In between my main home and the small cottage on the Delaware River is one of my favorite places to stop called Bucks County Gardens.    The landscaping at both of my houses is pretty minimal; it’s more groves of bamboo, a hillside of ferns, fields of flowers and natural woods than manicured lawns and gardens.   But even with a low-maintenance lifestyle, I—just like anyone else–need gardening basics now and then that need to be picked up.  I can always count on Bucks County Gardens to have what I need and now and then, even be pleasantly surprised.

Over the holiday weekend, I saw these recycling bins set-up outside the store collecting plastic pots and trays.  Amazing!   

Another look at the collection bin.

Gardening can be a very green and healthful activity to do around the home, but the waste created from buying plants has always been a problem.  Since the type of plastic used for pots and trays isn’t commonly recycled (like the #1 and #2 plastics for curbside recycling), it has always been tough to recycle them.    Near the end of April, when you drive around my community after everyone has done their Spring plantings, it can be heartbreaking to see piles of these plastic pots and trays overflowing in trash cans for pick-up.

A peek inside….

The plastic pots and trays are recycled by grinding them down into small pellets, which are then sold to plastic recyclers to be made into plastic lumber, retaining wall ties and other plastic products.   

And for gardeners, plastic lumber can be a great alternative to real wood; it’s mold, mildew and rot resistant, can be drilled just like regular wood, and will outlast timber for many decades (traditional wood will last only about 10 years).

Of course, many smaller plants like vegetables, herbs and flowers are now going plastic-free entirely, like Bonnie’s Plant Farm line of plants.    The biodegradable peat pots do a great job of keeping plants alive during shipping and can be planted right into the ground when gardening.

But since larger, root-dense plants need the durability of plastic pots, seeing these recycling programs  (especially at my favorite store) is a step in the right direction for sure.

Here in sunny LA staying in a green oasis at the Sunset Tower Hotel.   While I’m here for work, I thought I’d share some gardening tips I recently sent to some newspapers who were asking for my Top 5 Tricks and Tips.    Are you gardening this Spring?  

• Reuse those Packing Peanuts. Container gardening is popular for folks with limited backyard space, but the large pots can be heavy to move when filled with soil and plants. Lighten the load by filling the bottom 1/3 of the pot with Styrofoam packing peanuts. It’s a great way to reuse the packing peanuts, all while helping to keep the pots lightweight, too. Added bonus: the packing peanuts help prevent root rot and mildew growth, too.

• Another use for the Sunday paper. To prepare an area of the yard for your first garden, don’t spend hours tearing up turf and reach for a newspaper instead. Place thick layers of newspaper all over the section you want the grass eradicated. Place heavy rocks on top and walk away. In a few days, the grass will die off due to lack of sunshine and will make prepping the ground much easier for tilling and garden preparation.

• Plant a Smelly Sneaker. Deer and other wild animals may find your vegetable and flower garden to be irresistible. Instead of erecting cumbersome fencing or using smelly sprays, try leaving a very used gym sneaker in the garden instead. The strong scent of humans is a natural way to scare off wild animals.

• Use organic insecticides and herbicides. Chemical sprays to control insect and invasive weed growth in the garden is passé. One brand that utilizes a patented blend of essential oils to naturally kill insects and weeds is EcoSMART. This all-organic line effectively uses the power of sweet-smelling oils to target pesky invaders, but is completely safe to use around children and pets.

• Paint Stirrer Garden Markers. An easy and free way to know what’s growing in your backyard is to recycle free wooden paint stirrers into garden markers. Just write the plant’s name on the top of the stirrer with a permanent marker and insert into the ground.  Thanks to eco-expert Priscilla Woolworth for this handy idea!

Back in my old neighborhood in New York City, I met up with a pal for brunch and decided to walk the long way down Bleecker to the restaurant.   I think one of the great things about my new Blackberry is the built-in camera with the incredibly sharp auto-focus.  It has made carrying a separate digital camera obsolete and I feel, well, more free.  (Note: I am not a spokesperson for Blackberry. I just like it).

On the sidewalk, there are large wicker baskets transformed into planters that I think gives the entire neighborhood a separate feel and identity than the rest of NYC.  What I liked about living in the West Village was that I always felt like I was living in a true neighborhood, and not some concrete jungle you might feel like more uptown in NYC.    I can’t imagine seeing wicker planters on Madison Avenue for some reason.

In a store window, they took vintage seed packets, punched holes in the corner, and added binder clips to create a wall hanging.   For an avid gardener, I thought this was a great way to save seed packets and create a display or wall art featuring the fruits, vegetables and flowers you’ve been growing in your backyard.   Sadly, for me, it would only be one seed packet of Campbell’s tomato seeds from the Spring campaign I did this year!

And before I go, here’s a snapshot I took at a red light in Los Angeles (from my Prius car rental I got at National Car Rental; so glad they are getting easier to rent) outside of interior designer Kelly Wearstler’s office on La Cienega Blvd.    Asymmetrical hedges.   Seriously.  Only Kelly Wearstler.  ONLY KELLY.   Or maybe it’s so LA.  I can’t decide. 

UPDATE:   The free seeds part of the Help Grow Your Soup promotion are not genetically modified seeds whatsoever.  Thank you for asking!

This Earth Day, I’m partnering with Campbell’s Soup Company to grow 1 BILLION (yes, BILLION) tomatoes across America to help America get their gardening going (er, growing!).    For the first time in Campbell’s 100+ year history, they are giving away the actual tomato seeds used to make their iconic tomato soup, for free!    All you have to do is redeem the code from the bottom of any condensed can of Campbell’s soup at HelpGrowYourSoup.com and a packet of seeds will be sent to you right away.  While you’re at the website, you can help donate seeds, too.  Just click on the GROW button and 50 seeds will be donated to the Future Farmers of America.   All you have to do is click everyday!

On Thursday, April 16th, I’ll be in the Bronx neighborhood of New York City helping to kick-off a new community garden.   I’m joining Urban Farming, The National Future Farmers of America and Campbell’s to unveil the new community garden that features an amazing vertical garden that grows vegetables upwards, saving space and adding visual interest to a community garden.  Check out this pic!

I’ll be doing live media interviews that day, so tune in your local news stations that day to learn some easy tips on how you, too, can start a vegetable garden at home.   It’s really a huge shift this Spring (just look at the White House vegetable garden that just broke ground) and I hope you’ll join me in gardening at home.

And here’s a short video explaining the Help Grow Your Soup billion seed challenge.  Enjoy!