Home & Garden Living

Garden How To Building Plans

noreply@blogger.com (GardenFool) — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 18:02:00 +0000

Garden How To Building Plans

From time to time, we come across some excellent garden related how to building plans. We've found a few here that you're sure to enjoy so give them a look when you get the chance: Greenhouse Plans - How to Build a Greenhouse - Arbor Plans - Build an Arbor - Gazebo Plans - Hot Tub Gazebo - Compost Bin Plans

plans - build - garden

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Composting Pile Tips

noreply@blogger.com (GardenFool) — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 09:26:00 +0000

Compost Pile Tips

Composting is fun. Watching vegetable scraps and lawn clippings turn into rich, dark compost for the garden can be very rewarding. You'll enrich the soil in your garden beds. You will help keep valuable organic matter out of the overflowing landfills. And you will see what wonders it does for your garden plants. Your plants will be much healthier by adding compost to your soil. Below are a few composting tips to help you get started.

As a rule, the smaller the items are that you add to your compost bin, the quicker they will break down.

Be creative when finding items to put into your compost bin. Everything from cardboard to egg shells are welcome to the organisms working in your active compost pile.

The average size compost pile is about 3 feet by 3 feet. This makes the compost pile easier to work with and gives it enough mass for things to heat up.

Compost piles need to be aerated often. Make sure you dig deep into the pile and mix everything thoroughly, especially when adding new items to the pile.

You want to keep your active compost pile moist but not overly wet. If your pile starts smelling, you can bet it is too wet. If it is, aerate the pile and make sure no moisture gets into it until the moisture content is lowered. But don't let the compost pile get too dry either.

Compost can be made by just piling everything up in a pile, but a compost bin helps to keep the pile all together and working more efficiently.

composting tips

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Lavender Vista Daylily

noreply@blogger.com (GardenFool) — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 07:42:00 +0000

Lavender Vista Daylily

The All American Daylily Selection Council has released their All American Daylily Winner for 2007. With its 5 - 6" fragrant, reblooming lavender blooms, Lavender Vista Daylily has been awarded All American Daylily for 2007 Exhibiton. Lavender Vista Daylily now ranks among the other 14 daylilies awarded with this distinction. Lavender Vista blooms an average of 88 days per year, shows good resistance to daylily rust and is more tolerant of shade than most daylilies. Black Eyed Stella was the first All American Daylily winner in 1994.

2007 all american daylily

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Forming Perfect Homemade Meatballs

noreply@blogger.com (GardenFool) — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 07:10:00 +0000

Forming Perfect Homemade Meatballs

The best way for forming perfect homemade meatballs is to use a melon ball scoop to form the meatballs. Dip the scoop in cold water occasionally to prevent your homemade meatballs from sticking.

meatballs - make meatballs - homemade meatballs

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Garden Tiller Maintenance - Garden Tillers

noreply@blogger.com (GardenFool) — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 07:00:00 +0000

Garden Tillers Maintenance

If you've put off your annual maintenance on your garden tillers until now, you can still get the old tiller back into shape for breaking up some dirt early next Spring. I'll confess, I got a late start on this gardening chore this year. Plants needed planting. Brush needed clearing. And every other chore seemed so much more important than getting the garden tiller ready for winter storage. I used the tiller quite a bit this year and it's still running as good as when I first purchased it. Some simple maintenance procedures, listed below, will help keep your garden tiller in top shape.

Annual Maintenance for Garden Tillers

* First, for safety sake, disconnect the spark plug when you are performing any maintenance on your tiller.

* If it's broke, fix it. A broken bolt or support can seriously weaken and stress the whole garden tiller. If you don't get the broken tiller parts fixed quickly you may soon be buying more than the one part due to stress failures.

* Replace any worn or broken belts, or chains, if so equipped. Also adjust any loose belts as they can cause needless wear on the gears and the tiller engine itself.

* Change your tiller's spark plug at the very least once a year.

* Oil should be changed as recommended by the tiller manufacturer.

* You should be keeping the air filter and pre air filter clean during the season. Try to replace the tiller's main air filter at least once per year. Most tiller pre air filters can be reused until they cannot be serviced any longer.

* If you haven't drained the fuel from your tiller and can't find the time, add some fuel stabilizer to keep the fuel from breaking down during the Winter. Make sure you run the engine for a short period, about 5 minutes, to distribute the stabilizer throughout the fuel system.

