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Turning your backyard from a barren grassland to a gorgeous garden is a task that requires a significant amount of patience and preparation. Though it may require a bit of hard work, it’s also a task that can yield a beautiful reward. For people who have been growing their green thumb for several years, transforming their garden may be a piece of cake. First-time gardeners, however, may find a bit more difficulty in growing a lush and healthy garden. Picking up the basics of gardening is often quite simple. The more troublesome aspects usually involve the intricate needs and requirements for specific plants. This guide explores three of the most common mistakes for first-time gardeners and how to avoid them for the most beautiful blossoms possible.

Overcrowding

By far, one of the mostcommon mistakes for first-time gardeners is to overcrowd their plants. In an effort to create the most lush garden possible, many first-timers elect to plant a wide variety of plants within a small space. While this idea is nice in theory, overcrowding your plants can cause them to become root bound, and they will suffer as a result. In too small of a space, plants will compete for water and nutrients, causing some plants to suffer while others take over the entire plot. Limit yourself to a few varieties of plants to start with and be sure to plant them the recommended distance apart. If you are worried that you are overcrowding your plants and would like a safer option to ensure you don’t get too trigger happy with your seeds, consider using sheets of seed paper instead. These sheets provide the perfect amount of seeds for your garden at a safe distance from one another.

Inadequate researching 

Researching your plants may seem a bit tedious, but it’s the best way to ensure their success all season long. Start by researching the type of plants you hope to place in your garden. Look for plants that will thrive in your area’s specific climate and soil type. Certain plants prosper in a soil with a higher pH balance, so be sure to take this into account when choosing plants as well. Once you’ve settled on your plants, take some time to research the proper methods of care for each. Take note of the amount of water, sunlight, and fertilizer each plant will need to thrive, as well as the best time for planting each. Familiarizing yourself with the specific needs of each plant will ensure the best chances for a healthy garden all season long.

Under- or overwatering

Knowing when your plants have received enough water is perhaps the trickiest part of gardening. This task becomes even more difficult if you live in an area that receives a regular amount of rain throughout the year. As much as you may try to stick to a regular watering schedule, Mother Nature may have other ideas and can send a sudden storm to throw a wrench in your plans. Try to set one day a week where you check the soil moisture around your plants and water them as needed. Bear in mind that some plants may require more water than others.

Almost everything is in full bloom in the summer. The crowns of your trees are fully leafed out, your garden is robust, and your lawn is healthy. At least, we hope so. As the summer goes on, you’ll need to address some elements of your landscaping, and this list of summer landscaping dos and don’ts can help you along the way.

Don’t Handle Tree Care Yourself

First, let’s talk trees. They’re hardy and don’t require significant day-to-day intervention, but they do need attention when facing certain issues. While general summer tree care tips include attending to your trees yourself, you should also know when to defer to tree care professionals. The reason: tree care can be dangerous and requires specific knowledge about what each tree species needs. You’d best stay off the ladder when you have a unique pruning need, and you certainly shouldn’t try to remove a tree yourself.

Do Water Early or Late in the Day

Meanwhile, you should avoid watering your plants in the harsh midday sunshine. Watering in the early morning and around dusk ensures water can successfully reach plants’ roots to nourish them. If you do water around noon, a large percentage of water will evaporate before it reaches the roots. Also, watering early or late in the day is simply more comfortable for you as you skirt the uncomfortable sun and spend time outside in cooler temperatures. And if your watering system is automatic, conserve water and plant health by not overwatering.

Don’t Shirk Your Landscaping Routine

Another item on the summer landscaping dos and don’tslistis to retain a rhythmic yard-care routine. One secret to making weeding in your garden easier is to weed a bit every weekend so they don’t spread everywhere. Likewise, mowing your lawn every week or so keeps it healthy and is a much better option than scalping your lawn infrequently, which leads to brown spotting.

Do Plan Next Year’s Garden

Our final note—have some fun looking forward as you observe your garden in full bloom. See where your operation can “grow” and incorporate some novel plants or change up your gardening space. Learn from this season—perhaps even journal about a couple of issues you’ve had as you deal with them—and plan to make smart improvements for next year. For those looking to try something new, consider buying a seed bomb with a mix of interesting flowers to brighten up your backyard next year.

Most people are familiar with ways to recycle and reuse plastic or paper items, such as creating seed paper cards out of recycled paper products, but recycling extends far beyond these items. Many environmentally friendly people may be overwhelmed by the amount of waste and nonrecyclable items they accumulate. Check out this list of things you didn’t know you can recycle. 

Carpet 

Planning to replace your old carpet? Recycle it! Some carpet companies have recycling programs in place to encourage customers to recycle. You can also research your nearest carpet recycling facility.  

