Household items and materials serve double-duty in the garden

How can you use stale soda pop, old metal hangers and cuticle scissors in your garden?

And, why are baby powder, dirty aquarium water and Styrofoam packing peanuts actually valuable items for gardeners?

Very common, everyday materials that most of us have around the house and may be routinely throwing away can be recycled for use in our gardens, flowerbeds and container growing. Many money-saving, time-saving and convenient solutions to help us with our garden problems are available using household items you already have in your home. So, now that the flowers are planted and the vegetables are growing, make up your own remedies for fighting the weeds and garden pests, and keeping your plants healthy and beautiful throughout the growing season.

Weed and pest control
Protect bulbs from chewing critters by dusting them with medicated baby powder before planting.

Use chopped-up cucumber to repel roaches from any area where they are a problem.

To repel mosquitoes, peel and puree a cucumber and strain the liquid into an ice cube tray. Freeze the liquid into cubes. Before going outside, rub your face, arms, etc. with a cube and the scent will keep mosquitoes at bay.

Rub a fabric softener sheet over your skin to keep mosquitoes away.

Tuck a clove of garlic into the soil beside your houseplants and many common pests will be repelled.

Hair spray can be used to repel pesky insects. It makes the bug’s wings heavy and sticky and it will fall to the ground where you can swat it.

Keep cats out of your flowers by scattering lemon peels around the bed. Cats do not like the smell of citrus.

Mothballs scattered around your gardens will keep rodents and cats away.

Keep leaf-chewing pests from bothering your plants by sprinkling the plants with all-purpose flour. The flour gums up their mouth parts and interferes with their digestion. Spray plants off after 2 days.

To repel snails, caterpillars, and other garden pests, try a mixture of three garlic heads and 6 tablespoons of mineral oil. Blend these together and let sit unrefrigerated for two days. Then add 1 pint of hot water and 1 tablespoon of oil-based soap. Refrigerate this until ready to use. Then combine 2 tablespoons of the mixture with four pints of water and spray on and around infested plants.

Plant care
Sprinkle tea leaves under rose bushes to give them a growing boost in mid-summer. Roses love the tannic acid in the tea.

Nourish acid-loving plants like azaleas and rhododendrons by watering them occasionally with a mix of 2 tablespoons of vinegar to 1 quart of water.

To prevent “damping off” disease from killing your seedlings, water them with chamomile tea solution. Steep 3 teaspoons of dried chamomile in 6 cups of water. Let it cool and water the seedlings with the tea two or three times until all signs of the disease are gone.

To make it easier for seeds to sprout after planting, water the seeded area with a solution of 1 teaspoon baby shampoo to a quart of water. This mix will keep the soil soft and moist so that the seedlings can break through easily.

Start geranium cuttings with potatoes. Bore a hole in a small potato and slip the geranium stem inside. Then plant the potato and get the cuttings off to a good, healthy start.

To keep geraniums alive through the winter, in the fall dig the plants and shake off most of the soil. Put each plant in a paper lunch bag and make a cover by opening another bag and placing it over the top of the first one. Store them in the basement or a cool, dry place. In the spring, cut off the top and replant.

Get a jump-start on your tomato harvest next year. Start a few plants early in five-gallon buckets. Set them outside when the weather is warm and bring them in at night if the temperature falls below 40. You should have a tomato harvest by the 4th of July.

Container plants
Club soda that has gone flat can be used to feed and water houseplants. Use it from time to time to perk up the plants.

Styrofoam packing peanuts can be used to fill the bottom of containers before adding the soil and the plants. They provide excellent drainage and are lightweight to make it easier to move the containers once they are planted.

Use dirty aquarium water to water your houseplants. Fish waste is an excellent natural plant food.

Need to keep houseplants watered while you are away on vacation? Set the pots in a shallow pan. Water the plants well before leaving and fill the pan with water. They will stay moist while you are gone.

Keep cut flowers fresh by cutting off one inch from the bottom of each stem and adding regular 7 Up to the vase water. Change the water each day and add more 7 Up.

Keep cut flowers fresh longer by adding a copper penny and one cube of sugar to the vase water.

Garden chores
Hang on to that old garden hose that has sprung a leak or two. Use an awl or a screwdriver to punch a few more larger holes and then use it as a soaker hose for your garden or flower beds.

Use wire coat hangers to stake tall growing plants such as gladiolas. Straighten the hanger and form a loop at one end. Insert the straight end into the ground and the loop around the stem of the plant.

Use twist ties to anchor the stems of tall plants to stakes or trellises. Fasten loosely so the twist does not cut into the stem as the plant grows.

Need to move a shrub or small tree to a new location? Use a snow shovel as a sled to transport it to its new location.

Gently cover newly planted seeds without dislodging them by using a paintbrush to sweep the soil evenly over them.

Use gallon-size plastic juice jugs as watering containers. Fill a clean jug with water, poke a small hole in the bottom and place it beside garden plants needing irrigation. Loosen the lid to release the pressure in the jug when it is in place and the water will seep out slowly into the soil.

Thin seedlings with cuticle scissors. Snip off the excess seedlings at the soil level and it will leave the wanted seedlings undisturbed.

Clean old clay pots that are green with algae by scrubbing them with a mixture of sand and water. This will remove the algae and dried-on dirt without harming the clay surface of the pot.

To find more gardening tips try www.organicgardening.com or www.plantea.com/moretips.htm.

If you have garden questions or tips for other gardeners, send them in to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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