Gardening With Sal

 A Cheapskate’s Way to Use Things You Normally Throw Away 🌿 Garden Talk | by Guy Saldiveri | February 27, 2026 Being the cheapskate that I am, I try to repurpose as many things as possible instead of throwing them away. I also like to use a lot of cement blocks in my garden area, and I hate not being able to use the holes. Small things like herbs and low-profile flowers do well, but larger plants with more extensive root systems tend to girdle inside and basically turn the holes into a six-inch nursery pot. On top of that, it’s a waste of soil to fill the holes if the blocks are stacked two or three high. A great solution I’ve come across is using butter tubs. I’ve found that 45‑oz tubs, in particular, work perfectly. It isn’t a single brand—Country Crock, Smart Balance, and a few others work well. It’s the size and shape of the tub that make the difference. This size fits perfectly and works great as a container. Pop a few holes in the bottom, fill it up, drop it in, and you’re s...

 March Madness Coming Up 🌿 Garden Talk | by Guy Saldiveri | February 25, 2026 Earlier this month I posted about Why I Don’t Start Seeds in February . I spent the month getting everything cleaned up and prepped for spring.

 The Answer Might Surprise You 🌿 Garden Talk | by Guy Saldiveri | February 24, 2026 You just finished watching some DIY video on YouTube. There are 5 pallets rotting away in your backyard, and you're just itching to build a raised bed for your strawberries.  Do you go out and buy some nice expensive lumber, or can you use some of those old pallets that are just taking up space? Like the title implies, the answer might surprise you. Here are the industry standard markings for pallets and what they mean. The big question is whether or not you can trust those stamps. The one with the "MB" stamp can definitely be trusted. There is no doubt about that one— it's unsafe to use.  The one with the "HT" stamp MIGHT be safe to use. I know, I'm showing a graphic that shows a pallet that's marked "HT" as safe to use, but like my mom would have said, "You don't know where that pallet has been!"  It's hard to argue with mom on this on...

But It Doesn’t Have to Be a War Drum 📝 Opinion | by Guy Saldiveri | February 23, 2026 Sonny Bono was definitely onto something when he wrote the lyrics to that song. While some of the meaning has shifted, I can still see it applying to the garden forums we have today. I've written about some humorous observations I've made in forums, but this time, it's going to be a little more on the serious side. I’ll keep it from becoming a full‑blown rant if I can—he said with a smile… Seriously, looking around forums these days, those hot third‑rail topics persist ad infinitum and never get resolved. But one unmistakable pattern is the way people respond to questions that are directly related—or on the fringe of these topics.  The biggest one, of course, is the native/non-native/invasive/aggressive debate. There is nothing that poses a bigger "disaster in the making" question than one asked about a plant that someone considers invasive. Another one that co...

 The Myths, the Facts, and the Legends They Inspire 🐜 Garden Pests | by Guy Saldiveri | Updated: 03/01/2026 Fire ants are the bane of every garden south of the Mason‑Dixon—from the Atlantic to the Pacific and everywhere in between. What's worse is they’re adapting to colder climates and creeping steadily northward.

 Delicious, Dangerous, and Completely Misunderstood 🍅 Plant Talk | by Guy Saldiveri | 02/18/2026 Yep, that title probably got your attention. Is it accurate? Actually, it is—well, mostly.

When Your Brain is in Hyper-drive 😄 Humor | by Guy Saldiveri | 02/16/2026 Lying in bed, awake at hours that birds are still huddled together—and me just thinking. Yeah, that's probably not the best thing to be doing at that time. Wide awake, brain in high gear, throttle wide open, thoughts come streaming through. Wondering if I shouldn't start a second blog—Sal's-Random-Thought-Emporium—enter at your own risk. To be honest, I'm not even sure I would want to go in there—some scary stuff lurking behind those brown eyes. This time though, not scary, just interesting. Wide awake and thinking about words—thinking about writing. Something that I wrote that was corrected—Segway is a scooter—segue is the word you want. Segways get you from block to block. Segues get you from idea to idea. I have a car for the first one—I want the second. I’ve been riding that mistake for years. So, it pops in my head—Why do we have homonyms—or are they homophones? I always get them confused. I...

 Are they Good, Bad, or Who Cares? 🪲 Garden Pests| by Guy Saldiveri | 02/15/2026 We’ve all seen them. We’ve all played with them. But what exactly are they? Well, they’re actually land-based crustaceans.  Believe it or not, they belong to the same extended family—well, they’re more like cousins to shrimp, crabs, and lobsters—although I don’t think I would want to host a boil for them.

 The Hard Reset That Gives Your Plants a Jumpstart 🔨 How‑To Garden Guide | by Guy Saldiveri | 02/13/2026 I remember the first time someone recommended this for one of my plants—I looked at them like they had completely lost their mind.

 The Nuisance That Should Provide a Raincoat 🪲 Garden Pests| by Guy Saldiveri | 02/12/2026 Glassy-winged sharpshooters are a pest that I for one place in the nuisance category. They are sucking insects that feed on sap. They show up in abundant numbers in the latter part of the season, and have a nasty habit of—let’s call it “spitting” at you. But to be honest, I haven’t seen them do major damage to my particular plants. They mostly affect my asparagus beans and crepe myrtles, and I’ve not found any reliable way to keep them away.  Sharpshooters can be a significant problem with certain crops because they transmit a bacterium called Xylella fastidiosa. This bacterium can cause Pierce’s disease. It can, at times be a very serious threat to things like grapes, although I haven’t had any issues with my Muscadines. They sit on the vines and suck the juice (xylem fluid), and then spit it back out at you. If you’ve ever felt “rain” while walking under a crepe myrtle on a sunny day,...

 How Much N P K Your Garden Really Needs 🔨 How‑To Garden Guide | By Guy Saldiveri | Updated: February 25, 2026 Gardeners run into the same problem every spring: fertilizer labels are confusing, recommendations vary wildly, and every product has a different density. One bag says “apply 1 cup per plant,” another says “3 pounds per 100 square feet,” and your soil test tells you something else entirely.

 Can They Take the Cold? 🌿 Plant Talk | by Guy Saldiveri | February 05, 2026 I love to propagate my plants—especially my roses. I do it as much as I can. Sometimes I wonder why, since I give most of them away. 

This Southern Gardener’s Take on Seed Starting 📝 Opinion | by Guy Saldiveri | February 04, 2026 So you got your new seed catalog in December or January and all your seeds have been ordered. All your gardening friends are champing at the bit, wanting to get started. YouTube channels are pushing you to get it in gear. You will run out of time if you don’t get started now! Nope, not even close—well, not in the Deep South anyway.

And Would We Want to Know What They Said? 😄 Garden Humor | by Guy Saldiveri | February 02, 2026 I have to say, if they talked to me the way I talk to them, there’d probably be several armored tank divisions ready to roll across my property!

How to Get Many From a Few 🔨 How‑To Garden Guide | by Guy Saldiveri | February 01, 2026 Propagation is one of the more interesting and enjoyable things I do in the garden. It allows me to purchase one or two plants and then make as many as I want.