ReadyMade: Instructions for everyday life

GARDENING GUIDELINES

PILL POPPER
Houseplants are not only great aesthetic additions to any room, they also significantly reduce biological and synthetic pollutants in the air. Some of the more effective filtering flora include gerber daisies, chrysanthemums, ficus, peace lilies, and devil’s ivy.

BUG OFF
Lure pests away from your vegetation by offering them an irresistible elixir. In a cup, mix 1 cup of water, 1⁄2 cup of apple cider vinegar, 1⁄4 cup of sugar, and 1 tablespoon of molasses. Set the container near your plants, and watch the ants come marching in!

HOT AND SPICY
When squirrels started digging up Lore Guilmartin’s potted plants, the clever contributor sprinkled cayenne pepper onto the soil, driving pesky creatures away without hurting the plants.

COMPOST YOUR CRUMBS
Starting today, quit tossing your breakfast scraps into the trash. Your morning meals make great compost for soil: Coffee grounds, grapefruit peels, lemon rinds, and eggshells all add extra nutrients to keep plants healthy and robust.

TRUE BLUE
Contributor Chris Keller suggests burying iron nails under hydrangea bushes to foster vibrant blue blooms.

GOODWILL GROWTH
When ReadyMaker Kelly Eshleman moved into a new house, generous friends gave her clippings from their own gardens to help kick-start hers. Easy-to-grow perennials like ornamental grasses, lilies, and hostas are attractive and hardy options.

SHELLING OUT
For an added boost of vitamins, bury seeds under dirt in eggshell halves, and plant the shells in soil. The protein and calcium will degrade and provide much-needed nourishment to the seeds.

WEED WHACKER
To kill weeds and keep mud off pathways, contributor Jessica Williams suggests using pieces of old carpet instead of pricey landscape fabric. Cut the carpet down to size, lay it on the ground, and cover it with a thick layer of wood chips. Water will seep through, but weeds won’t break out.

THE ZONE DIET
Fledgling seeds need infusions of protein. In a clean saltshaker, toss them with unflavored gelatin or flour, sprinkle the mixture into the dirt, cover with mulch, and water well.

SALVAGING STYROFOAM
When oversized planters require huge heaps of soil, save space and encourage good drainage by layering the pot’s bottom half with Styrofoam peanuts. Soil and plants sit snugly on top.

PANIC AT THE DISCO
While birds are often a blessing, you don’t want them making a meal of your seedlings. To keep the tweeters at bay, hang mini mirror balls near your plants. Alternatively, make your own by attaching broken bits of mirror, foil, or anything reflective to a ping-pong ball (just make sure the pieces aren’t too sharp in case a creature hits them mid-flight).

WHOLE FOODS
If you’re big on salad but small on space, try growing your greens in a hanging wire basket. Lay down a snug lining of moist moss, and plant baby gems five to six inches apart.
Fill in with potting soil and then top it off with more seedlings.

BEER GARDEN
Slugs and snails aren’t only voracious eaters; they’re voracious drinkers as well. To capture the little lushes, fill a small washed-out container (such as a cottage cheese tub or cat food tin) with one to two inches of Budweiser or Michelob (gastropod favorites), and they’ll drink themselves into oblivion. Sink the container into the dirt so that its rim rests an inch above ground to avoid trapping slug-reducing ground beetles.

MILK STASH
Fungi taking the fun out of gardening? Turns out milk kills common garden fungi like powdery mildew, and also helps control black spot. Mix one part skim milk (it’s less stinky than whole) to nine parts water. Spritz affected areas every five to seven days for three cycles.

BFFs
Plants need companions too. Take advantage of their codependent tendencies by planting basil beside tomatoes or fennel, legumes adjacent to cabbage (or broccoli or kale), and oregano near beans.

LAY, LADYBUG, LAY
Ladybugs are a safe and natural way to get rid of aphids—plus they’re super-cute. At the first sign of aphids, buy a collection of live ladybugs from your local nursery. Release them at the coolest time of the day, so they don’t fly away, and watch as they deter plant-gobbling creatures. If you don’t want to buy them, attract the cute little buggers by planting fennel, dill, alyssum, and cumin.

BAMBOOZLED
Potted bamboo is a great way to add color, shade, and privacy in an apartment. Place the pot on rollers to allow for easy movement and shade at different times of the day.

WEEDING MATERIAL
If weeds have overtaken your yard, smother them with newspaper printed with soy-based ink. It will degrade naturally and add carbon to the soil. Lay four to six sheets of newspaper over weeds (a layer of cardboard also does the job), and weight them down with some rocks or a heavy branch. Cover the weeds during autumn, and by spring, you should have lovely, weed-free soil, ready for planting.

SLIP-FREE STAIRS
For outdoor paint projects (i.e. a patio or steps), stir a little sand into each can of paint to provide better traction on rainy days. The sand functions as a grip and helps prevent falls in slick weather.

DIY DIRT
Compost is the result of billions of microbes (and a few friendly insects) devouring and digesting the cast-offs you feed them, thereby transforming your trash into an enriched soil that gardens and houseplants love. To start composting at home, keep an empty coffee can with a lid under your kitchen sink and fill it with compostable “greens” like fruit and vegetable scraps, tea bags, coffee grounds, and egg shells (steer clear of meat, bones, or milk products). Combine them in an outdoor bin with an equal amount of compostable “browns,” such as dried leaves and garden waste, wood chips, sawdust, straw, and paper products. Make your own composting bin by drilling a couple dozen ½" holes through the sides, lid, and bottom of a medium-size metal garbage can. Elevate it a few inches over the ground with a few bricks underneath the bottom rim. The holes and elevation provide the aeration and drainage necessary for the composting magic to take place. As you continue adding compostables to the bin, keep the materials moist, and give the mix a good stir once a week. Allow the microbes and Mother Nature some time to do their thing, then spread the compost over soil. Your plants (and our landfills) will be eternally grateful.

SNOW MOTION
Lighten your wintertime load by coating the blade of your shovel with floor wax to keep fallen flurries from sticking.