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Yard Work & Gardening

3 Yard Work Cheats / Short Cuts

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If you are fortunate enough to have a house with a yard, you know that it can be both a blessing and a “curse.” The effort it takes to beautify and maintain your property can be strenuous, but it is also rewarding. Whether, it is general maintenance or beautification, it can be time consuming to keep your yard looking wonderful. Here are a few yard work short cuts/cheats that will help make your yard work more manageable each year.

Make a List

First off, it helps to get everything down on paper. When you see the list of chores on paper, it doesn’t seem as difficult a task. You can then take each chore and divide them up over the weekend. So take a bit of time walking your yard to detail the chores that need to be done. This includes everything from leaf removal to trimming hedges and bushes to spraying your trees. Writing the items down will ensure that your precious time is not wasted and help you envision the process of completing each task.

Hire the Neighborhood Teens

In years past, it was commonplace for homeowners to hire neighborhood kids to help them with yard tasks. Chances are that you have at least one trustworthy, hard working teen in your area who would love to earn some extra cash on the weekend. Not only will it make your yard work easier to manage, it can also be beneficial to your relationships with neighbors. Cordially speak to the parents of the teens you may want to hire to negotiate a fair rate. $20 for a few hours of work is usually considered fair for a young person. With your written list in hand, ask your teen helper to do all of the bending, stooping, kneeling and heavy lifting that is required to complete the job.  For your privacy and continued safety, have all of the materials and tools on the outside of your house, ready to be used.  For a job well done, a tip may be in order. Keep relations friendly so that you have a good rapport with neighbors and teens for future years.

The Water Timer

As a yard owner, you realize that there are specific times that your lawn and garden needs water in order to thrive. Invest in an outdoor water timer that is easily attached to your water spout to make your yard tasks easier. Most modern timers allow you to set a start time, an end time and even have the water turn on at multiple times during the day. Human error can cause a yard to dry up when you forget to turn on the water — a timer is your safest bet. A quick note: some homeowners make the mistake of watering their lawns at the hottest time of day.  All that does is cost you money because the water evaporates when the sun is at its peak, so you do not give your lawn the proper nourishment and hydration needed to keep it looking green and healthy. The best time to water your lawn is at sun up +\or sundown.

Use these yard work shortcuts/cheats are not difficult to accomplish.  With a plan and a bit of effort, you will soon be entertaining more in your backyard instead of working!!
Posted by Eve

3 Must-Have Gardening Tools that Make Your Yard Work Easier

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The sunny and warm weather always prompts me to dust off my gardening tools and start planning this years placement for my vegetable plants and flowers.  When each new grow season begins, I like to keep up to date with the latest innovative gardening tools and accessories, to help better manage my time (I like to barbecue and have fun on Saturdays and Sundays after all).  Each season I also challenge myself to accomplish more in a day than I did the prior season. Listed below are three products that I believe are worthwhile to add to my gardening collection this year.

 

Green Giant Spiked Aerator Shoes

I LOVE flowers. They’re so fragrant and beautiful. I plan to use these spiked aerator shoes to help me break up the hard soil around my flower beds, to better assist my perennial flowers in breaking through the dirt to start their growing process sooner. By using these shoes, I will no longer have to strain my back to break up the soil.   They also have a lot of other uses around my yard, such as aerating the grass and breaking up large pieces of dirt in my vegetable garden.

 

 

Plant Cages (Pea Tunnels)

If you like to plant vine vegetables, this product will be helpful. Plant cages allow you to plant your vine vegetables in a more neat and tidy row in your garden.  This tool will allow you to grow a lot more vine vegetables this year because you’re using “vertical” space.

 
Horticultural Fruit Picker — Apple Pear Peach Picking Tools

Every season I have to climb a ladder to remove fruit from the top of my pear and apple trees.  I use to simply let them fall to the ground, but by that time they were ravaged by insects. What a waste of good fruit.  That also brought an assortment of bees along with other undesirable insects.  No more will I have to worry about that with this innovative gardening tool that picks apples, pears and peaches from high places.  Just attach it to a pole and pick the desired fruit that you want.

As you can see, having these must-have gardening tools in your garage or backyard will make working out in your hard much easier and more productive this year. Have fun working in nature!

Posted by Lorraine

My First Organic Garden: Tips, Pics & Motivation for the First Time Vegetable Gardener

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When I was a young girl my father had a huge backyard garden. I didn’t understand the big appeal of the garden back then, mostly because I had to spend so many weekends in the hot sun helping to pull weeds! My Dad always had a great yield of tomatoes, cucumbers and other delicious greens.

