Gardening Helpers

I have one tool that I use beyond all others in my yard. A big old kitty litter container with a lid that flips halfway open and a handle to easily carry it. I put the weeds in it as I pick them, minimizing the trips to the compost pile. I scoop compost into it when I need to add it to my window boxes or planters and I put plants in it when I am dividing or transplanting to carry them to other areas of the yard. If you don't have a cat to provide you with this most excellent helper, fear not. You likely know someone who does and who would be happy to give you one the big lidded buckets next time they use up their supply of kitty litter. I even have one in the garage for scooping out the chicken coop a couple of times a week. I scoop the droppings into the bucket, add some ashes from my fireplace to reduce the smell and close it up.
My second favorite gardening helper is the clearance table at the garden section of Lowe's although any place with a gardening dept may have something similar. I make a beeline for it, trying not to be tempted along the way. I get plants for a fraction of the cost and I pick the ones that are either perennials or ones I know will continue to bloom with a little TLC. Today I got a beautiful healthy hanging pot of fuchsia for $5 because the plastic pot was cracked, several geraniums for $.50 each, a great big hanging pot of miniature petunias for $5 and some perennials for only a dollar each! What great deals for plants that will bloom all summer and some that will hopefully come back each year for years to come (if the chickens don't scratch them up). The geraniums I got last week are already sending out new blooms thanks to the compost I mixed in with the potting soil and regular watering from the rain barrel. Look like you took out a second mortgage for landscaping but your deals can be your little secret.