Plant problem
Dear Heloise: I love gardening, but I live on the second floor of an apartment building and need to grow things on my patio. I don’t have room for dirt and rocks, and when I repot a plant it’s such a mess. Any hints for me?
-- Anna D., Blacksburg, Virginia
Anna, get a medium-size box and fold the bottom closed, but do not tape it shut. Place all your potting soil, rocks, etc., in there and repot your plants in the box. When you’re done, shake out the excess dirt and leaves from the bottom of the box. Then flatten the box along the corner folds and store under a bed or in a closet for the next time you want to repot a plant. By the way, this box trick also can be used to spray-paint a smaller object. -- Heloise SEND A GREAT HINT TO: Heloise P.O. Box 795001 San Antonio, TX 78279-5001 Fax: 1-210-HELOISE Email: Heloise@heloise.com
AVOCADOS Dear Heloise: Do I have to start my avocado seed in a glass of water? -- Tracy H., Clovis, New Mexico
Tracy, no, you don’t have to use a glass of water. You can use a pot of soil, but keep the dirt damp. You can use any container to get your avocado tree started. I’ve used an empty cottage cheese container with holes punched in the bottom for drainage. Once the avocado has a stem that is about 3 to 4 inches or taller, repot to a larger container to allow the roots to grow. -- Heloise
CARBON FOOTPRINT REDUCED
Dear Heloise: My husband and I believe in reducing our carbon footprint, so we use cloth diapers instead of disposable ones. I wash out my baby’s diapers, but on bad weather days I have to dry them indoors, and I don’t have enough places to hang them to dry. I’m always running out of diapers because there just aren’t enough clean, dry diapers. Help! -- Barbara N., Everett, Washington
Barbara, hang your baby’s diapers on hangers on the shower curtain rod. You should be able to line up a lot of them on the rod that way. If they seem to dry too slowly, you can use a hair dryer or a portable floor heater to help reduce the drying time. But be very careful with the floor heater and don’t get it too close to any cloth material. -- Heloise
DIRTY GAMES
Dear Heloise: My kids love board games, and in the evenings we often play board games. Unfortunately, the boards seem to get filthy and rather beat-up looking in a short time. Is there any way we can avoid this problem? -- Jordan S., Logan,
Utah
Jordan, use a can of clear spray varnish (matte is best). Spray the board, including the edges, a couple of times with a thin spray each time. That should slow down the deterioration of your board games. -- Heloise
TINY TREASURES
Dear Heloise: My 5-year-old son drags home little “treasures” he finds and insists on displaying them all over the house. I like pretty rocks, bird feathers and bird’s nests, too, but not on my coffee table. What can I do with these unwanted items? -- Lisa G., Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Lisa, make a place in your son’s room to display his little treasures. And explain to him that this is the designated spot to display them. It will be his special spot. -- Heloise
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