Archive for January, 2009
Saturday, January 31st, 2009
by Chuck Trenny
Think you don?t have time to grow and maintain a garden, think again. Try herb gardening. It might not be as beautiful as a flower garden or offer up as big of a harvest as a vegetable garden, but an herb garden can add so much to your home.
There are many types of herbs that can be grown and harvested. The most popular among herb gardeners are Rosemary, Thyme, Basil, Chives, and Oregano etc. Just take a look in your kitchen cabinets or spice rack and see what you typically keep on hand for cooking. Think of the money you’ll save your herbs on your grocery bill overall. A few hardy plants can supply enough herbs to last you all year.
Herb gardening requires well draining soil for an optimum growing environment. If the soil doesn?t drain well, your plants will get to wet and won?t grow correctly. You can fix a drainage problem in an outdoor garden by digging a trench in the soil and filling it with crushed rock, and then simply shovel top soil over it. For container gardens, place some large rocks or crushed stone in the bottom of your containers.
Tags: cooking, food, gardening, herbs, home, Landscaping
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Friday, January 30th, 2009
by Mike Holt
Tankless water heaters are becoming an extremely popular, alternative source for heating water. They are much more beneficial than their more conventional forebears. Some tankless water heater advantages include a huge supply of hot water, the ability to conserve energy, and the ability to save money. All of these reasons provide plenty of incentive to switching away from traditional water heaters. However, there are plenty more great reasons to make the switch.
It must be said that, as with everything else, there are certain disadvantages to choosing tankless hot water heaters. However, they are not really disadvantages at all. They sometimes cost more than conventional water heaters. However, the cost when compared to how much energy and money can be saved in the long run is a worthwhile sacrifice. In the scheme of things, the cost is practically a non issue.
Depending on which kind of tankless heater you buy, it can take some time for the water to get hot. Generally, electric tankless water heaters heat up just as quickly as their conventional counterparts. They can stay on for quite a span of time. This gives them the time needed to produce plenty of hot water for your home.
Tags: gardening, Home Appliances, home-and-garden, home-improvement, house, Tankless Water Heaters
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Friday, January 30th, 2009
by Andrew Caxton
Every homeowner aspires to have a great looking lawn and tries everything that he or she can do to attain such a lawn. Many people wrongly assume that only professional help can result in a gorgeous garden. This is not true at all. Hiring a professional will definitely ease your work, but you can have a beautiful lawn without the help of a professional, as well.
Even though there is no dearth of lawn care equipment, there are some that are absolutely vital for the upkeep of your lawn. Without these tools, any kind of lawn care would become impossible. Some of these crucial tools are lawnmowers, rakes, aerators and shears.
Aerators are very important tools for lawn care since they create cavities or holes on the upper most layer of the soil. This enables the soil to move better. In other words, it is because of aeration that water and nutrients penetrate the soil and reach the roots. Not only this, it also enhances the levels of oxygen in the soil, and therefore helps the roots to prosper and flourish.
Tags: garden, gardening, grass, homeowner, lawn care equipment, lawnmower, metal landscape edging, outdoor decorating, tools
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Thursday, January 29th, 2009
by Mike Pit
Aussie Grills are made be MECO (Metal Engineering Corp.), which started out as a simple metal fabrication shop in 1959. It wasn’t until 1999, forty years later, that the began to make charcoal and electric grills in the Greeneville, Tennessee facility. Since that time, they’ve quickly set the standard for the production of water smoker grills as well.
When you are searching for that perfect grill, have a few things in mind as you go shopping:
* Where will you place the grill?
* What will your fuel source be?
* How much room do you have?
* Do you want something that blends in, or stands out?
* How much money do I have to spend?
* Do you just need a plain Jane grill or is your ego in control?
* Try to find a grill that lasts 10 years instead of 3 years
* BTU’s aren’t exactly everything, look at the overall picture.
Tags: appliances, cooking, food, garden, gardening, grills, home, product review, Product Reviews
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Wednesday, January 28th, 2009
by Ricky Santiago
A lot of people are choosing tankless water heaters rather than the traditional kind. They have the added benefit of providing a virtually endless supply of hot water. As such, they are also terrific for saving energy. That is one of the top tankless water heater advantages. After all, every little bit of energy saved helps.
It must be said that, as with everything else, there are certain disadvantages to choosing tankless hot water heaters. However, they are not really disadvantages at all. They sometimes cost more than conventional water heaters. However, the cost when compared to how much energy and money can be saved in the long run is a worthwhile sacrifice. In the scheme of things, the cost is practically a non issue.
Sometimes, certain of these water heaters can take a while to let the water heat up as well. However, that honestly depends on what type you buy. For instance, electric tankless water heaters have the option of remaining on for a while. As such, they have the opportunity to heat the water up before you use it. This assures hot water at any time.
Tags: gardening, Home Appliances, home-and-garden, home-improvement, house, Tankless Water Heaters
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Tuesday, January 27th, 2009
by John Howard
To produce healthy, flowering amaryllis, water plant sparingly until the leaves and flower begin to emerge from the bulb. After the flower bud has appeared, fertilize and increase water.
