Gardening is such a gratifying and usually relaxing activity. Gardeners are generous with their plants, advice, and tips for success; willing to share our struggles and failures and ask for help, usually in the form of advice.
I have shared gardening tips and tricks in the past. Often, after the column runs, I hear lots of additional tricks that I didn’t include, suggestions and solutions. So, here are (1) some new solutions to old problems in the garden and a few (2) old, faithful tricks and tips.
First: new solutions:
Citrus Peels: Warm, damp areas of your garden may harbor those slimy garden slugs. Ick! You may have used the beer-in-the-jar-lid method to get rid of them. (Fill a jar lid with beer, and the slugs will drink themselves to death!) Another method, in case you don’t want to waste a bottle of perfectly good beer, uses the peel of any citrus fruit: orange, lemon, grapefruit. Try to remove the peel as half-rounds. Lay the peels, facing up like a cup, among the plants where slugs have been seen. Wait 24 to 48 hours, then go back and collect the citrus-peel cups, now full of slimy slugs.
Bee & Bug Houses: Encourage bees, spiders, crickets, and other helpful insects to make your garden their home with well-placed houses. There are lots of “how-to” videos on YouTube if you want to make your own shelter for bees or insects. The trick is to hang the houses in shady areas away from human traffic. (You don’t want to be swatting bees or clearing cobwebs from your hair.) Additionally, plant a few lovely borage plants near the bee house. Their pretty blue, star-shaped flowers are bee magnets!
Epsom Salts: You may already be a fan of these inexpensive, helpful crystals. Now, think about using them in the garden. • Mix 2 Tbsp of Epsom salts in 1 gallon of water. Spray the mixture on house and garden plants—particularly roses. The salt’s magnesium will help your plants flourish. • If you’re growing tomatoes and peppers in pots, line the bottom of each pot with Epsom salts and lay the plants on top. The tomatoes and peppers will be “blue ribbon” quality.
Chamomile Tea: Just as chamomile tea is good for our systems, it’s also a boon for your plants, particularly house plants. Spray the leaves or dab the leaves (if you don’t want to spray tea around indoors) and boost your plants immunity to disease.
Egg Shell Nursery: It’s a bit late for this season, but the next time you “start” some seedlings, use eggshells. Try to carefully break the shells so you have two halves (ideally) or one shell that’s open on one end. Add soil then drop a seed or two in each shell. The new shoots will benefit from the shell’s calcium, making each little plant stronger and healthier.
Flat Rocks: Sometimes it’s difficult to remember the names of all the plants in your garden. Of course, there are lovely plant sticks and plaques, but another option is a few midsize rocks that have one flat side. Use a permanent marker and write the name of the plant and maybe the date it was planted. The rock will stay in place (not break or get blown away) and make a lovely, natural identifier.
Now: the old stand-byes review:
Let ’em Lay: Don’t rake up all those leaves when autumn comes. Fallen leaves can be a sheltering blanket for tender plants over the long winter, retaining warmth and moisture. Spring cleanup will be soon enough to clear away those leaves. (Of course, if you have lots of trees, you may want to do a bit of preliminary raking.
Deterring Deer: We have all kinds of devices to discourage deer from feasting on our shrubs and plants. Perhaps the cheapest, easiest, and most effective deterrent is Irish Spring Soap. Gather some old socks and dump a bar of soap into each one. Hang the socks from low branches or on fence pickets. The deer will avoid these innocuous barriers at all costs. You may need to refill the socks halfway through the summer. Your nose will tell you if that’s necessary.
Garden Tools: Having the right tools for your gardening tasks is certainly a boon. Here are two helpful aids for those important tools. • Paint on the handles of your tools a bright color. A bright color will make it easier to find the tool that you left in a flowerbed. Also, if you’re gardening with friends, you’ll be able to easily identify your tools from those of other gardeners. • Measuring is a constant part of the gardener’s tasks. Grab a permanent marker and mark the long handles of your tools with inches and feet. Then, when you’re spacing plants and digging holes you won’t need to run back to the toolshed to find a measuring stick. You’ll have one in your hand!
Stick a Fork In It: Having trouble with furry pets (yours or your neighbor’s) sunning themselves on top of your begonias or rolling in your herb garden? Don’t get on the phone complaining to your neighbor or scold your pet. Buy plastic forks (the clear ones are perfect for the task.) Stick them, tines up, in the flowerbeds. Believe me, when Puss or Fido jump into your flowers, they’ll get a bit of a poke. They’ll soon find a new favorite resting place.
I’m sure you have some handy tricks of your own for keeping up with tasks in the garden. Keep sharing your ideas with fellow gardeners.
