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Volume 2, Number 26, June 28, 2007 (Read It Online) I hope everyone is having success in their Gardens. We won't be publishing this newsletter next week due to the 4th of July holiday, so the next issue will be in two weeks. Happy Gardening! Susan
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By Paula from Portugal
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Rate It: I don't like monotony, and I love surprises. So with each new season, I buy a variety of flower and vegetable seeds, mix them all in one bag and sprinkle them at random around my garden. With each new sprout, I get a kick out of each new sprout as I wait impatiently to see what kind and what color of flower or vegetable I'm going to nurse. And because I believe that you should welcome your family and your guests with prosperity, I make it a point to always plant herbs along the isle and insert the sprouted variety of flowers among my green herbs. And the aroma and the fusion of it all is therapy to the soul and the spirit and the heart. By Mae from Washington, DC
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Rate It: I am making stepping stones with each family members hand (or paw) prints and name! We are including all friends and family who visit and will be making one of my bf's mother who is 70! These are really fun and easy. I use Sakrete which is a kind of brick mortar. You shore up a small pizza box with duct tape and line it with a garbage bag. The Sakrete is less than 5 dollars for 80 pounds and I'm using 10 pounds per stone. By Lily from South Bend, Indiana
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Rate It: My Gerber Daisy had twins. By Liz from New Baden, IL
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I love to recycle, especially when I am taking something that was used for one purpose and making it into something that can be used for a totally different purpose. Here I would like to share an idea that really uses something that most people have or can easily come by and that makes a beautiful decoration for your garden. The instructions are easy and it is not real messy so it is even something that older children or teenagers might like to do. We are going to recycle a bowling ball in to a garden ball that will catch the light and be a joy to look at. Now I made mine red, white and blue in a free form flag sort of arrangement but these can be made in any color you would like. Time to complete: 2 good nights of TV. Materials
Instructions First, find yourself a bowling ball. You may have one hanging around or you can buy them at most major thrift stores for around a dollar but, if you are a scrounger like me, you can try your local bowling alley and see if they have any they are getting rid of. They don't need to be beautiful, the more scuffed up they are, the better for you because they will probably give you all the damaged balls you want. You will want to clean your ball really good with window cleaner and a towel. Now take your ball outside and spray paint it the color that you have picked out. Use your coffee can, full of sand or rocks, as a stand. Let ball dry completely. Now here is the fun part. Put your bowling ball back on the can. Cut open your tube of Silicone (which in my family we call glue because, if we are gluing something that needs to be waterproof, we use this) and squirt some on a piece of tinfoil. With your knife, spread a small amount on the back of your flat marble and press into place on your bowling ball. Hold it there for a couple of seconds to get it to stay put. Cover half of your bowling ball and let it dry until the next evening. Turn your ball over on to the covered side and cover the rest. Unless you have gotten a ball with huge finger holes you can usually cover them with just one marble. But I usually tightly pack the finger holes with paper or Walmart bags, keeping it flush with the ball and then cover with marbles. I always leave the thumb hole exposed so that I can display them on a piece of rebar in my yard but if you have an old cement stand from a bird bath that has gotten broken, it is a great way to recycle that too. You can make stripes on your balls or make a pattern like my flag or work any kind of pattern that you like.
