Growing an Outstanding Garden In an Apartment

Lots of people think if you live in an apartment you can’t do any gardening. There is not a lot of space, and some areas are common with other people. You can’t always know that your plants will be safe. Many apartments have a balcony, but that’s not as common as it used to be. Many people won’t live in an apartment for these very reasons. Excuses aside, it’s not that difficult, when an apartment is your home, to find a way to tend to your own mini garden. It’s our pleasure to show you some simple ways you can have – and enjoy – a garden in your apartment.

Container Gardening

Pretty much the only form of gardening you can do when you live in an apartment is container gardening. The idea is quite straightforward. You purchase different types of containers and place them around your house planted with the plants of your choice. In order to keep track of what you’ve planted, it’s important to put some kind of label on each container. You will most likely have a variety of plants in your garden, and the same principles apply as in a regular garden. You have to know what kind of conditions each plant requires to thrive. An easy way to track what kind of upkeep your individual plants need is to label them properly.

You have to choose your containers wisely, also, and be sure they are roomy enough for your plant’s growth. Your first reaction, if your apartment is very small, is to choose the smallest containers you can find. Actually, this is one of the worst things you can do. The correct choice is a pot or container that’s a little larger than the one the plant is in now. This way your plants will have a better chance of actually taking root and growing well. When you put a plant into a container that is so small that the roots won’t be able to grow, the plant will most likely not live.

Community Garden As Alternative

Community gardens are another option for those of you who just don’t have any free spaces in your apartment, but still want a garden. Some community gardens are time shares and others may charge a fee to participate. This is a wonderful option because you have the pleasure of growing your own garden and you don’t have to find spaces in your apartment to do so. Of course, having an apartment garden may sound like a good idea but, realistically, if your plants start to encroach on your living quarters, you may realize that a community garden plot is actually a better solution.

So don’t get the mindset that there is nothing you can do about a garden if you live in an apartment. There are many choices and options that are very successful. Whole schools of thought and techniques have been developed around the premise that it is possible to garden in small spaces. Take these tips to heart, look up the information you need on the internet, and you will have a successful apartment garden of your own.


Heating Your Home Using Solar Energy

For many individuals, getting heat is just a matter of pressing a button or turning a dial, which is rather nice but often inconvenient. You can heat your residence, your local school or business in an affordable manner by installing solar power, which is rather easy to do. In the winter months, there are several ways to capture the rays of the sun. You have to have a solar source, such as a sunroom, which will not only attract the sun rays, but also needs to trap the heat.

Constructing a Sunroom

A sunroom is usually connected to the house and is made out of a lot of floor to ceiling glass panels. Sunrooms are usually constructed to face the morning sun, which enables them to receive a great deal of natural light. The sun shines in through the glass and heats the interior of the room. The heat stays in the room, as it cannot escape through the glass walls. This is an extremely efficient, natural form of heat, if the room’s construction is correctly performed.

Thermal mass, which keeps the heat once it has been absorbed, is another of several other types of solar heating. It operates by absorbing and retaining the heat until the sun sets and then begins to disperse it. One more natural solar heating and ventilation system is the trombe wall, which keeps the heat by using air channels. The heat becomes confined between the thermal mass which is facing the sun and a glass object. The wall radiates the heat, which is circulated through vents after being stored in this wall. Yet another system using a wall facing the sun to absorb the sun’s heat, and then heating up air with this energy as it goes into a ventilation system, is the transpired collector.

Ventilation System

It is possible to utilize a solar cooling system to ventilate a building. This clever method has a steam engine powered by solar with an attached cooling device. This absorbs the heat from the steam and transforms it to ice. A different kind of solar ventilation system, created from a thermal mass that has been hollowed out, is the solar chimney. Air in the chimney is warmed up and as it rises it is distributed to where it is needed. From the foregoing it is apparent that many ways exist by which houses, schools and businesses can be heated up. These are just some of the ways where you can use the sun’s heat in addition to natural materials. They do not utilize non-renewable resources and the heating is not artificial.

If you want to stop making use of non-renewable resources to warm your residence, the examples presented earlier should provide food for thought. They make use of the power of the sun. You might need to reside in an area where the sun shines on a consistent basis to fully make use of any of these systems. All of us must have a source of heat to be able to keep our houses warm.


Wood Fence Maintenance Basics

You do not have to be a hardcore home improvement DIY person to successfully do maintenance on your wooden fence. Just be sure that you do not use any chemicals or cleaners that are not recommended. You may live here for ten more years and want to sell, and then you will regret not having done maintenance on your fence. Discover how to take care of your fence in the best possible ways by following established procedures.

Inspect Regularly

Be aware that sometimes bees will start living on your fence, and it really just depends on where you live and the climate. Bees need to find a place to live, too, but you probably do not want them to settle in on your fence.

Now you can understand the need for inspecting the fence once in a while. This one is pretty obvious, and there are other pests who will want to claim a spot on your fence, as well. You have to think of your family and even your pet dog if you have one; so perhaps the best thing to do is find a way to remove the nest.

