The Efficient Garage

Utilize space that you didn’t know you had using these tips and tricks of organization specialists. Most people let the garage get out of control from time to time. It’s easy when you are in constant need of storing everything from the baby furniture to the lawn mower. Get your garage to a point where it is easily manageable and easy to maintain.

First clean everything out. Choose an organization system that meets your needs. You can get shelves, but they usually end up being a catch-all for things that don’t have a specific place to be stored. You can arrange everything outside of the garage in categories to help you decide which system would be best for you.

If you have a lot of tools, you may need a peg board or slat wall system to keep things visible. Get a label printer to label where each thing goes if you want to make sure that everything goes back where it belongs after use. This also encourages people to return things that they borrow because they know that you have a labeled place where that hammer goes and you are not likely to forget that they have it. If you want to use a tool box, get one with a lot of shallow drawers. Piling and stacking screwdrivers, wrenches and sockets just creates an unorganized mess in no time.

Station out your garage like an office. If you walk into a well organized office you will see stations for everything. All paper and supplies will be together in one place. Everyone knows to go to the supply closet when they need something. They know where to go for lunch, copies, reference books, etc. Set up your garage like this and you won’t be relying on hundreds of sub-categories to keep things neat and clean. Too many people spend a lot of time separating nuts and bolts, and then fail to put them with other items that will be needed for projects.

Tools should be at a tool station. Power tools can make up another section of the garage. Yard equipment should be hung on special hooks near the lawn mower. Fertilizers and other chemicals need to go in a locking cabinet or storage chest. Yard shoes and other things that can get strewn about should have a special place to go as well. Create a sports equipment station. Large baskets that are sectioned off for bats, hockey sticks, golf clubs and balls are very helpful. Bikes can be hung from the ceiling or on special wall mounts. If you have kayaks or canoes, buy boat racks or slide them into a ceiling storage unit to keep them out of the way.

Stationing off everything will make it easy to find when the time comes. Whether you need a deck screw or a paint roller, you’ll know exactly where it should be. Other efficiencies like a small air compressor, automatic extension cord reel, and a shop vacuum should be kept handy as well. Once the garage is set up in this fashion, you’ll reap the benefits for a long time to come.

About the Author: Stacy Pessoney is an award winning author and writer of web content for many different web sites. She is well versed in many different areas, including gardening, hose reel, lawn care and landscaping.

Create a Man Garage

Are you one of those men that hungers for a cool garage that defines who you are and still performs all of the functions that you need it to? You are not alone. The garage has gone from a place to store your junk, to a place that distinctively sets you apart from all others. This is the place where you can revel in your individuality, capability and flaunt your manliness, free from the oppressive throw pillows and decorative vases of the house’s interior. Yes, the garage is your domain and you want to make it look better than your friends’ by showing off the manly tools and gadgets that you’ve collected.

The first thing you have to do to make your garage look great is coat the floor. There are vinyl coatings, peel and stick tiles, polyurethatne coatings, epoxy finishes, acrylic latex paints, the list goes on and on. You can even stain patterns on the concrete to make it look like hardwood floors. With any garage floor finish, preparation is key. If you read about peeling, bubbling, tires sticking, things like that, they are most likely because of a lack of floor prep. Treat your garage floor like it is priceless. Don’t rush or skip any steps that will prepare it for the type of coating that you choose.

Next comes storage. You definitely don’t want any attention taken away from your tools or anything that brings you pride. Having adequate and proper storage for the rest of the family’s stuff is a priority. Cabinets are handy for hiding away unsightly Christmas decorations, out of season clothing and other eye-sores that will only detract from your garage’s swagger. Installing a long countertop workbench with big, deep cabinets underneath should give your family enough room to store their stuff. With a little special lighting, all of the attention will be on your adequate work space, not your family’s inability to keep their things out of your garage.

You may need additional cabinets to house the tools that you don’t want to show off. Here you can also store paint supplies, putty, glues, nails, and other things that don’t go with your décor. Keep things in individual bins that are categorized so that you can find something when you need it.

Additions like bike and boat racks, sports equipment organization stations, stereo with surround sound, ceiling fans, TV’s, a man fridge and lounging areas can make your garage the best your friends have ever seen. Make sure that you display your manliest possessions for all to see and envy. A mitre saw, chain saw, nail gun, air compressor, automatic extension cord reel, and other manly objects of envy should get the job done.

About the Author: Stacy Pessoney is an award winning author and writer of web content for many different web sites. She is well versed in many different areas, including gardening, hose reel, lawn care and landscaping.

Swimming Pool Transformations

So, you have a built-in pool, but something about it looks dull and uninviting. Landscaping around your pool can change the look of your back yard from a boring place be to a luxurious paradise. You can go for a natural theme, manicured beds of tulips, terraced sections of shrubs, or a lush tropical look. Water features, fire places, grills, furniture and personal touches can add to the inviting feel.

You don’t have to spend a fortune to make your backyard pool area look great. It can be something as simple as spreading wildflower seeds in sectioned-off areas to give things a more natural feel. Large outdoor area rugs can turn a concrete expanse into a more closed in, private area. It doesn’t only add a nice splash of color and texture, but also feels nice beneath the feet and makes lounging by the pool a more relaxing experience.

Designate areas around the pool deck for flowerbeds. You can plant rosemary to keep mosquitoes away. It also grows quickly and puts a pleasing fragrance in the air. If you don’t like the smell of rosemary, use it on the outsides of your landscaped area. The smell is strong, but it doesn’t travel far.

Plant a few interesting trees around the pool area to provide privacy. Evergreens that don’t branch out far are good because they won’t dump a lot of leaves and debris into the pool. Trees that stay small, grow slow and add color are ideal. A popular pool landscaping tree is the Japanese maple.

Go to your local nursery with a sample of your soil and ask which shrubs and plants will grow well around your pool. They will test your soil and determine if it is more acid or basic. After you know that, get them to show you around. Make notes of things that you like that fit with your theme. If you want a tropical theme, look for large leaves, hanging vines and bright blooms. For a more natural feel, opt for bushy shrubs and flowers that may be local natives.

Add splashes of color around the pool. When you are choosing your shrubs and plants, ask which ones bloom in spring, summer and fall. Choose a variety of plants and trees that bloom at different times to ensure that you don’t have a beautiful landscape in April that is gone by the time you are ready to swim. The changing theme will keep things interesting as well.

Once you have the landscaping done, add some personal touches. Small statues, large rocks and decorative benches can fill in the gaps and draw attention to detail. Consider building a stone fireplace or adding an additional water feature. Add some comfy furniture and shade. You can set up soaker hoses that are barely visible to do the watering for you. Set them up on a programmable hose reel to ensure that your gardens stay lush even when you are not able to maintain them. Your pool will soon be the relaxing retreat that you dream of.

