Get Started
As our thoughts also turn to spring, now is the time to take stock of our yards and make plans for our warm season garden. So grab a cold drink and find some shade, or huddle over a hot cup of cocoa and put on a warm sweater depending on what these unpredictable mornings hold, and let’s get started. By planning, and where appropriate planting now, your landscape and garden will be ready to flourish in the months to come.

Clean it Up
The best way to start getting your garden ready for spring is to clean it up. Remove any dead or spent plants from the garden and, if they are not diseased, add them to your compost pile. Pull any weeds that may have started to take hold. Once you’ve cleaned up, you will want to amend your soil by adding compost to garden beds and tilling it in. This will help replace nutrients taken up by the previous planting.

Draw a Plan
Grab a pencil and some paper and draw a diagram of your yard. You don’t need a degree in art or an expensive software program to draw a rough sketch of your landscape and garden plan. If you have the original survey from when you bought your house, make a copy of it and use that as a starting point. If not, just make a rough sketch of the footprint of your home. Draw in existing landscape features, and planned garden areas. Indicate which way is north and make note of any shady or poorly drained areas.

Plant What you Like
When planning what vegetables to plant, it’s easy to get carried away and want to grow everything under the sun. It’s always fun to try something new, but focus on growing what you really like. Make a list of the warm season vegetables for your area that your family likes and rank them from most to least liked. Plan on planting what you like. If no one in your family likes lima beans or squash, for example, then plan on planting more of what is most appealing.

Can, Store, or Eat
Once you know what you want to plant, decide what the intended use for each vegetable and herb will be. Do you plan on canning enough to last through the winter? Will you be freezing or dehydrating? Or, will you just eat and enjoy what you harvest this spring and summer. Different varieties of many vegetables are better suited to a specific purpose such as canning. Do your research.

Don’t Forget the Flowers
When planning your vegetable garden, it’s easy to overlook the importance of flowers. Look at your landscape as a whole and determine what native or locally adapted flowers are best suited to the different areas of your yard based on their color, size, water requirements, and the amount of sun needed. Flowers are an attractive, and highly effective way of drawing pollinators into the yard and garden.

Add New Beds
Now that you know what you will be planting and what your harvest will be used for, you can determine how much of each variety you should plant. Look at your existing bed space and any areas of your yard that you may want to convert to garden beds. For new beds, avoid low-lying, poorly drained areas. Clear the ground, till and amend the soil now. Better yet, try raised beds. They are a great way to avoid having to deal with the rock filled soil around here, and will maximize your harvest in the space available.

Order Seeds Now
As soon as you’ve determined which vegetables, what varieties, and how many of each you will be planting, go ahead and buy your seeds now. Be sure to check out our comprehensive Seed Source Guide 2015. This will ensure that you get exactly what you want and have them ready to plant when the time arrives; however, wait until just before planting to purchase transplants.

Know When to Plant
One of the most important factors in having a successful home garden is planting each vegetable at just the right time. Check with your local AgriLife Extension Service or our How Do Gardener Planting Guides.

The post Plan your spring garden first appeared on The How Do Gardener.

The post A Saturday Burst of Color first appeared on The How Do Gardener.

“Patterns are hot, hot, hot,” says Cathie Pliess, program coordinator of design for The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale and a certified interior designer. “Look for oversized patterns in bold colors on a white background.”

Spring design is trending to naturals – florals, ethnic patterns, textures. “We are all so tied to the digital world that we crave spaces reminding us of the organic physical world,” says Juli Sproules, an interior designer and faculty member at The Art Institute of Washington, a branch of The Art Institute of Atlanta.

Here are some tips on this year’s spring trends and how to use them to update your home easily and without spending a fortune.

Big florals
This year, florals are big and bright – think tropical blooms, not delicate wildflowers. Go to your local botanical garden, or visit a florist for inspiration. “Floral patterns can bring color and life into a room,” says Sproules.

