got slugs but don't want to use nasty chemical poisons?
dig a little hole in your yard and place an empty tuna fish can in it so the top is level with the ground, then fill it with beer. you can put these anywhere slugs are a problem.
The slugs will smell it and be attracted to it, they'll crawl in but won't crawl back out.
Thanks for the great post! I have doing some thinking on my budget lately and find that this category is the one that always gets out of whack by a large margin.
Up until this point I have budgeted a certain number and then tried to force my gifting into that budgeted number - obviously without success.
My problem might be that we actually spend too much on gifts, since I have a pretty good handle on the number of gift that we give each year.
How much should we budget on average for each gift? $20? $25? $50? I tend to try to go lower, but do not want to come off as tightwad or miser. Unfortunately, there are so many gifts out there that we feel obligated to give that it does get out of control.
My tip is to be careful when you are weeding, so you don't lose interesting/useful plants! We just moved into a new house, and the entire side garden looked like weeds to me - but when my dad came over to take a look around, he noticed that some of them were cabbage heads. Awesome!
Most people (esp. those with automatic sprinklers) like to turn on their sprinklers for a couple of minutes every day. All this does is encourage shallow root growth, making them far less likely to survive the heat (and also guarantees that you'll have to keep watering every single day!).
Instead, water less often (1-2 times/week, max.) but give it a good soaking (~1" or so per week plus/minus, depending on your soil type... more for clay, less for sand)
And quit watering the lawn in the middle of the day, people! During the summer, half of the water's probably not even reaching the lawn!
Native plants - for a lot of the same reasons as eating locally. The plants that are native are much more adapted for the climate and are usually grown at local nurseries, cutting down on freight.
This is my third year having a vegetable garden and here are some of my tips:
Consider intensive use of your land: square foot gardening will maximize production while minimizing land used. Also staggering crops/planting while do wonders too. Once you are done with broccoli replace the green beans.
if you live in an area like i do, drop seed on your lawn in february or so, when there is 8 inches of snow on the ground.
there arent any birds around to eat the seed before it sinks into the snow (less seed), you wont need straw or peat moss to protect from the birds (less materials) and it automatically soaks into the ground and sprouts as the snow melts (less watering!)
And if you are computer savvy, you can make a calendar as a gift for family. In each month, enter the family's birthday/anniversary/etc. dates and a photo of family members on each page.
We've left a corner of our yard go wild. It doesn't bother anyone, cuts down on mowing, and is an excellent place to throw leaves, twigs, and other material to let it slowly compost.
Everyone gets pests in their yards. Get rid of them and distract them with natural methods, not poison. I use diatomaceous earth on those huge ant hills and the earwigs that hide under yard furniture. Japanese beetles can be picked or shaken off shrubs and garden plants into a bucket of soapy water. Many garden pests can be avoided by companion planting - google it, it really works. You, your yard and your pets will be healthier and you'll save money too!
My best advice, and something I don't see a lot of people in my town do, is to leave the grass clippings on the lawn. If you don't like the look of them, at least use the clippings in your compost pile. There's no need to send them to a landfill.
Plan companion plants as well as beneficial plants (bugs love radish tops, so I plant them amongst my veggies so that the pests will eat THEM instead of my other veggies that I prize more!). I also plant carnations amongst my veggies since pests don't like the smell, and generally stay away from that area.
If a plant doesn't work in your yard after trying it once or twice, just stay away from it - it's not worth the effort and resources to make it live. I tried lavender in my garden a few times, which is silly since I live in Maryland. I gave up when I realized I couldn't defy the odds and just moved on to other plants that are much happier in my zone.
My best tip for a pretty lawn is to choose the right kind of grass to plant for your environment. Here in NC we've been in drought for quite a few years and most lawns get brown, crunchy, and ugly during the summer when it's illegal to water - so here when we plant new grass, we have to pick high-sun, drought-tolerant, but also a variety that won't fall flat when the rains come!
