Great Re-Uses

Cork from wine bottle:

• scrub the blades of scissors and pruning shears with lemon juice and coarse salt
• slice and attach to bottom of planter to allow drainage or bottom of saucer to protect surface

Soft paint brushes:

• dust lampshades, pleats, spiny or velvety house plants etc.

Plastic jug or bottle:

• cut off top and turn into funnel
• cut to make scoop for bird seed, soil, fertilizer, clean out gutters
• fill with sand or water to hold down tarps or other light weight covers

Chopsticks:

• dislodge dirt from boot treads
• stake household plants
• tease apart roots when replanting

(Martha Stewart Living Magazine April 2010)

Mattress Rotation from Martha Stewart

For even wear and a longer life, a mattress should be flipped four times a year (alternating between end-over-end and side-over-side rotation). Hotels keep track by marking each end of a mattress: one says "January" (right side up) and "April" (upside down), the other "October" (right side up) and "July" (upside down). Whenever one of those months rolls around, adjust the mattress so that the appropriate month's name is right side up at the foot of the bed.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Mattress Rotation Reminder - Martha Stewart Home and Garden

Storing Winter Clothes

Thankfully the time has come to put away the wool sweaters and scarves. I am so tired of little moth bites so this year I am doing it right.

1. Have dry clean only items dry cleaned.
2. Hand wash other items (sweaters and scarves).
3. Store with sachets. And here is a short description from Martha Stewart on making sachets.

Take a deep breath: Aromatic herbs like rosemary, cinnamon, lavender, and balsam can keep clothing and shoes smelling fresh; cedar can help protect woolens from moth damage. For your drawers, spoon a small amount of herbs into a beautiful old handkerchief, gather the ends, and tie with ribbon or twine. For your shoes, create a sachet that will help them retain their shape as well as freshen them. Sew a carrot-shaped sachet, using a piece of linen two times wider than the shoe at its widest point plus 2 inches; make a channel at the top so you can cinch it with ribbon. Or, if you are looking for a no-sew solution, simply stuff herbs into a sock -- nothing is better acquainted with the shape of a foot.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Homemade Sachets - Martha Stewart Home and Garden

Snow and Ice Cover (totally off schedule here)

Keep Traction on Hand

Spread gritty alfalfa meal -- available from feed stores -- on slippery paths to provide traction on ice and snow. In spring, the alfalfa serves as a nitrogen fertilizer for surrounding greenery.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Easy Organizing Tips – Martha Stewart

Easter Weekend Plans

It has been a crazy busy couple of weeks. But I am determined to do some fun easter stuff this weekend. So this morning we went to get supplies. I tried to focus on general craft supplies we could use any time or on future Easters. So we got:

• pastel coloured paper
• big construction paper (variety of colours)
• tempura paints in 6 colours (easter and regular)
• yellow feathers
• white fluff balls
• pink pipe cleaners
• sparkel sprinkles
• a new big paint brush
• white eggs (to blow out and use eggs for quiche etc)
• supplies for sugar cookies and icing
• round cardboard plates

We already have:

• different coloured felt
• glue
• scissors
• cookie cutters for easter
• food dyes
• pastels sprinkles
• a few baskets
• paper shavings
• felt- various colours but need pink and orange
• green tissue paper

Still need:

• pink embroidery floss
• mini cupcake holders

Friday afternoon: chick eggs

Saturday morning: sugar cookie batter

Saturday afternoon: pig and bunny eggs

Sunday morning: Caia's gift: new Beatrix Potter place mat, plate and glass, bunny stuffed animal, tea set in pastel colours. Easter egg hunt for Caia. Easter breakfast of boiled eggs, toast and bacon.

Sunday afternoon: (maybe start in morning) roll out, cut and bake cookies

Sunday evening: Easter dinner at Granny and Grandpa's, decorate dining room

Monday Brunch and Crafts with Friends

Friends are bringing savoury scones, crepes, and juice. Kevin's making 2 types of quiche (definitely a bacon leek one and one veggie). And I will do a fruit salad and yoghurt.

