Image by scot2342 via FlickrWell to call my attempt at having herbs all year round a herb garden I am not sure but it’s a start. I figured while I was learning about container gardening that I could carry this right over indoors and have herbs for cooking all year long.

My poor health and physical strength, or lack of it, has made me reconsider that size of our outdoor backyard garden. I can see that my wife will be doing a lot more work that is needed.

I was thinking that if we go with a smaller backyard garden this year we could learn about container gardening with less labor and next year we can increase our garden size.

Today I am going to our local nursery to see what they have for herbs. I may as well be starting my indoor herb garden while I am planning my outside garden. I will have herbs that I can use months sooner this way.

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I don’t like to complain, mostly because no one listens, but seriously I had a heart attack a few years ago that caused in-operable damage and in an instant I went from a what I thought was a strong and pretty healthy guy to a guy with very limited strength and energy.

This has put a lot of extra weight on my beautiful wife but she has never complained. So I was thinking that we could do two things that would make life a bit easier.

1. Get an automatic garage door. This would mean we wouldn’t have to go outside to cold car.

2. Get an automatic gate opener. This would mean that my wife and myself would not have to get out of the car in nasty weather to open the gate.

This is our year for landscaping and the old fence and gate have to go. When we are done we are going to have the backyard garden we have dreamed of for the entire 25 years we have been married.

We know we can get our garage door opener locally but we had to look around on the internet to find some gate openers.

TurnstyleGates.com is a website that has the greated gate openers. They also have a video that is pretty cool where a young lady told us about Turnstyle Gates, so we had a little info before we even started reading. She also pointed out where we would find more gate opener videos. I am very visual and really like pictures and videos. I also like the content that backs it all up.

Take a moment and head over there and see for yourself.

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Source: WikipediaContainer gardening using big planter pots can make an impressive statement in any garden, particularly if they have big healthy plants in them. Many trees will grow well in big pots provided they have sufficient room for their roots.

NOTE: Potatoes can do very well in big pots if your backyard garden area is not big enough or the soil is just not good enough to grow things well.

To ensure their good plant health you should always buy the best quality outdoor potting mix. Taking the time to learn what each plant requires for nourishment will make them grow and look even better.

The bigger the planting pot you buy the better, within reason for the size of the plant you intend having in the pot and also provided your budget can stretch that far. This will ensure your plant won’t out grow the pot too soon or at all.

If you will need to remove the plant/tree as it grows bigger, you should take special care in selecting a pot that is shaped in such a manner that the contents will be able to be removed without having to break the pot.

Tapered pots will make this easier whereas pots that are wider in the middle than the top can present problems if the roots have spread out.

Don’t fill the pot to the top with potting mix, as this won’t leave any room for effective watering.

You should also feed your potted tree with some slow release fertilizer two or three times a year to ensure it is getting good nutrition.

Plants in pots can dry out and not get enough moisture so it is also a wise move to give them some water storage crystals and a wetting agent. This will help to maintain the moisture content in the soil.

If the pot is in the sun it will need more water, depending on the type of plant you have in the pot.

Darker colored pots will also attract more heat and this can affect the growth of your plant so you need to consider where the pot will be to ensure there is sufficient sun light and also enough water for it to survive.

So think about a few big pots for your backyard garden.

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First there is our backyard gardening and landscaping will have to come second.

The landscaping that needs to be done is mainly filling in the holes left by the previous owners. They must have used that area to park vehicles or to turn around in so they wouldn’t be backing out of the driveway.

Right now the area we are planning to put the garden is all grass. We can use that grass to fix up those ruts and any other uneven ground. Our yard is very level so when it rains it’s very easy to see the holes and any low spots.

Once the snow is gone and the water remains I can mark the spots that need to be filled in and we can get on with creating our first backyard garden. I am getting more excited every time I think about it.

I am reading a couple of books and figuring what size our garden should be based on what we want to grow. We may start with a small garden and see what we learn. Next year we can increase the size if we feel comfortable with it.

Once the garden is in and the lawn is level my wife and I can sit out in the backyard with our laptops and enjoy our life and our business right at home.

I have mentioned in other posts that my health isn’t the greatest but it’s a lot better than last year but I still can’t lift much or do anything strenuous. Because of this one of my guitar playin’ buddies has offered to help. We will split the rental fee and she will create our garden area and she will be able to do her own garden. Can’t turn down a deal like that.

For this year I think that’s about all the backyard gardening and landscaping we will be doing. Of course we will be looking forward to the second year.

