Use Weeds as Garden Mulch, Start Seedlings In Your Parked Car, Make a Camp Stove from a Can, and More Country Lore

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If you own a few acres in a large city, try using it as a lot for a farmers' market, charging sellers proportionally to their earnings.

Use Weeds as Garden Mulch

Here’s a tip for anyone who tends to get behind on weeding their garden: Carefully remove weeds (don’t dislodge the plant’s roots; you may need to firm soil around them again), shake off all the dirt from the roots, and lay weeds beside “keeper” plants in the row. Then, put bare roots on top of weed tops so they can’t take root and grow again. They will act as a mulch by holding moisture and preventing future weeds. They will also protect the sensitive base of garden plants that are disturbed by pulling big weeds. I’ve saved many a garden crop during hectic times.

–Sue Peeler, Pollock, Missouri

Make a Birdhouse from an Ice Cream Container

From Pack Rat Press’s Reuse News, Vol. 2, No. 2 comes a few creative ways to reuse empty 1/2-gallon ice cream tubs and boxes. Make: a pet food canister, a plant or potpourri holder, a colander (punch holes in the bottom and lower sides), a napkin holder, storage for bait worms (fill with coffee grounds), or best of all–a bird house. You’ll need: two lids, one tub, tie-wire or heavy string, and a chunky twig.

  • Published on Oct 1, 1992
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