The following lawn and garden care tips will help you get the most from your garden.

1. Different soil types have different watering needs. Loosen the soil around plants so it can quickly absorb water and nutrients. Early morning or night is the best time for watering to reduce evaporation.

Lengthening the time between watering combined with deep, heavy watering encourages root growth while reducing top growth in lawns. This increases the root-to-shoot ratio and helps produce plants that are more resistant to wilting when exposed to infrequent watering.

2. When choosing plants for your garden, remember crops that are suited to your soil and climate will be more resistant to problems. If you experiment with exotics, be prepared to give them more care. Also, when placing plants around the home, remember as a general rule, plants with thick leaves can take lower light levels than those with thin leaves.

3. Fertilizers provide nutrients necessary for plant health and growth, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Test your soil to find out what nutrients are needed. Choose a fertilizer that has at least one-fourth of the nitrogen in a slow-release form, such as sulphur-coated urea.

4. Mow lawn frequently to chop up leaves and recycle them into the lawn. If the leaves are too thick or matted then rake them up.

5. Keep garden beds covered with shredded leaves to minimize the risk of soil erosion and nutrient run-off.

6. Leave the grass clippings to decompose on the lawn. This will provide nutrients equivalent to one or two fertilizer applications. Set mower at 2 inches to reduce water use during hot weather.

7. Consider using natural alternatives for chemical pesticides such as non-detergent insecticidal soaps, garlic, hot pepper sprays, used dishwater, or forceful stream of water to dislodge insects. Also consider using plants that naturally repel insects.

8. Organic Gardening - Since organic fertilizer and soil conditioning materials are slow working in general, they should be mixed into the soil at least three weeks ahead of planting and the soil thoroughly prepared for the seed or transplants.

9. Where animal manures are available, they are probably the best source of fertilizer and organic matter for the organic gardener. Use manure which has been aged for at least 30 days, or composted.

10. Weeds are easy to control when they are small. Shallow cultivation and hoeing are advised in order to reduce damage to the root system.

Bridget Mwape writes for the Garden Center web site at
http://www.garden-center.org.uk/ and
also contributes articles to the Plumbing Supplies web site at:
http://www.plumbing-supplies-uk.co.uk/

Children’s fascination with gardens has been canonised throughout the spectrum of English literature. Books like Tom’s Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce and Francis Hodgson Burnet’s The Secret Garden have captured childhood imaginations across generations and cultures. Recently, there has been a burgeoning movement to encourage the growing of gardens in schools across America, the impetus for which has generally come from the direction of the National Gardening Association (NGA).

The NGA was set up in 1973 and prides itself on being a non-profit leader in plant-based education. It has played a crucial role in developing both the personal mind and the environment by educating people on the benefits of growing gardens and highlighting the environmental and therapeutic power of plant life. Through its initiative, the NGA have overseen the establishment of numerous programs, highlighting the opportunities for plant-based education in various public spheres such as schools.

The NGA’s Kid’s Gardening resource is an impressive educational facility, and has helped a large number of children and teachers learn how easy it is to start growing and maintaining a school garden. Gone are the days of planting a few seeds in a pot: today, the NGA runs schemes to provide schools and youth organisations with grants and funding that actively engage kids in gardening and improving their surrounding quality of life. These awards and grants cover a variety of gardening aspects, from the simple Youth Garden Grants to Healthy Sprouts Awards, and the new Wild Oats Gardening with Kids Awards, which will come into place in 2007. This award is somewhat emblematic of the initiative engineered by the NGA, as it aims to reward kids who develop positive attitudes towards fruits and vegetables as a result of growing them themselves.

Along the other activities run by the NGA Kid’s Gardening initiative are various classroom activities on topics as diverse as botany, composting, language and literature connections, as well as science inquiry, the latter of which involves investigations and experiments. The Kids Gardening website also offers a variety of resources for students, teachers and parents, such as an Online Teacher’s Course, a Parent’s Primer and an all-important catalogue of plant diseases and pests. In recent years, the NGA has joined forces with other organisations to help engender the growth of gardening education for children across America; for instance, since early 2002, the Hilton Garden Inn has been working together with the NGA to broaden and diversify education programs within schools. From the success of the NGA, it’s clear that the importance of spreading plant-life education is a vital ingredient not only in making sure that children develop and maintain healthy eating habits, but that they develop environmental awareness from an early age.