Just a little experience from somebody who has a Black & Decker Grasshog with some of my pros (+) and cons (-) for you:
(+) no bumping is nice! (the $6 spools last me about a season, trimming every 2 or 4 weeks depending whether I remember to charge on batteries...see below)
(+) with both batteries fully charged, I can usually do the whole yard
(+) the "flip-around head" is nice for edging vs. trimming
(+) it's much quieter than my neighbors' gas weed-eaters
(+) it doesn't spew gas-fumes
(+) fairly light to carry around
(-) the neck/balance is a little short for us taller people
(-) the batteries don't seem to hold a charge for any length of time. If I charge them one weekend to use them the next weekend, they're already dead. I need to remember 18hr ahead to put one in the charger, then 9hr ahead put the other one in the charger to ensure they both are fully charged when I plan to trim.
(-) the batteries slide in in two-stages: you slide it in, and it feels fairly secure, but it needs to get an extra push until you hear the lock "click" into place. If you don't click it in, they'll fall out. Not a big (-), but just a note to the winner to make sure you click it.
(-) no shoulder-strap to rebalance the (albeit light) weight
All said, it was a decent value, but a few points get knocked off for usability & technical problems.
OMG! If i'll make such a calendar i think i will have a heart attack :) I have so many relatives friends and so many birthdays. The worst month is March when i have to buy 7 birthday presents plus gifts related to Woman's Day.
When we designed our garden, we made sure to minimize the need to water the lawn - or more specifically rotate the sprinkler around to get it all. We simply put a sprinkler out and turned it on. If the ground got wet, that's where the grass went. Everything else has to rely on the sky for its moisture.
got slugs but don't want to use nasty chemical poisons?
dig a little hole in your yard and place an empty tuna fish can in it so the top is level with the ground, then fill it with beer. you can put these anywhere slugs are a problem.
The slugs will smell it and be attracted to it, they'll crawl in but won't crawl back out.
Mulch is a must in the garden, to keep down weeds and keep moisture in the soil. You can even recycle your old newspapers as mulch.
Thanks for the great post! I have doing some thinking on my budget lately and find that this category is the one that always gets out of whack by a large margin.
Up until this point I have budgeted a certain number and then tried to force my gifting into that budgeted number - obviously without success.
My problem might be that we actually spend too much on gifts, since I have a pretty good handle on the number of gift that we give each year.
How much should we budget on average for each gift? $20? $25? $50? I tend to try to go lower, but do not want to come off as tightwad or miser. Unfortunately, there are so many gifts out there that we feel obligated to give that it does get out of control.
My tip is to be careful when you are weeding, so you don't lose interesting/useful plants! We just moved into a new house, and the entire side garden looked like weeds to me - but when my dad came over to take a look around, he noticed that some of them were cabbage heads. Awesome!
This is a great way to budget for gifts. I usually treat them as "unexpected spending."
After reading this I think I may have to take logic into concern and actually plan for them :)
Good idea, very logically sound!
Most people (esp. those with automatic sprinklers) like to turn on their sprinklers for a couple of minutes every day. All this does is encourage shallow root growth, making them far less likely to survive the heat (and also guarantees that you'll have to keep watering every single day!).
Instead, water less often (1-2 times/week, max.) but give it a good soaking (~1" or so per week plus/minus, depending on your soil type... more for clay, less for sand)
And quit watering the lawn in the middle of the day, people! During the summer, half of the water's probably not even reaching the lawn!
Native plants - for a lot of the same reasons as eating locally. The plants that are native are much more adapted for the climate and are usually grown at local nurseries, cutting down on freight.
This is my third year having a vegetable garden and here are some of my tips:
Consider intensive use of your land: square foot gardening will maximize production while minimizing land used. Also staggering crops/planting while do wonders too. Once you are done with broccoli replace the green beans.
Mercedes
Last year we bought a Push Reel Mower. Cheap, Easy, and Quiet. I can mow before it gets hot and without bothering the neighbors.
Compost, compost, compost!
I heard recently that using a spray bottle with some soapy water in it helps to keep plants disease free.
if you live in an area like i do, drop seed on your lawn in february or so, when there is 8 inches of snow on the ground.
there arent any birds around to eat the seed before it sinks into the snow (less seed), you wont need straw or peat moss to protect from the birds (less materials) and it automatically soaks into the ground and sprouts as the snow melts (less watering!)
