Wet spots in your yard are typically shallow pool-like spots where water sits after a rainstorm, watering, or flooding occurs.
These spots can be a pain in the butt as they're hard to identify during the hot summer season, and wet spots are dangerous because they can serve as breeding places for mosquitoes.
They could be in your backyard, front yard (aesthetic ideas here) or anywhere else on your property. They can also be slippery and muddy, which makes it difficult for kids to have fun in your yard without getting hurt. Not good, huh?
The wet spot in your yard is probably caused by drainage problems, improper grading or both, but there are simple ways to solve this problem.
Here's how to drain a wet spot in your yard:
1. Water plants less.
Wet spots in your yard may be a result of excessive watering.
The soil in your yard has to suck up all the water before you water again, and excessive watering may just be the problem.
Action to take
Decrease the amount of time you spend watering.
Adjust your watering schedule.
2. Re-grade the yard.
Re-grading your yard is the second step to draining those annoying wet spots in your yard.
You'll have to consider this if watering your lawn less didn't fix the problem. The slopes in your yard may be the primary cause of the wet spots, so it's time to flatten your lawn.
Action to take
Contact a professional.
Conduct a lawn survey.
Re-grade!
3. Get the right soil.
Compact materials and soil rich in heavy clay could be the problem as different soil types have different water-absorbing qualities.
Action to take
Conduct a few tests by comparing the soil in your yard to your friend's.
Contact an expert.
4. Dethatch.
Thatch is matter such as living organisms and nonliving things: dead vegetation, leaves, stems, and shoots that can clog the soil, thereby reducing the soil's ability to absorb water.
Action to take
Get a rake or dethatcher.
Dethatch.
Aerate by making small holes in the soil.
Holes made should be 2 inches apart and four inches deep.
5. Drill through subsoil.
The subsoil is the soil beneath the topsoil. This can be made impervious and incredibly hard; the problem can be natural but it can also be caused by construction vehicles.
A hard subsoil doesn't absorb water, and this is why the water in your yard sits on the topsoil. The solution is to loosen this subsoil by drilling through it with the proper tools.
Action to take
Wait for the sunny months without rain.
Dig a small hole and see if the subsoil is the problem.
Contact a professional.
Drill through and loosen the soil up.
French Drain - How Does It Work?
A French drain is a solution most experts will tell you to try.
It's not as difficult as most people make it seem; here's the right way to drain a wet spot in your yard using a French drain:
Identify the wet spot/spots.
Dig a trench with a shovel (create a drainage channel).
Use pea gravel to line the trench.
Get a French drain pipe.
Put the pipe into the dug-out trench.
Cover the pipe with pea gravel.
You're done!
This video provides a nice illustration:
That was pretty easy, right? Well, you now know that it's not difficult, and you should definitely be able to drain the wet spot in your yard with these tips. Remember to contact an expert if you have water table problems.
So get out drain that wet spot now. Good luck!
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Peppers are easy to grow because they sprout and develop very fast unlike other plants. However, they need a lot of consistent care in order to produce a good outcome.
They do require plenty of sun with no obstructions from other plants like trees or man-made covers. They dwell well in a sandy loamy kind of environment in which the sand is very nutritious and at the same time has fast drainage.
Peppers come in different sizes and types. Depending on the size of the peppers planted, spacing in a raised bed should range from 12-18 inches.
Different varieties take different amounts of time to fully grow to harvest; for example, hot peppers need close to 150 days, while sweet peppers take 60-90 days.
Pepper Spacing
Now, I want to again address the frequent question, "how far apart to plant peppers on a raised bed?â€.
By establishing the size of the raised bed, you can easily figure out how much space you have and how many peppers you can have on the bed.
On a raised bed, the water drains much more quickly and efficiently compared to a conventional bed. Furthermore, the more the water bleeds out, the more oxygen gets to the roots for improving growth.
Take a break from landscaping your front yard with the help of Carve Your Creation and consider this: during seasons with higher temperatures, the raised beds tend to warm up and preserve the heat for the better part of the day.
Here are some pointers that could help during the process as well:
Water Control
Peppers are known to consume plenty of water and hence need a constant supply of water from the time they pullulate right to the season’s completion.
To avoid excessive evaporation from the soil, you should use mulch.
Fertilizers
Peppers do not require a lot of fertilizer for them to do well. Actually, in most cases, the fertilizer tends to do more harm than good.
If need be, use a low-acidity fertilizer and sprinkle only a little bit.
Companion Planting
Cultivating peppers next to other plants like carrots, tomatoes and basil helps it to mature and grow better.
Plant Support
Peppers have weak stems and need support when maturing. The common practice where they are tied to wires or other fruit plants is not advisable because they can choke or even break along the way.
