Happy Garden - April 2, 2009

Vol. 4, Num. 13, April 2, 2009 (Read It Online) This week we have an article about reading seed packages as well as more tips and photos from readers. If you have any gardening related tips or photos, feel free to submit them on one of the contest pages. Thanks for reading, The ThriftyFun Team 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: Garden: Red Watering Can Garden: Irises Gardening: First Spring Crocus My Frugal Life: Starting Seeds Cheaply Tips and Articles: Learning the "Lingo" - Making Sense of Seed Packet Terms Save Seeds From Store Bought Tomatoes Satisfy Wild Rabbits with a Swiss Chard Patch Save Dog Fluff for the Birds New Requests: Sweet Gum Tree Diseases Plants That Grow Well in Rocky Ground Stickers Growing in the Grass Turning Grass Yard into Shaded Woodland Building a Raised Vegetable Garden Getting Cymbidium Orchids to Bloom Getting Rid of Weeds in Rocks Lemon Tree Not Blooming or Producing Lemons Starting Poplar Cuttings Planting Tomato Trees Holly Tree With Yellow Leaves and Black Spots Pruning a Crepe Myrtle Tree Plants That Repel Snakes Dog Hair as a Deer Repellent Earthworms in My House Tree Recommendations for Shade Choosing a Weeping Willow Tree Applying Garden Tonics with a Sprayer 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: Garden: Red Watering Can At a recent auction, we spotted this red watering can. At once, we realized it would be useful and also very nice to look at in the flower garden. We were fortunate as it sold very reasonably. It has already brought much enjoyment and motivation to work in the flower beds. By Beth from Ft.Blackmore, VA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf38487076.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Garden: Irises These are irises at our mail box. I'm very proud of them. By kffrmw88 from Dothan, AL Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf82562793.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Gardening: First Spring Crocus First Spring Flowers; "Crocus" glimmering in the afternoon light. By Laura from Parsippany, NJ Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf75383837.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print My Frugal Life: Starting Seeds Cheaply I am going to start this by saying, "My husband is the best." He helps me with everything and he is always encouraging me to find new things that I love and enjoy. Now granted he has not liked listening to my gardening plans repeatedly day after day, but he has been patient. So when I showed him that some of my seed choices would have to be started indoors, he was eager to help with the lighting situation (our kitchen is sunny but never sunny enough) So his mother had some scrap 2x5's (I think) and we had a fluorescent light (cheaper but works just as good) and he made me the best seed germinator EVER. I used simple seed starting trays. And it ended up costing nothing since we already had everything. Plus he painted it green so it looks better in the kitchen :) In the seed catalogs, something like this can get really expensive. jesikarena from Trinity, NC Do you have a frugal story to share with the ThriftyFun community? Submit your essay here: http://www.thriftyfun.com/post_myfrugallife.ldml Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf49967099.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Tips and Articles: Learning the "Lingo" - Making Sense of Seed Packet Terms Starting plants from seed is an economical and rewarding way to garden. However, if you don't understand the meanings behind garden-specific terms like "hardy" and "tender" or "resistant" and "tolerant", you could end up with some disappointing results down the road. There is set of standardized terms on seed packets, but here are some definitions to the terms you are most likely see. Term Definition Annual: A plant that germinates, flowers, and dies (completes its life cycle) in one season. Some annuals may reseed themselves. Biennial: A biennial plant takes two years to complete its life cycle. The plant grows leaves, stems and roots the first year and then enters a period of dormancy (usually over cold months). It flowers the second year. Some bienneials may reseed themselves. Bush: Refers to a plant (usually beans) that has a more bushy shape and a growing habit more compact and low to the ground. Climbing or pole: Referring to plants that have an upright or sprawling growing habit and require sturdy supports. Compact: An indicator of a growing habit and shape. Compact plants are often well suited for container gardens. Cool-season: Refers to seed that will germinate and grow in cool weather in the spring or fall. Seedlings will usually withstand a light frost, but are more likely to fail during summer heat. Date: Indicates the year the seed producer intended the seed to be grown. Dwarf: Grows shorter than the normal size for plants in its family. Days (to maturity or harvest): Usually refers to number of days from sowing to harvest, but can also refer to days from outdoor transplanting of seedlings to harvest. Direct-sow/direct seeding: Refers to sowing seeds directly outdoors in the place you intend to grow them. F1 hybrid: Seeds that are a first generation cross between two purebred plants. Mature plants grown from these seeds will produce seed that does not have the same characteristics as its parents, making it necessary to purchase new seed each year. Germination: The initial growth period of the seed. Hardiness zone: Sometimes shown as a number or range of numbers inside of an icon, the hardiness zone refers to the USDA Hardiness Zones, and map made up of 11 zones based on the average minimum temperature in the winter. For example, if a plant is recommended for zone 5 it will grow (should withstand the average minimum temperatures) in zones 5 and higher. Hardy: When a plant has the ability to withstand low temperatures and at least a light frost. Heavy feeder: Needs frequent