Provide nesting supplies for the birds to set up shop in your yard with this bird nest material dispenser! Share sewing and knitting scraps, lint, moss, pine needles, twigs, broom bristle, straw, shredded paper…the list is endless. I used a wire suet cage/holder to make mine! You can also create a bird nest material dispenser out of chicken wire (just be sure to clip off sharp edges). Once you have decided on a design, just fill it with the materials described above. The birds will thank you and reward you by living in your yard or close by.
How to Grow a Potato Tower
Learn how to grow a potato tower, it’s a great garden space saver! Instead of growing them in horizontal rows, grow potatoes vertically. It is possible to grow 100 lbs of taters in a 4×4 area of your garden. For the perimeter you will need chicken wire or big-holed wire (tires or wooden boards also work), as well as dirt, hay and seed potatoes.
Build a circular or square fence in the shape you would like your tower, fill the first row with hay, then create a hole or divot in the center of the hay, fill with dirt, approximately 6″, then seed potatoes, 6″ of dirt, then drench tower with water. Potatoes love water! Plant your potatoes around the edges of your tower four to six inches apart. You can also plant 1-3 in the center as long your spacing is consistent. Allow the first layer to sprout leaves, do not build your tower all at once. Once you see the sprouted leaves repeat the layers, allow to sprout, repeat layers. I suggest up to four layers of potatoes, but wait until previous layer sprouts. Once the leaves turn brown and fall off, wait a week then harvest.
DIY Herb Planter
Learn how to make this cool diy herb planter or “spice rack” to hang over a fence. YouTube’s Crazy Russian Hacker walks us through the steps. All you need is an inexpensive over the door shoe organizer (as shown In the video), dirt, herb plants in biodegradable pots and a marker to label pockets with herb names.
Banana Peel Rose Fertilizer
Banana peel rose fertilizer is a great hack for growing beautiful roses. The peels decompose quickly and release nutrients such as nitrogen and potassium into the soil. The simplest way to take advantage of the nutrient rich banana peel is to bury them six inches from the base of your rose bush and one inch deep. You can also cut them into smaller pieces if you wish.
Hand Painted Garden Markers
With all of the clever ideas out there for keeping track of what’s growing in your garden rows and planters, it’s hard to choose which method’s best. We think these garden markers are a hands down winner though. Paint a stone like a strawberry for your strawberry bed. Paint a jack o’ lantern to mark where you’ve planted those pumpkin seeds. It’s as affordable as a rock with a little bit of paint. And it’s got character that’s sure to make you smile. Kids will love it!
Muffin Pan Plant Spacer
The possibilities for how to shape and space plants in the garden are endless. We think that you more orderly gardeners out there will love this idea, and creative ones will too. Just take the muffin pan from your kitchen out to your garden bed for a few minutes. Stamp it into the soil so the cups are imprinted into the soil. Place your seeds or seedlings into the indents and cover them with soil. The muffin pan plant spacer will create perfect columns and row. You’ll be enjoying your well spaced plants in no time.
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