207e

A snow blower is a good investment. It may possible reduce doctor’s bill by going easy on your back. There are some considerations to be thought about before you go in the market for a snow blower, (also called snow thrower in some areas).

• Consider the amount of snow and the density of snow that you will have to deal with. Take into account the total number of days of snow and the inches of snow per day. Also consider if the snow is fluffy or hard when you have to deal with the snow.
Hot Tip! Understand what you want. For example a garden for a holiday house would be totally different for your normal home.
• Take your machine for a test drive. Some showrooms have arrangements for testing the snow blower in their back yard. Going for a demonstration gives you the feel of the machine.

Snow blower costs

The following discussion gives you an idea of costs involved. Remember that the costs change significantly as it is a market play that determines the cost.

A single stage machine can be purchased from $350 to $800. A two-stage machine would cost you upwards of $1000. The costs would change depending on the throw distance of each machine and capacity of the machine. Information on prices at www.lawn-mowers-and-garden-tractors.com/snow-removal-equipment/snow-blowers.html

Varieties Of Machines In Market

Apart from the obvious variety of single stage and a two-stage machine, there is the variety of drive. The gasoline powered drive and electric driven machines are available in the market. Gasoline engine driven machines are generally two stroke engines and are noisy and polluting. Electric driven machines have the disadvantage that their power is limited. They cannot be made as two-stage machine. Where the snowfall is heavy, the electric machines will not be useful as the gas machines.

Snow Blower Safety

Safety is an important consideration while operating a snow blower. Take following precautions while operating a snow blower.

• Never allow children to operate the snow blower. Serious injuries and even amputation of hands can take place if it encounters the rotating impeller of a two-stage machine.
• If the blower is electric, the normal precaution when using electricity should be taken.
Your Garden. Hundreds Of Easy To Follow Ideas, Tips and Shortcuts To Create The Perfect Garden.
• When a two-stage machine is working, it is as if there is magnet for children. A powerful throw from machine creates a good visual impact. If children are present, keep them at a sufficient distance so they do not come under the snow being thrown.

Andrew Caxton is the webmaster of http://www.lawn-mowers-and-garden-tractors.com A guide on lawn mowers and garden tractors and how to choose the right type for your garden;including snow removal tools for the winter season such as snow blowers and throwers http://www.lawn-mowers-and-garden-tractors.com/snow-removal-equipment/snow-blowers.html

Nothing is more frustrating than trying to find the right ingredients for a new recipe, in a disorganized mess of a kitchen! It’s not that you are usually disorganized; it is just something that happens over time. Now it’s time to take the time to organize yourself and your kitchen again. An organized kitchen is a lot easier to work in and can save you time, money, and make cooking stress-free. Don’t try to do the whole thing at once, just pick one area of your kitchen at a time.

Start with your cabinets by moving the pots and pans you use most often to the front, while putting the heavier, bulky items you may not use so often, to the back. Put some of the smaller pots and pans inside larger pots and pans to save space. If you have very deep cabinets, you may want to consider installing shelves that slide out or bins on gliders, to make use of all that space. It may sound simple (because it is), but just pulling everything out and rearranging your cabinets can free up space that you didn’t realize you had. Get rid of any equipment or gadgets that either aren’t working anymore, or that you just don’t need, because all they’re doing is gathering dust in taking up valuable space.

When you rearrange and your cabinets, make sure you put the items close to where you’re going to be using them and where it makes sense for you. Your dishes and glasses should be placed in the cabinets closest to your dishwasher, and your pots and pans should be somewhere near your stove or prep area.

Now, that you have freed up some space, remove some of the large appliances from your countertop that you don’t use very often; blenders, juicers, toasters and store them in a cabinet below. It gives your countertop a much cleaner and roomier look.

Go through your utensil and gadget drawers, and weed out mismatched, broken, or seldom used items. If you don’t already have drawer dividers, get some, they’re cheap and well worth the few dollars cost. Make sure that you do not store your sharp knives, or any other dangerous utensils within reach of children. Those items should be put in a separate drawer away from the eating utensils.

Probably the biggest job will be organizing your spices and food storage. Staples such as rice, beans, flour, or sugar should not be stored in their original packaging, but quality, airtight, plastic containers. Try not to use the flimsy grocery store containers meant for leftovers, because they are not airtight enough and will not hold up over the long haul. Look over your spices and get rid of anything that’s past the expiration or fresh date, and combine any multiple containers you may have the same spice that are still good. You can organize your spices either in alphabetical order, or by most often used. There are many good products out now, that help you store your spices in a way that you can see them easily. There are spice organizers for your drawers, or for your cabinets there are lazy susans, step shelves, under cabinet organizers and spice racks. This is also a great time to make a shopping list of anything you notice is running low or missing.

