Ultimate Home & Garden Guide by Roger Keyserling (free novels to read .txt) 📖

if you can exude a unique and magnificent collection of garden accessories, such as statues, gazing balls, decorative fencing, stones, lighting, etc.

 

Get retaining walls installed
By installing retaining walls in your lawn with the help of an efficient landscaping service, you can make sure that the small landscape looks completely renovated. These walls are much better choices than ordinary straight walls, both visually and functionally.

 

Use flower beds as fences
A flower bed is a very effective way to make your garden look in a true sense. You have the leverage to be innovative and let your imagination run free when you work on the design of a particular flower bed. You can consider mixing a variety of colors when you set up a flower bed. Perennial flowers are the right choice for flower beds. Before you set up flower beds on your landscape, you need to make sure the soil is soft enough. You should avoid those parts of your garden with heavy clay soil.

In conclusion, nature has an invisible and inherent effect on human beings. Nature cleans the air we breathe, and it also attracts a vast array of creatures which, in effect, reveal the natural and environmental distinctiveness of the garden. It is up to us to set up and maintain our garden space for functionality and esthetic purposes.

Don't ignore your gardening duties.

There are many things you should do frequently and regularly to keep your garden alive, including watering your garden. This is an essential duty unless you live in a place where it rains almost every day, so you must stay on top. If you ignore this duty, your garden will have repercussions, and you will have to start over. This is not something anyone wants to do since gardens require a lot of time and energy to build and maintain them. Now that you know some useful gardening tips, you should go out and start caring for your plants! For more details visit us and shop our galleries

Gardening can also be cheap and fun, and if done regularly, you don't need to spend much time. Many people think that because all the plants were put in place during the summer and that their perennial plants bloom in the past, there is no more work to be done. No, there is always work to do.

 

Keywebco has stores of its own however we also have affiliate stores plus other online sellers we have known for many years. My favorite affiliate for home and garden is Modern Artisans.

They offer unique home & garden decor handcrafted by skilled American artisans. Original art, pottery, wall decor, whimsical home accents, garden art, great gift ideas and more!

 

Growing Strawberries & Helpful Tips

Strawberries are the most attractive and exquisite fruits. Everything about them is appealing, whether color, texture, or taste, which is why many people enjoy growing strawberries in their home garden. Strawberries are very diverse fruits and used in many delicious preparations such as jams, tarts, cakes, ice creams, jellies, etc. In your home garden, you can try growing strawberries and enjoy picking bountiful produce during harvest time. Many important things to remember when planning to grow strawberries in your backyard.

Choosing plant

Strawberries come in many varieties and are commonly known as June Bearing, Everbearing and Day Neutrals. June bearing varieties grow a single crop annually with the largest berries. Neutral varieties can be harvested up to 3 times a year. The fruits they produce are smaller than June strawberries. Everbearing and Day Neutrals are perfect if you have a small yard, as they yield lesser runners. All these different types of strawberry plants are on the market, so you can choose the ones that suit your needs.

You should select a place that gets full sun to plant strawberries as they grow in a sunny area. The field should have no perennial weeds. Strawberries grow in an environment with strong air circulation and well-drained soil. It is not recommendable to grow strawberries in an area where tomatoes, eggplant, or potatoes have recently grown as your crop may become contaminated with diverticulum rot.

Preparing soil

Preparing the soil is important before planting strawberry. Strawberries can grow in various soil types, but loamy and sandy soils work best. Soil should be rich in organic matter and well-drained. The optimal range for strawberries is 5.5-6.5. Check the soil in a laboratory before developing the plants. If not rich, you can apply fertilizers and manure to improve soil quality.

Planting strawberry plants

You can plant strawberries once you've prepared the soil. They should be planted in the spring season as soon as the soil is ready. Sample enough soil to fit roots and grow strawberries. Ensure there is enough spacing between plants to produce runners. If you plant them closely, then they couldn't grow properly.

Mulching

Strawberry plants are prone to cold weather. In the winter season, the soil should be covered with mulch to avoid freezing. Mulching is important to save plants from severe winter damage. You may use Hay, Straw, Coarse Wheat, and Crushed Cob for mulching.

Care and Maintenance

You can remove all flowers from the plant during the first year because it helps to reinforce roots and stem. Deflowering ensures plants are strong and stable in the coming seasons for better fruit growth. Watering plants in adequate quantities is essential for growing good quality fruit. Also, regularly check if there are any unnecessary weeds that grow along with the strawberry plants. Uproot the weeds as they use soil nutrients necessary for your plant growth.

Harvesting

The fruits should be picked as soon as they are ripe because if you allow them to stay on the plants for a long time, they will be eaten by insects and birds. Overripe fruits attract rodents and insects to avoid leaving overripe plant berries.

