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Posts with tag garden

Attract bees to your garden

bee on flower
Colony collapse disorder, the mysterious phenomenon that has entire colonies of honeybees vanishing into thin air, has brought the state of our bee population to the forefront. Not many people realize this, but bees pollinate about 90% of our flowering crops. What that means is: without bees, we don't eat.

Creating a bee-friendly yard may not solve the issue of colony collapse disorder, but it is a great way of doing your part to encourage a healthy bee population. It'll also ensure that any of your own fruit, vegetable, and flower crops get pollinated, so that you have fresh food to eat and a beautiful yard to enjoy. In addition, the same plants that draw bees bring other pollinators, like butterflies.

So how do you go about attracting bees to your yard? It's not difficult at all. Read more about it after the break.

Continue reading Attract bees to your garden

Peel a carrot with less waste

carrots in the dirt

I dare you to find an American household without any carrots in the fridge. Granted, most will probably be the scrubbed-clean, prepackaged, more expensive baby carrots. If you'd like to save money (and waste less food!), read on.

First of all, buying whole carrots -- or, better yet, growing them -- is cheaper than buying baby carrots. A good thing, right? Well, if you learn how to peel them just so, you'll be able to save more of the carrot... and more money.

According to eHow, if you peel away from you with a sharp-bladed peeler, you'll peel off less carrot. Additionally, if you peel the top until no green is showing, then peel the tip as well -- no chopping -- you'll end up with more of the carrot.

It seems like a simple way to be frugal while respecting the Earth's resources.

Avant Yard: 20 basil harvesting & storage tips

Closeup photo by Diane Rixon of basil plant with glossy, bright green leaves
Mmm-mmm. Fresh basil. It's so very fragrant -- the indispensable ingredient in a host of mid-summer recipes.

My basil is lush, green and ready for picking. Okay, I don't have a whole lot of it out in my garden; however, I'm planning on growing a lot more next summer. In preparation for that lofty enterprise, I thought it'd be cool to find out how the expert basil-growers harvest their beloved herb. Here are some tips I picked up:

1. Know your basil. There are lots of varieties out there, and it's always good to know which one you have, as the flavors vary quite a bit between them. Chances are good that, like me, you've got the most common variety: Genovese sweet basil.

Gallery: Basil harvesting

Basil prior to harvestingBasil seed headsHarvest timeBasil plant after harvestingThe harvested basil

Continue reading Avant Yard: 20 basil harvesting & storage tips

Avant Yard: Juniper a tough-as-nails groundcover

Closeup photo of a juniper branch showing blue-green needles and blue juniper berries
My mother had a juniper plant in her garden. Other conifers, too. I thought they were awful, just awful. Dull, squat and flat, the juniper just sat there year after year, seemingly unchanging. No colorful flowers. Too small and spikey for a kid to play in. Never thought I'd say what I'm about to say: now I'm a believer! In the power of juniper, that is.

Why the change of heart? Simple: I got some hands-on experience with my own gardens. Now I know how time and labor intensive gardens are. Tough-as-nails, no-maintenance plants like juniper are now beautiful in my eyes. I particularly like juniper when it's used as a groundcover, replacing high-maintenance areas of lawn.

Why you'll love juniper

Not into juniper? I believe I can convert you. Here are a few reasons you should give junipers a try...


Gallery: My Craigslist juniper

Low-maintenance = beautifulJuniper berries...Dig cautiouslyLeverage timeSome roots may be sacrificed
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Green Daily gives away $300 in composting supplies

Earthmaker Composter from Gardener's Supply Company

Here at DIY Life, Earth-friendly ideas are always a popular topic. So, when we heard that our sister site Green Daily is running a fantastic giveaway from Gardener's Supply Company, we couldn't wait to tell our readers about it!

One lucky reader will win a complete composting kit, featuring more than US $300 in supplies. The centerpiece of the prize is the Earthmaker Composter (a $225 value), but there are also plenty of accessories in the package, including a nifty odor-busting crock in which you can collect your kitchen scraps before putting them in the compost bin.

To learn more, and enter, please visit the giveaway post at Green Daily and follow the instructions: all you have to do is leave a comment telling them what you would compost if you were the winner. If you've never commented before, the system will require you to confirm the comment with a legitimate email address. Good luck!

If you don't win, a few great DIY composting ideas may come in handy. Check out the following posts:

Minimize garden water usage

broccoli by bethany72 on FlickrWhere I live, it's been an unusually rainy spring, so rainy that my garden seems to grow overnight (as do the weeds). I know to be grateful for this kind of rain -- not too much, but also not too little. The southeast U.S. is in its second year of a painful drought, and water bans severely limit gardeners on how much they can put on their backyard crops.

