Top Tips!

Orange_King

This year I am using more and more tubs and planters to grow things in and only just came up with this idea - I'm sure many of you will already be doing this!

I put small stones in the bottom of the tubs to ensure there is good grainage but rather than just throw them in and pile the soil/compost in on top, I use some of the nets from fruit tubs and ones that oranges come in to keep them all together.

At the end of the growing season, the compost can them be disposed of quickly and most of the stones will be in the net and easily removed rather than having to sift out stones individually.

What tips do you alll have to pass on to make things easier or save precious time in the garden?

alanobrien

This is useful except in bigger pots which become to heavy using thiis method which is why i use polystyrene (packing from stuff bought over the year) just pull it apart into blocks and use it in the same way as stones. Provides the drainage without adding weight to the pot.

Kay_Peel

Warning! The following tip may get you reported to the Royal Society for the prevention of Cruelty to Lawnmowers.

Are you going to cut your grass this weekend? Before you do, why not do some pruning, clearing leaves and hedge-clipping first? Throw all you hedge clippings, prunings, dried leaves and small twigs on to your lawn.

Run over them with a lawn mower. Hey presto! You've just shredded and mixed your 'green' and 'brown' waste ready for the compost heap and cut your grass at the same time. Stand back and watch it cook and steam as you put it into the dalek. :T

:beer:

kmoneyz

I opted for using the polyprop blue ladybird bags from tescos, at 39p each thats a cheap planter & its gone in the greenhouse anyway, polystyrene broken up for drainage so not adding any extra weight, especially handy when bringing everything back indoors when we had the last lot of frost & hopefully they can be washed out & flat packed ready for use again next year :T

oliveoyl

Sprinkle a handful of coarse bran around the base of seedlings/plants to prevent slugs and snails from chomping on them... it really does work brilliantly.

jammy_dodger

i cut up margarine containers into strips after washing them and use for plant labels