 
One day last year on a whim, I decided to start my own little vegetable garden. I wanted to do something outdoors so that I would have more of an excuse to enjoy the sunshine instead of staying inside all of the time in front of a computer screen. I knew absolutely nothing about gardening, so I winged it mostly.

 

This began my love of gardening. Although I started planting VERY late in the season (the last week of July) I got the most beautiful yield of cucumbers, greens, buttercrunch lettuce and carrots. I am now excited about the prospect of starting another one when the weather is just right.

 

So if you are even remotely interested in gardening as a first-timer, here are the steps I took to get mine started. I may not be an expert just yet, and am still studying the best methods, but this is what worked for me. If you’re a first time organic gardener, just start small with a garden sized at about 5′ x 8′ — you can always expand it later.
Things you’ll need:

 

– an area of land that gets plenty of direct sunlight
– organic soil in a bag
– garden tools (including a good rake)
– soil sifter (keep reading for more on that)
– long wooden planks
– garden fence (green plastic)
– tall spikes
– staple gun
– fish fertilizer or sea kelp fertilizer or both (organic)
– garden feeder that can be attached to a hose (you can use the Miracle Gro feeder but dump the blue stuff inside first and clean it).
– a positive attitude

 

1. Prepare the soil.
The best preparation for good work tomorrow is to do good work today.
– Elbert Hubbard
startThe first and probably most time consuming step for me was preparing the soil and the area of the garden. I purchased a few bags of organic garden soil and one bag of miracle gro soil (whether or not a garden can still be considered 100% organic when using a Miracle Gro product is up for debate–I used the soil in a bag but not the chemical fertilizer that they sell).

 

sifter2The next thing I had to do was sift the soil to get rid of all the rocks and pebbles. This took a while and plenty of elbow grease. I was amazed to learn that my local home improvement stores did not have a sifting machine or tool in stock, so I had to fashion one by attaching mesh wire to two pieces of wood (I’ve since learned that there are a few options available online). I attached this primitive tool to the top of a wheelbarrow, scooped dirt on top and sifted it by hand. This took about two days to complete. I just put my gardening hat on, put my headphones on, turned on a good audiobook and got to work.

 

Much like life, you can’t have consistent growth without a proper foundation. So I knew this soil had to be just right.

 

Good soilAfter I finished sifting the dirt, I had the cleanest, smoothest patch of soil I had ever seen. The hard work was worth it. It was silky smooth, loose and fell right through my hands. (Keep in mind that if it rains you should cover the area unless you want to wait days for the soil to dry again.)

 

Next, I added the soil I purchased from my home improvement store to the silky soil and mixed it all together thoroughly with a garden rake. It looked fresh, dark and ready for planting.

 

The next step was to cordon off the area so that it was a well-defined garden. I purchased large cut wooden planks from Home Depot and hammered them into the ground around the garden. I also purchased green plastic garden fencing (comes in a roll at the store) and spikes to use later on to protect the garden from small animals. I also used the rocks I sifted from the soil as decoration around the garden area.

 

2. Planting the seeds.

 

Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
start2After adding the wooden planks around the garden I knew it was time for planting seeds. I purchased an heirloom seed pack from Amazon, which I highly recommend. They’re called “survival seeds” because you can harvest and replant them over and over into eternity (non-GMO). The pack I bought has a wide variety of vegetable seeds including carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, onions, cilantro, broccoli and more. I drew a plan on a piece of paper and divided the area of the garden into clearly defined sections. I followed the directions on each seed pack, being careful to leave plenty of space between each line of seeds. I then used my hands to carefully cover up each line of seeds with my hands.

 

 

3. Bless the garden.

 

When you focus on being a blessing, God makes sure that you are always blessed in abundance.
– Joel Osteen
Some may think this step isn’t necessary, but I personally think it was crucial to the success of my little garden — especially being that I started planting seeds so late in the summer. I asked Divine Providence and my late, beloved father (who had recently passed) to watch over my garden. I thought positive thoughts about my garden and imagined all of the delicious, healthy vegetables it would grow.

 

4. Water and wait.

 

Gardening requires lots of water — most of it in the form of perspiration. – Lou Erickson
The next step is to water your newly planted garden daily and wait. I set up an automatic timer to run the water twice per day over my garden, I believe it was once in the morning and once in the afternoon for about 45 minutes or longer. It took just a week for me to start seeing pretty little green sprouts and I was so excited! Only weeks later I had some plants that were ready for harvesting (namely the buttercrunch lettuce and greens).

