Source Hedge trimming: tips for keeping your hedge in perfect shape
I generally post mostly about growing and harvesting fresh fruits and vegetables from your backyard orchards and gardens. However I do know that some gardeners like and have hedges. Grin … As you can see some people have much more time and talent than I do. Maybe if I had that much talent I would like hedges better.
February is the perfect time to give your hedges a tidy before the arrival of spring.
• Cut from the bottom of the hedge upwards, using the lower section of the shears, not the tip (that is what causes dig-in, or a pockmarked finish on the hedge). The tip is generally used later on in the cutting or on topiary.
• Try to put what’s known as a “batter” on the hedge with a slight taper to the top (like building a dry stone wall). This gives stability and stops the hedge collapsing under snow. It’s better if you do this a little bit each time you trim.
• When cutting by hand you can easily spot problems and deal with them. Straight lines, the sides and the tops have to be straight. It’s done by eye although some gardeners like to put up a string line, and that’s a good idea. Anchors it with bamboo stakes and cut just above the line.
Source How to build your own greenhouse from scrap
Emmeline and her partner, Shane, have just built their own greenhouse for £100 ($160.00 USD) and, in my view, it looks better than many that cost a lot more. The vast majority of materials came out of construction dumpsters and, as Emmeline points out, there is quite an art to “dumpster diving”. Some people, understandably, get a bit nervous when you knock on their door and ask to rummage through their dumpster, but Shane targets builders and politely asks them, “If you are throwing that out, can I take it for you?”
In cooler wet growing conditions, Cold frames are a vital part of extending the cropping season. Many places cold frames are in use 12 months a year. Even in dismal summers, it dishes up buckets of basil, early courgettes and hardens off young cuttings and plants. Large jam jars and recycled large soda bottles can be reused for protecting young vegetable plants. A neat row of 10 identical jars can look quite chic. Or if you want to look more “high end” seek out some huge, end of run, large glass storage jars or simple shaped flower vases from pier1 and dollar stores.
Something to think about. a survey has revealed that over a fifth (21 per cent) of men flee to their sheds to avoid arguments with there loved ones. {Is a garden shed in the backyard better than a wife in the kitchen?}
A survey, released by woodcare products manfacturer Cuprinol, found that Britons are having a full blown love affair with the humble garden shed, with 65 per cent of Brits owning one. Almost half of respondents (49 per cent) said they would be “lost” without their garden sanctuary, with one in 10 (12 per cent) admitting they would rather spend time in their shed than with their families.
Six per cent declared that they loved their shed so much they would like to be buried there.
Previous research into sheds has suggested that owning one may provide valuable health benefits. A study at Leeds Metropolitan University in 2011 found that pottering around in a shed could relieve stress, lowering blood pressure, and even boost self confidence. This survey was released to tie in with the 2013 Shed of the Year competition, which is sponsored by Cuprinol. Shedowners can nominate their sheds at http://www.readersheds.co.uk until May 3.
Source Drinking Coffee Helps You Live Longer Drinking coffee can not only boost your energy but also your longevity. That’s the key finding of a new federal health study of nearly a half-million coffee drinkers that found those who regularly enjoy a cup of java live longer than those who don’t.
The National Institutes of Health study, published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine, indicated that caffeinated and decaf coffee drinkers were less likely to die from heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke, injuries and accidents, diabetes, and infections.
In an interview published this week in the Journal of Caffeine Research, Neal Freedman — with the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics at the NIH National Cancer Institute said “his study is among the most comprehensive to date of the health benefits of coffee and has significant implications for java junkies”. Researchers tracked 500,000 U.S. men and women ages 50 to 71, all members of the American Association of Retired Persons for about 12 years.
Not only did the results show a clear association between coffee and longevity, Freedman said, but they also indicated people who drank the most coffee tended to have greatest health benefits.
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