Instead, use old nylon and some very light strings to stake the pepper plants.
There you have it: some useful information on planting and caring for pepper plants. Good luck!
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Landscaping A Small Urban Yard
In this video, This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook makes a boring backyard look great. Learn how to do this yourself!
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Nematodes are microscopic roundworms that occur naturally in the soil. While some species are harmful, there are those that have proven to be quite useful.
Beneficial nematodes attack pests that dwell in the soil. This process takes a minimum of 3 days with maximum control seen after about
2-4 weeks.
Whether you're looking to control pests in the front yard (landscaping ideas here), backyard or anywhere else, nematodes are a great option.
Some of the pests controlled by nematodes include:
The process of how to use nematodes in the garden is fairly simple
and easy. However, you need to follow these steps to maximize the efficiency of the nematodes:
1. Check the weather.
The best time to apply nematodes is very early or very late in the day. This is to avoid exposure the UV light from the sun, which can kill them.
2. Aerate your garden/lawn.
Aerate your garden or lawn before applying nematodes. This will help in the movement of pests down into the root areas and consequently maximize the effect of the nematodes.
3. Water the soil.
The nematodes will die if you apply them on dry soil. To prevent this, water the soil well and allow some time for it to soak. This is will also aid the movement of the pests closer to the root surface.
How To Do It
1. Using a bucket, mix the nematodes with water and stir well to break up any lumps. Let the solution sit for about 20 minutes.
2. Pour the solution into a spray bottle specifically designed for nematode application. Sprinkle the solution on the soil along the garden and on the plants or over the lawn.
3. For effective penetration, water the soil soon after to help the nematodes penetrate deeper into the soil where the pests live.
Nematodes are best used as a preventive measure to control newly hatched larvae. They will infect the pests within 2 days of application and kill them within 14 days.
Getting Rid of Nematodes
If you would like to get rid of the nematodes at the end of each growing season, pull out the plants and dig the roots out. This will remove the nematodes’ source of food.
Till the soil and leave it to dry. Exposure to the sun will kill them.
Storage
Nematodes normally have no smell and can last up to 4 days without refrigeration. Discard them if you notice a characteristic smell of fish.
Safety Handling
While nematodes affect pests, animals and humans cannot be harmed by nematodes, so it is completely safe to use.
This is an overview of how to use nematodes in the garden. I hope you found this helpful, and thanks for reading!
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Building a retaining wall does not have to be a hassle. There are many effective ways to approach the task.
You do not need to hire a professional for this sort of project - almost anyone can do it. These walls can be great for contouring the land, such as when you need to create a nice playground for your children, or when you want to add an extra "oomph" to your garden (see affordable garden design ideas).
Let’s look at one of the many ways of constructing this wall and what the process entails.
Before we get to it, here is a summary of all sections covered in this article on how to build a retaining wall:
Excavate (prepare the land for construction).
Level the area.
Lay down the foundation.
Build the rest of the wall.
Excavation
With a shovel, make a trench that lays out a path where the wall is going to be. Regardless of the material you are going to use, make sure your trench is slightly wider than the material.
One other thing is to try and keep the trench as level as possible.
Level The Area
This step may not always be necessary, but it is done to try and get an even base for the wall.
If you are not sure about the evenness of your trench, make up for it in this stage. Use a tamper to achieve a uniform level for the trench. If you do not have one, borrow it from your neighbor or buy one.
Add some gravel at the base of your trench to make it more stable.
Lay Down The Foundation
This is the most important part of the wall; it will carry the whole wall structure. If the foundation fails, the entire structure will fail too.
Place your blocks as level as possible relative to each other. Also ensure that they are close enough to each other to create a stable and rigid baseline.
The space between the ground and the first layer of your building material should be filled with gravel - this is just to increase the sturdiness of the structure.
Build The Rest Of The Wall
This is the easiest part of building your wall. Now that you have an even base, it is time to build the visible part of the wall.
To ensure all the blocks line up perfectly, start at one end of the wall and work your way to the other end. Use a soft hammer to make sure the blocks follow the same path.
From there on it’s all about how high you want your wall to be.
For a visual guide, see this video:
These four stages should help lead you down the correct path for construction.
You do not need special skills to create a good, sturdy wall. All you need is a good pair of hands and passion for home improvement and upgrades. Good luck!
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How to Build A Raised Vegetable Garden With Landscape Timbers
Building a raised bed for a vegetable garden brings many benefits both for your vegetable patch and for you as well.
For example, the vegetables will be better nourished because you can fill the bed with a far richer soil than what would be found naturally in the ground. Furthermore, if you have any difficulties like lower back pain or arthritis in the knees, a raised bed will make you life easier since you won’t need to bend down as far to do your gardening.