Ethnic pizzazz
Patterns are also becoming more inspired by global design. This includes motifs with influences from all walks of life, often in oversized translation.

Mix, not match
Don’t be afraid to mix patterns and textures. “Patterns used in a room – stripes, florals, hand-painted designs or geometric prints – shouldn’t be too ‘matchy-matchy,'” Pliess says. “Instead, juxtapose old and new, soft and rough, various textures and patterns, like it’s been collected over time.”

Sparkle it up
Bring in this season’s metallics trend with warm bronzy colors. “You can mix metallics now too – perhaps a soft rubbed bronze with highly polished silver or nickel,” says Sproules.

Blue is the hue
The cool calmness of blue makes it the hot color for spring. From navy to turquoise, set off blue with natural brights – unexpected colors inspired by nature, like the rich purple of a cut gemstone, the orange-red of tropical fruit or watermelon pink.

Trend easy
To bring together disparate elements and create a holistic, curated space, select a pattern that picks up elements of colors, textures, and shapes already in the room. Then use it in easy, inexpensive accents like these:

* Use a dramatically patterned wall covering on one wall with the other walls painted in one color pulled from the wall covering.

* Add pillows in a variety of patterns and textures that complement and contrast.

* Add drapery panels in an exciting floral or ethnic print. “Solid walls with wildly patterned draperies make a bold statement,” says Pliess.

* Paint a large canvas from an art supply store in a vibrant blue or purple or use tape to block out a pattern and paint in several colors. Alternatively, cover the canvas in a wildly patterned fabric.

* Display a small group of whatever you collect – teacups, books, brass or carved wood pieces, vases, pottery, photos, even gloves or shoes. If you don’t have a collection, start one by visiting flea markets or tag sales. “Pick three or five items and arrange on a shelf, on top of a nightstand or console table, in an unused fireplace, or in the middle of the coffee table,” recommends Sproules.

* Bring in a subtle metallic element by covering the inside of a dark lampshade with glitter or metallic spray paint. Or both – spray paint first, then add glitter.

For more information about The Art Institutes and its interior design programs, visit http://new.artinstitutes.edu/areasofstudy/Interior-Design/detail/44.

The post Perk up your home with pattern first appeared on The How Do Gardener.

A little of this, a little of that
Spring begins officially on March 20, 2014. The time of the year where every garden is destined for abundance and beauty. When the thrill of planting is almost a reality, and the long hot days of summer weeding, drought, and pests is still a distant bad memory repressed in the deepest regions of our gardening minds. During the past few weeks, there have times when on a given day it was snowing in 48 of the 50 states, and times when many parts of the country were experiencing unseasonably warm temperatures. The kind that made one want to throw on some shorts, grab a trough, and start planting.

Get Started
So, as at least our thoughts start to turn to spring, now is the time to take stock of our yards and make plans for our warm season garden. So grab a cold drink and find some shade, or huddle over a hot cup of cocoa and put on a warm sweater depending on what these unpredictable mornings hold, and let’s get started. By planning, and where appropriate planting now, your landscape and garden will be ready to flourish in the months to come.

Clean it Up
The best way to start getting your garden ready for spring is to clean it up. Remove any dead or spent plants from the garden and, if they are not diseased, add them to your compost pile. Pull any weeds that may have started to take hold. Once you’ve cleaned up, you will want to amend your soil by adding compost to garden beds and tilling it in. This will help replace nutrients taken up by the previous planting.

Draw a Plan
Grab a pencil and some paper and draw a diagram of your yard. You don’t need a degree in art or an expensive software program to draw a rough sketch of your landscape and garden plan. If you have the original survey from when you bought your house, make a copy of it and use that as a starting point. If not, just make a rough sketch of the footprint of your home. Draw in existing landscape features, and planned garden areas. Indicate which way is north and make note of any shady or poorly drained areas.

