"Reduce, reuse and recycle"...the new mantra for finding new uses for old junk. Have you seen that new show on HGTV called the "Junk Brothers"? They have quite the imagination for taking stuff people have thrown out, and making something completely new and useful out it, and then returning it to them while we watch their reaction on a hidden camera. So before you throw anything out, take a second look and see if you can reform it into a new garden tool.
Weed Pronger
If you have a two-pronged meat fork that has a missing handle, all you need to get/buy is a wooden dowel about 3/4 inch diameter and 4 feet long. Drill a hole in one end of the dowel about 4 inches deep, and just wide enough for the fork handle end to insert into it. Fill the hole with some epoxy glue and insert the fork. Now you have a new and useful tool for loosening the soil around your plants, or pulling out weeds. Your back and wallet will thank you.
Country Garden Club
You never know what you might find at a flea market. If you don't already have one, Keep an eye out for an old golf pullcart and bag. Now you have an excellent rolling organizer that will hold your rake, shovel, hoe, edger, shears, pruners and other tools. The pockets will hold hand tools, plastic bags, string, seed packets and other smaller items. Clothespins can attach your gloves and a bag for holding light-weight debris, and all golf bags come with a ring for a hand towel. Each time you go to the garden, you can stay there without making numerous trips back to the garage for something you forgot to bring, and putting your tools away at the end of the day only takes one trip back.
Seed Pockets.
Do these scenarios sound familiar? You've got your unopened seed packets in hand and you're in the garden ready to plant them in the ground. You open the seed packet and shake out some seeds into your other hand. Now what do you do with the seed packet? Put it in your coat pocket and then it falls out somewhere down the line? Or you need to retrieve that or another packet from your coat pocket with a muddy or gloved hand and your clean hand still contains some extra seeds or is the hand that is on the opposite side of the pocket you used? To avoid these frustrations, simply fold over a cotton rag, large enough to hold the seed packets, and sew the sides together with your sewing machine or needle and thread. Attach strings to each side so you can tie them around your waist to hang in front of you. Make a few pockets if you need to. When you put your seed packets inside they won't fall out, are easy to reach, and the pockets are easy to wash. Another idea would be to find an old apron with ready made pockets.
Shoe Bags
You're in the garden and the phone rings! If you keeps a pair of plastic grocery bags by the door, you can slip your dirty garden shoes or boots into the bags and quickly walk right in the house to answer it. No need to untie and retye laces, or get doorway rugs dirty. This trick also works great if you're baking something and need to keep checking on it.
Stake Pounder
A nifty tool for driving support stakes into the ground for tomatoes, peas, beans and other climbing plants, is a 3 foot long, 2 and 3/8th inch diameter, galvanized pipe with an end cap. You can get one of these from your local hardware store. Put the pipe over your stake, lift and drop the pipe a few times, and the stake should be driven about 2 feet into the ground. Lift it off the stake and move to the next stake, and in a very short time, all your stakes will be securely planted.
Weed Hacker
If you have any old paint brushes with hardened bristles, and some used hacksaw blades, you can make a weeder that useful for small spaces. Remove the brush bristles and attach one end of the blade to the side of the bristle end of the handle with two screws, then bend the blade in an arc to the matching position on the other side of the handle, and secure in place with 2 more screws.
Hoe Transformation
Scuffle hoes work like magic for removing weeds at the ground level. Scuffle hoes are really easy to make from a regular garden hoe too. Put the garden hoe blade in a vice grip and bend the handle forward until the shaft is bent straight. Do this slowly and carefully so the metal doesn't break. Sharpen the blade end and the weeds are good to go.
Nylon Support Loops
If you've got a pile of pantyhose with runs in them that are finally no good to wear even under slacks, turn them into plant support loops. They're stretchy enough to tie easily, gentle on plants so they don't cut them, and strong enough to last the season. Slip over a nail on the stake during growing season, and they slip off in a snap during fall cleanup.
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