Whether you're living in an area that gets enough rain or not, it still makes sense to help your garden retain as much water as possible. Water use increases in the summer time, raising both your water bill (we get charged for sewer use even if the water goes onto our garden, which never fails to infuriate me) and your impact on the environment.

Canadian Living has some simple but surefire tips for helping your garden and lawn retain every drop of rain or water that it gets. One of their tips for water conservation includes making a rain barrel, and our very own Bill Volk can show you exactly how to make one. And if you're under a strict water ban, Ilona has some great ideas for no dig, low-water gardens that will help you grow your veggies without much water at all.

Make a wasp trap

wasp by aussiegall on FlickrI'm usually all for letting nature just be in my backyard. I'd rather take preventative measures (like the fence around my garden to deter hungry bunnies) that allow us all to live harmoniously together than poison, trap, or kill. Sometimes, though, insects get a little too intrusive and that can be a problem, especially when they're insects that sting.

If you have a wasp problem in your backyard, the best way to get rid of them is to remove the nest. We have to do that at least twice a year in our children's "fort," and we try to keep an eye on it so we can stop the nest building before it gets out of hand. But if you can't find the nest or are afraid to move it, a simple, homemade wasp trap may help you catch the queen (especially if you use it in the spring) or reduce the number of wasps in the area nearest your home.

Keep in mind that wasp traps' effectiveness are not proven, and if you aren't careful, you could end up drawing more wasps to your home. In addition, wasps really are beneficial insects who eat the bugs that bug you the most. So if you can live in harmony, do. If you can't, these simple measures are worth a try.

Avant Yard: Mediterranean landscaping -- 10 tips for creating a backyard oasis

St. Anne's Church, Jerusalem, courtyard garden with flowering perennials and palm trees, taken by Diane Rixon

Dreaming of a Mediterranean-style oasis in your own yard? Me too! Okay, let's get inspired!

So, what makes certain gardens "Mediterranean," anyway? Well, for starters, they're designed to withstand both lots of heat and irregular rainfall. The garden designs are visually appealing, true. But they're also low-care and eco-friendly. Because plants are selected for toughness, and lawns are absent or insignificant, there's less need for chemicals and watering.

1. It's all about contrast.
Mediterranean styling is pretty easy to imitate. The essential element? Contrast. That is, contrasting hard, structured surfaces with soft, unstructured foliage and blooms. Think tumbling vines atop high stone walls. Think paved walkways next to climbing roses. Think clipped hedges fronting tall, slender cypress trees. You get the picture.

Gallery: Jerusalem gardens to inspire you

Yes, it's dryFind a focal pointA place to restContrast: stone meets flowerContrast: stone meets flower again

Continue reading Avant Yard: Mediterranean landscaping -- 10 tips for creating a backyard oasis

Tipsy flower pot tower for your yard

flower pot towerI don't know what it's like where you live, but every time the stores come out with something new for the garden, I start seeing the item popping up all over town. Soon enough, that unique new ornament is commonplace and a bit trite.

I can honestly say that I've never seen a "tipsy" flower pot tower, though; it looks like something I want to try in my garden. To put it together, you'll need:
  • A tall, sturdy metal rod. (The instructions call for a 66" rod.)
  • One 12" round clay pot.
  • Four 10" clay pots.
  • Potting soil.
The tower looks simple enough to assemble. Drive the rod into the ground, and thread the 12" pot onto the rod. Fill with soil. Then thread the 10"pots on, balancing each pot sturdily on the pot below. All that's left to do is to fill it with your favorite flowers.

Avant Yard: Father's Day gifts for yardiac dads

Freestanding wooden swing seat in a garden, painted bright white and surrounded by green foliage
Sunday is Father's Day and, yes, despite what your dad (or spouse) says, he probably does want a gift. Time to shop!

First piece of advice: skip the big box stores unless you're utterly desperate. Check out their websites and you'll see what I mean. Lowes has a pretty good Father's Day gift-finder page. You can search products based on the type of dad you have. (Lawn dads, wood-working dads, etc.) However, it's hardly inspiring stuff. Example: their suggestion for the dad who has everything? A gift card.

The Home Depot does a little better with its online gift center, but the suggestions are uniformly dull... or just plain stupid. I mean, do you know anyone who would buy dad a $699 pressure washer for Father's Day? Oh, but it's not just Home Depot and Lowes pitching dumb Father's Day gift ideas. Amazon: come on!

Continue reading Avant Yard: Father's Day gifts for yardiac dads

Kiddie Crafts: Garden stepping stone

Homemade garden stepping stone and the kiddie crafters who created it
Before I had children, my Dad got some pretty good Father's Day gifts. Home Depot gift certificates and cool tech toys were among his favorites. When our oldest was born, 5 years ago, we started giving framed pictures instead.

