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Volume 2, Number 42, October 25, 2007 (Read It Online) In this weeks newsletter we have an article on Frugal Outdoor Garden Gift Ideas. As gardening winds down for the Northern Hemisphere we won't be so busy in the garden. Does anyone have any tips for caring for your garden in the winter. 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 Maggie from Bloomington, MN
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Rate It: My husband planted this one tomato plant he received from my sister as a birthday present and it grew to over 9 feet tall and had a span of at least 16 feet. The plant yielded an abundance of tomatoes and there are many on the plant to still ripen. No special care was given to the plant it just seemed to thrive when planted in this spot. By Patty from WV
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Rate It: My last of the summer flowers. It's been cold at night so I don't expect them to last much longer. By Mythi from Silverdale WA
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Rate It: Autumn Leaves in the Front Yard This is my Maple Tree in my front yard with all the colors changing.By Mythi from Silverdale WA
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Pumpkin Recycling (To Roast or Not to Roast!)
Peter Piper Picked a Profoundly Plump Pumpkin -- Now What does he do with it? Every fall I get many questions about what to do with pumpkins. Many people find curious fascination in imagining what it would be like to grow these versatile little gems, as if growing something that produces a large fruit is somehow more respectable than growing, say, a serrano pepper. Many people eventually venture into pumpkin experimentation. Some succeed and many fail. Much like a dog that chases a car, many people never give thought to what they would do if they actually succeeded in successfully raising a patch of these fall favorites. Whether you have found yourself with more pumpkins than you know what to do with or you are one of the people who had to buy pumpkins and duct tape them to the vine, these tips for roasting and using pumpkins are sure to help you make the most out of them (no matter how you acquired them)! How to Roast a Pumpkin You can only do this with a freshly carved pumpkin! Do not use on a pumpkin that has been carved and sitting out for several days. To bake a fresh 6 to 7 pound pumpkin, halve the pumpkin crosswise and scoop out the seeds and strings. Place halves, hollow side down, in a large baking pan covered with aluminum foil and add a little water. Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until fork-tender. Remove. When cool, scrape pulp from shells and puree, a little at time, in food processor or blender. Mix with a little salt. To freeze pumpkin puree. Put 1-2 cups in freezer bags along with spices and use in pies. To use pumpkin puree for recipes: Line a strainer with a double layer of cheesecloth or a flour sack dish towel and let the pumpkin sit to drain out the extra moisture BEFORE cooking with it. Pumpkin is very moist, so in order for your recipe to come out correctly, you MUST strain it. Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Boil seeds in water for 5 minutes. Drain well. Sprinkle with salt or seasoned salt. Place a thin layer on a cookie sheet. Bake at 250 degrees F. Stir after 30 minutes. Bake 1/2-1 hour more or until crunchy. *Squash seeds may also be used. Pumpkin Smoothies
Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into 2-3 glasses. Serve with a small amount of whipped cream on top. You may also add orange sprinkles if you like. Serves 2-3. Pumpkin Pancakes
Combine ingredients. Stir just until moistened; batter may be lumpy. Heat griddle or skillet over medium heat; brush lightly with vegetable oil. Pour 1/4 cup batter onto hot griddle; cook until bubbles begin to burst. Turn and continue cooking 1 to 2 minutes. Serve with Pumpkin Maple Sauce and nuts. Pumpkin Maple Sauce
Mix together until well blended. In 5 years, Tawra Kellam and her husband paid off $20,000 personal debt on an average income of $22,000 per year. Tawra is the author of the frugal cookbook Dining On A Dime. Dining On A Dime has over 1200 recipes and tips to help you eat better and spend less. For more free tips and recipes visit her web site at http://www.LivingOnADime.com/
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Rate It: Spray Paint Watermelons For Halloween While working in our field, I noticed all these wild watermelons in various sizes growing in our field. With Halloween around the corner, I decided to use spray paint and decorate them to look like pumpkins. With the expense of pumpkins, this was cheap alternative with only the cost of the orange and black paint. You can also use construction paper or felt for the face, if they are used indoors. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf29651115.tip.html
