Garden Tools - Care and Repair

The proper care and maintenance of garden tools and implements will save the risk of injury, as well as time and money.

Knowing how to properly use and maintain garden tools will increase their life, help prevent personal injury, and increase your gardening enjoyment.

For example, properly uncoiling a hose will prevent you from tripping or catching your foot in the coil.

The points of an upturned rake can inflict painful and sometimes serious puncture wounds when stepped on, to say nothing about the possibility of the handle flying up and striking you in the face. Tools must not be left where their edges or point may be hidden by grass, leaves, or other material.

Keep your fingers away from the blades of the lawn mower: merely striking your hand against the blades can lead to a brutal injury.

A small, slight crack in a wooden handle can be repaired by wrapping the handle with tape. A glass filament tape is particularly useful for such a job. Splinters in wooden handles of rakes, hoes, and shovels can be cured by sanding the surface until it becomes smooth again; this not only protects your hands, but keeps the cracks from spreading and causing the handle to break. A good way to preserve a wooden handle is to apply several coats of quality varnish or to paint it

The metal parts of the tool may be painted, with a primer coat, and two coats of exterior paint.

However, any metal part which goes into the ground should not be painted.

Aside from preservation by paint, the tools are easier to find when their handles are of a colour which makes them conspicuous if left lying on the grass. The colour should not be green or brown, but a bright contrast to the grass such as red, yellow, blue, or white.

The metal edges of shovels, hoes, rakes or other garden tools may become nicked. These may be smoothed with a metal file. Any rough surfaces should be gone over with steel wool or other abrasive which is good for metal. Dents may be straightened out by hammering with a mallet.

A wheelbarrow break, in the wood or metal parts, should be repaired at once. Painting the wheelbarrow helps preserve the wood. The moving parts need occasional oiling, to run smoothly.

For winter storage, keep tools in a dry spot as dampness could be harmful. Wipe all tools clean of any dirt or grass before being stored. The metal parts should be coated with a mixture of petroleum jelly and light oil, to prevent rust.

Caring for your garden tools will help them last year after year!

But even with the best care garden tools have to be replaced because of your own safety and for better working methods.

For an array of garden tools to choose from visit
http://www.gardeningtoolsandmore.com/

Aquaponics is a new way of approaching farming

Unlike traditional agriculture where you needed plants to grow vegetables, with aquaponics you need water and fish in order to have healthy food on your table each and every day. Basically, aquaponics relies on the interdependence between fish and plants: the fish produces bio-nutrients for the plants, while the plants clean the water, creating a perfect environment for the fish to grow and develop. It is a blend of aquaculture and hydroponics that has plenty of advantages. If you need some reasons to get your own aquaponic system started, then here are some of the advantages you will get once you assemble it.

First of all you will have fresh organic food on your table each and every day, regardless of the hour when you decide to cook your meals. You simply take your tomato, cucumber or your basil from the aquaponic “field” and use it for your meals.  It is as easy as it sounds.

The second best thing about it is that you not only grow vegetables, but you also have plenty of fish. Whether you want them for cooking tasty meals or simply for your décor, they are a great addition in your home! They also have a practical purpose, as you will never have to use chemical fertilizers on your plants, thus obtaining real organic food.

If you ask how difficult it is to put this system into practice, the answer is extremely simple. Not only will you be able to assemble it all by yourself, without the help of your family or neighbours, but you can also put it wherever you want. If you move from one house to another, then you simply disassemble the system and take it with you! What can be easier than that?

Another great advantage of the hydroponic farming is that it offers you financial independence and control over your money. You know exactly how much you need to spend on your food and you will no longer depend on the market for your veggies’ supplies.

Last, but not least, it involves no dirty hands and clothes, no bending and digging, no land and little maintenance time, so it will be like your veggies and fish grow all by themselves! Quite an easy to put in practice system, suitable for all types of people, even for busy and impatient ones!

There are plenty advantages that the aquaponic system can offer you! Your health and your comfort will be improved, while your savings will considerably grow with the constant use of the aquaponic type of farming! If this is what you want, then why not give it a try?

Let’s Get Started with the Gardening!

Gardening is a wonderful pastime the whole family can enjoy. In addition, gardening has become an increasingly popular hobby for people of all ages and is one of the most popular outdoor recreational activities around the globe.

When people start planting their garden, they start with flowers and most people will pursue planting roses. The novice gardener does not realize that roses usually take the most time and effort as compared to other flowers. With such an enormous array of flowers to choose from, it is best for the novice to start with easy care plants and flowers.

Vegetable gardens have become very popular too. A vegetable garden can bring a sense of pride and accomplishment when you place those fresh vegetables on your dinner table. The list of vegetable plants is endless. When planning your vegetable garden choose the right vegetable for your growing climate. For instance, cool weather crops would be green beans, zucchini and cucumbers.

Many gardeners will consider planting fruits as well. In a warm climate, you could plant watermelons, and trees such as apricots and peaches, to name just a few.

A berry garden is also fun, planting strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. These types of berry gardens are easy to care for and take less space than a traditional vegetable garden.

Herbs are another favourite for the garden. If you have limited space, you can grow your herbs indoors in a sunny window. The most often used herbs for cooking are basil, thyme, oregano, parsley, rosemary and chives. These herbs are easy to grow too.

Landscaping your yard is another form of gardening. There are different types of grasses and shrubbery to decorate your yard. Decorative rocks, ponds and statues are also included as a form of landscape gardening. Landscaping your yard is not limited to plant life. As with a garden, your lawn and shrubbery needs to be kept up.

Gardening can be fun and educational for the whole family. In addition, what a delight to see the flowers bloom and harvest the vegetables.

However, as with anything else, to be a successful gardener takes work. Plants need to be weeded and watered. Do not get discouraged if the flowers are not as brilliant as expected or the vegetables did not do so well.

Research the plant in question and then try again next planting season. Eventually you will have a wonderful garden.

Why Is an Aquaponic System Better than a Hydroponic One?

Hydroponic gardens are already highly popular among people of all ages.

They require little space, are easy to take care of and give satisfactory results. However, because you will need to supply the water with necessary nutrients, which are most of the times chemical, the taste of the crops is not quite the ones people expect. Also, people trying to switch to organic products have a hard time in coping with the chemical additions from the hydroponically-grown vegetables. Fortunately, a new type of gardening is available. It is called the aquaponic system and can help you grow organic food in your home.

The aquaponic system is a mixture between the aquaculture, as it requires growing fish in special fish tank und hydroponics, as it involves growing plants with water and nutrients. You will probably wonder what role the fish play in all this business. Well, things are quite easy: the fish excrements contain ammonia which is later decomposed in nitrites and nitrates. The latter substance is benefice for the plants, offering them enough nutrients to grow and develop normally. Thus, there will be no need to supply your plants with chemical substances as they will already have all the food they need.

This leads to the several advantages that the aquaponic system has over the hydroponic one. First, the vegetables will have a better taste as they will grow only with natural food and at their own pace. This will give them that delicious taste you love so much in veggies. Then, the system is simpler, as you will no longer need to feed your plants each and every day. Just make sure that your fish are in good shape and then let nature take its course.

Last, but not least, with the aquaponic system you do not only grow vegetables, but you also have fish which you can use for decorative purposes or you can very well cook delicious meals for you and your family.

Aquaponic is an improved version of the hydroponic system. The crops are better and the process is easier. In addition to that you get to eat organic food! What more can you wish for?

For more information go to

http://www.gardeningtoolsandmore.com