Gardening tips

Is there a gardening tip that saves you time or just adds a little fun to your gardening or garden area?

I like to put an old mailbox in or near my garden. Its a fun look and it will hold my garden string, clippers, seeds and anything I am using in the next day or two.

It saves me a lot of time putting it away and them running to ther house to go get it if I need it again before I planned on.

And I love the look!

Comments

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited March 2021

    I use milk jugs to cover plants on cold nights. Cut the bottom off the jug and push gently in the soil. I have found its best to have a stick in the ground close by the jug to attach the jug to for those windy nights and days. I spent a few mornings chasing jugs all over the yard before I started doing this.

    Milk jugs also work well for days that are just a bit cold or have a cold wind. Just leave the lid off so the plant does not overheat but has some protection from wind.

  • frogvalley
    frogvalley Posts: 675 ✭✭✭✭

    @Denise Grant I do so love the mailbox idea. I've been wracking my brain to think of something unique to hold small gardening items. Grand idea!

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @frogvalley Cute and practical. I picked my mail box up at a sale for a whopping $1

  • naomi.kohlmeier
    naomi.kohlmeier Posts: 380 ✭✭✭

    I plant most of my herbs, except for that pesky dill, which I love but grows everywhere:) as close to the house as possible, so I can just pop out the back door and cut fresh herbs for meals.

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Jens I have used paper pots for years. They are great form plants that do not like their roots disturbed. Great for the soil and the price is right.

    Do you fold them together or tape them? I have also seen the square ones that are more of an origami method

  • Linda Bittle
    Linda Bittle Posts: 1,518 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I love the mailbox idea! I have an old school desk that has an open front, and my expandable garden hose fits inside nicely. I find they (the hoses) last longer when I don't leave them hooked to the faucet and out in the weather.

    I cover the desk with a pretty, heavy duty plastic tablecloth that I attach to the legs with those big binder clips so the wind doesn't blow it away. Keeps the desk safe from rain, and covers up the hose.


    I do need to be cautious of snakes, though! Look before reaching in!

  • SuperC
    SuperC Posts: 952 ✭✭✭✭

    @naomi.kohlmeier One time living in a rainforest jungle, a farmer allowed me one row in his garden. I grew rosemary, marigolds, green beans, and dill. Once when harvesting, I stood there in the hot sun munching on the dill. It tasted so heavenly as I stood under a papaya tree. Also, the beans produced so much that I was able to gift handfuls to other farm workers and their eyes lit up with excitement.

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Jens I have seen theses but never tried them.

  • frogvalley
    frogvalley Posts: 675 ✭✭✭✭

    @Denise Grant You hit it out of the park GF! Mail box and origami gardening goodies. Okay, you technically didn't say "you can make origami plant pots," but you might have just as well done so. I mean, WOW, great idea! What a great business idea! Denise, wanna go into business? We'd have the money for the freeze dryer in no time.

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited March 2021

    @frogvalley Sign me up.

    The way you fold the paper garden pots it really is origami. I use to make them round and tape them but then found these. They are square shaped.

    You could make a little origami frog for the garden pot too

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I use coffee filter in the bottom of pots to hold in any soil from coming out the pot holes

  • Cornelius
    Cornelius Posts: 872 ✭✭✭✭

    I am about to use old milk jugs as pots. Here is a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s1hZDRzras&t=161s

  • marjstratton
    marjstratton Posts: 1,132 ✭✭✭✭

    I just cut the bottoms off of milk jugs to use as cloches for the peas I just planted. I like several of the other suggestions too. I save my used coffee filters, and using them in the bottom of the plant pots to keep the soil in sounds like another great use.

  • DurwardPless
    DurwardPless Posts: 162 ✭✭✭

    What a great idea about the mailbox. That can really save time looking for things and they will be available where needed.

  • Michelle D
    Michelle D Posts: 1,465 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I love the idea of the mailbox. I imagine if I tried that here I would find random stuff from the kids that are always in and out of my yard. It would probably become a game.

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Michelle D That would be a fun game!

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited March 2021

    I use old pantyhose for plant ties. They have enough give that they will not cut in to a plant but will hold them to a trellis or pole. If you need the piece to be longer you just loop two together and you are set to go.

    I also use pantyhose to help hold certain veggies or gourds in place if you are growing vertical. Melons, gourds and pumpkins get heavy if you grow hem on trellises so a pantyhose sling will take the weight off the stem so it does not break from weight. You can tell from the look if it might need a sling.

  • maimover
    maimover Posts: 359 ✭✭✭

    @Denise Grant ehat a great idea! Due to health stuff my yard had been neglected for years. Thanks to the help of a neighbor friend we’ve been going through things and are finding all sorts of things that we have repurposed. It’s actually been a pretty amazing journey finding things to use that aren’t costing money. Found an old paper box too and think I’m gonna use it near the garden...

  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Denise Grant Pantyhose work great, also old hair clips (the wide ones) would work.

    I still laugh about the year I used an old halter to support melons against a chain link fence. I swear that I took a photo of that but have been unable to find it.