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Rate It: Bring Potted Flowers Inside For Winter Every year I enjoy my potted flowers all summer. So much so that I try to bring something indoors to winter over. One year it was green onions and chard, and one year it was petunia seedlings that had volunteered under the parent plants. This year my creeping jenny has really gotten huge. It had an impatients in with it which got frosted. So now there's a creeping jenny in my one and only sunny window. Maybe I'll put in my little ceramic angel. They'd look nice together. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf11969614.tip.html
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Rate It: If you have too many tomatoes from your garden, put them in a brown paper bag and put them in your freezer. When you are ready for your favorite tomato recipe, just take them out and run them under cold water. The skins will peel right off. Then just thaw them out and cook. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf69339045.tip.html
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Rate It: Add Food Coloring When Spraying For Weeds A helpful tip for when spraying large areas - put a drop of food colouring in the spray pump and you always know where you have been!! Saves time and money as you are not wasting the product or going over an area twice. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf41426907.tip.html
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Rate It: Frugal Outdoor Garden Gift Ideas Ideas for frugal gardening or yard gift ideas as suggested by the ThriftyFun community. Mini Roses I would buy a mini rose bush at a department store. You could always dress up the container pot with fabric or a ribbon tied in a bow. They are indoor plants but are very cute. About $10.00. by rudys mom Beaded Butterfly Garden Art While recently visiting a friend's garden, I saw these small adorable beaded butterflies. Just get some small craft beads and wire to form the butterfly shape. A stick wrapped with green beads can be easily attached. I'd make 3 of these for an unusual garden decoration. by sandra b. Garden Ornament On A Stake I am thinking something you can attach to a stake for a garden ornament. Check out the dollar stores and see if they have something you can improve. by cookwie Tea Cup Bird Feeder Make a tea cup bird feeder. Materials
InstructionsGlue the end cap on the saucer bottom. Glue the cup and saucer together. Glue on a spoon for the birds to perch (optional). Pour birdseed into cup. Pound your piece of rebar into the ground. Put the copper tubing over the rebar. Insert the copper tubing into the copper end cap and enjoy.*By using the copper end cap it will make cleaning and winter storage a snap. Just pop off your cup and saucer, dump and refill or take inside for winter storage. by Momof1 Editor's Note: Another version of this feeder can be found by clicking on the picture above or following this link: Stepping Stone You could also make a stepping stone. Just use a tin pie plate, quick drying cement and you could always write a name and add some small things. I've going to try this for my grandsons, sounds like a neat craft and something for them to keep. by Grammar Dollar Stores There are great garden things available at the dollar stores now. You could get a plant and decorate it. Or cover a bowling ball with mosaic to make a garden ball - or find a plaster sculpture and spray with white paint? by Pamphyila Editor's Note: Here are instructions for making a garden ball: Craft Ideas From Your Own Yard How about handmade stationery with leaf prints from plants in your yard (dip the leaf in paint and press it onto plain paper)? Or a wreath made from vines in your yard? It wouldn't have to be very large, and you could decorate it with acorns and with leaves dipped in glycerin and dried. Got pine cones? Dip them in peanut butter and then birdseed to make nice bird feeders. Add a hook on the base to hang. A picture frame made of sticks glued or tied together at the corners. by Jantoo Bark Framed Butterfly Gift I recently had to make a quick gift for a friend who likes outdoor things. I took a small wooden picture frame and covered it with bark paper. I then put a piece of handmade paper inside the frame (the kind that has flecks of bark, etc). Then I added a butterfly that I had bought at a euro shop for practically nothing. Finally, I cut some of the dead wood off of my own vines and glued that on for interest. Leandros liked it a lot and it was very inexpensive to make, and it was a quick project. by Lisingreece Cactus In Tea Cup What I have done before is to use a cup and saucer and place a cactus in a cup of moistened soil. Place it in the garden or on a windowsill. Water once a year, if indoors. by Flowerchild Birdhouses And Feeders I would think that if someone likes gardening, she probably likes birds. A simple and cheap gift would be a bird feeder and a bag of seed. Another idea would be a dollar store or craft store wooden birdhouse painted and decorated by you. Go wild with the colors, then spray with clear finish, also available at the dollar store and it will last outside. Good luck! by Hugus Cookie Jars As Yard Art I have a friend that goes to yard sales. She goes to buy cookie jars, if available. Then she uses them as decorations in her flower gardens and even in her vegetable gardens. by Irene Feel free to post your ideas below.
