AMERICA'S
AMERICA'S MOST POPULAR PAST TIMES. IT CAN BE RELAXING AND
REWARDING, BUT IT CAN
ALSO BE A LOT OF WORK
AND EXPENSE.
SO WHY NOT TAKE
ADVANTAGE OF SOME TIPS
TO MAKE THINGS EASIER?
TODAY ON 'YOU CAN
GROW IT', GARDEN
MASTER JIM DUTHIE
REVISITS A POPULAR
FEATURE WHEN HE
SHARED SOME SIMPLE
AND INEXPENSIVE
GARDEN HACKS THAT
OTHER SMART
GARDENERS HAVE COME
UP WITH, THAT WILL SAVE
YOU BOTH TIME AND
MONEY
NOW THAT SUMMER IS
HERE,
HERE, THE
HERE, THE BUSIEST TIME FOR US HOME GARDENERS IS PRETTY
UCH BEHIND US. WE CAN
SIT BACK A LITTLE AND
ENJOY THE FRUITS OF OUR
LABORS WHILE WE WATCH
OUR GARDENS GROW.
BUT GETTING OUR
GARDENS TO THIS POINT
CAN SOMETIMES BA A BIT
COSTLY FOR SOIL, PLANTS,
SEEDS, TOOLS AND OTHER
THINGS. SO I WANT TO
SHARE A FEW EASY
GARDEN HACKS THAT ARE
SURE TO HSAVE YOU
SOME TIME AND MONEY.
WATERING CANS ARE
GREAT FOR INDOORS OR
ON THE PATIO, BUT WHY
PAY 5, 10, OR EVEN 20
DOLLARS OR MORE FOR A
ONE, WHEN YOU CAN
MAKE YOUR OWN FOR
NOTHING?
SIMPLY TAKE AN EMPTY
DISPOSABLE PLASTIC JUG,
LIKE FROM MILK OR JUICE,
AND POKE HOLES IN THE
LID WITH AN ICE PICK OR
A HOT NEEDLE, AND FILL
THE JUG WITH WATER.
SMALL-SIZED JUGS WORK
WELL FOR INDOOR
PLANTS, WHILE LARGER
ONES ARE BETTER FOR
OUTSIDE. MAKE AS MANY
HOLES AS YOU WANT,
DEPENDING ON HOW
MUCH WATER YOU WANT
TO COME OUT.
PEONY BLOSSOMS ARE
BEAUTIFUL WHEN THEY
START TO OPEN UP, BUT
I'VE FOUND THAT THE
FLOWERS GET SO FULL
AND HEAVY, THAT THE
STEMS CAN'T HOLD THEM
UP ANYMORE, AND THEY
START
START TO
START TO BEND OVER ONTO THE GROUND. BUT I FOUND A SIMPLE
SOLUTION -- I USE
TOMATO
TOMATO CAGES. IT'S BEST TO PUT THE TOMATO CAGE OVER THE
PEONY PLANT WHEN IT
FIRST STARTS SENDING UP
IT'S NEW SHOOTS IN THE
EARLY SPRING. KEEP THE
BRANCHES TUCKED UP IN
THE CAGE, AND SOON THE
LEAVES WILL COVER THE
CAGE SO IT WON'T BE
VISIBLE. THE CAGE HOLDS
THE STEMS UPRIGHT AS
THE BIG FLOWERS
DEVELOP.
I GET IMPATIENT WAITING
FOR NEWLY PLANTED
SEEDS TO SPROUT UP
FROM THE GROUND. BUT
I CAN SPEED UP THE
PROCESS BY SOAKING THE
SEEDS IN WATER.
THAT SOFTENS THE HARD
SEED COVERING, AND
ALLOWS THEM TO
GERMINATE FASTER. IT
WORKS WELL FOR LARGE
SEEDS LIKE PEAS AND
BEANS, AND EVEN FOR
SOME SMALLER SEEDS,
LIKE THESE BEETS. SIMPLY
LET THEM SOAK
OVERNIGHT IN WARM
WATER, THEN PLANT
THEM AS YOU NORMALLY
WOULD THE NEXT DAY.
