The Cottage Smallholder February gardening competition
Comments(26)
Photo: Snow in the garden
It’s competition time again at Cottage Smallholder. I really enjoy running these competitions as I’m picking up so many tips from around the world. I’ve been looking for sponsors and have two lined up already – this is great as they will help with the judging and of course the prizes are much more deluxe than the rather humble prizes that we’ve offered before.
As I mentioned yesterday, Erika from Lunar Organics is sponsoring this competition. The prize is a beautiful moon gardening calendar and explanatory booklet plus three packets of biodynamic seeds that the winner can choose from the Lunar Organics online catalogue.
And what to you have to do to win this prize? Erika came up with these suggestions. The first is how to re-use /recycle things to get ready for the new growing season. For example Erika makes labels using old pieces of wood for big labels or cuts up white plastic containers for seedlings, instead of buying new. The second theme is how to protect plants from birds, rabbits, mice, squirrels, rats or any pest in your neck of the woods. Erika mentioned that rags soaked in vinegar would deter rabbits as they hate the smell of it.
Anyone can enter as many times as they like. You can post entries for just one theme or both. The competition will close on Sunday 7th February at midnight. If you have won a Cottage Smallholder competition in the past six months you can enter but you won’t be eligible to win – this gives everyone a fairer chance.
Best of luck everyone. I’m really looking forward to reading the entries!
Canine meningitis
Pet insurance
A strange discovery
Buying compost in bulk can save you loads of money
Revisiting oven baked cheese toasties
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Reuse/Recycle theme
I use old netting, the type that your oranges come in, to tie around veg that are trailing and becoming heavy.. the netting is then tied back to something solid be it a stake or your fence. The weight of the fruit/veg is then supported and as the net is stretchy, further growth is not impeded. (I did this with trailing pumpkins last year..)
I’ve been saving the tubes from toliet paper to make into seed pots. I used them last year but ran out quickly ’cause I hadn’t started saving them early enough.
[...] Cottage Smallholder is having a reusing/recycling gardening competition this month – how are you reusing/recycling things to get ready for the next growing [...]
When I’m walking in the woods nearby I pick up long thin sticks to use as pea sticks. Much better than imported bamboo canes!
Also you can’t beat egg-boxes for chitting potatoes in.
Our veg garden is in the middle of a sheep field so we are plagued with rabbits, our solution was to fence our plot with chicken wire and dig it 3 feet undergroud as well but I’ll be watching this thread for other tips!
while not entering this contest, i am certainly looking forward to the entries as i am having a container veg/flower garden in a new front yard, complete with half dozen stray cats looking for diggable litter boxes!
petskystone- my ex-sister-law used to send my brother out in the dark to pee on the fence posts- it did a great job keeping stray cats out of her yard. I can’t get my husband to comply, so I’ll be the look out here for other ideas.
Fiona- I’ve kept several of those large plastic bins that organic field lettuces come in, which I will use on my seedling tray for a green house top. I reused a shop light in the garage for my grow light, and I’m going to reuse an old shower curtain stapled up at the corners for a drain tray. I have a load of plastic deck clips that I’ll put the seed tray on so that it’s not sitting in water.
I’m also going to use the plastic decking that I tore off my deck this week (it was twice as big as it needed to be) for planter boxes, which will keep a lot of plastic out of the landfill.
I’ve a huge stack of cardboard boxes in my kitchen- once I’m done getting half the deck out of the way, they are going all over the lawn for mulch over which I’ll sheet compost.
I’m collecting all the wood ash out of my wood stove and sifting it- the ash is being saved to use as insulation for the two rocket stoves I want to put in my summer kitchen out doors, and the charcoal will be inoculated with either urine (mine) or compost tea and used for biochar fertilizer for the garden.
I’m using toilet paper tubes for some seedling trays as well, only they are sitting in the lids from take-away dinners. Those lids are made of compostable potato-ware, so we’ll see how well they do.
Speaking of composting, I’ve taken to rinsing one of those plastic packing peanuts every time we get a shipment of something. If they don’t melt in the water, they go into a large bag of same in the garage to be taken to the recycling center. If they do melt, the whole lot gets chucked into my compost pile.
I have a loose-ish large piece of burlap that a rug was wrapped in. I saved that and used it for a shade cloth last summer, and I’ll use it again this summer as it’s still in good shape.
For pest control- I purchased hardware cloth to nail into the bottoms of my planter boxes- we are plagued with voles. They should also wish to leave once I get rid of all my grass, as they like to drag grass back to their dens.
I had wanted to do away with all the crows that we get here, but have since read that they are actually good to have around for getting rid of bugs, and I’ve noticed that they do seem to peck a lot of something out of the ground. So this summer I’ll just cover all my corn cobs with a paper bag so they can’t see them and they’ll leave them alone.
