Daily Handy Tips

Archive for August, 2009

Have you ever tried to plant and maintain a garden without a tractor? If your garden has any size to it at all, then you know first hand that growing a garden is a lot of hard work. Now throw a tractor into the equation and you just turned your full time gardening job into a hobby. With the right garden tractor implements you can grow and maintain a wide variety of vegetables.

Today, most tractors provide a 3 point hitch system coupled with a PTO hook up to make short work of even the most difficult farming and gardening tasks. This allows you to connect plows, post hole diggers cultivators, disc harrows, tillers, fertilizer spreaders, and planters just to name a few, but let’s not jump ahead. Some farming implements are going to be powered by the PTO of the tractor, while other are just connected and pulled behind the tractor. If you have a tractor with a front end loader then you will also be able to connect a multitude of other attachments to the front of your tractor.

The other way to get more from your tractor is to have a front end loader. Utilizing your tractors hydraulics to power a universal quick attach grapple bucket attachment that connects to the loader arms is beneficial. Although these are not normally used for gardening, it is worth mentioning because if you purchase a tractor most people want to get as much use out of them as possible.

So, you may be asking yourself, what implements should I consider owning to create the best garden possible without having to pick up a hoe? There is a basic set of attachments take help to produce a healthy crop, so keep on reading. If you are planting a garden, a garden tractor plow is almost a necessity. A plow allows you to turn the earth and prepare the soil for planting your garden. If you have a smaller compact tractor then it is usually a good idea to use a One Bottom Plow. For larger tractors, a farm plow or two bottom plow is the better choice. This will allow you to plow your garden or field faster if your tractor has the horsepower to pull it.

Once you have used your turning plow on your garden, the very next move is to go ahead and eliminate the large hard dirt clods. For this next step you will need either a disc harrow, or a rotary tiller. Depending on the size of disc harrow your tractor can pull, the disc harrow is normally the cheaper of the two, but requires more work in the form of several passes to get the soil prepared to plant in. It is simply connected to the 3pt. hitch and pulled behind the tractor and lowered so that the discs are slicing the dirt clods into smaller pieces.

Considering the tremendous amount of time that can be saved, many gardeners prefer to use a PTO driven tiller instead of a disc harrow. Yes, the rotary tillers do cost more up front, but this is easily justified if you have a large garden that you can prepare for planting your crops in one pass instead of two or more depending on how fine you like your soil to be. One more thing to consider when buying a tiller is whether or not your tractor has the horsepower to pull a tiller the full width of your tractor. If not, look for a tiller that has a clevis hitch so that you can offset the tiller to clear out one side of your tire tracks to keep from ending up with a hard spot in your garden.

Your soil has now been plowed, tilled or broken up with a disc, and is now ready for a garden bedder. Also known as a garden hiller, this attachment will mound up the soil for planting and basically creates a raised bed for your seed to lay in. Some of the larger field bedders will have a sweep option on the outside of the bedder wheels to pull up the hard spots that are left from your tractors tires in your garden. A garden bedder should be fully adjustable to create wide or narrow beds depending on what you are planting.

Using a 3 point hitch cultivator is key to keeping unwanted weeds from destroying an otherwise healthy crop. Morning glories and a host of other weeds will literally ruin a garden in the early stages if you cannot keep them in check. Everything Attachments offers a cultivator that with the right options can be used as a bedder, a furrowing attachement to put a furrow in your rows, and then be used as a cultivator. Having three gardening tools in one in this instance is not a bad thing as it does all three exceptionally well.

Before you drive down to your local Farm Equipment store, if you are looking for American Made Attachments for your tractor . . . try the Everything Attachments website

Have you lately felt that everything in your marriage is going down the drain? You watched for years as your marriage went absolutely nowhere but down feeling helpless to do anything about it. Divorce might have been something that ran through your mind every time you had fallout. Millions of couples suffer around the world suffer from these problems which is one reason why ’save my marriage today premium home study course’ was designed. It was designed to help couples make their marriage successful.

I first got to know about this from a friend, I then wanted to take a closer look to see what was really so good about it. In short the mini course covers the following things:

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A good weight loss programme can be put in place simply by keeping a food diary. Begin by consuming your regular diet for seven days. Write down everything you eat and drink (be honest!) throughout the day. When a week has passed, analyse the contents of your diary. Try to identify any patterns where poor food choices are more evident.

Obviously, if there are several take-aways and other high fat foods, cutting those out would be a start. But if that’s not the case, and what you’re eating looks OK, then just reduce the amount. Either way, use your food diary as the basis for the changes you wish to make.

Make notes about how you intend the following seven days to pan out. This should include food, drink and exercise. If some foods are to be forbidden or limited, write that down. And follow on with the food that you will be eating plentiful supplies of.

Next comes drink - which often contains more calories than people imagine. Restrict alcoholic beverages to four small drinks a week, and write down the days you will have them. Rule out all sweet carbonated drinks. You’ll need to commit to a fitness regime, so next write in your diary which days you plan to exercise and how.

Accurately weigh yourself the morning your regime starts. Each week, repeat the process, modifying your plan according to the results you’re achieving. Make a note of your weight in your diary once a week.

With a plan like this, you’re in complete control. It’s a good idea to add useful comments each day to illustrate what’s helpful and what’s not. Mark down which days you completed your proposed exercises. Monitoring your weight and health is so much more manageable with a personal record.