In frost-free climates, amaryllis are grown in the open field or in beds and borders around the home. They are excellent landscape subjects for use as individual specimens, in mass plantings, in beds, or as part of the border planting around home grounds and in park plantings. They are easily grown indoors.
It is common occurrence with many to fail with amaryllis after the first or second year. The reason for failure lies in the care given the bulbs, especially in the initial watering and subsequent care after blooming. (Blooming is proof that the bulb is of mature blooming size and had previously formed bloom buds.)
The Bulbous Group: The bulbous group of anemones blooms almost whenever desired, depending on the culture and the time the corms are planted. In sections where it is too cold in winter, corms should be cured or ripened after the flowering period by being lifted from the ground to dry and store. If left in the ground to cure they must be protected against excess moisture; the corms cannot stand frost. The corms are of unusual structure, some resembling a three-cornered horn.
Tags: family, flowers, gardening, home, plants
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Monday, January 26th, 2009
by Mike Pit
Big Green Egg Grills (BGE) hatched in 1974 in a strip mall in Atlanta, Georgia. Ed Fisher borrowed the idea of an Oriental cooking concept with ceramics and gave birth to the Big Green Egg grill. BGE is the world’s largest manufacturer of kamado-style cookers, with international distribution. It is the fastest growing category in the United States’ barbecue industry and the EGG is available for purchase in over twenty countries. There are five sizes of EGG grills to choose from, with over one hundred accessories and products related to grilling available.
A product that produces such passion by it’s owners needs little more than word of mouth for it’s marketing campaign. There is also a lot of media interest in the product, due to this passion, and it’s been featured on shows such as The Today Show, The Viiew, Landscape Smart on HGTV. It’s also be used on RVFN Barbecuing with Bobby Flay. You’ll also see it in barbecue competitions around the U.S., notably Dr. BBQ, a well known champion.
Tags: appliances, cooking, food, garden, gardening, grills, home, kitchen, outdoors, Product Reviews
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Sunday, January 25th, 2009
by Agnes Kaden
Beans are one of the most valuable plants because they not only produce food for man consumption, but improve the fertility of physical condition of the soil. Nitrogen, a most valuable plant food, is added to the soil by beneficial bacteria in the nodules which lives on the roots. These bacteria are capable absorbing the free nitrogen from the air, which, after the plants are harvested, is left in the soil. When enough organic matter is present, or if beans follow a legume sod crop, it is possible to have excellent yields with no added fertilizer. A small amount of phosphorus near the seeds, however, will usually enhance the growth.
Bush beans (also known as snap beans)is an excellent source of vitamins A and B2 and a good source of vitamin C. They also provide calcium and iron. Bush beans should be included in every garden because of the ease in growing and the wealth in harvesting them. Although beans are essentially warm-season plants, they It can be grown successfully in all sections of the country. Most varieties grow slowly at temperatures below 60F. (15.56C.) and perform best in the range of 75 to 85F. (23.89 to :9.44C.). The bush beans, while responding to rich soil and thorough cultivation, will succeed in almost any garden soil, from heavy clay to light could be applied borax application per acre.
Tags: family, gardening, home
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Saturday, January 24th, 2009
by John Howard
A good soil test is the surest way to determine the pH of your soil. A simple test for pH you can do yourself is with blue litmus paper, available from drug stores. Blue litmus turns pink when brought into contact with an acid (even a weak acid like vinegar) and turns back to blue if dipped in lime water.
Get three or four samples of your garden’s soil, trying to collect samples from several different spots and from different depths. Mix up all the soil you’ve collected in a clean bucket, then pour clean rainwater over it. Place several pieces of litmus paper into the mud you’ve made in the bucket, being careful that your hands are clean of any acid substance before you handle the paper. Wait ten seconds and withdraw one piece of the paper. Rinse it off with clean water. If pinkness shows immediately, the soil is quite acid. The intensity of the pink is a further indication of degree of acidity.
A few plants, like blueberries, flourish in fairly acid soil, but most garden crops, lawn grasses, trees, and shrubs prefer soils that are just slightly acid (pH 6.5 to 6.0).
Tags: family, garden, gardening, home, soils
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Friday, January 23rd, 2009
by Roy Thomas
Alkali soils, from the very nature of their development, are usually deficient in organic matter and nitrogen.
White alkali is the most common type, found in almost all arid and semiarid regions. White alkali soil is easily recognized - it frequently has a white crust on its surface and shows streaks of salt within the soil. White alkali soils generally have good structure, and a pH seldom rising above 8.5.
Both types may be caused either by a high water table which brings the soluble salts to the surface by capillary movement, or by the depositing of these salts in the soil by irrigation water. Digging into the rock substrata under the subsoil in many of these areas will reveal large amounts of sodium there.
If excessive irrigation or other factors raise the groundwater level, sodium will rise with it and be left in the surface soil when the water evaporates. This causes black alkali soil, most damaging to crops because it has poor structure and puddles and packs easily. White alkali soils are similarly formed, but they contain less sodium and do not pack.
Tags: family, garden, gardening, home, plants
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