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GARDEN-HOUSE TIPS FOR YOUR EVERYDAY LIVING
This page is going to be all about garden-house tips. It will have many little known things that can make your life easier around the house. I anticipate constantly updating with interesting tidbits concerning garden-house tips. However I also invite your participation by adding items to this page. You will find a location further down the page which requests your contibution to tips. I know in my travels around the internet I always find little things that really would not make a whole page but combined with other tips both garden and house can provide some unique information. So don't be bashful contribute and see your name in print on the garden-house tips page. HOW MANY OF THESE GARDEN-HOUSE TIPS DID YOU KNOW ABOUT?A sealed envelope - Put in the freezer for a few hours, then slide aknife under the flap. The envelope can then be resealed.. (hmmmmmm..)
IN GARDEN-HOUSE TIPS THINGS PEOPLE REALLY WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THEIR GARDEN
Here is an a quick tip for those of you that are parsley lovers. I know in the Northeast and other areas of the country and the world,what is the prognosis for the winterizing of parsley? You may or may not know that parsley is a biennal and when it starts its growth in the spring flower stalks will make an appearance and the leaves will become bitter. It will winter over if the roots are not subjected to freezing but it will only be useful for seeds. How will Mulch impact its staying power? With or without mulch it more than likely will be useful through at least December. A word of advice here is not to touch the leaves when they are frozen as they will go limp. It is better to allow thawing in the sunny midday or better still in the warmth of your kitchen. It is much better to plant fresh parsley in the spring as it grows rather rapidly. If you have the advantage of a greenhouse,that is a whole different story!
TRANSPLANTING VINE PLANTS AS A BARE ROOTHere is what one of our readers has to say about vine crops. I stated that vine crops could not successfully be transplanted as a bare root plant. He has a formula that works for him. It is always good to have varying opinions on how things are done. I would like to see more of these kind of submissions. I also wanted to say, on your cucumber page you say the following: "This is a vine crop and like other vine crops you cannot transplant them with any success as a bare root plant." This isn't entirely correct. You can plant vine crops bare rooted with success as a transplant. I did this with my pea and cucumber plant varieties. You have to make sure that the soil is well mended, soft and well composted. You also have to make sure when you are transplanting, to make a hole long enough toaccomodate the roots so you don't crush them. I've also transplanted from straight soil to soil outside to move them to new locations with my cucumbers and they're all thriving. My cukes and peas took off like there was no tomorrow and after about a month after planting, I'm enjoying a full harvest. I started indoors in March and planted them first part of May.When I plant all my bare root vine transplants, I lightly water around them to greatly reduce the chances of shock stress even more. Thanks Dan
BE AN INFORMED PLANT SHOPPERShopping for good plants should be the same as shopping for clothes. You look for quality plants especially in annuals. They should be dense and have an even green appearance. Never purchase any shrubs or trees with branches that are dead or some how have been damage in transport. The nursery should have provided clear definiton of each plant including both the botanical and common names for the plants that interest you. The other information should include the plant's tolerance for both sun and shade,its needs as far as soil and the anticipated size that the plant,shrub or tree will reach at maturity. You should inquire as to the guarantees that comes with any purchase. A one year guarantee will protect against any survival through the first winter with a replacement if the plant does croak in the first winter. I would also pay attention to the varieties of plants and those with generic names,without a variety name, it may not grow with the same characteristics as a specifically labeled variety. Well informed sales personnel should be available to assist the purchase. You,as the gardener, should have also done some homework so that intelligent questions can be asked in order to get the correct answers. If you follow these simple rules,you should have a better shopping experience for the plants you want to purchase plants. Ok,as I promised, below is your opportunity to add your own garden-house tips. It will be fun for everyone to read and ponder what the gardeners of the world have to contibute to garden-house tips. With Garden-House Tips Many Uses For CucumbersThere are so many uses for cucumbers that we have discovered a list of 12 uses. I'll bet that you the readers know even more uses. If you do tell, us about it in the box provided below. See your cucumber tips in print and on line. 
