Terra Cotta Flower Pots

Take your old terra cotta flower pots ~ paint wash them.. Add a bit of water your paint, and have fun while you give the pots a new look.....

DIY Bird Feeders

Love this DIY Bird Feeders from www.momendeavors.com


Special Blend Bird Seed

This month’s Lowe’s Cre­ative Ideas blog­ger chal­lenge was all about the birds! And, with spring most def­i­nitely here, it was a fit­ting chal­lenge. As always, the tough­est part was just fig­ur­ing out what to do. We decided that we liked the idea of a bird feeder bet­ter than a bird house–

 So, here’s what they came up with:

Can you tell what they’re made from? They were easy to do–even some­thing the kid­dos can help with! And, I love the pop of color we have out­side now.

Cozy Den Bird House

Here’s the bird chal­lenge sup­plies picked up at Lowe’s:

- 3 small paint cans, a 3/16″ wooden dowel, finch food, a Hum­ming­bird feeder & Hum­ming­bird food! Now, of course, the hum­ming­bird stuff wasn’t part of our DIY project. But, since we were think­ing of our lit­tle feath­ered friends, we had to get some­thing for our beau­ti­ful desert hummingbirds–like this guy:Hope­fully they’ll come around even more often now that we have a new feeder filled with that super sug­ary red liquid!



Ok, now back to our project.… Cut­ part of the dowel into 4 inch pieces (one for each paint can). Then  work on spruc­ing up the paint cans. 


 paint the three cans and the dowel pieces.

Classic Series Arts and Crafts Bird House

Once those had a good while to dry,  put a lit­tle bead of hot glue on the inside grove of the top of each paint can (where the lid would snap into) and stick a dowel piece in. Then, you will need some­thing to hang them.

Quick & easy project and pro­vides such a cute look out by the gar­den. And, here’s the best part…our fine feath­ered friends have already taken notice! Here’s what we saw when we came down­stairs this morning:

Build it and they will come!”"

 Covered Bridge Bird Feeder in Victorian White


   

Easy to Grow Veggies!

So, you say you have no time for a vegetable garden. Or, you are convinced that your thumb is definitely not green. Give these five tasty vegetables a try. You'll be surprised at how much fresh produce you can get for the amount of work you'll need to put in.

1. Beans



Forever Garden Vegetable Seeds - Emergency Food

If you are going to grow beans, the best advice I can give you is to be sure you actually like to eat beans. Beans (specifically pole beans) are prolific, providing you with an almost constant harvest for several weeks during the summer. For a more manageable amount of produce, consider growing bush beans. In addition to not requiring the trellising that pole beans require, bush beans tend to produce one or two harvests during the season, so you don't have to worry about harvesting continuously to keep the plants productive. Beans require at least six hours of sun per day and regular watering, especially when they are blooming and fruiting.

2. Lettuce


 Organic Tomato & Vegetable Planting Mix

Whether you grow it in a traditional garden bed, a window box, or a flower pot, lettuce is an easy and rewarding vegetable to grow. The main issue with lettuce is that it abhors hot weather, and will bolt in no time once the temperatures start to soar. Look for heat-tolerant varieties, such as 'Black-Seeded Simpson,' to prolong your harvest. Alternately, plant them in an area that gets a bit of afternoon shade. Keep your lettuce well watered, and grow cut-and-come again or loose-leaf varieties, which will provide plenty of lettuce for salads throughout the growing season.

3. Leafy Greens


Frontier Natural Products

Many of the leafy greens (kale, collards, spinach, mustard greens, chard) are even easier to grow than lettuce, and are full of essential vitamins and minerals. While spinach is infamous for bolting as soon as the weather warms, crops such as swiss chard and kale will keep producing happily in even the hottest weather. Like lettuce, leafy greens can either be grown in a traditional garden bed or in a container, making them a very convenient crop. In fact, a colorful glazed pot of 'Bright Lights' swiss chard is as ornamental as it is practical. Greens require regular moisture, soil with plenty of organic matter, and at least four hours of sun per day to thrive.

