Making Compost with Garden Waste

Turning garden waste into something other than waste to be supposed is one of the easiest things you can do and it will probably end up saving up time and effort in the fact that otherwise you would have to dispose of it. Lets take a look at just how easy it is.
   

   

Compost Bins

 

Finding the right site for a compost bin is vitally important in breaking down the garden waste into useable food for your garden. The bin should be set somewhere sunny, which will help the chemical processes, on compost or soil. This will allow the worms to colonise and not die out or move on to ensure your compost heap is a success.

    

As well as adding garden waste to the compost bin remember that there are a whole lot of household items than can also go in there such as vegetable peelings, fruit, teabags, cardboard and a whole bunch more. Just remember to keep out all cooked food leftovers!

    

Keep adding to the compost bin for 9 - 12 monthes and once it turns into a dark crumbly material representing moist soil with an earthy, fresh aroma you know your good to go to add that stuff to the garden.

Most common Lawn Mower Problems

Lots of people have issues with their lawn mowers and it happens to the best of us and even regularly maintenanced lawn mowers are not immune to the effects of wear and tear. In light of these facts here are some tips to get your lawn mower working again fast.

Stuck Starter Rope

A pretty common cause for this particular issue the engine flywheel brake is engaged. This is the bar you hold on the handle that stops the engine when released so just make sure you are pulling it down the whole way before attempting to start the mower. Another probable cause is the blade is clogged or is dragging in the grass. To sort this out disengage the spark plug and move the mower to a hard surface so you can clean the blades to try again.

Mower Will Not Start

Lots of people experience this particular issue and the extremely common and most obvious reason is that you have no fuel. As well as making sure its all filled up also remember that old gas can also cause problems so if its been a while since using the mower it may be better to empty then refill the tank. Other possible causes are dirty, broke or disconnected spark plug, dirty fuel filter or fuel isnt reaching the engine.

Losing power while Mowing

There is a few reason this can happen and they are normally pretty easy to fix. Try cleaning or replacing the air filter or raising the cutting height on your lawnmower. You could also try cleaning or replacing the spark plug or clean the underside of the mower.

The Mower is Cutting Unevenly

If you are seeing this happen there is a chance you also feel some motor vibration. This can be caused by build up of debris or clippings and just needs to be cleaned. Otherwise you should try sharpening or replacing the blade.

How to use Loppers

Not many people are sure how to properly use loppers in their garden so I am going to go through a few guidelines and tips for them here.

Two Types

There are two types of loppers with a very subtle difference. Bypass loppers have a single edged blade that slices past the base. Anvil loppers have a blade that slices to the center of the base so they are less clean and less precise but sometimes you will just need the extra force they are capable of.

General technique

You will probably need some sturdy work gloves for this and maybe safety googles dependiing on how dense the vegetation is. Now you will want to choose an exact spot that you can get a good cutting angle on. It works best to place the blade right next to your cutting site but be aware for bypass loppers they may shift about a uarter of an inch. It also helps to properly get in there. Cutting branches like paper with snips will tire you out faster and dull the blade faster so its always best to try and get the whole branch in there. When making the cut try and do it in a single fluid motion.

Caution

Work comfortably to avoid tiring yourself out too fast. Dont fully extend your arms unless absolutely necessary. If you feel the lopper twisting its probably a good idea to switch to a pruning saw as this is an indicator the branch may be too big for loppers.

How to Plan your Flower Garden

Lots of people are unsure of how to properly plan their flowers to make a beautiful garden so here are some tips on that.

Good Placement

You want to plant your flowers in the right soil for them to grow strong and healthy. Regardless of in a pot or in a garden good soil is a requirement so avoid soil heavy with clay, sand or rocks. You also want the soil to have a ph of 7. You should test the soils ph level beforehand and rectify any issues using sulfur or ground limestone both of which are available at garden centers. Flowers also need at least 6 inches of loose soil to start growing in so make sure your top layer is this deep.

Select a location

Although flowers are typically easy to grow they need an area with a good mix of sun and shade throughout the day. If your growing a specific plant it is also a good idea to check how much sun and shade that plant needs to grow well and if you intend to plant more than one flower make sure they all have similar light requirements.

