Garden Greatness-Part 3

You have designed your garden, built your garden, and now it is time to plant your crops.







Using a tape measure you will need to map out your garden rows allowing for a minimum of 20 inches between rows which will prevent root entanglement and light deficiency for either plant. Taller crops will need more space between rows up to 2 and a half feet. It is advisable to plant root plants (such as onions, radishes, carrots, or lettuce) next to taller plants with deep root growth because the taller plants will not interfere with root growth and it will provide much-needed shade for the shorter root plants.



One trick for improving your crop yield for smaller, weaker plants is to mix seeds of plants that have a strong seed growth period like spinach with a slow developing seed like carrots. Mix the seeds together extremely well and plant the seeds 1/2 inch in the ground and cover. Within a couple of weeks the spinach crop will begin to push through the soil and as it grows will be able to get thinned out and harvested. As the spinach crop matures and is used up it will make room for carrot crop to break through the soil faster than it could have on its own.







Using similar techniques will allow for faster and sustained development of plants. If your garden runs East to West it is advisable to plant taller crops on the north side of the garden in order to provide shade to the rest of the garden.







Once you have planted your seeds you will need to provide regular care to those plants including regular watering, pest prevention, and structural support.







In Part 4 we will cover the ways to care for your crops and natural ways to prevent pests and ways to provide support to vine and taller plants.

Garden Greatness-Part 2

In Part 1 you learned about the basics of creating a plan for an effective garden. In this section you will learn about the basics of taking the first step in turning your plans into a reality.







Your first step is to secure your supplies to complete the job. When you go to your local home and garden store these are the things you should consider purchasing.







-wooden gardening stakes



-bags or bulk nutrient rich, loose soil



-gardening tools (shovel, spade, rake) if needed



-stone or metal edging to create a perimeter around the garden



-chicken wire or metal garden fencing (to keep pests out of the garden)



-seeds of selected crops







Okay, so you are now home from the home and garden store ready to get to work on your garden. The first thing you want to do is to use a tape measure and outline your space using wooden garden stakes. Before you install the edging you will first use your shovel or spade to dig up the soil within the space you are creating your garden. It is helpful to have a wheel barrow to remove that soil and any grass in the area. You will want to remove the soil to about 2-3 inches below the surface of the grass. This will allow for the complete removal of grass seed as well as make room for the nutrient rich soil you have already purchased.







Next, outline your garden with the metal or stone edging making sure to leave it high enough to prevent grass seed from moving into the garden. Once you have completed the the border of your garden use the soil to fill in the cleared space within a half inch of the top of the edging.







Once you have the soil filled in you will use a hose with a wide spray pattern to thoroughly wet down the surface of the garden. At this point you will let the garden sit overnight. When you come the next day you should look to see how much the soil has settled. Use more soil to refill the garden space up to half an inch from the top of the edging. Once you have done this re water the soil and let it settle for a minimum of 6 hours. After 6 hours or overnight use a metal rake to smooth the soil out in all areas of the garden space.







Now you are ready to plant your fruits and vegetables.







Continued in Part 3: Planting and Caring for the Crops

Garden Greatness-Part 1

You may have at one time thought about creating a garden of your own to grow organic veggies for your family to enjoy. Before you begin it is necessary that you plan according to the type of garden that you want. This series will help you to plan out and execute your ideal garden.

The first thing you will need to do is to determine how much space you have and the configuration you want your garden to be. Once you have an idea of these two elements make a scale drawing of the garden notating dimensions.

Next you will need to make a list of the fruits and/or vegetables that you want to grow in your garden. Make sure that as you are planning your garden "menu" that you are realistic to plan within the constraints of your space. If you have a garden that is a 10 foot square you will not be able to grow 12 different types of fruits or vegetables. As you look at your likes and dislikes you should plan according to growing seasons as some vegetables grow in the spring and others prosper in the summer or fall. This is the most important and yet most frequently overlooked element of building a garden at home. In an attempt to get the product, adherence to the plan is essential to creating a successful garden. Some crops need a lot of shade and others require much less. Consider that larger plants can provide shade to smaller crops like lettuce.

Now that you have decided on layout and crop selection you will now need to start considering building the foundation of the garden before you can seed you plants.

To be Continued in Part 2: Building the foundation of your garden and preparing the soil.

