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NEWSPAPERS

I stopped my newspaper delivery years ago, opting for the ease of other sources, but I still get a number of "free" deliveries (mail carrier, solicitors, etc.) that I'm unable to cancel. Fortunately, the amount isn't large and I have lots of great ways to reuse it here at home.

1. Shred and add to the compost bin

2. Use to smoother grass to make new garden beds

3. Use as a layer in your "Lasagna" garden (great book by Pat Lanza)

Shredded mixed paper in a new 

raised bed (blog 03-25-11)

4.  Use damp sheets to cover the worms in your bin

5. Make seed tapes

Seed tapes (blog 05-03-11)

Fun project for kids

6. Make "logs" for the fireplace.  Soak tightly rolled newspapers in water, allow to dry thoroughly 

    before burning.

7. Clean windows and mirrors

8. Wrap gifts

9. Use as packaging material when mailing items or storing holiday ornaments

10. Use at the bottom of your fruit and veggie drawer to absorb moisture and odors

11. Fruit ripening. Wrap pears and avocados in paper and store in a dark cupboard to ripen

12. Paper mache' craft projects 

13. Donate to animal shelters, schools, scouting troops and other groups

14. Craft projects (check out "Pinterest" for everything from baskets to wall art)

14. Dry wet shoes by stuffing them with crumpled newspaper

15. Use as a makeshift ironing board

16. Use crumbled wet newspapers to pick up the tiny pieces of broken glass after sweeping up the 

      big pieces

17. Unscrew a broken lightbulb.

18. Use tightly rolled up wet newspapers (wrap with a rubber band) to catch earwigs in the garden

19. Leave some newspapers in the trunk of your car for cleaning windows, providing traction in the snow, and laying in your trunk when shopping for plants and to protect your car from other messy containers

20. Start melon, cucumber and squash seeds in strawberry cages lined with newspapers.  Plant the seedlings, cage and all.  The paper will decompose and the roots will grow through the open spaces without being disturbed during the transplant.

Strawberry cage seed planting (03-24-11 Blog)

Sowing squash seeds

If all else fails, adds to your recycling bin.  It might be something great in it's next life!

Be well, be sustainable and happy gardening!!

Chopped Citrus Keeps Cats Away

We had a bumper crop of citrus this year.  Our 14 dwarf trees gave us about 26 dozen limes, oranges and grapefruit and we've been busy eating (and drinking) the fruits of our labors.
While most of my kitchen scraps end up in the compost bins I'm always open to other "green" ideas for getting rid of every day waste.
On a daily basis one of my biggest pest problems is the neighborhood cats who view my raised beds as their personal litter box.  Of course this leaves me worrying about the safety of the food I feed my family, especially the produce that doesn't get cooked like lettuce, radishes etc. I have an aresenal of weapons to deter the cats from using my beds including some plastic chicken wire that a neighbor was throwing out.

                                                     
                                                     
                                                            and thorny rose branches

It's a constant fight to make my beds as uncomfortable as possible and nothing gives 100% protection.
One method that has provided some help is chopped citrus rinds. The theory seems to be that the cats don't like the smell.
When I have a pile of rinds on my hands this is a quick way of disposing of them while sending the neighborhood kitties on to other pastures.

              I cut the rinds into fourths and give everything a few quick pulses in the food processor.

 
                             I sprinkle the course rinds around and between the garden plants. 

While the citrus rinds were fresh they gave the most protection and for over a week I didn't have any kitty problems.  The rinds were less effective as they dried out but no matter, the dried rinds decompose quickly and it's a quick and it's an easy job to chop and spread more,  Fresh juice (Mimosa's) anyone?
Be well and happy gardening!

Outsmarting Outdoor Pets

One of my favorite neighbors, Lea, has wonderful "trash".  The bright orange fencing that she left at the curb became a compost bin in my 05/26/11 post.

Recently that same fencing helped us deal with some problems from our new dog and the neighborhood stray's.
My husband spent hours cleaning out a tiered area in our back yard.  I had lots of new growing room and plans for a big row of leafy greens.  I amended the soil and planted the seeds but what I viewed as an edible garden the cats saw as a litter box.   It was a disgusting sight and I had to come up with something fast. 

I layed out the orange fencing, running it the entire length of the tier.

The fencing overhung the edge of the tier so I cut it down about a foot.

I anchored the fencing in place using the posts of solar lights.  I scattered lettuce, chard and arugula seeds throughout the fencing, covering the seeds with sifted compost and vermiculite.

The bed hasn't been disturbed and the seeds are sprouting between the plastic fencing.  Looks like I will be thinning out in no time.
Our new puppy loves digging in the pots.  Something about the soil seems too enticing to resist.  My husband, worried about the plants (and the dogs well being) made it his job to figure out a way to out smart her. Using the leftover fencing from my kitty control project, he fashioned a grid to cover the top of the soil.

He cut the fencing in half circles, using some pieces of metal to anchor the fencing in place. 

I added a solar light as an additional anchor as well as providing a bit of light and a touch of ambiance.  In the two weeks since we put the fencing down we haven't had any puppy problems and that has us all breathing a bit easier.
Be well and happy frugal gardening!

Prickly prunnings deter pesky pests

Pest damage is an inevitable part of gardening. We all know that. Yet, who hasn't looked with shock and disbelief at the tattered remains of a seedling, or worse yet, a row of seedlings.
I've had a long running battle with a number of pests and I employ an arsonal of weapons to defend my plants from them.
In my garden, keeping things organic, sustainable and cheap is of the upmost importance, and this pest control method incorporates all of these concepts.
The plan here is to make your garden as inhospitable as possible using the stems and branches of prickly plants. 
The boysenberries that are growing in my yard are a thornless variety, but each season a few plants revert back to their prickly past.   

The boysenberries and Jasmine have taken over this fence. 

This is boysenberry season and the fruit is delicious.

The thorny canes are prunned down to ground level.  This work is best done with long sleeved gloves made for prunning roses.  Don't forget to use an old shower curtain to catch the clippings and make clean-up a breeze.

The leaves are cut off, and the stems are gently pressed into the ground around young seedlings, or anywhere I've seen evidence of slug and snail damage.

The vines have lots of thorns, large and small, and the slugs and snails seem reluctant to cross them, thus saving my plants from becoming their breakfast.

I hated when the neighborhood cats used my vegetable garden as a litter box.  I worried about the safety of my food crops since cat feces can lead to parasites in humans.  I've used a lot of methods to prevent this from happening, including using rose canes and lemon tree suckers (shoots that grow beneath the soil surface or graft union) to make my garden bed as uncomfortable as possible.

Clip off the flowers to enjoy indoors.

Use caution.  Rose thorns hurt!

Lay the stems in area's you don't want distrubed

Tomato and Peppers being protected.

Suckers from below the graft on the lemon tree.  The thorns are huge. 

These shoots, pressed  into the soil around my veggies, keep cats from choosing this spot for their bathroom breaks and, hopefully sends them to other, less painful  pastures.
Be well and happy gardening