If we do find that we have energy left after this we may start working on making the lawn more grass and less, well less NOT grass. Like the area the previous owners had their huge above ground swimming pool. It’s like a parking lot in that area.

One step at a time…

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Have you ever used popsicle sticks as garden markers, well we have and it’s kind of hard to write everything on a little stick and they get knocked over so easily. I even tried to make little crosses so I could write more on them but then our yard just looked like we buried a lot of pets.

This year were are marking all the plants that are in our yard so we know where and what they are. The previous owners had just mowed over everything before putting the property up for sale so we had no idea there were dozens and dozens of flowers around the yard.

The flowers look great but they are not where we want them to be so we want to mark their location, see what they are, use a garden marker and plant label to mark each one with the info that will help us place them better.

My wife and I were searching the internet looking for a better way to mark our plants as they come up and Metal Garden Marker seems to be just what we need. They have everything we need to keep our backyard in order, finally.

I learned a lot from my mom and dad about both veggie and flower gardening but that was on a farm and we don’t want bulky plant stakes. Our yard is in town and seen by a lot of people so we want plant stakes and garden markers that look great.

We are really looking forward to our yard this years.

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Did you know hot sauce mixed with garlic and water can chase away those annoying caterpillars who have been feeding on your precious plants? You may appreciate butterflies, but not their babies. So, maybe you just want them to relocate to another area. Many natural insecticides are used as repellants rather than as a way to kill insects.

Spider mites hate the mixture of hydrated lime (1/4 c.) and water (add a small drop of soap to help it stick). Be careful not to use too much or the lime could hurt your plants.

Tomato leaves mixed with water can repel insects. Soaps are used in several different types of mixtures. But soaps are washed away with rain or automatic sprinklers.

If you choose to use nicotine, be aware that it can be deadly as a concentrate to more than just those pesky aphids. It’s not only dangerous as harmful cigarette smoke, but it can be beneficial if used properly on plants. For us, the concentrates can cause convulsions and death. So, don’t let that toddler grab your supply by accident. It’s usually mixed with sulphur and is not recommended for use on edible plants.

Horticulture oils suffocate insects by covering them with an oily film. If that sounds barbaric, just think of the damage that can be done to crops and gardens and even humans by an overpopulation of insect pests. Insect pests can spread diseases and famine.

Homemade sprays can be a great economical alternative to bought sprays. You must know how to adequately measure, store, and use them even if they are homemade and seemingly harmless.

Of course, you can try tricks to rid your problem areas of insects. Like the ants that want to crawl into your hummingbird water. Maybe it doesn’t bother the birds, but if it bothers you, you could be imaginative and not have to use any pesticide that may endanger your tiny visiting birds. But tricks aren’t always enough. Sometimes you need to use more than one method to keep insect populations under control.

While you don’t have to be scared of insects, you do have to be sensible to keep from becoming overrun with them. You should also be a responsible parent and teach your children how to safely combat insects. What your children learn can benefit the next generation. It helps to encourage their interests while they are young and willing to absorb what their parents have to say. Even if they seem to totally ignore all you’ve taught them as teenagers, they will many times come back to their senses as they grow older. One day, they’ll be sharing their insecticide information with their own children or grandchildren.

Teaching about the safe use of insecticides and natural insecticides is the gift that keeps on giving. Your child may want to use this information to obtain a career later in life that revolves around insects, gardening, farming, or science. Nature will thank you for your contribution by continuing to thrive because of your responsible actions.

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When do you send flowers to anyone? Birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, Mother day. Flowers just say so much. Kind of like a picture is worth a thousand words.

We have flowers growing all over our property and they make me a happier guy. I can sit in my home office looking into my backyard garden and just will up with joy. Flowers do that to me and I’m a guy. You should see what they do to my wife.

We have been married for 25 years next month, in April and I know I would be sleeping in the dog house if I didn’t get her flowers. We had thousands of individual wedding flowers that just filled the hall with aromas that made us all feel great.

Flowers are an important part of people’s lives because they bring joy.

Our parents are no long with us but our son knows that Mother’s Day flowers are important, along with a card of course.

We live on the east coast of Canada but we both have very close relatives in Ontario, just north of Toronto and just east of Toronto.

We don’t get to see them very often but we send cards and on special occasions we send flowers.

We prefer to use Tidy Flower in Toronto because they deliver to all of our relatives in the greater Toronto area. Even all the way to my home town and where I was born New Market.

For Toronto Flowers you need to look no further. Here is a link to their delivery info page, give them a try and you will never switch to anyone else.

Next to diamonds I would say flowers are a girls best friend. My wife doesn’t were much jewelry but she would sleep with her flowers.