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Rate It: A way to 'make' peat pots is to cut up the 100% recycled newspaper egg cartons. Fill with soil and start your plants, transplant entire piece into ground, wetting the egg container just before placing in soil (this helps to quicken the decomposition process). Great recycling effort, too! Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf436246.tip.html
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Rate It: It's okay to plant your beet seeds a little on the heavy side. Once the plants are big enough to thin, you have two choices for the extras. One is to cook them whole as beet greens. The other is to replant them at the end of the row in loose soil. Water them well, and keep an eye on them. They will grow, and you'll get more beets per pack than you expected. We've done this, and it works! We always plant Detroit Dark Red. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf001365.tip.html
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Rate It: Here are some unusual object that people have in their garden. Bowling Ball I use a bright blue bowling ball as a gazing ball in my garden. I have some others that I plan to paint and sink part way in the garden at different intervals. I will paint a face on one for the head and the others for segments for a LARGE worm/larva. By Ajdutchtown Recycled Items My garden not only had old army helmets spray painted to look like rocks and sunk half way into the ground, but it also had an old mailbox (the large kind) without the door. I put it into my garden put dirt into it and planted flowers coming out of it. I also had one area that I called my eternal garden. It bloomed all year round, even in the snow... it was silk flowers planted in an old tire ring that was spray painted to look like a clay pot and decorated with "critters". You know the type you buy to put in the garden (squirrels, rabbits, etc.). Any garden can be creative, especially when you recycle old things (chairs, tires, tubs, footlockers, etc. - flea market finds). Unusual Containers I'm always looking for unusual containers having been a military wife and now married to a contractor. In other words, I'm used to thinking of the next move. Now that we have our feet planted firmly on the ground, things are a little different. My aunt gave me a copper wire cat for Christmas. You're supposed to store eggs in it, or a house plant. I've set it out in the garden, it looks like it's looking out from under the azalea bushes! This isn't really an object on display, but the previous owners left a bunch of rubber mats around the property. I've been using them to kill off grass where I'm planning a garden for next year. The previous owners left a lot of trash, I've found a bunch of broken buckets which I'm using to make an eclectic collection of raised beds! We also have an old chimney in a wooded area that I am planning on covering with air plants if possible. I just have to find some for zone 7! By Voni Killing Weeds I liked the idea of the rubber mats for killing off weeds. I used an old carpet to kill off weeds in the drive to the gas pump on our farm. Old clay fired tile make excellent 'flower' pots. By ajdutchtown RE: Unusual Objects in the Garden I have an old wringer washer, I used to use it for a ice container for parties, it is now a planter and looks really neat. I have an old tub on wheels which is now a planter as well! By Rosa Brown Furniture I have an old willow couch that was left outside too long and is no longer useful as a piece of furniture. I have it sitting in my back yard covered with vinca vines. I planted a climbing rose behind it. I'm hoping I can bend the branches over the couch and wind it around the willow. It looks very rustic and interesting. We also have an old bed that we converted into a raised bed for flowers. By Susan Ideas from the South I grew up in the south where anything is game! We had a friend that had an antique stove and had it placed in the garden and took the metal plates from the top of the stove and placed pots inside of them. My mother "inherited" an old wagon wheel, bed pot and water pump she placed in her yard and planted flowers in or around. She also had acquired some old cowboy boots and filled those with dirt and planted flowers in them and placed them around her yard. My husband and I used to own a four-plex and someone in a building behind ours had thrown out an iron chair that the seat had come off of. I spray painted it a pretty sage green and was going to put a large flower pot inside the seat hole when I remembered I had an antique wash basin and it fit perfectly. Every time I have a yard sale someone tries to buy it from me! By Tawnda Bike Planters and Trolls Several places have seen old bikes painted and roped in the yard with flowers in the baskets. It has a certain charm if it's done right! A while back I lucked out when a neighbors rummage sale flopped and I got a BUNCH of stuff they sat out for the trash truck. In that "mess" I found some really interesting Garden trolls - Ozark style made from tree limbs with forest stuff for hair and facial features. They had AGES marked on the tags 116, 642 and so on - really fun! I hid some in the branches of some bushes in the yard so that they peek out. China Dishes I use antique china saucers to line my flower beds, it's beautiful. Place them very close together an they will have a beautiful scalloped edge. Use platters or plates for end pieces. I even put a row in my window boxes at the front side just to prissy it up. By Libertysweat What unusual objects are in your garden? Post them below.
