Getting The Yard Ready For Next Season

This customer had a patio that they weren't using  and wanted a garden close to the kitchen and deck area. They didn't have a lot of money to put into surrounding boarders that can be costly depending on what you use. There is wood , which can rot, Concrete,  maybe you need to expand the next year and don't need any boarders but looks messy and a raised area would be better to plant in. So we pulled up the old 12 x 12 concrete pavers in the middle of the old patio and stacked three rows high.

Filled half way with sand, dirt, hay, and Compost we made over the last year. They now put all of their veggie waste into the planting area to rot eventually and it will make more compost. We put some old hay they had in the yard on top of it all at about 6 inches for mulch. Each year it will all rot and you just turn it all over and it becomes even better soil.

Squash Fries

Time to dig up those Sweet Potatoes and Radishes and get those salads going and soup for the winter. We split the small squash in two and tae out the seeds with a spoon. I cut them into small 1/4 inch thick slices after skinning them. A little olive oil and honey brushed on and you have Squash Fries on the grill. 20 minutes or until they are brown on the outside.

Sweet Potatoes can also be put on the grill for 30-45 minutes and then split open with a little butter or your favorite salad dressing.

PLANTING THE GARDEN

To plant each season, just pull back the top hay where you will plant. When the plants get taller than the top of the hay push the hay back around the plant and WA-LA, you will not have much weeding, if any to do. If any weeds grow from the hay, just turn that part over and it will kill the weeds.

RE-Green

Try to re-use everything you can. Before throwing anything away. Could it be donated, sold or given to someone else who might have a use for it. Artists love unusual things to put together for interesting wall hangings or yard art. Could it be fixed or re-conditioned.

AT THE DUMP

When you load up your truck or trailer to go out to your local dump, try putting the metal in one area and the wood in another, paper and cardboard in another. It doesn't take that long. In my trailer I have dividers of 3/4" plywood that I place across to make compartments. When I go out to the dump I pull in to the metal area and dump that, and Pull out the plywood partition, the next compartment is then ready at the next area. It make it a lot easier for the people out there to save and re-use any good items and mulch the wood for compost. Make sure the wood doesn't have nails or other metal in it because that can hurt the workers or the blades in the shedders.

Plastic bags

Take the old ones to the store with you and re-use them the next time. They take a very long time to break down in the land fills. I put 3 together, that way they don't rip when I need them the most. You can save them also and take them to some recyclers who send them to companies who make composite siding and decking materials. These companies also use old tennis shoe bottoms and plastic Soda bottles!

See if they have it New or Used Craigslist

Shelves with re-used stuff!

An other use for old doors is shelving. You nail or screw a 1x2 to the wall making sure you hit a stud or 2x4 in the wall and you don't hit any wires or pipes in a garage or office storage area and put some legs between them at the front and you have some heavy duty storage shelves. Leave the hinges on it and screw them into the wall studs which are generally 16 inches apart then you can fold it up when not in use. You would need some sort of catch to hold it up and legs that would be hinged to the door or shelf also that could fold up and down with the movement of the desk or table.

Most things that can be re-used to do with the building of a home or office can be donated to places such as your local "Habituate For Humanity". You can also purchase building materials such as tile and grout, used doors, windows and hardware, even toilets at a lot of them while the money goes to help someone less fortunate.

Just a Couple of old Leather Shoes Can become a planter with a few small holes drilled in the bottom for drainage!

 Decks and Stairs, What You Need To Know?

Weather it is redwood or composite,  pictures and ideas for both. You can even purchase your material if needed from one of the suppliers at the same time.

Think about the time it takes every year to clean your wood deck and don't forget the replacement cost when the bugs & Rot eat it up.

NOT WITH COMPOSITE!!!

And it saves the Redwood trees!

No matter where you are located you can get lots of Free ideas & repair tips that can make the job go a little easier.

Going GREEN   with natural unglazed clay pavers is one way to save money and give it a natural look!

If you have a weak set of stairs, that are on the verge of falling down, see if there might be an answer for you in  stair fix ideas

Read All About It

Your newspapers can be laid over your garden held down with rocks, nails or 2 inches of dirt in the winter to keep weeds down. By spring they will be ready to compost in to the soil. If you run it through the shredder it happens even faster. Put it in your compost pile in layers with soil and leaves, water it from time to time and turn it over with a fork. That will keep the center heat up to break down the materials. Start a few piles if you have the room. That way you will always have fresh compost. Start them at 3 month intervals and then just rotate them as they get used up!

Used Paper

Magazines can be donated to a shelter or used to make paper mashie. Tear them into strips and pull them though 3 parts water to 1 part flour and make built up layers in any shape and let dry, then paint or stain them. A coat of clear sealer or hairspray will make them last a long time! Use the pump not the aerosol!

Old Doors

IF you need a desk for an office and you just put new doors in your house , take a flat door and put it onto sawhorses and now you have a great desk. Put the door handle hole at the back and you can run your cables through it. Most std. doors are 6 foot 8 inches tall and anywhere from 2 foot to 3 foot wide. They make larger ones where you would have taller ceilings. You can buy legs or use 4x4 old fence posts for legs. Most desks are about 30 inches to the top. Put a couple at right angles to each other and you have a corner unit!

A Nice Spring Deck will last a long time if you take care of it. Smaller areas of a front yard can be improved and utilized for relaxing after a hard day at the grind stone!