Living in the country requires a different mind-set when disposing of waste materials....
If you live in a zone where rainfall is scarce, but still would like to have a beautiful garden, it is quite possible to do so! Just look at this list of drought-tolerant plants, which are all beautiful, colorful and hardy - just what you need to create a showstopper garden.
Septic drain fields pose a difficult landscaping question. It may be the only space available but not just anything is safe to grow on a septic drain field. Learn more about picking suitable plants fo
How to Make a Self Watering Container: A self watering container consists of: a pot (any old plastic pot will do, make sure it has no holes in it, the pot I used was a bucket I got at the dollar store) a wick (any plastic bottle you can recycle, I used a Gatorade bottle) a pipe ( any pip…
Sprucing up the land over a land over a septic tank system with carefully chosen plants...
Installing a leach field is physically taxing but not extremely complicated. It involves digging trenches on a relatively flat surface where perforated piping can be installed and surrounded by crushed stone.
Catmint (Nepeta spp.) is a perennial ornamental herb related to catnip. Its flowers attract pollinators and it has insect-repellent properties.
Raised Planter Stand: This is a solution I came up with for planting a garden above my septic system leach field. I didn't want to plant directly on the field, or even create a raised bed. I had access to 55 gallon juice drums and thought I would make use of 3 of them. T…
The leach field of your septic system is the final step in filtering wastewater from your...
Living in the country requires a different mind-set when disposing of waste materials....
Weeping willows can be grown from a branch that you cut off of a healthy, mature tree....
Considered "the most influential garden designer of the past 25 years," Dutch plantsman Piet Oudolf has done for perennial gardening what artist Leonard Ko
Pumper serves owners and managers of businesses that maintain and install residential and commercial septic systems, rent and service portable restrooms and provide industrial vacuum service.
Last year I added pathways to the small potager behind the house. I added a small circular bed to the middle with pathways that crossed diagonally. Only the circular bed got lined with rocks, I did…
Raised Planter Stand: This is a solution I came up with for planting a garden above my septic system leach field. I didn't want to plant directly on the field, or even create a raised bed. I had access to 55 gallon juice drums and thought I would make use of 3 of them. T…
Can plants be grown over your septic drain field? If so, which are the best plants, which are the worst? This article answers your questions.
Learn what plants are the best and worst to grow over septic tank drain fields. Some trees and shrubs are better than others.
Baking soda spray for tomatoes can be used as an alternative to commercial chemicals to control fungal growth. The spray is easy to make using baking soda, horticultural oil and water.
Foxgloves (Digitalis spp.) grow up to 5 feet tall, producing spikes of tubular flowers in...
Inkberry holly, also known as gallberry, is an evergreen shrub for USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 11. It’s easy to grow with these tips from Gardener’s Path.
Lately we’re getting some people contacting us concerned that we’re using timber pallets in helping to establish some of our food gardens. They’re worried that we’re using chemically treated pallets that will leach into our soils, contaminating the plants that we eat. And fair enough – have you seen how many pallets we’re using to […]
Raised Planter Stand: This is a solution I came up with for planting a garden above my septic system leach field. I didn't want to plant directly on the field, or even create a raised bed. I had access to 55 gallon juice drums and thought I would make use of 3 of them. T…
Grown for its magnificent foliage, Artemisia ludoviciana 'Valerie Finnis' (White Sage) is an upright herbaceous perennial forming a bushy clump of lance-shaped, silvery leaves with deeply cut jagged margins. Aromatic when bruised, the leaves are white-woolly and keep their striking color throughout the season. They add light and contrast to the landscape and combine well with almost everything. Erect plumes of tiny, yellow-gray flowers appear in summer, but they have little ornamental value and should be removed as they appear.
The yuccas plant's sword-like leaves add a distinctive look to any area. Click for more about how to grow yucca plants.
One of the most vivid bee balms you'll find! Long-blooming flowers always buzz with pollinators. Ideal for small spaces at only 10-12" tall. Thrives in both moist and average soils. Zones 4-8, sun/part sun, 12″ tall x 12″ wide at maturity.
Dear Readers, Tired of technicalities and just want a glimpse of what this mudroom/greenhouse/leach field thing might look like??? Totally me too. Unfortunately, what it looks like does depend on the results of the technicalities...so I am going to try to keep it brief and just outline the technicalities we kept in mind as we drew these preliminary sketches: ~ We don’t want this mudroom/greenhouse/leach field to be ridiculously large. It is to serve as a small addition positioned at our front entrance. For future prefab endeavors, it will have to arrive on its own trailer. But we don’t want it to take up the whole gosh darn trailer... We were thinking no wider than 12’ (that’s about the max width for a trailer bed), and no longer than 20’. ~ While maintaining a reasonable size, it must be ADA accessible. A wheelchair user must be able to easily access, and tend to, all of the plants in their individual beds/ leach fields. For that purpose you will notice that we are thinking of using the ADA T-Shape requirement instead of the 5’ diameter turning radius. ~ The addition will be a part of our home’s envelope, and must meet Passive House standards. We will have thick walls with the addition, just like with the rest of the house. This of course decreases our interior square footage, but having a well-insulated and air tight passive solar greenhouse that harbors an advanced and dedicated ventilation system is key to growing plants with little extra energy.
Whether you live in a dry climate or just want drought-tolerant plants you won't have to water too often, these low-water plants will save money and the planet. Even better: they'll pump up your home's curb appeal, too.
We polled our go-to garden experts for their hardy and inexpensive favorites.
Dangerous nitrate levels in drinking water could persist for decades, increasing the risk for blue baby syndrome and other serious health concerns, according to a new study.
The application of nutrients through irrigation systems is referred to as Nutrigation™ or Fertigation. The incorporation of soluble fertilizers into the irrigation water is facilitated by the integration and harmonization between the application of water and plant nutrients. Using Nutrigation™, an adequate supply of nutrients and water can be directed towards the plant root zone to satisfy plant demands during the various growth stage
These easy-care plant varieties for your garden are the hard-working wonders landscape designers rely on, year after year, including affordable annuals, perennials, shrubs, and trees.
A drive on nearly any mountain highway offers a spring and summer display of brightly colored “sulphur flowers” along the roadside. One of the prettiest selections of this genus of buckwheat plants is KANNAH CREEK® Buckwheat, introduced this season by Plant Select®. This durable western native was found in the Kannah Creek region of western Colorado in the shadow of Grand Mesa. Kannah Creek rises on Grand Mesa and is a tributary of the Gunnison River.