fertilizing. Heirloom: Old-time varieties of seeds (usually 50 years or more). Invasive (or vigorous) growth: Code for may take over your entire garden if you're not careful. Naturalized: Refers to a plant that grows well in a region to which it is not native. Open-pollinated: Mature plants grown from open-pollinated seed will produce seed with the same characteristics as its parents and allow you to collect seeds for the next year. Organic: Seed obtained from plants that have been grown without the use of herbicides and insecticides according to federal organic standards. Pelletized: Seeds (usually small seeds) that have been coated with an inert material just to make the handling of the seed easier. Perennial: A perennial plant lives for three or more seasons. It usually grows and blooms over the spring and summer, dies back in the winter and returns the following spring from its own rootstock. Resistant: This term is often used interchangeably with the term tolerant, but technically speaking they are different. Resistant refers to a plant that is not likely to be affected by a specific stressor such as diseases, insects, pests, or drought. Scarify: Scratch outer shell to encourage germination. Self-Sow: When a plant drops seeds that will produce seedlings without any assistance. Start indoors: Refers to starting seeds indoors in the late winter or early spring. Tender: A plant that is easily killed by a light frost. Tolerant: This term refers to plants that, once established, will tolerate at least a modest amount of a particular stressor, such as drought, pests, disease, or cold. Treated: Indicates seeds have been treated with chemicals in an effort to control disease(s). Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf38793734.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Save Seeds From Store Bought Tomatoes I bought a tomato at the store and squeezed the seeds onto a paper towel. After they dried, I cut the paper around the seed and planted them in good potting soil. Keep damp and you will have tomato plants in about a week. I tried planting seeds immediately after squeezing the tomato and they did not grow, so you must dry the seeds. By Dajavooi from Independence, MO Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf99384996.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Satisfy Wild Rabbits with a Swiss Chard Patch Love the Easter Bunny, but not in your garden? If you plant a patch of Swiss Chard away from your garden, bunny rabbits will be thrilled and content to eat the Swiss Chard rather than your garden. Make it a good size patch, if possible, as you want the rabbits (wild only) to have plenty of Swiss Chard to last as long as possible. Do not feed domestic rabbits Swiss Chard or lettuce for that matter, as it will give them diarrhea and they will die. Wild rabbits are use to eating this type of foliage and don't get sick. Growing up on a rabbit farm, it was important that wild rabbit's not be hanging around the domestic rabbit's as they could bring disease. My father would always plant a field of Swiss Chard, way down in the north forty, so all the critters would be happy. Wild rabbit's stayed away from our gardens, close to the house, as well. By Suzy from Clinton, TN Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf29999028.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Save Dog Fluff for the Birds At this time of year, your dog will be starting to shed its winter coat. Save all the 'fluff' and hair you remove and put it in hedges or wherever is handiest. The birds love it for lining their nests! Alternatively, if you have lots, stuff it into one of these fatty ball containers and hang by your bird table. Source: We've always done this, although the idea of using a container came from a bird seed catalog. By Skinnyjinny from Scotland Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf69901540.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, 2 photo winners (1 photo and 1 pet photo) and 1 recipe winner at the end of each week. Each winner will win $25! My Frugal Life Submit a My Frugal Life Essay! New Requests: Sweet Gum Tree Diseases I am looking for information about Sweet Gum tree diseases. I was told my Sweet Gum tree that is about 30 years old has an aneurysm. It has three holes about two inches deep about 24 inches from the dirt line. What can I do for this tree to save it? By Janet from Stow, Ohio Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf51903388.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Plants That Grow Well in Rocky Ground We just moved here and the ground is really hard (sorta clay I guess ) and has lots of rocks. We've been picking rocks since we've got here and I would love to plant some different types of plants around and flowers. Does anyone have any ideas of what would grow well without a lot of expensive soil. We also have a deer problem too. They eat anything! Hardiness Zone: 6b By cnleatherman from West Virginia Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf67261326.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Stickers Growing in the Grass Our back yard is full of those little patches of green stickers. They cover more ground than the grass does. I noticed today they are starting to come up in the front yard in spots too now. What are they called and what can I do to get rid of them? Our dogs don't even want to go back there! By sissy7575 from AL Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf94510116.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Turning Grass Yard into Shaded Woodland How can I transition a 1.5 acre lawn planted in grass and a few trees into a more shaded woodland or garden look without spending a fortune. The septic drain field is front and center. The front yard is a hill. By J.W. from Hickory, NC Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf20443402.