Creating an Outdoor Retreat in North Texas

Creating the perfect backyard retreat is easier than you might think and is a way for you to carry over your personality from inside the home to the outdoors. The first step is to understand the layout and purpose of your outdoor space. Do you have a large space, small space, is it enclosed by a fence, or is it wide open. These are some initial questions that you will want to observe before you begin your project. There are 4 simple steps to creating that great backyard space that you desire:
1. Plan
2. Budget
3. Re-Plan
4. Execute

Plan
The first question you need to ask yourself is “What am I trying to accomplish with my backyard retreat?”. Do you want an outdoor area where you can relax and sip coffee, watch birds or do you want a space where you can play with the kid or maybe a cookout space where you can entertain? In the initial planning stage you will want to have a rough idea of the overall feel for your retreat. This step will help you better construct a budget for the overall project. Some of the items you will want to consider in the initial planning stage would be foliage, shade, outdoor furniture, heat source, cooling source, cooking fixtures, and privacy barriers.

Budget
As with many projects, creating an outdoor retreat can become as elaborate (and costly) as you want it to be so it is imperative that you set your budget before you begin the project. Now that you have the outline of components you would like to have included you can begin to put a dollar figure to those components. A great way to budget for a project is to take your and make a day out of budgeting by visiting home improvement and outdoor stores comparing prices. This will also allow you to view various options available to you for use in your unique space. If you are planning on buying a significant amount of product for your project from a home improvement store it is always a good idea to start at the Contractors Desk. The professionals in this area can help you through the process of finding all the materials you need and might even be able to offer a discount to you on the entire project.

Re-Plan
Now that you have identified what you want in your retreat and how much it is going to cost you will need to take a look at finalizing the plans for your project. This is the phase in which you will be able to know what components you plan to include and you can make a birds-eye sketch of the space with each element placed in the area you would like to have it.

Execute
With everything planned, budgeted, and re-planned it is now the time to put together your dream outdoor space. Before you break ground you will want to make sure that you contact utility companies to mark electrical, phone, and gas lines if you have to dig so that you don’t cause damage or an accident. Also, make sure that you secure proper municipal permits so that you do not incur a fine for work done without a permit.

North Texas Lawns Going Bald

If you have St. Augustine grass in your lawn and live in North Texas you might have noticed some bare areas in your yard this year. You have watered, you have fertilized, you may have even thatched the grass but still those spots will not fill in. Your initial instinct might be lawn pests such as grubs or other grass destroying insects. It is likely that your problem is not a result of pests but rather disease that is causing the decay of the grass roots. To be more specific, your yard probably has a fungus. One potential culprit of this fungus could be the prolonged exposure of our grasses in North Texas to snow and low temperatures.
So you might wonder how to fix this problem. The best solution is to take time to care for your lawn. In those bare areas it is recommended that you take peat moss, which can be purchased at your local home improvement store, break it down into fine texture, and apply to those spots.

For the Best Lawn Care in North Texas Click Here

Lawn Mowing 101

As you look out on your yard this time of year you might notice that the grass and weeds in your lawn are getting longer and you decide it's time to get the lawn equipment out for the year. Before you do that it is important to understand a few things about maintaining your equipment and a few points to think about that will enhance the beauty of your lawn.

Maintaining Your Equipment
1. You need to tune up your mower, edger, trimmers, hedge trimmers once per year to ensure that they are performing at the optimal level. Failure to do this can lead to damage of the equipment and shortened life expectancy.
2. Gas in your equipment needs to be cycled at least once per 30 day period. Fuel can go bad and cause damage to your mower. If you have not emptied the fuel from your mower before you put it away for the winter you will want to drain the gas and properly dispose of it.
3. This is also a good time to change out the air filter, spark plug, and sharpen your blade.

The Right Way to Mow
1. The first key to successful mowing is to make sure you have a sharp blade. A dull blade can tear the blades of grass causing rough edges. This type of damage can invite disease and pests that can potentially cause further damage to your lawn.
2. Set the deck of your lawn mower to the proper height. You should be cutting about 1/3 of the blade. Cutting any more than the top third is likely to stunt the growth of the grass making it harder to develop a full and lush lawn.
3. Mulching is the most eco-friendly and beneficial method of mowing. When you mulch your lawn you are redepositing plant matter back into the soil which adds moisture and nutrients to your lawn. It also eliminates lawn waste and trash bags in landfills and waste facilities.

Of course, you can always call a professional to take care of your lawn and avoid the work.

For Lawn Care in Frisco, Plano, Allen, or McKinney Click Here

Pruning to Keep Regular: Tree Trimming in North Texas

Spring has sprung and you start to see the initial signs that your trees and bushes are out of form. So you have decided that you want to take the saw and clippers out to do your best foliage art on your favorite tree.

Before you begin it is essential that you take into consideration a few important elements of pruning in order to avoid permanent damage to your plant. This video should help to walk you through the steps of effective pruning to encourage long term sustained growth of healthy and full plants.

Additionally, thousands of accidents happen annually in the United States resulting from improper and dangerous landscaping practices.

For Seasonal Tree Trimming and Lawn Care in Plano, Allen, McKinney, or Frisco Click Here