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Volume 2, Number 41, October 18, 2007 (Read It Online) This week we have lots of advice from the ThriftyFun community including Uses for Dried Lavender, tips for Preparing Your Garden for Winter and advice about what you should not compost. Do you have any winter gardening tips to share? Please submit them on the contest page. Thanks for reading, Susan
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Decoupaged Birdbath from Recycled Materials A birdbath made from two plastic buckets, bottoms screwed together and a plastic saucer from garden pot for the top. These can be painted or decoupaged and sprayed with clear spray paint. Wipe down with alcohol before decorating. Some who have purchased these from me also use them for a plant stand/holder and for a gazing ball stand. They are about 3 feet tall and 9 1/2 inches across the top.By Maggie from Bloomington, MN
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I put spent sunflower heads on a hanging feeder. This nuthatch didn't seem to mind that I was standing almost right next to him. By Kflocey from Gladwin, MI
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Rate It: We happen to have an old swing set in the backyard. So this year, I took the gourds off the vine, and took a hammer and long nail and punched 4 holes in the bottom of the gourds. Took twine and attached it to the stems and hung the gourds on the swing set and let the sun dry them. They are drying just fine. Last year I put them in my basement and had a mess on the floor as they dripped from the holes in the bottom, and lost quite of few from rot. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf34579491.tip.html
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Rate It: When I plan a new garden bed or clean up an existing garden bed in the spring or fall, I pull or hoe to remove weeds then plant my flowers or vegetables, leaving proper spacing between the plants. Next, I lay 6 to 8 sheets of black/white newspaper on top of soil around my flowers as a weed blocker, After laying it, wet the newspaper to keep in place. I lay my mulch of grass clippings or shredded leaves on top of the newspaper, then I lay pinestraw on top for a formal touch. Wet the mulch to keep it in place. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf95423301.tip.html
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Rate It: Keep or Sell Pine Cones for Christmas For those who are overrun with pine cones in the yard, especially the big, pretty ones, Bag 'em up! They can become natural decor for Christmas. Some places don't have pine trees, so you may actually be able to sell them online, at a flea market or a fair. I was traveling one year and was shocked to see a small bag of pine cones in a store on sale for $5! I had a yard full of them back home! Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf17709363.tip.html
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Rate It: Toward the end of the growing season as production is slowing down, I begin canning a concoction I call vegetable medley. There won't be enough of the Red Ripper cowpeas, for example, to fill the canner, so Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf14323053.tip.html
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Rate It: What Not to Put In Compost Pile Looking for advice on starting a compost? Here are some tips from the ThriftyFun community. Post your own advice here. Avoid Meat Most people avoid meat and meat by-products because of the smell and the tendencies to attract flies which do nothing to help the compost process. My gardener neighbor avoids houseplants because they often contain anti-fungal treatments in the topsoil and he uses the compost to grow vegetables. If you are using a hard plastic wading pool, I suggest putting a few holes in the bottom for drainage and regularly turning it over to aerate and accelerate the process of decomposition. By Stannous No Grease Avoid putting grease in your compost. By Sally Em Don't Compost Salty Cooked Foods And Animal Waste I tend to not put salty foods into my compost. (anything that I cooked like casseroles, or pasta, or meat that has been seasoned with salt). We have a real problem with bears, too. In my compost pit, I tend to bury the freshest additions to make sure that no critters make off with any of it. Also, some people say animal waste is a big no-no, like cat or dog poo, although I have a neighbor that dumps her cat's entire litter box in, clay litter and all. I'll just say I'm glad I'm not downwind. That seems like a little much in my opinion. By Beth - MA Only Plant Vegetation Put in your compost any plant vegetation matter. Do NOT put in any animal products such as meat, eggs or even pasta, for that matter. I put tea bags, banana peels, apple cores, any leftover raw veggies and leaves, leftover fruit, tree leaves and grass in my compost. Keep it damp but not wet and have your compost pile a distance from your house. By Dean NYC Composting Website New York City has a compost site , http://www.nyccompost.org, click