5 Double Duty Garden Items

Bar of Soap

Original Purpose: Lathering away a layer of grime.

Aha! Use: Keeping nails clean. Before working in the garden, scrape your fingernails across a bar so soap lodges under them, blocking out soil, sand, and other muck. Later, simply wash out the soap with a nailbrush.
Reward: Cleaner tips on your green thumbs.

Beatriz Da Costa

Birdbath

Original Purpose: Cooling off blue jays and cardinals.

Aha! Use: Serving as an attractive, low-maintenance pot for succulents. Plant shallow-rooted varieties in the container with soil. The lack of drainage will keep the soil moist, so you'll need to water even less frequently than usual.
Reward: A pretty display that isn't just for the birds.

Beatriz Da Costa

Croquet Wickets

Original Purpose: Marking the field of play.

Aha! Use: Corralling a garden hose. Make an arched pathway from the waterspout to the flower bed, then feed the hose through the wickets. Now the hose can't migrate and crush your impatiens.
Reward: Fragile flowers won't get hosed.

Beatriz Da Costa

Grapefruit Knife

Original Purpose: Prying wedges from the peel.

Aha! Use: Removing weeds. Use the curved blade in container gardens or tight spaces where traditional tools are too big for the job.
Reward: Gardening work that's easy to dig.

Beatriz Da Costa

Styrofoam Peanuts

Original Purpose: Cushioning delicates for shipping.

Aha! Use: Replacing potting mix in a large planter. Fill the bottom half with leftover peanuts before adding soil. They are light and improve drainage, which promotes healthy roots.
Reward: Hearty plants at half the weight.

Beatriz Da Costa