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Rate It: Five Must-Have Ingredients for the Organic Gardener's Toolkit
For any gardener who still hasn't been convinced about the need to garden organically, here are some statistics that may help change your mind. In March of 2001, the American Cancer Society published a report linking the use of the herbicide glyphosate (commonly sold as Round-up) with a 27% increased likelihood of contracting Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. John Hopkins University also revealed that home gardeners use almost 10 times more pesticide per acre than the average farmer and that diseases caused by environmental illness, exposure to chemicals etc., is now the number one cause of death in the U.S. View This Article: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf001313.tip.html
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Rate It: Planting and harvesting times for garden vegetables (PDF) This guide will help you schedule the planting of gardens so space may be utilized efficiently. Designed for central Iowa, dates for southern Iowa would be about 1 week earlier, for northern Iowa about 1 week later. For more information on planting a vegetable garden, see Pm-819, Planting a Home Vegetable Garden. 2 Page(s)
This article is available in PDF format. Click here to download it. Published by: Iowa State University Horticulture Guide Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf754364.tip.html
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Rate It: Shadecloth Planter Bag
Why not use some of that scrap shadecloth lying out in the shed to make your own hanging grow bags, these planters are an ideal way of growing things like petunias, strawberries or any other plant which works well in a hanging basket. They are also good for growing plants, where space is at a premium. This is a great way of growing plants for people who can't bend over for plants in the ground. View This Article: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf001270.tip.html
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Ideas To Revitalize Garden Club I have belonged to a garden club for 2 years now. It's kinda a dying group and I have been elected to become president in September. I would love any and all ideas on things to do to make this club more fun, like crafts, trips, speakers. anything! Help! Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf19346432.tip.html
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Rate It: Anyone know how to "age" clay pots with the crusty white and green patina? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf36735232.tip.html
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Rate It: My sage plant looks fine and is growing nicely but older leaves turn kind of yellow. Is this "normal"? Can these leaves be dried and used for tea? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf23128813.tip.html
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Rate It: How do I keep those yucky green bugs and other relatives (of the bugs) from chomping away at my beautiful spearmint, mentha and basil plants? Breaks my heart to find out in the morning all those fresh green leaves have been eaten away. I can't keep my cats away from the garden so I can't use any heavy duty agents. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf15655036.tip.html
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Rate It: Keep Groundhogs From Eating Sunflowers How do I keep groundhogs from eating my sunflowers? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf81478827.tip.html
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Rate It: Container for an Alberta Spruce What is the best size container to plant a Alberta Spruce in? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf87051278.tip.html
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Rate It: I think most of our backyard is covered in couchgrass. Is there any way I can get rid of it quickly without having to dig it all up by hand and without killing the rest of the yard by smothering it? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf17091764.tip.html
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Rate It: Coffee Grounds for Strawberry Plants Is it good to sprinkle coffee grounds on strawberry plants? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf41277966.tip.html
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Rate It: How do I get rid of ants? I wish to get rid of the ants outside before they find the way inside. I really hate them on my strawberry plants. The plants are right next to the sidewalk and deck and the little fellas/gals are coming closer and closer to the door way. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf96618169.tip.html
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Rate It: Can I prune my burning bush in the summer? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf50861422.tip.html
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Rate It: Why won't my burning bush turn red? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf95647725.tip.html
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Rate It: Balls Dropping from an Oak Tree My oak tree has dropped a few balls made of a papery type material. Inside there is something that looks like the flower on a bottle brush tree, only it's white. Is this normal? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf78813154.tip.html
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Rate It: Burning Bush Losing Its Leaves What is causing my burning bush leaves to fall off? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf72106738.tip.html
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Rate It: My basil is very short lived. By the time the plants are big enough to harvest a goodly quantity of leaves, the flavor is bitter and the tips are going to flower. When planting, I always cut off the growing tips to encourage bushing out. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf14702671.tip.html
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Rate It: My Day Lilies Have Brown and Yellow Leaves My daylilies say to keep the soil moist, but the leaves are turning yellow Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf225650.tip.html
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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:
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