And if you are computer savvy, you can make a calendar as a gift for family. In each month, enter the family's birthday/anniversary/etc. dates and a photo of family members on each page.
We've left a corner of our yard go wild. It doesn't bother anyone, cuts down on mowing, and is an excellent place to throw leaves, twigs, and other material to let it slowly compost.
Everyone gets pests in their yards. Get rid of them and distract them with natural methods, not poison. I use diatomaceous earth on those huge ant hills and the earwigs that hide under yard furniture. Japanese beetles can be picked or shaken off shrubs and garden plants into a bucket of soapy water. Many garden pests can be avoided by companion planting - google it, it really works. You, your yard and your pets will be healthier and you'll save money too!
My best advice, and something I don't see a lot of people in my town do, is to leave the grass clippings on the lawn. If you don't like the look of them, at least use the clippings in your compost pile. There's no need to send them to a landfill.
This is nothing new, but COMPOST!!!
Plan companion plants as well as beneficial plants (bugs love radish tops, so I plant them amongst my veggies so that the pests will eat THEM instead of my other veggies that I prize more!). I also plant carnations amongst my veggies since pests don't like the smell, and generally stay away from that area.
If a plant doesn't work in your yard after trying it once or twice, just stay away from it - it's not worth the effort and resources to make it live. I tried lavender in my garden a few times, which is silly since I live in Maryland. I gave up when I realized I couldn't defy the odds and just moved on to other plants that are much happier in my zone.
While this is not a new idea, it's one I use all the time. I don't bag the grass clippings when mowing, but allow them to stay in the lawn.
Hi!
My best tip for a nice green lawn is...
drum roll
spray paint!
Nonononononono. Just kidding!!
My best tip for a pretty lawn is to choose the right kind of grass to plant for your environment. Here in NC we've been in drought for quite a few years and most lawns get brown, crunchy, and ugly during the summer when it's illegal to water - so here when we plant new grass, we have to pick high-sun, drought-tolerant, but also a variety that won't fall flat when the rains come!
Just a little experience from somebody who has a Black & Decker Grasshog with some of my pros (+) and cons (-) for you:
(+) no bumping is nice! (the $6 spools last me about a season, trimming every 2 or 4 weeks depending whether I remember to charge on batteries...see below)
(+) with both batteries fully charged, I can usually do the whole yard
(+) the "flip-around head" is nice for edging vs. trimming
(+) it's much quieter than my neighbors' gas weed-eaters
(+) it doesn't spew gas-fumes
(+) fairly light to carry around
(-) the neck/balance is a little short for us taller people
(-) the batteries don't seem to hold a charge for any length of time. If I charge them one weekend to use them the next weekend, they're already dead. I need to remember 18hr ahead to put one in the charger, then 9hr ahead put the other one in the charger to ensure they both are fully charged when I plan to trim.
(-) the batteries slide in in two-stages: you slide it in, and it feels fairly secure, but it needs to get an extra push until you hear the lock "click" into place. If you don't click it in, they'll fall out. Not a big (-), but just a note to the winner to make sure you click it.
(-) no shoulder-strap to rebalance the (albeit light) weight
All said, it was a decent value, but a few points get knocked off for usability & technical problems.
-gumnos
Google NACA
I just got a house this weekend, so I'm still learning, but I'm most excited about composting.
Question 36 is supposed to be 'check as many as apply', but it's only allowing one selection. I need them all. :)
OMG! If i'll make such a calendar i think i will have a heart attack :) I have so many relatives friends and so many birthdays. The worst month is March when i have to buy 7 birthday presents plus gifts related to Woman's Day.
When we designed our garden, we made sure to minimize the need to water the lawn - or more specifically rotate the sprinkler around to get it all. We simply put a sprinkler out and turned it on. If the ground got wet, that's where the grass went. Everything else has to rely on the sky for its moisture.
Great giveaway. Thanks!