The following is a step-by-step guide for how to build a raised vegetable garden with landscape timbers.
The Guide
Before starting the process of building your raised vegetable garden, you will need to ensure you have the space in your yard to do so, and you will need the following items:
First, collect 2 pieces of your 4-ft long timber, and 2 pieces of the 8-ft long timber.
Place them on the ground in the area of your garden that you want to be your elevated vegetable patch. Use them to form a rectangle on the ground – the interior of your rectangle will be the vegetable bed.
Go ahead and mark both the inner perimeter and the outer one using a shovel or spade. Remove the timber, and you should see 2 concentric rectangles drawn on the ground; these are the boundaries of your trench.
Step 2 - Digging the Trench
Get to work digging a trench in the area between the 2 concentric rectangles on the ground. The depth of the trench should be approximately 6 inches to help support the walls of your raised bed.
The soil you collect should be placed in your wheelbarrow, then you should pour a 2-inch deep layer of gravel all the way around your trench.
Step 3: Laying Down the Timber
Insert the 4-ft and 8-ft pieces of timber into the trench, lining up the corners to make them join together in order going clockwise.
Next, use your drill to make 1/2-inch holes in the wood, with 2 ft between each hole.
Grab one of your rebar and pound it through a hole and into the soil using the sledgehammer. Keep hammering it in until the end of the rebar is level with the timber. Repeat this process for every one of the holes.
Position more 4 and 8 ft landscaping timbers onto the ones you just laid down at ground level, ordering them anti-clockwise this time. You will be joining this layer to the one below with 5 timber screws along each side – make sure you distribute the screws evenly.
Step 4 – Drainage
Use your drill to make some holes (1) through the sides of that second layer of landscaping timber. You want these holes to be around 1/2-inch wide. Drill just a single hole on the 4-ft sides of the frame, and drill 2 holes on the 8-ft sides.
Step 5 – Finishing Up
Position the final pieces of timber on top of the 2nd layer of your frame. Once again, lay these ones in a clockwise order.
Use the timber screws in the same way as with the last layer to secure the landscaping timbers in place at the top of your frame.
Now, simply fill the frame with the right type of soil, and you are ready to begin planting your vegetables in your new raised bed.
There you have it. Did you find this guide helpful? Feel free to drop a comment.
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You can easily give your backyard a feeling
of comfort as well as personal space without having to spend a lot of money.
At
times, we could overlook the minor detail, although they are the ones that
really determine the general outlook of your backyard.
You ought to be careful
if you want to find cheap backyard ideasthat have the ability to steal the focus and make the general outlook of
your backyard breathtaking.
Bird Houses and Feeders
You can
always try the simple backyard bird houses and bird feeders (one) as they are two
simple ways to help you incorporate stylish decor and wildlife into your
backyard. The bird-friendly sanctuaries help bring your landscaping to new
heights and while still hanging from the trees, they attract various birds.
Affordable feeders are easy to find and in your searches, you should look for
bird houses that can indicate originality. The unique bird feeders will
certainly attract birds of different kinds. The birds sight will certainly help
transform the sight of your backyard and make it look more beautiful.
Wind Spinners and Chimes
Furthermore, wind spinners and chimes are usually visually appealing and affordable as
well.
These spinners help create an aura and a beautiful scenery in your
backyard. Wind spinners are also great as they form a great sight for everyone
when they change colour and shape.
These two items are simply commendable and
stylish pieces of garden decor and you can always find them at reasonable
prices for all pockets. Moreover, they make great birthday presents or stocking
stuffers for the backyard enthusiasts of all ages.
Other Considerations
More that
is required to succeeding in your backyard decor plans is originality. You
ought to try and make your backyard looks as original as possible.
You should
also stay true to your yard’s theme and your personal preference. The garden
accents are an easy as well as extremely affordable way to help you improve
your backyard setting and this also makes you feel as if you and the backyard
are one entity.
If you might have some trees in your backyard, you could
customize them or consider hanging some gazing balls from the tree’s branches.
These balls are usually quite modern looking and they also add style and colour
to your tree.
As an addition to your backyard, an outdoor clock is always a
great choice and that way, the kids can never say they lost track of time. You
may as well include statues, bird baths, tin shapes, flags and gnomes which
will all make great accents as well.
No matter what you do, just ensure you are
creative as possible to make use of what you already have to make your backyard
look better.
All said
and done, you now have some cheap backyard ideasand you should
get rid of the absurd notion that you need to have a lot of money to make your
backyard look great. Just use the locally-available materials and also go
for the cheaper decors that are affordable to you.
Thanks for reading, and best of luck!
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