How to Cheat at Gardening and Yard Work


Book Description

Do you love the look of a stunning flowerbed or a nice expanse of lawn bordered by attractive shrubs, but don't have time to spend the whole weekend in your backyard? It's time to cheat—in a smart way. In How to Cheat at Gardening and Yard Work, you'll find hundreds of work-reducing, time-saving, cost-cutting gardening tips that will reward you with the best-looking yard and garden you've ever had with less work than ever before. Cheating on garden and yard tasks is part attitude adjustment, part shortcuts, and part simplicity—with a healthy dose of making clever choices. You'll discover effective and efficient methods to complete just about every garden project, chore, cleanup, or predicament you'll face. Set aside the things you've done for years and discover: - How the right tool can save you time—and save your back - That doing less for your lawn actually means better results - Why planting a diversion crop cuts down on your pest-patrol efforts - That groundcovers and foliage plants are no-hassle solutions for weedy flowerbeds




How to Cheat at Gardening and Yard Work


Book Description

In "How to Cheat at Gardening and Yard Work," Bredenberg offers down-to-earth, friendly-neighbor-next-door advice and new, easier ways of doing gardening and yard work without sacrificing results.




The Comic Book Guide to Growing Food


Book Description

The first graphic novel guide to growing a successful raised bed vegetable garden, from planning, prepping, and planting, to troubleshooting, care, and harvesting. “A fun read packed with practical advice, it’s the perfect resource for new gardeners, guiding you through every step to plant, grow, and harvest a thriving and productive food garden.”—Joe Lamp’l, founder and creator of the Online Gardening Academy Like having your own personal gardening mentor at your side, The Comic Book Guide to Growing Food is the story of Mia, an eager young professional who wants to grow her own vegetables but doesn't know where to start, and George, her retired neighbor who loves gardening and walks her through each step of the process. Throughout the book, "cheat sheets" sum up George's key facts and techniques, providing a handy quick reference for anyone starting their first vegetable garden, including how to find the best location, which vegetables are easiest to grow, how to pick out the healthiest plants at the store, when (and when not) to water, how to protect your plants from pests, and what to do with extra produce if you grow too much. If you are a visual learner, beginning gardener, looking for something new, or have struggled to grow vegetables in the past, you'll find this unique illustrated format ideal because many gardening concepts--from proper planting techniques to building raised beds--are easier to grasp when presented visually, step by step. Easy and entertaining, The Comic Book Guide to Growing Food makes homegrown vegetables fun and achievable.




Landscaping For Dummies


Book Description

Create an eye-catching outdoor oasis with this no-nonsense guide to landscaping As families spend more time at home, they're expanding their living space to their yards, decks, and patios. When you're ready to upgrade the look of your landscape, Landscaping For Dummies offers advice on installing fences and walkways, choosing hardy plants and trees, and enhancing natural habitats for the critters and creatures lurking in your neighborhood. You'll find out how to make your backyard a relaxing retreat space and discover the enjoyment and satisfaction that comes from working in your yard. Landscaping For Dummies includes: Lists of recommended plants and varieties, including the best ones for privacy plantings, low-maintenance groundcovers, and small gardens Advice on how to deal with special landscaping concerns, including fire-prone areas, bee and butterfly gardens, and drought-tolerant and native landscapes Instructions on installing permanent features like decks, patios, fences, and more Pointers on how to water more efficiently, including the latest tools and technologies that can save you time With a little bit of planning and some digging, trimming, or planting, you'll be set to enjoy your yard whenever the mood strikes. Let Landscaping For Dummies be your guide to making the most of your outdoor space.




Feng Shui Your Garden For Dummies


Book Description

You stroll out into your backyard. You see a tangle of overgrown shrubs, a lawn that needed to be mowed yesterday, and a series of rosebushes minus the roses. Or maybe you’ve just taken possession of your brand-new house in a brand-new subdivision, and when you step out the back door, all you see is a vista of sod – and in the far distance, the neighbor’s sapling. Either way, you know that you want to do something to your yard, and soon. But you’re not quite sure what or how. Feng Shui Your Garden For Dummies has the answer. This ancient Chinese philosophy of design can be applied to any room, building, or outdoor space, and it doesn’t require burning incense or belief in bizarre, esoteric ideas. Feng Shui Your Garden For Dummies is for you if you Have a yard, garden, or piece of outdoor space Know that your surroundings influence how you feel Want to design a friendly, welcoming outdoor space Feng Shui Your Garden For Dummies is organized so that the information is easy to find and easy to use. Each part of the book relates to a general topic. You'll discover information about: Understanding the principles of Feng Shui, to give you some hints about getting the energy flowing in your garden (can you feel those good vibes?) Getting started on your Feng Shui garden, by choosing an auspicious (favorable) location for your garden, creating positive energy with your plants, and raising the energy by inviting wildlife into it Creating a theme garden, such as an aromatherapy garden, hummingbird garden, butterfly garden, or Zen garden. You'll also gain insight into gardening in tight spaces such as patios, rooftops, and courtyards Feng Shui is just a way of looking at the world and shaping your environment to be pleasing and welcoming to you. You don’t even have to believe in it for it to work. But it does work. Let this book show you how.