TYPE: It is just amazing that a cucumber,a singular cucumber at that,contains many of the vitamins that your body requires everyday. Just read the list:
This is a very interesting approach to container gardening submitted by one of our newsletter readers. It brings a whole new vantage point to container gardening. I want to thank the reader for the submission and we need more readers to do the same. Container gardening with Banana BoxesThis is a modified version of container gardening in that you use biodegradable cardboard boxes instead of a solid plastic container to do your container gardening. Empty banana boxes come with both a top and a bottom section and have an opening in the middle of each. They can be used inside one another to create a double walled box or separately as individual boxes. Banana boxes can be obtained free at Walmart and Payless from the produce section just for the asking. Ask any of the clerks stocking the shelves with fresh produce if you can have a couple. They are happy to oblige and will bring you as many boxes as you can load in your grocery cart. The boxes are ideal for a small kitchen garden at the back door of every home. Such a garden can introduce the family kids as to where their food comes from as well as recycling the household waste organic material. be growing under the box. Give it a good soaking of water. Next add 2 or 3 inches of peat moss on top of the moistened paper bottom. On top of this, add a layer of organic matter such as kitchen waste, banana peels, coffee grounds, green grass or manure of any kind. This will supply the nitrogen, microelements and bacteria necessary for the organic material to start the decaying process. Keep everything moist so it starts decomposing as soon as possible. Earthworms will soon congregate under the decaying cardboard, which will help to enrich the soil. Next fill the box with a carbon material such as dried leaves, straw or old hay and again wet every thing down; now tamp it down good and cover with compost. If compost isn't available, use a good potting mixture available at any nursery store. There is a difference in potting soil and potting mix sold in stores. Potting mix is preferable as it is composed of micro chemicals that plants need, as well as peat moss and vermiculite in the right proportions. Don't use soil of any kind you dig in your yard as it has too much clay that packs down and limits the oxygen that plant roots require. This soil also harbors disease pathogens and weed seeds that linger in the earth. You should be able to poke your index finger all the way down in the light, fluffy soil to the knuckle. Your box is now ready to plant. An easier way to fill the box (although more expensive but more satisfactory)is to purchase a bag of container potting mix, such as Pro-mix from for each box. This soil mixture has the correct proportion of peat moss,vermiculite and compost to grow anything. However when growing tomatoes, it is best to add a cupful or two of ground limestone to counteract the acidity of the peat moss. This will prevent blossom end rot.Two tomato plants can be planted in each box. Other boxes can be planted with whatever vegetables or flowers you would like to plant. Scatter carrot seeds in one box. In another disperse lettuce seeds and in another, pepper and egg plants. To grow potatoes, set a banana box in a cleared area and place a sprouting potato on the soil surface in the center of the box and don't bury it. Fill the box with loose straw covering the sprouts. The potatoes will send up green shoots through the damp straw and roots will grow into the soil below. You keep adding more straw as it packs down and the sprouts grow taller. After the potato vines turn brown in the fall, the potatoes are ready to harvest. Just lift the box and the new potatoes will be lying on the soil surface. No need to do any digging,When the cardboard boxes are kept moist over a period of time, I have noted that the long side has a tendency to bulge out as the inside compost settles. To remedy this, wrap the boxes with several layers of clear strapping tape covering the ventilation and hand holes in the boxes.In the fall, after the banana boxes have fulfilled their mission, the decayed remains can be scraped up and added to the compost pile for use in next year?s garden. Vegetables can be grown with this system on an outdoor deck or concrete patio provided it is exposed to all day sun. Keep experimenting to find the best way to fulfill your own personal gardening conditions. That is the only way to learn!
Place the box or boxes in a permanent location in the garden. They can't be moved after filling. The site should have 6 or 8 hours of direct sunshine available sometime during the day. Cover the bottom of the box with a half dozen layers of newspaper or pieces of cardboard, anything biodegradable. This will smother the grass or weeds that might be growing under the box. Give it a good soaking of water. Next add 2 or 3 inches of peat moss on top of the moistened paper bottom. On top of this, add a layer of organic matter such as kitchen waste, banana peels, coffee grounds, green grass or manure of any kind. This will supply the nitrogen, microelements and bacteria necessary for the organic material to start the decaying process. Keep everything moist so it starts decomposing as soon as possible. Earthworms will soon congregate under the decaying cardboard, which will help to enrich the soil. Next fill the box with a carbon material such as dried leaves, straw or old hay and again wet every thing down; now tamp it down good and cover with compost. If compost isn't available, use a good potting mixture available at any nursery store. There is a difference in potting soil and potting mix sold in stores. Potting mix is preferable as it is composed of micro chemicals that plants need, as well as peat moss and vermiculite in the right proportions. Don't use soil of any kind you dig in your yard as it has too much clay that packs down and limits the oxygen that plant roots require. This soil also harbors disease pathogens and weed seeds that linger in the earth. You should be able to poke your index finger all the way down in the light, fluffy soil to the knuckle. Your box is now ready to plant. An easier way to fill the box (although more expensive but more satisfactory)is to purchase a bag of container potting mix, such as Pro-mix from for each box. This soil mixture has the correct proportion of peat moss,vermiculite and compost to grow anything. However when growing tomatoes, it is best to add a cupful or two of ground limestone to counteract the acidity of the peat moss. This will prevent blossom end rot.Two tomato plants can be planted in each box. Other boxes can be planted with whatever vegetables or flowers you would like to plant. Scatter carrot seeds in one box. In another disperse lettuce seeds and in another, pepper and egg plants. To grow potatoes, set a banana box in a cleared area and place a sprouting potato on the soil surface in the center of the box and don't bury it. Fill the box with loose straw covering the sprouts. The potatoes will send up green shoots through the damp straw and roots will grow into the soil below. You keep adding more straw as it packs down and the sprouts grow taller. After the potato vines turn brown in the fall, the potatoes are ready to harvest. Just lift the box and the new potatoes will be lying on the soil surface. No need to do any digging,When the cardboard boxes are kept moist over a period of time, I have noted that the long side has a tendency to bulge out as the inside compost settles. To remedy this, wrap the boxes with several layers of clear strapping tape covering the ventilation and hand holes in the boxes.In the fall, after the banana boxes have fulfilled their mission, the decayed remains can be scraped up and added to the compost pile for use in next year?s garden. Vegetables can be grown with this system on an outdoor deck or concrete patio provided it is exposed to all day sun. Keep experimenting to find the best way to fulfill your own personal gardening conditions. That is the only way to learn!
Have A Great Story About This Topic?Do you have a great story about this? Share it! Tell us about tips you have been using around your garden and house. It maybe things you just read about that really sound useful for not only you but others as well.
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