About the Author: Stacy Pessoney is an award winning author and writer of web content for many different web sites. She is well versed in many different areas, including gardening, hose reel, lawn care and landscaping.

Create a Tropical Garden in Any State

You don’t have to live in the tropics to have a tropical themed garden or flowerbed. You may not be able to grow the same exact plants that you could in South America, but you can imitate the theme and get some beautiful results.

If you ask people what kinds of plants they think are in a tropical garden, they are not very likely to name anything specific beyond “palm tree”. But, if you ask for some words describing what a tropical garden looks like, then you are likely to get replies like lush, wet, bright flowers, full, flowing, fluorescent accents, big leaves and cascading vines.

So you don’t actually need tropical plants to give a garden a tropical feel. Bromeliads come to mind. Some are actually pineapple shaped. They have thick, green leaves and brightly colored centers. They’re easy to grow in a variety of climates. They are available in small or giant varieties.

Ask a local nursery about which bromeliads will grow best in your climate. Then determine whether you will want them in the sun or shade, certain varieties can grow in either. They even come in terrestrial or saxicolous. Terrestrials grow from the ground and saxicolous varieties grow on rocks, like a moss. Bromeliads have a wide variety of growing conditions which make them an easy-to-care-for choice. Because of the bright colors and size, they make a great addition or centerpiece to a tropical themed garden.

Anything with large or interesting leaves is a good addition. Elephant ears are popular, as are ferns or plants with leaves that hang down. Leaves that hang low give the illusion of weight and humidity, adding to the wet, tropical theme. Interesting leaves make plants look exotic, even if they are quite common for your area.

The other element that you need to fill is flowers and blooms. Large flowers are always good. Bright colors are a must. Reds, oranges and everything in between are a great start. Bright pinks are probably most popular. To give your garden the soothing feel of a tropical paradise, make sure that you include purples, blues and whites.

Not all of your blooms need to be large. Cascading flowers and white blooms have a lot of pop and presence without being large. Tubular flowers look unique, and often grow on vines. Vines also add to the tropical theme, while red tubulars attract hummingbirds. You can even use existing shrubs for filler and plant a tropical themed garden around your existing landscape. Use an automatic watering system to keep your garden looking wet and lush. An automatic, programmable hose reel will make frequent light watering easy.

About the Author: Stacy Pessoney is an award winning author and writer of web content for many different web sites. She is well versed in many different areas, including gardening, hose reel, lawn care and landscaping.

All Things Reel: Creating An Urban Garden

All Things Reel: Creating An Urban Garden

Shared via AddThis

Creating An Urban Garden

If you live in an apartment or the city, yet still want to grow your own vegetables, there is still hope. People all over the world who have apartments and little spaces to grow anything are finding ways to do so. There are only three basic requirements one needs – light, soil, and water. And the soil doesn’t have to be the kind that comes with a yard – but raised containers work just as equally.

To start your urban garden, locate a spot inside your apartment or on a patio that gets at least six to eight hours of sunlight a day and has access to water. Some people use their roof, window boxes, patios, doorways, sidewalks and roof eaves with hanging baskets for their containers. Most landlords don’t mind if you have a small garden in or around your apartment, but you may want to ask for permission anyhow.

When putting plants in pots, remember that vegetables don’t like to have wet roots. To keep your containers from accumulating moisture in the bottom, drill at least one drainage hole to allow excess water to drain away. For bigger containers, that is those that are16 inches in diameter or more, fill the bottom third of the pot with a materials that will create empty spaces, such as broken shards of terra cotta pots, large stones, or Styrofoam peanuts. The peanuts have the benefit of being lightweight, allowing you to move larger containers from one place to another. You will then cover the material with a layer of newspaper to prevent soil from sifting out of the drainage holes.

Almost all vegetables grow well in containers, but choosing the right variety does help. There are tomato varieties that stay a manageable size for pots and if you are looking for vines, tomatoes that do well in baskets. 'Window Box Roma' tomato, for instance, stays a size that's manageable for pots, and 'Tumbler' tomato vines spill nicely out of hanging baskets. Beans, peas, and even squash can be grown up trellises set into a larger container.

For squash, there is a compact yellow squash called the 'Sunburst' yellow and there is also the 'Spacemiser' zucchini. 'Miniature White' cucumbers have small vines and unusual white fruit. There is a lot of information on the Internet for those who want to do a little research on the best vegetables. There are many shallow-rooted plants, such as lettuce, spinach, radishes, and herbs, that need only 6 to 8 inches of soil depth to grow well, while deeper-rooted plants, such as tomatoes and squash, need 12 inches of soil. For deeper rooted plants, you can use terra-cotta pots, wooden boxes, and even 5-gallon buckets. Just be sure they each have drainage holes and are big enough to support the plants growing in them. Fill your containers with a well-draining potting mix (topsoil will compact in containers) that has some compost or an organic granulated fertilizer mixed in.

Gardening in a small space may have its limited but it can be done. The benefits of having a small garden is that you can pay more attention to detail.

If you find your apartment is too small and limited but you still want to grow your own vegetables, you can look into community gardens. Some non-profits and community groups transform vacant lots into gardens where local people can rent plots. Community gardens provide a wonderful escape from city life and can give you an opportunity to meet other people in the neighborhood. So if it’s a garden you’re after, don’t let apartment life stop you. With a little creativity you can bring a little piece of the farm to the city.

About the Author: Pamela Ravenwood is a freelance writer, journalist, and writing coach who lives in the desert. In addition to spending her days writing, she also loves to tend to her organic garden where she grows as much of her own food as possible. In this, she counts on her cord reel to keep her hoses from drying out from the desert heat.

Community Gardens – Watering and Weed Control In Your Garden Part 6

As we continue our Community Garden series, we will now discuss the importance of properly watering your garden as well as understanding the best way to weed it. One would think these two topics are quite self-explanatory, but, there are some methods to each one can consider.

When it comes to watering your garden, to get the best saturation in the ground, one should water early morning or late in the evening. Watering during the day could lead to a lot of water that just evaporates and doesn’t go into the ground. If you live in an area where water is costly or you are cautious of how much water you use do to its scarcity, you can also consider using a drip line (a hose or tape with holes in it). Using drip lines will help you minimize water loss and deliver the water exactly to where it is needed, at the roots.

Keeping the water on the ground, rather than spraying your plants, will help keep water off of leaves, fruits and flowers. This is important when it is hot as it will do little to benefit the plant and may lead to scorching.

Other water conservation tactics include:

• Plant only plants that are well-adapted to your area and the average rainfall in your region
• Place mulch over the soil. This will help hold in the ground’s moisture
• Weed regularly, because weeds will pull moisture from your plants
• Install a rain catchments system to make the most of rainfall
• Use drip irrigation to minimize evaporation
• Avoid planting or transplanting during dry spells
• Enhance sandy soils with organic mater, to improve moisture retention

When it comes to watering, each type of plant has its own moisture needs. You can do some research and find out which plants require more or less amounts of water. It would be most efficient for you to give your garden a good soaking once a week, which will penetrate deep into the soil, rather than watering just a little bit each day.

