All of this pondering gave me the idea that my fellow gardeners might be interested in my gardening satchel of tricks, tonics and tips that incorporate time tested rituals of bygone days with the technological revolution. Because of space restrictions, I’m listing just a smattering of magic to make your garden grow this fall. Attend one of my garden lectures for further enchantment and tales of digging deep.
Techno Scarecrows
The best remedy I have discovered to keep the birds out of my vegetable garden and the hawks away from swooping down to kill my baby chicks is a gift of the technological age. CD's and DVD's make stupendous scarecrows! Save your unwanted or broken CD's and DVD's. String a wire across a fence or between two posts high enough so that you won't decapitate yourself when you are watering. Cut strips of wire to your desired length. Put through the CD or DVD hole and tie to the wire going across your garden. The reflection from the disks keeps the birds and other flying predators away. At Christmas, I tie ribbon through my CD's and hang from trees in my front yard for a twinkling, glittering holiday surprise. Ribbon rots, therefore it is only useful for short periods of time.
Vegetable Soup
When you steam vegetables, don’t toss that nutritious broth. Your potted plants are thirsty and will appreciate the extra vitamin bath.
Dirty Nails
Although I wear both plastic gloves and leather gloves when I’m in the yard, my nails suffer. I now scrape my nails on a bar of soap before I dash into the dirt. When I’m finished pulling the weeds, pruning, and planting, all I do is scrub my fingernails with a nailbrush. Clean machine.
Keep Your Eye on the Bulb
Are you someone who plants bulbs in the fall, enjoys their blooms, then forgets where you planted them? Although I never dig up my bulbs, including my tulips, many gardeners do this religiously. If you have a relatively small plot, an easy way to remember where you planted your bulbs is to plant your bulbs in 4 inch pots, then plant the pots in the ground allowing a small amount of the rim to show. When it is time to dig up the bulbs, all you have to do is pull out the pot. Dust off the bulb and apply medicated baby powder, then store in burlap sacks in a dark, dry place.
Match Maker
When planting your fall vegetable plants, throw three or four matchsticks into each hole before planting. The sulphur kills insects as well as gives your plants a boost. Sulphur is good for the soil, too.
Golf Game
Wearing golf shoes in the garden is an easy way to aerate your soil. While you are at it, use an old golf bag to carry your long handled tools around the yard. Roll your shovel, rakes, and hoes to their desired destination. If your lawn is sprouting mushrooms, sprinkle dry laundry detergent as you walk with your fertilizer broadcaster. Water well. A hole in one!
Garlic Breath
Just like vampires, insects do not like garlic. Put a couple of cloves of garlic in each of your rose bushes to bid farewell to aphids and other nasty gnats.
Reading Material
Newsprint makes great mulch because the zinc in the ink keeps away bugs and insects. Save your papers and layer them about two to three inches thick on the bare ground. Cover with wood chips or other shredded mulches. The newspapers can be tilled into the soil, or left to decompose because they are wood fiber based.
Hot and Dry
This is definitely a new take on an old idea for drying herbs. Pick your fresh herbs and place them flat on a newspaper in the back seat of your car. Roll up the windows and park in the sun. It sounds like herb abuse, but within a day, you’ll have fresh dried herbs for gifts or culinary creativity. As an added bonus, your car will be detoxified and smell great. My preferred herbs for the car dry method are mint, basil, and fennel.
Bounce It
Are you plagued with yellow jackets, mice, or rats? A sheet of dryer fabric softener (like Bounce) keeps these pests away. Put sheets under your house, on the patio, in your pantry, or wherever you have a problem. You’ll be able to eat al fresco without the yellow buggers biting, and the rats and mice won’t stay in a location that has been bounced.
Seed Harvest
Seed saving is as old as civilization, yet many gardeners prefer to buy new packets each year. Why not put the dollars back in your wallet, get out a brown paper bag, and harvest the pods and seeds from your bolting favorites? Clip off the ripened seeds or florets and put in the bag. Tie off the bag with a rubber band or string and hang in a cool, dark, place. In about two weeks the chaff separates from the seeds. Shake the bag vigorously. Remove the stems, chaff, and any leaves by spreading everything on a cookie sheet. Store the seeds in a sealed jar and label with the name and the year. Coriander, dill, marigolds, zinnias, calendula, hollyhock, beans, gourds, melons, squash, fennel, parsley, and pumpkins are the simplest to harvest. Expect a great crop next season.
So there you have it! Not a complete list of all my tricks, tips and tonics, but at least a primer to get you going. Gardening is the greatest teacher and Mother Nature is the wisest mom. Of course Bernie was right. No matter what I think up, it has probably already been tried. That’s okay. If a tip, trick or tonic works, bring it on!

Happy Gardening to You!
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