Hi, the idea here is to pass on useful advice, hints, tips and shortcuts that I have found useful. I'll be adding various things over the weeks and sometimes will tackle a specific topic, like do's and don'ts in laying turf.

But, this is also the place to exchange practical information amongst all of us. Perhaps, you've got a clever little tip to pass on. E-mail us and we'll put it here. We intend to build a COMPENDIUM of TIPS and HINTS as a useful guide and future reference.

As the TIPS and HINTS grows we'll divide it into easy to follow and easy to locate sections.


Members Tips

From John Cole
Cut tights into about 12" lengths, tie a knot in one end of all except the toe end and pull over down pipes to water butts. You may be astounded at the amount of muck that you save from going into your water butt. Change regularly before the weight becomes so much and pulls the tight off the pipe.
In the greenhouse and keeping a bucket of water for watering, let it get to greenhouse temperature before using. To help prevent the water going green, either keep it covered or add a very small amount ( only a small pinch) of Potassium permanganate to the water.

From Peter Studden
Hanging Baskets
When I water hanging baskets, I use ice cubes, they melt slowly, and avoid water run off. 2or 3 will be enough to keep the compost wet enough (Depending on what you are growing)

From Andrzej Z
To obtain stripes on even the smallest or most irregularly shaped lawn, use an ordinary garden broom after mowing. It only takes a few moments to give a really professional finish. Furthermore, by using this technique, it is possibe to have stripes where they would be impossible to achieve using the lawnmower alone e.g. around a small round bed and/or ornament. This method is particularly effective in winter when the grass is at its longest and when it would not normally be mown in the first place!

From Adam Clarke
Plant protection from slugs/snails/caterpillars /etc.
Put up a frame[mine was an old horizontal barred grating ;used for the rear end of its platform].supported on 4 ;2inch square x 6 feet wooden posts ;set in soil spears.used for lawn set outdoor clothes airers,1 into the other into the other[post into soil spear]and set into the ground;1 on each corner of the frame.secured to the frame ;firmly.hang your ie.hanging baskets on the 4 corner areas.or use same ;but flower towers,instead.put another in the middle;and space-out hanging baskets ;in between them.i even had large pot &their trays ;with begonias/fuschias;set ontop of the frame/what overfill went on the plants in baskets etc. below them.what was in them; hanging on the frame was strawberries/fuschias/lobelias/busy lizzies.their was little or no trouble ;cutting the back lawn ,it was set on.;the area where it was got extra feed &water.;no shadow;or reduce growth to the lawn there;the opposite/was the case.i put copper slug tape around the soil spears;at their top ,where the post entered soil spear ;on the soil spear end only.i did the copper slug tape thing;on to a garden wheel barrow & to a dumped shopping trolley[from a park pond..a wooden board put on top them .and plant in pots & their trays &plant troughs of plants[strawberries]placed on top of the boards.i also had comfrey in pots there also/mint/sage/tomatoes.so much so that i 1/2 filled a dressing table drawer;to 3-4 layers of green tomatoes.with 3 crimson apples with them .the apples give off "ethylene"which helps the fruit to"ripen".

From Michelle
Hi all, well here is my tip.
I found a novel way of displaying my new sown bedding plants in ordinary plastic plant pots, and then hanging them on the plastic house pipes. I used garden twine the stuff that comes on a role covered in green plasic i found good.
decided what to plant what size of pot to use then, before filling the pot i put a hole on both sides of the pot at the top rim. Don't do what i did and use the end of a pen knife to make the holes. I slipped nearly cut right through my finger, and i was left with a full tray of new plants to pot up and it was nearly dark, not to mention the blood.
Anyway once i'd filled the pots i used the twine to tie the pots onto the pipes. Not only do you have a lovely display but you can hide those awfull pipes.Don't forget to feed and water plants as iv noticed the dry out fast even in very wet weather.
regards Michelle.

