The "Hillbilly Gardener" has spent many, many years looking for and thinking of ways to make any homemade gardening or homemade projects easier or to "work smarter - not harder". Sometimes, these home and garden ideas come to him as a natural progression from working on various home garden projects. Other times, he has an "epiphany" that simply must be pursued. In Hillbilly it's called having a "Brain Fart".[1] Sometimes the homemade projects work out well and at other times he is forced to admit that a project idea was not one of his "stellar moments". Anyone can do most anything if they have enough money to throw at a project, but home and garden ideas on a budget can be more challenging at times and more fun. Often, home and garden ideas simply come to the Hillbilly Gardener that appear on the surface to be such that he wants to investigate and consider them further, but the timing is not appropriate at the time. Sometimes, they are simply a "no-brainer" that causes him to wonder why he did not think of them sooner, but the timing is not conducive to implementing them at the time. Often, homemade projects do require a certain amount of expenditure for materials that are not on hand at the time. All of these are reasons why ideas for home garden projects need to be written down before they are forgotten. Ok, but why put these garden ideas on a budget and other homemade projects on a web page? Simply put, if the Hillbilly Gardener sees a need for the idea here in the Garden of Weedin, there is a good chance that another frugal gardener might have the same need. Then there is also a good chance that a frugal gardener may be able to read an idea from others and it will spur a different thought process that will either make the idea work or work better. That is why I have chosen to put my garden ideas on a budget and other homemade projects here for all to read. Take a look-see at the following ideas and perhaps it might motivate you to take on a few homemade projects for yourself and maybe formulate a few new ones of your own. Drop me a note about your ideas or possibly how one of these ideas helped you. We would love to hear from you. the "Hillbilly Gardener" 2009 Create "stages" for small garden statuary  by casting concrete in aluminum pie pans. Cast a hole in the center of the stage for statues that have a spike and paint in attractive colors once thoroughly dry.
* I tried this one and it works well if the planter is large enough. This idea will work equally well even if not used in large planters large planters. Place small garden statues around the base of plants planted in large containers for added interest and whimsy.
* This one has worked very well to add additional interest and whimsy to container plants. Collecting small statues and other items of interest has taken on new vigor because it adds so much interest. I find yard sales to be a good source of items.
* Covering the top of the soil with sand, small gravel, aquarium gravel, colored marbles really makes this work even better and keeps the statues cleaner when watering.
* Small statuary works very well for screening drip watering emitters .
* As your collection grows, winter storage of your collection to protect it from the elements must be a consideration. Never leave your collection outdoors during the winter if possible. I have large chunks of firewood (12 inch diameter or larger), left. These have been weathered so that the bark has fallen off. I want to carefully clean these with a steel brush, resaw them so the cut sides are straight and parallel and preserve them with "Spar Varnish". I will use these as staging areas for container plants and stages for statuary.
* The wood I was saving became infested with termites regardless of the fact that it was stored off the ground and covered. Termites are so common here in the Ozarks, it takes great effort to keep termites out for very long.
* The best way to store firewood here for any length of time (more than a year) is on concrete that has no cracks. Plant indeterminate tomato's on a tall garden arbor and train them over it like an ornamental vine. This would look great as a garden entrance and what a conversation piece. Install scarecrow flags on all horizontal perches where I don't want the birds to land or roost. They are making a mess of my garden trellises with their droppings. I could count the free fertilizer as a blessing or smear some "Tanglefoot " on the tops of the perches, but either one is a mess. Obtain more 55 gallon, plastic drums and turn them into planters. The trials are looking great right now and it saves so much bending over. Cut off about one-third of the barrel and you have one large and one small planter. The large planter  will grow just about anything I would want to plant in it and the small ones will accommodate most of the smaller plants. Painted up, they look pretty good as well.
* The planters work great, but the weight of the filled planter must be considered carefully if they must be moved occasionally. Consider this carefully before attempting and consider buying or making a lightweight soilless potting mix . However, using a soilless mix will require even more supplemental fertilizing. Build drying racks for soil, compost , grass clippings, etc. These should be roughly 8-10 feet long by 18-24 inches wide and not nor than 4-6 inches deep with a ventilated cover. The bottom should be well braced with cross support about every 12 to 14 inches to support the weight. The bottom should be covered with 1/2 inch machine wire for support and aluminum screen wire that will be placed over it.
* The advantage of drying compost is for storage purposes. Drying the compost before storing stops the decomposition process but retains the nutrients. For the drying racks, I have all many old window screens that came off of the house. These could be placed into a 1x4 frame to serve this purpose. Replace any screen that has rusted out and support this with 1/2 inch machine wire cloth. These could then be placed on legs of some sort.
