The Idea Girl: Get Greener Greens this Spring!

today's guest post is from Audrey of The Idea Girl. i came across Audrey's blog via another blog (A Half-Baked Life, in case you're interested) a short time ago; you may notice that i even have her little button over there as one of my sponsorship swaps. Audrey also organized the Handmade Holiday Sekret Exchange i participated in last month, and i consider her a renaissance crafty mom... design, food, parenting, sewing, reading, gardening. you name it, she's got something helpful to share. big thanks to Audrey for posting here today!! here she is...

Hi there, everyone! I'm Audrey from The Idea Girl and I'm going to share with you what is on my mind now that January is here. Gardening. I know, that might sound crazy since it's the middle of winter - the peak of coldness here in Cleveland, Ohio - but this is prime seed starting time. Or at the very least, time to think about seed starting and what seeds I want to start!

If you are like me and hate clutter, or if you live in an apartment and can't afford the space to store excess things only used during a short period of the year, you are going to love this post. What's worse than buying those plastic trays and plastic planters and plastic covers to start seeds in year after year (if you're like me and find yourselves losing a few when you have to cut the plants out)? Having to devote actual space to storing them once spring hits and your plants are in the ground, that's what. I was thinking about seeds and thinking about interesting ways to reuse stuff I already have around the house when it hit me. Why not use what is in ample supply in my house? Aluminum cans. Maybe you drink lots of soda? I used to. I drink lots of Sparkling Water now. Maybe you drink juice from a can or beer or eat a fair amount of canned soup, vegetables or fruit? Pretty much any aluminum can can be used as a planter so long as you wash it out first. You do not want your dirt smelling like Yuengling, my friends. Plus who knows what that would do to the roots.

Here's how to turn your pop-tops into perfectly usable seed starters that you can put into the recycling bin just as soon as you are done with them.

In case you can't tell, Step 2 shows two deep cuts to form two flaps, that then have smaller cuts in the center. Fold the flaps over and slide the small cuts into each other to hold closed.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

You might be wondering how you get the plant out of the can since it has a narrow top? The beauty of aluminum drinking cans is that you can easily squish them. Hold the can upside down with one hand while supporting the plant greens with the other and squeeze the can to compress the soil as you gently tug it out. Don't do this, of course, until the plants are a decent size or you will pull them out of the soil. If you aren't a seasoned gardener you might not know this, but you can plant green bean and pea seeds as soon as the ground is workable, even if it's frigid outside. They like the cold. When the ground warms up enough they will pop right out of the ground. So don't worry about starting those seeds early - unless you are container gardening anyway and really want some early vegetables!

Thanks for letting me borrow Rachael's space for the day! I hope thinking about your spring gardens brought a little color to your winter day.