We've got eight clever and organic remedies for indoor and outdoor plants, plus green gardening tips from Martha Stewart, whose passions include gardening, organic choices, and her magazine Whole Living.

From your hanging planters all the way down to the soil in the ground, Martha gives tips to make sure every aspect of your garden is green.

Use: To catch and kill slugs.

How to make it: Take a Ball jar and bury it in the soil so that its mouth is at the same level, or only slightly above, the level of the soil. Fill the jar with beer (preferably dark ale) up to about 1/2 to 1 inch from the top of the jar.

Why it works: Slugs are attracted to beer. If the trap is properly set up, the slugs will come for the beer and get stuck in the Ball jar.

Use: To control blossom end rot.

How to make it: Take the shells of four eggs and crush them. Mix these shells into the soil around each plant.

Why it works: The calcium in eggshells will dissolve slowly into the soil, where it will be taken up by the plant's roots.

Use: To control black spots on roses.

How to make it: Add 1 cup of milk to 2 cups of water. Spray mixture directly onto rose leaves with a handheld spray bottle to protect them from black spots.

Why it works: No one knows exactly why milk helps control certain plant diseases, but it does contain lactoferrin, a protein that has been shown to help control diseases in animals.

Use: To control insects and diseases attacking a variety of fruit, such as apples, peaches, and many others.

How to make it: Gather a resealable plastic bag (big enough for the fully grown fruit to fit in comfortably), a stapler, and a pair of scissors. Staple the mouth of the bag around the fruit when the fruit is about the size of a quarter. Then, cut off one of the lower corners of the bag to allow any water that might collect to drain.

Why it works: The barrier that the bag creates is too great for most insects and disease to overcome.

Use: To control insects, including aphids, mealy bugs, and spider mites.

How to make it: Take a cup of the hottest peppers you can find and mix in a blender with two cups of water. Carefully place the resulting mixture into a spray bottle and spray it on the leaves of the plants while being careful not to spray yourself. At first, treat only one plant or even just a few leaves; wait two days to see whether the spray injured them.

Why it works: Insects don't like the "hot" in hot peppers (capsaicin), so it repels them.

Use: To control insects, including aphids, mealy bugs, and spider mites.

How to make it: Add 1 tablespoon of dish soap to 1/2 gallon of water. Place the soapy water into a spray bottle and mist the plants with it. At first, treat only one plant or even just a few leaves; wait two days to see whether the spray injured them.

Why it works: Dish soap dissolves the outer waxy layer that all insects are covered with. This causes the insect to dry out and die. If you add baking soda to this dish soap remedy, you can also treat powdery mildew.

Use: To control insects, including scale, mealy bugs, and spider mites.

How to make it: Take a cotton swab and soak it with alcohol. Wipe the cotton swab over the affected area of the leaf. At first, treat only one plant or even just a few leaves; wait two days to see whether the alcohol injured them.

Why it works: The alcohol does essentially the same thing that dish soap does -- dissolves the outer waxy layer that all insects are covered with, causing the insect to dry out and die.

Knowing even the basics behind green gardening can put you on the right path -- or plot. Gardening takes a trial-and-error approach, and the more information you have, the better. Find four books offer invaluable information and advice.