can. Saves my hands from thorn-sticks and my back from bending down. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf559750.tip.html
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Rate It: Five Tips for Healthier Houseplants
If your houseplants are looking like they need a lift, here's five tips that'll get them looking and feeling better in no time:
Follow these five tips and you'll be amazed at how healthy and vibrant your plants will look. By Monica Resinger
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Rate It: Frugal Ways To Make Raised Garden Beds There are several inexpensive materials you can use to construct raised beds, among them, 4" landscape timbers or 2"x12" boards. Avoid wood that has been treated. Untreated woods like redwood, cypress or cedar will last longer than most other woods, but without the worries of chemical leeching. Concrete blocks, plastic landscaping edging, corrugated sheet metal or stones work well, too. If you live near a rural area, you can offer to "rock pick" an area of a farmer's field before it's planted. Most farmers will be more than happy to have the help. Also keep in mind that beds at a height of 3 ft will be both wheel chair accessible, and accessible when standing. For an easy reach from all sides, keep the beds no more than 6 feet across (most people have about a 3 foot reach) or keep a walkway in the center. By Ellen Brown
Additional tips on raised beds from our ThriftyFun community: Supplies for Raised Beds My husband and I just put in some raised beds this year and we used (3) 2x6x8's. He cut one in half for the ends and used (3) 3" screws in each to hold them together, making a frame. We used (14) 40lb. bags of top soil and (3) 40lb. of cow manure, and it filled the frame up nicely. We built one for each of the vegetables we were going to plant. By Melissa1968 Recycle Wood From Skids One idea would be to ask around at Home Depot, etc for old skids (wood pallets). Take them apart and use the wood. For example, use three slats for height, use one slat to keep them together. By Pat Red Logs Raised Beds We made two, one for the front yard and one for the back for our roses. We went to Home Depot (or you can find them at Lowe's, but Home Depot has a better selection) and bought the 8' red logs. They're about $2.50 each and we used 4-5 for each planter. We used three high for the length of the planter and cut the other ones down for how wide we wanted the planter to come out. We did ours against the block fencing but, if you wanted a completely free standing one, just do the same on both sides. To secure the logs, we drilled holes through them on each end and in the middle and trimmed down rebar and hammered through the logs into the ground. My roses are doing wonderful in the planter and you can just mix some dirt and fertilizer in it. Also a tip is next time you go to Starbucks, they have a box or basket that has used coffee grounds to amend your soil. By Allison Recycled Materials Keep your eyes open for recycled materials to use to make raised beds. Constructions sites will sometimes have a free pile, be sure to ask the foreman if they have any lumber to give away (don't just take it). Stay on the look out for materials on Freecycle, Craigslist and at garage sales. More Reading
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I have a large weeping willow on a sloping area in the back yard. It has a number of dead branches and not a lot of new foliage. It looks stressed. Aside from pruning is there anything I can do? How often should I be watering it? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf40786862.tip.html
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Rate It: I would like to plant a ground cover that stays flat on the ground so we do not have to cut or mow. I would love to do it once and never again. Actually this is an un-gardening request. Anyone have any ideas? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf97620956.tip.html
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Rate It: Making Sprouts With a Sprouter Kit I recently bought a second-hand seed sprouter kit, comprising of two plastic ridged trays and a lid, plus a bottom plastic tray. Unfortunately, there are no instructions listed on the box or a leaflet inside. I was wondering if anyone knew of an online site that showed how these work, or even could give me instructions on how I sprout seeds in it. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf89558179.tip.html
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Rate It: What is a slow growing flower, annual, that doesn't get to high in height for the front of a headstone? Thanks! Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf33525389.tip.html
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Rate It: When is the best time to transplant Lilac Bushes? When is the best time to transplant Lilac Bushes? These are young small bushes. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf64310581.tip.html
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Rate It: Lately I have seen planters that look like rocks with a hole in it for the plant. They are rather costly but I think I've figured out how to make them EXCEPT for one thing that I'm hoping some can help me with. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf84919180.tip.html
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Rate It: I am looking for uses for egg shells. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf18087851.tip.html
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Rate It: Where can I buy sweet gum balls? I am trying to find a place to buy sweet gum balls as I have read where you can smash them and put around hostas to keep grubs from climbing onto your plants. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf43799364.tip.html
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Rate It: The Leaves of My Plant Turning are Yellow Why are the leaves of my plant turning yellow? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf70310140.tip.html
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Rate It: I bought this hanging house plant from my local Agway but they had no idea what the name of the plant was. They did show me small buds they said open to white flowers. I hope someone could identify it for me and provide care instructions as well (I.E.: amount of sunlight needed, water, and feeding). Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf69296666.tip.html
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Rate It: Getting Rid of a Volunteer Tree I have a tree growing out of my children's swing set. It is a new tree this year. How can I dispose of it without using round up? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf76424056.tip.html
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Rate It: Planting Grass Where I Have a Concrete Patio I would like to have grass where we have a concrete patio. Do I need to remove the concrete or can I put topsoil over the concrete? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf31601239.tip.html
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Rate It: There is a purple hydrangea bush in our neighborhood. How was that effect achieved? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf47781102.tip.html
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Rate It: This is the second year that shortly after my Woodruff plants blooms it begins to turn brown. Does anyone know if there are common woodruff diseases and how to get rid it. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf57942683.tip.html
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Rate It: Order from Austree Not Delivered I ordered a three tree special from austree in the fall of 2006! they said that my order would be delivered in mid march 2007 and charged me $148.00 on my credit card! I have received no trees nor correspondence from austree since I got charged! HELP! Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf96197116.tip.html
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Rate It: My bougainvillea froze last winter and now is just sticks but the stems seem to be getting red in color. Does this mean there's still hope? I trimmed some. Should I cut more? They are planted in the ground and used for arbor cover but only made it to the top last summer. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf93162889.tip.html
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Rate It: Does anyone know of a good "GREEN" solution for those horrible Gypsy Moth Caterpillars? They are eating my petunias and other flowers, last year they ate all my petunias. Not letting them eat them this year. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf31625590.tip.html
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Rate It: Looking for a frugal solution to an everyday problem? Submit your request here: Click Here
If you are an avid crafter, capable writer and own a digital camera, you are eligible to participate. Submit your craft projects to ThriftyFun and we will pay $15 for any crafts that we publish. More Information:
Growing: Hibiscus
Growing Hints: Tropical hibiscus needs a frost-free climate, while hardy hibiscus can grow in zones 5-11. If you have the patience, sow seeds indoors in late winter and transplant seedlings after your last frost date in the spring. For first year blooms, purchase plants from a nursery in the spring. Plants generally don't need dividing, but new plants can be started from cuttings taken in late summer and rooted indoors over winter. Space plants 3 feet apart with root crowns set 3 to 4 inches beneath the soil.
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