For the apples, once they get to be the size of a small walnut, I’ll sacrifice four in the cluster, leaving the king apple to ripen. The four green apples will be cooked into jelly for the pectin (unripe apples have a lot) which I’ll use later in the summer for low-pectin fruits. The king apple will get enclosed in a ped (those are those stocking things with which ladies try on shoes) and rubberbanded at the stem. This keeps coddling moths off the fruit. As the apples get larger, the ped stretches thinner and thinner so that the sun can get at the fruit and ripen it, and the threat of coddling moth larvae is long gone.
To keep the squirrels out of my nut trees, I’m planting them well away from buildings and fences, and will affix metal cones up their trunks to keep the little beggars from running up the trunks. The metal cones will be fashioned out of 3 litre olive oil cans, which I’ve been saving in the garage.
I think that’s it. If I think of anything else, I’ll let you know.
Re-use/Recycle theme
I recycle sheep poo into a lovely liquid fertilizer. It’s such a lovely complete system – poo to fertilizer for helping the veggies to grow that we eat with our lamb.
Rosie x
In regard to the lady wanting to deter cats….. I have 3 cats and our neighbour wasn’t very pleased when one of them decided to pop over theirs for their daily digging session.
I had read up on various ways of stopping cats like orange and lemon peel( they hate citrus) those ’silent’ cat scarers and even motion sensor water jets that squirt anything that goes past with water. But in the end I have found the only thing that works is lion poo…seeing as I don’t have my own lion ….yet…. you can buy their poo in pellet form from various gardening places. Cats are basically frightened of bigger scarier cats and choose to not visit. I bring my neighbour a box every year and £8.99 keeps me and my neighbour on speaking terms his borders free from recycled piles of whiskas and my cats busy filling up my garden with their waste which I don’t mind as I chose to have them so poop scooping a couple of times a week is no hardship.
So invest in some bigger and better cat poo to keep wimpy cats away from those pots.
Also I believe the lion poo comes from lions kept in wildlife parks and the profits go to help endangered animals and those in captivity due to illness or rescue.
Re-use – recycle…….
2 litre ‘pop’ bottles are cut down to make mini cloches, ideal when room is running out in the greenhouse
plastic food trays i.e. mushrooms/ready meals , all washed and stored ready for seed trays especially handy when growing small amounts for swopping
free dvds/cds are strung up across the raised beds to catch the sunlight and annoy the birds especially when planting brassicas etc
plastic ties out of boxes are kept for using to secure wayward plants and tomato canes etc
chicken poo is composted and used when rotted down
spent compost from growbags and potato bags is dug into raised beds to enrich the soil
seed/plant swopping on freecycle ensures no waste aand is a cost effective way of recycling as there is always someone out there that can make use of what you no longer need
Jane
I can’t compete with these suggestions! I particularly like the ones that involve pee (an excellent way to re-use beer).
The only even moderately innovative thing we’ve done is scavenge a discarded glass door (the sliding kind) as a lid for our cold frame. You just wait until a door comes your way, and build the frame to fit. Works like a dream — it even has a handle ready-made.
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Thanks Tamar- I’ll try the ‘recycling beer’ tactic on Steve- maybe I can guilt him into it.
Make sure you keep your seed packets somewhere very dry at all times! If they get damp at any time then they will not germinate. Do not put them into drawers beneath the sink if there is the remotest chance of moisture. Or somewhere subject to extreme hot/cold. Keep them in an airtight container, preferably in the house, not in a shed. That way, they should last until the use-by date, meaning that one packet could supply several years of seed!
I have been very careful with my seeds for years now, and find that even sweet pea seeds last for years.
What a wonderful prize! I would LOVE to win the lunar calender. I’ve been doing something to keep slugs off my seedlings; by making collars out of plastic bottles. Rather than explain it, I’ve put together a short You Tube vid which you can see on this page:
http://myzerowaste.com/2009/06/plastic-bottles-slug/
I guess my entry covers both reuse and pest deterrents!
Like Holly and Paula, we also use toilet roll inners as biodegradable pots; again I have a short You Tube vid on this page:
http://myzerowaste.com/2009/01/making-seedling-pots-from-toilet-roll-inners/
and I keep the annoying plastic ties from children’s toys to tie my tomato plants to their stakes
Great comp with some wonderful ideas; thanks for running it!
Polystyrene-
Use sheets to insulate the floor of the greenhouse in winter or to line walls of raised beds.Break up for drainage in pots,its lightness makes heavy large pots a little easier to move.
Compost Bags-
Re- use ( two layers) as potato sacks, roll tops to stop slugs/snails getting in.Flatten out and sue to line raised beds to keep moisture in.