* If you will be draining the garden tiller's fuel tank over Winter, drain as much fuel as possible, then start up the tiller and let it run until it totally runs out of fuel. Unscrew the bolt on the bottom of the carburetor bowl and remove the bowl. Clean out any dirt particles and spray the inside of the bowl with carb cleaner. Replace the bowl.

* While you're at it, now would be a good time to replace the tiller's fuel filter and check any fuel hoses for cracks or leaks. Should you find any, replace the hoses that are damaged.

* If you know where all of the grease fittings are on your tiller, get out the grease gun and fill these fittings until you start to see the new grease pushing out the old grease. If you don't know where all of the grease fittings are on your garden tiller, they should be noted in your tiller manual.

* Check the blades of the tiller tines. If you have a lot of rocks in your soil, the blades may be pretty dull. The tiller tines are pretty easy to remove and sharpen on most garden tillers. If they need it, sharpen them, but wear a pair of leather gloves to prevent cutting yourself. If the tiller tines are bent, you really need to replace them.

* If your garden tiller is dirty, give it a good wash. Rust may form from moisture trapped between dirt and the tiller surface. Carb cleaner can be sprayed around the engine area to remove oil and grime. Not really done for aesthetic purposes, but to help you more easily locate any leaks, should they develop.

These tiller maintenance tips are provided to help you extend the life of your garden tiller.

tiller - tiller maintenance

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Endless Summer Hydrangea

noreply@blogger.com (GardenFool) — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 06:53:00 +0000

Endless Summer Hydrangea

Endless Summer Hydrangea is claimed the first hydrangea macrophylla that blooms on both old and new wood yielding a spectacular showing of flowers throughout the growing season. You can encourage more flowers on Endless Summer Hydrangea by pinching out spent blooms on this cultivar. Grows to a height of 3 - 4 feet. Deciduous.
Zones 4-9

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How to Grow Peppers

noreply@blogger.com (GardenFool) — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 04:39:00 +0000

How to Grow Peppers

Growing Peppers Advice and Tips

Pepper is a tender, warm-season vegetable. Pepper plants require somewhat higher temperatures, grow more slowly and are smaller than most tomato plants. Brightly colored, sweet bell pepper varieties have recently burst onto the scene. A vast range of other garden peppers (pimiento, tabasco, cayenne, chili and paprika) may be grown for food, spices or as ornamentals.

The sweet varieties of peppers, especially the bells, traditionally have been by far the most popular in the United States. They are eaten green or ripe and are used for salads, stuffing, soup, stews, relishes and pickling. New developments in color and form have done nothing to dull the popularity of sweet peppers. Hot pepper varieties have also enjoyed a rebirth of popularity recently, mainly due to various ethnic cuisines that use their unique flavors and heat creatively.

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Helpful Gardening Tips

noreply@blogger.com (GardenFool) — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 16:42:00 +0000

Helpful Gardening Tips

Tips for the Garden

When your hands are badly stained from gardening, add a teaspoon of sugar to the soapy lather you wash them in.

Plant a few sprigs of dill near your tomato plants to prevent tomato worms on your plants.

Marigolds will prevent rodents in the garden and help deter pests from tomatoes.

Fresh lemon juice will remove onion scent from your hands.

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Removing Grass Stains

noreply@blogger.com (GardenFool) — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 16:37:00 +0000

Removing Grass Stains

How to remove grass stains from clothing

Presoak the clothing in cold water for at minimum 30 minutes. Rinse clothing. Pretreat with laundry detergent. Wash the clothing, using laundry detergent, hot water, and bleach safe for fabric. On acetate and colored fabrics, use 1 part of alcohol to 2
parts water.

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Removing Blood Stains

noreply@blogger.com (GardenFool) — Sun, 09 Apr 2006 16:33:00 +0000

Removing Blood Stains

How to remove blood stains from clothing

Presoak the clothing in cold or warm water at least 30 minutes. If the stain
remains, soak in lukewarm ammonia water (3 tablespoons
ammonia per gallon water). Rinse clothing. If stain still remains, work in
laundry detergent, and wash, using bleach safe for fabric.

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Starting Seeds Indoors

noreply@blogger.com (GardenFool) — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 21:56:00 +0000

Starting Seeds

Almost time to dig out those seed packets and start planting

Starting seeds indoors is a way for many gardeners to get a jump on Spring seed planting. Getting the seeds to germinate indoors where temperatures and moisture can be controlled is a far more easier experience, in my opinion, than planting seeds directly in the garden. The trick is getting them to germinate and not grow too big before they have to be moved outside. If you have the space and light available, this might not be so bad. But if your seedlings don't get the light and nutrients that they need, perhaps the only plants that you'll be planting in the garden are ones that wiil need crutches for support. Plants that don't get the correct amount of light and nutrients will most certainly be spindly. With a plant like tomatoes, you can still have success because tomatoes can be laid on their sides in the planting hole and covered over with only a few leaves showing above the soil. Most other plants you don't have this option. You may want to consider a small homemade greenhouse for finishing your seedlings.

