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Gardening to get the Kid’s Outside

Kids were more active 20 years ago right? Unless your child is involved in an extracurricular sport, they’re probably less active than they should be. Sitting for hours on the couch watching direct.tv or playing video games have replaced playing tag in the yard which results in a good share of teenagers being sedentary and often obese.

Gardening is a great way for you to get out of the house, for your children to get out of the house and for all to reap the benefits from a bountiful harvest.

Gardening is one of those things that seems like a lot of work but pays dividends in so many ways. There are periods of the gardening process that are hard work and often feel like exercise masked as a torturous event. Hauling water from one place to the next can be hard work when it’s 100 degrees outside and bending over to plant something or pull a weed might seem like back breaking work but in all reality is truly exercise.

There is something to be said about reaping the benefits of your hard work. A teenager that learns how to plant and nourish a garden is garnering quality life skills. They see the fruits of their hard labor from start to finish, and reap the benefits with fresh quality produce that they are ultimately responsible for.

Couple of hints to get the kids in motion:

1. Plant some things they like! Find something your kids like and then capitalize on it. Planting spinach won’t do anyone any good if your kids can’t stand spinach, but planting cucumbers will be a good thing if your kids really like cucumbers.

2. Be consistent! If the kids are having trouble nurturing their little garden set some ground rules. Watering on Tuesday and Saturday and no television until they get the garden weeded might be a good start.

Most importantly have fun with it.

Filed Under: Gardening, Home Improvement Tagged With: Garden, Home, Plant

Nudging the Nosey Neighbor Out of Your Life

Unless you live in a remote area of the world, you probably have to deal with nosey or annoying neighbors. While the majority of the time you can ignore that rude or nosey neighbor, it is especially hard to ignore them when they ambush you while you are working on a gardening project and complain about anything from the position of your fence to the smell of your compost pile. It seems that these types of neighbors know that they have a captive audience and that you cannot get away from their complaining. If you are currently in a situation like this, there are a few things that you can do to try to ease the situation and improve your relationship with your neighbor.

The first solution to solving the problem with your neighbor is to try to appease them by doing what they ask. If your neighbor complains that they can smell the compost pile, try moving it to another section of the yard. If they complain about the tree branches, try trimming them off the neighbor’s yard. While it might not help your relationship, it will ease the tension a little.

Another solution to solve your complaining neighbor problem is to try to win them over with kindness. If you notice that your neighbor seems to complain a lot about your compost pile, consider offering to show them what they can do with the compost pile. Offer to give them a little of the compost so that they can see how well their plants will grow. This will allow them to see why you engage in the activities that you do and could help ease any tension that was growing.

If appeasement and winning them over with kindness don’t work, the only other solution to the problem is to start looking at moving quotes and find a new home with friendlier neighbors!

Filed Under: Environment, Home Improvement Tagged With: Compost, Garden, Home

How to add Value to Your Home With the Addition of a Water Garden

Nothing adds character to your living space quite like the addition of a water garden. The sound of running water is priceless and the accompanying plants and flowers that you can grow add character and even value to the home you spend time in.

If you’re concerned about the price or just aren’t a fix-it-up kind of person, most people can install a water garden by themselves, without professional help, all in the span of a weekend and for a price that just about any budget can afford.

1. Got a shovel – The first thing you need to do is purchase the water feature. Once home mark the area where you are going to install and dig a hole that is deep and wide enough to accommodate your new purchase.

2. Install the under liner – The underlayer of this project helps protect the plastic from tears from roots and rocks. Once the underlayer is down, spread the plastic over the top and secure both pieces with something heavy.

3. Make sure the pump is positioned correctly – Make sure the pump is at the correct height and make sure it is secure. This would be a great time to add the additional features that you are going to have around the water garden. Things like rocks, statues and anything that meets your fancy.

4. Finish the project – Ok so you’ve got a water feature now it’s time to fill it with water. Be careful to monitor the liner and all features so they do not expand during filling. Trip off any excess plastic and put any additional decorative items you have around the pond before testing your finished project.