CDs and DVDs 

In the age of streaming services, everyone is looking to get rid of their old CDs and DVDs. These items can often be recycled into new materials, making them desirable to environmentally conscious manufacturers.  

Washers and Dryers 

Believe it or not, you can also recycle big home appliances such as washers and dryers. Some materials used to build washers and dryers can be recycled, while others can be repurposed for other machinery.  

Fluorescent Light Bulbs 

Throwing away fluorescent light bulbs can be detrimental to the environment, as the broken bulbs can release mercury into the air. To prevent this, some retailers will accept recycled light bulbs to be repurposed later.  

Tires 

Tires have extreme effects on the environment when they’re not recycled properly. Tires are both reusable and recyclable, so be sure to research tire recycling companies near you or ways to reuse your tires, such as creating tire planting pots.  

Eyeglasses 

Once your prescription has changed or your glasses break, they’re essentially useless to you. However, you can recycle all the components of glasses. Your local optometrist may accept recycled glasses, or they can provide suggestions on where to recycle your glasses.  Many items we all own can be recycled to further our sustainability efforts. You can’t recycle every item in your standard recycling bin, though. Be sure to research where you can recycle the items in your house.

Turning on a lamp for your lighting is never the same as enjoying the light you can get from the sun. Sure, you must rely on the lights in your home in many instances, but how often do you consider the use of natural lighting? And how often do you consider its benefits? As human beings, we should look to increase the amount of natural lighting we receive indoors for many reasons. Here, you can learn some of the key reasons as we take a further look at why you need more natural light in your home.

It Saves on Energy Costs

A lot of people don’t always think about the cost of their energy. Natural lighting is good for seeing and for mood, but it can also make the rooms of your house warmer, which will keep the cost of running the heat down when it’s colder out.

Fights Against Depression

Sunlight helps people feel happier and more awake by allowing their brains to produce more serotonin. Serotonin is the hormone that elevates your mood, which also releases endorphins that make you happier. The sunlight also can lessen the effects of Seasonal Affective Disorder, a form of depression that appears more in the winter when it’s gloomier out. Finding ways to incorporate nature into your home is a key way to elevate your mood, and sunlight is a part of that.

Lessens the Effects of Stress

Natural light can also lessen stress and anxiety. The light affects people by improving the parts of their brains that allow them to deal with emotions. Along with this, sunlight can lower blood pressure. The light enhances the amount of nitric oxide, a natural blood pressure-reducer, in your system.

Gives You More Physical Energy

Staying awake is a perfect reason why you need more natural light in your home. The sunlight can slow down your body’s production of melatonin, the hormone that makes you tired so that you can sleep. If you want to stay energized and awake, especially when you have a lot to accomplish in a day, it’s important to get as much sunlight as you can.

Increases the Value of Your House

If you have a home with good accessibility to natural light with the right windows, it will increase the value of your property. A lot of times, this is because the amount of light can increase the illusion of space. You can make this possible by installing the best types of windows. Great options for custom-made replacement windows are available to make your home more accessible to natural light.

Each year, the health of our environment gradually decreases, which ultimately threatens our ability to enjoy the clean air, water, and soil we require to live. As the need to protect our environment becomes increasingly vital, the demand for jobs that focus on improving the environment is growing. If you’re interested in pursuing a meaningful career dedicated to the noble pursuit of preserving our planet, consider taking up one of these jobs that involve protecting the environment.

Wildland Firefighter

Each year, wildfires destroy millions of acres of forests and vegetation. Even after the fires are out, they continue to have numerous additional negative aftereffects, such as erosion, altered water quality, landslides, and increased flooding.

To help prevent and control wildfires and reduce the destruction that they cause, consider becoming a wildland firefighter. It is important to note that embarking on a career path as a wildland firefighter isn’t for the faint of heart. At any given moment, wildland firefighters must be ready to risk their lives by entering into blazing forests where they encounter copious amounts of smoke, heat, flames, and falling trees at every turn.

Conservation Scientist

For a less life-threatening career path that will still allow you to help preserve the planet, consider a career as a conservation scientist. As a conservation scientist, you would be responsible for protecting, managing, and improving natural resources. Through work with the government on the state, local, and federal levels, conservation scientists find ways to improve the usage of land and other natural resources based on environmental evaluations.

Environmental Engineer

Another job that involves protecting the environment is environmental engineering. This lucrative job allows you to create a more environmentally friendly future by applying engineering principles to solve pressing environmental problems. Common job duties of environmental engineers include preparing and updating environmental investigation reports, designing environmental protection projects, and updating plans or permits for waste disposal, recycling, air pollution, and public health. To become an environmental engineer requires a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering or another related field, such as chemical or civil engineering.