Soft, succulent strawberries are difficult to find store bought but they are very easy to grow.

This member of the rose family isn’t really a fruit or a berry but the enlarged receptacle of the flower. Choose medium-sized berries that are firm, plump, and deep red; once picked, they don’t ripen further.

First cultivated in ancient Rome, strawberries are now the most popular berry fruit in the world. In provincial France, they were regarded as an aphrodisiac. These red jewels may be good for your heart in more ways than one. Strawberries are a high value crop in the United States. The U.S. is, in fact, the world’s largest producer of strawberries, accounting for nearly one-third of the world’s total production

These potent little heart shaped packages protect your heart, increase HDL (good) cholesterol, lower your blood pressure, and guard against cancer.

Packed with vitamins, fiber, and particularly high levels of antioxidants known as polyphenols, strawberries are a sodium-free, fat-free, cholesterol-free, low-calorie food. They are among the top 20 fruits in antioxidant capacity and are a good source of manganese and potassium. Just one serving -- about eight strawberries -- provides more vitamin C than an orange. - Via WebMD

Strawberries’ carbs consists mainly of fibers and simple sugars. They have a relatively low GI and should not cause big spikes in blood sugar levels.

The nutrients in 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of raw strawberries are:

Calories: 32 Water: 91% Protein: 0.7 grams Carbs: 7.7 grams Sugar: 4.9 grams Fiber: 2 grams Fat: 0.3 grams

Strawberry allergy is rather common, especially among children. Individuals who are sensitive to birch pollen or apples may experience symptoms after consuming strawberries.

Strawberries are low in calories, delicious, and healthy.

They are a good source of many vitamins, minerals and plant compounds — some of which have powerful health benefits.

The health benefits include reduced cholesterol, blood pressure, inflammation, and oxidative stress.

Furthermore, these berries may help prevent big spikes in both blood sugar and insulin levels.

Strawberries are an excellent addition to a healthy diet.

Checklist for establishing your strawberries

• Choose a good site.

• Eliminate all perennial weeds prior to planting and annual weeds as they appear.

• Choose a cultivar(s) suitable for your needs and site.

• Choose a planting system.

• Prepare the soil by adding organic matter and lime, if necessary, and by forming raised beds if desired.

• Apply fertilizer, if necessary.

• Till the soil.

• Purchase certified disease-free plants.

• Plant in the spring, setting plants to the correct depth.

• In the hill system or plants in containers, remove all runners as they form.

• In the matted row, train runners to the row (12–18 inches wide); remove all runners that form after September

• Irrigate as required.

Types of strawberries

June-bearers

June-bearers are among the most productive of strawberries. They have a main crop of berries in June or July and produce lots of runners from which new plants are started within the strawberry bed. June-Bearers form flower buds in the fall and bear one heavy crop the next spring or early summer. After harvesting, renovate strawberry beds by mowing off the leaves, taking care not to damage the crowns. Renovation stimulates new plant growth and reduces disease problems.

• One crop per year (in June and July)

• Produce many runners

Everbearers

Everbearers and day-neutrals have the same general culture. Because day-neutrals set fruit all season long and total yields are higher, their cultivars are replacing everbearers. In very cold areas, day-neutral cultivars offer an option as they bloom over a long period of time. Everbearers bear fruit twice during the growing season, generally during the spring and in late summer.

• Two crops per year (June–July and fall)

• Produce few runners

Day-neutrals

Day-neutrals will set fruit the year they are planted. Because these cultivars set flower buds regardless of day length, they set fruit from spring to fall. They produce few runners and can be planted either in short rows or in hills. Day-neutrals are sensitive to extreme heat so fruit production generally drops during July and August. They are often replaced after 2 fruiting years as vigor and the fruit size declines.

• Crop almost continuously (late May until frost)

• Produce few runners

You can choose from various cultivars (varieties) available for each type of strawberry.

Capping or hulling a strawberry fruit means removing the green stem and leafy part attached to the berry. You can do this by hand (long fingernails help) or use a strawberry huller, available in most kitchen supply stores.

Note: Some cultivars are easier to cap than others or the cap stays on the plant when you pick the ripe fruit. If you make a lot of preserves or freeze a lot of berries, you may want to consider this when you select a cultivar.

Planting systems choice

• In the matted row, the runners produced are allowed to fill in a space 12 to 18 inches wide

• In the hill system, you must remove all runners that are produced.

• Grow ever-bearers and day-neutrals in a hill system, as these types produce few runners and won’t form a nice matted row. You can grow June-bearers in either system.

Matted row versus hill system

• The matted row requires less labor to maintain and is productive. However, if you let the row get too dense, diseases such as fruit