on "How to Compost" and you'll get the complete guide Anna, NYC By aw_$mgr96 Great Dos And Don'ts Avoid cigarette butts, nothing good in them. I would avoid pet poop too. Although my friend who is a wonderful gardener goes to the circus in town and brings home elephant or zebra poop for her compost (I won't EVER ride in her car again!) That is quite a smell! Happy composing! Gardeners refer to the results of composing as "Black Gold" it is a wonderful, rich soil full of good things. Don't forget to add your coffee grounds and egg shells too. Some folks bake the shells first but I don't. I'm not growing food either, I use my compost for my flowers. By nancycorinne Aeration And Other Tips Do not put any cooked food, meat carcasses etc, citrus or onion, or grease. Make sure it is aerated by turning regularly. Keep it covered to retain heat, to help it break down quickly. You might find the addition of drainage holes a good idea, rather than a contained bottom. Activators accelerate breakdown. You can use urine for this, and red garden worms. You need a 50/50 mix of greens and browns i.e. kitchen veg waste, and garden woodier clippings and cuttings. In the winter time you can layer cardboard or newspaper in place of garden browns. By Joanna Watch Out For Pests My dad has composted for years. Be on the look out for unwanted pests such as rats! He lives in a subdivision but has rats so he sets out poison and lives traps (and then has to transport the rodents to the woods, yuck!) By Diana No Protein I wouldn't put any protein in it, i.e. meat, cheese, eggs (eggshells are ok), etc. This despite that old story about native Indians using fish as fertilizer. Also no petroleum-based products, like "soft" plastic or rubber, no metals or chemicals. I'd be wary of lawn clippings if the lawn was recently chemically treated. You don't want that stuff to leach into your compost. Most paper is OK because inks these days are often soy-based. By Jantoo Look For Volunteer Plants Come Springtime Everyone is right about what not to put in your compost pile. I would like to add a word about an unexpected bonus come spring. If you throw any leavings from say, for instance pumpkin (pulp and seeds), sometimes these seeds will germinate in the spring and you can transfer it out to your garden space. I got two current tomatoes from my compost heap this past spring. By Dawn Kiddie Pool Is Not Best Composting Option Can you possibly use something other than a kiddies pool. They're not very deep and will not build up much heat to break the material down. Also composting works best when worms and beneficial insects access the material to help break it down, so you make holes to allow them in, it may take much longer to decompose. By susanmajp Ashes Wood ashes. By Kay
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Rate It: Don't know what to do with your dried lavender flowers? Here are some crafts and recipes that are on ThriftyFun to get you started: Here are some tips from the ThriftyFun community. Post your own ideas here.Insect Repellent Lavender's a great insect repellent. Put bunches of it in your window sills and hang bunches of it near your doors to keep insects out. Put some under your doormat, too. Also works in your car. Put some under the seats and in the trunk. By perfumed fan Sell It Sell it on Ebay! By kladybug Lavender Can Be Profitable You can probably make a decent amount of money selling it, you may want to spend a few hours doing some online research, but I believe your work will pay off for you. I wish I could remember the name/site of the family that made a lot of money selling lavender, their story is quite interesting. By azDana Lavender Oil Lavender oil is wonderful! Take a small bunch you have tied together with thread and lightly crushed: place in a tall bottle. Lightly warm (not boil) almond, light olive or even sunflower oil. Pour into the bottle. Cap loosely. Let it sit for 7-10 days or more, depending how strong scent you want. Remove lavender bundle and discard. Strain the oil through cheesecloth and discard the cloth and bits. Cap tightly. If desired, break open a few Vitamin E capsules and squeeze them into the oil. This will act as a perservative. Use the oil to cleanse, moisturize or massage. By thriftmeg Lavender Dolly To Freshen Drawers You could make a lavender dolly to freshen drawers too. Take a big handful of long stems with flowers and tie tightly under the flower part. Now bend the stems up and over the flowers to form a cage and tie together tightly with cotton, then cover the cotton with a pretty ribbon, leaving the very ends free. You can add a hanging loop for cars/wardrobes, or leave it as it is and pop in drawers. Saves all that sewing if you want to have sachets. By dragonsue Tea Or Jelly Queen Victoria used to say she couldn't function without her daily cup of Lavender tea, and I used to have a recipe for lavender and rose petal jelly that came from that era. By dragonsue Use Ready Made Bags Track down orgazmo ready-made bags, and place the dried flowers inside. Give them away as Christmas