Search - The Complete Gardener: Great Gardening Tips on DVD

"In the Spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts

H. S. Wedekind | Pennsylvania, USA | 03/26/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"TOMATOES!" At least my thoughts are turning to planning and tilling and planting in my garden. O, and I apologize to Alfred, Lord Tennyson for slightly altering the above line from his poem "Locksley Hall". After a snowy and long winter, I'm anxious to put away the snowblower and get out the rototiller. This delightful and humorous DVD helped to chase away the blues.

Steve Brookes takes the viewer on a mini-tour of his small yet abundant patio garden, which is loaded with containers overflowing with flowers and vegetables. How does he do it? Well, you learn about getting the most from your garden using practical, inexpensive tips presented by the upbeat, funny Brookes. Little asides thrown out in typically dry British humor are entertaining and informative.

Some tips:

-Pour a half-teaspoon of table salt into the center of a dandelion plant and the morning dew will help it kill the weed down to the root.
-Sugar and borax, mixed in equal parts, will help rid you of ants by first eliminating the Queen, so that the workers are thrown into confusion and then can be taken care of with ant powder.
-A grated bar of handsoap will keep squirrels from digging up your crocus bulbs without harming the animals.
-Clean the dust from houseplant leaves with a cottonball dipped in beer (I don't think the plants will mind if all you have in the fridge is Lite Beer.)

There's also a segment on picking and cooking your veggies with celebrity chef Peter Osbourne. What a tasty bonus!

I highly recommend this excellent DVD.
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