Outdoors Gardening

Growing vegetables in a small garden can be beneficial. In addition to adding color to any garden, it can mean fresh vegetables to be used in the kitchen. It should not be surprising that one of the most popular garden vegetables are tomatoes.

Proper lawn maintenance often requires using a variety of tools. A lawnmower on its own may not be enough to keep your yard well-manicured. For many homeowners, the usage of a tool such as a string trimmer is also necessary.

When improving your outdoor space, trees are an especially important feature. In addition to being a prominent focal point, trees can provide shade and beauty when chosen for an appropriate space. With a large canopy and unique foliage, could the tipu tree be a great fit for your landscape? We will explore the pros and cons of tipu trees to help you decide.

A sprinkler system is a great tool in helping to keep your lawn hydrated and beautiful. Through this seemingly complicated system, there’s the convenience of having to just program it and forget it. However, a common issue is that the sprinkler system runs twice,  but there is probably a simple solution.

Gone are the days of standing outside with a hose to water your grass. Automatic sprinkler systems keep your lawn green without ever having to leave your house!

Thornless honeylocust is a frequently-used tree that’s commonly found in urban areas. It has beautiful yellow leaves in autumn. Plus, thornless honeylocusts provide plenty of dappled shade that still allows grass to grow underneath.

Riding mowers make maintaining your lawn and outdoor areas much easier. They enable us to cut through large sections of tough grass without wearing ourselves out.

Landscape fabric has been used for years to cover the ground around gardens and other landscaping where you are trying to prevent weeds. But many of the landscape fabrics are costly and can actually be bad for your plants and soil.

Early spring and fall are the best times to move plants because of the weather and growth conditions. Plants are rarely in bloom during early spring and fall, so you are unlikely to harm them. Flowers are much more likely to go into shock and even die if you move them during the peak of spring and summer.

Planning a landscaping project or just want to liven up your house with a few potted plants? Home Depot offers a wide variety of flowers, trees, shrubs, and plants to help you find what you’re looking for. But what happens if you change your mind after your purchase? Can you return plants to Home Depot?

Owning a riding mower comes with many perks, but it can also require routine care and maintenance. One of the most common steps to take care of on your riding mower is to regularly change the blades. However, since the machine can be quite heavy, this process is not always simple.

Do you know your neighbor well? If so, it’s worth simply telling them that you wish they would cut their grass. Granted, this can be uncomfortable if you have no relationship, but it’s worth it if the tall grass is a problem.

Home gardening is an amazing way to have easy access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Gardens often yield a plethora of crops, and some fruits and vegetables even yield all their bounty all at once. While it is amazing to have tons of fresh vegetables, you often find yourself wondering what to do with the surplus of vegetables you can’t eat right away. This is why it is a good idea to grow foods that you can pickle for later use.

Your trusted and reliable Briggs and Stratton engine is showing signs of trouble.  You have noticed gas leaking around the air filter.  You begin to wonder if it is time to replace that old engine with a new one.

Are you one of the countless homeowners who have been torn about what to do with your compost pile for the winter? This is a common dilemma for many homeowners who don’t want to let their compost go to waste as temperatures plummet. Understandably, many homeowners struggle with how to store compost in the winter for later use.

With a vibrant pink/purple color, the Rhododendron blooms brightly across the world. These bushes provide magnificent pop of color wherever they spring up. But when they become distressed, it can rob them of their natural beauty. The key is determining the problem.

How great is it to step outside and pluck a lemon from your tree to garnish a drink or make fresh-squeezed lemonade? Fresh fruit trees are a great addition to your yard space and garden. But if your lemon tree leaves are turning yellow, you might be worried that your homemade lemonade days are numbered.

Tropical plants aren’t naturally meant to grow indoors, and that creates some hurdles. Luckily, it’s easier than ever to grow tropical houseplants with modern grow lights and potting mixes. A few simple tricks can ensure optimal growth for your indoor tropical plants, such as:

Ticks are attracted to debris, dense grass, trees, heat, and moisture. Yards with tall trees and grass are most likely to have ticks, even if you can’t see them. The Midwest and West Coast parts of the country are especially prone to tick problems.

Pea gravel is commonly used for walkways, driveways, and as filler between stone pavers around the home. It consists of small, rounded stones and is commonly used for high-traffic areas due to its smooth finish. However, since the gravel is loose, people often need to know how to stabilize pea gravel.

Anytime between December and March is ideal for cutting down trees. That’s because trees go dormant during this time in many parts of the United States. This makes it easier to cut down trees, especially if they are as dry as possible.