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You wouldn’t think it to look at our backyard but spring is just a day away. March 20 is tomorrow and I expect to see green. No excuses.

Okay that ain’t gonna happen but the sun shining in my office window is so much more inspiring than it was just a few weeks ago. It’s like it’s telling me to get ready for what’s about to happen. Spring…

Last year was the first year we enjoyed spring in our new home. We got to see all the lovely flowers that the previous owners just mowed down. We had no idea how beautiful our backyard garden is.

This was a winter like we have not had in many years and the snow has been deep and the weather colder sooner and longer but we didn’t have a record cold or record snow fall.

I imagine spring is going to be here right on time as usual and not a moment too soon. Cabin fever has begun to set in but there is hope.

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For your plants to survive it is essential to have an effective watering plan and this can be made somewhat easier by installing an irrigation system.

There are many products on the market that allow the home handy person to install their own irrigation system.

The first thing you will need to do is set out a plan of where the irrigation needs to go, taking into account your water supply, the types of plants that you will be watering, and the flexibility in water management that you will need.

Flexibility in water management is particularly important, as this will allow you to supply varying contents of water to specific plants to ensure all the plants in your garden are getting their optimum requirements.

Another factor that you should consider is having a timed irrigation system where you can supply water to your plants on a regular basis even if you are away on holiday for an extended period of time.

These timed watering systems are very cost effective and can save you a lot of money that could otherwise be lost in plants that die due to a lack of water.

There are a wide variety of soaker and sprinkler type water systems and they all have their specific benefits for your garden.

If you are unsure what your garden requirements are, many of the home irrigation systems have information to help you make educated decisions but if that still leaves you in doubt then a consultation with a garden professional could save you a lot of time and money.

Before buying anything check out the prices from the online garden supply stores as you will generally get a better price than buying elsewhere and if you do find you need help from a professional, you can simply get their recommendations and buy the products elsewhere to save money.

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There are many different symptoms that can show where there has been a nutrient deficiency in a plant. Because all plants respond differently to a lack of nutrients it is not always easy to determine whether it is a deficiency or something else that is causing the changes to the plant.

Where you see abnormal leaf coloring, where the leaf has turned a pale yellow or changed to a paler color than normal, and the veins of the leaf are green, then this can be a sign of nutrient deficiency.

If the leaves are smaller than normal, or any part of the plant is showing signs of stunted growth, then this is a sure sign of a nutrient deficiency.

There are other signs such as brown blotches on the leaves, but this can also be leaf scorch so you need to consider the conditions that the plant is growing in to help analyze blotchy leaves.

If the leaves are showing tones of blue or purple that can be another sign to look out for.

To assist the plant, you should apply a soluble fertilizer, as this will have the fastest effect on its possible recovery.

You will need to check the pH of the soil to see that it is correct and take the appropriate action to remedy the situation if it is out of balance.
The nutrients might be in the soil but without the correct pH balance the plant won’t be able to make use of them.

Testing can be done with a simple and inexpensive test kit that you can buy from garden stores.

Make sure that the plants you are growing are compatible with the soil that you are growing them in and adjust the type of soil accordingly if you don’t want to replace them with plants that can flourish in those conditions.

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This being our 4th summer here we are hoping we have the time to plan a theme. The yard was bare the first year because the owners just mowed every thing down and sold the place.

The second year was a treat because we saw what we didn’t even know was there. A yard full of various flowers. But it’s not what we want but my health wouldn’t let me do any work at all for the past four years.

This year I have more energy and will be able to take longer walks to build my strenght in the next few weeks. So it’s looking like we just might start building a theme. It will take a few years to complete the entire property but it’ll be worth it.

I have a digital camera and will be taking pictures of what emerges from the ground as the snow disappears and life returns to our yard.

There are definitely plants we want to keep but they won’t be staying in the same place.

We would also love to get rid of the fence around our property and put up a nice wooden fence with nice gates. The existing fence is like what you would see around a swimming pool and has a vine covering it that grabs anyone that walks by it.

We have a lot of work to do and some landscape design that will help our property look nicer. And then we will work on some lawn care. It’s kinda dangerous to try and run across our property.

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Many insect fighting chemicals on the market are the same basic ingredients with just enough variation to allow a different brand name. It’s similar to buying ibuprofen. You can buy many different versions and strengths of it, but it all boils down to the same basic ingredient. Watered down versions can cause a problem as well as a waste of money.

