I love to make things with my hands. This section includes building, DIY, upcycling, and craft projects for your garden. It also covers using materials gleaned from the garden or the natural world at large.
Turn your plastic bottles into miniature greenhouses. The cloche or bell jar is a miniature greenhouse contraption designed to protect seedlings from cold, bleak, or windy weather in order to hasten their maturity. Traditionally, it is a dome made of glass that can be completely sealed (such as the bell jar) or have a small …
In this part of the world (southern Ontario) it isn’t uncommon for people to begin craving springtime as early as February. People reach out to brighter days and warmer weather anyway they can. One of the easiest ways to satisfy this need is to purchase forced bulb plants such as crocuses, tulips, narcissus and hyacinths. …
It used to be lush, vibrant red and in full bloom. It arrived wrapped in a lovely foil wrapper. But now the few leaves left are about to succumb to gravity, and more leaves are falling off. What can you do to restore it to it’s original goodness? Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) Member of the spurge …
If you happen to have a pineapple on hand to eat, (and they are abundant and cheap during the late spring and summer months), then why not take a few minutes and grow your own pineapple plant from the discarded top? It seems nearly mythological that anyone can grow a tropical fruit such as pineapple …
Guest post by Beate Schwirtlich Want to turf your lawn and put in a garden instead? It’s easy. Fall is the perfect time to create a new garden, but summer is the time to get started. You may already know what you’d like your garden to grow. But if you’re planning on changing a lawn …
The last time I forgot to water my outdoor potted plants and discovered them completely wilted and hanging on the cusp of near death, I decided it was time to take action. Some of the plants on my deck receive a full, searing sun all day long during the hottest mid summer days. While these …
Guest post by Claire Pfeiffer Cats are so lucky. It takes just a sniff of catnip to get them feeling wonderful, whereas we humans must rely on more invasive and costly contraband materials to receive the same effects. And catnip is so cheap; if I gave my cats an allowance, they’d become total dope addicts. …
Why use rain barrels? Water that comes to city dwellers in the form of rain is hurried—into storm sewer systems and away by asphalt, concrete, or the roof of your apartment, surfaces that don’t absorb water. Sewer systems in many cities combine household sewage with storm water in the same pipes. Because of population growth …
Guest post by Claire Pfeiffer Yes! A worm can be your friend, especially when it consumes your vegetable waste and turns it into yummy rich soil. Never mind that this wonderful black earth is actually worm poo, it can enrich your plants’ lives immeasurably, and keep them happy, not to mention your garden, too. Wouldn’t …