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Dandy, but Not Really Handy
When it comes to gardening I'm always on the lookout for tools that make the job easier. And if the tool is on sale, watch out, I might buy two. That's what happened when I spotted the small, green and clear plastic dial a seed sower in a catalog. You didn't have to ask me twice. I ordered two in hopes that I could get more accurate when I planted lettuce seeds in flats. Fewer seeds would mean fewer seedlings in the compost bin.

The seed sower was supposed to control the flow rate of different sized sees as they vibrated down the dispensing channel. The vibration would come from my index finger and there were different sized openings in the seed sower to accommodate big and small seeds. To be honest it doesn't seem to work much differently than cutting a corner off a seed package and tapping the package with your finger to get the seeds to vibrate out. As someone much younger than I might say, "Duh!"

My only consolation is I got two for the price of one. And maybe someday I'll get to place that second one in a time capsule because I doubt I ever get around to wearing out the first one.

Tapping the seed sower with your finger helps regulate your seed distribution during planting.

A Penny Saved
As an avid gardener I've always planted seeds. That doesn't mean I'm a seedy character although I'm sure some of my acquaintances might differ in opinion. It just means I like the challenge of growing plants from their beginnings and not relying on the local garden center for all my bedding or vegetable plants. So, as seedy a gardener as I am, I've used lots of small 5½ by 8-inch fiber flats I'd purchase by the dozen from a seed company catalog. They were the right size for the quantity of seedlings I needed and when the bottom finally fell out of the flat it would become dry matter for the compost bin.

Using a candle's flame to heat the point of an ice-pick you can quickly poke holes in the foam containers. Dill seeds were started in one of the "free" seed starting flats.

Well all of a sudden grocery stores like Albertson's and ABCO started selling their ground beef in plastic foam containers about the same size as the fiber flats I'd been accustomed to using. These little containers - after removing the beef, washing and poking a few drainage holes in the bottom - are perfect for starting seeds. And the added bonus is the bottom doesn't fall out when it gets wet. So now I'm recycling these containers on a regular basis and saving a little money which can be spent more wisely like buying dial a seed sowers as mentioned in the story above.

Simple Hanging Basket Aid
Once, long ago, when I was a bit more ambitious as a gardener I used to plant 15 to 20 hanging baskets with petunias in the fall and hang them from the three palo verde trees I have in my front yard. Come spring they were quite colorful. However, they did require care which included watering every couple of days, dead-heading the old blooms on a regular basis and moving all the baskets to protect the stems or flowers if it got too windy, cold or heavy rain was forecast.

I began to miss the winter and spring color since many of my bedding plants are now prone to animal attacks from javelina, fence climbing ground squirrels and the bunny that figured out he or she could dig a hole under the fence. With all the wildlife I am never sure if I'll have any plants or flowers come spring. Hanging baskets were always safe from most flower eating predators except for an occasional rock squirrel. It was time again to hang a few petunia baskets somewhere.

Metal conduit from a hardware store fastened to the roof's eaves make for an easy to adjust hanging basket system.

Petunia filled hanging baskets under the carport eaves.

I could drive nails, screw in hooks or adapt the method I used for my hanging baskets in my small greenhouse. The greenhouse method was very inexpensive and it gave me some latitude in where the baskets hung. By attaching inexpensive metal conduit to the rafters I had a whole long length to hang my baskets. If the baskets work out, and I get the urge to hang other plants there in the summer, I can run the drip irrigation system up the wall and along the conduit to automatically water the baskets. With the plants under the eaves they're protected somewhat from the occasional rain and wind but I do have to rotate them every so often so the growth isn't all leaning toward the sunny side. (2000)