Tips for Growing a Pest Free Garden
Gardening is such a delight. Whether you love flowers or harvesting your own vegetables gardening is a creative outlet. There is something magical about being able to give life to something so natural and beautiful. Unfortunately with that beauty comes the gross, ugly side effects – PESTS. And we’re not just talking bugs here; animals as well. Keeping them out is a whole other situation, but it sure makes the fruits of your labors even more worth while. Here are some tips for experiencing a pest free garden.
SLUG OFF! – Take care of those slugs from the beginning. Slugs can cause so much damage to a garden and they are just plain gross and slimy. There are lots of fancy ways you can attempt to take care of your slimy friends. You can wrap things in copper mesh for one. Slugs hate copper, so wrap it where you can. Your garden might look super flashy, but if it helps, it helps. Wormwood is great for warding off slugs as well. An even easier idea is to put half of a citrus rind on the ground (in a bowl type shape) and leave it there. You can also use wide rimmed cans with beer or juice in the bottom. Slugs are not smart creatures and they will come and enjoy themselves and get stuck. You can take the citrus grinds to your compost pile and let the slugs dry out and then do some good for your garden to make up for their nasty selves.
Proper fencing can help keep deer away as well as strange chemically scents. They also respond well the urine of their predators. Bunny rabbits and birds could use their own special mesh fencing when circumstances call for it.
There are lots of natural pesticides that you can find for your plants as well. And marigolds are known to ward off many irritating pests, so they are a good addition to any garden, plus they are easy to grow and quite lovely.
A very interesting thing to learn about though is companion planting. Companion planting allows you to place certain plants by each other – tomatoes, basil and oregano for instance – and then the companions keep certain pests away from each other, because of their scents and other amazing components.
Having a good pest control plan is essential to keeping and growing a healthy garden that you can be proud of. Check out Orange County Pest Control to find a local pest control company or search for your area. Research each of the plants that you incorporate into your garden. Learn about how to help them thrive. Maybe only add a couple per season, so that you can really learn and understand them. You’ll see many benefits from understanding the different plants that you are working with and you’ll get to enjoy the fruits of your labor – and maybe even quite literally.
Read MoreThank A Neighbor For Watching Your Pet
We all love our pets! When it comes to playtime, feeding, and exercise you want the best for your furry friend. This rings true for vacation time, too. Perhaps you wish you could take them with you, but that’s just not an option sometimes. So find a trusted sitter whom you know will keep them happy.
You’ll be able to come back to the same great sitter when you show your appreciation the best way possible. There are many ideas to show appreciation for someone who takes care of your pet while you are gone.
Most people just ask a neighbor or neighborhood child to feed the animal and check on it once a day and offer to pay for each day the person takes care of your pet. The amount of money really depends on your preference. You may give a little or a lot depending on what you ask your neighbor to do.
Another popular choice is to give your pet sitter a gift certificate to your local mall or their favorite store. It doesn’t need to be a lot of money even 5-20 dollars go a long way to show your appreciation.
You could bring a small gift back from where you are vacationing. For instance if you went on Hawaii for vacation you could get a small seashell or a shirt from Hawaii.
Sporting events is another popular item to give a neighbor for watching your pets. Depending on where you live you can get inexpensive tickets to professional baseball game or a local college team.
If you would rather not give money or your neighbor won’t take cash you could get them Mrs. Fields thank you cookies. They have a lot of different options and are easily found online or at a mall.
If you have a garden or fruit trees you could make a homemade basket full of fruit and goodies, not only is this a great option but it is very inexpensive and can be a healthy gift idea.
Another inexpensive idea if you are crafty is to make something for your pet sitter. A simple bracelet might be a nice gesture to a neighbor girl.
Another great option is to offer to watch your neighbors pet while they are gone, you can trade off.
With any gift a nice card goes a long way, mention how grateful you are to them for watching your pet. You could even include a picture of your family with your pet.
There’s nothing more important than keeping loved ones happy. So do a favor to your pet today, by endearing their sitter to you with a special gift, it doesn’t need to be expensive just put a little thought and it will go a long way.
While you are having your neighbor check up on your pet you can also have them bring in the mail or newspaper and make sure the house is locked up, this way you know someone is also making sure your house is okay while you are gone.
Read MoreWin a Dell XPS 15z Laptop
You can find a new Dell XPS 15z by going on a treasure hunt. Dell is giving away a new laptop to one lucky winner who can find all seven clues on Dell.com that lead to the winning landing page. The first person who Tweets or blogs the correct location of the hidden landing page will win an XPS 15z.
Everyone else who shares the correct location will be entered to win one of ten Dell gift certificates for $499. In addition, anyone who shares the Treasure Hunt itself via a public Google+ account, Twitter, or blog will be entered into the sweepstakes to win the certificates.
You can find the first clue right now on the Dell laptops page. Good luck!
Read More5 Easy and Affordable Ways to Transform Your Backyard into an Outdoor Living Area
The outdoor home decorations business is a billion dollar industry. According to the US Census Bureau, consumers spend around $40 billion each year on outdoor living area improvements. There is definitely a lot of money to be made in this area, but that does not mean you have to spend a large chunk to improve your space. These simple tips will help you make your backyard fun and functional for your family time without spending a fortune.
- Add an Outdoor Fireplace
If you live in a climate where it gets cold at night, one of the easiest ways to create a true living space outdoors is to add a fireplace. A fireplace adds ambiance to the setting, can be used to cook and even give lighting to your outdoor living space. You can build a rustic fire pit out of stones or buy a small metal fireplace for an affordable price.
- Comfortable Seating
If you are going to live in your backyard, you need seating, and it needs to be comfortable. You can add weather durable cushions to existing chairs, or you can splurge to add new seating that is more comfortable than what you have. The seating should also look appealing and inviting and be comfortable to sit in.
- Invest in Lighting
Lighting sets the mood for your space, gives you a way to see after dark and helps it feel like an extension of your home, rather than just a backyard. Lighting can be the standard garden lights, but it can also be more creative. Consider hanging an outdoor chandelier or investing in hidden lighting options.
- Add Some Fun
To make living in your backyard something the entire family will enjoy, make it fun with outdoor decorations, toys, basketball hoops, swimming pools swings and other equipment that encourage play. If you do not have kids in the home, add more sophisticated backyard games, like a dartboard or bocce ball set.
- Add Covering
Add some sort of covering to your backyard to give yourself respite from rain or sun. A simple patio cover is not hard to build and can be affordable. You can even use a portable canopy to set something up without much cost.
Your goal when creating an outdoor living area is to create a space that is inviting and comfortable. This does not require an extensive deck addition or a huge outdoor kitchen. With a few simple tweaks and improvements, you can create a place to live in your backyard, extending your living area in your home just a little further.
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