Now would also be a good time to review the contents of your food cupboard! Go through everything and throw out or give away any food that is older than three months. Investing in some quality storage containers will keep cereal, crackers, etc. fresher than storing them in their original boxes or bags. Not everyone will store their food in the same way, so store things in a way that is easily accessible and makes sense for you and your family. That may mean putting all your breakfast items on one shelf, snacks on another shelf, items for baking and cooking on another shelf, canned items on another, etc. Keep in mind that it’s a good idea to store those heavier items (cans) on lower shelves.

The last area to be reorganized is the cabinet for cleaning items, which are stored under the kitchen sink in many homes. If you have children, this cabinet should have a childproof latch, otherwise you will need to find a better storage area for cleaning supplies, out of their reach. Keeping cleansers, sponges, window cleaner, furniture polish, and items you would use for other rooms in your home besides the kitchen, could be stored under your sink in one of those plastic tote bins with handle, so that you can carry them all easily with you from room to room, when cleaning. Try not to have too many unnecessary cleaning products. There are many quality multipurpose cleansers such as Murphy’s Oil for cleaning wood floors, furniture, cabinets, no-wax floors, tile, painted surfaces, marble, linoleum or vinyl, even laundry and more. There are multipurpose cleaners with special ingredients like orange oil or baking soda that handle a wide range of tasks, thus eliminating the need for so many bottles etc, under your sink. Now you have room to store the most important item in your kitchen……the fire extinguisher!!

The author presents a website for beginning cooks to aspiring chefs,with tips, resources and recipes. You can visit her site
Clumbsy Chef and blog
at Culinary Genius

For as long as I’ve been gardening, I have shared my love of the outdoors with one-of-a-kind dogs (”mutts” to most people). I certainly can’t imagine gardening without a dog keeping me company. Here are some tips to help you make this work for you too.

Set the ground rules first

• Be clear about how you want your dog to behave in the garden. Set the ground rules for your dog from the start. As with people, pet habits, once established, can be a challenge to change.

• Remember that bored dogs are most likely to get into trouble, so use walks and games to use up excess energy that might otherwise go into destructive garden behavior. (Your dog burns calories this way, and so do you!)
  Hot Tip! Understand what you want. For example a garden for a holiday house would be totally different for your normal home.

• Decide where your dog is allowed to go and where you don’t want him to go.

• Be consistent. It doesn’t help if you let the dog do what he wants when the flowerbed is weedy, but then expect him to respect the garden when it’s all tidied up.

Dogs and gardens - training tips

Dogs like to be where people are, so when you’re in the garden, take your dog with you for at least part of the time, and when you’re not, keep your dog with you indoors.

• When you’re with your dog, you have lots of opportunities to encourage and train behavior you like and discourage actvities that are destructive to the garden.

• To keep dogs out of flowerbeds, use a verbal cue such as “out of the garden.” This works best if you’re actually in the garden with your dog.

• It may be expensive, but a fenced yard is a godsend for dogs and gardens.
  Hot Tip! Evaluating your garden design. Before you start winterizing your garden, take a few minutes to review what worked and what didn’t and make note of any areas that you would like to change in the spring.

• Some people use invisible fencing - a system that delivers an electronic shock via a receiver in a special dog collar. Actual fences are more effective because they both keep your dog in the yard and other animals out. As well, your dog can’t escape, ignoring the electrical shock when chasing a squirrel, for example, and then getting shocked when trying to get back into the yard.

Garden safety and your dog

When you have dogs or other pets spending time in the garden, choose alternatives to chemical lawn and garden care.

• If you use pest control products, even organic ones, keep pets out of the garden when you’re applying them.

• Keep your dog away from treated areas for as long as recommended, usually until the treated area is dry or 24 hours.

Yvonne Cunnington is an avid gardener and dog lover. For more information about which garden chemicals you must keep away from your pet dog, see http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/Dogs-and-gardens.html | If you have problems with dogs and lawns, visit http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/dogs-and-lawns.html | For pet-friendly garden design ideas, see http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/Pet-friendly-garden.html