* The window screen frames were to far deteriorated to make this idea viable and the screens were discarded. However, the basic concept is still sound and may be pursued later if I find myself in possession of good screens at some point in the future. Add long planters and chicken wire or other trellis panels between posts on the patio. Plant the planters with morning glories or other hummingbird attracting annuals.
* This idea has been replaced with starting cuttings of the climbing roses and installing a more substantial support system like concrete reinforcing wire, etc. Frame in the utility area and lay down permanent gravel. Install posts and build a second level about 4 or 5 feet above for storing lighter and/or smaller items. Look at using landscape timbers for the posts and treated 2x4's for the framing. The decking can be treated plywood, etc. A tarp system could then be installed to hide it all and provide some protection from the elements.
* This one is a great idea that should be pursued at some point, but is no longer a viable possibility at this time and this location. Build new compost bins opposite of the existing ones. Use a post and wire construction. Build all bins 4 feet deep and high. Bin #1 = 8 feet long, Bin #2 = 6 feet long, Bin #3 = 4 feet long. Build so that they can more easily be tarped. The idea here is that with each turning, the volume will reduce by roughly one half.
* This idea will be implemented at some point in the future. It is not viable at this time and location.
* This is designed as a "progressive compost system" to reflect the continuous reduction in the volume of the compost as it decomposes. Start with the largest bin then continue turning it into increasingly smaller bins. "Renew The View" by moving the taller plants like Joe-Pye-Weed, Russian Sage, Cone Flowers, etc. to corner bed by house. This will need to be done in fall. Start the renewal process with this bed and work out from there.
* This idea has changed dramatically since I first thought of it. There are a lot of considerations to take into account such as removing the moles that are present, the dryness of the area to planted from the large roof overhangs and now the many basement leaks that are present.
* Many of these have been moved as of 09/18/2010 to other redesigned areas where the driest parts of the bed have been permanently excluded next to the house by landscaping fabric ("no-plant zones"). Can the old window screens stored behind the garage be converted to sun shades? Or perhaps hail screens? Covered with plastic, could they be used as frost or freeze protection?
* See #8 above. Take a digital photography class! Getting the most out of outdoor pictures, or any pictures for that matter, requires knowing how to get the most out of your camera. Today's cameras, especially digital cameras, are much more complex than cameras used to be. Taking a class from experts in the field will greatly shorten the length of time it takes to be able to take really good pictures and a lot less wasted time. In the case of film cameras, it also reduces the amount of wasted film on bad pictures. The compost screen needs to be mounted to something like a box and frame somehow. I have a very good screen that I have built on the order of a concrete mixing tub that can be set on top of a large wheelbarrow, but it is a little unwieldy. It needs a bin beneath and a way to dump large stuff into a container behind. Compost screens are a much unused tool by most gardeners and are really handy for sifting compost for containers and seed beds. But, if they are unhandy or unwieldy to use they are less likely to be used very often.
* This will be pursued when a more permanent location is obtained so it won't need to be moved so much.
* The screen was modified to be able to use it on the raised beds and worked great (see the details here). At some point, a box or boxes will be constructed that are roughly 4 x 4 feet and 2 feet deep. The screen will be placed above them and the compost or soil screened into them. These boxes would then serve as storage for the material. Create a dedicated shade area under the large Maple tree for houseplants and other shade-loving plants. This would be an area where the ground was covered with a thick layer of wood mulch or plain gravel that was thicker than the root knees were tall, then a heavy-duty weed barrier fabric that was then covered with decorative rock or mulch so the root "knees" do not need to be contended with. The containers would then be set on top of this covering and the root knees would be covered as well rather than having them as a trip or mower hazard. A seating are could be incorporated into the area as well.
* No longer a good idea at this location. But, this is a good idea for anyone dealing with tree root knees where the tree roots protrude out of the ground as with maples and some other trees.
* The shade pattern has dramatically changed since the ice storm of two years ago. The tree was severely pruned and the top-growth has changed dramatically.