Now for weed control, which will also help you conserve water.

Weeds are problematic for every gardener, not only do they rob the ground of water but also the surrounding plants of nutrients and sunlight. To keep your weeds at bay, try to remove this as soon as they come up, typically they begin in early spring and summer. This will keep them from going to seed and replanting themselves. You may want to make sure to remove the entire weed - including its root - because some plants are able to re-grow from just a small piece of root.

If possible, weed during hot, dry periods, because the weeds will be easy to remove and will wither on the surface. When using a hoe, try to dig as shallowly as possible, to avoid disturbing the roots of your garden plants.

If you are going to use weed killer or chemicals on your weeds, follow some basic rules such as apply weed killer in the spring, when it will kill newly emerging weeds and prevent re-growth of new ones for a few months; do not apply weed killer on a windy day, when chemicals can be carried onto other plants, or cover plants with plastic sheeting during application; if you apply weed killer in the vicinity of edibles, only eat fruits and vegetables once they have been thoroughly cleansed with a produce wash.

Putting chemicals on your weeds should be your last resort as it can be harmful to your vegetables and the groundwater.

Between watering your garden properly and weeding it by the suggestions outlined above, your garden should be quite healthy and resilient whereupon you will produce large yummy vegetables to eat.

About the Author: Pamela Ravenwood is a freelance writer, journalist, and writing coach who lives in the desert. In addition to spending her days writing, she also loves to tend to her organic garden where she grows as much of her own food as possible. In this, she counts on her cord reel to keep her hoses from drying out from the desert heat.

Community Gardens – Design Characteristics of Your Garden Part 5

Community Gardens – Design Characteristics of Your Garden
Part 5

In our last four articles we have been discussing what it takes to create a community garden, how to divide up chores, how to maintain your garden, feed your garden and protect it from pests.

In today’s article we will discuss ways to design your garden and what kinds of characteristics you can add to your community garden to make it interesting.

If you have never put together a design for your garden or any garden, there are a few strategies to follow that are helpful. Thinking ahead of time how your garden will look and how you will lay it out will save you a lot of time and work, in having to rework things.

What design elements should you consider when planning your garden? Here are a few things to take into consideration:

• Scale – Scale is evaluating your garden’s plant sizes relative to one another. When deciding where to place elements in your garden, it is important to think about their scale, or relative size difference. While size differences can add emphasis to certain elements of a garden, they may also lead to smaller plants or garden features being overlooked.
• Form - Form is basically the shape of any element that you are putting in your garden. Plant forms can be circular, columnar, pyramidal, spreading, weeping, etc. Plants of similar form can be used to contrast or harmonize each other to add visual interest to the garden.
• Color – We all love color and there is so much you can do in laying out your garden in regards to a plant’s color – not only its flowers but also its leaves. There are many complex theories out there to help you decide which colors to use, use your intuition. Remember colors can impact people's moods, so figure out what kind of feeling you are going for? Something dramatic or soothing.
• Texture - All garden elements have some sort of texture that can be experienced through sight or touch. Texture can add mood or emotion to a garden - smooth, fine textures are visually subdued and formal, while coarse, rough textures are visually dominant and informal.
• Scent – There are many fragrant flowers, herbs and plants one can use in their garden in order to provide just the right scent. Herbs such as dill, basil, oregano, and thyme have strong, recognizable fragrances, and can be experienced best when placed at garden edges or along walkways. The subtler scents of plants such as tomatoes, melons, and raspberries can also add interest to the garden experience.

Now that you have looked at the elements to include in planning your garden or to at least consider, let’s look at design. Design will help impact the look and feel of your garden. These include:

• Line –Artistically line is important. Line is an element that can appear in a garden in any number of ways, and works to help guide the eye through a garden. For example, a horizontal line, like a row of low plants, will draw someone's eye across a garden, while a vertical line, like a tree or tall arbor, will draw their eyes up.
• Repetition -Repetition is important as it brings consistency and emphasis to your garden. You can duplicate certain characteristic in your garden, like color, texture, form or line.
• Variety – With repetition is also variety. Mixing of different colors, forms, and textures helps in a garden to add visual excitement. When thinking about variety, it is important to consider how the garden will look in all seasons. Variety can also be overdone, however, and too many design elements may lead to a chaotic outcome. Balancing repetition and variety is an artistic challenge, but one with rewarding results.
• Focus –Creating a focal point is not only an artistic element you can add to your garden but also helps the viewer find a place to rest the eye. A focal point can be something as simple as a unique plant or a water feature. In a larger garden, you can use several focal points to guide a visitor through the space.
• Transition - When using several design elements in a garden, it is useful to create a transition, or gradual change, from on element to another. Grouping plants that move gradually from very low plants to progressively higher ones can create this effect.
• Unity – Unity ties the look of your garden together. This can be a challenge when working with groups of gardeners but when you put some thought into it, creating unity can be quite simple.

And the last piece of advice in planning and designing your Community Garden – have fun and enjoy. Garden’s are meant to be a work of art as well as a place of community and grounding, so let your spirit and your eye for beauty lead the way.

About the Author: Pamela Ravenwood is a freelance writer, journalist, and writing coach who lives in the desert. In addition to spending her days writing, she also loves to tend to her organic garden where she grows as much of her own food as possible. In this, she counts on her cord reel to keep her hoses from drying out from the desert heat.

Community Gardens: Fertilizing and Pest Control Part 4

If you have been following this series on Community Gardens, you have thus far read about what community garden is, how to organize one in your community garden, what types of rules and concepts need to be decided upon before putting your organization together and how to choose your gardening site. You also have read about the amount of chores required to prepare a garden site and maintain it.

This article will focus on how to keep your garden site fertilized correctly as well as protect it from pests.

To start, one must understand some basics of gardening. If you are creating a community garden, it is most likely you already understand this. For those who are reading this article and are interested in participating in a community garden, who have never gardened before –this information is for you.

When it comes to growing healthy plants and food, you must have healthy soil. Soil requires a certain blend of nutrients to feed your plants. One way to maintain healthy nutrients in the soil is to not plant the same plants over and over in the same place. Why? Certain plants require a lot of one type of nutrient from the soil and can deplete the soil before long, if not rotated out. For example, corn requires a lot of nitrogen. Planting corn over and over again, without feeding the soil, could deplete it of the nitrogen it could need the next growing season.

Your garden soil must maintain the three major nutrients, which are nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potassium (K). Adding fertilizer can help sustain these nutrients and replenish them year after year. There are four basic types of fertilizers used for this, they include composts, animal manures, natural or organic fertilizers, and chemical fertilizers.

