|
|
Home 
Better Living
Gardening
Tips & Tricks
Tips & Tricks
If you have a gardening tip please share
it with the rest of us!
Added 7/29/01:
I just found a new hose nozzle (at Lowes)
that switches on and off with a trigger-type button. Sure beats having to
continuously squeeze my old one. It's so much easier on my hands! -Fay
I have a kid's size shovel with a curved,
easy grip handle. Because it is short, it makes a great cane when in the
garden! -Tina
A five gallon bucket, turned upside down
makes a great garden stool when it is easier to sit than to kneel. -Tina
I have a little cart (it's built for kids)
that I load up and then push around with me. I have my other half around so
I can yell at him to bring me things.-Lucian
I use lots of raised beds with wide boards around the edges so you can sit
on'em. Make'em the height that you need/want. Buy/purchase plants, don't
grow them from seed. Purchase tools with cushioned handles or add'em to
favorite tools...by using soft squishy bike handles. When growing flowers,
plant lots of perennials so they will come back year after year. Or plant
lots of bulbs....there are varieties that will bloom from early spring all
thru the hot summer. (Some bulbs will multiply year after year) Use lots of
mulch to help eliminate weeds, less weeding. Or put layers of newspapers
down in between rows. Plant in containers on the deck or porch....You won't
have to walk as far.... cucumbers, tomatoes, and even salad stuff can be
grown easily in containers. You can even use those large (empty) white
plastic pails/ or empty icing buckets from the bakery/deli of the local
grocery store. (If you ask, they'll save'em for you) Use a trellis for
climbing vegetables.....cucumbers, peas, squash, even green beans can be
trained to run up the trellis. Makes them easier to pick. And they can
provide shade for your deck or porch besides. Plant/group together, anything
that would go into spaghetti sauce...onions, basil, tomatoes, peppers and so
on. Herbs are easily grown in containers too. -Barbtoo
Use raised flower beds. Instead of sitting on the ground or on your knee sit
on a stole or children's bench. And use drip watering. and if you find it hard
to walk on the bare dirt use stepping stone. -Sherry
Get my son to dig up everything while sitting back with a cold drink petting
the cat & dog.-Elizabeth
The use of mulch saves me *a lot* of work. For my potatoes I just hoe a
shallow trench, place my cut up seed potatoes in it and cover it with a
thick layer of hay or leaves. I've grown potatoes this way for several
years. My yield is a little less, but to harvest I just move the mulch and
pick up my potatoes. I don't have to weed them all season.
My green beans are not mulched, because the mexican bean beetles hide in the
mulch. The mulch also saves me from watering so much if the summer is dry
and hot.
I put things in a little at a time. For many plants, planting a little late
(here in WI) doesn't hurt at all.
I also like to grow vining crops, especially peas and beans because it saves
me from bending down so much.-Heidi
I like those small tools designed for floral gardens, the ones that look kid
sized. They are lighter than the full-sized ones, and also it is not so hard
to turn a shovel-full of dirt over as the size of the scoop is smaller and
therefore lighter. I also use the hand-tools that have shock-foam on the
handles exclusively now. A big pair of loppers has replaced my hand pruners
as a favorite tool. The main tip is get some help with the hardest work like
tilling and weeding, so you can do more of the fun stuff like planting and
watching it grow. -Liz G
One of my best tips is to enlist the help of a loved one or a friend. My
gardening "angels" this year have been my 12 year old daughter and
my Mother-in-law. My daughter worked in the soil amendments and then dug
the holes for the bulbs and plants. She is so happy to have something
"active" in common with me again. My Mother-in-law is a Master
gardener and she showed me how to get on a schedule for weeding and watering
and pruning so that I won't be overwhelmed, and I won't over-work my hands.
She has also taught me how to look up plants in gardening books so that I
can choose ones that are low maintenance. This has helped alot!!-Barbara
I have a very wicked looking tool for digging. It is shaped like a crooked V
and is very slender. As a result it goes into the earth much easier than a
traditional trowel.-Ann
My tip is that finding the right garden gloves makes a big difference. My
favorite are Wells Lamont because the palm and finger surface is made of
something that really grips when trying to pick up and pull up things. Also
your hands don't perspire like they do in some gloves.-Gwennie
I put straw around my plants so I don't have as many weeds. It's good as
compost the next year. If someone offers to help, let them. If they don't
offer, ask them.-Diane
Tips from Dorothy:
When I want to a seed a bed or row, I first make the row with a light weight hoe; or, in the case of holes, I convert a long broomstick handle into a dibble by sharpening one end to a point and punch the holes in the soil.
I then take a light weight piece of pvc pipe, just long enough to come about 3 inches above my waist. I place the pipe end in the row or hole and drop seeds through it as I drag the pipe along. The seeds fall right where they should grow, and the wind doesn't scatter them. Best of all i am not bending or kneeling or trying to creep along the soil.
Then I cover the seeds with soil using a long handled tool, and gently tamp the covered seeds to insure contact with the soil and water them in.
I add a medium size plastic funnel (be sure to use plastic) to another piece of pvc pipe by drilling a hole in each and tying them together by a cord or piece of string about 8-10 inches long. Next, I side-dress the plants with fertilizer dropped through the funnel which is inserted into the pvc. Again no waste or blown away fertilizer, and it goes exactly where I want it. And no fertilizer burns on leaves of plants! Also use the funnel/pipe for liquid plant food or manure tea (recipe follows).
I take care to keep the pipes clean and very dry to avoid clogging. Usually a flush with the hose after use is sufficient to maintain the planter's pipes. I let them dry completely after each cleaning.
Manure tea: mix 6 to 8 cups of a composted manure of your choice with 5 gallons of water. Stir and let them "brew" overnight. The manure usually settles to the bottom of pail...do not stir this ... Take the tea from the top of the mix and pour through the funnel which is placed near the plant, but not against it. Water well when all plants have been fertilized.
Tips from Amy
Wright, PT:
(1) I try to alternate between different
positions and activities at least
every 30 minutes. For example, I may kneel or bend to weed for thirty
minutes , then stop and water for 30 min., then go back to kneeling or
bending. I try not to stay in a strenuous position for a prolonged period
of time. In the past I would do all the weeding, then all the watering, the
all the planting. I've found concentrating on one small area, and moving
between tasks, is less tiring.
(2) Always use good body mechanics when
bending, lifting, and reaching. This includes proper wrist position when
using tools. Built up handles help to cushion arthritic hands and fingers,
but for a painful wrist, the tools with the modified handle will reduce
wrist strain.
(3) Instead of carrying around a large
container of water, I place it in a central location, and then use smaller
cups to carry water to individual potted plants. Soaker hoses work great for
watering in the yard.
|
|
