Photo Credit: Cardboard boxes by Chris Campbell used under CC BY-NC 2.0

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

One may wonder how in the world cardboard could be used in the garden.

Well, it has more uses then you think but before we go on we need to learn about cardboard.

Cardboard comes in many shapes, sizes and types.

The type that needs to be used in the garden is the corrugated type that is not covered in plastic.

This plastic can be tape or the decorative coating that covers many boxes on the outside. This covering informs the buyer what is inside.

The other characteristic of cardboard that one needs is the corrugated type. The reason for this is the glue. Healthy soil organisms will not only eat the cardboard but will delight in the glue, which in most cases is made from animals.

Do not worry about colored ink. The tiny amount of heavy metals that could be released is so small that they do not cause any physical harm to humans.

Once you have the correct cardboard, the next question is Read the rest of this entry »

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

I am a collector of many things.

Some of these items, I question why I collected them from a second-hand store or saved from the landfill.

Others, on the other hand, I know exactly what I am going to do with them when I pick them up. My find of a bathroom sink fell into this latter category.

This sink’s second life began one day when I was taking a walk.

On the side of the road, I saw a glimmer of light. It actually sparkled and glistened in the light.

Being curious, I walked up to see what it was and low and behold, it was a complete bathroom sink and vanity with gold colored hardware and crystal handles. How lucky I was to discover this find and I knew exactly what I was going to do with it.

I took it home, cleaned it up and noticed that the back was gone. While I was a little disappointed, it did not change my design plan and even worked out better in the end.

The first step in this process is to Read the rest of this entry »

Photo Credit: Aphid Farm On a Tulip Tree Leaf by light2shine used under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

Everyone who has gardened has had a problem with insects sometime or another.

The first approach that many gardeners try first is an insecticide but since I am an organic gardener I avoid this technique.

Frankly, even though I work very hard in my garden, there is nothing in my garden space that is so valuable that it cannot be replaced if it is eaten by my fellow creatures.

One of my favorite techniques to use when it comes to pest control is to create my own insect traps. I have different kinds of traps for different types of insects but in this case I am going to make one for the flying insects. This includes aphids, and white flies.

The easiest technique I have found is Read the rest of this entry »

Photo Credit: Small spots and coalescing lesions of bacterial pustule by International Institute of Tropical Agriculture

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

Bacterial leaf spot is a fungal issue that many gardeners develop in their gardens.

This can be prevented by buying healthy plants, spacing the plants out according to their variety, protecting plants from water splashing up on them with newspaper, and watering at the correct time.

But if you do get bacterial leaf spot, there are two easy organic treatments the can be used and the supplies are no farther than your kitchen.

The main ingredient to the first approach is milk. A spray of milk and water is surprisingly a solution to any bacterial leaf spot and mildew problem. Tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and lettuce can be susceptible to this plant disease. The success of this treatment depends on when you discover the problem. The sooner the better and the more often you apply the treatment the better the success rate.

To begin the treatment, one must first Read the rest of this entry »

Photo Credit: Tiny Tomato Plants by sciondriver used under CC BY-NC 2.0

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

The other day, I was in one of my favorite “feed and seed” just looking around and noticed a new item on their seed rack.

I thought I had seen everything. This included seed tape, seed bombs, and seed cards.

But a seed disk was something new to me.

As I looked through the assortment of seed disks created by Perry-Morse, I found that they were not limited to flowers but also included herbs. Being an herb lover and curious as far as the product, I decided to buy a basil disk.

Once I got it home, I could not wait until spring to plant it. So to the garden shed I went to Read the rest of this entry »