Two craft plans: bunny or chicks made with cardboard plates, paint, sprinkles, feathers, etc. and decorating easter cookies (may make into puzzle pieces).

Crafts are all from Martha Stewart (and photos).

Let's Square Foot Garden!!

Okay, so square foot gardening is all about maximizing usage of space. Awesome if you have a small backyard like I do. Also good to cut down on water wastage and weeds (even in big gardens).

1. First you split your bed into square feet. I use string attached to nails. It gets a bit cruddy but keeps me organized.
2. Plan to grow vertically whenever possible- pole beans, peas, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash. And plan these for the back (best against a north wall).
3. Make sure your soil is well fertilized with compost to begin with. And add some dolomite lime if you live in places where it rains a lot like Vancouver (2 weeks before starting). Cover if it has been raining a lot and the soil is soaked (2 weeks before starting).
4. Mix in 10-20% vermiculite (naturally occurring and helps retain moisture).
5. Remember to rotate locations from last year- especially night shades like tomatoes and eggplants and mustard plants (cauliflower etc I believe).
6. Think in terms of Spring (ie spinach), Summer (beans), Fall (carrots). And plan to rotate in appropriate plants.
7. Remember to think about companions like nasturtiums and marigolds to ward off pests (usually about 2 plants per square foot and no farther than 10 feet from furthest plant). And think about some beneficial plants near by- even just sunflowers would be helpful.
8. If you do more than 1 square of a plant then stagger planting by a week (except for the verticals, kale, salad greens etc that tend to keep replenishing). Good options are carrots, beets, scallions, radishes).
9. Remember what likes full sun and what likes part shade and plan accordingly (Part shade includes beets, carrots, chard, cucumber, lettuce, peas. Full sun includes tomatoes, beans, summer squash, corn, eggplant.)
10. Interplant- ie put little scallions under tomato plants (just 4 to 8 of them).
11. Every time you put in new seeds add some compost and fertilizer.
12. Use vermiculite where the seeds are planted (surrounding it by about the space of 3-4 seeds).
13. Water well but gently. I like to keep a watering can where it can warm up a bit. And try to refill the night or so before to allow chlorine to dissipate. Usually once a week but check on them!
14. Presoak big seeds (like beans etc).
15. Consider starting seedlings- but only plants that transplant well.
16. Now you can plan # of plants per square foot based on.

• 16 per square foot- carrots, radishes, scallions
• row- sometimes I find a row of salad greens is easiest- 2 rows for 1 foot deep
• 9 per square foot- spinach, bush beans, beets, garlic, peas
• 4 per square foot- chard, lettuce, parsley, flowers
• 1 per square foot- potato, peppers, eggplants, vertical tomatoes, muskmelon, corn
• 2 per square foot- cucumber vertical
• 8 per square foot- pole beans (but still split into 16 and don't use top/ bottom spots
• And research any plants I have not included.

Preparing for Square Foot Gardening - Compost

So I just did a bunch of weeding and dumped 6 bags of compost so far into the garden. I have 6 bags of (supposedly) composted steer manure ($25 for 6 say 40-50 lb bags) and 4 of maybe 25 lbs of mushroom manure ($4 each). I want to start planting veg soon so I felt a bit nervous about growing in the steer manure in case it is not fully composted (aged). So that went on the flower garden. And each 4x3 foot raised bed got the mushroom manure. (By the way, I did lime a few weeks ago too.)

Here's the thing. We did a very good job of putting our yard trimmings and veg etc scraps in the compost bin. It was inherited from the previous owners and the sides had already popped on it. Anyway, we never ever aerated it! So they popped even more till it broke. So we saved a bucket full with about 2-300 worms in it! And we are paying to recycle it this weekend.

Here's the other thing. I felt ridiculous that the compost I bought has resulted in all this plastic bag waste. This year I am determined to make my own compost! No more wasting around $45 on compost. And no more plastic bag waste.