From David C
As for slugs and snails, it is best to despatch them on sight. Get a margarine tub full of soapy water, lift them with a leaf and drop them in. This saves a considerable amount of money over the years on traps, gravel and nematodes and the yearly repeated orders of all 3. Pour the contents of the tub down the drain and start again!
As for bug control on fruit trees, throw your washing-up water around your trees about once a week. I did it and got a bumper crop with no leaf or fruit damage – just like the summer of 1976. (Although back then, we used the old bath water!)

From Jan
Hi there all. I'm probably getting carried away because we've had a day with a bit of sun, however, I suffer terribly from insect bites and blow up like a balloon, or at least I did!! Whilst living in Malta and heavily pregnant, I was being eaten alive when told of a non-medicinal way to rid the discomfort. Simply by drinking one to two glasses of tonic water a day, the quinnine will work wonders and now that I'm no longer pregnant what better way to take your "medicine" than to mix it with a long cold Gin or a refreshing Vodka on a balmy summers evening!!

From Hilary E
Try planting chives near your roses to help combat Black spot. Apparently the chives exude a substance from their roots which is taken up by roses. It takes a couple of years to work, but it seems to help in my garden.

From Liz D
Having problems with snails or slugs? Smear Petrolium Jelly (Vaseline) around the base of all your garden pots and smear it on the walls around the base of your compost bin - it lasts for a couple of weeks come rain or shine. For those of you who are fighting the battle, hours of entertainment can be had watching these creatures get half way up the pot but slide back down as soon as they reach the jelly at the 'treated' spot. You can almost feel their frustration. Kyuk!
(Note to self - ' Must Get Out More')

From Val M
When making up my hanging baskets I don't buy liners for them but use old tights. You can easily make holes where you want to put your plants and in the bottom after putting the tights around I place a plastic saucer, this helps to retain some moisture after watering. Also to water them cut off the bottom of a 2 ltr pop bottle make 2 holes on either side and thread through some string to enable you to hang it from your hanging basket hanger then make a small hole in the lid, hang from the support for your basket and fill with water, this makes sure there is no water waste as it slowly waters your basket for you which lets the plants drink more.

From John T
Dear gardeners. Slugs can be caught and dispatched by laying out newspaper and cardboard - with a weight on top - where they gather and are easily found. A good way of mulching your soil and recycling materials in an environmentally friendly way. Persuading frogs and slow worms to live in your garden is also an excellent way of getting the little buggers eaten!

From John M
There is a simple way to keep slugs and snails off strawberries, which I have been using for the last four years with 100% success.
When I plant my strawberries I first of all lay a covering of porous polythene and plant the strawberries through it. I then cover the polythene with sharp grit, my present covering has only needed minimal topping up. I have not had one strawberry eaten by slugs or snails since doing this and I strongly recommend it.
When you want to reset your strawberry bed it is easy to lift the polythene with the grit on it and continue to use it.

From Patty J
Hello Happy Gardeners. Waterbutts are a death trap to all manner of wild life including domestic animals. Many songbirds have drowned in them and my friend lost her pet hen in this way. Also cats and other four legged friends can drown in them. Allotment holders put a long piece of wood inside them to help creatures struggle out. To stop them getting in, in the first place, some chicken wire over the top will do very nicely.

From Lesley M
If your making a water feature that needs a very long length of 1.5 inch specialist hose, where possible use 1.5inch drain from a hardware store, and buy the specialist hose in short lengths to go round curves, etc. It saved us a fortune.

From Peter D
To speed up the ripening of green tomatoes place in a polystyrene egg box (for unripened tomatoes at the end of the growing season)

From Viv T
Heres something my mother taught me - cut a plastic pop bottle in half and put the lidded end in a grow bag, minus the lid of course, then water the plants that way, just keep it topped up.

From Ken B
Weeds such as buttercups, couch grass etc can be totally killed off by filling a refuse bin with water and dropping in the weeds.Put the lid on and leave for 6 weeks. After this time you will have a slimy mass of compost which you can put on your compost heap and you can water with the liquid, it is full of nitrogen and other nutrients. Frankly, I didn't think it would work but my goodness it does. Its the best tip I've receive in years. One word of warning, the stench is obnoxious..

