Gardening Tips Weekly (July 01, 2018)

As good as they taste off the bush and in pies, blackberries are very invasive and difficult to remove from your property.

Thanks for reading,
Barbara

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Today's Featured Post

Removing Blackberries Without Herbicides

By lalala...

Tackling blackberries is a pain in more than one way. With the proper clothing and equipment, you can pull blackberries without injury.

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This Week's Guides

Making a Bird House from a Shoe or Boot

Harvesting Cherries

Cherries held about basket of cherry harvest

Honeysuckle Photos

Light pink Honeysuckle flowers with leaves on white background

8 Ways to Make Mowing Your Lawn Easier

A lawn mower in the process of mowing a lush green lawn.

Buy Named Plant Varieties

Garden Center with plants clearly labelled

Using Tires for Raised Beds

Today's Posts

Choosing A Cucumber Variety

By likekinds

I am harvesting, and enjoying, some of the best cucumbers I have ever tasted. I wanted to share the name with you.

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Growing Lantana

By R Barbara

Verbenaceae, commonly known as lantana is a fast growing tropical American native. It is grown as an annual in all zones below 8, and may even freeze in zones 8 - 10. It is typically grown as a ground cover, shrub, or in containers, including hanging baskets, depending on the type you select.

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Milk for Treating Powdery Mildew

By likekinds

There are many articles posted on the Internet reporting that ordinary cows milk diluted with water to about a 10 % solution and sprayed on plants is highly effective as a preventative and as a treatment for various types of powdery mildew.

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Fruit Trees for Cleaner Air, Shade and Fruit

By Coreen Hart

If you have even a tiny yard with sunshine, plant a fruit tree! Fruit is only one of the crops you will get from it. Trees do a wonderful job of cleaning the air.

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Plant Succulents in Strawberry Pots

By Jess (TF Editor)

My friend planted her terra cotta strawberry pot with different succulents. It looks fabulous. I have an old strawberry pot that is currently empty so I'm going to try my own version.

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Half of My Daylilies Didn't Bloom

For the past 3 summers my daylilies have bloomed so well. This year, half the group did not develop scapes, while half did and are now in bloom.

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Chicken Amongst the Vegetables

By ShirleyE

Every now and again, a naughty chicken will escape into the vegetable patch. Also every now and again I let them in there on purpose. They do scratch about a bit and nibble at the leaves, but they don't do as much damage as the little bugs that they pick off and eat. It's free nutrition for the birds and better eggs and less damage from caterpillars and the like, plus a little extra fertilizer in the process!

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Hummingbird Silhouette

Corn Kernel For Rooting Cuttings

I've posted so many pictures of plants I've rooted, I don't think one will be necessary here. I haven't tried this tip as I have no trouble rooting cuttings. For those of you who try my methods and still aren't successful, you might want to give this tip a try.

Broccoli All Summer Long

If you have planted a garden and grow broccoli, once you have cut the main head off, leave the plant alone. It will produce side heads of broccoli, quite a bit smaller than the main head, but still just as edible as the main head.

Handy Prop for House Plants

If you have house plants with thin vines that do not stand up with a stick, I have used a wooden 5 fingered back scratcher to hold these vines up. Put the fingers upward and the vines slide nicely between fingers.

Give Extras from the Garden to Your Local Food Pantry

I have just discovered a gardener's greatest harvest! Our local food pantry is now set up to accept fresh fruits and vegetables all year round, which means any harvest I have that I can't use automatically has a distribution point to be taken to for the benefit of others.

Composting With Sawdust and Grass Clippings

A quick and easy compost method if you don't have manure but do have a good supply of grass clippings. Grass is quite high in nitrogen. Mix one part of sawdust with four parts of fresh grass clippings.

Answer Questions and Earn!

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This Week's Questions

Murray Riding Mower Spindle Won't Spin

I just replaced the spindle bearings on my Murray riding mower, but when I tighten the blade the spindle gets stuck and will not spin. What am I missing?