- Reader's Tip: CDs tied around the garden and hung from tree branches help to keep out deer and other critters. The reflections seem to scare them. (You can glue two CDs together with SuperGlue, the sides with writing facing in.) -- from Betty S.
- Reader's Tip: Placing evergreen trees on the North and East side of a house helps protect the house in winter from winds. Keeping other trees on the South and West side of the house will help keep the house cool in the summer and will allow the sun to warm the house in winter.
- Reader’s Tip: My favorite tip is to sprinkle pepper in the garden to keep away cats, bunnies and other small animals that like to dig in freshly planted beds. The pepper usually needs to be put on twice to really discourage them. This tip was passed down to me by my Grandfather and he is right; it works wonderfully.
- Reader’s Tip: My vegetable garden in central Texas was just getting off to a good start when an army of fire ants crossed the lawn and started into the garden. You don’t want to share your garden with fire ants! (They’ve been known to kill calves out on the range.) I laid a thick line of powdered cayenne pepper across the fire ants’ route. Then I stepped well out of the way and watched them bump into the cayenne barrier, veer off sharply and march off into the sunset. They never came back.
- Before you leave on vacation, sure to pull any small weeds from your garden. They’ll be huge if allowed to grow while you’re gone.
- Plant bulbs at a depth of two and a half times their diameter.
- If you want your garden vegetables to ripen outdoors at a faster pace, place aluminum foil beneath them to reflect extra sunlight.
- An apple corer from the kitchen makes a handy garden tool to remove thistles and dandelions from your garden.
- The best place to store leftover garden seeds is in your refrigerator. Put them in a glass jar with a bit of silica gel and screw the top on tightly.
- Spray your pruning shears with vegetable oil spray before you use them, and sticky goo that accumulates from pruning will slide right off during cleanup.
- I was once told that you should plant a tree on a spot where you would like to be forever -- one of the most important ideas anyone ever told me about gardening.
- Some folks plant marigolds in their vegetable garden to repel insects.
- Plant onions next to beets and carrots to keep bugs away.
- Basil planted near your tomatoes helps discourage worms and flies.
- For easier watering of large vegetables such as tomatoes, plant a gallon can with holes punched in the bottom nearby. Watering through the can keeps water off the top of the ground and puts it near the roots where it’s needed.
- When watering flowers, aim at their toes rather than the tips of their noses.
- Rust on roses is most often caused by too little sun.
- When pruning roses, start by removing the three D’s: dead, damaged and diseased wood. Finish by getting rid of all crossing and weak branches.
- Climbing roses make beautiful ground cover. Just peg their canes to the ground with wire hoops or T-tacks -- a good way to beautify banks.
- Save soap slivers and drop them into an old nylon stocking. Tie the stocking around an outside faucet for a quick cleanup when you are through gardening.
- If you hate to wear gloves while gardening but also hate the dirt that ends up under your fingernails, try this: Run your fingernails along a bar of soap before you start digging in the dirt ... they’ll be easier to scrub clean.
- Got a lot of grass to trim along a sidewalk? Sit on a skateboard and roll yourself along.
- Plain old salt works great for killing grass in sidewalk cracks. Just sprinkle salt anywhere you don’t want grass. (BEWARE! Salt will kill all plants in the vicinity! Don’t try this if there is a chance the salt might wash into an area where you want plants to grow.)
- Seeds planted in midsummer should be planted deeper so they are protected for the hot sun while they germinate.
- To repair a small leak in a garden hose, pour melted paraffin on the leak and let it harden. Then, wrap tape around the leak.
- Be sure to sharpen your hoe on the right side -- the inside edge -- so you can pull it through the ground with ease.
- Never feed newly planted shrubs right away. Let them get used to their new home first.
- Just as a refreshing bath cools us off in the deep heat of summer so also will it give a pickup to your tender annuals simmering in the sun. Just sprinkle them lightly midday when the temperature rises.
- A large plastic pot can be made into a hanger for a garden hose. Attach the bottom of the pot to the side of the house or garage with 2-inch drywall screws and large washers. When you’ve finished with the hose, simply coil it around the planter and keep the nozzle and any other attachments inside the planter. The slope of the planter side will hold the coil snugly against the wall.
- Some of the best flowers for the different seasons in the Bay Area:
Spring: freesia, calla, sparaxis, narcissus, sweet peas, snapdragon and columbine
Summer: geranium, heliotrope, lantana, fuchsia, dahlia, gladiolus, marigold and zinnia
Fall: asters and chrysanthemums
Winter: sweet pea, calendula, snapdragon, stock, and dianthus
- When is the best time to prune? Evergreens should be pruned in June. Never trim more than two-thirds of the new growth and don’t go back to the old growth or you’ll kill it off. Cut out dead interior branches. Also be sure that you use clean, disinfected pruning shears that are sharp. Bacteria and fungus are known to be carried to otherwise healthy plants by means of pruning blades and torn rather than cut edges encourage disease. Try to remember this: prune fall-flowering shrubs in spring; prune spring-flowering shrubs in fall.
- Water plants well at planting time. When the growth is active and soil is really dry, water before the plant wilts. Mere surface watering is useless. Give enough water to wet the soil six inches down.
- A very heavy crop of fruit often will strip a lemon of most of its foliage. Overwatering in poorly drained soil may cause this condition, but the poor health of the tree will then be obvious. Less water and a feeding of commercial citrus food in the spring should bring it back. Lemon and orange trees require very little water.
- Dichondra may look somewhat ratty and thinner then usual in April. This is natural, as the plants are creating seed. Help the process along by fertilizing lightly.
- Spread coffee grounds around plants before rain or watering for a slow-release nitrogen boost. Coffee-ground mulch also can help reduce the ravages of slugs and snails.
- Drape old sheer curtains over fruit vines and berry bushes to frustrate hungry birds and animals. The material won’t harm flora or fauna.
- There are now many commercial pesticides available that are nontoxic to kids and other living things. You can also experiment with homemade nontoxic pesticides. For example, try one-fourth cup dried basil added to three quarts water as a nontoxic spray.
- Garlic is said to ward off aphids, snails, and caterpillars. Toss 3 garlic heads and 6 tablespoons mineral oil into a blender and mix until smooth. Let the mixture stand at room temperature for 48 hours; then add it to a solution of 1 pint water and 1 tablespoon oil base soap. Pour into screw-top jars and refrigerate. Gardeners who use this spray faithfully claim that 2 tablespoons added to 4 pints of water makes a potent spray.
- Dogs and cats will be repelled by a mix of two (2) cups of isopropyl rubbing alcohol (70%) and one (1) teaspoon of lemon grass oil. Brush or spray the liquid mix on an area you want dogs and cats to avoid.
- To deter squirrels and cats from digging in the garden, periodically bury orange and lemon rinds here and there, just under the surface.
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Quick Tips