"SHED" Some Light on Your Garden Organization

Are you tired of trying to find a spot to store your garden tools? Maybe it's time to build a new shed.

I have found a book that has hundreds of plans for sheds. These cater to the avid woodworker as well the beginner. This book also includes plans for picnic tables, dog houses, birdhouses, swings, patio chairs and even a picket fence. This is just a small sampling of the great projects within the pages of this book.

Toys are included too. All plans are complete from start to finish, and include material lists, detailed diagrams, and explicit step by step instructions.

Click Here!

ADDING OLD COFFEE GROUNDS TO YOUR SOIL

Are you green enough to try using old coffee grounds to enrich your garden soil?



Adding used coffee grounds to your soil will supply the plants in your garden with much needed nitrogen that they might otherwise lack. An additional benefit is that the used coffee grounds are FREE!



Previously used coffee grounds are an excellent addition to your compost pile too. Brown layer (carbon) could consist of dried leaves. The coffee grounds would be added with the Green layer (nitrogen) along with vegetable peelings, etc. No more than 25% of your compost pile should be coffee grounds. They will create quite a bit of heat which in turn cuts down on composting time. Many pests do not like a garden enriched with coffee grounds, but earthworms love to feed on them. It helps them grow and reproduce.

Coffee grounds are acidic, so they will mostly benefit acid-loving plants such as roses, camellias, blueberries, and azaleas. Many evergreen and deciduous trees, as well as shrubs also benefit greatly from coffee grounds.


So next time you are enjoying your cup of coffee, remember to save the grounds for the garden. You will also be keeping them out of the local landfill.

Container Gardening

Container gardening can be useful if you're looking for something to brighten a dark spot in your garden or if you live in an apartment. Just follow some easy instructions and put your imagination to work.

The first step is to find a pot whether it be a hanging basket, a ceramic pot or an old pair of rubber boots that you just haven't gotten around to throwing out. The most important thing to remember is good drainage. Poking holes in the bottom of your pot or filling the bottom with gravel, pistachio shells, pebbles or an old cracked ceramic pot broken into pieces should do the trick.

The next step is to fill it with dirt. Your best bet is an all purpose compost mixed with a slow release fertilizer.

Here comes the fun part. Choosing your plants. You can come up with your own design or go to your local nursery and ask for some help on choosing plants that grow well in containers and which ones grow well together. You can even grow vegetables!

Just a couple more things.

Remember to keep your plants watered. Plants grown in containers are more open to wind and sun and tend to dry out a lot faster than plants grown in the ground.

Don't forget to dead - head your flowers. This promotes growth and a larger abundance of flowers on your plants.

Happy Planting!

Must Try Recipe

Pasta Primavera

Serves 4

1/2 cup carrots sliced in medallions

1/2 cup onion sliced into rings

1/2 cup broccoli cut into bite size pieces

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup sweet peppers, julienned

1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced

1 large tomato, diced

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons butter

8 oz dry pasta

1/2 cup grated parmesan

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Melt butter and olive oil on medium-high heat. Add vegetables and stir fry until

tender crisp. Remove from heat and add pasta and parmesan.

Serve and enjoy.

*Frozen vegetable mixes can be used in place of fresh vegetables.*

Plant Profile

Lobelia - Annual Flower

A wonderful addition to container gardening. Small compact flowers sit on top of mounds of green and bronzed foliage. Available in dark blue, light blue or white. Perfect for a splash of colour in a shady corner.

h. 4", w. 4" - 6" Prefers shade to part shade.