It’s vital however not to look for an instantaneous result. Although you may not be able to see evidence of weight loss in the first couple of weeks, you should be starting to feel fitter. Try to exercise patience, and do persevere. Motivating yourself over a long period has it’s challenges - but if you concentrate on the prize instead of the price it becomes much easier.

Don’t beat yourself up if you get off-track - it can be easily reversed with a bit of focus. Maybe you need to modify your plan a little. Additional physical activity can help you catch up. Are there any fitness classes you could attend in the evening?

Be proud of your achievements. Your efforts will be much more sustainable if you do. New clothes may need to wait until your goals have been reached. But what about booking the best seats in the house when you’re quarter or half-way there?

(C) Scott Edwards. Check out WeightLossDietWar.com for intelligent diet tips on fat diet and quick weight loss diets.

By August many gaps have developed in the flower garden, especially in the borders. Some annuals that provided seasonal color have died out, and need replacement. Make plantings of the fall flowering annuals or some of the short day flowers. Try plantings of zinnias, marigolds, balsam, petunias, and nasturtiums for another splash of late color. Many garden centers may have a supply of geraniums for planting in August to give fall color. Also, some of the perennials will be available as container plants and can be used very effectively. Dahlias may be cut back to stimulate a new crop of late flowers.

Pruning

This chore goes on all the time for the alert landscape gardener. Certainly the period of bloom can be prolonged for the crape myrtle and butterfly bush by judicious removal of the old bloom spikes. In the case of the crape myrtle, many towns throughout the South have made city-wide plantings of this shrub because of the late summer habit of blooming. I will never forget my first butterfly bush (Buddleia). It was also dubbed summer lilac because of the soft spikes of lilac-colored flowers, but it also was always covered with butterflies. If you have not tried this one, by all means do so as the new hybrid varieties are unsurpassed for late summer color. They range in color from white through lavender, rose and purple. All of the flowering plants can be pruned lightly through the growing season to encourage new growth for production of flowers. This remedial pruning, when properly done, can easily control the growth habits of the plants, also.

Roses Slowing Down

Roses usually slow down their production of flowers during August. This semi-dormant condition is encouraged in order to condition the plants for a display of September and October blooms. During the last half of August, a very light feeding of an all-purpose fertilizer will stimulate fall bloom and will not leave the plant in succulent growth too late. There should be no feeding later than September 10, because if there is, the plants cannot prepare themselves to withstand cold weather.

With cool nights and shorter days, the internal structure of the plants will undergo a change whereby the sugars become complex forms of starches and carbohydrates that actually are “anti-freeze” compounds. These compounds normally prevent serious winter damage to plants such as ficus loosing leaves. Acclimated ficus benjamina show that late feedings disturb this phenomenon. Plants can not make the adjustment to withstand the extreme cold which sometimes occurs throughout our section.

Lilies

The gorgeous display of lilies during August reminds all plant lovers to plan to plant some of these old favorites another year. The thrill of seeing the old favorites of lilies always stimulates the desire for more of these garden lilies. Just look what the hybridizers have done with the lilies! They are true garden aristocrats and most are easy to grow, vigorous and dependable. Madonna lilies should be dug, divided and replanted now for bloom next June. Keep these bulbs protected from exposure to direct sun, as rotting can be caused by baking in the sun.

Thomas Fryd shares his knowledge at http://www.plant-care.com. Knowledge is power - get more power and find out more about ficus loosing leaves.

How to spot the next upcoming investment property hot spots. When it comes to distinguishing the next unsurpassed investment, it is key to acknowledge what to search for in up and coming localities. Build it and they shall come.

Development is essential when detection the future ‘it’ region. Infrastructure such as hospitals, schools, shops and restaurants are starting to draw people to the area. In addition, if there’s a bridge linking the area to another more preferred residential area, it will also attract more buyers.

Public Transportation is one thing to look for. If a subway, streetcar or bus yields up residence in the area, jump on and savour the ride. The initiation of public transportation can convert a community quite alot, peculiarly for vast more occupied areas.

Look for Rezoning too. If a generally commercial community is shifting into a highly residential area, it’s a strong sign the area is making a turn for the better. Also, lookout for developers establishing highrises and, in turn, more suites and homes. After that, the region will erupt - the more residential households, the area gets to look better and more preferred amenities move in like cafes and shops, making the area more habitable and community-oriented.

Scratch a little below the surface, and often some of the more pretty areas are not always the areas that are the best investment. As people transmigrate to an region, go to the local city hall, see the population growth in the area, and if any major projects are slated for development in the next 1-10 years. This is a great sign that money is going into the community.

Scratch a little below the surface, and often some of the more stunning areas are not always the areas that are the best investment. As people transmigrate to an country, go to the local city hall, see the population growth in the area, and if any major projects are slated for development in the next 1-10 years. This is a great sign that money is going into the community.

In recent years, the shift has moved people from their suburban homes back into the city. Doing some online research of your own, will help you determine trends that are happening in the background too.

Dont wait for that real estate magazine to make an article on hot neighbourhoods, because by then, you are jumping on the bandwagon at a high point, and not when the neighbourhood was up and coming.

Do your homework, read magazines, go online. Doing all this may make for a profitable future for yourself and your family.

When you need great real estate advice from a trusted professional, give Monica a call or email. Enjoy the benefits of a productive agentfor the Toronto area. Click on the link and search for your new homein the GTA area