From Carla C
I have found neem oil very useful for insect /mossy bites, it is a natural product many years old,
and doesn't harm the enviroment as there are no added chemicals in the product.

From Gwendolyn F
Rid yourself of chemical weed killers and simply use a strong, or any type of, vinegar.

From - TJW
Use old tyres for growing tomato plants. The heat is absorbed by the black rubber, giving the plants an extra boost.

Use old tyres for growing potatoes. As the plant grows add another tyre and more compost. Keep adding tyres and compost to a comfortable height. When it is time to harvest, pull the tyres off, spread the compost and pick up the potatoes. Saves space and NO DIGGING!

From - Alan B
Go organic and plant potatoes under black polythene. Not only does this do away with the hard work of planting, weeding, banking and digging up the harvest. When they are ready to eat it is like picking the potatoes from a supermarket shelf!

From - Neil R
When I have planted small and young plants ie:bedding or bulbs with shoots, I cut a 2ltr fizzy pop bottle in half and place that over the plant especially at night to keep them warm, works like a mini greenhouse, and the half that has the bottle top you can open to let the air in, so works as a vent...

From - Gill E
I found that Liquid Tomato Food is loved by my Fuchsias. I have 25 in the front garden and 12 in the back. One is about 9 years old and gives me great pleasure every year.

From - Jane R
Someone told me that used washing up water poured over your roses deters aphids...it seemed to work for me last year!

From - Richard J
To keep mosquitoes at bay in your water butts over the summer purchase a small goldfish from your local petshop, put it in the water butt (though not ones that are in full sun all day) and you will have no further problems from mosquitoes and a well fed goldfish.

From - Martin B
We used old tights to surround baskets of aquatic compost for the pond plants. They let the water in but very little to no soil out into the pond water itself to make it murky.

From - Martin B
I have found a way to save money on buying new bedding plants for tubs and baskets such as Petunias and Pansies. As they develop seed heads, catch the contents in bags or marg tubs when the sun expands them. Dry them over winter and sow early spring for your next array of colour!

12/12/2000 - Theresa C
Use cut up tights to use as tree ties.


Michael's Tips

From resident gardener, Michael Barratt (Scroll down for member's Tips & Hints)

• The most likely cause of older plant leaves dropping is under-watering, whereas the most likely cause of younger plant leaves going yellow is over-watering.
  
  
• Don't ignore insect bites. There are plenty of soothing 'after bite' products on the market, make sure you have one handy. If you start to get a reaction from any bite, contact your local GP. Stings and bites can be serious if you are unlucky to be allergic.
  
  
• Caffeine is a natural herbicide. So tea bags and coffee grounds can make a useful compost, but use sparingly.
  
  
• Someone told me that discarded water from an aquarium is brilliant for houseplants.
  
  
• A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down but a teaspoonful of salt can kill an individual weed like a dandelion in the lawn.
  
  
• Crushed eggshells sprinkled around young or sensitive plants helps to keep away slugs and snails. Also, planting parsley around your roses should help keep aphids away.
  
  
• The taller herbaceous plants now romping onwards and upwards will need support soon. You can buy simple frames from garden centres and superstores to place over them in readiness.
  
  
• If you want to harvest seeds from the likes of Lupins and Delphiniums place a plastic bag over the head just before the flower finishes to catch the seed.
  
  
• Gro-bags are an ideal way of introducing children to gardening. Give them their own gro-bag and a few cherry-tomato plants and watch their interest grow!
  
  
• Try and keep watering regular and remember to feed once a week with a tomato feed as the new tomatoes start to form. French beans are ideal for gro-bags too. Give them a go. You might be able to buy small plants from your local garden centre.
  
  
• You don't have to use tomato feed just on tomatoes. It is a high potash feed and ideal for all other flower plants, especially bedding.
  
  
• When we do eventually get some sun, you will need to apply some shade to the greenhouse. You can buy a simple emulsion wash to apply to the windows that easily washed of at the end of the season.
  
  
• Have a look at getting a small automatic vent or window opener. They work on air temperature and are very easy to fix to existing windows/vent.