4. Summer Squash


I Buy Local Fruits & Vegetables

There's a reason that the cliche of a gardener leaving bushels of zucchini on the doorsteps of unsuspecting neighbors is so prevalent. If you give a zucchini plant full sun, good soil, and plenty of water, the fruits will seem to grow before your eyes. Given their prolific nature, you really only need two or three plants to feed a family of four throughout the summer. Yellow squash tends to be a bit less prolific than zucchini, but you'll still be growing a bounty of squash either way. For a nice change, try switching the traditional zucchini for something like 'Eight Ball' zucchini, which are small and round. They are too large to grow in containers, and take up a fair amount of space in the garden, but they are worth it.

5. Tomatoes


Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure

Yes, tomatoes are easy to grow. I'll never understand why some people think tomatoes are a tricky crop. Have you ever thrown a tomato into your compost pile? If you have, you'd know that the next season, you end up with tens to hundreds of little tomato seedlings. All tomatoes need are warm temperatures, eight or more hours of sunlight per day, and even moisture. Give them a soil that is rich in organic matter, fertilize them monthly with a good, balanced organic fertilizer, and let them go. You don't even have to stake or cage them if you don't want to. They'll grow just fine sprawled out on the ground. For a truly worry-free tomato growing experience, choose hybrid varieties, which are usually more disease-resistant than heirlooms.

 

Homemade Pesticide Recipe

How would you like to know a few homemade pesticide recipes that are not only safe, but will cost you next to nothing?

It's still possible to keep your garden free from pests without toxins and harmful chemicals.

Most chemical pesticides are toxic to humans as well as pets and small animals that may enter your yard or garden. That's why homemade pesticides make a lot more sense.

"Gardener Seat and Tools in Green"

Here are a few of the most common homemade pesticide recipes for your houseplants, yard and garden.

Homemade Pesticide For Snails and Slugs
Diatomaceous earth is a powder-like dust made of tiny marine organisms called diatoms. It is effective on soft-bodied insects as well as snails and slugs. Just spread it on top of the soil and it works by cutting and irritating these soft organisms yet is harmless to other organisms. You can also put out shallow dishes of beer to trap snails and slugs.

To Keep Bugs Away From Houseplants
This is the safest natural pesticide for any home gardener and is effective on a variety of bugs and insects. Mix 3 tablespoons of liquid detergent into a gallon of water. Use in a sprayer bottle for houseplants.

Another Bugs Away From Houseplants Mix
To keep bugs away from houseplants, mix 1 clove garlic, 1 small hot pepper and 1 quart water in a blender. Pour into a spray bottle and apply to plants. Putting hot sauce on a cotton ball in a house plant pot will also repel pests.

Cabbage worms and Spider Mites Mix
For garden pests like cabbage worms and spider mites, mix 2 tablespoons of salt in 1 gallon of water and use in a sprayer bottle.

To Control Garden Pests
Gather together a collection of dead bugs, crush them up and mix with water. Strain the mix until it will come out of a spray bottle. Only use this mix outside.

Spearmint Hot Pepper Horseradish Spray
This is effective on many different kinds of outside bugs and insects and should be an outside spray.
1/4 cup of hot red peppers
1/2 gallon water
1/4 cup of fresh spearmint
1/4 cup horseradish, both root and leaves
1 tablespoons of liquid detergent
1/4 cup green onion tops
Mix the spearmint leaves, horseradish, onion tops and peppers together with enough water to cover everything. Then strain the solution. Add a half-gallon of water and the detergent. You can use this to spray almost any plant safely. Store the mixture for a few days in a cool place.

Natural Pesticide for Aphids and Whiteflies
Mix a few drops of dishwashing detergent with water and spray on plants leaves. This is extremely effective in controlling many soft-bodied insects such as aphids and whiteflies.