Plant What you Like
When planning what vegetables to plant, it’s easy to get carried away and want to grow everything under the sun. It’s always fun to try something new, but focus on growing what you really like. Make a list of the warm season vegetables for your area that your family likes and rank them from most to least liked. Plan on planting what you like. If no one in your family likes lima beans or squash, for example, then plan on planting more of what is most appealing.

Can, Store, or Eat
Once you know what you want to plant, decide what the intended use for each vegetable and herb will be. Do you plan on canning enough to last through the winter? Will you be freezing or dehydrating? Or, will you just eat and enjoy what you harvest this spring and summer. Different varieties of many vegetables are better suited to a specific purpose such as canning. Do your research.

Don’t Forget the Flowers
When planning your vegetable garden, it’s easy to overlook the importance of flowers. Look at your landscape as a whole and determine what native or locally adapted flowers are best suited to the different areas of your yard based on their color, size, water requirements, and the amount of sun needed. Flowers are an attractive, and highly effective way of drawing pollinators into the yard and garden.

Add New Beds
Now that you know what you will be planting and what your harvest will be used for, you can determine how much of each variety you should plant. Look at your existing bed space and any areas of your yard that you may want to convert to garden beds. For new beds, avoid low-lying, poorly drained areas. Clear the ground, till and amend the soil now. Better yet, try raised beds. They are a great way to avoid having to deal with the rock filled soil around here, and will maximize your harvest in the space available.

Order Seeds Now
As soon as you’ve determined which vegetables, what varieties, and how many of each you will be planting, go ahead and buy your seeds now. This will ensure that you get exactly what you want and have them ready to plant when the time arrives; however, wait until just before planting to purchase transplants. Be sure to check out the comprehensive How Do Gardener Seed Source Guide.

Know When to Plant
One of the most important factors in having a successful home garden is planting each vegetable at just the right time. Here in Central Texas, The Williamson County Texas AgriLife Extension Service recommends the following:

[ Spring Planting Dates for Central Texas ]

– Asparagus: After February 1
– Beans, snap bush: March 5 – May 1
– Beans, snap pole: March 5 – April 15
– Beans, Lima bush: March 15 – April 15
– Beans, Lima pole: March 15- April 15
– Chard, Swiss: February 1 – March 10
– Collards: February 1 – March 25
– Corn: February 25 – May 1
– Cucumbers: March 5 – May 1
– Eggplant: March 15 – May 1
– Lettuce: February 1 – March 15
– Cantaloupe: March 15 – May 1
– Mustard: February 1 – April 1
– Peas, southern: March 25 – May 20
– Peppers (transplant): March 15 – May 1
– Potato, sweet (slips): April 10 – May 15
– Pumpkin: April 1 – April 20
– Radish: February 1 – May 1
– Squash, summer: March 5 – May 1
– Tomato (transplant): March 15 – April 10
– Turnip: February 1 – March 10
– Watermelon: March 15 – May 1

– Note: The planting dates for your geographic area will vary –

To find the appropriate spring planting dates for your specific area, check with your local Cooperative Extension Agency, or refer to our Planting Guides for Fruits and Vegetables on the top menu.

Don’t Lose Track of Today
Well, there you have it. It may seem like a lot of work, and it probably is, but if you haven’t already done so, now is the time to start getting ready for your spring garden. Sometimes it’s easy to become overwhelmed by everything that will need to be done in the garden this time of the year, but remember to enjoy each day on its own merit. So don’t let the anticipation, or dread, of your spring garden, and the promise of warmer temperatures yet to come, distract you from today. Remember, “To everything there is a season.”

The post Spring is in the air? Your complete garden planning guide first appeared on The How Do Gardener.

Seasonal allergies, also called allergic rhinitis, cause cold-like signs and symptoms such as itchiness in the nose, roof of the mouth, throat, eyes and ears, along with watery eyes, runny nose, congestion and sneezing. But unlike a cold, allergies aren’t caused by a virus; they are caused by an allergic response to outdoor or indoor allergens, such as mold, trees, pollen and pet dander.

