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Volume 2, Number 31, August 9, 2007 (Read It Online) 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 Marie E. from West Dundee, IL
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Rate It: Here is a view of the Butterfly worm I found. It was attached to the back of a Milkpod leaf. I brought it home and it ate the leaves, then attached itself upside down on the container. A couple of days later it had a green cocoon around it. For three days it hung there. The next thing I see is it is all black. Then it slowly slides out of the cocoon, and it is a BEAUTIFUL MONARCH BUTTERFLY! I hope the pictures can explain the process better than I can. By Mary from LeRoy, IL
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Rate It: In the past I have received mini roses and have always had them die, no matter how tenderly cared for them. This last one I got as a gift I decided to plant outside, and it has flourished and grown very fast. I put it in the sun area. So, if you have bad luck with these pretty mini roses, try placing them outside. By Linda from Bellevue, NE
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Rate It: Here are my giant sunflowers I grew this year. When they bloom, I will take another picture and post it. By the way, I am only 5'2" so you can see how tall they are. By Sandy from Bluff City, TN
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Rate It: I took this picture last weekend at a lavender farm in Hood River, Oregon, the dark purple is Grosso Lavender which is best known for oils. Grosso is a hybrid and must be started by propagation. It took 4 years to achieve this. If you stand still, you can hear the bees. They leave the lavender and go across the driveway to the pears. This is as close to heaven as I can get, Lavender and Mt Hood. I added the chair! Hood River is where the fruits for most of the mail order fruit companies grow, tons of orchards and only 2 lavender farms! To get to Hood River, you drive through the Columbia Gorge. I have seen the lavender fields in Provence and they don't hold a candle to this one. Before relocating to Pacific NW, I lived in TN where you CANNOT grow lavender (too humid), so I am the happiest gardener in my small community. It grows like a weed and even has to be trimmed in fall. Just thought my gardening buddies would love this pix. By CJ Jones from Camas, WA
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Kids Art Bricks For The Garden Let your kids' or grandkids' art showcase in your garden! Let them each have a brick and a variety of colored chalk and let them decorate the brick! Then, if you like, go over the art piece with paint - going over each line with it's respective color! Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf57111433.tip.html
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Rate It: Garlic For Garden Pest Prevention Put whole cloves of garlic around your plants that rabbits and other critters might be munching on. Put several around each plant, just lay on top of the ground. This is helping my friend, greatly. Her plants are are growing immensely, now. She found the best price on garlic to be at a warehouse store, like Sam's Club or Costco, over that of a grocery store. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf53259206.tip.html
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Rate It: Shell Herb Garden
If you'd like to grow some of your own herbs for cooking purposes, why not make the garden they are grown in decorative? Plant the herbs in various clam shells and conk shells for display!
Needed:
Instructions: Step 1: Choose various shells with deep crevices. Step 2: Fill shells with potting soil (using the measuring cup as a scoop). Step 3: Sprinkle potting soil with various herb seeds. Step 4: Gently water the soil and seeds. Step 5: Place in your outdoor garden, kitchen, windowsill or anywhere you want decorative plants. Step 6: Once the herb plants are 1 inch tall, transplant in a prepared area (or even deeper shells) for continued growth. In natural shells, this garden looks quite nice outdoors. It blends in with the surrounding area and gives a subtle, decorative touch.
Additional step: have adults or children paint the shells before planting the garden for a more vibrant looking garden. This project is quite easy, and can be done by the youngest child.
