All growing season, I get questions asking how to prevent, or cure, one vegetable garden disease or pest or another–especially on Cucurbits. My answers are mostly not perfect ones, because almost faster than we figure out some effective tactic, plant diseases can outsmart us by mutating, or getting an edge from dramatically changing weather patterns–or by moving into regions where they were not previously known.So what can be done, longterm, beyond trying to “fix” the one outbreak in just your, or my, backyard, and especially: What’s the bigger answer without turning to chemicals?The answer hopefully lies in research: research that identifies the best current varieties, and often leads to breeding of more disease-resistant and regionally adapted var
Build a Safety Gate to Match Your Deck
03.07.2023 - 21:37 / hometalk.com
The steep stairs at the top of the deck were wide open and with a new puppy who loves to run, a gate was essential for his safety and to make sure he couldn’t run into the neighbors’ yards. I decided to create a swinging gate with a safety latch that matched the sunburst pattern on the rest of the deck. By cutting slats and attaching them in a similar pattern, I was able to produce a gate that matches perfectly with the design of the rest of the deck. It looks like it was built at the same time!
I measured the space that would hold my gate and marked the width on the boards that would create the top, bottom, and both sides of the gate frame.
I used my circular saw to cut the boards for the square frame gate, the gate trim pieces, and the small, thin, planks to create the sunburst pattern after the gate was constructed.
I used my hand sander to smooth away any roughness over the surfaces of my boards. Use care to sand any surface that is going to be handled as much as a railing or gate to prevent splinters!
I ripped notches in the boards in order to join the four boards seamlessly using a chop saw. To make the notches at each corner, I cut slits in the wood and broke it apart by hand before chipping and sanding the notches out.
I set the boards out in the shape of the gate to prepare to glue and screw them together in the following steps. My boards joined tightly together where I created the notches.
I used a waterproof formula wood glue to join the four boards at the corners in the notches I created in the previous step. I let the glue dry for a short time.
I clamped the corners of the frame that were just glued and drilled screws to securely fasten the boards together. At this point, I added the thin pieces that would serve
Benefits Of Planting Native Trees In Your Yard
A new awareness of ecological and conservation concerns has resulted in a rising interest in growing native plants and trees. Why are native trees important? One of the main benefits of planting native trees is their adaptability to their specific region. Living in their natural habitat means native trees require less water and fewer herbicides and pesticides to keep them healthy. Trees in their natural environments are also hosts to local wildlife, providing them with food and habitat.
Build a Privacy Screen for Your Utility Boxes
Are your utility boxes/meters visible on the side of your house? Have you built a 'privacy' screen or box for them? Our utility boxes and gas meter are on the West side of our house. Do we go over there a lot? No. Do I like the look of them? No. I'm not even sure if they are very visible to the drivers who pass by on their way down the street. But, I do see them when I am mowing or pulling weeds and they bug me.
How to Build a Porch Swing Bed
I'm going to show you how to build a super simple, yet beautiful swing bed for your porch. I've designed and built several of these, and they have become my favorite DIY project.
Need to Hide Your AC? Try Building a Fence Around Your AC Unit
We are pretty excited to bring you our latest build. In our backyard, we have an old ugly AC unit. It’s an eye sore like most people’s outside AC units!
How to Build a Batting Cage in Your Backyard
In this tutorial, I show you how to build a DIY batting cage with wood posts and useful tips to save you time and money.
How to Build a Garden Obelisk
Garden obelisks are tall structures with pyramid tops used as garden decor and plant supports. They can create a dynamic arrangement in a seating area or courtyard garden, and they are perfect if you want to define the entrance to your garden. Obelisks can be used as a frame for climbing plants such as old fashioned roses, clematis, jasmine or honeysuckle. Want to learn how to build a garden obelisk?
Build a Removable Trellis Screen to Hide Your Air Conditioners
My removable ‘outdoor air conditioner screen fence thingy’ will hide those air conditioners, allow proper air flow for the condenser, and make the AC guy happy when he sees how easy it is to remove. I made these easy and lightweight lattice screens to hang on the posts. You can easily have this project done in a weekend. So let’s get started. Here’s how to hide an air conditioner unit outside…the easy way.
How To Build A Headboard Bench In An Afternoon
I love to make old items in to new things! In my city, they have bulk trash once a month so you can grab any items from the curb that's being thrown out. Well, my neighbor set this headboard out so I thought what a great way to try to make a bench for free! I didn’t want to do something too hard so I think this works and you don’t need many tools at all
DIY No Build Outdoor Table
I'm going to show you how to create a low table that takes almost no effort to build today.
Build a Pallet Sectional - Pallet Furniture DIY
You can find different creations with pallets all over the internet. From shelves, to tables, to chairs, to whatever your mind can think of. I wanted patio furniture, but did not want to spend a ton of money for it. So, we decided to jump on the pallet furniture band wagon with this 2 piece pallet sectional.
How to Build a Square Foot Garden
This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Do you want to grow a vegetab