It’s early summer and I can hardly believe how full and lush my garden beds are looking. Even though we did a lot of complaining about all the early Spring rains this year, I think the proof is in the pudding. It’s made a big difference. And I couldn’t be happier. So in that vein, I thought I’d share a few easy home gardening tricks to make this digging in the soil and making things grow an even more enjoyable endeavor.
Easy Home Gardening Trick #1: Coffee Filters. They’re Not Just For Cappuccino
First up – coffee filters. Coffee filters (or used dryer sheets) are the perfect thing to cover the drain holes in your outdoor pots before you fill them with soil. The filters will allow the water to flow through the drainage hole, but they will keep all the soil in place and off your deck, patio or front steps. Dryer sheets are an easy home gardening trick that pays lots of no-mess benefits.
Insider Tip: Thrift and consignment stores, like Consignments Ltd., are a great resources for all kinds of planters and cache pots at a fraction of the cost.
And Speaking of Coffee -Saves Those Grounds -It’s Easy Home Gardening Trick #2
I LOVE my morning coffee. It’s one of the reasons I retained some of my sanity for the last 61 years. Coffee grounds used to just get pitched at my house and then Bruce re-introduced me to using them in the garden (my grandpa, Joe used to do this ages ago). Coffee grounds are great for the garden in so many ways. You can use grounds in your compost, fertilizer, or mulch. You can also sprinkle them around your plants and your garden edge (this is how we use them). Grounds will enrich the soil (and thereby the plant) and will also keep away cats and garden pests like snails and slugs.
Re-Use Starting Pots. It’s an Easy Home Gardening Trick Worth Copying
When you go to the garden center and buy all those annuals, a lot of times they come in starter pots like the ones shown above. Often we end up throwing these out or recycling them once they’re emptied. But thanks to an idea from my dear friend, Katie, I am no longer doing this, and maybe you won’t be either? Try crunching these babies up into the bottom of your containers. It’s a great way to provide drainage space for your plants and at the same time save on potting soil. LOVE IT! By-the-way: Plastic water bottles will work in this way too and when the season’s over, you can always recycle them.
Easy, Make-It-Yourself, Plant Markers – You’ll Thank Me Next Spring
I live in a condo. I love it for a lot of reasons. One thing I’m not so found of, however, is that someone other than me does the spring clean-up in my garden beds. A few years ago these well-meaning guys came in and accidently “weeded out” half of my perennials. Bruce and I were devastated. These plants represented a whole year of devoted gardening and and they were just gone. The gardeners didn’t know that these emerging plants were not weeds (even though many of them did have the little plastic markers that came with them from the nursery).
The landscaper did replace them and after that I took my own advice and created OBVIOUS plant markers for each and every plant. You can make them out of paint stirrer sticks, Popsicle sticks or clothespins. Pinterest is full of cute ideas, if you’re into it try it at (link: DIY Plant Markers). The one I’ve tried and would NOT recommend is the one using old wine corks. I am all about the consumption of wine, so don’t get me wrong. It’s the cork material that doesn’t overwinter well when it comes to the labeling. Wooden options are way better for this.
For other outdoor topics you might like, check out my previous blogs: 10 Easy Curb Appeal Ideas and How To Hide Problems on Your Home’s Exterior: Use Camouflage.
And Now For A Little Music Before We Go…
I hope you have a lovely day, my friends. Marianne
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