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Rate It: Unusual garden art and planting containers submitted from the ThriftyFun community. Post your own ideas here. Children's Shopping CartI like to decorate our yard with unusual items during the summer months and get quite a few compliments on how wonderful and "inviting" our yard looks.. We even won a beautification award from the city we live in. My most recent "thrifty" idea was:My neighbor was throwing out one of those plastic blue/pink child's shopping carts as one of the wheels was cracked. I asked if I could have it - she gave it to me. I asked people at work to save me their plastic Folger's ground coffee containers. I had gotten some seeds from a neighbors plant for marigolds. I glued the cracked wheel on the shopping cart. Then I drilled holes in the bottom of the Folger's container and filled it with dirt and planted the marigold seeds. I put the Folger's container in the shopping cart and put the cart on our front porch. Now I have a beautiful plant growing in a colorful shopping cart and it has been quite a conversation piece and is really cute! By Robin Recycle Old Things In Garden DecorI love ideas like this - the only limit is your imagination. Among my garden beds I have an old wheelbarrow, earthenware jars, white ceramic insulation things from old telegraph poles, a terracotta chimney, 3 iron wagon wheels, a wrought iron bed end and 2 rams skulls complete with horns! They all blend in with my natural native garden.By Jo Bodey Use Baby Things As They Are OutgrownI've done the same thing. It appears I am always looking at something to see how I can use it instead of throwing it away. My daughter just got through cleaning her room and she has two of the shopping carts with the wheels broke on it. I set them aside to do the same thing that Robin did. Just haven't gotten around to it. I took one of her plastic baby doll carriers and placed a pot of allysums in it and have it setting out in front of our carport. I took her old baby bathtub placed dirt in it and planted marigolds and dwarf zinnias in it and placed below our outside water spigot. I plan on using her old baby plastic potty chair as a pot and place on the other side of the bathtub.By Renee Taylor Feng Shui Garden ArtAll these ideas sound great!! I have just started in my back yard. First I put in some Feng Shui colors, mostly flowerbeds. I like unusual container ideas too. So far, I have a full-size toilet, classic rusty wheelbarrow, couple old metal patio chairs, a TV and 2 old-fashioned radiating heaters. The latter 2, having trouble deciding what to do. Any ideas? Especially with Feng Shui in mind!By Judy in LA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf531132.tip.html
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Rate It: 5 Great & Healthy Ways to Enjoy Garden Fresh Tomatoes
This is one of my favorite times of year for produce. I love all the wonderful, fresh fruit that's so much cheaper this time of year. But my absolute favorite late summer treat has to be garden-fresh tomatoes! There's really nothing more delicious than a deep-red, juicy, sweet tomato straight out of the garden. Whereas I use tomatoes year round in salads and sliced on sandwiches, I make fresh tomatoes more prominent in meals to best highlight and enjoy their wonderful flavor. Below I've listed five of my favorite healthy ways to enjoy garden-fresh tomatoes, but this really just a beginning of the ways you can use these wonderful red treats! 1) Grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches: Use whole wheat or light bread, 2% American cheese and big slices of fresh tomatoes. Lightly butter bread or spray with a buttery spray. Place one slice of bread butter side down in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat, add cheese and tomato, then other slice of bread. Cook until lightly brown, flip and repeat on other side. 2) Simple sliced tomatoes: As a side dish to nearly any meal, it's hard to beat the ease, nutritional value and lovely taste of a stack of fresh tomatoes. I like to dress mine with just a bit of salt and pepper. 3) Tomato and cucumber salad: Another of my favorite quick side dishes is a simple toss of chopped fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, with a splash of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper. This can either be eaten right away or refrigerated until ready to eat. 4) Bacon, Lettuce and Yummy Tomato Sandwiches: With bland, barely-pink tomatoes, BLT's are nothing to rave about. But add a juicy, fresh tomato, and they become a true delicacy! Start with two slices of toasted whole wheat bread. I like to add some light mayonnaise to each slice. You can use turkey bacon to keep it healthier, or just a couple slices of real bacon. Finish off with lettuce and sliced tomato and you've got a great quick lunch or dinner. 5) Fresh Mozzarella, Tomato and Basil: This Italian favorite can be a delicious appetizer, or a side dish to pasta, chicken, seafood, steaks...you name it! To prepare, simply slice tomatoes, basil and mozzarella. Splash with olive oil, and maybe a little balsamic vinegar and enjoy. These five ideas certainly aren't the only wonderful ways to use your garden tomatoes. They are also great for pasta sauces, salsas, salads, other sandwiches, stuffed tomatoes and lots more. Try not to let any of these beauties go to waste. If you can't eat them as fast as you harvest them, tomatoes are very easy to freeze. Then you'll be able to enjoy them year-round, on dishes like chili and spaghetti sauce. When January rolls around, you'll be glad you have a stash of homegrown tomatoes on hand! Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf997767.tip.html