Installing a water garden in your back yard is relatively easy and not that time consuming. Your guests will appreciate the added feature and prospective home buyers will certainly notice the addition when it’s time to see your home.

Filed Under: Gardening, Home Improvement Tagged With: Home, Water garden

That lawn is so yesterday: How to remove it

ContentWhen deciding to re-decorate the garden, there is primarily one factor that stands in the way; the lawn. Although relatively easy to install, headaches can arise when one attempts to remove a stubborn lawn.

Before venturing into the world of grass removal, one should first discover what type of lawn they are dealing with. Whereas cool season grass can be manually removed or smothered, warm season grass has strong roots that make the manual and smothering process a complete waste of time if done improperly. When removing warm season grass as an amateur, the best method is poison.

While poison may appear to be the easy road in lawn removal, it is just as time consuming as the smothering method. When one decides to smother the grass they must cut it to the ground and either cover it with newspaper or cardboard. After covering the dirt, the only assignment for the gardener is to wait for the covering to produce rich soil that can be used for various purposes. When poisoning, however, the individual must spread the chemicals abroad making sure to not poison useful crop. In addition, the poisoned area must be checked often to determine the amount of poison that is needed for second, third and fourth dosages. The purpose of re-poisoning is to kill the grass and weeds that failed to die the first time. It usually takes around two years to successfully poison a lawn, and too much poison will ultimately ruin the soil.

If one has no desire to endure such process but has warm season grass, they should try the manual way of mowing the lawn to the ground and digging up the roots. Since the tough roots of warm season grass will produce a new lawn from stems, digging up the roots from the ground will ruin any chance of life, and allow the individual to re-decorate as desired.

Filed Under: Gardening, Home Improvement Tagged With: Gardening, Grass, Home, Landscaping, Lawn, Season (sports), Seed, Soil

Choose a Water Garden

: Image by brewbooks via Flickr

Tropical or Rain Garden?

Now that you’ve decided to install a water garden into your outdoor living space, it’s time to choose what type of plants you desire. There are a variety of gardens that all require anywhere from light gardening to time consuming gardening. From King Tut bog plants that grow deep roots in your pond to stabilize the floating flowers above, to the waterlilies and lotus blooms that gently glide on top of the water. A rain garden requires a great deal of water, as does a tropical garden, so consider your regions abundance of water before making your choice.

Have a Plan and get Help

A good plan is to visit your local do-it-yourself home center where knowledgeable help and a range of fountains, ponds and waterfalls will be found. Consider the size of the space available and make sure to pick a bright, sunny spot with no trees that will drop their leaves into the pond. Once you install the components, you’re ready to set your plants into the water and surrounding soil. Colorful blooms will entice hummingbirds, butterflies and birds to your sanctuary, so try a variety around the pond. When you’re ready, turn on the water to gently flow and trickle across the stones of your waterfall. Now breathe in the sweet fragrance.

Enjoy the Butterflies and Fragrance

Now’s the time to invite friends, family and neighbors over–you’ll never tire of their excitement and desire to have an oasis of their own. Just send them to the home center to chose their own waterfall, pond and lovely flowers. You may consider adding ornamental fish or other water creatures, but check with your new friends at the home center for a filter and water conditions first. You’ve done such a good job, who needs a vacation–just step outside and experience the wonder of nature.