presents, especially to someone who has insommnia or a baby. Lavender is a relaxing and soothing herb, and the scent will help them to sleep. By Cathy Many Uses and Links You can make sachets with lavender, make potpourri or add it to homemade soap, or just plain tie a piece of string around 10 or so stems and set them under the seat of your car (I did this and it continued to smell great for over a month in the late summer!) Irish Brides used to braid fresh lavender into their hair. You can add fresh lavender flowers (still on the stem) to clear bottles of lavender cologne, or it can be added to the inside of oil burning lamps. The prettiest way to use lavender is to weave lavender wall decorations, called "Lavender Wands". These are great for the home, car or office and smell nice for months. After that, they continue to look pretty. Lavender makes great tea and can be used plain or added to green tea. Plus it's great in many other recipes including salad dressings. Lavender can also be woven into baskets, used in "Eye-Pillows" and added to heated neck roll pillows and heated, grain-stuffed fabric trivets. A super-simple use of lavender is to take a piece of netting or fabric and fill it with dried lavender, then tie the end with string, yarn or a rubber band. These little lavender filled pouches can be tucked down between your pillow case and your pillow for a yummy night dreaming of lavender fields. Or you can tie the string to the top of your hangers to help ward off moths, Or, simply tuck them into the back of your drawers for great smelling lingerie! The scent from lavender is strongest when it's near a source of heat, say for example, from the sun shining in your car windows or near a heat register, a lamp or on top of your TV. But use care, never put dried lavender near a burning candle or a hot light bulb, but instead hang your sprig of lavender in a sunny south facing window! This Christmas (Birthdays and Weddings too), make your friends smile with an awesome new way of wrapping packages. Just tie or hot glue several lavender sprigs under your package bows. These will smell great under their Christmas tree! And just for fun, make Birthdays & Weddings special by adding sprigs of dried lavender to the inside of the gift, tucked into the folds of the tissue paper. Or you can sprinkle tiny bits of lavender buds into the inside of your greeting cards like great smelling confetti. Have Fun! Uses of lavender and recipes: Weaving and braiding lavender wands and baskets:
Uses For Dried Lavender:
By Cyinda
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Rate It: Preparing Your Garden for Fall and Winter Tips to prepare your garden for the fall and winter from the ThriftyFun community. Post your ideas! Bringing In The Harvest Right now we are just concentrating on getting as much of the garden produce in the house as possible. Frost threatens tonight! The house is filled with boxes, enamel basins, and even pots and pans full of vegetables and fruit. It's hard to keep up with it and still work at my job. (I think it's fun to put up food in jars and share it with friends; not work). My husband feeds the corn stalks to the cows. By this time the pasture is pretty sparse, and they can really gobble them up. It's fun to watch them start at one end and just keep munching the sweet stalks until they get to the other end! They have already eaten the pea vines and bean vines. Jim brought in the eggplants, and I commented that they hadn't had time to turn purple yet. He laughed at me and said they were a new variety he was trying, called "Green Apple." (blush) Most of our tomatoes are green, too, but they WILL turn color! I will can them as they ripen.We are eating so many raw vegetables right now, knowing that in winter they will become a costly luxury. Once the garden has been cleared out, Jim will spread manure and straw from our calf pens and then turn it under with the rototiller. After that, it's up to the weather and the season to fill it with snow and let the stinky stuff break down. In spring, he will till it once again, and then carefully measure and mark the rows. The soil is full of humus after 24 years of tillage and enriching. I don't know how folks feed their gardens without cows. You can only turn so much compost. But then, not everyone raises a quarter acre of veggies plus fruit trees and berries. They probably have more sense than we have. :-) By coreenhart Composting Leaves And Other Seasonal Tips In Texas, we still have a full month before our first frost is expected, perhaps even two. However, very soon the rainy season here begins and lasts about 6 weeks, then leaves will begin turning to all lovely shades, and most folks wait to rake until the last one falls off the trees. I watch the street gutters carefully for lawn service men to blow all leaves from other yards my way, which mixes with dust and water making a wonderful addition for the compost! I get the last laugh, even though they don't necessarily do the blowing on purpose, it just works out that way because I'm on a corner of three other homes