Looking for cheap, eco-friendly solutions for common gardening
issues? How do you protect plants from unexpected spring storms? Is
there a way to plant veggies earlier without a large expensive
greenhouse? Wouldn't you love a place to wash your veggies outdoors?
Does rainwater diversion have to be so expensive? Is there an easy way
to shade vegetables without building a complicated permanent structure?
How can you save yourself work when raking and saving leaves for
compost? These simple, yet clever, eco-friendly solutions can help.
Instant recycled greenhouses
Are you one of those people who saves empty glass jars? You hate to
throw them away. You feel they could be re-used for something, but
you're not sure what. How about using glass jars as tiny greenhouses for your early spring plantings?
Simply plant your seed, water, then place the inverted jar over the
planting. Push the jar neck slightly into the ground for stability. Not
only does this protect the seedling, it keeps it conducts heat and
conserves water. Evaporating water will collect and fall back onto the
plant, much like it does in a terrarium.
Re-purposed washing station
When we moved into our home, the owners had left behind a laundry
sink. It wasn't hooked up. We had no use for it indoors. Being the green
goddess that I am, I quickly came up with a fantastic idea. We already
had a multi-hose connecter on our backyard spigot. By taking a short piece of hose and running it to the old laundry sink, I made an outdoor sink for washing veggies, hands or whatever other nasty dirt I didn't want to bring in the house.
Bonus tip:
I keep a re-purposed mesh veggie bag (filled with soap slivers and
knotted) at the sink. The bag makes for efficient scrubbing power. Since
we use eco-friendly homemade soap, water from washing can drain right
back into the garden, via another hose attached to the drain.
Simple rain water diversion
No rain barrels allowed in your city? No problem. Using rainwater in
the garden doesn't have to be complicated. We've found that old ridged plastic sewer pipe fits wonderfully over gutter spouts.
By simply running the pipe to the garden, we're able to give it a good
dousing every time it rains. When the garden has had enough, we direct
the flow into an old kiddie pool for storage.
Portable shade
You may not be able to afford a pop up shade or complicated shade
cloth construction for your shade loving plants. No worries. Simply use four stakes and an old sheet.
Staple the sheet to the stakes at the corners. When your plants need
shade, plunge the stakes into the ground around them. When the sun goes
down, just fold the sheet up with the stakes inside for easy storage.
Easy leaf collection
Don't you hate trying to stuff leaves into bags for later use? If you
have a compost pile, why are you bagging the leaves up? Doesn't it seem
silly to bag them, just to toss them in the pile? Of course it is.
Here's a better idea. Lay your portable shade cloth flat on the ground. Use it to collect raked leaves.
Pick it up by the corner stakes. Carry the whole thing to the compost
pile. Dump it into the pile. It's much easier than stuffing those bags.
Plus, you'll cut down on plastic use.