Advantages of starting seeds indoors:

Earlier harvest from your garden
Showing off to the neighbor over your bright red tomatoes, while theirs are just barely pushing up soil.
Plants are better established when the heat of summer arrives.
Wards off winter blues.
Kids can watch the process of plant growth up close.

Disadvantages to starting seeds indoors:

Starting seeds indoors requires patience.
From seed starting to planting out in the garden, you will need to dedicate lots of time to the seedlings.
Your living room may look like a jungle on nights when frost threatens and your young plants must be brought back inside.
All your hard work can be thwarted if you don't take the time to harden off your plants when they are ready to go outside.

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Cleaning Marble - using marble sealer

noreply@blogger.com (GardenFool) — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 04:45:00 +0000

Clean & Care of Marble

How to clean marble and marble care tips

Marble is a perfect durable material for the construction of tabletops and counters. Cleaning marble and caring for it after installation can become a chore if you don't remember a few important bits of information. It is very important to remember to clean marble only with approved cleaners. The marble should be sealed with an approved marble sealer because of the porous properties of marble. Without an approved marble sealer, the chances of staining the marble surface are significantly higher. Marble polish applied regularly will also help protect the surface of the marble. Remove any wet spots from marble immediately to prevent stains.

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Homemade Air Freshener - for your home

noreply@blogger.com (GardenFool) — Sat, 04 Feb 2006 21:55:00 +0000

Homemade Air Freshener

Try this non-toxic homemade air freshener as a first resort

For a homemade air freshener, pour a cup of baking soda into some bowls and place on shelves around the home. Baking Soda is a natural deodorant and doesn't contain all of the chemicals found in commercial air fresheners. Vinegar with lemon juice can be used as a substitute and gives a similar effect, but may be a bit messy should the bowl spill. If the baking soda homemade air freshener spills, just vacuum it up and you've just fixed the problem with smells coming from your vacuum cleaner. Simple and effective.

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Plant Picks 2006

noreply@blogger.com (GardenFool) — Sat, 04 Feb 2006 21:46:00 +0000

Great Plant Picks 2006

Excellent plants for Pacific Northwest gardens

Looking for the best 2006 plants for your Pacific Northwest Garden? Look no further. Great Plant Picks offers a selection of this this year's finest plants for your garden. You can visit their website at the following link: Great Plant Picks

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Garden Trends 2006 - Stay at Home trend on the rise

noreply@blogger.com (GardenFool) — Sat, 04 Feb 2006 21:11:00 +0000

Garden Trends 2006

Rising fuel prices increase the need for home outdoor activities.

Recent fuel price increases have exerted pressure on homeowners to find ways to entertain around the home. New exterior design trends call for simple gardens that are easy to maintain and enjoy, replacing the showcase gardens of yesteryear that could be somewhat of a hassle on the maintenance end. Container gardening is considered "in", as more people are gardening in tight spaces such as porches and apartment balconies. Houseplants are making a mild comeback as people are wanting to bring nature into the home or office setting. The organic method of growing plants steadily creeps back in as healthier lifestyles call for less chemicals. Garden ponds are a thing of the past whereas garden fountains increase in popularity. Trash the fast food, homegrown is in. Again, health conscious consumers are making paths towards healthy eating habits and are growing their own foods in an attempt to rid their diets of the chemicals used in the processing of commercial foods.

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Greenhouses

noreply@blogger.com (GardenFool) — Sat, 04 Feb 2006 19:23:00 +0000

Greenhouses - Building or Buying

A greenhouse for the home garden

Ah, a greenhouse. Who wouldn't love to have a greenhouse in their backyard. A place to start some seeds in the cold of winter. A place to grow tropical plants when you live far north of their native habitat. A greenhouse can be a special place where you can enjoy some one-on-one time with nature when everything else in the world is running at such an awful pace. Greenhouses come in many shapes and sizes and different ones serve different purposes. If you are the DIY type, you can use readily available plans to build a greenhouse from scratch.

