Downtown Homestead

Every year in the spring, avid gardeners around the country start doing major maintenance to make their yards and gardens look lush and beautiful. And part of that maintenance involves watering the yard and garden more fully and heavily than they did during the cold winter months. Unfortunately using so much water for the yard and garden can rack up some hefty bills, and in some parts of the country there are actually restrictions on how much you can use because of water shortages. There are 3 ways to get free water for use in the yard and garden though, so we’ll look at those here.   Water From Your Roof. Even if it does not rain in your area often, when it does you might be surprised to find out just how much water can be captured for later use. And you’ll be able to capture extra water even if it just sprinkles lightly too. The roof of your house is a large collection surface, which channels the water into specific areas. Normally this is done with house gutters. Any rain...

It’s the season to be outside! Whether you’re spending your summer days hiking, biking, in the garden, or by the pool, there’s one pest we’re all a little paranoid about- ticks. I feel my paranoia is justified. After one particularly lengthy “family walk” in the hills of southern Ohio, my father, sister, two brothers and I made our way back to my grandparents’ house, only to find that Dad had lead us right through a tick-infested field. We were covered in these little blood-suckers. (Thanks, Dad.) So after the long and arduous task of wrangling four squirming kids and removing every last pest, a thoroughly grossed-out 9-year-old me vowed that I would never again fall victim to the tiny vampires commonly known as ticks. Ticks can carry Lyme Disease , so using a tick repellent isn’t just about avoiding an annoyance, but also about avoiding Lyme Disease. Trouble is, when you spend as much time outdoors as I like to, you’re bound to run into them sooner or later. There are commerci...

Growing strawberries can take up a lot of land, which is sometimes a precious commodity for an urban homesteader. Not only can you do this to bring tasty strawberries into your home, but you can make it a family-centric project. Kids and dirt go hand in hand, and your kids will love this eco-savvy project. Not only is this environmentally friendly; it is also friendly to your back since picking strawberries can take its toll very quickly.   Growing Strawberries Vertically Visit your local hardware store and purchase a piece of PVC pipe around 4 feet long and 12 in. in diameter, purchase another about 5 feet long and about 2 inches in diameter, along with some weed control fabric. Using a hole saw, cut holes in the 12 in. pipe. You will need the holes to be about 3 inches in diameter, and you want them to be in 3 rows of 4 holes. Using your drill, drill holes along the small pipe every 6 inches, putting about 6 in a circle around the section. Select a sunny area of your garden, ...

Attracting birds to your spring garden is no easy task; it requires planting specific shrubs, flowers and following certain design principles in the proper way. This article will help you find that ‘magic’ trick to attract birds to your garden in a magnetic way.   The Steps to Attracting Birds to your Garden Step no 1 – Choose the correct plants: Whether you are starting a new garden or are upgrading an existing one, make sure that you include the plants that attract butterflies and birds. Do some research and find out the best plants, some of the recommended plants are Butterfly Bush , Purple Coneflower , Sedum , Iris , Butterfly Weed , Asters , and Bee Balm . Most of these plants will help your garden shine all summer as they are late summer bloomers. Step no 2 – Develop a grassland habitation: Local plants are far easier to maintain and they also attract birds. They also improve the garden by providing habitats for various other wildlife, some of the recommended grassland ...