Follow these tips for your best garden yet:
Shed the pounds
Lifting large planters and pots can be difficult. But by filling the planter with a layer of packing peanuts roughly one third the depth you can significantly lighten the load. Be sure to place a piece of landscape fabric on top of the packing peanuts and then layer on your potting soil.
Gauge your progress
Add a few drops of food coloring to you rain gauge so that next rainfall, the water will combine with the dye and the water level will be bright and easy to read.
Salt Removal
To remove the salt deposits that form on clay pots, combine equal parts white vinegar, rubbing alcohol and water in a spray bottle. Apply the mixture to the pot and scrub with a plastic brush. Let the pot dry before you plant anything in it.
Use Protection
Sick of animals munching on your flower bulbs? Keep those creatures out by staking netting over the bed of flowers. Come springtime, simply remove the netting or cut holes in the cloth and let the plants grow through.
Pimp your wheelbarrow
Fit a piece of plywood to the back end of your wheelbarrow with wood cleats. This will create a flat surface that is perfect for wheeling your plants and soil to the garden in one easy trip.
Transporting with ease
Don’t worry about spilled plants leading to a messy car. Before your next trip to the nursery, line the back of your car with a plastic tarp and place a small step ladder on top of the tarp. The slots between the rungs of the ladder serve as perfect compartments to protect your plants during transit.
Restrictions may apply
Prevent plants from taking over your garden by planting them in a plastic container. To ensure that these plants’ underground roots don’t quickly crowd your entire garden, cut out the bottom of with a knife—the roots can be grown directly down into the soil.
Measure your progress
Turn a long-handled tool into a measuring stick by laying a long-handled garden tool on the ground, and next to it place a tape measure. Using a permanent marker, write inch and foot marks on the handle. When you need to space plants a certain distance apart you'll already have a measuring device in your hand.
Tea Time
Use chamomile tea to control damping-off fungus, which often attacks young seedlings quite suddenly. Just add a spot of tea to the soil around the base of seedlings once a week or use it as a foliar spray.
No-Sticky Situations
Simply spray your favorite garden shovel or spade with a silicone lubricant to make shoveling much easier. Coating the surface with this spray will allow any type of soil to slip right off the shovel without a mess.
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