From gardening ideas and phone apps to
getting your cutlery sparkling, our tips and shortcuts will help to streamline
your life.
Garden tools
1. Trying
to give sugar a wide berth?
If you’re cutting back on
sugar, it might be worth trying Sweet Freedom, a fruit syrup that has
a low GI, 25 per cent fewer calories than sugar, and is less sweet-tasting than honey. $4 for 350g, available form most supermarkets.
2. Gloriously satisfying garlic gadget
If you like slicing rather than
crushing garlic, but fear for your fingertips, then the hand-held Zyliss
gadget might be for you. With a non-slip base for stability, a storage container
so you can prep in advance, and a cap to protect fingers, it guarantees perfectly
thin and even slices of garlic. $16, lakeland.co.uk
3. Give dirty pipes nowhere to hide
The problem with pouring bleach
down plugholes is that it can simply run straight into the drain without
touching the sides. The solution? Thuraplug, which holds the bleach in place
using a rubber bulb. $13, plugholecleaner.co.uk
4. No more colour-run catastrophes
You’ll never have to worry
about an accidental red sock sneaking in with your white laundry, if
you put a Dr Beckmann Colour and Dirt Collector Sheet into the washing machine
drum with your clothes. Add detergent as normal, and any loose colour and dirt will
be collected and locked in the sheet. $4 for 30 sheets, from most supermarkets.
5. Flowers can stay sweet
Add a dash of vinegar to the
water to stop any mould from growing (it’s the mould that causes flower
water to smell)
6. Keep fresh herbs happy
To keep your cut herbs fresh,
wrap them in damp kitchen towel in the salad drawer.
7. Stop blades blunting
If you’re scraping bits off your
chopping board with a knife before cleaning, use the other side,
not the blade side, so you don’t blunt your knife.
Four garden planning tips
w&h’s foot editor Jane
Curran is also a keen gardener. Here are her tips for getting ahead
in the garden.
8. Get out the secateurs and give your lavender a little “trimette”
Of course, you did your main
prune in August/September, but an extra small chop of any stragglers
helps keep a good, bushy shape.
9. By the end of March, you should be able to plant out perennials.
Always plant in clumps of odd
numbers, for maximum impact.
10. Feed your fruit trees and bushes with a multipurpose feed, such as
Growmore.
This will give you a better
crop later in the year.
11. If the weather is warming up sufficiently, you can order vegetable
plug plants now.
If you only have room for pots
and containers, start with climbing beans.
12. Have a smashing time
Dig out all that odd and
slightly chipped china from the cupboard. Then have fun smashing it up to use
as drainage for your summer pots.
13. DIY pill pot
If you want an easy, portable
way to carry a few pills – medication, painkillers or vitamins - an
old contact lens case is the perfect size for carrying in your handbag.
14. Plan ahead for preserving
Now’s the time to start
collecting jars for all that delicious summer preserving – soak to remove
labels, wash in very hot, soapy water, but always store without lids to keep fresh.
Or stock up on some classic Le Parfait jars, $21 for a pack of six half-litre
jars,from Lakeland.co.uk
Five apps to give you a helping
hand in the garden
15. Herbs+ ($2.6)
This app lists 60 herbs and
spices in an easy-to-follow format, and explains how to cultivate,
grow and cook with them, plus medicinal uses.
16. Landshare by river cottage (free)
This Hugh
Fearnley-Whittingstall app aims to encourage growing your own by connecting
people who have spare land with those who want to use it.
17. Pocket guide uk weed ($4)
An alphabetical list helps you
identify more than 60 of the most common weeds – and how to manage them
(plus any possible uses they might have)
18. Gardening toolkit ($2)
As well as being a glossary and
comprehensive gardening encyclopedia, this app reminds you when to tend or
harvest, plus has a to-do list for jotting down easily neglected
garden tasks.