 

5. Protect your garden.

 

A blessing is a circle of light drawn around a person to protect, heal and strengthen.
– John O’Donohue
sprouts
Once you start to see plant life growing in your organic garden it’s time to add your garden fence around it. Add tall spikes at all corners and at the mid-points, then wrap it with the green plastic fencing. Staple the fencing to your wooden planks and use string to tie it to each spike.

sprouts2

It’s also a good idea to have some type of natural protectant from flying and crawling pests for your garden. I purchased Neem oil (bugs don’t like it) and added a few droppers full to a spray bottle of water. Just shake it up and spray it on your garden regularly to keep the bugs away. I also put baking soda on the ground around my lettuce and cucumbers when I saw that snails were crawling in and munching on the leaves. It’s supposed to help keep those types of bugs away.

 

garden3

If you really want to keep all sorts of animals away from your garden, there’s a product sold in stores that smells like fox urine. It has to be applied in certain areas of the yard to ward off woodland creatures — just follow the instructions perfectly. I didn’t use it, but that’s up to you and what you feel is necessary.

 

6. Feed it and love it.

 

It is not how much you do, but how much love you put in the doing.”
– Mother Teresa
Organic fertilizerYou’re ideally supposed to feed your growing garden at least once per week. I was dedicated to keeping my garden organic, so I researched natural plant food. I purchased Fish fertilizer and Sea Kelp fertilizer for my garden. There’s also a product that combines the two. Every week, I filled up my spray bottle (it attaches to a hose) with a mixture of the two products and fed my garden while humming a tune or listening to my audiobooks. I loved every bit of it. I loved my garden and I believe that is why it grew so beautifully.

 

7. Harvest and enjoy.

 

With every deed you are sowing a seed, though the harvest you may not see.
– Ella Wheeler Wilcox
first cucumberThe last and possibly most satisfying step of growing your first organic vegetable garden is enjoying the fruits. I was so excited when my first cucumber appeared — it seemed to have grown overnight, which I have since learned is common with cucumbers. It was so fresh and delicious.

 

Then came the first orange carrots — crisp and sweet. I had plenty of lettuce Organic carrotto use in my salads and greens to make with meals during the week. I call it “healing food” because it is so rich in healthy vitamins, nutrients and love that you put in it. Soak the veggies and wash them very good before eating. There were also instructions on my seed pack for how to save the seeds for future planting.

 

green2I hope that this fairly long article has helped you get motivated to start your very own first time organic garden. I can’t believe I waited until now to get started — gardening is so rewarding. I don’t know why, but for some reason I never thought that I could ever grow my own vegetables. That’s nonsense — anyone with patience and the right tools can have a green thumb. It was a learning experience on so many levels and a testament to how changing our thoughts can change our lives for the better. Gardening gives me peace and serenity. It also gives me something special to look forward to each day.

 

May you be encouraged to start your first organic garden in your backyard or a community garden this spring or summer. Happy planting!

 

Love Lynn
Lynn is an author of motivational and dating advice books. She’s also a transformational blogger who continually “sows seeds” of positivity to her followers and readers. She is a guest blogger for LovingOurHome.com .

3 Beautiful Flowers to Plant & Grow this Spring

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I remember my parents always planting such beautiful flowers in the spring.  I mostly enjoyed watching the flowers grow from seedlings to mature plants.  The colors are still vividly present in my memories.  I recently decided that I was going to plant spring flowers of my own as a sort of an homage to my parents.  I wanted to grow the flowers from quality seeds, so I decided to do some research on Amazon to find the most beautiful flowers to plant that would enhance my small garden.  Here are the three that I found:

1) Mickey Mouse Tulip Seed Pack
I love tulips so, I chose this seed pack.  It is very affordable so I’ll grab more than one.  My plan is to also grow them so that they will be blooming around Easter.

2) Hydrangea, Red Hydrangea Seeds
I never thought about planting Hydrangea’s before, but when I saw the bright color and size of the mature flower, I was impressed.  I liked that the aroma would be fragrant and that it would blossom and fill a large area in my garden. They have a choice of either red, white or purple flowers.

3) French Marigold “Tiger Eyes” (Tagetes Erecta) Seed
I have always loved looking at marigolds.  I think I found the perfect marigold for my garden.  They are colorful and attractive.  More importantly they don’t attract bees.  The orange and yellow colors are so vibrant. I loved the fact that it’s blooming season is from spring through fall.

Happy planting!

