useful tips

:D Stabbing the wrapping to let the excess juices to drain off??

 

I use the small plastic trays (usually already have holes punched in them) that come with fresh produce in from the supermarket for seedtrays.

This is easier than using a large purpose made seedtray if you are doing successional planting.

 

Macleaf had a good idea starting this thread and I'm glad that it has finally gotten off the ground. This is the place where you can post any kind of tip and it can be easily found. Let's keep it going.

 

Here's my next one - I save the styropor trays that sliced cheese or some veggies come in (not the ones meat were in!)and they are good for putting under house plants sitting on cold windowsills.

 

And yet another I just remembered, one that I have used a couple of times. I put a few drops of green food colouring in relish (did I post my Sweet Cucumber Relish?) to give it the real American look.

 

another tip, before potting up line the inside of the pot with bubble plastic.

 

A snow shovel is very handy for collecting up autumn leaves.

 

I use a sharpened chop stick as a dibber pricking out seedlings. Because one end is thicker than the other I can make different sized holes.

I use supermarket carrier bags as liners for terracotta pots. This reduces water loss.

 

I've posted this before but I'll add it here ....

I use a 20 pocket shoe holder on a hanger as a storage rack in the shed. I keep seeds (new in one, empty packs in another), strings, scissors, soil tester, gloves, plant tags, secateurs, trowels and hand forks, and miscellaneous items, the lightweight being in the top coming down to the heavier in the bottom. I even have a pair of rubber gardening clogs in there for good measure!

 

For some reason most gardening hand tools are green or brown and get lost in the foliage as soon as i put them down. Once I lost a hand fork for days. Now I stick brightly coloured electrical tape around the handles and can spot them better.

 

crushed eggshells put around a plant will deter slugs

 

A lady was on our local tv channel she keeps all her plastic carriers from the supermarkets and crochets bags out of them, when they were finished the outcome was astounding didnt look plastic, I guess after that news everyone will be sending her the bags, she has had loads of requests from people wanting one, different i thought