with lawn service and I must do my own, without leaf/grass blowing. I trimmed Crepe Myrtle branch ends and dead twigs throughout the tree and reaped a last huge fall blossom time as they wind down to dormancy for winter. I've got a chance for one last application of coffee grounds to the two types of grass, which is dense and green again except where the grub worms are, which need Milky Spore to eliminate them that I cannot afford. Oh well, I'll deal with the damage next spring. I pull what weeds I can after each rain when they perk way up as if begging to be pulled. I sweep sidewalks/patio, wishing I could bleach them, but money and water restrictions forbid it. (My standards are going lower with each passing year!) I need also to repair bent storm windows, cover exterior door frame cracks with found wood/and paint them. I've cut and stacked dead limbs for firewood to add over stacks of junk mail to burn in the firepit. I've trimmed dead branches for healthy shrubs and trees, fertilized evergreens with coffee grounds. I'm preparing the few large house plants for their first few visits inside at signs of temps below 55 degrees since most are tropicals. I finished hunting down all pools of collected water to minimize mosquitos, collecting lots of plastic bottles and jugs for watering winter garden. I'm checking all bird houses/baths for repairs and cleaning. I lost a few herbs to too much rain recently. I have new growth on rose branches. I'll wait until February to prune them. Need to remember to shape/trim all 20 Boxwood shrub back to 3' balls in the spring, not fall. I have wasp houses to clean out (tiny bird house designed). I need to pot any remaining plants to give to friend for over-wintering in University Greenhouses. Trying to cut down all tree saplings each month, but not keeping up. I'm regretting not being able to take pictures of so many of our blooms this year, especially of many colors of Crepes. Need to divide five colors of two and three-tone irises, prune 8'x4' Agave plant and it's offspring more into tree-shapes, if possible. Cleaned fiberglass multiteired fountain out. Hoping to harvest more Dandelions for the bunny and Clover for us this Fall. Soil appears to be MUCH more healthy. City mulch applied just in time before they ran out. I need to prune two wrist-sized broken branches on Bradford Pear trees and spray with tree paint before the branches get sick. Buckling down all cabinet/closet doors. Meantime, I'm getting my covered car top carriers ready, reviewing my seed plans, waiting for the Society Garlic to go to seed, harvesting blooms/freezing, inquiring of readers about best cooking advice for Hyacinth Beans, cleaning up all non-garden items: tools, storage bins, lawn chairs covered, umbrella tightened down, dead stalks of veggies cut/composted, swim toys/pool/bikes, etc. Best wishes for good holidays to come in which we can show our love and gratitude to other family members, neighbors and God for whatever He has given us and allowed us to use for a time. By Lynda
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Can I get the content of seaweed compost fertilizer? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf91800609.tip.html
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Rate It: What do red back ladybugs eat? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf81888551.tip.html
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Rate It: Spray Mixture to Attract Ladybugs A few days ago I was reading a post and there was a link to a thriftyfunner's garden wherein was posted a spray mix to attract ladybugs. I've been away from home for a couple of days and now I can't find it. I want to give it to my daughter to attract ladybugs to her yard. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf26577921.tip.html
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Rate It: Planting Flowers in the Shape of Letters My volunteer garden club at our library are building a berm. It will be the center peice of a very large open area. I wanted to put flowers that make the shapes of letters when bunched together. This is a 3 part question #1 What would be used as a support since the berm will be on a high slant? #2 What is used to make the framing for the letters? #3 What would be the best low work flowers/plants to use to make the lettering stand out? If anyone has photos of or links to web pages that have photos it would help me the best. Thanks! Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf55847308.tip.html
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Rate It: Using Diluted Pancake Syrup As Hummingbird Food Does diluted pancake syrup make ok hummingbird food? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf68311178.tip.html
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Rate It: I have Potentillas growing up both sides of my laneway and I would like to know, if you can prune Potentillas. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf12245874.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:
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