Back To The Top 2010 Buy a new transmitter and build a proper weather station  . Weather plays a big role in every aspect of a gardeners life. Local weather stations can only provide "general" forecasts and "averages" for a given area. Installing a proper and dedicated weather station at your location along with just a little weather education can provide you with the exact conditions at your locations as well as being able to predict your own immediate forecast. Get more barrels to use as planters. Develop the barrel planter idea further into a formal method of growing. Yes, this has been brought up last year and will continue to be explored with each new idea aspect probably being recorded here. In this case, I've explored possibilities further and have now done some experimenting and now I know that the possibilities for using inexpensive plastic barrels are nearly endless. Nearly any and every garden plant can easily be grown in them and even some small trees. A huge additional plus is the height lends itself to gardening without bending and stooping for persons with back trouble. With a little creative imagination, the planters can be placed in permanent locations where they won't need to be moved. Then the weight issue becomes a non-issue.
* The weight issue and moving them has become a big consideration here. Save this idea for a more permanent location. But definitely one to pursue. Develop "hail screens" that can be used over the beds. What I envision is a set of simple rectangular or square frames that have simple "fold-up" legs that are roughly 2 feet long on simple pivots. The frame could then be covered with simple 1/4 inch hardware cloth or even possibly window screen if large hail is not normal. But, window screen is easily damaged and torn. The width and length can be anything you wish it to be, but in my case I am thinking about frames that are 2 feet wide by 4 feet long or 4 feet by 4 feet square. These could quickly and easily be deployed when hail is a possibility. In fall, the whole thing could be easily covered with plastic for a season extender.
* See #16 below Obtain more barrels for planters. Cut both ends off the barrel for short planters for beans, lettuce and other plants with smaller roots. Save the center section for a "grow ring" for potatoes and other deep-root crops. Use this grow ring in raised beds.
* This is a continuing thought process for ways to utilize barrels to make gardening more "back-friendly". Mount a hose holder on one of the posts of the patio then run a connector hose between the hydrant and the hose holder. Then a shorter hose can be installed at the hydrant and a 100 foot hose at the new hose holder. This will keep all of the hoses shorter.
* This was completed in 2010 and it is working out very well. It works out so well that at some point, I would like to develop it into a larger network and possibly install hanging hose reels.
* This idea can be improved upon by the addition of an "extension hydrant" at the remote location to keep from having to run around the house to turn on the hose.
* This idea can be improved upon by installing plastic "temporary piping" from the main hose bib to the remote location. The temporary pipe can be connected to the main hose bib by way of a short connector hose. In this way, it eliminates 1 long hose and allows the water to be left on all day. If the pipe is buried, no pressure safety relief will be needed. If not, install a pressure safety relief in the plastic pipe to reduce pressure build up. Bury a "temporary" run of water line from the hydrant manifold  to the raised beds. Then install a "temporary hydrant" at the raised beds with a hose holder . This will allow me to keep all of the hoses at 50 feet or less. This line will need to be constructed so that it can be drained and blown out in winter with a simple air compressor set regulated to a low pressure setting.
* To be pursued at a later time and in a permanent location.
* At the same time that the water line is laid, bury an electric line as well. It has been amazing how often electricity at the beds would have been appreciated.
* Since the line is not designed to be used during the winter, it will only need to be roughly 6 inches or so deep. Purchase 12 foot sheets of translucent corrugated roofing and cut them into 6 foot lengths. Then create "rain covers" for placement over the beds when additional rain is not desired. These should be constructed so that they can be placed on top of frames that will hold the rain covers off of the beds by roughly 12 to 24 inches. These same frames can be used to hold "hail screens" and/or clear plastic sheeting.
* This is a continuing thought process to increase the flexibility of raised beds.
* This idea would work well in conjunction with the hail screens above and would lend additional protection from ice and snow if raising crops in the cold weather. Mount car or outdoor stereo speakers under the eves of the garage and place a stereo inside the garage for tunes outside while I work.
* Completed and it works very well. I love it, but you must be careful not to set the volume so high as to disturb the neighbors or play music that is not appreciated by the neighbors.
* A network of smaller speakers scattered throughout the area would be great here. Paint "concrete blocks" a terra cotta color to use as "multi-level staging " for plant pots on the patio. These would also be used as a display area for statues and other decorations.
* While not painted yet, the basic idea was tried and it works out very well. The decorating possibilities appear to be enormous here, relatively inexpensive, flexible and sturdy enough to stand up to abuses. A burn barrel for the destruction of diseased plant material and other burnable material that can not go into the trash.
* The fire pit I constructed is working very well and the destruction of this material gives me a good reason to start a fire outside. This fire is even more welcome and enjoyed in the spring and fall when the air is cool.
* The barrel can be made safer with the addition of a screen over the top.
* Cut several 1 inch holes around the bottom of the barrel for better combustion air flow.
* Raise the barrel off the ground on bricks or blocks to keep it from rusting out.