Genovese basil is the most commonly grown variety of basil, especially in North America. It is a staple in Italian cooking, and it has a slightly sweet, and very fragrant classic basil flavor. It is known for its signature shiny leaves and typically grows up to 24 inches in height.

There are tons of different types of bonsai trees. Just about any tree can be altered into a bonsai form. Therefore, there is not a universal growing condition that bonsais enjoy. There are, however, a few challenges to growing bonsai indoors.

There is something of a misconception that all mower attachments are the same. The fact of the matter is that there is a huge array of attachments that can be used with tractors, skid-steers, excavators, and wheel loaders. All of which are designed to work optimally in certain situations.

Both soft touch holly and boxwoods are common choices for homeowners looking to liven up their landscape. For many homeowners, however, it can be quite difficult determining the difference between the two.

If you're a plant-lover, then you can relate to the pain of watching your favorite plants wither away when temperatures plummet. That doesn’t need to be the case, however, as many plants can survive and even thrive throughout cold weather. So, what are some of the best plants that survive winter?

Creeping Charlie can kill other plants in your yard once it spreads far enough. This creeping plant features a toxin that can suppress and kill other plants. The toxin is also harmful to livestock, such as cows and horses.

Wasps are lean, mean, and ready to sting you and ruin your time in the garden. They wreak havoc on countless homeowners during the spring and summer. The average homeowner would do anything to keep wasps away. Understandably, many people struggle with how to get rid of wasps.

There’s something extremely satisfying about tending to a vegetable garden and growing your own food. Whether planting leafy greens, juicy tomatoes, or crunchy broccoli, it’s also a boon to your health. Mulch helps protect plants from the elements, among other benefits, but what is the best mulch for vegetable gardens?

Trees are the lungs of the planet, and we can certainly use more of them. But improving the atmosphere is just one reason people plant trees. You might want to add a new beautiful flowering tree to your front yard. Or perhaps there is a fruit tree you want to add to your gardening arsenal. Regardless of your reason for wanting another tree, you need to consider when you should plant it. So, when is the best time to plant a tree?

Automatic irrigation and sprinkler systems are extremely convenient, but like most things, they can develop issues over time. A common problem is that the sprinkler head won’t rotate. If this happens, you should repair it immediately to prevent future complications.

The sight of weeds is enough to ruin the perfect picture of your beautiful yard and garden. By summer, weeds are in full force, so it’s important to treat the root (literally) of the problem throughout the spring. Many homeowners understandably struggle with how to prevent weeds in the spring.

Lawn mowers can be quite expensive, and this leaves many homeowners apprehensive to buy a new one. You have likely noticed that the cost of a lawn mower is quite high during spring and summer. So, when is the best time of year to buy a lawn mower?

When you hear about astroturf, you probably think of the type of places where people play sports. Artificial grass is rare for actual homes to have, but it does happen. When it does, it tends to be done for maintenance reasons. But, does this hard-to-find home improvement project actually increase home value or is it a waste of money?

Incorporating wood chips into your garden can be beneficial by increasing nutrients in the soil over time. Wood chip garden mulch is organic, so it slowly breaks down, typically between three to six months. However, if you want to compost your wood chips quickly, you will need to add nitrogen to the mix.

Flooding is likely to affect different parts of your yard in varying ways based on the elevation (or lack thereof) of the yard. If you live on a slope, then you will likely experience a lot of runoff. This can cause a loss of soil and nutrients, but it won’t cause the waterlogging you would experience if you live in a low-lying area or a flood zone.

A drought is a nightmare for homeowners and communities, especially when they aren’t prepared. Droughts can disrupt the ecosystem, harm animals, and kill your garden and lawn that you worked hard to grow. Understandably, many homeowners struggle with how to prepare for a drought.

A weed can be any plant that’s growing where you don’t want it to, like your yard or landscape. One person’s beautiful, natural yard is another person’s eyesore. If your yard is overrun by unwelcome weeds, there are several options to eradicate them.

Choosing between sod and grasses is not only aesthetic but also often about function and climate. One grass may be better looking while another may be better suited for the environment that you live in. Two common tropical types of grass are Bermuda and Zoysia, but what’s the difference between them, and which is better?

If you’ve spent a lot of time cultivating a beautiful garden, you don’t want pesky invaders taking over your space. Invasive species like the Virginia creeper steal resources from other plants in the area. This can easily lead to a dead garden.

Palm trees are great to plant in a yard for all sorts of reasons. They provide great shade in your yard and around your pool or patio areas. They also tend to shed far less than other types of trees, which makes the ground around them easier to keep clean.