Tropical or Rain Garden?
Now that you’ve decided to install a water garden into your outdoor living space, it’s time to choose what type of plants you desire. There are a variety of gardens that all require anywhere from light gardening to time consuming gardening. From King Tut bog plants that grow deep roots in your pond to stabilize the floating flowers above, to the waterlilies and lotus blooms that gently glide on top of the water. A rain garden requires a great deal of water, as does a tropical garden, so consider your regions abundance of water before making your choice.
Have a Plan and get Help
A good plan is to visit your local do-it-yourself home center where knowledgeable help and a range of fountains, ponds and waterfalls will be found. Consider the size of the space available and make sure to pick a bright, sunny spot with no trees that will drop their leaves into the pond. Once you install the components, you’re ready to set your plants into the water and surrounding soil. Colorful blooms will entice hummingbirds, butterflies and birds to your sanctuary, so try a variety around the pond. When you’re ready, turn on the water to gently flow and trickle across the stones of your waterfall. Now breathe in the sweet fragrance.
Enjoy the Butterflies and Fragrance
Now’s the time to invite friends, family and neighbors over–you’ll never tire of their excitement and desire to have an oasis of their own. Just send them to the home center to chose their own waterfall, pond and lovely flowers. You may consider adding ornamental fish or other water creatures, but check with your new friends at the home center for a filter and water conditions first. You’ve done such a good job, who needs a vacation–just step outside and experience the wonder of nature.

Filed Under: DIY, Environment, Gardening, Landscaping Tagged With: Home, Pond, Water garden

Making Money With Your Garden

: Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Having a garden is a great way to relax and spend some time with nature now and then. However, most people don’t realize that having a garden can also be an additional revenue stream. You can grow your own plants and vegetables in your garden and sell them locally. In fact, there are a number of ways you can make money from your garden.

If you grow your own vegetables, you can grow a selection and sell that at your local market. People love fresh, home made produce and selling your vegetables is a great way to make money. If you grow certain types of fruit you could even make smoothies out of them and serve it as a refreshing drink. Who knows—after a few years of running a market stall you might have enough customers to start your own company!

To make some real money, you really need to plant perennials. These are plants which that live for longer than two years and can be split up and divided in order to increase your product. Once you have split the plant up into smaller flowering plants, you are free to sell them. You can do this on the Internet or again at your local markets. Make sure you check the prices of the competition at garden centers and other retailers to ensure that you are not pricing yourself out of the market.

If you find that your business is thriving and you decide you might want to make gardening your full time career, why not take a course to learn more? There are many courses you can take to improve your gardening knowledge, such as a course in landscape gardening or business management to ensure you can handle the accounts. You can use services like those at educationforadults.com to find a suitable degree that will help your new business grow.

Filed Under: DIY, Environment, Gardening, Home Improvement, Technique Tagged With: Garden, Home, Plant, Vegetable

Care for Water Garden Fish

: Image via Wikipedia

Keeping goldfish, koi and other ornamental fish species is a natural part of keeping your water garden. They offer an appeal as pets, and they are also a large part of the water garden or pond ecosystem. If you want to maintain good health in your fish, you are going to want to take some basic precautions. You must keep the right number of fish for your pond size, you must feed them properly, and you must monitor the chemistry and temperature of the water. Backyard water gardens are not natural environments, and so you are going to be responsible for governing the conditions of this space.

The stocking level for your pond is going to be absolutely critical to maintaining good health in your fish. If you have too many fish, the level of oxygen will be decreased and the additional fish waste is going to lead to a build up in nitrites and ammonia. Your fish load can generally vary based on what level of filtration you have. If the filter is undersized, then you are not going to be able to keep as many fish. On the other end of the spectrum, if you have an oversized filter you may be able to keep additional fish. If you have an average-sized water garden filter then your stocking level will vary based on the surface area for your pond.

If you have any doubts about how many fish you can reasonably keep in your pond, speak to an expert where you buy your fish or your pond supplies for assistance. The experts and specialists there will be able to help you find the right number of fish for your unique needs, and will make sure that you are making the right decisions about keeping fish in your outdoor water garden.

Filed Under: DIY, Gardening, Technique Tagged With: Fish, Garden, Home, Koi, Plant, Pond, Water, Water garden

Water Garden Plant Care

: Image by (Bill and Mavis) – B&M Photography via Flickr

There are special considerations that you need to make when it comes to caring for your pond and water garden plants. Make sure that the plants are maintained properly from one season to the next. As the foliage on the hardier plants dies back, you should make sure that you are removing dead leaves and dying leaves. Make sure that the plant is planted deep enough in your pond that the roots are not going to freeze when it becomes colder outside. Some shallow water and marginal plants are capable of surviving even when the roots are frozen, it is still best to keep the plants below the ice zone in order for them to thrive.