Allergies, which affect an estimated 60 million people in the United States both young and old, can really take a toll on your daily routine, and they are a nuisance both in the daily life and professionally. Whether you’re affected year-round or during a specific season, learning how to manage allergy symptoms can be vital to restoring your comfort and quality of life.

This condition can also be expensive to manage. From 2000 to 2005, the cost of treating allergic rhinitis nearly doubled from $6.1 billion to $11.2 billion, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. More than half of that was spent on prescription and over-the-counter medications. Some experts recommend patients purchase store-brand, over-the-counter medicines as an effective means of managing both the condition and its associated costs.

“There are a number of very effective over-the-counter treatments to address the symptoms of seasonal allergies,” says Dr. William Berger, professor of allergy and immunology at the University of California, Irvine. “In fact, to help patients save money, I would recommend many of the store-brand, non-sedating antihistamines sold at leading retailers and pharmacies, such as Cetirizine or Loratadine. These products are approved by the FDA, but cost significantly less than the brand names.”

According to Berger, many allergy sufferers may find better relief of their symptoms by trying one of these newer, more effective treatments now available in the aisle, like Fexofenadine, which just switched from prescription to over-the-counter in 2011.

“Effective management with medicines, ideally before the allergy symptoms start, is key,” he says.

You can find more information about the symptoms and treatments for allergic rhinitis at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (www.aaaai.org), or the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (www.acaai.org).

The post Bid Adieu to Achoo: Finding Relief from Spring Allergies first appeared on The How Do Gardener.

Make outdoor spring cleaning a breeze with these four simple tips to ensure that you’re ready for warm weather fun:

1. Get the grill ready – Barbecues and picnics are as much a part of summer as baseball and trips to the beach. Your grill is central to the fun when you’re cooking and dining outdoors, so get it ready with a good cleaning. If you were diligent about cleaning the grill after every use last year, a good cleaning with a wire brush may be all the cooking grates need. If your grates have a lot of build-up and burnt-on food, remove and soak them in warm soapy water to loosen the debris. Use a wire brush and a little soapy water to clean out the inside surfaces of your grill, including the inside of the lid. Check the hose connection for the propane tank and repair or replace it if needed.

2. Clean outdoor surfaces without scrubbing – Over time, wood and composite decks, concrete, railings, awnings and outdoor furniture can accumulate mold, moss, mildew and algae. An environmentally-sensitive mold and mildew cleaner like Wet & Forget works over time to gently remove outdoor stains on virtually any exterior surface without scrubbing. Perfect for mildew and mold removal, the non-caustic, non-acidic and bleach-free, biodegradable formula can be easily applied with a pump garden sprayer instead of a more labor-intense power washer. The multi-surface outdoor cleaner reduces water usage and is designed for use around landscaping plants.

3. Spruce up your view – Clean windows not only brighten the interior of your home, they can make the exterior look fresher, too. Spring is a great time to remove screens (if you haven’t stored them for the winter) and give them a good cleaning. Hosing them off should do the trick, but if they’re very dirty try cleaning with a little soapy water and a soft scrub brush. Before you replace the screens, give the windows a good cleaning. Arm yourself with lots of paper towels and a good glass cleaner. One that contains vinegar will be effective and eco-friendly if you’re concerned about exposing your landscaping to harsh chemicals. Be sure to clean the outside of your windows first. It will make another popular spring cleaning chore – washing the inside of windows – a bit easier.

4. Taking care of your tools – Yard work and gardening are realities of warm weather. All your landscaping maintenance chores will be easier if your tools are clean and in good repair. Unload the tool shed or garage of all the equipment you’ll use this summer – from rakes and hoes to lawn mowers and trimmers. While you probably cleaned your garden tools before you stored them for winter, they’ll still have accumulated dust – and possibly rust – from sitting idle for so many months. Clean rust spots and dirt from metal tools, and use a coating of mineral oil to ensure the rust doesn’t return. Clean lawn mower and trimmer blades, and replace the line on string trimmers. Get blades sharpened if necessary, and run through all the maintenance tasks recommended in the manufacturer’s handbook for your power equipment.