Everyone wants a lawn that looks beautiful. It instantly increases the curb appeal. A well-manicured lawn guarantees that you’re not the only yard on the block that looks bad. While no one wants their house to be an eyesore, there is a learning curve to maintaining your grass seed while you attempt to eliminate bald spots on your lawn.

It’s not too late if you didn’t plant all your favorite flowers during spring. Many flowers can still thrive if you plant them in summer, but it’s important to choose plants that will bloom quickly. So, what are the best flowers to plant in summer?

It can take up to 100 days for tomato plants to bear fruit. The timeline depends on factors such as sunlight exposure and your watering habits. Germination, the first stage, takes up to 8 days before tomato plants stay in the early growth phase for 4-5 weeks.

If you live somewhere with long cold winters, you may go months without seeing green plants sprouting from the ground. This means the days of picking fresh herbs from your outdoor garden are suspended until the weather warms up. But if you love to cook and sprinkle fresh herbs into your meals throughout the year, you are probably wondering if any herbs can survive indoors in the winter.

If you love gardening but live somewhere with cold temperatures for most of the year, you have learned over time that your options are limited. Many flowers, shrubs, and fruit trees that thrive in many climates simply don’t survive in some places with short growing seasons. The same is true for vegetables. But if you live somewhere with a short growing season, you will be happy to learn there are several vegetables that you can still harvest successfully.

One of the best places to find cheap or free materials is by searching online marketplaces. Places like Facebook and Craigslist are wonderful resources for those looking for dirt-cheap or even free garden containers.

A Weed Eater can be an effective tool in the battle against overgrowth in your yard. Weed Eater makes an effective line of lawncare tools that can help you keep your yard looking the way that you want it to all year round.

Mulching is a great way to improve the health and appearance of your garden. Putting mulch over your rocks can be a quick fix for sprucing up your yard, but is it a good idea?

Winterizing your lawncare equipment seems like a fool’s errand at times, but believe me, it’s something you should do. It’s what makes sure that you will be able to use your sprinklers once summer comes around. Like with all chores, there’s a right time and a wrong time to start winterizing your system. But, when’s ideal?

We’ve all seen a bare patch of land where grass once grew, but now only contains a sad mound of dirt. Terrible, isn’t it? If you’re like many homeowners, you want to avoid that ever being your lawn. Sometimes, though, things happen. Then, you need to take care of that issue ASAP, and that’s where a hidden technique called hydroseeding comes into play.

Whether you’re a farmer or just a homeowner who takes pride in their garden, you likely have a reasonable fear of floods. Flooding creates dangerous road conditions, kills plants, and can quickly erode the soil in your garden. So, can plants survive flooding?

Mosquitoes are attracted to light, and they also love water. A glistening water feature in full sun, like a bird bath, is a mosquito's paradise. It has many of the ideal conditions for these pests to lay their eggs, so a bird bath will quickly attract them.

Nothing quite says summer like biting into an ear of fresh, sweet corn on the cob. This vegetable is perfect for a cookout or popped to make popcorn. Corn is one of the most popular vegetables, and for a good reason. But all too often, casual gardeners do not believe that they have the time, resources, or space to dedicate to this plant.

Kohler produces a wide array of outdoor lawn care tools, primarily trimmers and lawnmowers. In a crowded lawncare market, Kohler is one of the most recognizable and trusted names on the market. But that doesn’t mean their products are immune to issues.

Many plants thrive indoors, but every plant can benefit from nature’s elements. Whether it is nutrient-rich soil or plenty of sunlight, indoor plants require outdoor ingredients even when they are inside. But what about when you water your indoor plants? Many plant owners use tap water to water plants inside the home. While tap water is not likely to kill your plants, you might wonder which is better for your plants: Tap water or rainwater.

If you do any sort of gardening or landscaping, mulch will be your best friend. In addition to adding aesthetic appeal to your land, mulch is crucial for keeping your soil healthy from season to season. Applying mulch is not a one-time job. You will have to replace and dispose of organic mulch as it decomposes, and you’ll eventually want to replace inorganic mulch, too.

Weather conditions these days are unpredictable. Just as there are record-high temperature records each year, there are also shocking cold snaps in unexpected places. These cold snaps can reach below freezing and happen rather suddenly. So, if there is an overnight frost, and you have left vulnerable plants outside, you will want to know what you can do to keep them alive.

Garden arches can be a beautiful addition to any garden. They add visual appeal and texture to your garden and give you more  vertical space for growing plants. Unfortunately, pre-made garden arches can be expensive.

You put a lot of energy into maintaining the lawn. So, you probably don’t want weeds where your garden should be. But can you put weed killer on wet grass, or will that cause a problem? And how do you keep weeds off of your lawn otherwise?