How do you know what your garden soil needs? You can take a soil test and the results will show you what you may be lacking. These tests can be very effective when conducted in the Fall. If you add your fertilizer or needed nutrients before winter, they will have plenty of time to be absorbed before the spring planting. Manure, in particular, which has not been composted, should never be applied when vegetable or fruit plants are mature, because it can infect plants with bacteria that could make you sick if you consume them.

Chemical or artificial fertilizers should be avoided if at all possible, because the regular use of them can actually impede the soil's ability to hold nutrients. Overuse of chemical fertilizers in conventional agricultural practices and turf grass management has also been proven to have negative effects on soil and water resources. For healthy plants and people, ditch the chemicals!

Now for pest control. While there are many beneficial insects that your plants rely on to keep them healthy and productive, there are also some insects and animals that will harm your garden by attacking the leaves, fruits, or roots of your plants. Each state and region is different in regards to the pest problems they might face, so check with your local gardening associations, or agricultural agencies to find out what garden pests are most common.

Once you discover what you are facing, there are only a few methods you will use to protect your plants. These include physical control, cultural control, biological control and chemical control.

Physical control means that you have to physically keep pests out of your garden with barriers and traps. You can also remove pests by hand on a one-by-one basis.

For large pests such as deer and rabbits, you can install fencing or mesh and wire barriers. The mesh and wire will also help protect your seedlings from birds.

Companion planting is another natural way to practice pest control. This is one of the oldest and most well known types of control. For example, you can plant marigolds to ward off flying pests and nematodes, but many other plants can do the job as well. Chives, coriander, and nasturtium can help ward off aphids; rosemary and sage keep carrot flies at bay; hyssop, mint, oregano, rosemary, sage, and thyme keep cabbage moths out of your garden.

Last is chemical. Chemical controls should only be relied on as a last resort, because they can harm the soil and the beneficial insects that you need in your garden. Chemicals are also expensive, and will be washed off of your garden when it rains where they can pollute groundwater and waterways like streams and rivers. Use chemicals only if you can find no other way to cope with the pests in your garden, and then do so sparingly. Insect-specific chemical treatments, like slug pellets or Japanese beetle traps, will have little or no impact on the beneficial insects in your garden, but these can still have negative environmental consequences. Always make sure to read instructions carefully, and use only the minimum amounts recommended.

Gardening takes time and care, but it can be done easily with a little information and some practice. Keeping a journal of your gardening experiments, noting what works and doesn’t work can also be beneficial as you progress with your community garden.

About the Author: Pamela Ravenwood is a freelance writer, journalist, and writing coach who lives in the desert. In addition to spending her days writing, she also loves to tend to her organic garden where she grows as much of her own food as possible. In this, she counts on her cord reel to keep her hoses from drying out from the desert heat.

Community Gardens: General Maintenance and Upkeep Part 3

You are prepared to start your community garden and maybe you have read in my prior articles about how to find the right location, how to evaluate that location, and questions to ask yourself in regards to putting together the garden organization. In this article we will discuss assigning tasks and what your community garden will require.

To start, lets look at the amount of work required when starting your community garden.

One doesn’t realize how much goes into having and tending a garden, so making a list of must-dos helps at the onset. Having a list reminds anyone who wants to be involved with the community garden, what they are really in for.

To start, there are the necessities in gardening that include general maintenance and upkeep, fertilizing, pest control, watering, weed control, winterizing, and harvesting.

Other chores include:

• Collection of any litter or yard debris (branches, twigs, etc)
• Sweeping or raking up stray leaves on walkways/paths
• Trimming/mowing any areas of turf
• Keeping walkway edges clean
• Raking gravel paths
• Upkeep of sheds, fences, sheds, etc. through the occasional coat of fresh paint
• Clearing moss from stone or brick walkways, which could become slippery
• Maintaining any water features

Before you can even tend to your garden, you will have site pre-cleaning to do. Other pre-gardening chores include: deciding on the size of plots and marking them clearly with the gardener's names, including pre-design plans for a storage area for tools and other equipment, and designating a compost area.

Now for the second stage of starting your community garden. Assigning work. This is often the most difficult part for those who start community gardens. Never assume that people will volunteer to take care of the details – these details have to be decided upon before you get your garden started.

Since your garden is about collective work soliciting help from community members and organizations is a rewarding way to get garden work done. You can set up workdays that can include putting up your gardening shed or doing a mass planting. You can try to solicit help from local schools, libraries, clubs or organizations. The more people you can pull together, the less work that will fall on anyone in particular.

You will also want to capitalize on various individuals’ skills. Everyone has something that they are best at - and that their most valuable skills may have nothing to do with gardening. Perhaps an outgoing member of your group loves to talk to new people - she may also be one the best persons to gather new members and donations. Perhaps someone else likes to write and would love to write seasonal newsletters, or another person is good with their hands and will be able to lead in construction projects and repairs. Community gardening is about much more than growing produce, and it is important to find out who in your group will be well suited for the numerous 'non-gardening' tasks that will help keep your garden diverse and thriving.

Remember that a community garden is also an ongoing project with ongoing tasks. To stay on top of these tasks, make sure you stay organized. If you are working with a team of gardeners, it is a good idea to rely on written records and logs that are kept in a common area, either in your garden shed, classroom, community center, or some other accessible location. If the members of your gardening group have access to the Internet, an online blog or website may be a good option to assure that the lines of communication remain clear.

Planning in advance is another key to staying organized. Try creating a weekly or monthly maintenance calendar. Gardeners can sign up for different tasks, and then cross them off once they are completed.

If you are still interested in putting together a community garden, stay tuned for further installations on designing your garden and maintaining it.

About the Author: Pamela Ravenwood is a freelance writer, journalist, and writing coach who lives in the desert. In addition to spending her days writing, she also loves to tend to her organic garden where she grows as much of her own food as possible. In this, she counts on her cord reel to keep her hoses from drying out from the desert heat.

Growing Giant Pumpkins

Pumpkin growers all want to grow a giant pumpkin, at least once. Whether you’re looking to break the current world record pumpkin weight of 1,689 pounds, or just see how big of a jack-o-lantern you can make this Halloween, growing a giant pumpkin is definitely an exciting obsession!

First, you have to purchase some Atlantic Giant Pumpkin seeds. This pumpkin is known to grow the biggest of any variety. Plant them in early spring when the chance of frost has past. Build up a mound about three feet across and a foot high. Plant your seed in the center. Pumpkins need a lot of sun and a lot of water. This is especially true of giant pumpkins. Dig out a three or four inch deep trench around the bottom of the mound to hold extra water where the roots can reach it.