The post Four Easy Steps to Jump-Start Outdoor Spring Cleaning first appeared on The How Do Gardener.

Signs of Spring
When I looked out the window this morning, I was delighted to see the first peach blossoms just starting to bloom. My fall vegetable garden is reluctantly offering up its last harvests of the season. The gentle rain of falling oak leaves is just beginning to hit the ground and offers a foreshadowing of the fluttering brown deluge yet to come. Of course what once was my front lawn, before our record heat and drought last summer, has been vigorously sprouting strange, green, alien intruders that seem to mock the last dry brown remnants of St. Augustine grass.

Get Started
As our thoughts also turn to spring, now is the time to take stock of our yards and make plans for our warm season garden. So grab a cold drink and find some shade, or huddle over a hot cup of cocoa and put on a warm sweater depending on what these unpredictable mornings hold, and let’s get started. By planning, and where appropriate planting now, your landscape and garden will be ready to flourish in the months to come.

Clean it Up
The best way to start getting your garden ready for spring is to clean it up. Remove any dead or spent plants from the garden and, if they are not diseased, add them to your compost pile. Pull any weeds that may have started to take hold. Once you’ve cleaned up, you will want to amend your soil by adding compost to garden beds and tilling it in. This will help replace nutrients taken up by the previous planting.

Draw a Plan
Grab a pencil and some paper and draw a diagram of your yard. You don’t need a degree in art or an expensive software program to draw a rough sketch of your landscape and garden plan. If you have the original survey from when you bought your house, make a copy of it and use that as a starting point. If not, just make a rough sketch of the footprint of your home. Draw in existing landscape features, and planned garden areas. Indicate which way is north and make note of any shady or poorly drained areas.

Plant What you Like
When planning what vegetables to plant, it’s easy to get carried away and want to grow everything under the sun. It’s always fun to try something new, but focus on growing what you really like. Make a list of the warm season vegetables for your area that your family likes and rank them from most to least liked. Plan on planting what you like. If no one in your family likes lima beans or squash, for example, then plan on planting more of what is most appealing.

Can, Store, or Eat
Once you know what you want to plant, decide what the intended use for each vegetable and herb will be. Do you plan on canning enough to last through the winter? Will you be freezing or dehydrating? Or, will you just eat and enjoy what you harvest this spring and summer. Different varieties of many vegetables are better suited to a specific purpose such as canning. Do your research.

Don’t Forget the Flowers
When planning your vegetable garden, it’s easy to overlook the importance of flowers. Look at your landscape as a whole and determine what native or locally adapted flowers are best suited to the different areas of your yard based on their color, size, water requirements, and the amount of sun needed. Flowers are an attractive, and highly effective way of drawing pollinators into the yard and garden.

Add New Beds
Now that you know what you will be planting and what your harvest will be used for, you can determine how much of each variety you should plant. Look at your existing bed space and any areas of your yard that you may want to convert to garden beds. For new beds, avoid low-lying, poorly drained areas. Clear the ground, till and amend the soil now. Better yet, try raised beds. They are a great way to avoid having to deal with the rock filled soil around here, and will maximize your harvest in the space available.

Order Seeds Now
As soon as you’ve determined which vegetables, what varieties, and how many of each you will be planting, go ahead and buy your seeds now. This will ensure that you get exactly what you want and have them ready to plant when the time arrives; however, wait until just before planting to purchase transplants.