Square Foot Gardening


Book Description

A new edition of the classic gardening handbook details a simple yet highly effective gardening system, based on a grid of one-foot by one-foot squares, that produces big yields with less space and with less work than with conventional row gardens. Reissue. 30,000 first printing.




How to Cheat at Cleaning


Book Description

Part how-to bible and part liberating manifesto, this volume rewrites the housekeeping rules. Delivered in a swingy, conversational, irreverent style, this book is peppered with quick-read recurring boxes, including amusing anecdotes, easy cleaning formulas, great cleaning gear, cleaning emergencies, and how to eliminate dirt through design.




Gardening Basics For Dummies


Book Description

Plant the garden of your dreams! Even if you’ve never sowed a seed nor pulled a weed, Gardening Basics For Dummies contains everything you need to know about flowers, beds, borders, trees, shrubs, and lawns to create your own private paradise. This friendly and informative guide also covers all of the tools and additives available to make gardening easier. You’ll discover: Clear definitions and descriptions of the different types of plants Tips on choosing the type of garden you want How to create a garden plan Easy-to-follow instructions for soil preparation Advice on planting, growing and caring for annuals and perennials Step-by-step plans for organic and edible gardens Plans for butterfly and children's gardens Packed with helpful tips on controlling pests safely, managing weeds, and correcting common gardening problems, Gardening for Dummies turns your brown thumb green in a hurry.




Floret Farm's Discovering Dahlias


Book Description

A stunning guide to growing, harvesting, and arranging gorgeous dahlia blooms from celebrated farmer-florist and New York Times bestselling author Erin Benzakein, founder of Floret Flower Farm. World-renowned flower farmer and floral designer Erin Benzakein reveals all the secrets to growing, cultivating, and arranging gorgeous dahlias. These coveted floral treasures come in a dazzling range of colors, sizes, and forms, with enough variety for virtually every garden space and personal preference, making them one of the most beloved flowers for arrangements. In these pages, readers will discover: • Expert advice for planting, harvesting, and arranging garden-fresh dahlias • A simple-to-follow overview of the dahlia classification system • An A–Z guide with photos and descriptions of more than 350 varieties • Step-by-step how-to's for designing show-stopping dahlia bouquets that elevate any occasion Expert Author: Erin Benzakein's gorgeous flowers are celebrated throughout the world. Her book Floret Farm's A Year in Flowers was a New York Times bestseller and her first book, Floret Farm's Cut Flower Garden, won the American Horticultural Society Book Award. Filled with Wisdom: Overflowing with hundreds of lush photographs and invaluable advice, DISCOVERING DAHLIAS is an essential resource for gardeners and a must-have for anyone who loves flowers, including flower lovers, avid and novice gardeners, floral designers, florists, small farmers, stylists, and designers.




Veg in One Bed


Book Description

Gardening YouTube sensation Huw Richards shows how to inexpensively grow year-round vegetables from just one raised bed. Keyed to a temperate coastal climate but adaptable to variations in temperature and rainfall, Huw's clear, practical advice will help you produce a bountiful harvest with minimal space and effort. In just one raised bed, green thumb wunderkind Huw Richards shows you how to grow vegetables easily, organically, abundantly, and inexpensively so you have something to harvest every month of the year. Month by month, discover what you need to do and how to do it. Try it in your yard, a small garden, or even on a roof terrace. Everything is explained in clear, photographed steps: building your bed, growing from seed, planting, feeding, and harvesting. Huw shows how to guarantee early success by starting off young plants on a windowsill. He suggests what to grow in each part of the bed and provides alternative vegetables to swap in or out depending on what you like eating. No-dig gardening methods remove most of the back-breaking work, too. Veg in One Bed goes beyond the inspiring demonstrations on his YouTube channel Huw's Nursery. In this book, he organizes all of his ideas and suggestions into a blueprint for growing your own vegetables month by month. Very little growing experience? Only a small space? No matter--with Veg in One Bed, you can still eat food you have grown throughout the year.