People are usually either for or against the use of natural insecticides. Whether or not your particular choice is a benefit depends on the circumstances. How advanced is the insect infestation? What are you allergic to? What will harm your plants? What will be safe to use around your pets or livestock? What is available and accessible to you and how fast can you get it when you need it? Do you need to use more than one method of control and removal? What is cost effective?

To get the most benefit from natural insecticides, you’ll need to understand the best way to use them. You should know what works best for the type of insect you’re trying to control or eradicate. Be careful what you mix. Even natural insecticides can interact badly with the wrong combination of substances.

One of the biggest benefits of a natural insecticide is that it comes from nature in some form. You’ll be using something made from the earth. That doesn’t mean it’s problem-free. It just means you’re benefiting the environment and actively participating in the recycling efforts.

An example is liquid garlic. Garlic is a natural plant that is grown around the world. It can be used to keep insects off garden or farm plants.

Another example is boric acid. Boric acid is defined as a white crystalline weak acid that contains boron. Boron is a mineral substance, and minerals are of the earth.

If you use things made with what the earth provides, you benefit and so does the earth and other humans and life-forms. Using natural insecticide is a choice. It’s not always the quickest way to solve your insect problem. It’s not always less harmful. That’s why education on your choices will be a big benefit!

Our beloved earth suffers a lot of abuse, often by well-meaning inhabitants. As the earth suffers, so does its creatures and plant life. If you take away, you should give back in a positive way. Using natural insecticides is one way to participate in a positive way.

Natural insecticides have increased in sales over the past few years and so have the vegetables and fruits made insect-free because of their use. When the mosquitoes scared us with the West Nile Virus, the citronella plant and its derivatives and products made with citronella increased dramatically in sales. Natural insecticides have always been around, but people had to wise up about their use and effectiveness. Some people just don’t have the patience to use them or don’t want to take the time to learn. Just like anything else, you don’t know if you will like them until you try them.

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Our backyard gardens offer us one of the best opportunities to express ourselves.

You can often get a good idea of a person’s personality just by looking at their garden. It can show you whether they are free spirited with color and plants splashed everywhere or prefer a more organized and regimented approach to life.

Planting your garden gives you the freedom to choose the colors that make you feel good. The colors and plants that make you feel happy.

You have the choice to add the flowers that have the fragrances that you love to smell or remind you of some place that you might have once visited.

You can change with the seasons just as your garden does and add color to a gray day. It gives you an excuse to get outside on a gray day and enjoy all the color that you might have missed inside avoiding the weather.

Adding colored pots and sculptures can brighten a winter and add more contrast to the colors of spring, summer and fall.

You can change the style and look of the garden as you make changes in your life so that one year is never the same as the next or you can choose to keep everything the same if you don’t like change just as an old tree stands from one year to the next.

A garden can change your moods and make you feel good just being there with the beauty all around.

It can make you realize that the important things in life are the little things that are all around us all the time.

There is life in the garden and the garden will always welcome anyone who wants to share in the beauty of that life.

It’s no wonder that so many people love gardening, because there is so much to love about it. Doesn’t that just make you want to get outside right now and get into the garden?

But I think I will wait until spring. It’s much easier to get those ant hills I have the remedy for.

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There is nothing quite like a good condition, well maintained lawn to set off your garden. It’s the finishing touch, just like a frame around a painting.

Preparation when the lawn is first laid can make maintenance a whole lot easier and the finished result will look better too.

Simple things like making sure the ground is even will make mowing and walking on it easier. Irrigation and drainage are also of vital importance and will extend the time during the year when you will be able to enjoy your lawn.

In the winter a poorly drained lawn can get muddy and pond with water which will mean you won’t be able to walk on it, or worse still, it could stop you from gaining easy access to parts of your garden.

The lie of the land will also affect the runoff from the lawn that could cause damage to the plants in your garden.

Good drainage can make all the difference to both your lawn and the surrounding garden and as these drainage systems are relatively cheap it is a wise investment to take the time to install them.

With the various different systems that are available, there will be something to suit almost any lawn whether it is prior to getting laid or improving a lawn that is already established.

In particularly hot and dry climates the lawn will need to be irrigated to remain looking good when there is a shortage of rainfall.

Sprinkler systems are available for a few dollars, up to expensive, hidden, automated systems that are virtually set and forget.

Regular sprinkling over the summer months can make the difference been a lush green lawn and brown patches that will greet a shortage of water.

And who wants prickles on their lawn?

In summer there is nothing better than to wander around your lawn in bare feet and feel the soft grass beneath you. On the other hand, there is nothing worse than walking off the grass to find that you have a few dozen prickles in your feet.

Now that is one area that every lawn owner should concentrate on.

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