Homemade Pesticide For Roses
In your blender make a solution of leaves from a tomato plant 4 pints of water and a tablespoon of cornstarch. Strain the mix and spray on roses as a natural pesticide. Keep any unused spray refrigerated.
Natural pesticides can work well for any home gardener and are much safer for you and your family. After you try a few of these recipes you'll understand that they really work. If you want to control pests naturally instead of chemically, homemade pesticides may be the ideal choice.

By Gary Gresham

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gary_Gresham

No-Glue Newspaper Seedling Pots

Recycle newspapers into seed starters

 

I think this idea is brilliant! Who doesn’t get sale flyers each week in the mail or read a newspaper. What to do with them? Here's a step-by-step fold up a tiny pot perfect for starting seedlings. The best part-no glue or other supplies needed!


These seedling pots will disintegrate easily, they do not allow for over-watering, and they are free! I definitely prefer them to last year’s egg carton method.

You’ll need: some newspaper & a small bottle (my ibuprofen bottle works great)

Step 1: Tear off one half-sheet of newspaper.

Step 2: Fold it in half.

Step 3: Roll your newspaper piece around your bottle tightly.

Step 4: With the bottle still inside, fold one half down against the bottle’s bottom. Then fold the opposite side down.

Step 5: You’ll be left with a point. Tuck it into the fold like this.

Step 6: Smash it down good. It should stay in place. It may take a few to perfect your folding, but leaning pots can be supported by the others.

Step 7: Make a tear about two centimeters long on one side of your pot, and then again on the opposite side.

Step 8: Lay your pot down and fold the edge down one cm, and then fold a second time as far as your tears allow. Flip it over and fold twice on the back, too.

Step 9: If you squeeze your torn ends together your pot will get its shape back. Hopefully it can stand on it’s own, like this one. Repeat this folding process as many times as necessary. It goes much faster after you’ve done a few.

Step 10: Place them on a tray that won’t mind getting wet and dirty. Fill with dirt, water thoroughly, and add your seeds. Stick them in a warm and sunny window.

Step 11: If your window lacks the warmth, use cellophane to cover your seed-lets until they are well sprouted.

Making compost

Making compost

If you're about to start a new season garden, your time will be best served by enriching your soil.  This will do more for the health of your garden and the abundance of your crops than any fertiliser you apply later in the season.  If you plant your seeds and seedlings into fertile, living soil, you give them the best chance of success.

Our garden in full production with the compost heap and bin sitting quietly at the back.
  

Compost is a gentle fertilizer that adds organic matter to the soil.  Organic matter will bring the worms in, and they will bring in all manner of microbes that will help creature the soil you need for good crops.  Another great thing about compost is that it will help you manage your kitchen and garden waste, you end up throwing less in the rubbish bin and recycle bin, and you will make, at home, the best fertilizer possible for your garden.

Many things that were once alive, like paper, cardboard, cotton and linen fabric, hair, tea leaves etc, can be used to make compost.  Instead of being waste, they'll now be a resource to make the best fertilizer around.  So start your search today.  You can use all those old papers, magazines and worn out skirts in your compost heap.  Set up a little compost collection bucket in your kitchen for the kitchen waste you want to put into the compost.  It's best if this has a lid if you want to empty it once a day.

There are two categories of materials you need for making compost, and for the sake of simplicity, we'll call them greens (which supply nitrogen) and browns (which supply carbon).  Greens are the wet nitrogen filled materials like grass clippings, kitchen waste and fresh manures. Browns are dry things like paper, cardboard and straw.  You will need 30 browns (carbon) to one green (nitrogen).  Now that might sound complicated but all it means is that you need much more dry material like paper and straw than you need greens. Everything you add to the heap should be small.  Chop up the scraps, cardboard etc with your garden spade before adding.  The smaller it is, the faster it will decompose.  BTW, if you don't have enough kitchen scraps to make a compost heap, chop up your kitchen waste and bury it in the garden.  It will decompose and add to the fertility of the soil.

