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Everyone would agree that gardening can be fun and relaxing, but one must be prepared with first aid in any case. Gardening requires that one is out for long periods of time in the sun, using tools of all kinds, maybe using ladders, possibly dealing with poison ivy, not to mention bugs, bees, and allergies to mention the most common. Therefore it is prudent that anyone gardening know about the above and is able to handle them immediately. No one wants to have a bad experience and being prepared with first aid can make a bad moment a quick one so that you can get back to what you like to do. After all, gardening allows you to get fresh air, sunshine and to produce beautiful landscapes.

However, what to you do when something goes wrong. We have all heard about people falling from a ladder, breaking bones, suffering concussions, and twisting limbs. One must take precaution always when using a ladder. It is best if one has a spotter when on a ladder, but since this is not always the case, always make sure the ladder is anchored and does not wobble.

We all know about the horrors of accidents with tools, especially power tools and cutting off a digit or two. It is a simple matter of staying focus on the task at hand. Beware of distractions. Stop using the power tool if your attention is diverted for any reason. If possible, use simple tools and stay away from the power tools. Never use a tool you have not read the directions for.

As for bugs and bees. Most bugs you come in contact with will not be a problem. However, if you use pesticides, by all means follow the directions precisely. If at all, do not use them. If you do, make sure you know what to do if there is a possible poisoning or contact with skin, eyes, cuts, mouth, anywhere the pesticide could enter your body. Have the remedy readily available.

For the bees one encounters, be prepared. Bees love gardens, you will see them, they will be around. Should you be stung, the stinger will most likely be left behind. You will need to pull it out immediately. Do not just scrape it off, this will leave the tip in the skin and give you problems later.

Stop what you are doing and pull it out. No one wants to experience anaphylaxis shock.

One thing most people who garden do not pay much attention to is the exposure to the sun. People will put on sunscreen or wear a hat, but the amount of time they work in the sun, can still lead to a variety of ills. Sunburn on arms and face and legs is the main problem. There is also the possibility of sunstroke or heatstroke. One must be wary of this while working in the sun in very high temperatures and humidity. Drinking of water and taking salt tablets will ensure one does not succumb to this.

Again, use common sense.

Here are the tips one needs to know:

• Always have a first aid kit stock and on hand

• Do not stay in the sun for extended periods of time

• Handle pesticides carefully per instructions

• Be aware of any allergies and reactions

• Bug bites – avoid if possible, usually just need to wait for pain and itch to go away.

• Bees – avoid

• Snakes – avoid, bites will need medical attention, do not rely on drugstore kits

• Use ladders safely – enough said

• Use power tools carefully – no on likes to lose a finger or two.

• Avoid poisnous plants – you will save a lot of itching and discomfort if you do.

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It took us a couple of years to get to the point we are with our yard and there is a whole lot more to do, but today we managed to start composting.

I don’t know how many bags of leaves have made it to the landfill over the years and how many have been just burned to get rid of them. I am not talking about other people here, I am pointing that finger right at myself.

For years I had never even heard of compost and then when I finally did hear about it we didn’t do any gardening at all. So composting never really stuck in my mind, even after we did start gardening a little.

It wasn’t until we bought the home we have now that we started to grow more than flowers and I was spending more time online looking for help.

I read a lot of web pages, watched a lot of videos and eventually the word COMPOST has become part of our daily talk. Of course we would like to say that we have been composting for years but we haven’t, but we will be able to say that a few years down the road.

Today I would like to go over the steps I have learned about composting so that if you are new to gardening you will not miss out on creating your very own dirt for your garden.

What You Can Compost

The first thing I needed to know was what I could and what I shouldn’t compost. It was pretty simple on the basic level. I just compost organic matter that already grows in our yard.

All the browns and greens that were once living go into the compost pile.

Fall Leaves. The leaves that fall in our yard from our neighbours trees. Okay we have some trees that drop their leaves in our neighbours yard. We just let them keep ours and we compost theirs.

Weeds & Grass clippings. Every time we mow the lawn we get a fresh supply of grass trimmings. We used to just put them in the wet garbage. The same with any and all weeds we pull. The heat of the compost pile will kill off any seeds you don’t want sprouting up later.

All Dead Plant Material. When winter kills off the flowers and vegetable plants they all go into the compost pile to be recycled.

Green Living Matter. The living matter, weed clippings, pruning clipping, flowers, anything that is still living will feed the critters that make your compost into useful dirt. It’s vital to good compost.

Kitchen Waste. I said things from my yard but I also add things from our kitchen. Fruit not used, peelings, even egg shells. Just don’t put in meat products or bones, only vegetable or fruit waste.

In this case the egg shells are okay because they will break down eventually and benefit the soil but they won’t rott and smell like you will find with animal waste products.

NOTE: You can use toilet paper rolls, cardboard, even paper if it’s not treated with coloured inks. Don’t cut it up instead just crumple it up so that air can move around it. The bacteria and organizism that break everything down need air too.

