Mommy on a Shoestring: Reuse and recycle in the garden
June 28, 2011 6:02PM
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Do you need help with your vegetable garden?
Are your tomato plants wilting or is your lettuce not growing? We are teaming up again with Jeanne Pinsof Nolan aka: The Organic Gardener (www.theorganicgardener.net) and we want to help YOU! Simply send us an e-mail at beth@engelmanriggs.com or leave a comment below this article describing your problem, and we might be able to come out to your garden and troubleshoot in person. We are also looking for tips, tricks and unique garden ideas so feel free to share those as well!
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Updated: July 5, 2011 2:54PM
This summer, green your garden with these eco-friendly tips that will help you save time and money.
Newspaper mulch and filler
Gardening enthusiast Debbie Carlson says newspapers are not just for reading. Most newspapers, such as the Chicago Sun-Times, are biodegradable and use environmentally safe ink making them the perfect filler for potted plants and mulch. When gardening, Carlson adds a layer of newspaper under her more expensive, decorative mulch. Not only is she using less of “the expensive stuff,” but she has also found that her newspaper mulch helps keep the weeds at bay. To avoid buying heaps of costly potting soil, Carlson fills her flowerpots with a combination of crumpled-up newspaper and soil. The newspaper provides an excellent base for potted plants and easily absorbs water, which in turn keeps the soil moist and healthy.
Water bottle irrigation system
Forget asking your neighbors to water your plants the next time you go away for the weekend. Instead try Carlson’s ingenious water bottle irrigation system, which will do the watering for you.
You will need:
Clean water bottle (20 ounce for small house plants and 2 liters for larger plants)
Sharp pin or sewing needle
Directions:
Use needle or pin to poke a small hole or two in the neck of the bottle or cap. Fill bottle with water and tightly screw on cap. Turn bottle upside down and check to see that water is dripping at a slow and steady pace (one drop every other second).
Place bottle in potted plant and give a slight squeeze. Water will drip naturally over the course of the next few days. Keep bottle in plant until empty, then refill and start again.
Milk carton bird feeder
Not only are birds a lovely addition to any garden, but they are also valuable members of the eco-system as they help get rid of pests such as aphids and snails. To make your garden more bird friendly, hang a homey birdhouse made from a recycled milk carton.
You will need:
Half-gallon milk carton
Masking tape
Brown shoe polish and soft cloth
Sharp scissors
Wood dowel or twig
Twine
Directions:
Cover milk carton with masking tape. Make “tree bark” by dotting the entire house with brown shoe polish.
Cut a door toward the middle of the house and a hole in the top of the house for the birds to breathe. To make a perch, cut a small hole an inch or two below the door and insert a wooden dowel or twig.
Use scissors to make a small hole at the top of the house, and then thread twine through the hole and knot into a loop.
Hang birdhouse on a tree branch near your garden.
Composting 101
Composting is a great way to feed your garden while reducing your ecological footprint, which is why companies such as Chinet and Starbucks are offering free products and/or advice to help you get started. Since I am a big fan of “free,” I reached out to Chinet to find out how I can start composting at home. I discovered the process is relatively easy as long as you follow a few simple steps.
1. Find a sunny spot in your yard that is level, has good drainage and won’t be construed as an eyesore.
2. Buy a compost bin or make your own by poking small holes in a large rubber container. The container should be at least 18 gallons and have a lid, which will keep rodents out.
3. Place organic waste in your bin such as yard trimmings, food scraps and coffee grounds. See sidebar for a list of items that can and cannot be added.
4. To help speed the process, cut or shred items before adding them to your bin. You also want to make sure you are adding equal parts wet and dry materials.
5. Shake or mix compost bin 2-3 times a day.
6. When bin is about three-fourths full, stop adding materials and allow nature to take its course. Be sure to keep mixing the compost a few times a day. Once the material inside is dark brown and spongy it’s ready to be added to your garden. Note: this can take up to a few weeks or a few months depending on the size of your bin and the materials added. For more information visit: www.mychinet.com.
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