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I love the earth and working with it. Here are some tidbits passed down from — family. My grandfather drove a nail into the ground near his apple trees. He said this gave them needed iron.

My grandmother saved her wood ashes in a pile in the corner of the yard. In spring we would haul the ashes to the garden in a wheelbarrow; then my grandfather plowed them into the soil. They had a wonderful garden.

My uncle taught me to never kill a black snake in or near the garden. He said they catch mice and rats.

ROBERT LEE
Williamsburg, Kentucky

Baking Soda Shine

Where I live on eastern Long Island, we have a private septic system and use groundwater for drinking. To protect my well, I do my cleaning of sinks, tubs, tile and countertops with baking soda. To boost its cleaning power I use plastic scrubbing pacts (the kind they sell for scrubbing pots) and use the baking soda as scouring powder. It removes soap scum pretty well. I don't need to use expensive, toxic cleaning agents like tub and tile cleaners on my surfaces. The baking soda saves my environment and my pocketbook, too.

NINA TRABONA
East Hampton, New York

Recycle Tools

I'm attracted to older, used garden tools because of their quality construction and their low prices. Old garden tools with metal parts were often forged from one piece of solid metal and then attached to solid wooden handles.

The trick to buying secondhand garden tools is to look for solid construction on welded points and pay special attention to where the metal attaches to the handle. If a tool has parts that are supposed to move, make sure they do. Another thing to look for on metal is heavy pitting and flaking, which weakens the metal so that the tool would be better suited for decoration than garden work.

Look for wooden handles made out of ash or hickory wood. Ash is a lighter-weight wood and not as tiring to use for garden chores. Hickory is heavy and durable, and was often used for short-handled tools. Check that the wood grain in a handle is straight all the way down. Inspect for cracks, past repairs and rotting. Watch out for handles and metal parts that are painted. The paint may be covering up cheap construction or damage.

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