It's time for a spring garden jump start. There are gardening tasks to be done, and the growing season is coming. The grass is starting to green up, bulbs are peeking through the soil, and spring is around the corner. Gardening chores come fast and furious once warm weather hits. Sometimes you don’t have time to fit all the tasks in. A spring garden jump-start is a productive way to begin your gardening year. You can hit the ground running and get ahead of the season. That's why late winter is my favorite time to get many of the spring jobs done-- or at least get them started. It's a great way to reduce the springtime stress of too many gardening tasks to do. So what are we waiting for? Let's use these garden tips and get this spring garden jump start going! Step 1: Weeding My top priority in late winter/early spring is keeping weeds under control. Cold weather weeds such as chickweed and mustard are much easier to hand weed when small. Plus, the weeds haven’t gone to seed … [Read more...] about A Spring Garden Jump Start in 12 Easy Steps
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Orchid Garden Pool Landscape
I never expected to design an orchid garden pool landscape. But then I visited a new landscape design client. I quickly realized that just past their front door was a gorgeous swimming pool. How do you landscape a front entrance that’s a pool lanai? Most swimming pools in Florida are surrounded by garden beds with tropical plants on the inside of their screened enclosures. But this pool lanai was surrounded by four bare walls. Deciding on a design theme was easy when I found out my client was an orchid lover. I decided that I wanted to display an orchid garden on the tiled walls. But how to connect them together and take care of them properly and without a lot of maintenance? That part would be a challenge. The Orchid Garden Pool Landscape Design Up to the challenge, I searched for driftwood that would securely hang on the walls. I wanted to attach the various orchid species, tillandsias, bromeliads, and ferns just like they hang from trees in their native … [Read more...] about Orchid Garden Pool Landscape
Best Garden Tools Make Gardening Easier
Are the best garden tools in your tool shed? They should be! Every gardener and homesteader knows the joy of having great garden tools. The right tool makes the difference when you’re digging a hole, weeding a flower bed or pruning your favorite shrub. Let’s face it, having well-designed, well-made and truly great garden tools makes any garden or yard work job easier—and a whole lot more satisfying. From shovels to weeders and from pruners to watering accessories, garden tools help to keep plants healthy. And great garden tools keep the entire yard looking great. So, let’s give a big shout-out to the best garden tools. Let’s hear it for the yard and garden tools that are a pleasure to use because they get the job done. You'll love all these tools-- made well for years of hassle-free performance. Best Garden Tools The editors of Home, Garden and Homestead have been digging in the dirt and caring for plants longer than we care to admit. We’ve bought our share of discount … [Read more...] about Best Garden Tools Make Gardening Easier
Best Weeding Tool: CobraHead Weeders
Owning a best weeding tool is an absolute necessity for every gardener or homeowner. Without an effective weed puller, it’s virtually impossible to grow a great garden or a lawn that’s the envy of the neighborhood. Everyone who grows plants in the soil knows that weeds happen. These unwanted plants seem to grow everywhere there is bare or cultivated soil. “Weeds start to sprout in spring even before vegetable gardens and flower beds are planted,” said Noel Valdes, president of CobraHead, the company that makes CobraHead weeders and cultivators, widely regarded as the best weeding tools. “The simple act of digging in the soil combined with Spring rainfall can give weed seeds a chance to grow. And most plants that we call ‘weeds’ are very aggressive growers.” An Old Digging Tool is Reborn as a Best Weeding Tool Valdes knows all about weeds because he has been a dedicated organic gardener his entire life. He was digging in his garden with an old-fashioned five-tined cultivator … [Read more...] about Best Weeding Tool: CobraHead Weeders
Homestead Living Ideas
When it comes to homestead living ideas, it's all about a more sustainable and self-sufficient lifestyle. Use organic practices on the landscape and in the gardens. Make and use homemade compost in the family vegetable garden. Pay attention to energy efficiency in the design of buildings. And select appliances based on their efficient use of resources. The homestead and ranch life can also include raising chickens for a steady supply of fresh eggs. (This is true for large acreage properties and even in some suburban homes.) On larger ranch and homesteads, becoming more self-sufficient means drilling wells and installing backup water pumps. Here are some great products and homestead living ideas that make the ranch, homestead and self-sufficient lifestyle easier. For information about planting fruit trees on your homestead property, read Top Five Fruit Trees for some great advice. Also read How to Build an Instant Rusted Corrugated Metal Fence. Deep Well Hand Pump Keeps … [Read more...] about Homestead Living Ideas