BUY IT
Critters for a see-worthy garden
Feeling far away from that cozy cottage garden you’ve always dreamed about tending? These crustaceans will get you out of your shell, and keep the neighbors guessing. The crab ($40) and lobster ($50) sculptures, from Uncommon Goods, are constructed from recycled tools and other household items and they’ll stand up to the weather. They’re made by artist Fred Conlon.
Get them at uncommongoods.com
READ IT
Priceless tips on budget gardening
Looking to plant a garden without spending a lot of money? Author Rob Proctor offers some swell suggestions in “Gardening on a Shoestring,” ($20, Johnson Books), including some wise words on growing plants and flowers from seeds and cuttings. If advice like this isn’t beneath you – “men’s cotton briefs – once the elastic is shot – can be shredded to make soft strips for tying up tomatoes” – then you’ll find plenty to like here.
READER’S TIP
Use tiny helpers to loosen up soil
This week’s tip comes from Fran Johnson of Colorado Springs:
To improve soil, buy a can or carton of earthworms in a sporting section of a store (I got mine at a Kmart) They are kept alive in a substance very much like coffee grounds.
Release the earthworms in your garden area; you can partially bury them if you choose so they will not be too easy targets for the early birds (especially robins). The worms will loosen up the soil and do their work for months and months (and years) to come.
These worms are sold as fishing bait, but they are a wonderful help in preparing your garden for planting. Later in the season, they also nourish the soil because they attract the birds to your garden.
Got a garden tip? Share it with Grow.
E-mail your good ideas to Grow@denverpost.com. We’ll print the best ones and give the tipster a pair of Sloggys garden clogs, courtesy of Sloggers Garden Outfitters.
