Butterflies love annuals like zinnias.

Epsom salt

  • At the start of the garden season, broadcast 1 cup of epsom salt per 100 square feet 
  • Use epsom salt diluted with water and as a foliar spray. Mix 2 tablespoons per gallon of rainwater and apply one time per month. 
  • For vegetable plant, apply 1 tablespoon of epsom salt granules t the base of each plant. 
  • Roses - in a bucket, soak rose roots in solution of 1/2 cup of epsom salt mixed with 1 gallon of water. Top dress roses with 1 tablespoon of epsom salt around the root area of the plant
  • Epsom salts add magnesium.

Coffee grounds are an excellent compost ingredient. Add to your compost at 10 - 20 % ration to the total volume of the pile.

Make a poor man’s Olla

  • Rinse out an empty milk ub and punch 6-8 small holes from top to bottom on all four sides of the jug. 
  • Dig a hole within 4-5 inches of the plant, bury the milk jug to the top of the handle. Fill jug with water. Keep it at half full at most times to work most effectively.

Bees need a source of water in their pollination territory. Providing a floating bee preserver enables that bee to have a drink without drowning in deeper pools of water.

Globe basil have tiny tight growing leaves. Always water basil at the base of the plant to prevent fungal issues on leaves.
Build a garden tower.

Stacked Flower Pots

  • Stack 6 containers of various sizes from large to small. Try stacking them against a wall. Put the largest at the bottom and fill them with soil, leave 2 inches of room at the top of the container. Insert a tall, thin garden stake in the soil and feed it though the drainage holes. 
  • Or stack the flower pots in a pyramid, three large containers on the bottom, four medium ones on top.
  • Install a tool hanger on a door near the garden and you will have your tools conveniently on hand whenever you need them.

101 Organic Gardening Hacks

By Shawna Coronado
ISBN 978-1-59186-662-6
2017: Quarto Publishing Group, Minneapolis, MN

These are notes I made while reading gardening books. See more gardening book notes