Do you plan on growing more of your food this year?
Well, here are some pro tips to help you get everything from your tools
to hedges in tip-top shape for the upcoming planting season.

The Gardening Tips:
a) Make Cleanup Easier-
The hedges, small trees and bushes need to be pruned to help them
produce healthy blooms, but you hate the mess they leave behind.
No problem, to make cleanup easier, get a kiddie pool and place it under the bush
or hedge your trimming. Doing this ensures the trimmings don’t fall on the ground
and you can easily gather or drag the kiddie pool and dispose of the trimmings.

b) A Soapy Bug Killer-
Yes it’s still early, but bugs don’t care, they’ll wreak havoc on any sprouting garden
and to keep them away from your flowers or produce, use the all-natural
solution known as soap. Just add 1 1/2 tsp. of dish soap to a 32 oz. water-filled
spray bottle and spray it on the plants, (especially the leaves) that attract the aphids
and earwigs. The soap dehydrates and kills bugs on contact and it deters any future
parasites.

c) Limit The Bags of Potting Soil-
You love looking at the planters filled with bright blooms, but filling them requires
carrying many bags of heavy potting soil through the yard. To limit the lugging,
fill pots halfway with packing peanuts (or plastic water bottles) before topping with
soil. The filler cuts the soil needed in half, provides drainage for plants and makes
pots much lighter and easier to move around.

d) Homemade Fertilizer-
You love the idea of having your own garden, but what you don’t love: the cost
of certain things and one of those things is fertilizer. To make your own and save
money, just use salt. Epsom salt to be exact. To make: Mix 2 tsp. of Epsom salt
into 1 gallon of water and adding it to a spray bottle that attaches to a garden
hose, then give your garden beds a soak once a month during the Spring.
Why use Epsom salt? It (Epsom salt) contains magnesium, and it aids plants in
seed germination, chlorophyll production and absorption of nutrients that help them
grow.

e) Clean Those Tools-
Another part of planting a Spring garden: cleaning and maintaining the garden tools.
To keep metal tools clean and remove the rust, do the following…
Sprinkle some baking soda directly on the rusted spots, then gently pour white
vinegar over it. Leave the tools alone for 5 to 10 mins. before rinsing and wiping
with a dry cloth. The baking soda and vinegar will react and create a fizzy solution
that will lift off rust to reveal clean and gleaming metal underneath.

Sources:
* Jeremy Yamaguchi, CEO of LawnLove.com
* Lindsey Hyland, Founder of UrbanOrganicYield.com
* Progressive Farmer-Gardening Magazine

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