Know When to Plant
One of the most important factors in having a successful home garden is planting each vegetable at just the right time. The Williamson County Texas AgriLife Extension Service recommends the following:

[ Spring Planting Dates for Central Texas ]

– Asparagus: After February 1
– Beans, snap bush: March 5 – May 1
– Beans, snap pole: March 5 – April 15
– Beans, Lima bush: March 15 – April 15
– Beans, Lima pole: March 15- April 15
– Chard, Swiss: February 1 – March 10
– Collards: February 1 – March 25
– Corn: February 25 – May 1
– Cucumbers: March 5 – May 1
– Eggplant: March 15 – May 1
– Lettuce: February 1 – March 15
– Cantaloupe: March 15 – May 1
– Mustard: February 1 – April 1
– Peas, southern: March 25 – May 20
– Peppers (transplant): March 15 – May 1
– Potato, sweet (slips): April 10 – May 15
– Pumpkin: April 1 – April 20
– Radish: February 1 – May 1
– Squash, summer: March 5 – May 1
– Tomato (transplant): March 15 – April 10
– Turnip: February 1 – March 10
– Watermelon: March 15 – May 1

– Note: The planting dates for your geographic area will vary –

To find the appropriate spring planting dates for your specific area, check with your local Cooperative Extension Agency, or refer to our Planting Guides for Fruits and Vegetables on the top menu.

Don’t Lose Track of Today
Well, there you have it. It may seem like a lot of work, and it probably is, but if you haven’t already done so, now is the time to start getting ready for your spring garden. Sometimes it’s easy to become overwhelmed by everything that needs to be done in the garden this time of the year, but remember to enjoy each day on its own merit. These pleasant spring days working in the yard will soon give way to hot summer days of weeding, harvesting, and canning. So don’t let the anticipation, or dread, of your spring garden, and the promise of warmer temperatures yet to come, distract you from today. Remember, “To everything there is a season.”

The post Now is the Time to Plan Your Spring Garden first appeared on The How Do Gardener.

Here are some ways to prepare for the spring and summer seasons with just a few simple steps:

* Plans – Sketch out those garden plans, and pick the plants that can be purchased or grown from seed by checking out our comprehensive Seed Source Guide. Plans don’t need to be drawn to scale, but they’ll provide great background information for a shopping list. Research how early seedlings should be started, so they’ll be ready for transplant when the time arrives.

Also create plans for any home projects that need to be accomplished. The depth of those plans depends on how complicated the project is. Make certain all permits are in order, if required by the community; and if a contractor is needed, a formal agreement and timeline is in place prior to work commencing.

* Lawn tools – Check pruning shears for sharp blades – and either sharpen or replace them if they don’t easily cut through a small stem of plant material. Also, review lawn mower blades. Check the oil, gasoline and starters on all gardening machinery to ensure they’ll run correctly when needed.

* House tools – A review of all home tools helps to determine if any new purchases – or replacements are needed. This is the perfect time to head to the store and purchase missing tools, add new blades to saws or replenish the sandpaper stash – eliminating wasted time running back and forth to the store.

* Hand tools – A little care can go a long way in keeping your hands and feet – the most valuable tools found in every household – in good shape after the long, dry winter months. These tools are vital to accomplishing everything on those garden and home project lists, and they are often forgotten. O’Keeffe’s Working Hands and O’Keeffe’s for Healthy Feet are both guaranteed to effectively relieve dry, cracked skin in even the most extreme cases. And just a little bit of the highly concentrated, hypoallergenic and odorless creams is needed. Start every project off with healthy hands, and keep them that way throughout the entire season of projects. It’s the best cream for dry hands – especially after the long and dry winter months.

* Materials – As the project season gets closer, start purchasing the materials needed ahead of time. This helps to spread the cost out, and can give an idea of how much time and effort the project will take to be completed. Get started now in matching colors, finding the perfect accessories and even price-comparing between different suppliers to help save money.

For homeowners who haven’t experienced the warm-weather-project itch quite yet, it’s still a good idea to start thinking about those items on to-do lists to help with being prepared and ready to go when the season arrives. It doesn’t take a lot of energy to have a successful spring and summer project season. Don’t forget O’Keeffe’s Working Hands and O’Keeffe’s for Healthy Feet to keep hands and feet in healthy shape to tackle any job.

The post Five Simple Steps to Ease Into Spring Projects first appeared on The How Do Gardener.