The success of next year’s garden depends on proper preparation of your vegetable beds this fall. Clearing out dead plants, turning in some nice old compost for soil regeneration, and even planting some early spring crops is the perfect way to ensure the success of next year’s garden.
photo credit: mcmorgan08

Insect Free: Taking all old leaves and plant debris off of your garden is the best way to prevent insects from overwintering in your garden. Old leaves on the soil surface provide a nice hiding place for insects, such as squash bugs, grasshoppers, and aphids. If you clear out old leaves and stems and compost them, insects have nowhere to hide. Freezing temperatures will help control next year’s insect population, and reduced debris on the soil surface will ensure freezing temperatures for insects on the sol surface.

Disease Free: Leaf and vegetable litter provides a place for other problems to reside also, such as tomato wilt. Collecting and throwing away diseased plants in the garbage or landfill will help keep diseases from reestablishing themselves next season. Many gardeners had difficulty with tomato blight, or wilt this past year. If this was the case in your garden, it is especially important to clear off all plants and fruits from this past season. Most spores from the tomato wilt will be thrown away with the plants and fruit.

Organisms in the soil will have time over the winter to decompose and distribute nutrients to the soil from compost for next year’s vegetables. Spread one to two inches of well-decomposed compost on the surface of your garden bed and turn into the soil well. Soil microorganisms will do the rest.

You can plant some early spring vegetables for early harvest in the spring after preparing your soil bed. These seeds will not germinate until soil temperatures warm enough for them to grow. Sowing spinach seeds, and planting your first couple rows of peas will allow for the earliest harvest. Garlic should be planted in the late fall, also, and should be planted in a drier bed than your peas and spinach.

You can finally sit back and enjoy that cup of tea after your fall beds are tilled and prepared for next season. Then you can start planning for next spring.

Betsy Woodworth gives help on greenhouses and on garden tips.

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Many gardeners get very upset by the large amount of time spent on gardens maintenance, but they should rather work more cleverly than harder. Each season brings its own tasks and this should be done timely.
photo credit: Mike Babcock

Raking leaves in Autumn is a very good example of this, as gardeners spend days trying to get rid of all the fallen leaves. Your best option is to let the tree drop all of its leaves before you start clearing them up. Rather enjoy the beautiful carpet this scene creates. Leaves should not be thrown away, but rather use them as ground coverings to protect the soil from the freezing Winter that follows.

Pruning your roses during winter is another maintenance monster that can see you bending over for hours. Rather create a measuring stick of about 90cm, stick it ten centimeters into the soil next to a rose bush and cut the rose at the top length.

photo credit: fesoj

Now take your cuttings from the rose bushes and put the rest through a shredder, this will carve the remnants into splinters that you throw over the rooting area of your roses to protect the roots from the cold.

Lawns should be cut by following a moon calendar. Certain days will see your lawn grow a lot more after cutting, but other days on the calendar can be selected to slow down the lawn. This could save you lots of time as the weekly mowing could be reduced to bi weekly by doing this simple technique.

Do small maintenance tasks as they pop up. Like dead-heading flowers as you are enjoying your daily garden walk. Weeds that pop up can be pulled on the spot as you notice them. Doing small bits, you never have to spend your weekends working in the garden only.

photo credit: jeffedoe

A small amount of maintenance will see you enjoy a beautiful garden all year long.

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Tight budgets are making the move to owning a swimming pool look like a nice alternative for many families. A swimming pool will be with your property for years to come, while a one week vacation for your family could cost just as much as a pool and be done in seven days. Many swimming pool options are now available to fit various financial limitations.
photo credit: JasonTromm

Some people prefer going to public pools because they seem to have a lower cost on a per visit basis over a single season. Pools that are open to the public generally charge either a one time per season membership fee or a per visit price. The reality is that paying for a public pool pass can become expensive over time. Often more expensive than installing your own above ground pool.

If you do decide to get your own pool, in ground designs are much more expensive than going with an above ground swimming pool. For above ground options, inflatable pool kits are available which are probably the least expensive option of all. These are made to be installed with as little muss and fuss as possible and most can be taken down at the end of the season without much problem.

Above ground pools that stay put are very common and popular. Their costs are generally a decent bit more than the inflatable option, but they are still much less expensive than in ground pools.

You can end up spending a few thousand “extra” dollars on above ground pool installations. Things to consider before committing include getting electrical power to the pool site, getting the site level, labor, and decking if you are considering it.

Getting an in ground pool is a serious commitment of money for a homeowner and should be looked at as an investment. Having an in ground pool is definitely a selling point. Whether you gain from this investment in the long term will depend on the pool itself and the prevailing economic factors when you decide to sell your home.

If you just want an in ground pool or you have no other pool options available where you live, just accept that it is going to be expensive and hope that you get your value back. Before installing the pool, get all of your documentation handled. All permits and such should be obtained before you ever break ground on the project.

No matter what swimming pool option you may choose, get all of your costs added up before ever making your purchase. Your new pool shouldn’t cost so much that it destroys your budget. Shop wisely and take care of the pool you decide to purchase. Today’s pools can last for several years and serve as a great addition to your home and property.

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