Posted by Eve

Grow Your Own Herbs at Home with a Mini Greenhouse

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If you are like me and enjoy preparing homemade meals with fresh herbs, a mini greenhouse will allow you to have fresh herbs at your finger tips! With this small greenhouse in your home, you can grow your herbs year round.

mini greenhouseGardeners, for years have been utilizing large outdoor greenhouses to grow a variety of plants, herbs and vegetables year round. So, it just makes sense to have a mini greenhouse inside your home that can be used for the same purpose. I particularly, enjoy growing basil, parsley, dill, rosemary, cilantro and thyme.

To me, one of the most important steps to growing your own herbs is using organic soil and organic non-GMO heirloom seeds. That way you have healthy plants that you can get new seeds from year after year. You can purchase these items online or at your local nursery. After these items (including a mini greenhouse) are bought, it is now time to begin. I prefer organic seeds and soil because I want to avoid harmful man made chemicals that are now being used to produce food cheaper and faster. I also believe that organic foods taste better.

If you like to cook gourmet with fresh ingredients, you’ll save a lot of money each year by growing your own herbs. Just think of how many trips you make to the grocer’s on a yearly basis to purchase your herbs fresh or dried in containers. I use to travel to my local grocers at least four time a month to buy fresh herbs. It was costly and time consuming.

So, one day while thumbing through a magazine I saw an advertisement for an affordable mini greenhouse, that was easy to assemble. I immediately purchased it. I obtained all of my organic material and awaited for the delivery of my mini greenhouse. I was so excited! Yay, it arrived early on afternoon and I was anxious to assemble it. I made sure that I followed the instructions properly. I then filled each small sized pot with soil and labeled each pot to ensure that when I choose herbs for cooking there were no errors to be had. I fit as many pots as I could inside the greenhouse. I placed three seeds in each pot. I then, watered all of the pots, adequately. The greenhouse should be near a window that gets plenty of sunlight.

It took less than a week for my seeds to sprout. I made sure to vent the greenhouse daily to allow air to circulate and the inside temperature to cool. I was so proud when my sprouts matured into full grown plants. Now, each year I try to grow different herbs to cook with. I no longer have to purchase herbs from my neighborhood grocer. It has been extremely convenient to have all of my herbs just steps away from me to cook with.

I highly recommend that you try a mini greenhouse in your home.

Posted by Lorraine

Why You Should Consider Growing Your Own Vegetables

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Feeding yourself and/or a family healthy produce is very challenging, these days. The worst, is that the cheaper the food, the more unhealthy it is for you. With the prices of quality produce consistently on the rise, growing your own produce has become popular by demand. The only question you must ask yourself is what kinds of produce do you and your family consume and enjoy the most. Once that question is answered you now know what to grow in your produce garden.

I personally like knowing exactly where my vegetables came from. When I visit my local supermarket, I have absolutely no idea where there produce comes from and what kind of soil and fertilizers were used to grow it. I don’t know about you but this gives me the “willies.” More people are now eating healthier and smarter. What would be better than having a garden full of wholesome vegetables in your backyard?

Parents can convince their children to enjoy the pleasures of growing food. Another fantastic outcome will be that your kids will be more likely to eat their vegetables because they helped grow them. They will always remember the effort and dedication it took to grow a quality produce garden. Thus, as adults choosing to continue to eat quality produce, only.

Tips for Growing Your Own Vegetables

– It’s important to remember that there are certain times of year that are best to begin your garden. Do some research on what months are best to start growing the vegetables you want.

– Choose an area in your yard that gets plenty of sunlight with minimal shade.

– The size of your garden should depend on how many types of vegetables you want to grow. On a piece of paper map out what you want to grow.

– Prepare your plot. Use a shovel and a pitch fork to remove the grass,rocks, debris and any roots in that area, then even out the soil with a rake. I highly recommend that you visit your local gardening center to purchase nutrient rich soil to mix with your current soil. Ask a lot of questions to ensure that you purchase the correct soil for your garden. I personally, prefer to use organic soil because it does not contain any harmful chemicals or additives. Mix the new soil with your existing soil with a rake. Make sure that the soil has no clumps and is even.

– While at the garden center ask a knowledgeable garden expert about purchasing the best seeds to plant. They are the ones who will know if the seeds have been genetically altered.

– Follow your map to place the seeds in the spots you chose and don’t forget to water the area when done. Make sure that your garden receives proper watering daily, to help the seeds grow.

When done properly, your garden, depending on its size, can produce food that can be bagged, frozen or canned that you and your family can enjoy for months to come.

Join with me and countless other home farmers to help end unnecessary obesity and illnesses that are brought on by an unhealthy diet. Let’s start with the vegetables!!!

Posted by Eve