THESE SWEET PEAS
NORMALLY TAKE 5-7 DAYS
TO GERMINATE, BUT AFTER
SOAKING OVERNIGHT,
THEY SPROUTED IN JUST
TWO DAYS.
SPEAKING OF SWEET
PEAS, ONE PROBLEM THAT
I SOMETIMES HAVE IN MY
GARDEN, IS THAT BIRDS,
LIKE QUAIL AND
MOURNING DOVES, LIKE
TO NIBBLE ON THE LEAVES
OF THE TENDER YOUNG
PLANTS. AND
OCCASIONALLY, ANIMALS
LIKE SQUIRRELS,
NEIGHBORHOOD CATS,
AND EVEN MY DOG, ARE
TEMPTED TO WALK
THROUGH THE GARDEN
AND TRAMPLE THEM. YOU
CAN USE BIRD NETTING,
LIKE I HAVE HERE WITH
THIS NEWLY SPROUTED
LETTUCE AND RADISHES,
BUT A CHEAPER WAY IS TO
STICK SEVERAL PLASTIC
FORKS AROUND THE
PLANTS WITH THE TINES
POINTED UP. THAT KEEPS
THE BIRDS AND ANIMALS
FROM SNACKING ON OR
STEPPING ON THE YOUNG
PLANTS.
YOU CAN ALSO USE
THOSE PLASTIC UTENSILS
AS PLANT LABELS. TAKE A
PERMANENT MARKER
AND WRITE THE NAME OF
THE PLANT ON THE FORK
OR KNIFE, AND STICK IT IN
THE GROUND AT THE
HEAD OF THE ROW, OR
EVEN RIGHT NEXT TO THE
PLANT. STORE-BOUGHT
PLANT LABELS ARE GREAT,
BUT THEY'LL COST YOU
SEVERAL DOLLARS FOR A
PACKAGE OF ONLY 25
LABELS.
FINALLY, HERE'S A WAY TO
SAVE MONEY ON POTTING
SOIL, ESPECIALLY WITH
BIG, DEEP CONTAINERS
LIKE THIS ONE. THE
FLOWERING PLANTS THAT
ARE
ARE GOING
ARE GOING IN THIS POT AREN'T VERY DEEP ROOTED, SO THEY DON'T
NEED SOIL AS DEEP AS
THE POT.
INSTEAD, SIMPLY FILL THE
BOTTOM OF THE POT
WITH SOME LIGHT
MATERIAL, LIKE
ALUMINUM CANS, PLASTIC
WATER BOTTLES, OR EVEN
DISCARDED PLASTIC
PLANT STARTING POTS.
THEN FILL UP THE REST OF
THE CONTAINER WITH THE
POTTING MIX. YOU'LL USE
LESS SOIL, AND THE
MATERIALS IN THE
BOTTOM OF THE POT WILL
HELP IMPROVE WATER
DRAINAGE AND AIR
CIRCULATION. AND SINCE
THEY'RE LIGHTWEIGHT
AND YOU'RE USING LESS
SOIL, THE CONTAINER
WON'T BE AS HEAVY
WHEN YOU WANT TO
MOVE IT.
THESE ARE JUST A FEW
SIMPLE DO-IT-YOURSELF
IDEAS FOR MAKING
GARDENING EASIER AND
CHEAPER. AND IF YOU
HAVE SOME GOOD IDEAS
TO SAVE TIME AND
MONEY, I'D LIKE TO HEAR
ABOUT THEM AND SHARE
THEM WITH OUR FELLOW
GARDENERS. UNTIL THEN,
I'M JIM DUTHIE WITH
IDAHO'S NEWS CHANNEL
SEVEN.
SEVEN.
LIKE
LIKE JIM
LIKE JIM SAID, HE'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU ABOUT SOME OF YOUR
FAVORITE GARDENING
HACKS TO SAVE TIME AND
MONEY.
AND HE'D LOVE TO SEE
YOUR GARDENING
PICTURES AS WELL.
THE EASIEST WAY IS TO
JOIN THE 'YOU CAN GROW
IT' FACEBOOK GROUP.
TEXT THE WORD 'GROW'
TO
TO 208-321-5614 AND WE'LL SEND YOU A LINK TO MAKE IT EASY TO JOIN
4-THOUSAND OTHER
IDAHO GARDENERS.