Mid Winter Flower Bulb BargainsI certainly don't need more flowers. I can barely keep up with all I have now. So, why do I continue to buy more? Lack of self restraint, I guess; though I tell myself it's something more colorful.
Start Bell Pepper Plants EarlyTo ensure a good crop of bell peppers, it is important to remember that they require a long growing season. You can start the seed now (2/25)
Protecting Delicate Blooms from Summer HeatDuring these massive heat waves, don't let your flowers wilt and die. Use a patio umbrella to protect them. My spider lilies were wilted and dying from 103 heat (1st picture bottom left.) I gave them some extra water and used a patio umbrella to protect them and it brought them back to their beauty.
Use a Sheet To Protect Plants From FrostTo protect plants from frost, cover rows with fitted twin sheets. Plan early when planting with this in mind.
Protect Bushes During WinterI bought a miniature rose bush this year and want to protect it from wind and snow. I put some burlap over it and put some rocks and bricks down to anchor it.
Accepting Gardening's DisappointmentsI took some pictures before the last cold snap. I shared some of them with you. Things were looking pretty good. A week long warm spell had done its magic, forcing the juices of sleepy head plants to rise up to the promise of spring. Here are some after pictures, hopefully the damage is not too severe.
Curing Winter BlahsFor we keepers of the Earth, a sure fire way to help alleviate the winter blahs is to witness little noticed signs that tell us we will indeed experience the annual miracle called spring, once more. Those signs instill profound hope.
Overwintering Cochliasanthus Caracalla (Corkscrew Vine)This post is a follow up on the plants I'm trying to overwinter. First, let me say, these plants have a large root system. My pots were sitting on the ground. When I lifted them to bring them inside, I found that roots had escaped through the drain holes and continued to grow, some as much as five feet.
Avoid Blisters When Raking LeavesDo you get a blister on your hand when raking leaves? If so, try taping a piece of first aid cloth tape on your hand where the blister forms before you put your gloves on.
Protect Plants With Mesh TrampolineWe had a few plants that had some veggies on them. Because of a lack of hot sun and the air cooling off, we talked of cleaning the garden up and digging everything under.
Winterizing Garden ToolsWhen putting garden tools away for the winter, I was told to put either baby oil or Vaseline on the metal parts to prevent rusting.
Preparing Your Garden for WinterPreparing the garden for fall and winter is a routine task for me. About this time or when the first cool spell arrives I begin to prepare my winter protection of plants that won't take cold.
Preparing Flower Pots for WinterI love my flower and vegetable pots. As I've gotten older, growing my favorites in pots helps make gardening easier and lower maintenance. I like to buy used and even damaged pots at garage sales, cheap, and restore them with glue, paint, and TLC.
A Word About The Texas DroughtThe city of Houston just put everyone on restrictions concerning watering outdoor plants. Mine are all potted patio plants. The rule is twice a week depending upon whether you are on the even or odd side of the street.
Popsicle Sticks to Mark SeedsI have a little container garden and planted seeds in 6 containers. To mark my veggies, I used Popsicle sticks and just put the letter of the veggie planted. You can use both ends, if you want to change your choice of veggies for the next year, also.
Power Washer for Spring Yard CleanupMake spring clean up a breeze! Rent a 2800 psi power washer for 1/2 a day. Use it to blow leaves and debris out of flower beds without damage or raking! Blow it into the yard and then mulch it up with your mower.
Pouches for Starting Seeds IndoorsTo plant seeds and not take up a lot of space, use vinyl pouches and hang them on your windows with suction cups and water them with a turkey baster. This works well in a window that gets a lot of warm southern exposure light.
Add Compost In the FallLet Mother Nature help you with your spring planting! If you add compost to your garden beds every year like I do, you may (or may not) know that usually the bags recommend that you let the compost "mellow" before you plant into it.
Looking Forward to SpringWhat a lovely time to look forward to - gardening in the spring when frost is no longer on the ground. We rototill the vegetable garden to prepare it for planting and place wooden sticks in the ground to which we tie string. This gives you nice straight rows.
Tip for Fall MumsIf you like fall Mums this tip is for you! This is a pass on tip, it's been recommended to me to trim your mums down to 4 inches on or close to the 4th of July.
Bring Rain Barrel Indoors for the WinterWe brought our rain barrel indoors for the winter. Rather than let it sit idle, we placed it high on a sturdy table and hooked it up to receive the water that comes from our furnace.
Compost LeavesEvery fall, we see people working very hard with leaves, putting them in paper bags for city collection. Anyone who has even a modest back yard can use an easier method. You may already have a compost heap where you put your garden clippings, etc.
Use Your Leaves As Winter MulchAfter spending years raking up those fall leaves, I decided to make short work of the job by using my mulch mower and ran the mower over the leaves, which mulched them all and enriched my lawn happily at the same time.