When your pumpkin vines start to travel, build the mound out even further. You may want to put a series of concentric ring trenches for water so that all of the root systems get plenty of water. As vines travel, bury them in the soil about every foot. This will encourage them to take root from the vines and suck up more water and more nutrients than they ever could from one central root system. This is one of the giant pumpkin grower’s big secrets. You can wrap a little bit of newspaper around the vine, just where it enters and just where it exits the dirt to keep pests like ants from crawling up. Don’t wrap it too tight. When your pumpkin starts getting big, you can slide a piece of cardboard underneath it to keep pests from entering it.

Measure your pumpkin about once a week to see if it is still growing. When it is done, it will be at full color and hardened. Leave the pumpkin on the vine as long as possible. Many pumpkins will be ready for harvest around August or September. Use a sharp knife to cut the stem when it’s ready. So, what if you want to store your pumpkin until a contest date, Halloween or Thanksgiving?

Take these measures to ensure that your giant pumpkin doesn’t rot. First, wash it with one gallon of water mixed with a cup of chlorine. Many people simply wash their pumpkins in the pool. This will kill off bacteria that may be trying to make its way into your pumpkin. Let it dry completely before storing it. Then, place it on a board or cardboard, not concrete, and store in a cool, dry, dark place, like under your house, in a closet or in the garage. You really want to keep it around seventy degrees or less without freezing.

Remember to water, water, water. Serious giant pumpkin growers keep their pumpkins watered with a programmable automatic hose reel. This way, the pumpkin gets water, even if they are not at home, and the hose puts itself away when it’s done. With enough water, proper storage, vine burying and proper care, you could grow the pumpkin of your dreams! Good luck beating that record!

About the Author: Stacy Pessoney is an award winning author and writer of web content for many different web sites. She is well versed in many different areas, including gardening, hose reel, lawn care and landscaping.

Gardening with Kids

Gardening with children can be so fulfilling, for you and for them. Whether you are a teacher, a friend or a parent, you can enjoy some real quality time with the children that you care for.

There are a few ways to make it fun for them. Remember to have fun, encourage silliness and be open to the children’s ideas. Kids really enjoy getting outside with adults and creating something. Try to include things in the garden that the kids will really enjoy. Have them set up hummingbird feeders, spinning wind catchers, wind chimes, and make vegetable markers or signs. The more colorful and personal they make it, the more they will love it.

Using hummingbird feeders, spinners and chimes will help give the kids some instant gratification. It’s a lot more interesting than simply putting a seed in the dirt and walking away! Set up a craft table in advance and let the kids decorate and design whatever they can think of to stick in the garden. They can use construction paper, index cards, glue, glitter, beads and even seeds to decorate signs. Use some laminating paper or dip in melted paraffin wax to waterproof signs.

Sprouting seeds indoors is fun for kids and lets them see how roots grow towards the water and how leaves open up towards the sun. Simply placing seeds on a wet paper towel and putting them into a sandwich bag will make them sprout rather quickly. Then they can be placed in the dirt and have a better chance of survival than if you had only placed the seeds in the soil.

Kids love the idea of introducing beneficial insects, butterflies, frogs and lizards into the garden. Do a little research about your area and find out which insects are beneficial. Your local nursery can usually provide you with useful information on which insects to introduce and where to get them. Using living creatures to protect the vegetables from invaders is not only fun, but beneficial. Teaching children how to garden organically will not only help them to ingest and absorb less chemicals now, but as they grow and plant their own gardens in the future. Organic gardening is more fun, safer and better for their health.

The fun isn’t over when the garden is planted. Kids love to catch bugs and worms and then introduce them into the garden. They can learn about recycling and composting while adding beneficial compost to their garden soil. It will get richer by the year if you avoid chemical fertilizers. Let them water with interesting containers or spray nozzles for the water hose. Get an automatic hose reel and let them do it all by themselves. One with forward assist and automatic hose retrieval makes it easy for even very young children to feel important and participate in the family fun. Happy gardening!


About the Author: Stacy Pessoney is an award winning author and writer of web content for many different web sites. She is well versed in many different areas, including gardening, hose reel, lawn care and landscaping.

Stain a Garage Floor: DIY

Staining is a popular way to bring your garage floor to life. You can hire professionals to come in and stamp the concrete to give the floor a unique pattern, like marble, stepping stone or even hardwood design, or you can do it yourself. Choose a stain color that you like and a strong, heavy sealant. You can turn your old dirty garage floor into a beautiful, shiny, professional looking work area.

First, test the floor for sealant. When you pour water on it, it will soak in if there is no sealant. If there is a sealant, your water will bead up and it will not soak in. If there is sealant present, you will have to get an industrial sealant remover and remove the sealant before you can stain it.

Day 1: If there is no sealant or if the sealant is removed, you are ready to clean. After sweeping and vacuuming the floor, you will need to degrease it. Use a strong degreaser and follow the directions on the container. Rinse the floor really well before moving on to the next step and then let the floor dry.

The next thing is to use an etching cleaner to open the concrete pores so that it will evenly accept the stain. Etching cleaner will also help to remove stubborn stains that the degreaser didn’t get. Keep the floor wet as you scrub. Wear gloves, long sleeves and goggles to protect yourself from the etching solution. Mix etching solution with water. Use one part etching solution to three parts water. Pour onto damp concrete and coat the floor. Use a stiff bristle brush or broom to scrub the floor evenly for about 10 minutes, making sure that no areas dry while you work. Rinse with a lot of water. Let the floor dry completely before applying the stain. This generally takes about 24 hours.

Day 2: You are ready to apply the first coat. You will need to dilute one gallon of stain with one pint of water. Go around the edges and corners of the room with a nylon/polyester bristled paintbrush, applying stain. Work the stain in evenly as you go so that you get a fairly uniform effect. Apply the rest of the first coat with a roller, working it in as you go.

Use full strength, non-diluted stain for the second coat if you want one. Wait a minimum of two and a half hours after you finish the first coat before you decide. You may have to wait a little longer if you live in a humid area, up to four hours. Do not apply the second coat if it is raining outside. After you are done staining, let the floor dry for 24 hours and do not step on the floor while it is drying.

Your garage will be stunningly clean and ready to organize. To complete the look, get rid of old junk. Use new containers for storage and invest a little in some garage organization products. Yard work organizers, tool organizers, ceiling loft hangers, bike hooks, cord reel and storage bins can help your garage look nice, neat and organized. You can do it yourself, without hiring a professional.

About the Author: Stacy Pessoney is an award winning author and writer of web content for many different web sites. She is well versed in many different areas, including gardening, hose reel, lawn care and landscaping.

Garage Organization Ideas

Getting the garage in order can be a difficult task. Use these tips to get it cleaned out and to keep it from getting so cluttered again.

Clean out old junk. The garage often becomes a place where things go when they do not have a place in the house. But, if you pull out some things, you may realize that you are hanging on to more things than you will ever use. Make some charitable donations or have a garage sale to get rid of the excess.

