View full sizeLearn how to refresh hardwood floors in an article on the Mother Earth News website. Lowe’s
LOWDOWN ON FLOORS: Hardwood flooring can be a cost-effective choice over carpet, especially if the wood floors only need refreshing, says Mother Earth News’ Guide to Installing Hardwood Flooring. This article covers the anatomy of a floor, laying down the boards, installation and finishing touches.

Read the complete article here.

GARDENING TIPS: “Really healthy plants start with really healthy seedlings,” explains John Kempf, founder and CEO of Advancing Eco Agriculture in Middlefield. Kempf specializes in optimizing plant health and soil biology to increase crop yield and nutrients.

Here are some of his best tips for home growers:

Go Short: “Instead of buying the largest seedlings, get the ones with the shortest, sturdiest stems,” Kempf says. Look for tomato seedlings that are 6 inches tall.

Performance-Enhancing Hugs: A biological fertilizer such as compost tea, liquid seaweed, kelp meal or alfalfa meal should be used when transplanting. This will provide minerals to the plant and improve soil.

It’s Better to Wait: Only use insecticides, herbicides and fungicide when you have a problem, not before.

ROSE LECTURE:  David Shetlar presents “Managing Insect and Mite Pests of Ohio-Grown Roses” at a meeting of the Western Reserve Rose Society at 7 p.m. Monday, April 28 at the North Royalton Library.

Shetlar will discuss the major insect and mite pests that Ohio rose growers deal with, including rose midge, rose slugs, Japanese beetle adults and spider mites. He will provide information about insecticides and miticides.

The library is located at 5071 Wallings Road, North Royalton. The event is free; register by calling the library at Lori Hilfer (440) 582-4310.

17 April 2014

Britain’s Prince of Wales’ gardening tips will be revealed in a new book.

‘Highgrove: A Garden Celebrated’ will take readers inside the gardens of Prince Charles and his wife Duchess Camilla’s country home in Gloucestershire, south west England and offer tips on how to recreate certain features, such as the Sundial and Carpet gardens, at their own homes.

The new book – which comes with photographs of the house and garden – is a joint project authored both by the Prince of Wales himself and landscape architect Bunny Guinness, who helped to build the gardens up from nothing.

The 65-year-old royal has spoken about the increasingly industrialised approach to gardening and farming and confessed he prefers more traditional methods.

He told the Daily Telegraph newspaper: “I minded terribly the more I though about things, the endless use of chemicals and in the long term felt that this was unsustainable.

“I wanted to restore lost habitats and plant lots of hedgerows and trees to heal the landscape.”

The heir-to-the-throne added that he will continue to dabble in his hobby until he is no longer able.

He said: “I have put my heart and soul into Highgrove and I will continue to do so while I can … My enduring hope is that those who visit the garden may find something to inspire, excite, fascinate or soothe them.”

As the warmth of the season beckons us outdoors, many pet and plant lovers are caught in the crossroads — is it possible to intertwine a love for nature while meeting the needs of our beloved domestics? The short answer is yes — with a little bit of ingenuity! Here are spring’s top tips for gardening pet lovers.

1) Pet owners should choose fertilizers and mulches cautiously. Shop for organic, pet-friendly fertilizers and soil amendments. Be aware that many environmentally friendly fertilizers contain fish byproducts, blood meal and ground poultry feathers. These ingredients are very appealing to many dogs and may cause digestive upset if eaten in quantity. If possible, keep your pets away from newly fertilized beds and lawns until the product has dissolved. Alternatively, consider liquid fertilizers. When buying mulch, avoid cocoa mulch. It is toxic to pets and lethal if ingested in quantity. Choose root mulch, wood bark or gravel instead. My favorite? Pine bark mulch, in any form.

2) If you have a dog, consider his essential “dogness” — dogs like to course the perimeters of their territory, aka your yard. If your plantings run up to the edges of your property, they’re likely to get trampled. To prevent this frustration, keep or create an 18- to 36-inch pathway around the boundary of your property, especially if you plan to erect fencing.

3) Speaking of fencing, many dogs get quite frustrated when they can’t see out of their property to identify noises and passersby, which leads to digging and/or frustration barking. Often, dogs destroy garden beds or bark themselves into frenzy out of frustration and boredom.

If your containment system blocks your dog’s vision, consider a transparent window erected at eye level (your dog’s, that is). I use a PetPeek, which the kids love, too. A little porthole into the world outside and a non-planted path around the perimeter can keep everyone on the same page, landscape-wise.

4) Ever notice that your dog excavates your plantings days after you tucked them into the earth? Though maddening, your dog has paid you a high compliment. Ever mindful of your activities, he’s watching each handful of dirt you unearth. If he sees you gardening, he will soon mimic your technique.

As you begin to shape good canine garden habits, keep your dog inside while you tend your plants.

5) If your dog enjoys digging, he will likely always relish the feeling of the earth on his paws. If this is the case, you’ll need to provide a dog-friendly digging pit — a small area (think sandbox) filled with sand, dirt and/or pine mulch where you encourage him to “Go dig!” Do this during playtime to encourage his enthusiasm. If he stares at the digging pit and gives you the “huh?” face, try burying a bone, toy or treat and, if necessary, get down on your knees and dig with him!

It can be a little tricky to keep dogs out of garden beds. Take a few minutes to consider why your dog enters your planting area in the first place. Is he mimicking you? You’ll need to be more discrete when planting and pruning. Is it to eliminate or mark? That solution can be fairly simple, though it may take a week or two. Start by giving your dog his own area away from your tomatoes and prized tulips. Center his new elimination area around a physical structure or tree, or erect a decorative stone or even a faux fire hydrant. Take your dog to the new area on leash in the morning or when you take him out after a separation. Wait to offer your hugs and greetings until after he’s gone potty, and discourage your dog from going near your beds by calmly redirecting him on a long line should he venture near.

My last suggestion is to remember that your dog is as ecstatic about the spring thaw as you are. He is equally excited to get outside, stretch his legs and bask in the sun. As far as pets and plants go, play with your dog first to tire him out, and garden during your dog’s nap times.

Next article on gardening will cover boundary training — a creative, non-threatening technique to keep your pet out of the garden once and for all!

DO YOU KNOW HOW PLANTS GROW FROM SEEDS?

Here are some of the best gardening tips for planting seeds. This advice is vital for a new gardener!

Plant Seeds In A Pot
Planting seeds in a pot is easy. But, if you want your plant to grow well and to have best results, you need to plant the seeds not too deep into the pot. For vegetable plants, seeds need to be planted at least 2 inches deep into the pot. For fruits, one and half inch is more than enough to plant your seeds.

Plant Seeds In A Tray
Trays are flat, so it requires more soil. The more soil in the tray, the more seeds you can plant in. However, you should know which types of plants are suitable for a tray. This is the best gardening tip for planting seeds in a tray.

Plant Seeds In A Cup
Small plants are well-suited for a cup. Fill half the cup with wet soil and then place the seeds over it. Make sure that the seeds are not buried into the soil, not even half way into the cup as it can wither away from lack of oxygen. The seeds need to be planted over the soil in the cup.

Plant Seeds In A Garden
This is the easiest spot to plant seeds. All you have to do is reach into the soil about a metre in depth and place the seeds. Make sure to gently cover the seeds with a little more soil and pat it over using the palm of your hands. This indeed is one of the best gardening tips for planting seeds.

Plant Seeds In A Glass Jar
A glass jar is a little too delicate for you to grow plants in. For tiny plants like the pea plant, the glass jar is appropriate. Fill the glass jar with three-fourth soil and place the seeds in the middle of the jar.