Tag Archives: gardening tips

Organic Gardening: 7 Things You Can Repurpose to Use in Your Garden

It makes both good sense, and good cents, to grow your own vegetables at home in an organic garden. No matter how much or how little space and/or time you have, you can still plant a container garden and harvest some home grown tomatoes and peppers. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or trying out your green thumb for the first time in organic gardening, try these ideas for 7 things you can recycle to use in your garden.

Food Scraps

Any food items other than meat scraps or grease can be recycled into compost and used to enrich your soil, which in turn feeds plants and enables them to yield a bigger harvest. Used coffee grounds and crumbled egg shells are two of the best soil amendments and can be placed directly on top of the soil (in-ground or container gardens) to nourish plants. Create a small compost pile to toss other food scraps until they decompose into ‘black gold’ then work into garden soil for free and chemical-free compost.

Tin Cans

Large tin cans, like those that spaghetti sauce or juice come in, can be recycled and used as feeding and watering tubes for garden plants. Wash the tin cans and cut both ends. Dig a hole the size of the tin can in the garden soil and place the can in the soil, then plant a few vegetables around the can. Use the open-ended tin can to deliver water directly to plant roots throughout the growing season. Make compost tea to pour in the cans to provide organic food to plants.

Recycled Mulch

Grass clippings and tree leaves (raked during the fall) provide free, organic mulch for vegetable plants. Mulch helps keep the soil cool, retain moisture and discourage weed growth.

Plastic Milk Jugs

Get a head start on the growing season by using clean plastic milk jugs as mini greenhouses. Cut the bottom fourth off a gallon milk jug and place over tiny vegetable seedlings to provide them with protection from the elements and create a greenhouse environment. Remove lid on warm days and replace during cold nights.

Plastic Buckets

Food grade plastic buckets that are used in the deli and restaurant industry are perfect for recycling into harvesting buckets. The size, handles and lids make these buckets perfect for carrying to the garden to harvest fresh produce and for transporting vegetables.

Pantyhose

Many vegetable plants, like tomatoes and cucumbers, need to be staked and tied to keep them off the ground during the growing season. Nothing beats strips of used pantyhose for tying vegetable plants to their support system. Pantyhose stretch and will not cut into tender vines like rope or twine will and the nylon fabric is strong enough to last all summer.

Recycled Support

Tree limbs that have been pruned can be fashioned into a tee-pee for supporting climbing veggies, like cucumbers and sugar snap peas. Old iron headboards, fence posts or shovel handles or other tall, portable items can be given new life in an organic garden as vegetable stakes and trellises to keep produce off the ground.

Jeremy Aarons writes about home improvement, parenting and all things related to being a stay at home dad. Recently, he’s explored his journey earning a sociology degree online while spearheading a communal garden for his neighborhood.

 

Tips to Create a Pretty and Whimsical Garden Display

Gardening has always been fun and therapeutic for all gardeners which is why there are so many that spend money on pots, garden tools and tons of hot plants of the month.

Creating a pretty garden arrangement is very simple and you can create something spectacular worthy of oohs and aahs. Get out your garden tools and get ready to create something marvelous. The easiest way to create a striking arrangement is to have a good picture in your mind of what you would like it to resemble.

The arrangement can be something colorful (you can mix various colors together to make something bold or just simple and pretty). If you are playing with colors then use the color wheel as your guide to help you make pretty combinations. Colors that lie directly across from each other on the color wheel will automatically look great together because of how different they are.

They can make very striking and powerful arrangements when paired together. Those colors that lie on either side of each other on the color wheel will look pretty and soothing next to each other. These are the colors that are related to each other such as pink and light pink and even red.

To create your arrangement, start with a few small plants and a large planter such as a pretty wooden wheelbarrow planter that will accommodate them. Keep in mind, that the plants will grow tall or branch out, so think about this when you are placing them in your arrangement.

The plants that will grow taller will need to be placed in the center or back side of your arrangement, otherwise if placed in the front or sides, the arrangement might look lopsided. Or you may want something like this! You just need to experiment to find the right look for you and you can slowly add more plants to it over time.

Soon enough, you will have a gorgeous work in progress garden planter arrangement that you will display proudly and you will receive plenty of complements on.