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Building a Raised Vegetable Garden I am trying to build a raised vegetable garden and I am looking for the materials that I need. Any suggestions? By Jedev from Savannah, GA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf67765879.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Getting Cymbidium Orchids to Bloom How do I get my cymbidium orchids to re-bloom? By Joey A from Philadelphia Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf98269219.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Getting Rid of Weeds in Rocks Does anyone have any ideas for how to kill weeds among the stones and also in the carport which is made up of brick tiles. I have tried vinegar but it does not work. Thanks. By chickabea from Sydney, Australia Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf47791562.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Lemon Tree Not Blooming or Producing Lemons My sister has grown a lemon tree from a seed. It is 7 years old. It has never produced any flowers or fruit. It grew small plants and she transplanted them into pots. Do lemon and lime trees have thorns and what can she do to produce flowers and fruit on them? Hardiness Zone: 5a By Kateyes from illinois Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf457596.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Starting Poplar Cuttings I am planning to grow our own firewood by planting poplars and elms in an unused section next to our house. We will have plenty of elm seedlings as soon as they come up in our garden, they are there every year. I can take cuttings from our poplars, but do I need rooting hormone to help them get started? Hardiness Zone: 5a By Coreen from Rupert, ID Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf43802590.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Planting Tomato Trees I just ordered some tomato trees. Has anyone had these? Do they really produce tomatoes? I will have to plant them in pots as we cannot have a garden where we live, we rent. We love tomatoes and I hate paying for the overpriced "waxy" tomatoes in stores. Thanks for any advice. By jmz2005 from IL Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf27067965.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Holly Tree With Yellow Leaves and Black Spots What is causing black spots and yellow leaves on my holly tree? Robert Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf53805981.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Pruning a Crepe Myrtle Tree I planted a crepe myrtle tree 4 feet from my house. It's 4 yrs. old now. Should I be worried the roots will do damage to the foundation of my house? It has grown higher than the roof line. How much should I cut back? It has never been pruned. Thanks. jholtie Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf30985479.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Plants That Repel Snakes Is there any plants I can plant that repels snakes? Hardiness Zone: 6a By Bennett from Vincennes, IN Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf19376286.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Dog Hair as a Deer Repellent I have seen that human hair can be used as a deer repellent, I was wondering if dog hair can also be used. I have a German Shepherd that sheds a lot. I could use her hair if that would also work. Also , what about lavender plants, is that successful as well in a vegetable garden? Thanks you. I am a 1st year gardener so I hope to learn a lot from this site, lots of good info. Hardiness Zone: 8b By Moekelly24 from caryville, florida Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf27674882.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Earthworms in My House After a big rain I found 20 or so earthworms inside my house in different rooms, including my garage, is this strange or what? Hardiness Zone: 7a By Joeltw69 from Oklahoma City, OK Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf65689306.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Tree Recommendations for Shade The sun beats all day on our outside garage wall, the inside garage wall being attached to the house. It can get to 100 degrees in the summer in the garage. I'd like to stop the sun starting with the great outdoors. The brick sunny garage wall is next to a very slender side yard walkway. Anything we grow needs to be up against the sunny garage wall. I was thinking about Sky Needle Holly, but they may not be tall enough. The instructions said 6 to 10 feet tall. Considering the soil, 6 feet or less is what we'd get.Any suggestions? DH purchased an attic fan (not installed yet) so the garage can vent into the attic, but I'd like to do more. By Holly from Richardson, TX Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf85278808.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Choosing a Weeping Willow Tree I have wanted a weeping willow tree all of my life, I am now 51. I have tried looking up various types so I know what they will look like when they grow, but am still not sure. In my area, they are selling cherry (white and pink), and "regular" and golden globe. I want one that is not real expensive and doesn't get too big. Where can I find accurate pictures of the different types of weeping willow trees? I wonder if I should abandon the idea since we live in an urban area? I do, however, have a wetter back yard, which is away from streets and buildings. Thanks. Hardiness Zone: 6a By Constance from Evansville, Indiana Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf55997696.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Applying Garden Tonics with a Sprayer Some of the garden tips and tonics that call for a 20 gal sprayer, yet the amounts in the tonics do not fill the 20 gallon sprayer. My question is, do I then add water to fill the 20 gallon sprayer before applying the tonic to the lawn, plant beds, etc? Thank you. Leo from Houston, Texas Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf78394580.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.