Tag Archives: Gardening

Garden Tools & Tips, Storage Solutions

Garden Sheds — What’s So Great About Cedar?

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Cedar Garden Shed

Why choose a cedar garden shed over a metal or plastic shed? Cedar is an all-weather wood that can withstand decades of harsh weather conditions, including icy winters, wet springs, and hot, sunny summers. It can be stained or painted to complement your existing home decor, and it is naturally resistant to mildew, rot, and insects, making it virtually worry-free. As an added bonus, cedar looks beautiful and smells fantastic. Because of these benefits, cedar is a natural choice for outdoor storage sheds.

Additionally, cedar garden sheds are available with a variety of attractive and helpful features you can’t usually find in the more generic metal or plastic varieties:

  • Functional windows: Fresh air can easily circulate throughout garden sheds, keeping the interior space comfortable;
  • Window boxes: Filled with colorful flowers and plants, window boxes enhance the exterior beauty of garden sheds;
  • Dutch doors: Close the bottom half of the door and open on the top for additional air and light;
  • Double doors: Storing large or awkward pieces of equipment is much easier;Cedar Garden Shed Interior
  • Decorative door hinges and hardware: Dress up the appearance of garden sheds even further;
  • Porches: Turn the entrance of garden sheds into a welcoming spot to relax or share a conversation;
  • Greenhouse windows: Create gardens inside the garden shed.

Cedar garden sheds offer so many possibilities that metal or plastic sheds simply cannot. Cedar brings natural beauty and durability to outdoor storage sheds, allowing them to become an attractive focal point in your backyard rather than an eyesore to be hidden from view.

 

Environmentally Friendly Ideas, Garden Tools & Tips, Holidays & Gift Ideas, Innovative Solutions, Insect Control

April is National Lawn and Garden Month

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Lawn and Garden
April is National Lawn and Garden month! This gives you a wonderful reason to get outside and get your backyard and garden ready. Whether you are starting from scratch or are an experienced pro, here are several tips that you can use to celebrate Lawn and Garden month in style!

  • Consider Backyard Composting – Composting is nature’s process of recycling decomposed organic materials into a rich soil known as compost. Backyard composting is an acceleration of the process that occurs in nature. It is recycling at its finest! Use kitchen waste (such as food or paper towels), lawn clippings, and wood chips to provide rich and powerful soil for your garden and lawn. Anything that was once living will decompose, giving you endless options for composting. Composting is good for your plants and for you! Adding organic materials to the soil improves moisture retention. It provides a balanced, slow–release source of nutrients that helps the soil hold nutrients long enough for plants to use them. Healthier plants means a healthier you! It will also save you money because you will no longer have to buy fertilizer. Add a compost bin to your garden and start today!

  • Add a fountain – Outdoor fountains offer an easy and affordable way to add style to your lawn or garden. The soothing sound of running water will help to create a tranquil and relaxing escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Transform your garden into your own personal paradise!

  • Consider adding variety – If you are fond of flower gardening, venture into edible vegetables! You will be thrilled with the sense of accomplishment you feel when you feed your family fresh, healthy produce that you loving grew on your own. Beans, squash, cucumbers, lettuce/greens, tomatoes, peppers, beets, and garlic are all great vegetables to start with. They are relatively easy to maintain and will offer beautiful variety. If you are already growing your own vegetables, consider planting an eye catching flower garden (try marigold, lupine, daisy, or wildflower mix seeds). Fruits are also a great option. Apples, figs, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries are great for beginners. Variety is the spice of life!

  • Go high-tech – Modern technology impacts our daily life. Why not let it impact your backyard? There are several innovations in outdoor living that you will wonder how you ever lived without. The Robomower will make mowing your lawn virtually effortless. No more back-breaking work and labor intensive afternoons spent cutting grass. You simply install special sensors around the perimeter of your yard and push a button. It doesn’t get much easier than that! Another product worth trying is the Mosquito Eliminator. Gone are the days of tacky bug zappers and pesky insects at parties. It is so beautiful that your guests will never guess that it is fighting mosquitoes and other pests. The Eliminator uses high-tech black light technology to cover up to 1,000 feet and capture up to 6,000 mosquitoes with one cartridge. Other garden technology to be on the look for: gardening apps for smartphones (such as iVeggieGarden, which allows you to view over 500 varieties of vegetables and offers tips and ideas), time lapsed garden cameras (which take pictures at various intervals and produce videos or slideshows showing growth progress), and electronic soil testers.