* Keep the barrel from burning through by lining the inside of the barrel with corrugated steel roofing and place an expanded metal screen in the bottom of the barrel. Raise both of these off of the bottom to be above the combustion air holes.
CAUTION - If using galvanized steel roofing, never breath the fumes and smoke while burning. The fumes from heated galvanized roofing are toxic! Build a " compost tea maker " out of 5 gallon buckets. Start with a couple of buckets. Mount aquarium "bubblers in the bottom to aerate the tea while brewing. The compost should be elevated off of the bottom with some form of screen to keep from plugging the bubblers and allow for drainage. This bubbler will be attached to a large aquarium air pump. If the buckets are black and placed in the sun, it will allow the tea to "brew" and ferment, giving it more "PUNCH" to the plants. But it does make it really "STINKY"!
* One of several ideas I have had for making compost tea. Especially when I am wanting larger quantities of tea to feed plants.
* This idea will be revisited many times. Construct "drainable" plant trays (pot saucer ) by drilling a small hole in the side of the tray near the bottom. This hole is then plugged with a cork when the water is wanted to remain in the tray for a period of time, such as to "rehydrate" a dry soil ball and then remove the cork to drain the water later. A hose can be attached to the hole to catch the water if desired to "recycle" it if desired.
* Reusing the water is a good idea because it will contain many nutrients that are leached out when watering and it saves water.
* Recycling this water can be a problem if you use a lot of chemical fertilizers because it will contain a lot of salts that are normally leached out when watering.
* Use the water drained from one plant on a different plant because the nutrients remaining will be different from one plant to another. An alternative would be to drain and mix all of the water into a central container before re-using.
* Do not re-use any water from any plant where disease is present as it could spread the disease. Compost tea maker - Following the idea for a drying rack in #7 & #8 of 2009 above. Instead of using only screen wire for the bottom of the rack, use a piece of corrugated roofing below the screen wire and build the rack with a slight slope to one end. Install a short piece of guttering across this end and slope it toward a bucket or other large container. The container becomes a holding tank for water that is then pumped up and through a soaker hose laid on top of the compost. Small sprinkler heads might be used instead of soaker hose. The water is filtered and pumped across the compost. As it filters through the compost a tea is created where it runs down the roofing and is collected in the "tank". This pumping should be done over a period of a few days or weeks and the gutter and container covered to limit evaporation as well as the bin itself.
* Cover the tray with plastic sheeting to absorb heat for better brewing.
* This idea would lend itself well to processing a large volume of compost with longer bins. Dig and plant spring bulbs into large planters to make room for other plants that do not do well in planters.
* This idea has the advantage of being able to move the planters to a less obtrusive area to allow the foliage to mature in an out of sight location.
* With the bulbs in planters, color can be added anywhere you want it easily and changed out as needed to add interest. Build a long "workbench" along the area between the shed and patio. This can be used as both a workbench and a potting bench. Construct it as long as the area (length ??) and only 2 foot deep. This depth will make more efficient use of a sheet of plywood. The height should be tall enough to get a trash can on casters underneath it for potting soil, storage and etc. Do not build a shelf under it so that trash can storage can be put under it and Container plants can be over wintered under it. If there is enough room, perhaps pots, etc. can also go under there. Build the bench with a sloped top to shed rain and snow and cover things left out on the bench. Use treated lumber as much as possible and paint the whole thing very well to resist the weather.
* Outdoor workbenches are extremely practical and they can be as decorative an functional as you desire.
* Instead of or along with a central workbench that should be large enough and sturdy enough to do any work that you might do outside, one or more small "local benches" could be added around the garden areas where you do the most work. These should have a top that is roughly 2 or 3 feet square and from 32 to 38 inches tall (depending on your comfort level). They can be temporary and movable or mounted on a single post mounted in the ground. Always use pressure treated materials when possible and painting will make the bench for attractive. Construct grid panels to cover the raised beds in winter to support plastic sheeting. The material might be 1/2 inch concrete rebar placed on a 12 x 12 inch grid pattern. This will allow the plastic to be supported above the soil and absorb more solar energy. Drape the plastic over the panels so that it extends roughly 6 inches down all sides and weight it by possibly attaching the edges to a pipe or board. In the center of each panel, place a small weight to direct condensation back into the bed. This would serve as a winter cover and could be adapted for other purposes as well. Another possible media to use to make the grid might be cattle panels from the local farm and home supply. Depending on cost, this would eliminate having to construct the panels. But these would require some additional bracing because they are not as heavy.
the "Hillbilly Gardener" Back To The Top
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