Home Improvement Tips & Ideas
Transform your yard into an outdoor oasis with tips for outdoor living and landscaping including gardens, decks, outdoor kitchens and more!
Have you ever considered raising your own backyard chickens? They are very self-reliant animals and once they have settled into your backyard don’t require much of your time or effort. In this article we share with you 6 simple steps to raising chickens. Step 1: Choosing Your Breed Once you have established that raising chickens …
Would you like to plant a fall garden and extend the productive bounty of summer’s harvest into fall. Fall is actually an easier time of year to garden – it’s typically nice and cool, insect populations are reduced and some fall crops sweeten when nipped by frost! But despite the approaching chill, there’s still plenty of …
Fall is a great time to make sure that your lawn is healthy and ready to sleep during the winter season. Although growth rates of your lawn can drastically slow down during the fall compared to summer lawn growth, you may be surprised at other maintenance that is important to do during this cooler time …
8 Fall Lawn Care Tips to Get Grass Ready for WinterRead More
Many people plant just enough in the garden to eat fresh all summer and into fall but what if you want to do more? Maybe you want to provide enough food for your family to get through the winter. Or what about just enjoying the goodness of summer all year long? Both are fantastic ideas …
The heat is beginning to wind down and the summer season is slowly transitioning but that doesn’t mean that gardening is over. There are plenty of thriving plants to grow in the fall that will help provide fresh produce for your family as well as squeak out as much use of your garden as you …
Keeping your lawn healthy is an important part of owning a home. Not only do green and landscaped lawns raise the overall look of your home but they also drastically increase your home’s curb appeal. If left unchecked, diseased lawns can ruin that curb appeal and potentially the entire lawn. Here’s what you need to …
Summer heat is here, and that might mean less water in your area. Does that mean you need to let your living landscapes suffer? Is watering your yard or lawn frowned upon by neighbors? Having a healthy yard and respecting Mother Nature is still possible, even in drought or high heat conditions! Keep your lawn looking …
Gardening doesn’t have to end just because the kids are back to school and the temperatures are starting to cool off. In fact, fall gardening can be one of the most productive times of the year for many homeowners. Cool season crops like lettuce, broccoli, and peas can all be easily grown within the span …
There are many benefits to having a killer lawn. It has a cooling effect, traps dirt and dust, provides oxygen and filters rainwater containments. Plus, it’s a great place for pets to play and so people can enjoy being outside in the fresh air. But, the best way to develop a healthy lawn is to …
Outdoor living room spaces are quickly becoming one of the most coveted home features. They expand living space without expensive renovations, offer a relaxing respite from everyday stress, provide a safe place for kids and pets to play, and an amazing outdoor entertaining area for guests. Here are the top 5 ways to create the …
Even if they didn’t carry disease, ticks just aren’t something you want to share your summer with. But if you’d like to keep them in place without adding pesticides to your person, there are a number of natural and homemade tick repellents that can do the job, as well as a host of plants that …
Natural Ways to Keep Ticks at Bay with Homemade Tick RepellentsRead More
When it comes to decor, lighting is one of the most mood enhancing features you can customize. Everything from the brightness and color of the light, to the fixture holding it and how it’s placed in a space. Having a designated and inviting outdoor space is also one of many affordable elements that can actually …
4 Ideas for DIY Lighting: Repurpose Bottles and Cans into Outdoor DecorRead More
Have you heard chickens clucking contentedly in your neighborhood? How about a hen proudly announcing her egg? These sounds are no longer relegated to rural farmsteads. Referred to as “city chickens” they’re becoming more common in urban & suburban areas around the country. Keeping backyard chickens has become a popular hobby and an important part of the ‘slow food‘ …
City Chickens: How to Get Started Raising a Flock in Your BackyardRead More
Your garden is probably up and growing by now but instead of seeing a healthy garden is it looking a little sad? In the spring, seedlings are bright and healthy and you’re looking forward to the beautiful garden to come. But then you’re faced with some of the more disappointing aspects of gardening. Weeds start outstripping your …
Between bountiful sun and plenty of rain, vegetables gardeners are having one of the best years ever for summer veggies! Even so, knowing when to pick your veggies for the best flavor takes a little skill! Here are tips on the best time to harvest vegetables including tomatoes, snap beans, summer squash, cucumbers, peppers and eggplant …
Summer Veggies:Â How to Harvest Vegetables for Peak FlavorRead More
Want to do something different for your 4th of July celebration this year? Turn a ‘progressive dinner party’ on its ear and host a traveling BBQ instead! You’ll combine some interactive fun to go along with the good eats and invite your friends and neighbors to join in the celebration. Have veggies and dips at one house, …
Get Your Red, White & Blue on with a Traveling BBQ for the 4th of JulyRead More
A patio can be a magical place of comfort and delight where you relax and enjoy the evening with a cup of coffee. It can also be a place to entertain and spend time with friends. Or it can be simply a space where you sit some plants if you don’t have what you need. …
For many families, an above ground pool is the perfect addition to their backyard space. However, at a time when stepped-up outdoor living spaces have never been more popular, the site of a 4 foot tall, 24 foot wide bathtub in the middle of your entertaining space doesn’t always add to the outdoor decor! Above …
Pool safety tips for children at home. Good swimming pool safety covers practices can prevent pool drowning. Poolguard has also introduced an ingenious alarm designed for above ground pools.
As the saying goes, when life gives you lemons – make lemonade. But did you know with a lemon garden, you can make refreshing, lemony drinks even if you don’t live in California or Florida? With these lemon-flavored plants, you can have a ‘lemonade garden’ in any state and grow lemonade ingredients from coast to coast! From …
You might have a great backyard for entertaining and hosting get-togethers, but it can still feel like something is missing. Something you just can’t seem to put your finger on. Well, you are not alone. Sometimes, we just need to be reminded of the creative ways we can spruce up our space – without breaking …
4 Ways to Spruce Up Your Entertaining Space on a BudgetRead More
Nothing is quite as much fun as watching your children play. The younger they are, the easier they are to please, too! Remember all the times you’ve stood in lines to get “the gift” of the season only to have your kid want to play with the box instead of the toy? Yeah, we’ve all …
Creating an outdoor living space beyond the four walls of your home is gaining ground as one of the most popular home improvement projects of all. Whether that outdoor room is a deck, porch or patio, creating one can be the least-expensive way to extend your outdoor living space. Or the most expensive, if your …
Instead of buying organic produce at your local supermarket, why not grow your own? Organic gardening is easier than you may think. You don’t even need much space for your new organic garden – a raised bed or even a container garden can provide a surprising amount of delicious, healthy produce. Of course, you can …