Organize your belongings into categorized piles. You will often find that you have similar items spread over the entire garage. Make sure that you group things like Christmas decorations, sporting equipment, painting supplies, wood working tools and cleaning items into different areas. You can really narrow down your groupings, because you are going to make a special place for everything.

One rule in getting the garage organized is to keep the floor as clear as possible. You need room to work or park your car. So, you will really need to utilize the walls and possibly even the ceiling for storage space. Clean the floor and make an inventory list of what you own. Make notes as to which items will store in which type of containers, shelves or cabinets.

Some things, like Christmas decorations, should be put into clear or red and green containers so that you know they are for Christmas just by glancing. Make sure that your containers seal to protect them from moisture, pests and dust. Some things may need to be locked away so that they are not stolen or so that children do not have access to them. A locking cabinet is a good idea to have in any garage. Another option is to build large wooden shelves and then add big hinged doors to the front where you can place a lock. Not only will your items be protected from dust and the elements, but the space will look very neat and tidy.

Cabinets are wonderful for keeping things out of sight. You can by pre-fabricated ones that are fairly inexpensive and easy to install. Do not buy deep cabinets unless you specifically have larger items to store in them, or things get pushed to the back where they are difficult to find.

Utilize large hooks, yard tool organizers and loft hangers for items like bikes, rakes and cardboard boxes. Storing flattened boxes on the ceiling keeps bugs out, frees up space and looks nice. Sports equipment organizers hold bats, balls, duffel bags, helmets, cleats and more in one easy area. You may even decide to place a chair or bench next to it so that the family will remember to take equipment from this area and put it back as soon as they are done.

Keep your garage organized by making rules about where things go and following them yourself. Make it easy by labeling or providing obvious areas for things to go. Use a hose reel for storing extra garden hose, a cord reel for extension cords, and tool organizers for tools instead of a tool box. You can use bike, skateboard, ski and boat hooks for recreational equipment. When everything has a place, the clutter will be reduced and it will be much easier to keep organized.

About the Author: Stacy Pessoney is an award winning author and writer of web content for many different web sites. She is well versed in many different areas, including gardening, hose reel, lawn care and landscaping.

Preparing Your Community Garden Site

Part 2: Community Gardening

The community garden concept is growing and more and more people are looking for ways they can be a part of it. In my first article, I discussed what a community garden is and how to get one started in your community. This article will focus in on how to prepare your community garden site and organize your group.

Once you have identified the piece of land you would like to use for your community garden, there are a number of things that have to happen. This requires planning and patience. To start your preplanning process, sit down and identify all that needs to be written out before you begin. Questions to ask yourself include:

• How large should individual plots be (or should there be several sizes based on family size or other factors?
• Will there be conditions for membership (residence, dues, agreement with rules)?
• How will plots be assigned (by family size, by residency, by need, by group-- i.e., youth, elderly, etc.)?
• How should the plots be laid out?
• If the group charges dues, how will the money be used? What services, if any, will be provided to gardeners in return?
• Will the group be required to do certain things cooperatively (such as turning in soil in the spring, planting cover crops, or composting)?
• When someone leaves a plot, how will the next tenant be chosen?
• How will the group deal with possible vandalism?
• Will there be a children's plot?
• Will the gardeners meet regularly? If so, how often and for what purposes?
• Will gardeners share tools, hoses, and other such items?
• How will minimum maintenance (especially weeding) be handled both inside plots and in common areas (such as along fences, in flower beds, and in sitting areas)?
• Will there be a set of written rules which gardeners are expected to uphold? If so, how will they be enforced?
• Should your group incorporate and consider eventually owning your garden site?

Once these rules are created, the next step is to do a site analysis, or site survey. This will help you make the best decisions regarding features like soil composition, shade, and water. If you want to add features in your garden, this is important to identify before you begin. Creating a series of site maps will help you start designing it, and will also serve as a record of how your garden has changed over time. In evaluating your site, take all of the following into consideration:

• Size & Dimensions – Not all gardens are a perfect square or even a rectangle. Try and draw out the most detailed map you can, measuring distances between your water source, any buildings, trees and features around your garden. Knowing the exact size of your garden will help you calculate it's square footage, so that you can figure out how big your plots will be, how many plants you can plant, and how much fertilizer or compost you will need.
• Soils – Test your soil, take a sample and send it to a nearby county extension agency with an agricultural department. Or find somebody who can test soils. Evaluating your soil will help you more effectively understand what it needs in regards to nutrients.
• Slope - If you have a slope to your garden, it will be useful to record this information on any maps that you create. Depending on soil composition, moisture-loving plants can be planted in low-lying areas at the end of slopes that will gather rainwater.
• Light – Observe your plot throughout the day to determine how much sunlight it receives. Do you get full sun, over six hours of sun or shade? The direction and timing of sunlight should be considered as well, because afternoon light and southern or western exposures will receive more intense levels of sunlight.
• Drainage – Evaluating the drainage on the site is important because it will tell you about soil composition and about how long the soil will retain water after a storm. Conducting a series of drainage tests will help you find out how different areas of your garden drain. To conduct a drainage test, dig a small hole about 1-2 feet deep and fill it with water. You should monitor how quickly the hole empties- if the water is gone in less than hour, the soil is well drained and probably of a sandy texture. If the water takes several hours to disappear, the soil has poor drainage and probably contains a high percentage of clay. Record the areas of well drained and poorly drained soils on your map. See our Soil Health page to find out how to cope with these different types of soils.

There may be other questions to integrate into your site evaluation regarding surrounding features, foot traffic and weather. The most important thing is to ask the questions before choosing and finalizing the site.

About the Author: Pamela Ravenwood is a freelance writer, journalist, and writing coach who lives in the desert. In addition to spending her days writing, she also loves to tend to her organic garden where she grows as much of her own food as possible. In this, she counts on her cord reel to keep her hoses from drying out from the desert heat.

Starting Your Own Community Garden

The concept of the community garden has been around for many years. And now the idea is growing once again. In the U.S. alone, there are an estimated 10,000 community gardens in operation. Why? It seems to be a perfect solution for those who want to grow their own food, organically or otherwise, yet don’t have the land to do it.

How do community gardens work? The basic philosophy is that residents share the responsibility of the management and maintenance of one large garden. In cities where people typically don’t have the land to garden, it gives them the opportunity to jointly work with others on a common piece of ground.

Sound intriguing? If so, there are many ways to start a community garden in your neighborhood.

First, call together a meeting and work on creating a plan before starting the actual ‘gardening.’ Laying out the foundation of why you are creating a community garden and the basic tenants to follow for all those involved. This helps make everything clear and clean up front. For example, there are many details to be dealt with in gardening such as who will tend to the costs, the work, the decisions themselves? Who will lead the group? How will money raised if needed? What is your purpose, long and short-term objectives?