Mini-Greenhouse From Plastic JugsI set out plants I grow from seed and they need protection from wind and pests. I use clear juice jugs with the bottom cut out and no lid as a mini greenhouse for each plant. The plants get off to a great start! This also works to start seeds in the garden.
Protect Seedlings With Recycled Plastic BottlesI planted these small delicate plants on a very nice day, and then of course this morning the wind started blowing. So, I got some 2 liter bottles that I had in my recycling bin. I also had some water bottles saved for recycling too.
Move Hanging Plants Inside for WinterThe recent freezing weather here in Florida, really messed up my garden but I found that some of my vegetables and herbs could be moved into hanging planters which I then brought inside. Right now, I have green onions and mint growing tall and green.
Use Snow To Water HouseplantsTake advantage of snow to water houseplants! We have had an overabundance of snow this year. It dawned on me one evening that just outside my front door lay a wealth of totally free nutrients for my plants!
Cover Garden At Night To Protect Against Early FrostWhen it's time for frost to hit and we still have veggies that are still producing, we drape sheets or blankets over the veggies before dark. Then when we get up in the morning before the sun is fully out, we take the sheets or blankets off.
Take Photos of Your Garden in Different SeasonsThroughout the spring and summer, snap photos of your gardens so that when planning the next year's gardens, you can refer to photos and decide what to plant where, what needs to be moved to where, etc. Unless you have a steel trap mind, this is very handy for remembering!
Use Sandbox Sand in the GardenIn the fall when we put things away, it was always "What do we do with the sand from the sandbox?" Well, I assess what areas of my veggie and flower garden soil needs some soil treatment and divide out the sand box to the garden needing it most.
Raking Leaves on AcreageDon't do it by hand! If you have large acreage and/or lots of deciduous trees, better to use a lawn vacuum. I bought a used one (it's all steel, so I recycled, in a sense: when isthe last time you saw one of those tow-behind-your-garden tractor vacuums made of steel?) about 30 years old.
Use Your Lawn Mower To Move LeavesThis is gardening tip and a how to. We have 3 English walnut trees. When the leaves fall, we like to clean them up because we heard the leaves are toxic. Every fall we blow them in a pile then unto a large tarp.
Winter Your Patio Flowers IndoorsI live in a townhome and have a porch and patio to display flowers. Each fall before it freezes I bring a bunch of my plants inside, pots and hanging baskets of geraniums, especially. I place them around a window in a spare room that gets pretty good light.
What To Harvest From Your Flower GardenGrab some freebies from your garden for next year. I pick off dried marigold flowers and save in a paper bag (labeled) to plant next year. Each dried flower contains tons of seeds! Also, you can root sprigs of rosemary and impatiens in water and keep in a sunny window, to plant next year.
Use a Boot Tray to Bring Plants InsideIt will soon be time to bring plants in side for the northern gardeners. A boot tray makes an excellent floor for your plants to drain on. They are inexpensive and will protect your furniture or floors.
Uses for Raspberry BranchesPretty soon it will be time to clean up what Old Man Winter left behind. I have raspberries and, come every spring, winter has left me broken branches, I'm sure the birds also help in the process.
Protect Delicate Plants With SandSome plants in your area will be a tender perennial which means they may or may not make it through a severe cold snap, or you may have plants you want to protect from the cold. To protect such plants better, when weather gets cooler in the fall time of year, put a mound of builders sand or other sand around the plant.
Using Leaves For Mulching Tender PerennialsMy husband and I have a lot of flower gardens in the summer. I have around 250 day lilies that I have collected, and am still collecting more. As the leaves are falling, we take a leaf blower and pick them up, which chops them.
Preparing Perennials for FallI now live where my perennials do well all winter and do not need much special preparation in the fall. When I lived in a colder clime, I found that they would come back the next spring if I took certain steps. I always made sure the flowers were removed before the first frost.
Indoor Lighted Greenhouse For Winter MonthsWhen the winter months enable us to do our gardening outside, I decided to bring much of my garden inside. We cleaned out under our basement steps.
Hanging Gourds Outside To DryWe happen to have an old swing set in the backyard. So this year, I took the gourds off the vine, and took a hammer and long nail and punched 4 holes in the bottom of the gourds. Took twine and attached it to the stems and hung the gourds on the swing set and let the sun dry them.
Preparing Your Garden for Fall and WinterTips to prepare your garden for the fall and winter from the ThriftyFun community. Right now we are just concentrating on getting as much of the garden produce in the house as possible. Frost threatens tonight!
Watering the Garden in a Heat WaveIn an intense heat wave, I have saved my garden produce from sunburn and kept the plants green by covering them with old bedsheets.
Putting the Garden to Bed for the WinterNow that summer is almost over. My grandchildren ask if they can put the garden to bed for the winter. We start when everything has died. It's very easy and the children love doing it, and they have fun.
