Author: Sara May

Backyard Fun

Swings with Zing: Keeping Swing Sets Updated and Cool

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Tire Swing

 

As kids grow older, their needs and abilities change.  Keeping your backyard swing set updated with accessories that meets your kids’ current needs and interests will ensure that the swing set continues to be used and enjoyed over the course of many years.   There’s no need to completely overhaul your swing set at one time, though.  Start with one improvement and see how that goes before adding or changing anything else.  Swings are a good place to start.

How old were your kids when you first purchased their backyard swing set?  Were they young enough to need a bucket swing or half-bucket swing for safety?  Updating the swings on your swing set is an easy and inexpensive way to keep the kids coming back out to play.  Instead of buying a new standard belt swing, though, choose a swing with somePine Wood Chair Swing zing.

Some popular alternative choices for traditional swings include tire swings and glider swings, both of which can support at least two people at a time.  A disc swing is another fun option that, like the tire swing, is not limited to just a back and forth movement.  For older kids and even adults, a wooden chair swing is an appealing spot for swinging gently while chatting with a friend or reading a book.

Getting the most use out of your backyard swing set means that a little updating of the accessories now and then is necessary.  Keep up with your kids’ interests as they grow and change, and you’ll keep them coming back to play.

Storage Solutions

Outdoor Storage Solution Fulfills New Year’s Resolution

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Rancher Storage Shed - 8 x 10

New Year’s resolution:  get organized!  Now is the time to take advantage of that motivating impulse to clean out those closets, clear out the basement, and donate all that miscellaneous stuff that you are saving “just in case.”  Don’t forget about your outdoor spaces, though.  Is your garage frustratingly cluttered with lawn equipment, bicycles and other sports gear, tools, garden supplies, and boxes of mysterious doo dads?Storage Shed

One of the best ways to organize your outdoor supplies, tools, and other gear is with a storage shed.  Storage sheds come in a variety of styles and sizes, so finding the right one for your needs is simply a matter of knowing how much space you require.  It’s a good idea to think ahead to future storage needs, too, and choose a storage shed that can accommodate some growth.  If looks matter, you should consider a cedar storage shed.  Cedar storage sheds make an attractive addition to any property, and they smell great.  Cedar is naturally resistant to insect infestation and decay, but a little basic care over the years will ensure a long life.

Organizing your home doesn’t need to be overwhelming.  Do a little at a time, and you will soon enjoy a less cluttered living space, inside and outdoors.

Environmentally Friendly Ideas, Garden Tools & Tips

3 Money Saving Gardening Practices

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Garden Rain Barrel - 60 Gallon  Earthmaker Aerobic Composter Is The Fast Green Way To Deal With Organic Waste  Square Cedar Planter Box

Gardens enhance the beauty of any home, but more and more homeowners choose to garden as a way to save money on grocery expenses.  Home-grown vegetables, herbs, and fruits not only taste better and provide greater nutrition than store-bought varieties, they cost less.

Keeping costs low when maintaining a garden, no matter what kind of garden you have, can be as easy as adopting three easy money-saving practices:

  1. Collect Rainwater — There’s no point in paying the local water department when you water your gardens if you can simply use the free stuff that falls from the sky.  According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average homeowner “uses at least 30 percent of their water outdoors for irrigation,” and some studies suggest that “more than 50 percent of landscape water used goes to waste due to evaporation or runoff caused by overwatering.” Collecting rainwater in rain barrels and using it to water gardens is one way to save big on your water bill, and it plays an important part in water conservation.
  2. Make Your Own Compost — Compost enriches the soil and makes for happy, healthy plants.  Sure, you can buy compost from your local garden center or nursery, but you can also make it yourself for free in the backyard.  With the right compost bin, making compost can be easy and somewhat hands-off.  In addition to saving money by making your own compost, you also reduce the amount of lawn and kitchen wastes that go into local landfills.  Not everything can be composted, though.  For a handy listing of what you can and cannot put into your compost bin, take a look at this brief article on Composting Basics.
  3. Use Raised Containers — If you frequently lose your plants to nibbling rabbits, deer, or other garden-invading critters, you should consider planting your more delicious plants in a raised container.  Raised containers allow gardeners to keep plants safe from animals, thereby saving money that would have to be spent replacing those plants.  Raised containers also make it easy to relocate the plants as necessary, and they prevent sore backs and joints that sometimes come with tending a garden at ground level.
Outdoor Lighting Ideas, Outdoor Living Spaces

Before & After: Design Details Make the Difference

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Any living space can be turned from bland and unappealing to comfortable and inviting, and it rarely requires expensive choices like remodeling or a complete decorating makeover.  In most cases, a fresh and beautiful look can be achieved with the addition of a few simple and inexpensive details.  Here is a good example:

Before Outdoor Curtains

The photo above shows a fairly standard wall that serves as a boundary between properties.  The homeowner has attempted to soften the appearance of the wall by adding some beautiful potted ferns, but the plants don’t successfully break up the wide, visual expanse of stone.

With the addition of outdoor curtains and mounted light fixtures, though, a dramatic improvement can be seen:

After Outdoor Curtains

The vast and unappealing wall becomes a softer and more elegant focal point.  Even the potted plants, which before looked washed out and ragged against the drab stone backdrop, pop out in front of the outdoor curtains and add more visual texture and interest to the scene.

Many times, all that a living space requires to improve its appearance is the addition or alteration of a few details.  Before investing in an expensive remodel or decorating overhaul, it’s worth the time and money to first think on a smaller scale.  A very little change, as seen here, can often go a long way to improve a living space.

Garden Tools & Tips

Spring Gardening Starts Now: 3 Tips to Get You Started

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Double Cold Frame  Walk-In Greenhouse  Cedar Greenhouse Kit 8x8   

Snow may be on the ground and temperatures well below freezing, but backyard gardening enthusiasts are already looking ahead to spring.  If you haven’t already done so, now is the time to start making your gardening plans for the upcoming season.  Here are a few tips to get you going:

  • Gardening Goals:  What do you want to grow?  Annuals, perennials, vegetables, fruits?  The options are limitless, but your space and time are not.  Determine how much space you have available in your garden, what you’d like to achieve with your gardening (beauty, food, or both), and how much time you are willing and able to put into creating and maintaining the garden.  Your answers to these questions will help you immensely as you go forward with your garden plans.
  • Seed Selection:  If your garden plan includes starting indoors with seedlings, start browsing seed catalogs now, and place your orders before the end of January.  When it’s time to transplant your seedlings into the garden, they’ll have had enough time to develop.
  • A Place for Gardening:  If you don’t already own a hobby greenhouse, you should consider obtaining one, especially if you want to extend the growing season and have a dedicated place for gardening activities.  Hobby greenhouses come in all sizes, so starting small is a good way to get a taste for what greenhouse gardening can offer.  Greenhouses provide a gardener with much more flexibility in terms of what can be grown and when.  They are especially attractive to gardeners who live in cooler climates where the growing season is shorter.