Living in the digital age with computers on every desk, iPhones and tablets providing information as we move around town, and apps customized to our personal interests, makes us believe more in sophisticated ideas over simple ones. However, some times discovering a simple tip can be an epiphany moment.
Some times the simplest ideas can help a garden flourish.
(Alan at flickr.com)
Here are nine very simple tips that are guaranteed to help your garden flourish.
1. Pot-in-Pot Gardening – If you like to include seasonal plants in your garden, but don’t like the open space left when the season for blossoming ends, there is a way you can rig your garden so that you can easily exchange out one season ending plant for a current season one. Dig a hole in your garden for seasonal plants and drop in an empty plastic pot. This permits you to simply drop in a plant that is ideal for the present season and then switch it out when the next season arrives.
2. Keeping the Pets Out – If you have a cat, then you know how they like to use your garden as their own personal litter box. Here’s a simple trick to use to prevent the cat from pooping in your garden. Strategically jam the handle of plastic forks into the dirt around your flowers. The sharp fork points will quickly teach your cat to stay away.
3. Container Garden – You probably are aware that you can use Rubbermaid containers to store things or help prepare meals. Holes are present in the bottom of the tub to allow water to drain out. Well, if you don’t have enough space for a garden, then make a Rubbermaid container or two or even three for your garden. The containers are lightweight. However, to make sure they don’t get too heavy due to soil packed in them from top to bottom, put packing peanuts in the bottom, top them with garden fabric and then place the soil over the fabric and install the plants in the soil. Since less space is taken up by the soil, the containers are lighter and can be easily lifted and moved.
4. Diapers to Retain Moisture – If you are a new parent, then you have discovered that diapers retain moisture. Use this knowledge to help your potted plants thrive. Stuff a diaper into the bottom of the pot, cover with soil and then put in the plant. When you water the plant, the diaper will retain the moisture and supply it, as the plant needs it. This could prove ideal for summer annuals that need daily watering.
5. Epsom Salt – This miracle stuff can do so much around the house and it can also help your garden flourish. That’s because it’s loaded with magnesium and sulfate, which happens to be nourishment for plants. Mix two tablespoons of the salt into the water in the watering can when you water the plants once or twice a month. You can also scatter it into your garden’s soil to help seeds germinate better. Tomatoes and peppers get a big boost from it because they are commonly magnesium deficient. For them, simply add a tablespoon of Epsom Salt to the soil when you plant tomatoes or peppers. Sprinkle more Epsom Salt around the tomatoes or peppers when they mature.
6. Citrus pots – One way to assure that seedlings get a good start is to plant them in a citrus peel. Allow the plant to get started, then, when ready; place the plant along with the citrus peel into the garden. The citrus will compost in the soil and provide nourishment for the plant. Be sure to poke a hole in the bottom of the peel for drainage before placing the seedlings.
7. Cinder Block Garden Bed. In a previous article on Lawneq, I discussed how to create a raised bed garden. You may find that it is easier to create a raised bed using cinder blocks. Each block already has holes in it that permits you to separate species of plants from one another.
8. Roses and Potatoes – Cut a trimming from a rose bush, stick the bottom end into a small potato and then plant it. The potato retains moisture and helps the rose develop its roots.
9. Plastic Pot Watering System – You may have plants in your garden that develop deep root systems that moisture from conventional watering cannot reach. To assure that these plants get the proper amount of water, put a sink pot (empty plastic nursery pot with holes) deep into the soil in the middle of your garden. When you put water into the pot it drains out through the holes in the bottom of the pot and the moisture reaches the deep roots.
