 |
Eco Tips
This is where we hold the secrets of many generations of gardeners. The eco tips revealed here are so called because they are both ecologically and economically sound. What does that mean? They're cheap, they're safe and they work!
Before broccoli and cabbages form heads, sprinkle the leaves with cayenne pepper powder.
This will deter pests from attacking the vegetables.
If birds are a problem in your garden, (i.e. eating the vegetables rather than just the pests)
string some fishing wire over your plants. This will deter the birds but won't harm them.
A reader writes: I don't have room for a compost at my place, so I freeze vegetable peelings.
When I have enough, I put them in a blender with some water and pour the resulting 'soup'
on the garden. It works wonders!
Between growth seasons, sow a crop of clover, alfalfa or lucerne and turn it back into the garden bed next season.
If you get sticky sap on your hands from pruning trees, rub vegetable oil on your hands and wash with soap and water.
Water plants with cool water from boiling eggs, potatoes or vegetables. This will deliver extra minerals to them.
When harvesting beetroot, leave some of the stem intact. This will prolong its freshness while being stored and stop it 'bleeding' into the water while being cooked.
Put a few sprigs of mint in the water of a birdbath to prevent algae forming.
Plant parsley near tomato and asparagus plants as aphids hate it!
Pansy seeds planted around your onions will incease their yield and prevent weeds from coming up. To keep them flowering dead head the old flowers to make way for new.
You can protect your fruit trees from pests by smearing petroleum jelly (Vaseline) on a full section of the trunk. It won't harm the tree and the pests won't walk across it.
For potted plants, recycle old kitchen or bath sponges by cutting them into small pieces and mix with the potting mix. The sponges will absorb excess water but keep the soil moist for longer. It's a great alternative to peat moss or soil moisture aids for smaller projects.
When harvesting crops, don't store apples near root crops like carrots or potatoes. It affects their flavour.
Deter flies and mosquitoes coming into the house by putting chopped garlic cloves in a dish on the windowsill.
Peppermint grown in containers will help control the white cabbage butterfly. The peppermint needs to be in containers to control its growth but also allows it to be moved around the garden.
Pennyroyal mint will repel mosquitoes if rubbed onto the skin.
Another natural way to repel flies and mosquitoes is to rub a half onion on your body. Okay, it's likely to repel just about everything including your loved ones...
|
|