As our family has grown, the photos have become more abundant, and the frames cheaper. He loves having pictures of the grandchildren, but I wanted to come up with something a bit more creative this year.

With nearly every visit to my parents' place, Grandpa takes the children up to his garden to check on the plants. My boys love to notice how Grandpa's garden is growing, and to report on the changes since their last visit. My dad loves to garden, and sharing that with his grandkids has become a sort of ritual. This Father's Day, we decided to build on that and make him a stepping stone.

After the jump, I'll tell you how we made this garden stone, and offer some tips for making your own.

Gallery: How to make a concrete stepping stone

MaterialsStepping stone kitPour in two cups of waterAdd in one-third of the cementStir for 1 minute

Continue reading Kiddie Crafts: Garden stepping stone

Topiary show-stopper for cramped spaces

Closeup view of a succulent sedum plant with milky green leaves
Want a show-stopping container feature for a cramped space? I recently spotted this idea for a succulent topiary in Cottage Gardens: 76 Fresh Ideas for Outdoor Living, a special publication from the editors of Cottage Living magazine. A gorgeous topiary constructed of succulent plants is just one of the attractions in Heather Lenkin's stunning California garden.

You will need the following:
  • Wire tomato vine cage
  • Chicken wire
  • Small-gauge wire
  • Wire cutting tool
  • Sheet moss
  • Potting mix
  • Polymer crystals
  • A container for the base, made of something very sturdy. A concrete urn is an excellent choice.
  • About 25 succulent plants. Pick several different varieties to create a colorful, texturey contrast. Consider using, for example, a combination of kalanchoe, sedum or cacti.
  • Tweezers
  • Floral u-pins

Continue reading Topiary show-stopper for cramped spaces

Easy herb drying rack

wooden homemade herb drying rack
I love mint; it's one of the easiest weedy garden plants to grow. It doesn't need care and spreads like crazy. My only problem is that I'm just too lazy to cut and hang little bundles to dry for tea all the time. So I built this clamp/rack for quick hanging of the mint plants and herbs -- no more bundle tying.

My inspiration came from my uncle's tobacco farm where the leaves are hung on racks with spikes piercing the leaves. I'm sure this has probably been done before by gardeners around the world, but I thought I should share my version. Using two 1x2 furring strips, a hinge, screw hooks, and some carriage bolts with wing nuts, this can be assembled pretty quickly. A drill and some pliers are the only tools needed.

More after the break, hit the link below.

Gallery: Mint Drying Rack

The Goods!Tools and Parts for the Drying RackFinished RackLay Out the HarvestClamp it Jethro

Continue reading Easy herb drying rack

Avant Yard: Butterflies! 20 tips for a bountiful butterfly garden

Closeup shot by Diane Rixon of an orange butterfly with its wings spread
One of my greatest summer joys is watching butterflies delicately fluttering and swooping in the sun. Last spring, I finally got around to starting my very own butterfly garden. It's still very much a work in progress; however, I'd love to share it with you. Click over to my gallery to take a tour of my butterfly garden.

Want to give butterfly gardening a try yourself? Here are 20 tips to get started!

BUTTERFLIES 101

1. Learn some butterfly garden basics. The most important thing to know is that butterflies are attracted to brightly colored flowers, and to certain plants in particular. Some of the best plants for attracting butterflies are butterfly bush, lantana, pentas, milkweed, purple coneflower, willow, and fennel.

2. Know your local butterflies. Find out which butterflies are commonly found in your state. For example, the butterfly in my picture is a Gulf Fritillary which is found all over Florida. Is there a specific butterfly you want to attract? Perhaps the gorgeous Monarch? Then learn up to find out which plants are most likely to attract that species. Tip: for Monarchs, try planting milkweed.

Gallery: Tour my butterfly garden

It doesn't take muchWater is importantButterfly bush in SpringButterfly bush in early SummerButterfly bush bloom

Continue reading Avant Yard: Butterflies! 20 tips for a bountiful butterfly garden

Make sun-dried tomatoes in the microwave

sun-dried tomatoes
There was a time when I used the microwave for everything. Now I use it as little as possible, but I could never give up microwave popcorn, or my nightly heating pad, so our microwave remains a household staple.

Of all the things you can do in microwaves, I never would have guessed that you could sun-dry tomatoes (ok, not really "sun," but definitely "dry"). It will allow you to use your garden tomatoes in recipes all year round.

Drying them in your microwave is the fastest and easiest method. All you need is the tomatoes, salt, and if you choose, seasoning salt and garlic. Prepare, microwave, let them sit according to the instructions, seal them in a baggie, toss them in the fridge, and keep them as long as you'd like.

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