Beware of Molds

Be on the constant lookout for mold on your fence, and if you see then swing into action and eradicate it the best you can. Mold will usually not be able to work its way through stain, and the very fact that you have stain will repel mold growth. If your stain is low quality or very thin, then the risk with this is weather will degrade it faster and this opens the way for mold. Nothing replaces fast action when it comes to just about anything including a proven plan to keep mold at bay with the right strategies and techniques proven to work well.

Some best practices for maintenance of your fence include protecting your lawn. Most of the time you will want to do this if you are killing mold with bleaching solutions. When this is complete, and if you have scrubbed to remove mold, then you may want to ensure the integrity of the stain. Anything that can hurt your grass is not recommended to allow on it, and this has to be carefully considered for a variety of reasons. If you want to go with a brush, then be sure the bristles are not so strong that you scratch the surface of the stain, and this is a possibility few consider.

The list of tasks you need to do for wood fence maintenance should not be that long, and it is a very good idea to learn all that should be done. Bear in mind that it can be difficult to remember what needs to be done and at what proper interval. So be sure you adhere to any directions you receive for the proper care of your fence.


Enjoy a Great View : Add a Deck to Your Home

Every house is unique and it comes in many price levels. It is likely the home you buy won’t have everything you want but you can always add it on yourself. At the time you bought your home, you may have considered adding something like a big deck to your home. It’s typical for houses to have decks that are too small so they have to be made bigger.

The Right Size

Constructing a deck designed for your home, or making the present deck bigger will add value to your house. It will also provide you with a place to have social events, with your friends and neighbors. There are lots of layouts and different types of wood to choose from. If you don’t think you can do it yourself, you could hire a contractor. It can cost you more money, but in the end, might be more than worth it. It would be a loss of money and time if you did it yourself and it turned out looking bad. A poorly constructed deck could have an effect on whether it will be easy to sell the home or not and may lower the home’s value.

Getting a Contractor

Hiring a skilled contractor will cost more money but they will do the job right and it will probably increase the value of the home. To locate a good general contractor to complete your work, you need to see if anyone you know and trust has any good experiences with contractors. Or else, then visit the local lumberyard, especially if you have obtained materials from them, and talk to the people there. They will almost certainly give you a list of building contractors that they recommend. Before you hire anyone, get a look at some of the work they have done, to see if the quality is as good as you want. Make sure they are accredited and come with a couple of recommendations. Throughout the selecting process, you want to make sure that you let the contractor know exactly what you want and you want to make sure that you have guarantees that work will be done correctly and everything is in writing.

You may also contact several contractors, and get bids from each of them, before making your decision on which one to use. This is probably the very best route to go since it frees up your time to do your own work and you have people who know what they are doing working on your deck. It is simple for you to thinking about how you use a deck if you establish a time table for when it needs to be completed.

For those who have a home without a deck and you want to add one, it will give you enjoyment, along with adding value to your house. There is nothing more tranquil than hanging out on your deck on a nice summer day. It is also a great place to have a neighborhood barbecue, to interact socially with your friends.


Rejuvenate Your Outdoor Patio With A New Color Scheme

The majority of us want our homes to appear nice. This really is something which is easily done if you are ready for a bit of hard work and creativity. By using splashes of color, it is simple to take your backyard deck or patio, and jazz it up. You could also imagine a new look for your backyard areas that incorporates new boldly designed furniture to enliven the ambience. Even second-hand pieces might look new after some effort and creativity. The rest of this information is going to teach you even more methods to pep up your outside deck or patio.

Deck Repainting

If your patio needs repainting, it is just a good first step in your makeover project to clean and then paint or stain it. It’s a good way to start with your color co-ordinations, like a bright color on your fence posts. You could then use another color for the line around the deck. Let your creative thinking suggest different ways to help make things more spicy. Decks are not for anything but looks, so you need to make it look all set for company. Furniture that will fit the general color design of your deck layout looks very pleasing. One of your patio corners are going to be made more interesting if it has a bar cart and glassware which are brightly colored.

Color Choice

Possibly outdated wicker chairs and tables may be brought to life with color matched paint and used on your deck. Why not be a little different and design a pattern to paint on your aged furniture with acrylic paints (these paints need to be protected with varnish). To make your outdoor patio that bit special, why don’t you find an oblong rustproof container or bucket, brightly paint it, and then on the side paint your very own design – you will then have a unique looking ice chiller for food or drink. You need to keep food apart from the surface, unless you are using paint that is safe for food. Patterns and colors might be themed based on some subject or location, the seaside for example, with it’s muted blues, greens and yellow plus interesting shapes like starfish, seashells and fishes. A table top with slats might be enhanced applying 3 or 4 different shades of color. Colors are solely a matter for your personal taste and the overall effect you want to achieve.

Proper Lighting

The outside of your house does not have to be boring, so paint garden sheds something colorful, along with window boxes and trim. When the evening arrives you can bring your patio or deck area to life by adding colorful outdoor lighting. Lights can easily be strung in rows or as single lanterns from overhead beams or from branches of nearby trees. If you have basic white vinyl furniture that no longer goes with your new bright colors, you can paint them with special paint. New seat covers on your recently painted vinyl chairs will complete that renewed look. Hold back when selecting a color scheme to get it just right and the end result will be harmonious. The resulting colors might be subtle or or exuberant based upon what your vision and tastes are. Remember to get inspired from other people’s work to bring your back yard to life.