You can use your table cloth or an old blanket to carry things such as sand or dirt bags. Use a vinyl tablecloth, plastic side down, to transport heavy things like sand, dirt, or mulch bags of mulch. You can also transport plant divisions, such as shrubs or small trees. Even if you have a wheelbarrow, this ground-level transportation system may be easier on your back for many chores.
Frost protection. A light blanket, towel, or tablecloth can save your annuals from damage when a frost is coming that night/morning.
Ties that bind. Worn-out towels, cut into strips, make safe ties for supporting plants. The soft terry cloths are perfect for heavy plants.
Recyle Yogurt ContainersYogurt containers, plastic sour cream, and margarine tubs have many uses for your outside garden and home.
Cutworm collars. Protect young seedlings from night-crawling cutworms by cutting the bottom off a yogurt container. Sink the container about an inch or so into the ground, leaving 2 to 3 inches above ground.
The scoop. Small plastic tubs are perfect for scooping.
Cheap flower pots. Tubs that are at least 3 inches deep make free flower pots if you poke a few holes in the bottom with a nail.
Newspapers servce purpose in the Garden
Newspapers are the key ingredient for garden beds. To create a new planting area without the work of digging, just mow an area as short as possible, spread with 8 or more layers or newspaper, and top with enough soil or mulch to hold the papers in place. Over a few months, the newspaper will smother weeds and grasses, then decay into the bare soil. You now have a pristine planting bed ready to receive trees, shrubs, or flowers.
Dollar-Store Treasure
For trimming chores in your home garden, get a $1 pair kitchen shears at your local dollar store.
From Junk to Jewels
Let’s wrap up with a collection of quick-hits.
Old dish pans. Fill with some potting soil and supplies, and you have a portable potting bench that you can take on the go!
Coffee and tuna cans. Use these straight-sided containers to collect and measure rain. That way, you can be sure that your garden is getting the inch of water a week.
Soft drink cans. Rinse well and place in the bottom of large planters to take up some of the space. They provide extra drainage capacity and you’ll need less potting soil.
Chopsticks. Use these little , when you start seeds in pots. Add one or two sticks to each pot, then cover with a cheap plastic bag to control moisture. The chopsticks will prevent the bag from collapsing onto the soil.
Egg cartons. These are long-time favorites for starting seeds, one or two per soil-filled cell. To reduce the risk of bacterial contamination, use well-washed Styrofoam egg cartons with a single drainage hole punched in the bottom of each cell.
