Ideas, Info, Tools & Technology to Create Your Dream Garden
Archive for February, 2012
Enjoying The Night Sky
Feb 28th
Here's a telescope that just right for the younger stargazer.
Warmer weather is going to be upon us sooner than we think. Already the days are getting longer. Just this morning the sun was rising when I woke up, something it wasn’t doing just a week ago.
During the fine spring days we’re sure to be out working in our gardens, but it’s also an excellent time to enjoy another aspect of the outdoors, outer space. When the weather is cool there are few heat waves rising from the surface of the planet , so observing the night sky is much clearer. More >
Pruning
Feb 27th
Just a couple days ago I got an email from one of the suppliers I use and they had a video on how to prune your grape vines. After watching the video I realized that I had really messed up with my vines and it would probably take a couple years to get them producing well.
I have a big problem with pruning. I always feel that if the plant has gone to all the work to grow, then who am I to hack them back and try to control them. I’m having to get over this now that we’re putting More >
Greenhouse Update
Feb 23rd
Finally got to do some more work on the foundation for the greenhouse. Between the weather and schedule conflicts we’ve not worked on it in over a week. I needed it up and functional two weeks ago and it looks like it will be another week or more before it gets completed.
I said I’d always be honest so here’s the honest truth about getting the greenhouse up. Cold weather, high winds, work conflicts, and suddenly being called on to help my husband with a project all kept me indoors.
Second thing is that I need to purchase some lumber in order More >
Deciding On New “Green” Windows
Feb 21st
You can add glazing to your historical home without ruining its curb appeal.
Today houses are built with double glazed windows standard. However, if you live in an older home, especially one of historic significance, you may still have single pane windows. As today’s energy costs rise, refitting your house with more efficient windows may be on your list of to-dos.
You may be bemoaning the fact that you have beautiful old glass in you current windows, and the look of metal or vinyl windows just doesn’t get you excited. If that’s the case you’ll be glad to know that double glazing More >
Ants Versus Termites
Feb 19th
As spring comes up on us our not so friendly visitors could make their presence known. March is typically the time of year here in the mid-Atlantic that you’ll see swarms of termites or carpenter ants.
Don't let termites or other wood eating pests destroy your "castle."
It pays to know what you’ve got on your hands and how to deal with it. In doing a little research I found that there are several types of carpenter ants, only one of which can actually do damage to your home. There are pictures online of the various pests that can do damage to More >
More For Less
Feb 17th
Nomorerack doesn't need gimmicks for their great sales.
One of the keys to my redecorating and remodeling is making it affordable. I recently walked into an interior design store and looked around a bit. Then a salesperson approached me. I told them that I was working on my bedroom and was stuck on what to do with the walls and could they help me with that. She said sure, that they did complete as well as partial designs. I then asked her how much it would cost. I had to stop myself from letting my jaw drop when she told me More >
Being Comfy In Your Home Office
Feb 16th
Right now I’m in the middle of a dilemma. My work area in my in-home office is downright uncomfortable. I started to notice that my back and neck pain was worse when I had a long day at my computer. Of course some of that is caused by the lack of movement when you’re sitting still for long periods, but I learned a lot when I worked for a physical therapy office about how your equipment can cause problems.
If you're getting calluses on the heel of your hand a wrist rest can help.
I’ve checked to make sure I’ve got everything More >
Planning Your Vegetable Gardens
Feb 13th
This is what the garden area looked like before we started any work.
This year I’m trying to be more organized about my planting. You see, there are certain vegetables that you don’t want to plant in the same place every year, because of soil born disease and pests. The most prominent of these are: tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers.
Last year I experienced early blight with my tomatoes. So, this year I want to be sure to plant them in a different location, so that if any of the blight bacteria lived in the soil over the winter I won’t have to More >
Cold Weather Blues
Feb 9th
Soon I'll have my first little sprouts of 2012!
I was all set to finish getting the foundation for the greenhouse finished this weekend. Now they’re forecasting highs to be in the low 40s. That means that until around three in the afternoon it is probably going to be less than 40 degrees outside. I’m pretty hardy, but that sounds like not a lot of fun, so I’ve decided to move my gardening work inside this weekend.
This week I received my seeds for this season. I still have a pretty good stash from last year, so only needed to buy a More >
Good Deeds in Spring
Feb 6th
Spring cleaning and helping your neighbor can go a long way to making a great weekend.
Thanks to Roman May
The beautiful spring weather was more than welcome after all the cold, dreary weather we have had this winter. And it couldn’t have been timed better for what we ended up doing this weekend. Cleaning out our house and helping our neighbors get moved into their house. While outside working in the garage, my husband saw the U-haul truck pull up in the house next door. He saw several people buzzing around the house and went over to introduce himself. We saw More >