In The Garden
Jun 30, 2026 10:36AM ● By JB Culbertson
Here are some odds and ends of hints I have picked up through the years…
Some uses for Vinegar in your garden:
Orange peels enrich soil and deter common pest like aphids. Dry them out, grind or finely chop orange peels and spread it directly around the base of plants before watering or add to compost pile. Or, after dry, grind up into a powder and sprinkle around garden. Can do the same with apple peels and cores. Or bury them in a pile and cover with a layer of brown leaves (about 8-12 inches deep and away from any plant roots in fall or winter or any empty spots in the garden.
Some uses for Vinegar in your garden:
- Use an eye dropper to put Apple Cider Vinegar directly on individual weeds to kill them.
- Mix 1 part water and 1 part ACV in a spray bottle and attack ant hills.
- Add 2 tablespoons of ACV and 1 teaspoon sugar to a quart of water to use with fresh cut flowers.
- Soak grimy tools in vinegar overnight; do not dilute. Rinse with water.
- Use undiluted vinegar to clean a birdbath. Rinse with water.
- Use 1 part white vinegar mixed with 1 part water to soak glazed, clay, or plastic pots to remove stains and mineral deposits.
- Use white vinegar to clean hands after digging with bare hands.
Orange peels enrich soil and deter common pest like aphids. Dry them out, grind or finely chop orange peels and spread it directly around the base of plants before watering or add to compost pile. Or, after dry, grind up into a powder and sprinkle around garden. Can do the same with apple peels and cores. Or bury them in a pile and cover with a layer of brown leaves (about 8-12 inches deep and away from any plant roots in fall or winter or any empty spots in the garden.
Use Olive oil to deter pests, polish tools, and more: Shine up potted plant leaves (not on undersides). Olive oil keeps flies away. Mix 1-2 cups white vinegar with 1 cup of water. Add 1 teaspoon of eucalyptus oil and 1 teaspoon olive oil. Put in a glass spray bottle and mist areas infested with flies. And you can use Olive oil on hands as a moisturizer.
Some plants love coffee (fresh grounds) like blueberries, tomatoes, carrots, beans, beets, asters, blue and pink hydrangeas, peppers, lettuce and spinach. BUT DO NOT put grounds on lavender, geraniums, snapdragons, rosemary, and most of the Mediterraneum herbs. Coffee grounds can be put in compost with equal parts carbon-rich materials like dried leaves or straw. Don’t overuse coffee grounds.
Your favorite ferns want your eggshells (they contain calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium.) The next time you make an eggy breakfast, rinse out the shells and set them aside. When they are fully dry, stash them in an airtight container until you’ve amassed a small collection (about 18 eggs’ worth). Then grind them into a fine powder in a blender, sprinkle them on the soil around your plant, and watch it flourish.
Never compost meat or bones (they attract too many pests and wildlife), dairy products (they smell), oils or fats, animal waste, or processed grain products (they create mold).
My friend Butch says, “Make sure you plant some Pollinators. It’s never too late…” We need these flowers to keep the Bees healthy. Marigolds are great for keeping the aphids off your vegetables. Also, you can eat them, as well as nasturtium and violets. They look great on a salad!
Happy gardening!