CasaSugar

Garden Therapy: Plant Garlic For a No-Fuss Crop

CasaSugar — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 05:30:31 -0700

Want to get your garden on this Winter, but don't want to spend a lot of time or money? Then garlic is your go-to crop.

In most of the US, now is the ideal time to plant garlic, since the cloves you plant will establish roots before the ground freezes. They require virtually no care, and you can then harvest them in June or July.

If you're squeezed for space, you can also plant garlic in containers. Start with good quality potting soil, and fill most of a container with it. Then plant one garlic clove (buy in a garden or hardware store) per small pot. Push the clove about an inch under the soil surface. Water, then set along the side of your house out of the way of cold winds, and let it winter there. It's always so fun to see the green garlic shoots peeking up in the Spring!

Source: Flickr User lburiedpaul

Garden Therapy: Preventing Creatures From Eating Fall Bulbs

CasaSugar — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:00:00 -0700

Ann Whitman, the green goods supervisor at Gardener's Supply, recently offered some advice for preventing squirrels, deer, and other critters from digging up and destroying your Fall bulbs. Check out her tips below.

Squirrels love to dig in newly disturbed soil, so prevent them from exploring by disguising your newly planted bulbs. Cover the planting area with rocks, boards, buckets, or chicken wire. Once the ground freezes, you can move the rocks or other materials.
Since deer don't care about bulbs until the Spring, protect tender leaves by covering them with wire mesh once they start popping up next Spring.
Avoid damage from chipmunks and voles by surrounding bulbs with sharp gravel and oyster shell. You can also plant them inside a wire cage.
Deter rascally rabbits by spraying repellents, such as Liquid Fence, or predator urine, around bulbs in the Spring.
Try planting bulbs that animals find unappealing. Chief among these are daffodils, alliums, fritillaries, grape hyacinths, and many other spring-flowering bulbs.

Source: Flickr User Gilles Gonthier

Garden Therapy: Shake and Bake Bugs

CasaSugar — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 05:30:06 -0700

Diatomaceous earth (aka, DE) is a naturally occurring, soft, chalklike sedimentary rock that is made from tiny, fossilized water plants and can be easily crumbled into a powder. In its powder form, DE dehydrates an insect's exoskeleton, killing them, so it makes a great nontoxic pesticide. You can disperse DE around your garden to protect your plants. To do so, fill a large spice shaker with it and dust it around the soil of your plants. Try Earthworks Health to order diatomaceous earth and a dispenser, if you need one.

Garden Therapy: Top 4 Ways to Improve Your Lawn

CasaSugar — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:00:10 -0700

While some of us have turned our lawns into gardens, the majority of homeowners still have turf in their yards (yours truly included). Keeping your lawn looking its best isn't rocket science, but there are some basic things you should do to keep it looking tip-top. Luckily, the smart folks at Gardeners, my favorite gardening company, have shared all you need to know to keep your lawn in great shape. Check out the tips, and then read the entire article for even more details.

Source: Getty

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Garden Therapy: Winter Tips

CasaSugar — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 06:15:49 -0800

Since snow and ice don't make for a successful garden, most of us have to resort to satisfying our green thumb through nurturing indoor plants and kitchen window herb gardens in the Winter. To make the most of your Winter plants, try these indoor gardening tips.

Indoor plants will turn to follow the light, so you should rotate an indoor plant to encourage proper growth. Otherwise, your plant will likely lean to one side.
Concerned that your plant isn't getting enough light this Winter? If your plant has small leaves, thinner stems than usual, and its color is lighter than it has been in the Summer months, it is likely light-deficient. Try moving it closer to a window.
Another option is to supplement natural sunlight with artificial lighting, such as with a table lamp.

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Garden Therapy: New Garden Boxes From Old Wood

CasaSugar — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 04:30:00 -0800

This Summer, I used part of a friend's redwood fence to build an additional garden box. Craftster member Emilyhell was lucky enough to try something similar thanks to some generous friends with a remodeling project. She writes, "My boyfriend and I got some old recycled redwood for free from some friends who were replacing their deck. We built these five-foot-square planter boxes and just today finished planting our fall/winter vegetable garden."

I love the kneeling/sitting area that Emily and her boyfriend built with the top, flat piece of decking. This will help them to lean over and brace themselves when they're harvesting all of their yummy veggies. What a smart, eco design. Nice work!

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Garden Therapy: Inside Inspiration

CasaSugar — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 10:00:20 -0700

I recently cashed in the Smith and Hawken gift certificate that my mom, auntie, and grandmother gave me as a bridal shower present. These green ceramic pots caught my eye, so I bought a trio of them to use for an indoor plant project.

To see how I'm using them, read more.

I'm using them to force hyacinth bulbs! Instead of pebbles, I used plate shards from a mosaic project to anchor the bulbs. So far, so good. The bulbs have put down good roots, and they're in a shady spot to encourage growth. I just have to make sure to keep these little guys watered!

Garden Therapy: A Craftsman Garden

CasaSugar — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 12:00:50 -0700

Lou Dixon, designer and owner of Bio-Friendly Gardens, has a distinctive style, whether he's working on a modern minimalist garden or a tropical California design. I love his use of eco-friendly materials, natural hardscape, and drought-tolerant and native plants in his gardens. Recently, Lou showed me a garden that complements a Craftsman home. Take the tour with me.

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Garden Therapy: California Tropical

CasaSugar — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 09:15:26 -0700

Lou Dixon, owner and designer of Bio-Friendly Gardens, recently gave me a tour of one of his client's home gardens. The owner, a chef and horticulturalist, loves tropical foliage. Her garden features a delightful mix of tropical plants, succulents, more traditional flowers, and lush trees. What's even more impressive is that her garden stands up to life with two large dogs. Take a tour of her lush space.

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Garden Therapy: A DIY Compost Bin

CasaSugar — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 13:00:32 -0700

Craftster member Gwydion has inspired me to use the extra lumber left over from some home projects to build a new compost pile. I'm tired of wrestling with my flimsy plastic composter, which seems to never stay in place and whose top always folds into the compost itself. Yuck! Gwydion DIYed her compost pile for a fraction of the cost of one she'd buy in a store.

To find out how she did it, read more.

Gwydion writes, "It's a pretty simple design. The front of each box has slots where you can drop in additional 1-x-8 boards, depending on the height of your compost. Makes it easier to turn the compost from one bin to the other and to rescue the finished product. My husband saw something similar online for about $200, plus shipping, plus assembly, so naturally I had to try to make it. Constructed from 1-x-4s, 1-x-8s, and hardware cloth, with 2-x-4 footers (which you can't see in the picture). It's about 3-x-3-x-6 feet. I built it in panels in the living room and then assembled it on the patio (because that's where the outlet was for the drill . . .). This was a rotten idea, as I then had a miserable time moving it to the corner of the yard. It's waterproofed with about six coats of linseed oil and is holding up well to the elements."

I love the fact that even though Gywdion's husband was the one that spotted the composter online, Gwydion was the one who built it. (This is how it works at my house, too.) Nice work!

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