Make a Garden With Whatever Space You Have
A lright, so you do not have a garden, nor a an allotment, but you can still participate in growing plants if you so desire. Hopefully you do have either a patio, balcony, or a sunny windowsill, and if so, these will do just fine. You can explore tons of interesting container options if you do have even a small outdoor ground space, but if you are working with just a window, or windows you will be focusing on window boxes. I recall the window boxes on a our neighbour’s house growing up. The home belonged to Mrs. McCleary, and she babied everything she grew. Her interest and love shown through, and left me wishing we had some window boxes too. I tell you this so that you do not view the limitation of space as insurmountable, you can overcome it with the right...
Instructions on When to Prune Your Plants
W hen to prune your plants might be a mystery of sorts in the beginning. But you can relax because there is an abundance of information to give you guidance in this area. To get you off on the right foot, here are some examples of when you can be most confident that it is time to prune. If a plant has any diseased, dead or damaged stems cut them immediately upon identifying them. When not removed, those damaged or dead stems create an opportunity for both insect to invade and disease to infiltrate. Beyond that, always extricate branches that are crossing, shoots that are runaway on the side of branches or trunks of the plant. In addition, if you see any branches that are growing into the ground, they too should be taken away. By eliminating all of these you allow...
Hints on How to Master an Herb Garden
H ere are a couple of useful tidbits for every new herb gardener to cherish. I know when I first started to take an interest in gardening, if I had not had the wisdom of my grandmother to rely upon, I would have really appreciated any guidance. So, hopefully these will be of use to those just starting to work with herbs. When you are trying to decide where to place a herb garden, remember that nearly all herbs will thrive in full direct sunlight. If you select an herb that requires something other than that, they should say so on the instruction card. Next, do not place each plant too close to the next one. By doing this you will cut down on the possibility of pest and fungus problems. And note this, while most pests do not enjoy herbs, spider mites can become an...
Creating the Best Garden that You Can
W hen you are trying to create a garden that is built upon environmentally friendly products, and materials, you do your best to stick to that approach. Still, unless you are really committed, there will be times when you make decisions to use things, or incorporate things that are not always the very best available in terms of being green, but are still acceptable. First off, give yourself a pat on the back for being conscientious, and striving to maintain the best possible planet for its inhabitants in the future. Next, recognise that while you might not have the absolute best of everything in your garden design, sometimes things just are beyond your reach, or your wallets stretch. Once you come to terms with the fact that being eco friendly can sometimes be...
How to Choose the Best Firewood
F irst and foremost, let us start with what you definitely do not want for firewood. Stay far away from recently cut wood, as it will still retain a lot of water. This will be difficult to burn, and will often smolder, neither of which you want in your home. What you do want is wood that has been cut, split and stored for at least the duration of one year. This will give you drier firewood, which means greater efficiency when burning it. The best firewood is hardwood, such as beech, pine, oak and apple. These have a greater density than the softwood, so they tend to burn longer and slower. Of all the firewood choices, it is ash that is thought to be the very best. This goes for kindling too. So, if you can get ash that is more than a year old, then you have a...
Many Uses for that Vinegar You Thought Was Just for Cooking
W hile vinegar may have a pungent scent, it is good for a whole lot of interesting uses outside of the kitchen. As such, having it on hand can save you from having to buy other items, or products to complete other tasks. It is simply wonderful when you can rely on one thing to do so many everyday things. In sum, vinegar is good for: cleaning chrome, washing away odours, relieving an itch, and to bring shine to hair. To remove buildup from chrome, put vinegar directly on it and let sit for five minutes, then rinse off. Apple cider vinegar is what you want to use to wash away yucky scents on your hands. To get relief from insect bites, dab vinegar on to them with a cloth. And finally, for hair that shines, rinse your hair in a combination of one tablespoon if vinegar...