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Reversing The Effects of Salt On Plants I used salt to kill some weeds, but the problem is the salt is killing everything else! How can I reverse the effects of the salt? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf13389280.tip.html
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Rate It: Why Are Apples Cracking While Growing? The fruit on my apple tree keeps cracking, why? The soil medium (ha) is predominantly clay and I do try to get some compost around the tree. The area the tree stands is almost a water table when it rains hard. I'm at my wits end trying to find a reason for the problem. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf65832697.tip.html
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Rate It: Bugs And Worms Eating Pumpkins How do I keep bugs and worms from eating my pumpkins? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf33331754.tip.html
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Rate It: How To Care For Shasta Daisies I have been given Shasta Daisies by the wind or birds. How do I care for them? Do I fertilize them or not? Thanks. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf47364585.tip.html
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Rate It: I have spent a bunch of money on annuals for my new window boxes this year. I used red vining geraniums, white petunias and asparagus fern. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf11732699.tip.html
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Rate It: I am in the habit of buying seeds whenever I see something I want to try growing. How long are the seeds good for growing? I have stored some for a couple of years! Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf64771719.tip.html
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Rate It: Molasses For Nut Grass Prevention Nut Grass: I sprayed the lawn with diluted molasses concentrate, because I read on the internet that the government is conducting experiments to help get rid of nut grass via organic methods. They are using sweet products (sugar, molasses...), because nut grass comes from a bulb and dirt full of nutrients contains micro-organisms that destroy bulbs. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf68407835.tip.html
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Rate It: Can I Return A Lemon Poulan Lawnmower? Lawnmower problem. Bought a new Poulan Self-propelled in June 07. Briggs and Stratton engine. VERY hard to start. Have used twice. Requires maybe 30 compressions of the primer (3 is recommended). I think it's a lemon--but are mower lemons returnable? My guess: needs some carburetor adjustment. Anyone have advice? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf12714278.tip.html
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Rate It: I think I am in Zone 5-6, I think I have grubs in the lawn and want to treat them. It is August 3 and I am confused from all the articles I read can you please help me. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf55883455.tip.html
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Rate It: I have 6 potentilla shrubs that are close to 15 years old planted on the south side of our house. They have been beautiful until the last couple of years. They are brown and drying and look spindly. We prune them every fall. Does anyone know what could be wrong? We've had very hot weather. How long do potentillas last? Do they need fertilized? Should we be watering them? Thank you for responding. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf15703221.tip.html
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Rate It: What kind of fruit tree is this? Or if it isn't a fruit tree, then what is it? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf54157041.tip.html
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Rate It: There is white powdery stuff on my pumpkins. I'm assuming it's powdery mildew. The leaves are already turning brown, and I'm worried that I will loose my pumpkins before Halloween. Does powdery mildew affect the pumpkins themselves, and if so how can I save them from going bad? Please help! Thanks. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf68764435.tip.html
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Rate It: Ideas For Sifting Rocks Out Of Garden I need to get the rocks out of my garden. I've already made a rectangular "box", open on top, heavy-duty wire mesh on the bottom, but lifting it to shake it hurts my back. I'm trying to create a way to put legs on it and shake it to filter out the dirt. I'm looking for examples, plans, etc. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf71577517.tip.html
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Rate It: The leaves on my tomato plants are turning yellow and dying and some of the tomatoes are black on the bottom. However, new leaves are growing up the side of our house. What can I do to stop the yellow leaves and black on the bottom of the tomatoes? Hardiness Zone: 7a Wanda from Chapel Hill, TN Editor's Note: Here is a recent request about tomatoes with yellow leaves: Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf10012181.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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