Bubble wrap-
Use to line greenhouse-insulation in winter, shading in Summer. Line pots made of metal to keep plant roots cool in summer.Wrap outdoor pots in winter, clip on with bulldog clips.
Cut circle, wrap around a bit of polystyrene packing, put on top of cane and fix with Post Office red rubber band- cane topper for free.
Tins-
Make hole in bottom, hang from a hook onto netting/trellis, makes a hanging herb garden. Also useful as scoops.
Tin boxes,cannisters etc with lids-
Keep for mouseproof storage in shed/greenhouse,paint with left-over Hammerite/gloss/car paint to make them look v. posh indeed..
Large Jam Jar with lid-
Make hole in top, put string in jar, put on lid. Mouse-proof string dispenser.
Little bags of Silicone from shoe boxes etc-
Save and put inside your new tin mouseproof storage boxes to keep stuff dry.
Garden woody prunings_
Trim to use instead of canes for plant supports, use twiggy bits to keep birds and cats off newly planted beds ( holly especially good for this), cut up to make kindling for the stove in winter ( NOT Laurel though!).
Rotten squidgy fruit/windfalls-
Put in bucket of water, leave to ferment , will get your compost working beautifully.
Trays from Supermarket-
Use deep see-through ones that fruit comes in atop solid trays to make a free mini propagator for your windowsill.Also useful for standing loo rolls in when seeds planted in them.
Cardboard Box and Aluminium foil/radiator reflector-
Left over shiny bits can be used to line a box cut in half diagonally, stand your free window sill propagators in the boxes, the light and warmth reflected around them will ensure good germination and sturdy growth.
Big tough yoghurt pots make excellent compost scoops.
Terracotta pot and an old saucer-
To make a mini storage heater for your greenhouse, put a nightlight in the saucer, light it, put upturned terracotta pot on top, stand near tender plants. It will act like a storage heater.
Old Tights/stockings-
Strong but soft plant ties, bags to support melons,squashes etc.
Hi
I have just obtained 2 old chimney pots through my local freecycle group which for those who don’t know, is a nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It’s all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills (www.freecycle.org).I will be recycling these and planting basil and parsley in them this year.
I also recycled an old carpet and used it to cover my compost heap through the winter and will be digging in the compost in the veg patch soon.
I shall now be looking for an old glass door on Freecycle as a result of the post from Tamar@starvingofftheland..thanks for the idea! In fact, thanks to everyone for all their brilliant ideas, I’m going to be really busy recycling!!
re-use/recycle
I’m saving loo rolls to sow my sweetpeas in instead of buying long root trainer pots, and I’m also saving egg boxes to use for sowing seeds in as they provide individual cells and rot down once planted in the ground (I hope!)
Well both my suggestions have to do with eggs. Or rather egg shells. First the recycling part. While I have a box full of yogurt pots and toilet roll tubes waiting for some planting, I decided to start a dozen broccoli plants this week in rinsed out egg shells. http://driedfigsandwoodenspools.blogspot.com/2010/02/snow-and-seeds.html
Not sure how well it will work out but I figure if all else fails they are easily cracked open on the bottom and popped into other containers. But I’m hoping it will work well.
As for pests, I live in Virginia now but have lived most of my life in slug prone places (Oregon and Ireland) and have found that sprinkling a ring of crushed egg shells around plants helps keep the slugs at bay. The only downside is that you have to be careful not to disturb the line, but then again, more egg shells are always easily found at our house so it’s worked well for me many a summer.
Cant wait to read all the other ideas. I’m gearing up for my first big garden in a couple of years so the more tip the better!
I also use toilet roll tubes for plating beans, sweet peas etc and egg boxes to stand chitting potatoes in.
To fill the tubes without getting compost everywhere I use a plastic 1 pint milk carton with the end cut off as a scoop/funnel complete with handle.
Recycle plastic cups from work as seedling pots. If your work has polystyrene cups keep these for the first seeds planted of the year as they offer more insulation.
Use the see through plastic boxes you get mini flapjacks etc in upside down as a mini windowsill propogator, just remember that if it’s one with holes in like the grape ones to stand it on another reused packaging tray to catch any drips.
2 diff cane toppers – old corks – gouge out a hole just the diameter of your cane for a snug fit so no blowing off and paint/varnish for longevity. Empty snail/sea shells of an appropriate shape – either can be painted to withstand the elements / add a touch of fun.
If you have a surplus of paper coffee filters – the round ones – these can be used to line larger pots instead of heavy gravel / rocks. Although this isn’t strictly recycling my work gets coffee delivered with a massive stack of the filter papers each time which are far more than is needed so you end up with loads of them cluttering up the place until someone gets fed up and throws them out – which is where I step in.
I also do the polystyrene bits in the bottom of larger pots – lighter than stones in the bottom and cheaper than filling totally with compost. I break up the trays you get seedlings / 6 small pots in.