Next, you will want to pick a piece of land or a site. Considerations in picking the site should include:

• Light – Six hours of sunlight is almost always necessary for most plants. If your site is receiving a lot of shade from nearby trees or buildings, you may want to search for another site that is getting direct sun.
• Drainage – Observe your potential site after a rainstorm to make sure the water isn’t standing and that it either drains or seeps into the ground. This is called drainage and there are sites that have terrible drainage due to location or even soil that has too much clay. Many plants cannot tolerate very wet soils for a prolonged amount of time.
• Slope – Too much drainage, such as gardening on a steep slope isn’t good either. Look for land that is as level as possible. If you have to build on a slope, design beds or terraces that run across the slope.
• Surrounding Vegetation – Plants fight for water and sites with too many weeds nearby can cast their seeds constantly into your garden area. Ideally, and I say ideally as it is almost impossible to find a site without surrounding vegetation, you should look for a site without a lot of trees or heavy weeding – and most importantly, a site that may include the clearing of plants such as poison ivy, poison oak, or stinging nettles. Yikes!
• Exposure – Okay, so I have told you to pick a site with at least six hours of sunlight and without surrounding trees – this often leaves one with a whole lot of wind and sun, which means, you are then in danger of over-exposure. If you are in an area that receives high winds, which can rob soil of moisture, erode topsoil, and damage delicate plants – just be aware of that and try to meet the conditions the best you can. Don’t let your soil get too dried out, water more frequently with a slow deep watering that will penetrate the ground and hopefully this too will keep the dust down.
• Water – Speaking of water, yes, you will need to plant near a water source, whether it be a spicket off of a well or some place that has irrigation. You are going to need a lot of water and you certainly don’t want to be hauling it from somewhere else.
• Wildlife – In Arizona we have javelina and deer that infest our gardens – every state has its wildlife that can present a problem for tasty vegetables. To protect your site from these hungry critters, you will need to build fence and yes that can be expensive. This is why you need to preorganize your community garden beforehand in order to predetermine how these details will be dealt with.
• Ownership – No, you can’t just plant your garden any ole place – somebody will have ownership of the land and determining whether your organization can buy the land or rent it is of course important. Small detail, but critical.

Don’t be intimidated by the amount of work that goes into preplanning your community garden. Once much of the groundwork is laid, the everyday details will flow smoothly. In Part 2 of Starting Your Own Community Garden, I will discuss Preparing Your Garden Site and Organizing It. And finally, in Part 3, Assigning Work and Taking Care of Maintenance of your Community Garden.

About the Author: Pamela Ravenwood is a freelance writer, journalist, and writing coach who lives in the desert. In addition to spending her days writing, she also loves to tend to her organic garden where she grows as much of her own food as possible. In this, she counts on her cord reel to keep her hoses from drying out from the desert heat.

Create a Bonsai Garden

Cultivating bonsai trees can become a lifelong hobby. Many people enjoy the peaceful art of shaping and growing these unique plants. One of the latest trends is to use bonsai in your landscaping or as a focal point in your yard. Creating a bonsai garden can be a rewarding experience that helps you to enjoy the beauty of creating something truly special and uniquely pleasing to the eye.

Bonsai cultivation can take years of practice. Many experts say that it can take years to learn how much water a specific bonsai needs. So, you should probably expect to lose a few during the learning process. Bonsai trees need to be grown in pots. This makes them very vulnerable to dry compost. You need to keep the soil moist, but not wet. There are conflicting instructions on how much to water because every tree and every compost mixture are a little different. As a general rule, you don’t want your bonsai to stay dry or wet for too long. Let it dry before watering again. In hot weather, this could mean watering twice a day, so be prepared to really take care of your bonsai once they are set.

To turn a flower bed into a beautiful bonsai landscape, you will need to utilize stone, tree stumps or natural tables for the pots. Simply placing them all on the ground can look boring. Try to display each bonsai on a different level to give each one the attention it deserves. Light colored rocks for background can help the interesting trunks and leaves pop out and catch the eye.

Some bonsai species require more sun than others, so you will need to arrange them according to their requirements. Or, better yet, purchase ones that require full sun for your sunny areas and shade loving bonsai for your shady areas. You can bring your bonsai inside to prune and shape them or to get them out of the harsh sun or cold.

Pruning of the leaves can be done anytime. Use a leaf-cutting tool specifically made for bonsai trees. You can get an inexpensive kit of starter tools to get into the hobby of bonsai cultivation. In general, you want to prune as little as possible, only removing leaves that hide the trunk or disrupt the shape of the crown.

To trim branches or limbs, you will have to wait until early spring when there is no longer a risk of frost. Trim before any leaves start to bud. Also at this time, you will need to use a root tool to comb out roots. Trim the longest roots to keep the root ball shape that is flat at the bottom. There is a root sealant that you can buy to seal off large roots. Replace old compost and you’re ready for summer.

Once the bonsai are on display, you will only need to occasionally prune leaves, water and feed. Watering is easily done with a hose that sprays like rain. Keep your hose on an automatic hose reelso that you do not take attention away from the beautiful bonsai by leaving your hose out between watering. Enjoy your unique creation every day of the year.


About the Author: Stacy Pessoney is an award winning author and writer of web content for many different web sites. She is well versed in many different areas, including gardening, hose reel, lawn care and landscaping.

Organize Your Garage

We know how your garage got so bad. Lack of storage, pack-rat pile up and being overwhelmed by the amount of work it would be to get it in order. Well, the time has come to clean it up. Getting your garage in order can be a lot of work, but it can be done.

Give yourself a realistic time frame. For a general clean-up and organize, most garages take anywhere from two to six hours. For a major overhaul, installing cabinets, counters and shelves, it usually takes the better part of two days. Make organizing your garage a weekend project. Enlist the help of family and friends. If everyone has a specific job, it can go really fast. Entice people to help by offering food and refreshments, or motivate them to organize their garages by volunteering your labor. You could both have great garages in the time that you could do your own yourself. Plus, it’s a lot more fun if you have someone there the share in your misery and success!

For a garage clean-up, you will have to make things look worse before they start looking better. Simply drag everything out into the driveway. Rent or buy a canopy cover if you are planning a more than one day overhaul or if the weather is especially hot. Plug in and use all of the fans that you can to make the job more pleasant in the heat. Lots of people dread the job simply because of the weather.

Now, organize the piles. Throw out everything that you possibly can. Many people store things in their garages for decades without getting rid of it. If it’s something sentimental, like your childhood bed, you may still be willing to part with it if it goes to good use in a family member’s home. Or, you can take pictures of it and keep the photos along with a story about why it is special.

If you have a lot of things like this but would love to have your garage as a work area, consider renting a storage unit or utilizing space in the attic. With a sheet or two of plywood, your attic can become a great place to store antiques, furniture and things that you simply cannot part with. Cover them with plastic sheets and staple the edges down to the plywood to keep out moisture and pests. Cedar chips will also deter pests, absorb moisture and further protect your heirlooms.

