Gardening Tips With Bobbie Schwartz

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Written by Bobbie Schwartz

Some items useful in the garden are technically not tools but they are still extremely useful.

I love my bright purple, ten and a half gallon plastic tub (trug). I fill it with weeds and prunings. It is lightweight even when full so that I can comfortably carry it to the garage where I keep my recyclable waste bags or to the treelawn for seasonal green waste pickup. Before I discovered these tubs, I used tarps but the wind was always blowing the sides and ends up unless I anchored them with bricks – what a pain! The tubs are available in several bright colors and sizes.

Another tub holds a bag of leaf humus which I use instead of potting soil. Then I can avail myself of a scoop to transfer the humus to containers when I am potting up bare root perennials or repotting a plug into a larger container or creating dynamic vignettes for my summer containers.

Pot Pads™ are a must for potted plants on any surface. Because they elevate the pot, they prevent deck rot and bug infestation while enabling aeration and drainage. I have found that the increased drainage helps hardy plants survive the winter in the containers that are left outside. I previously lost several plants because the containers retained too much moisture and the roots rotted.

Composed of a hard plastic dome and a non-skid rubber grip pad that creates a suction to the bottom of the pot, they allow for easy movement of pots on hard surfaces without leaving scratches.  Use indoors or outdoors.  Put shiny side down, under pot.  Then, instead of lifting heavy pots, slide them across a deck or patio.  Think of them as furniture glides for your pots I would recommend  using 4 pads per pot.  Need pads? Package of 4 for $5.99.

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