To deter pests – blackfly on broad beans (or on anything) – mix garlic granules with water and spray your plants. Granules can be found cheaply in places like Lidl etc. Reapply after rain.
Save the big tins chocolates come in at xmas for seed tins – dry and rodent proof.
My biggest personal one I guess is collecting used doors that have been dumped / are about to be to make my shed from. Pallets for the base, again they would be landfill otherwise.
The big wooden ‘reels’ that come with cable on – once empty smile sweetly at the builders and then reuse painted / varnished for low coffee type table / stools at the allotment etc.
Think that’s it for now. Some fab ideas on here!
Pallets can be used to make compost bins. We also made our entire shed out of pallets.
Scrap wood can be made into raised beds.
We save toilet rolls to use as pots for seedlings as they can go straight in the ground.
Egg Boxes make good containers for chitting potatoes
What a lot of replies! The only original thought I can add is for those sweet pea sowing solutions – if you forgot to save the loo roll innards (i.e. threw them straight in the recycling), you can roll newspaper into the same sort of size, infact I make them longer, fold the top & bottom edge inside to keep it together, and stack them in deep plant pots. I then fill the whole thing, gaps & all, with the compost, which helps with the watering, then the spare compost ends up in the ground when you plant out!
Also, I tend to leave some of the spent compost in the bottom of my big planter pots, to save the cost of all that fresh compost! when my plot is bigger that 4×4m, I’ll make my own compost!
The Benecol type containers are useful for putting on the ends of canes so you don’t poke yourself in the eye!
Coupled with netting, means you can fix up a “temporary” cage quickly and easily. With elastic bands (that the postmen drop everywhere) the netting can be fixed securely to the ridge at the bottom of the pots. Good for gooseberry bushes.
Some old chimmney pots are quite wide and can be used as rhubarb forcers (or seakale growers?). A lid can be made from hardboard.
Origami pots from old newspapers.
Corrugated cardboard, shredded, and added to your wormery. Keeps it dry, and they love it. Also good for aerating and drying ordinary compost bins, can also use shredded newspaper, paper and cardboard for the same thing.
I have just read today about putting a teabag in the end of a loo roll used for seeds as a plug! Sounds reasonable!!
Recycled bird scarers: (We have many a fat pigeon at my plot!) Tie lengths of your old VHS tapes to a line and string over your patch, the tape rustles and moves in the wind. Also cut plastic shopping bags into lengths for the same thing or use that red and white builders tape that gets left tied to trees etc.
Another recycled scarer: cut flaps into the side of plastic bottles and bend them out to catch the wind. Place inverted bottle on top of a cane so it can spin freely and rattle.
Reuse / slug trap: Again with plastic bottles, this is a way for organic gardeners to use slug pellets safely without scattering them on the ground and potentially poisoning other birds/animals too. Cut a sideways H into the side of the bottle an inch or so from the base. Bend the flaps inward. Weight the bottom with a stone and place slug pellets inside. Place round garden/plot. Slugs can get in and eat the pellets and die but pellets aren’t on your soil going into the food chain. Also good if you’re concerned about friendly beasties like stag beetles drowning in beer traps.
Coffee grounds as a slug deterrant/barrier. Starbucks give them away free if you ask.
I don’t drink tea but I like the idea of using the bags as plugs, think I will put a collection box in my work kitchen. Already get the coffee grounds saved.
Sorry to be here 2x in a row but I forgot to include a recycle tip earlier. Hang an old roof slate up in your shed/on the ouside and it makes a great looking chalkboard for a ‘things to do’ or planning guide or reminder which seeds to buy etc. Can also be used in the kitchen as a message board / shopping list etc etc. I think they look lovely too being a natural product.
Old row of coat hooks – school type ones (rescued mine from going in a skip) to be reused to hang tools up on.
It’s always worth keeping an eye out if there’s any refurbishment going on around you. Lots of things establishments throw out in favour of shiny new things I think are actually a lot nicer, better made and have more charm and character. If you ask most places don’t mind you helping yourself to skip contents.
I have reused some metal library card file boxes for my seeds – I can sort them by month to be sown and being metal no rodents are munching on them.
I’ve saved our Christmas tree to cut up into twiggy bits to grow peas and beans up.
Also, saving dripping to make fat balls for birds.
I hang unwanted free CDs as bird scarers around the veg patch. They catch the light, so flash and glint and send the pesky pigeons packing.
But I’ve eventually found a use for those cardboard cylinders that Scotch bottles come in. Make a few holes near the bottom with a skewer, fill with John Innes, and plant carrots. Very useful on flinty soil. If anyone else has other suggestion, I’d be pleased to hear – supply is outstripping demand at the moment!