Image by Mrs Hilksom via Flickr

A solar light can enhance your property, for outdoor use solar lighting has many advantages it is obvious why outdoor solar lights are becoming so popular. Solar lights have so many uses, landscape lighting, path lighting, security lights, deck lights, light up plants and trees. Because solar lighting is so versatile and simple to move, it is simple to alter lighting effects. Solar lights needs no wiring, they are  so versatile and easy to change around, it is simple to try different lighting effects.

Solar lighting are maintenance free.

Solar lights are maintenance free, apart from an infrequently wiping any dirt from the solar panel, and can be bought in many styles at amazingly low prices. You don’t even have to worry about electronic timers, or switching them on. During daylight hours solar lights switch off and start charging the batteries, when it get dark, solar lights come on automatically. Most are fitted with an off switch so you can switch the lights off when it is dark. Solar lighting incurs zero ongoing costs, no wiring to purchase and no timers.

Solar lights are very versatile.

As solar powered lights do not require any wiring, it means you can try different effects, highlight different plants at various periods of the year.

Solar lighting can be fitted in areas where it would be hard to install wired lighting such as on wooden fences or buildings. Because there are no wires, no heat generated, solar lights are safe and convenient to fit anywhere. A lack of wiring also means you do not need to plan in advance your lighting in advance. Light up your BBQ grill, solar lighting is perfect for an evening barbecue. Or what about placing solar lights around your outdoor furniture and sit outside after dark

Solar lights are safe.

With no electricity required, solar lighting is very safe. You do not need to worry about kids or pets finding a piece of cable with the insulation bitten away by a rodent. With no wires, you are able to dig your garden with no worry about cutting through a live cable with your spade.

Solar lighting is perfect for highlighting paths, especially if there is no other lighting and a path is hard to see. Solar lighting will come on as soon as it gets dark, lighting the way, making it easy and safe to walk up the path.

Image by Bukowsky18 via Flickr

There is a lot of concern and speculation regarding organic gardening and farming in today’s times. People have been misguided into what others call and classify as true organic gardening or farming. How much of organic vegetable gardening or farming is still organic? The principle of organic gardening and farming is to stay holistically as possible without any diversions, however this is not always possible and some chemicals for insecticides have to be introduced to crops and plants if no other quick means is found to save the crop or garden from major damage. Since there is so much unnecessary hunger around the world it makes you think if those who consumed ever put back what mother nature allowed them to have in the beginning, the answer to that is simple, no!

In some African countries where food is a major shortage, efforts have been made to teach the masses to support and feed themselves from their own land, only to find that the land and food sources have been drained and never replenished after the first crop, thereby destroying what Mother Nature allowed them to make use of, yet they still complain and seek help from around the globe. In some parts of Africa it has been known that the governments have allowed the masses to “take” over the fully working farms from the minority, only for it to be rendered useless within the first few years.

Organic Gardening: Recycling What Comes Out To Go Back In

Organic gardening would mean making full use or recycling anything that comes out of the ground, back into the soil; by making your own compost and mulch for your lawn too is an organic way of feeding your lawn. You could also have your own compost heap in a far corner of the garden where you can dispose of all your organic gardening waste, to make the freshest of composts which need to go back into the soil again.

Keeping Organic With Earthworm Farming

The latest trend to influence organic gardening is the use of earthworm in farming; you can start this on a small piece of land and it does not require too much effort or space. It is easy to set up if you can find a batch of earthworms. Since earthworms till the ground naturally for you, once they have churned your garden waste up, and bred within themselves you can add them to the ground again, making sure you keep the head count of the earthworms up at all times.

I have written a few other post about the deadly bushes that grow along our property fence, going around three sides of our property. You are taking your life in your hands if you get too close while mowing or just walking.

We are so tired of being grabbed and slashed by the bush if we don’t cover every square inch of bare skin.

They just kept growing and reaching further and further from the fence. It got to the point that we had about 6 feet of unusable area around our yard, what a waste of space.

Then, the winter before last, we had a couple of ice storms that brought down a 20 foot section of bush. The the following snow storms just added more weight causing more damage.

Come spring we decided to rip out that section. Jenny used a rake to hold the bush back while I cut them off at the base, a very dangerous process, but what a difference it made to that area.

Hey, there’s a fence under all this stuff.

Once we stopped the blood and I was bandaged up we planted a couple of grape vines in their place. The fence looked kinda bare for about a month while the grape vine slowly climbed the fence and start to cover it.

Well that was last year and the section of fence looks so much better that it gave me the energy to go at another section of our fence and do the same thing.

This section I started on today already has some vines growing through the mess that look great and have no thorns. I remember seeing them last year and thinking they would look good on the fence.

As I am cutting back the bushes to get at the trunks to cut them down I am trying to save those vines. I will see how they do on that section of the fence and maybe I will keep them. After all they are already rooted in the soil.