Purpose of your Greenhouse

What you will need to ask yourself before purchasing a greenhouse is, "What purpose will my greenhouse serve?" Will you need a greenhouse just for starting seeds in late winter to get a jump start on your Spring planting? How many seeds will you be planting? Will a small portable greenhouse serve your purpose well? Or will you need a larger greenhouse, one where you can overwinter your tropical plants and keep them warm throughout the freezing temperatures of winter. Are you wanting to go all out and buy a Gutter Connect Greenhouse like the big boys use? Will you ever really use that greenhouse to it's fullest extent? It's always best to thoroughly go through all of these questions and more to decide which size greenhouse will work best for you.

Location of your Greenhouse

Where will I locate my greenhouse? You don't really have much leeway in your decision as to where to locate your greenhouse if you are going to be giving it the optimal location, of which is the south to south-east side of any other buildings at your greenhouse site location. Your biggest concern in locating your greenhouse should be making sure that your greenhouse receives optimum winter sunlight. This can be best achieved by scouting out the location for your greenhouse well in advance. If that is not possible, and you are ready to install your greenhouse pronto, then a trip to the local cooperative extension office may be in order. They should have fact sheets that will help you to make an educated guess in positioning your greenhouse. Keep in mind that your future greenhouse heating costs, should you desire to heat your greenhouse, may be influenced by your location of the greenhouse.

Ready to Buy a Greenhouse

You've made some important decisions, thought long and hard about buying a greenhouse and have now come to the conclusion that you are ready to purchase a greenhouse. Where do you start? You're not going to like the answer. More research! There are a lot of greenhouse companies selling their wares and some are high quality and you will pay a premium price for that quality. There are bargains to be had on greenhouses, even quality ones. But it will take research on your part to find those bargains. Sales come up every so often and this can save you upwards of several hundred dollars if you keep yourself aware. Make a point of checking weekly with greenhouse companies for upcoming sales. It's always a shame when you purchase something only to find it on sale the next day. Call the company and ask them if they will be having any sales in the near future. Be proactive when buying your greenhouse. It's your money, use it wisely.

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Groundhog Day 2006 - Punxsutawney Phil says 6 more weeks

noreply@blogger.com (GardenFool) — Fri, 03 Feb 2006 01:21:00 +0000

Groundhog Day 2006

Punxsutawney Phil says 6 more weeks of winter

Groundhog day has come and Punxsutawney Phil has forecasted 6 more weeks of winter. A sad day for gardeners everywhere :)

You can learn more about Groundhog Day - Punxsutawney Phil and its history here.

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Welcome to my Home and Garden Blog

noreply@blogger.com (GardenFool) — Wed, 01 Feb 2006 03:53:00 +0000

Having a time getting this home and garden blog going here. Plan to work on this blog real soon! In the mean time feel free to visit Bluegrass Gardens Plant Nursery. They have some great garden articles like How to build a greenhouse and articles on dogwood trees and viburnum. And be sure to check out the Cherokee Chief Dogwood Tree, beautiful.

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How To Keep Warm In Winter

noreply@blogger.com (GardenFool) — Sat, 03 Dec 2005 23:08:00 +0000

How To Keep Warm In Winter

Say you want to learn how to keep warm in winter? Here's a few tips to help you save on winter heating bills.

Drinking warm fluids or eating warm meals in winter, even warm snacks, will make you feel warmer as your metabolism rises to "process" that food or liquid.

To burn off those extra warm meals, do some exercise. Not only will it help you keep warm, but you'll burn calories to help you keep fit throughout the winter

Were you raised in a barn? Keep those doors shut as much as possible. Large amounts of heat are lost through open doors in winter.

If you are feeling a little cool indoors and everyone else is comfortable, instead of turning up the thermostat, just dress a little warmer by throwing on an extra shirt. Or better yet, buy some thermal underwear to keep you warm.

Should you get wet from cold winter rain or snow, quickly change into dry clothes. You'll lose body heat much faster in wet clothes.

When you go to bed at night, turn the thermostat down a few degrees and throw an extra blanket on the bed. You'll be surprised how much you can save on your energy bills by doing this.

Have drafts around a door or window? A temporary fix: Hang a bed cover over them at night time to keep the cold drafts out and the warm air inside.

Heat rises. If your attic is not properly insulated you could be losing substantial amounts of heat right out through the roof. If feasible, add some more insulation to the attic

Cold sheets when you slip into the bed at night? Buy a simple hot water bottle or make your own and fill it with hot water. Place under the covers about a half hour before going to bed at night.

Heavy curtains on your windows in winter help keep out the cold. Keep them closed securely at night and then open them during the day to let direct sunlight warm the interior of your home.

Hope these tips help you keep warm this winter!

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