BROWNS - carbon

• shredded newspaper and magazines - but nothing glossy and coloured 
• shredded computer paper 
• cardboard - cut up in small pieces
• crushed egg shells  
• ash  
• straw and hay   
• hair  
• the contents of your vacuum cleaner - check to make sure there's no plastic  
• wool and cotton clothing 

GREENS - nitrogen

• grass clippings
• leaves
• green garden waste - but nothing that is diseased and no woody branches, they take too long to break down
• anything high in nitrogen like cow, goat, sheep, chicken and horse manures, chicken manure pellets
• fruit and vegetable peelings - not onion or citrus, which are best in a separate pile because they take a long time to decompose
• kitchen waste - but not meat or dairy products
• seaweed 

DON'T ADD ...

•  meat
• dairy products
• diseased plants
• anything plastic or acrylic

WHERE TO PUT THE COMPOST HEAP

Build your compost heap on bare ground, not on bricks or pavers.  You want the worms and microbes to find and colonise the compost, so it needs to be on the soil.  Site the heap close to the garden where it will be used and if you have dogs or chickens, it will need to be fenced off or else they will eat what you put in there.  If you live in an extreme climate, it might be best if you shelter the heap up against a wall.  This will also provide a solid border to one side of the heap.

HOW TO START

• Start on bare earth by placing a thick layer of shredded newspaper or straw as your base.
• Add whatever other ingredients you have, alternating browns and greens if you can (sometimes you can't).  
• Always remember the 30 brown to one green ratio.  If your compost is too dry with browns ,it won't decompose, if it is too wet with greens, it will smell.  When the heap has been going for a while, if it is too dry, add greens, if it's too wet, add browns.
• On the first day, if you've built a reasonable heap, get the hose and moisten it.  Don't wet it, just a slight spray to moisten things and to start the heap off.  
• If you have heavy rain or snow, or if you're in a cold climate, you will need to protect the heap with a heavy tarpaulin.  If you can, tie a brick to each corner with cord to keep it in place over the heap.
• If you don't have any animal or poultry manure, see if you can buy or barter a bag, or, alternatively, buy a bag of chicken manure pellets from the produce store and lightly scatter them through the layers as you add to the heap.  Animal manure should also be added every so often to the heap.  The manure will heat up the compost and activate the compost a great deal.  Comfrey leaves will also help speed up decomposition.

 Comfrey will help activate and speed up the composting process.

Making compost is not rocket science but you do need to watch your green to brown ratio.  The truth is, if you threw all the above into a heap in your backyard, it would eventually rot down, no matter what you did and you'd have compost.  But we are actively working to increase the fertility of our gardens, so we want compost and we want it NOW.  What ever you can do to speed up the process, do it.  Turning the compost helps speed it up, so turn it over with a fork about once a week.

If you build your heap well, you'll feel it heat up and sometimes you'll see steam coming off it.  If the heap doesn't heat up, add more manure and mix it in.  But even if it doesn't heat up, if you're in a warm climate and you turn it regularly, you'll have compost in about eight weeks.  It will take longer in cold climates.  But  use your gardener's common sense and help it along however you can.  Protection up against a brick wall, covering the heap and adding manure will help heat up the heap even in cold climates.

Eventually, all the pieces of paper, hair, manure and kitchen waste will evolve into beautiful dark brown, sweet smelling compost. Planting your seeds and seedlings into soil enriched with compost will give them the best chance of survival, but compost making is an ongoing garden task.  If you can make a lot of it in summer, and you live in a snowy climate, store it in your shed over winter for the coming season.  If you're in a milder climate, it's fine to just having it sitting in the garden waiting to be used.  Making compost might seem like a chore in the beginning, but it will become second nature to you, and when that happens, you'll reduce the amount of  household waste you give to other people to dispose of for you and you'll have a continuous supply of the best soil conditioner and fertilizer.