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Boiled egg water.

Category: Gardening tips. | Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2006 3:19 pm

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Have you ever grown African Violets? Then you know the flower colours can be wonderful don't you? However, do you know how to make those bloom colours almost fluorescent? NO???!!! Well let me tell you a little secret of mine.
To make the flower colours intensify the plant needs extra calcium. Now....... this can be given easily by watering the AF's with the tepid water that you have just boiled those breakfast eggs in!! Enough calcium leaches out of the eggshells to make all the difference to these lovely house plants. Try it and see for yourself!!!

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Shower caps.

Category: Gardening tips. | Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2006 3:12 pm

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When you go on holiday to an hotel how many of you think to take those little 'free' shower caps home with you? Well I do!!! If you take the one away from the bathroom each day the housekeeping staff will always replace it with another. LOL

Here's what you can do with them:

Make propagator tops for large flower pots!!! They are soooo easy to put on and take off because they have elasticated bottoms. They do away with the need for plastic bags and elastic bands completely.

This blog entry has been viewed 737 times

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Soot!!

Category: Gardening tips. | Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2006 3:06 pm

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Yes I did say soot!!!! It has it's uses in the garden too!!!!

Soot and pests.

Many soil pests on the veggie plot or allotment can be deterred by raking soot into the soil surface at sowing time. This seems to work particularly well against carrot fly. If you don't have an open fire yourelf then scrounge some soot from friends, family members or neighbours. It's well worth the effort - really!!


Sooty Watering.

While we are on the subject of soot............... water around the roots of your Sweet Peas with soot water just when they're coming into bud. The results are amazing as the soot intensifies the colours of the SP flowers.





This blog entry has been viewed 821 times

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Removing Fairy Moss from your pond.

Category: Gardening tips. | Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2006 2:50 pm

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If you are wondering just how to get that, really annoying, Fairy Moss from your pond then are a couple of things that I do to help get rid of it.

During the winter months when your pond is frozen you can take a garden hoe from your shed and use it to scrape the moss from the surface of your pond. This is easily done as FM floats on the surface of the water and therefore freezes on the water surface too. Gather it together in a pile and then simply sweep in on to a shovel and dispose of it.
Summer is an entirely different matter though so I've devised a tool that helps remove this troublesome plant.
Get a hold of an old kitchen sieve and bind it onto the end of a long pole, or piece of wood, with waterproof tape. You can then scoop the FM from the surface of your pond and the water drains away, leaving only the plantlets which, again, can be disposed of easily.


This blog entry has been viewed 2635 times

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Best way to cut wet grass.

Category: Gardening tips. | Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2006 2:24 pm

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When you just have to mow the lawn but you find it's damp it can be a nightmare and cleaning the mower afterwards can take longer than the initial task.
To avoid the wet grass sticking just lightly spray the blades and underside of your mower with cooking oil before you begin cutting. Amazingly the wet grass doesn't stick to it (oil and water don't mix you see) but instead it just drops off.

** Be sure to remember to remove the oil with WD-40 before you cut dry grass or the opposite wil happen!!!
Mind you it will be summer by then so it's a good excuse to stay out in all that sunshine for a bit longer!!

This blog entry has been viewed 6051 times

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Mini Cloche.

Category: Gardening tips. | Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2006 2:15 pm

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It's always handy to have a supply of homemade, individual cloches around for those little emergencies like late frosts. To make them, simply save empty, clear plastic juice bottle of various sizes. Wash thoroughly the cut off the bottoms. Place over any tender plants you have and push a little way into the earth. Voila - mini cloches!!!!

* Remember to screw the lid on at night but remove it during the day.

This blog entry has been viewed 1088 times

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Bug free wellies.

Category: Gardening tips. | Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2006 2:07 pm

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I'll lay bets that it's happened to every gardener at some time or another - you pull on your wellies to feel that telltale wriggling and jiggling of the biggest spider known to man that's taken up residence in the toe end of one of them!!!!!
Avoid this nightmare by simply covering your wellies with a pair of tights after taking them of.

** Please ensure that you don't, however, take the brand new, expensive ones that your wife has been saving for that big night out - remember - the one you promised to take her on in 2004!!!!

As you may have gathered by now the gardening tips I'm posting here are not your run-of-the-mill ones!!! I've collected lots of them from gardening friends, neighbours and allotmenteers and some I've invented for myself through trial and error. Others are a bit tongue-in-cheek in parts but as an organic gardener I've, honestly, found them invaluable. I'll leave it up to you to decide for yourselves.
If nothing else they may make you smile and brighten your day!!!


This blog entry has been viewed 775 times

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For males only.

Category: Gardening tips. | Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2006 1:55 pm

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Now boys if you want your compost heap to rot down really quickly and produce some top-notch compost here's a little tip for you.
Collect your own urine in a bottle, pour onto the heap immediatly and mix into the top 6" layer.
It seems that there are chemicals only present in MALE urine that speeds up the breakdown of plant material. Sorry ladies but ours just won't do!!

This blog entry has been viewed 765 times

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Temper!!!

Category: Gardening tips. | Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2006 1:49 pm

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It's never the done thing to prune while in a bad mood!!
Pruning is one of those jobs that you need to feel relaxed, at one with yourself and with the plants around you, to tackle. Let the gentle hand of Mother Nature guide your every cut.
If you're in a strop you'll just end up chopping the lot down along with any bits of yourself that come in contact with the pruning blades.

This blog entry has been viewed 791 times

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Kendal Mint Cake.

Category: Favourite sweet and toffee recipes. | Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2006 9:58 pm

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This is something I make up for my husband and eldest son when they go on long walks. They did the West Highland Way last year and are doing the Caledonian Challenge this year - wouldn't be without their KMcake!! Great way to get that extra boost of energy.

1 lb sugar (can be white or brown)
1/4 pint milk
1/2 to 1 teaspoonful peppermint essence OR a few drops of peppermint oil.

Dissolve the sugar in the milk using a heavy pan over a low heat.
Bring to the boil, stirring constantly, and cook until a little of the mixture dropped into cold water forms a soft ball when rolled between index finger and thumb. (237 degrees F/ 114 degrees C.) Remove from the heat; add the flavourings and stir until thick. Pour on to an oiled, shallow tray and mark into bars. Cut when cold.

This blog entry has been viewed 6607 times

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