Happy Garden - January 3, 2008

Vol. 3, Num. 1, January 3, 2008 (Read It Online) Happy New Year! Today we have an article about Recycling Christmas Trees which is timely. Thanks for reading, Susan Send to a Friend! Submit Your Gardening Tips Submit Photos of Your Garden Submit a Gardening Request Edit Your Subscriptions: To edit your ThriftyFun subscriptions, click the Update Profile/Email Address link at the bottom of this newsletter. Today's newsletter contains: Photos: Plant Clippings As Gifts Birch Bird Feeder Or Candle Holder Craft: Cute Tomato Cage Christmas Trees Christmas Cactus In Bloom Tips and Articles: Recycling Christmas Trees Bury Used Tea Bags In Garden Onion Salvage Sprinkle Used Coffee Grounds Around Plants Getting Rid of Canadian Thistle New Requests: Pruning Gabriel's Trumpet Plant Leaves on Chili Plant Turning Brown Today's Sponsor: Crafting for Fun and Money! 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: Click Here: http://www.thriftyfun.com/post_craft.ldml Photos: Plant Clippings As Gifts I have a second generation spider plant that has more babies on it than I know what to do with. So this year, I clipped a few and put them in water about a month or two ago. I kept some aluminum vegetable cans (easiest to clean out) to use as pots. After potting the clippings in the cans, I used tissue paper on one and felt squares on the other two that I held in place with rubber bands. I tied ribbon around the cans to decorate and hide the rubber bands. Total cost- $0.00 By Jenntaker from Lenox, MA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf45414216.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Birch Bird Feeder Or Candle Holder This is not only a good gift idea for bird lovers (like me) but also for homebound/seniors that enjoy watching the birds. Get a 12 inch long log off a birch tree branch (at least 8 to 10 inches wide in diameter). Drill a few 1-2 inch holes into the log and add a hook to the top to hang. These logs also make great centerpiece yule logs by placing the holes on one side and adding candles and greenery. Homemade Suet Instructions 1 cup lard, fat or shortening 1 cup crunchy peanut butter 1 cup whole wheat flour 2 cups quick cook oats (uncooked) 2 cups cornmeal optional: bird seed, nuts, raisins or unsalted pretzels Directions Soften lard and peanut butter in micowave, add other ingredients and mix. Don't make too sticky. Roll into tube-like shapes about 4-5 inches long. Freeze on a cookie tray in the freezer. After frozen, either wrap in waxed paper or you can insert the suet into the drilled holes in the logs. Or you may provide the frozen logs to the recipient and let them insert the suet into the logs and hang outside. Woodpeckers and other birds will hang on and peck at it! Great fun to watch! Speaking of WATCHING, if you know of a bird lover that does watch their feeders, inviting them to join the Feederwatch.org program would be a fun and useful program to get them involved in! We count how many birds come to our feeders during a time we choose to watch. It is for scientific study on our wildlife. The site to find out more is: http://www.feederwatch.org and is handled by Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Source: Feederwatch info from Cornell Lab of Ornithology Suet recipe from Lackawanna Sanctuary. By BeBeEyes from Sterling, PA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf82183015.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Craft: Cute Tomato Cage Christmas Trees By Debra Frick Thought you were through with your tomato cages for the year? Think again! They can be turned into very cute Christmas Trees for your yard or your home. These beauties will light up your yard and are very affordable. So snatch up your tomato cages and come with me and let me show you how to put them to good use now until the tomatoes need them again in the spring. Time to complete: One hour Materials 1 tomato cage 2\3 strings of 100 mini lights Twist ties Old CD's to hang from them Instructions Turn your tomato cage upside down and tie the legs together with a couple of twist ties or wire. Now you have your frame. Starting a the plug end of your lights at the bottom of your frame, string the lights up and down, tying with twist ties at the intersections of the round rings to hold on the lights. Add light strings as need to cover. If you have extra lights, they can be hung down the middle of your tree. The one in my picture is plain, but you can drill small holes in CD's and string with fishing line and hang them from the rings to reflect the light. Have a Bright Christmas from me to you! Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf18223129.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Christmas Cactus In Bloom I left my Christmas cactus outside all summer and all fall. (I live in the south.) I brought it inside on Thanksgiving and it began to bloom. The salmon colored cactus was a gift from a lovely neighbor and it's now one of my favorite plants of all time! By Marilyn from Colfax, LA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf12712837.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Tips and Articles: Recycling Christmas Trees By Ellen Brown Over 33 million real Christmas trees are sold in North America every year, and according to the National Christmas Tree Association, 93% of consumers who use real Christmas trees recycle them using some type of community program. Because the week following the New Year's Day holiday is traditionally the time when most Christmas trees are taken down, here are some post-holiday tips for prolonging your tree's usefulness. Curbside Pickup & Recycling Programs Many communities now offer curbside pickup or drop-off sites for Christmas trees after the holidays. In some cases, the trees are run through a chipper and the woodchips are sold as mulch or used on local trails or in community gardens. In other cities, trees are picked up and used by local conservation groups to help prevent beach erosion or stabilize shorelines along local rivers and