Make sure that your pond is prepared for the winter months as well. If the pond is too shallow or too small to protect it from the freezing temperature, then keep in mind that there are other options available to you such as floating deicers, which keep the area they sit in from freezing. If the pond is not large and does not contain fish, you could potentially place a solid cover over the top, such as something made from plywood, then use leaves or straw in large bags on top to provide a layer of insulation.

You should consider that some plants do have special needs. For example, some types of plants do not like to be submerged in the cold water during the cold winter months. Japanese iris flowers, for example, should be removed from your pond and planted in the ground during the winter months until the spring thaw, at which point the new growth will begin and you can re-transplant the plant in your pond again. The same is true for Cannas and Cardinal flowers in most cases, so keep this in mind

Filed Under: Gardening, Landscaping, Technique Tagged With: Cannas, Cardinal, Garden, Home, Plant, Pond, Water, Water garden

Water Garden Fish Care

: Image via Wikipedia

It is important that you take good care of your fish when you are keeping a water garden in your backyard. For example, you need to feed your fish appropriately. As water temperature changes, you need to change how you feed your fish according to their metabolism. For example, when the water temperature begins to drop, the fish metabolism is going to slow down. During the summer you need to be able to feed your fish a high protein food, allowing them to build up a distinct fat reserve that will help them survive through the winter.

After the water temperature begins to drop, you are going to want to decrease how much food you are giving them, and you should go from feeding them several times daily to only feeding them one time per day. You might want to use an easily digestable food with a wheat germ base. Spring and autumn food from Pond Care of the Microbe Lift Cold Weather are two formulas that will work well for this purpose.

When the temperature drops again, you should go to only feeding between twice and three times in a single week. Your fish will be taking longer and longer to digest their food and so they need much less at this point in time. When the temperature hits below 50 degrees, your fish should stop eating at all for as long as the temperature is remaining at 50 degrees or below. Keep in mind that you need to keep the pond very clean when the temperature drops, because frozen pond will trap debris, and debris can release toxins that can cause harm to your fish if left unchecked.

Make sure that you are caring for your fish properly throughout the year in order for your water garden to thrive.

Filed Under: Environment, Gardening, Landscaping, Technique Tagged With: Fahrenheit, Fish, Food, Garden, Home, Temperature, Water, Water garden

Autumn and Winter Pond Care

In the autumn season, one of the most significant events that you are going to run into is the period where the leaves begin to change colors and fall away from the trees. If the leaves fall and end up getting into the pond, they will decay in the water and this is going to throw off the entire ecological balance of your water garden.

One of the options that is available to you during this time is to use a net for skimming leaves away from the surface of your pond whenever they fall. Unfortunately, this is going to be a daily chore for you throughout the autumn months if you decide to pursue this particular maintenance avenue. You could use a skimmer type filter, but this is not likely going to help you get the leaves, because they are only designed to help with occasional leaves and other debris, and are not well-suited for seasons where many leaves are falling, quickly becoming a nuisance.

If the leaves are falling in heavy quantities, your skimmer may become clogged several times daily. You may want to consider installing leaf netting across your pond as this will make the leaf maintenance easier to deal with throughout the season. It is best for you to try and minimize how much sludge accumulates, include debris from plants and leaves. You might consider using a pond vacuum or a siphon to clear the debris as they enter into the pond system. You can also use chemicals to accelerate how quickly organic debris break down in the pond. All of these things combined together will help you get the most out of your maintenance steps for the autumn and winter.

Maintaining your water garden during the fall and winter is important in keeping your water garden operating properly throughout the year.

Filed Under: Environment, Home Improvement, Landscaping, Technique Tagged With: Fish, Garden, Home, Home and Garden, Pond, Shopping, Water, Water garden