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Posts Tagged ‘backyard’

Indulge in the latest backyard trend by creating an outdoor space you can really live in. Everything that works inside can be conformed for outside use as your living space expands. Don’t miss these elements of design to capture the comfort on your patio.

Imagine lounging under the summer sun. Now envision yourself sinking into a cushioned couch or chair and chatting with your friends. The depth and coziness of indoor living room furniture is making its way outdoors. Compliment the setting with details and home decor accents such as lighting, candles and art work. A warm and inviting atmosphere will prevail with these touches.

Choose something other than wood to build your deck. Provide a smooth surface for walking on with vinyl or composite deck boards. With no danger of splinters or cracking, these types of decks echo an interior floor and are available in different colors and finishes. Install a deck that invites bare feet and crawling babies, instead of knots and cracks.

Sound is an important element. Wind chimes are a great addition, adding a musical feel that is played with the breeze. The soothing notes will keep you in tune with nature. Others opt for a more modern feel and install outdoor stereo equipment. Keep it well covered and have the wiring done professionally to enjoy the sounds of dreadnought acoustic guitar or contemporary pop. A stereo system can deliver no matter what your tastes in music tend to be.

For the cook and grill fanatic, nothing beats an outdoor kitchen. With a shiny stainless steel grill built right into a stone kitchen, everything you need will be at your fingertips. Include a tiled counter for the perfect outdoor prep space. Fridge, sink and side burner can all be incorporated for a truly complete grilling experience. Your patio parties will never be the same again.

Art is another way to capture the comfort of the inside. Sculptures have long been popular in the garden, but a garden gnome just won’t fit into the luxurious setting you want to create. Go classical with a stone statue of a Greek goddess. Or lean more towards the contemporary by parking a statue of a Harley rider with chrome accents and black helmet shining in the sunlight. Any art should reflect your tastes and lifestyle.

To craft the perfect backyard space, bring the comfortable feeling of the living room onto your patio. With these tips, you are sure to create an area for relaxation.

Winter Composting
By John Yazo

Composting is the recycling of organic waste. It can be from the household to yard and garden waste. When we are composting we are participating in a natural cycle, the same way that nature recycles in our forests, fields and meadows.

Worm composting or vermicomposting is a method of recycling food waste and other organic matter into a nutrient rich soil conditioner. Composting with worms doesn’t need allot of room to do and can be done outdoors, or even indoors in your house, garage or barn. This is a big advantage over the standard composting that is done it larger bins or piles in the yard because the quantities that are composted with worms can be done allot smaller.

The compost that is produced from worm composting is an excellent amendment that can be added to potting soil mix for household plants or just added as a layer of mulch in existing potted plants and container plantings.

The method of worm composting is fairly basic. There aren’t many supplies needed. To start worm composting you will need a container. The container size can vary depending on the amount of waste you have to compost. It can be as simple as a five gallon pail or you can make your own container. Building a container out of wood two foot by three foot is a sufficient size that should handle most household waste that most have. The container shouldn’t be any deeper than sixteen to eighteen inches deep and the bottom of the container needs to have holes in it about every eight inches apart for drainage. Bedding material is needed to create an environment for the worms to live, it will also hold the moisture that the worms need to survive. Compost makes an excellent bedding material to start with.

Once you have your container and bedding material you will need the last to most important parts, worms and food scraps. The worms that are best for composting aren’t your usual earth worms from your garden. They are called red worms or red wigglers. These worms can be purchased at bait shops, worm farms online or even some local garden centers carry them or may know where they can be purchased locally.

Now it is dinner time for the worms. The menu can be scrapes from fruits, vegetables, coffee grounds, coffee filter paper, tea bags, crushed eggs, shredded paper without gloss finish, brown leaves, cardboard, and wood shavings. Kitchen scraps that are meat sources can also be used but keep them to a minimum because they can attract rodents. Start out slow, it takes a little time for the decomposition process to start and form the bacteria needed to produce a good nutrient rich compost.

A environment friendly and healthy way of gardening. Organic Gardening is away of gardening in harmony with nature. Growing a healthy and productive crop in a way that is healthier for both you and the environment.

John Yazo

http://www.organicheirloomgardening.com

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