Environmentally Friendly Ideas, Garden Tools & Tips

April Showers Bring Opportunity to Save Water and Money

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Rain Barrel

If it’s true that April showers bring May flowers, then now is the time to take advantage of capturing some of that rain so you can water your garden on drier days.  Rain barrels offer an effortless way to collect rain water, so you can avoid having to open your faucets (and your wallet) to give your posies a drink. 

Need another reason to love rain barrels?  You can water your garden when you feel like watering — not just during your assigned days and times of the week.  To conserve water, many communities set restrictions on when and how long you can water your lawn and garden.  This is a good idea that makes sense, but restrictions can make it a challenge to keep gardens in top shape throughout the growing season. When you collect rain in one or more rain barrels, you can water when your flowers and plants need it, and you are only limited by the amount of rain in your barrels.

Whether you are motivated by saving money or by saving the planet, rain barrels are a smart solution that fulfills both desires at once.

Garden Tools & Tips, Storage Solutions

4 Quick Tips for Keeping Garden Tools Happy

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Gardening Tools

Whether you’re new to gardening or have been toiling in the soil for years, you rely on garden tools that are in good working condition.  Poorly maintained garden tools don’t last long and most likely make gardening chores more of a chore.

The best way to make sure your tools work well for you over the long haul is to give them a little TLC after each use.  Time consuming?  No way.  In fact, here are four quick and easy ways to keep your tools in top shape during the gardening season:

  • Ditch the Dirt — Remove any dirt from tools after each use.  Fresh dirt will usually come off quickly and easily when tools are rinsed with a hose or dipped in a bucket of water. Tough dirt can be rubbed off with some water and a wet rag.  If left to dry, caked-on dirt is harder to remove and makes digging tasks more challenging the next time the tools are needed.
  • Repel Rust and Rot — Dry off wet tools before putting them away.  Wooden handles can rot and metal parts can rust when water is left sitting on garden tools.  Keep a clean rag or towel handy for this purpose.
  • Ship-Shape Shears — Rub the cutting blades of pruning shears and loppers with a dab of oil on an old rag before hanging them up for the night.  This will clean off any debris and keep them workingGarden Storage Sheds smoothly.
  • Stow Your Stuff — Give your garden tools some shelter to protect them from exposure to weather and to keep them out of reach of children and animals.  A storage shed dedicated to gardening tools and supplies is a handy addition in any yard.  Using storage sheds for gardening gear frees up space in the garage and ensures that your tools and supplies are protected.

A little daily maintenance goes a long way toward keeping garden tools in good working shape throughout the heaviest months of gardening.  Keep the necessary cleaning gear close to where you store your tools.  Doing so will make it that much easier to care for your tools before putting them away.

Garden Tools & Tips, Innovative Solutions, Storage Solutions

Make Your Garden Beautiful While Making a Difference

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Cedar Fence PlanterCedar Storage BoxCedar Dollies

Cedar accessories can make a beautiful statement in your garden while serving a sturdy and long-lasting function. Beautiful cedar planter boxes are perfect for people with limited space who want to grow delicious fruits, vegetable, and herbs. Because cedar is naturally weather and insect resistant, the planters will last for many years to come. Cedar plant dollies have casters that make them a perfect solution for moving heavy plants or providing versatile plant stands. They offer stylish and functional support for a little price. If additional storage space is your goal, cedar storage boxes make the perfect place to keep all of your lawn and garden tools, garden hoses, or whatever else you have in mind. The beautiful red wood color will no only give you stylish design, it will also last for many years to come.

The best part about the products mentioned above is the source from which they come. Cedar Creek Illinois, Inc, or CCI, is a subsidiary of Knox County Council for Developmental Disabilities, Inc. (www.kccdd.com). CCI specializes in work and career opportunities for individuals with disabilities. This wonderful program allows the disabled to become self-supporting citizens who can contribute their talents, skills and labor to the communities in which they live. All of the fine cedar products listed above were made in the United States by disabled Americans working through this company. Your purchase not only gives you a beautiful addition to porch, patio, or garden; it also gives someone a chance at employment that they might have never gotten otherwise. What could be better than that?