Arbor Day was just two days ago. Many people like to plant trees and shrubs in honor of the holiday... other options could be hugging trees or generally admiring them. Whatever your preference. Here is a garden tip that can help you honor trees in a different way.
In the spring time, a lot of effort seems to go into collecting sticks that have fallen to the ground over the course of winter or pruning the existing trees that may be in ones yard. Depending on the neighborhood, you may see piles of these loped branches and collected twigs piled by the roadside for maybe a residential pick up for mulching. Some folks might try to dispose of this woody refuse in other ways.
So as you stand over those seemingly useless twigs on the ground, wait. Just hold on one moment before you decide to get rid of them, because you might just have some premium garden stakes laying right before you.
Here are some branches that came off a tree in our yard. They were destined to be dragged away and forgotten in the brush, however I decided to give them a new fate. For these branches came from a living tree so they were not rotten or brittle with age. Best of all they had many straight sections. I could see the garden stakes in these branches like a sculptor might see a figure in a chunk of marble.
To harvest garden stakes from a tree branch you will need some tools. A pruning saw may do, a pair of big pruners (I think) is even better.
Start by identifying the straighest sections of the branch and cut. Snip! I stress the straightness of the sections only because a bowed stick just will not do when you try to pound it in the ground later on.
A garden stake is easier to pound into the ground if it has a bit of a tip to it. So at the other end of the new stake, formerly a tree branch, use your saw or pruners to make a diagonal cut.
I am always using and reusing sticks and branches in my garden to help mark rows where I've planted seeds (as seen above). These get hammered in with a mallet to keep them in place.These stakes can also be handy to mark out small young plants that you don't want to forget about. My garden often has a lot of self sown volunteers from the year before (cilantro, dill and sunflowers in particular) which can be easy to overlook. For this job I will typically use skinnier less substantial stakes/twigs. Also, later on, when your garden plants get too tall, these could be used for support to keep them from toppling over.
In example, here I used the tips of the branches, the scrawniest and gnarliest parts, as future supports for peas to climb up. It's not a bad idea to do this before the seedlings get too big so that you do not damage their root systems.
Not all branches or twigs from around the yard will be useful. If they have been lying around for a while they might be too brittle and will easily snap with the lightest touch. Likewise, after a year of weathering you may find that you're in need of replacement stakes. Which is why, like today, I'm always on a lookout for some nice straight fresh garden stakes. What better way of giving a trees lost limbs a pleasant afterlife?
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