Turn Your Garden Tools into Measuring Sticks

I always need a tape measure when working in the garden, so I can plant things the right distance apart. I don’t always have the tape measure on me, so I’m constantly going back and forth to find it.

 

Well, I came across a cool way to end that problem. I turned all my long handled garden tools into measuring sticks. To do this, just grab your tape measure and a permanent marker and mark out the inches and feet down the handle with the marker.

 

It is that simple. Now you won’t have to go looking for a tape measure when you want to space your plants, you will always have a measuring stick on hand.

How to Keep your Weed Trimmer Line from Breaking or Jamming

I can go through a lot of weed trimmer line. It is constantly breaking your getting jammed. I found a simple solution to keep your weed eater’s line from breaking and jamming all the time.

 

Before installing your trimmer line, add a little bit of vegetable oil too it. I know it sounds weird, but it works. You won’t have the constant jams and line breakage.

How to Keep Dirt from Under Your Fingernails

Don’t you hate it when you work in the garden and underneath your fingernails gets coated with dirt. It can be tough to get all that dirt out once your done. It usually takes a lot of scrubbing.

 

Well, I came across a cool way to keep the dirt out from under your finger nails, and no it isn't wearing gloves. Simple run your fingernails over the top of a bar of soap before working in the garden. This will seal out the dirt and it won’t be able to collect under your nails. 

Once you are done working in the garden just use a nailbrush to remove the soap and then wash your hands. The underside of your fingernails will be sparkling clean.

How to Remove Salt Deposits from Clay Pots

I hate when my clay pots start forming salt deposits, as they can be really hard to remove. Well I found a simple way in which you can remove them without a ton of work.

 

Get yourself an empty spray bottle. Combine equal parts of white vinegar and rubbing alcohol. Spray this mixture on your clay pots that are forming the salt deposits. Use a scrub brush to loosen the salt deposits. They should start breaking down a lot easier now. If not apply a bit more of the spray solution and scrub again.

 

Once the clay pots are clean allow them to dry before you plant anything in them. That is a simple way of cleaning off those tough salt deposits.

Repairing Snow Mold Damage

The winter months can cause a lot of damage to your grass. One of the main things it can do to a person’s lawn is cause  snow mold. Snow mold can be caused from the snow sitting on the grass for too long during the winter months. Many times if you don’t cut your grass short enough before the winter it will get matted down by the snow and cause the snow mold.

 

Snow mold is a fungal disease that will cause brown circles in your grass. These circle can range in size from really small to around a foot in circumference. There are several different types of snow mold, some which won’t damage your lawn too much, and others will pretty much destroy it.

 

So, what do you do if you have snow mold? The best thing you can do is to rake up these brown spots really well and plant grass seed throughout the damaged area. Just loosen up the soil a bit with your rake and sprinkle in some grass seed that grows well in your area. Your local nursery should be able to tell you which grass seed is best for your area and the amount of sun and traffic it gets. The bag of grass seed will tell you how much to apply. It is usually around 5lbs for every 1000 square feet. 

Now you want to get the seed in good contact with the soil. If you have a roller, that would work best, however if you don’t just rake the area a bit to get that soil, seed contact. Now just top dress the area with some straw or fertilized mulch you can find at your garden center, and water frequently.

 

There are different fungicides that are made to treat snow molds, some work, and some don’t. Your best bet is to just repair the area by adding new grass seed.

What is Soil pH?

What soil pH refers to is the acidity level of your garden soil. If you have a rating below 7 that means that your garden soil is acidic. If the pH is 6 to 7 it means it is slightly acidic. This is the most fertile pH range for your soil. If your soil pH is above 7 it means that the soil is alkaline. It it goes above 8 it is basically infertile soil.

If you have garden soil that is either too acidic or to alkaline they can be treated to make them better for growing. So, how do you know what the pH of your garden soil is? You get a soil test. These test will tell you the nutrient levels of your soil, the amount of organic matter and the pH.

Get a Soil Test

Before you start messing with your garden soil, you will want to get a soil test. Adding in nutrients or other things to your soil can make things worse.

What a soil test will do is tell you the nutrient levels in your garden soil. They will also tell you the organic content and pH of your garden soil, which is really important for your future plantings. To get your soil tested you can contact your local Cooperative Extension Service. You can find them by looking at your local county government listings in your phone book, or look for your county's government website. They will provide you with a soil testing kit which will include all the instructions you need.

Once you get your results you can start to interpret the numbers. If it tells you that your organic matter is under 5 percent you will need to add some more compost to it. They will usually list the nutrient levers in parts per million. Or sometimes they will just rate them as high, medium, and low levels. If your reading come in on the low side for any of the nutrients you will just need to add a fertilizer that adds what it is missing.

Picking Plants for Your Garden

When choosing plants for garden go with those that are adapted for the conditions in your area. Plants will grow with little effort and in difficult conditions if they are native to your area.

Good options are native flowers, trees, and shrubs that you see growing along the countryside. Other options are plants and tree that grow well in conditions similar to where you live.

The first thing you need to do prior to choosing your plants is check out your garden conditions. You will want to have your soil tested. You will also want to check for yourself to see if you soil is light and sandy, heavy clay, or a more black, productive soil. Also be aware of the sun in the area. Check to see if it gets full sun, partial sun, or shade.

Check with nurseries and look in gardening books to see which plants and trees thrive in the conditions like you find in your area. Just doing these few checks will help you pick plants and trees that will grow easily in the conditions in your area.