Backyard

Controlling Black Scale On Olive Trees

Olive Tree With Black Scale Infestation

While checking on plants in our greenhouse, our small potted olive tree appeared to be dying. With Spring only a few weeks away, it should have been sprouting new growth. Instead, its leaves were dirty and/or turning brown. There were also a lot of ants traveling along its branches. And on closer inspection, there were … Continue Reading

Pruning Pepper Plants

If you spend a fewminutes doing a Google Scholar search for “pruning peppers”, you will quickly see that researchers found that pruning peppers (in a commercial setting) does not necessarily increase yield. A healthy pepper should be bushy with lots of branches and foilage.But what if your pepper is tall, lanky and just looks underwhelming? … Continue Reading

Creative Projects For Repurposing Faux Wood Blinds

Decorative Well Planter

If you have leftover slats after adjusting the length of your faux wood blinds, or you are replacing existing blinds, hang onto those slats because you’ll find they have a lot of uses for projects and crafts around the home. Whether you’re looking for a way to repurpose leftover slats, or want to upcycling slats … Continue Reading

Growing And Propagating Angel Trumpet (Brugmansia)

Angel Trumpet Plant Propogation

Angel Trumpets are known for their huge, beautiful flowers that hang down in large clusters. Angel Trumpet (Brugmansia) is often confused with Devil’s Trumpet (Datura). Angel Trumpet is more like a semi-woody tree with one or more primary trunks that have branches which create a canopy from which large flowers hang facing downward. Datura is … Continue Reading

DIY Garden Markers and Hanging Plant Markers

Soeasilydistracted Diy Garden Markers

This project started because all the cute hanging plant markers we made last yearfor the garden using polymer clay are now brittle and crumbling apart even though we painted and sealed them. A lot of effort and expense wasted. This time, we are going big and bold and will be using leftover slats from our … Continue Reading

How To Find The Value Of A Used Riding Lawn Mower Or Garden Tractor

Lawnmower

A used riding lawn mower can be a big investment. A little bit of research and a thorough inspection before you purchase it is the best way to protect yourself from paying too much. Before you part with a couple of hundred (or couple of thousand) dollars, it’s worth taking the time to get some … Continue Reading

Used Riding Lawn Mower And Garden Tractor Checklist

Lawnmower

This checklist is a starting point in helping you decide whether to purchase a used riding lawn mower. It will give you an idea of what to look for when you inspect the mower. We’ve also included a description of what to look for and why. When you’re ready to actually look at a mower, … Continue Reading

How To Repair Riding Mower Seats

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Note: For all products mentioned, please read the manufacturer’s directions regarding safety, surface preparation and clean up. Update! Please read the update at the bottom of this article. We tried a different repair method for the seat to our Toro riding lawn mower, which had several splits and had lifted completely out of the plastic … Continue Reading

DIY Plant Fertilizer

Diy Plant Fertilizer2

After a few Pinterest project fails, I was a little nervous about using the DIY plant fertilizers that were being posted. Without knowing why different amounts of ingredients were being added, or their benefit (or worse, harm) to the plants, I thought I’d hold off. So it was time to do a little research into … Continue Reading

DIY Well Drilling – And What We Learned Along The Way

Pretty much everything we do is DIY, so why not give well drilling a try… There are a lot of websites and videos out there that are worth reading/watching if you’re thinking of trying it yourself. We read and watched dozens and thought we had a solid plan. Here are some questions and tips we … Continue Reading