IT might still be a bit chilly outside, but spring is just around the corner and if you want your garden to be ready for the sunshine there’s one job to tick off your list now.
According to gardening experts, ketchup is the key ingredient, not in your garden.
It might feel a bit early to be preparing your garden for spring but it will be here before you know[/caption]
A bit of tomato sauce can work wonders in your garden[/caption]
Apparently, ketchup can help get rid of rust on a whole range of garden items.
From gates, patio furniture, watering cans, tools – a bit of tomato sauce is all you need.
Sam Stevens, garden design expert at Pergolux UK, told Express.co.uk: “Cleaning the garden doesn’t have to be an expensive job at all.
“We all love a cheap and cheerful hack and the good news is that there are plenty of items you’ll already have in your home that can be used in the garden.”
The hack is perfect for buffing away stains, as well as cleaning up glass, and getting rid of rust, he continued.
So, how should you go about using tomato sauce in your garden?
Start with a thin layer of ketchup on the area you want to clean up and let it set for fifteen minutes.
Then gently scrub the area with water until all the ketchup has been removed.
Your garden should be left looking as good as new, but you can always repeat the process again if any rust remains.
The best part about this gardening hack is that if you don’t already have some tomato sauce you can pick a bottle up for as little as £1 from Iceland, making this trick especially budget-friendly.
And ketchup isn’t the only kitchen staple you can use in your outdoor space either.
If you’ve got any old gardening tools laying around fizzy drinks can work wonders and restore them to their former glory.
Simply soak an old cloth or towel in the fizzy drink and wrap the old gardening tool in the cloth overnight.
In the morning you should be able to wipe away the rust, leaving your tools looking as good as new.
The trick works because of the acidity in fizzy drinks, which breaks down rust.
And it’s not just old gardening tools it can be used on, but metal hinges, furniture and even the metal parts of barbecues.
OTHER GARDENING HACKS TO KNOW
Experts at GardenBuildingsDirect.co.uk have named five popular cupboard items that can be used in the garden to promote growth, treat diseases and remove pests.
White vinegar to remove moss
Dilute white vinegar with water and spray the solution over any invasive moss growth to keep it under control.
Allow the vinegar mixture to sit for 15 minutes and scrape up the loose moss. Repeat the process for heavily infested areas.
Baking soda to treat black spot disease
Black spot disease on roses can be prevented by simply applying a solution of baking soda (one teaspoon), vegetable oil or horticultural oil (one teaspoon), and water (one gallon).
Spray the mixture over the affected plants to help treat the disease.
Garlic to control pests
Garlic can help to repel unwanted pests and insects. Crush several garlic cloves and mix in water until the solution is a liquid.
Pour the garlic mixture into a spray bottle and apply it to plants and nearby soil favoured by pests.
Coffee grounds to enrich soil
Coffee grounds can either be added to the compost or directly on the soil to promote fertility due to the high levels of nutrients, such as nitrogen.
Be mindful to avoid using the grounds around plants that require alkaline soil.
Rice water to promote plant growth
Save any starchy rice water after cooking and dilute it with fresh water when watering your plants.
Rice water is rich with nutrients, vitamins and minerals to encourage healthy growth in the garden.
The solution should be used in moderation for both houseplants and outdoor plants.
February gardening jobs
The Sun’s Gardening Editor, Veronica Lorraine has a few jobs to do in February.
Get new plants for free
Things start gearing up in February – and it’s a good time to split large clumps of grasses, snowdrops and hostas to get new plants for free.
Cut back ivy
If your ivy has got ridiculously overgrown, it’s a good time to cut it back before the birds start considering it as a nesting place. Warning though – and I’ve learned this from experience – ivy is very difficult to compost unless you shred it – and take out any viable roots which could sprout again. Take it to a council compost instead.
Prune winter-flowering shrubs
Prune back your winter-flowering shrubs like mahonia and Winter Jasmine. Remove dead- diseased and damaged and cut back any long shoots hanging down so they don’t form new roots. Take off around 20 per cent.
Cut back Cornus Sanguinea AKA Dogwood – right back down to its base. It’s ok to be brutal, it will grow back – and will be even better and brighter in Winter.
Get seed-ready
Get your seedbeds ready – as long as it’s dry, firm it down by wallking on it, sprinkle with fertiliser, rake until level removing all stones, add some compost and break up clumps.
Find new places for trees
If you want to move deciduous trees – now is the time to do it – but make sure the soil isn’t frozen. Dig a circular or square trench, put a bit of sand in the bottom, water well the day before and once in the hole, water and mulch around it – although keep the base free from mulch.
Start chitting potatoes
Start chitting first early potatoes on your windowsill – old eggboxes are perfect for it. This basically means encouraging them to sprout before planting.
Get ahead with slugs and snails
Start the fight against slugs and snails early – if you track down the overwintering ones, you might manage to deplete the numbers later in the year.