Decide on your flowers

Visit a local gardening center to find the best flowers for your garden. Growing from bulbs seeds or cuttings require the same technique so just focus on plants you like that will look nice in your yard. Make sure you check the tags to make sure it can be planted at the same time with same light as the others.

Planting Times

If you don't plant at the right time your garden will be ruined. Flowers don't do to well in weather too cold or too hot so make sure you plant in spring time. You should plant about two weeks after the most recent frost and when night time temperatures don't go below freezing.

5 Ways to Prolong your Chainsaws Life

A few weeks ago we did a post on "5 ways to prolong your lawnmowers life" and we got alot of good feedback and reviews so we decided why stop a good thing? So today we are going to look at 5 ways to prolong your chainsaws life...

High Quality Oil

Using high quality oil in a chainsaw is an excellent way of prolonging the life. Buying from reputable brands ensures that there will be no problems with oil consistency or mixture and you are not running the risk of harming your machine.

Sharpen the Blade

Many people may be a little confused as buying a new blade is relatively inexpensive but its the problems that can occur when using even a slightly dull blade. Dull blades catch and can cause serious malfunctions within the machine and this can all be avoided by regularly sharpening the chainsaw blade.

  

Nuts & Bolts

When working chainsaws they constantly exuberate a lot of power and vibrations. This can cause nuts and bolts to come loose and therefore lead to problems with the machine. It is best to give the machine a quick once over to tighten these nuts and bolts every few weeks.

Mixing Oil & Gas

Short and sweet this one. Check the ratio for oil and gas. Use that ratio to the decimal point.

Drain the Chainsaw Fuel

During the down months chainsaw fuel can actually freeze within the chainsaw. This means it is very important to ensure your chainsaw is stored in a dry place and the remaining fuel has been drained from the chainsaw to ensure no problems.

How to Sharpen an Axe

Using a dull axe is ineffective and can create large amount of splinters when splitting hardwood or it can make cutting down a tree take an extremely long time so here are some tips to maintain your axe for the best splitting.

Clean and polish the head

You can use steel wool or a rust eraser to remove all the rust if any then sand the entire axe head with rough-grit aluminium oxide or silicon carbide sandpaper. Then go over it with a finer sandpaper and a third time with even finer sandpaper. Next polish it with polishing paste applied to a felt pad or rag getting the whole head with an even coat.

File the blade

Either clamp the axe on to a worktable on its side or into a vice. Then get a bastard file with a finger guard to file the blade with some form of protective glove recommended. File toward the blade only, do not make contact on the return stroke, and use a file card or brush to remove metal build-up on the file. Continue filing evenly along one side until a burr of metal appears on the other side. Then swap sides and repeat.

Hone the blade

You should do this every time you are going to use your axe. Apply honing oil to the blade using an oil stone then water using a water stone. This helps remove the metal particles. Then work into the edge of the blade using the rough side of a two side whetstone in a circular motion. Do this until a burr appears then switch sides and repeat. After this process do the exact same thing with the fine side of the whetstone.

Protection
 

When finished rub a beeswax and oil mix into the steel when warm to protect against future rust.

Hiring a Gardener

Its getting to that time of year again. When you look at your kitchen windows and the garden has developed into some kind no mans land undergrowth. You know something had to be done but sometimes it can be difficult to find the time to get it sorted. This is where hiring a gardener comes into play and here are some tips for getting the best in the business.

Recommendations

This is without doubt the best way of finding a gardener who knows his stuff. A family or friend who currently uses a gardener can tell you his rates, hours, personality and a live preview of work completed.
 

Online Reviews

If you don't have friends or family with crazy, good gardeners then the next best place to look is online on credible review websites like freeindex.co.uk. These provide reliable accounts of gardeners, good and bad, and is an excellent parameter to use.
 

Experience

  

Experience is key. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying that all new gardeners are totally rubbish at their jobs and that they are going to make mistake after mistake but this is a lot less likely to happen with experienced gardeners.