lakes. Examples of how Christmas trees are being recycled: Porter County, Indiana: Conservation groups are using discarded trees at a wildlife rehabilitation site to provide cover for birds and small animals. Gulf Shores, Alabama: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service used recycled trees for dune restoration following hurricane Ivan. New Orleans: Discarded Christmas trees are being used to rebuild wetlands and the Louisiana coastline following hurricane Katrina. Cook County, Illinois: Recycled trees are providing nesting materials for threatened birds like blue herons and great egrets . Keene, New Hampshire: Christmas trees are used in lakes and ponds to restore fish habitat. Clarksville, Tennessee: Woodchips are used to enhance local hiking trails. Tomahawk, Wisconsin: Ground trees are used as boiler fuel to power plants and factories. (Source: National Christmas Tree Association) The number of tree recycling programs continues to grow each year, but unfortunately, many trees still end up in landfills. For information on Christmas tree recycling programs in your area, contact your public works department, local Christmas tree farm or visit http://www.christmastree.org/recycle.cfm and type in your zip code. Backyard Birds Turn your post-holiday tree into a winter sanctuary for backyard birds. Adorn the branches with seed and suet feeders, dried fruits, and peanut butter-coated pinecones rolled in birdseed to make a cozy winter birdfeeder. Prop up your tree by "planting" it into a snow bank or wiring it to a light post or nearby tree. Perennial Protection Another great way to re-use your Christmas tree is to use the boughs as winter mulch to protect your perennials. Remove the boughs from the tree and layer them loosely over plants so they trap the snow, or simply lay the entire tree on its side next to the plants. Acid-loving plants like rhododendrons and azaleas will appreciate the extra springtime boost they get from dropped needles. Wind Breaks Layer tree branches over the vegetable garden or exposed flower beds to help prevent soil erosion caused by harsh winter winds. Ask your neighbors for their trees. Place them upright in snow banks along your driveway or sidewalk to create a temporary seasonal windbreak. Ready-Made Mulch In the spring, grind your tree down and you'll have ready-made mulch for your garden beds and walking paths, or add some woodchips to your compost pile. Fish Habitat If you have a backyard pond or own lakeshore property, consider using your tree to provide some fish-friendly habitat. Submerged trees provide fish with safe, natural cover for feeding and spawning. Preparing Your Tree for Recycling: Remove all decorations and foreign materials from your tree. This includes lights, tinsel, garland, plastic wrap, wire, rope, nails, hooks, and plastic bags used for cleanup and transport. Remove the tree from its stand. Flocked trees (decorated with fake snow) cannot be recycled and should be set out with the trash. Contact your waste management company about extra charges. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf74029775.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Bury Used Tea Bags In Garden I knew that used tea leaves could be used to enrich garden soil. It finally occurred to me that I did NOT have to tear open all the TEA BAGS but just bury them in the garden as is and they will decompose! Source: general knowledge about amending the soil By Patty from Sanibel, FL Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf54334880.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Onion Salvage If you ever get an onion that has started to rot in one of the bags in which it was sold, plant it rather than tossing it. The center may grow scallion greens for your cooking use. By Nance from Statesboro, GA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf12674674.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Sprinkle Used Coffee Grounds Around Plants Don't add your coffee grounds to the landfill. Your garden will appreciate them much more! Sprinkle coffee grounds around your plants and trees. You can also compost coffee grounds. It's easy being green. Note: Coffee (and tea) is toxic to dogs, so please be sure to not sprinkle the grounds where your curious canine can eat them. By Laura from Long Beach, CA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf77959092.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Getting Rid of Canadian Thistle To get rid of Canadian thistle, cut them at ground level and pour salt on them. They do come back. Source: I tried it myself because I had lots of salt By Gloria from Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf20534583.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Contest! Tip Contest Submit a Tip or Recipe! Photo Contest Submit a tip with photo! The above contests are weekly. We pick 2 tip winners and 1 photo winner at the end of each week. Each winner will win $25! My Frugal Life Submit a My Frugal Life Essay! New Requests: Pruning Gabriel's Trumpet Plant I need to prune a Gabriel's trumpet plant/tree to a canopy instead of straight up and down. Any advice? Pam from DNA Point, CA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf43649560.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Leaves on Chili Plant Turning Brown My chili plant was producing lots of healthy flowers and fruits, but now the leaves are turning brown and dying even the new growth. The chilies are still growing but the flowers are dying too. What's wrong? Hardiness Zone: 9a Toni from Essex, UK Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf51023206.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Looking for a frugal solution to an everyday problem? Submit your request here: Click Here Today's Sponsor: Crafting for Fun and Money! 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: Click Here: http://www.thriftyfun.com/post_craft.ldml More Stuff Seed Swap! Swap seeds with other ThriftyFun.com users. Submit a Request... Frugal solutions to everyday problems.