Until one has to live with them, it seems easy to appreciate deer. They devour prized plants and gardens relentlessly, leave droppings on the lawn and travel in packs. Navigating roads late at night is now a more dangerous task due to groups of the roaming beasts. However, there are several solutions to keep deer off of your own property, ranging from natural solutions such as dogs and repellents to a militant fence.

With the increasing trend towards consuming organically grown foods, many Americans have begun growing their own fruits and vegetables. Not only does this process give growers control over how the plants are fertilized and treated for pest control, but it is also an economical and fun way to feed your family. One popular trend for those who may not have outdoor garden space is to utilize indoor pots. This works well for many produce items, particularly tomatoes. Whether you are recreating your grandmother’s marina sauce, putting together a fresh garden salad, or just slicing one up for a sandwich, tomatoes can be used for a multitude of delicious meals and dishes. Let’s take a look at some indoor growing tips for these tasty treats.

Termites are tiny insects that can cause huge damages if they are allowed to infest a home or yard. These insects can eat away at a home’s internal structure, which can cause a homeowner thousands of dollars in repairs. In order to keep a home, shed, or deck free of termites, homeowners need to ensure that these insects also stay out of their yard. Fortunately, this is a relatively simple task, as long as a homeowner is willing to take a few necessary precautions.

You’ve decided you want to grow your own fruits and vegetables, or maybe you want to try your hand at growinng flowers and other ornamental plants. You know that gardens need regular watering, but you’re concerned about limited rainfall, restricted water usage, or a desire to keep the water bill down. Maybe you are simply conservation minded and want to extend resources as far as they will go. In any case, using gray water is a practical solution.

Growing raspberries can be both rewarding and challenging. Knowing some straight forward growing tips can help you have a successful crop of beautiful raspberries in no time. The single most important tip to growing raspberries is making sure you pick the ideal spot to plant the bushes. Raspberries need a full six to eight hours of sunlight everyday to help them produce a good crop. Planting in an area that is mostly shaded will greatly affect whether a crop will even grow. The soil the plants are placed into also must be selected carefully because raspberries need a soil pH of about six. Sandy loam soil that is rich in organic matter is perfect for raspberry plants, as long as it is well drained. Soil that stays wet late into spring will not work well for planting. Make sure to spread some 10-10-10 garden fertilizer over the newly planted bushes as raspberry plants need nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium to flourish. New plants can be planted at any time of year that the ground is not frozen, but for best results plant them in the spring. One last tip to consider when choosing your planting site is to look back at what other types of plants have been planted in the vicinity within the last couple of years. If tomatoes, potatoes or eggplants have been planted in that location within the last four years, you should not plant your raspberry plants there. These plants can carry a particular kind of root rot called Verticillium that can spread to raspberry bushes and kill them. All wild raspberry and blackberry bushes within several hundred feet of your planting site should also be destroyed to help stop the spread of disease and pests.