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I am so not a gardener. I want to be. But it definitely doesn’t come naturally. You would think so considering my Gramma and mom are great at it. But no. So I am determined when we finally get settled into our new house we will have a great garden. {Probably next season}. I am soaking up the gardening advice and tips now so hopefully I will be better prepared. Here are two great tips:
This tip is from my Mom. Put Epsom salts and sugar into each hole with your plant. It makes them grow larger, leafier and greener. It worked for me on my peas last year. So give it a try
I use about 1 Table spoon in a 1 to 1 ratio. But I don’t really measure it. You can also dissolve 1 Tablespoon into a gallon of water and use it to water your plants.
This next tip is for your gardening tools. Do you ever leave your tools out and then get yucky and rusty.
Put them in a container of sand. The sand helps keep them clean, dry, and free of rust or corrosion. It also gives you a place to put your tools when you are done.
Hope these tips help a little bit. And we will see how my gardening attempts come out next season. Wish me luck!!
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Welcome to Measured by the Heart. I'm glad you stopped by. My name is Connie. I am wife to an AMAZING hubby and mother to 3 FABULOUS girls!! I love reading, cooking, graphic design and all things DIY. 
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Do you think this would work for houseplants?
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I was a little skeptical of the epsom salt tip because I remember learning in history class how conquering armies would salt the soil of their enemies in order to ensure that nothing grew. But, a quick google search shows that your mom is onto something. The Epsom Salt Council says that the magnesium and sulfer in epsom salts make plants germinate faster and grow thicker and leafier. Thank you (and your mom) for the great tip! Here’s the URL for the epsom salt council: http://www.epsomsaltcouncil.org/garden/
Dee,
Thanks so much for sharing that with me!!
Do you know the optimal ratio of salt-to-sugar?
its a 1 to 1 ratio. According to my mother
What is the ratio of salt to sugar?
it’s a 1 to 1 ratio. According to my mother
One to one..but one what? 1 tsp, 1 tbs., 1 cup..??? Or does that change based on the size of your plant?
Thanks for the tips — can’t wait to try these out! Following you now via Linky.
So like 2 tbs of salt and 2 tbs of sugar per hole in ground? for s quart size container?
Thanks for the tips. I always heard that if you mixed some oil with your sand it would help keep your tools from rusting also.
I guess just any oil that is not harmful will work. Have a Great day1
I’ve heard the same– a quart of mechanical oil per 5 lbs of sand. The oil helps to prevent corrosion, while the sand cleans the tools.
Newest Linky follower here. Love your blog! So glad I found it! Come by and visit me at http://www.hopesanddreamsstudio.blogspot.com/
I have a page for Blog Buttons in the top tabs. Leave a button if you like so others can find you. If you have a place for mine, I’d appreciate that too.
Thanks for the tipabout the salt and sugar. I’m actually starting my planting tomorrow. I will definitely try this. Thanks.
Nice to meet you.
Jacque
Jacque recently posted..Is It Spring Yet?
Add a little oil to that sand and it helps keep the rust away. My hand tools are in an old window box full of sand and my bigger tools are kept in an old garage can about half-full of sand. Everything is clean, sharp and rust free!!
i was wondering about the sugar causing an ant problem or does the epson salt prevent that?
If you put oil in the sand, it keeps them looking great.
I love these tips. Can I pin them to pinterest?
Just wondering about AMOUNT on sugar & epsom salt????
The ratio is 1 to 1 for the salt/sugar. How much do you put in each hole when planting and, can do also just put some around exsisting plants?
Quoting the post- “I use about 1 Table spoon in a 1 to 1 ratio. But I don’t really measure it. You can also dissolve 1 Tablespoon into a gallon of water and use it to water your plants.”
We have been putting epson salts in the hole when we plant tomatoes. It makes the tomatoes sweeter and much less
acid. I have also heard that making a solution of epson salts and water and spraying your green bell pepper plants
makes them produce all summer long. This we are trying this year. But the tomatoes we have used that for many years.
Ok, this has been asked several times with NO answer. HOW MUCH, ie: WHAT IS THE QUANTITY OF EPSOM SALTS & SUGAR??? There is a big difference between a tsp, a cup, a whole bag…what is the amount used?
She stated that information in the post. Quoting the post: “I use about 1 Table spoon in a 1 to 1 ratio. But I don’t really measure it. You can also dissolve 1 Tablespoon into a gallon of water and use it to water your plants.”
For those of you who don’t seem to understand what this means-you use 1 approximately TBLS of the mixture per hole. So for one hole you’d need about 1/2 Tbls sugar and 1/2 Tbls salt. To make it easier I’d premix however much salt and sugar you think you’ll need (in a 1:1 ratio…ie 1 cup sugar and 1 cup salt) and then just use a tablespoon to scoop some into each hole.
I had a gardener tell me that adding a tsp of epsom salt with some Asmacote (fertilizer)in the hole before you plant or sprinkle around the planted plant works great also.
I use epsom salt,powered milk ,1010 & sodo.Plus compost.
I’ve never heard of powdered milk in gardening. What does it do?