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Rate It: Mulching Leaves from an Old Maple We have a huge maple tree that sends down it's glory every fall! My husband rakes them into piles, then uses the lawnmower to run over them several times. They break down to little bits and you have a third of the amount to get rid of. They are great for mulch or to put into your soil and take less time to decompose. You can put them, bit of water and some dirt into plastic garbage bags and it will turn into nice soil by spring. Here is the picture of my hubby mulching the leaves. He's done it about 3 times already. Our maple is so huge, an old timer. We measured it as 75' across so you can see why we get lots of leaves! By Betty from Cowichan Bay, BC
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Rate It: Ingredients
Directions Mix all together. Take care with hot water! Natural Weed Killers are simple substances with a direct and obvious action. They destroy plant life for a short period. They are substances encountered naturally but in small quantities. Their presence is well-known and normally not harmful. But when applied in larger doses the results are usually obvious in a very short time. As always, these methods need due caution so please wear protective eye/hand/body protection. This weed killer acts at the point they are used. After treatment their damaging effect is dissipated. Vinegar is made of Acetic Acid along with other weak organic acids. It has become a popular 'cottage garden' alternative for those who dislike modern herbicides. This mixture works by disrupting membranes and causing leakage of plant cells. The damage to plants appears rapidly and even quicker on hot days. The acid is not around long enough to have any lasting effect on earthworms, soil invertebrates or organic matter breakdown. The good news is that it won’t cause any lasting or apparent harm to pets or children. This mixture can kill: Canadian Thistle, Clover, Dandelion, Foxtail, Ivy Leaf, Milkweed, Pigweed, Poison Hemlock, Ragweed, Quackgrass, Bluegrass, plus mosses, liverworts and more. However it is not selective and harms all the plants it touches so take care! Excess salt poisons the soil. Many important organisms: bacteria, fungi, earthworms; will be killed by salinity. It will eventually wash out, even so I would not use it on land intended for cultivating plants. For some gardeners it is an option to consider with drives and gravel areas where plants are not intended to grow and where run off can be contained. NB: Remember, salt is not biodegradable, so overuse use will eventually be detrimental to surrounding areas. By Joycie from Maitland, NSW, Australia Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf421485.tip.html
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How do I get rid of Knot weed? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf48856664.tip.html
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Rate It: Are there any lawn and garden aficionados that can help this city girl keep up with the Jones'? I'm losing my grass to weeds. It seems to have stopped its summer growth, or at least slowed down in the last few weeks. I found a missing (unopened) bag of lawn food / weed killer in the garage. If I sprinkle some on now, will my poor neglected lawn suffer, or be better for it? The temp right now is mid 70's - high 60's. Would I be better off waiting till early spring? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf18301700.tip.html
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Rate It: Does anyone know if a pine tree can be grown from a pine cone? Where are the seeds? Has anyone done this with success? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf12685451.tip.html
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Rate It: My question is about a property I own in zone 4b. I have a patch of Nettles the stinging ones that grows in a Strawberry and fern area. When is the correct time to put weed killer such as roundup on them? And is there a kill product that would not kill the other plants in this area? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf86885202.tip.html
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Rate It: Help! My cats are using my mulched rose garden as a potty box. What can I do to make them stop. These are not house cats, they are all strays that have taken up residence. Any suggestion will be appreciated. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf72284606.tip.html
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Rate It: Keeping Cats Out of Flower Beds Help! My cats are using my mulched rose garden as a potty box. What can I do to make them stop. These are not house cats, they are all strays that have taken up residence. Any suggestion will be appreciated. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf60749016.tip.html
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Rate It: I have problems with gnats (I think that is what they are). I've noticed them throughout the house and they are coming from my plants. What can I do to get rid of them. Should I re-pot them? Thanks for any suggestions. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf949883.tip.html
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