Okay, back to cleaning. Once you are rid of trash, sweep out and wipe down the garage. Take usable items that you rarely use and have a garage sale or donate them to a charity. Now, all that is left is putting everything back. You can install shelving, cabinets, work space counter tops or whatever else you think you may need. A lot of times, people can get away with simply installing large hooks or brackets on the ceiling for boats, bikes, large boxes and more.

Now that your garage is clear and organized, feel free to stock it with a few gadgets that will make keeping it clean fun. Trade your extension cord for an automatic cord reel. Exchange your coffee can full of nuts and bolts for a useful organization system. You can have fun getting everything organized once it is clean.

About the Author: Stacy Pessoney is an award winning author and writer of web content for many different web sites. She is well versed in many different areas, including gardening, hose reel, lawn care and landscaping.

Garage Makeover Tips

Having a cramped garage can feel like the walls are coming in on you. Getting it organized may seem like an insurmountable task, but you can do it yourself using these simple tips and tricks.

1) Clear out the dust. Choose a nice day and drag everything out into the driveway. Clean out dirt, webs, trash and sawdust. This may be one of the only times that your garage is completely empty. This can also be a great time to paint if you haven’t in a while. Get everything that is trash and get rid of it.

2) Organize your stuff. Consider getting rid of things that you don’t use. Sometimes neighbors and friends will trade with you, or you can sell things off in a garage sale. Anything that is left can be used as a charitable donation. Separate items into logical piles. This way, you can see what you have and what kind of storage you will need.

3) If you think you have too much, don’t worry. Your garage is not the living room, so utilize space that you don’t normally consider. We’re talking about the ceiling here. Large brackets can hold heavy items like boats, bikes, Christmas decorations and more. The ceiling is often overlooked as a storage option, so open your mind to creative ideas.

4) Purchase or build the shelves, cabinets, tool walls and lockers that you will need. It is a good idea to draw a picture of what you imagine the garage will look like and take measurements before you shop. Pile sports equipment, suitcases, garden equipment and tools into the measured space to be sure they will fit. Leave empty space for unanticipated storage if possible.

5) Install cabinets and shelves. The next step is to protect your items from dust and dirt if possible. Certain items can be stored in clear plastic containers instead of just sitting on a shelf. Make sure that you clearly label containers or shelves where things go. This will help you stay organized once you get organized.

6) A general rule of thumb is to try to keep the floor empty. This may not be totally possible, especially if you have to store your lawnmower, table saw or other large items in the garage. But, trying hard to have everything hung, stored away or placed on a shelf will help your garage stay clutter free.

7) Last, you should treat yourself to new gadgets and tools that get you excited about keeping the garage clean. Planning the new items that you want to buy can motivate you to have a garage sale and trade in old tools and garden equipment for new toys. An automatic cord reel for your extension cord, new air compressor, monster power shop vac and diamond plate counter tops are probably in order here.

About the Author: Stacy Pessoney is an award winning author and writer of web content for many different web sites. She is well versed in many different areas, including gardening, hose reel, lawn care and landscaping.

Xeriscape, The Desert Garden Solution

To garden in the desert sounds like a paradox. We all know the desert is hot and is known for its extremes. We also know that most deserts get less than ten inches of rainfall annually and that the soil is rocky or desperate for nutrients due to the high content of clay or caliche soil. But despite all these adverse conditions, gardening in the desert states of the Southwest is not impossible. Matter-of-fact, it is an art and though the rules are a little different, you too can take up what is called xeriscaping.

It used to be that before you landscaped your yard, you started off by removing all of the rocks and cactus. But if you are gardening in the desert xeriscape style then you are keeping those rocks and cactus and maybe adding a few more to your yard. This isn’t to say xeriscaping is about making your yard look exactly like the desert around you. It is much more. The desert is full of color and there are numerous plants that thrive in hot climates with very exotic beauty. The idea of xeriscaping is taking all of these beautiful desert flowers that grow around the world and bringing them to your backyard.

The xeriscaping concept is also based on planting plants that survive best in a desert climate. This would be the opposite of trying to make plants that thrive in rainy or cooler climates grow in the desert. In doing this, you not only have to water much more than usual, but it is most likely the plants will not survive the heat. A native desert plant can withstand heat and less water, as their roots are closer to the surface of the ground so they can capture desert rains. They are also less susceptible to disease.

Xeriscape plants not only use less water (half of water usage in the country is from landscaping), but the plants also require less pruning and fertilizer.

So where do you start if you want to xeriscape your yard? Drawing out a design that integrates your yard’s unique qualities along with integrating dimension is important. The right plants, rocks, rolling scapes and gravel can do just this. Watch for natural recesses that collect water in your yard, they can serve as a good location for plants that require a bit more water. Mix color up in your yard. Desert flowers and cactus come in many colors and believe it or not, there are countless varieties of cactus available for planting. One is not limited to just the types seen on television, which typically are the saguaro or the prickly pair. Make sure your plants bloom in succession rather than all at once. Check whether you are planting annuals, semi annuals or perennials.

If you like wildlife, there are distinct types of plants that the quail, cactus wren and hummingbird, for instance, are drawn to. This can add some nice variety to your yard as well.

Desert gardeners also benefit in having longer growing seasons. Many desert gardens can stay active from nine to twelve months of the year. Again, this will depend on the assortment of flowers, grasses, cacti, shrubs, vegetables and trees you decide to plant.

When laying out your desert gardening plan, watch out for what is called microclimates within your yard. You can use microclimates to benefit the plants you use. For instance, north-facing walls provide cool shaded areas. Roofs, sidewalks and streets create areas of high water runoff for collection. A microclimate will include variables such as sunlight, temperature, exposure, humidity and wind.

You can also create your own microclimate. Planting a small groves of trees or shrubs can provide wind control and create "outdoor rooms" for sitting. Form a mini-oasis by grouping moisture-loving plants where they can absorb collected rainwater. Color will influence your microclimate, adding dark rocks or walls retain heat, and white reflects it.

The only downside to xeriscaping is the amount of time it takes for plants to mature and the lack of availability in finding plants. Few nurseries will carry the desert plants because they have discovered that people are trained to look for lush greenery. Few growers offer desert plants because they are often difficult to maintain in pots before being purchased. Because desert plants require so little water, they also grow more slowly. But, if you aren’t in a hurry and if you do your homework, you can create and plant a beautiful desert oasis in your own backyard.

About the Author: Pamela Ravenwood is a freelance writer, journalist, and writing coach who lives in the desert. In addition to spending her days writing, she also loves to tend to her organic garden where she grows as much of her own food as possible. In this, she counts on her cord reel to keep her hoses from drying out from the desert heat.