Auto Safety

Advice

Lawn Care

Lawn care is something that involves several different products and requires a bit of knowledge about these products if one wants to be successful. One of the bigger products you will be interested in is a lawn mower. When purchasing a lawn mower one might consider how loud the mower is, the mechanical qualities (how often do they break), or speed. One should also consider what type of lawn he has and where he will be mowing. This will have an impact on which mower he buys.

Top Online Resources:

  1. General Lawn Maintenance--Mowing
  2. Best Lawnmowers of 2007
  3. Consumerreports.org

Vegetable Gardening

 

The art of gardening is not an exact science by any means. There are so many factors that will help your garden flourish or that could make your garden wilt. Every source on gardening you can find out there will have different tips, different “must-haves” for your garden, and different ideas on what will be a sure fire way to help your garden bloom. Gardening is one of those activities in which you have to try it out for yourself to find out what works for you, what works for the location where you live, and what works for the vegetables or other produce you are trying to grow. Just about the only guaranteed advice you can give on gardening is to give your plants plenty of water, sun, and care meaning to keep your garden weed and intruder free.

There are many products out there that will help give your garden the edge, but again saying what will work for you is not easy. Products like Miracle Grow, fertilizers, weed killers, and insecticides can all be very helpful in keeping your garden healthy and lush. But again what to use will depend on personal choice, location, need, and experience. If you live in an area where aphids aren’t a problem, then you probably don’t want to buy an insecticide which is formulated toward aphids or similar bugs. If you are growing potatoes, buy a fertilizer that will help potatoes and not pumpkins. There are fertilizers out there that are general garden fertilizers which will help the casual gardener to have a great garden, however if you wish to have the best garden you can, picking products specific to your needs will help make the most of your efforts. Along with making the most of your efforts, choosing the right products and using them effectively will require more effort and research on the part of the gardener.

Experience is an invaluable asset to gardening. You cannot expect results on your first try. The serious gardener will know that to have the best results they will need, and will want, to get out there and to start getting dirty. Along with experience will come knowledge of what tools and special needs their garden will require for the desired results. There are countless tools out there that promise better and faster gardening, however to really know if they will do what they promise the gardener will have to get out there and see if what they say they need is actually needed, and to see if the results promised by a special tool are the actual results provided by the tool.

Top Online Resources:

  1. Gardening Tips, Techniques and Instruction
  2. Vegetable Garden Products
  3. Gardening

Water Usage Efficiencies

In looking at water usage efficiency, it is evident that there are many factors to consider. Possibly the most important factor is the region you live in. Water efficiency varies greatly from one area of the country to another. Good information and advice for the New England area is not as effective for someone living in Arizona. Fortunately, most states have government sponsored web sites with effective watering and irrigation tips. These are wonderful sites as they do not have hidden agendas. After all, water conservation benefits everyone.

Another key factor to consider with effective water use is the type of plants you wish to grow. Xeriscape is a beautiful alternative to the typical lush green yard that requires less water to maintain. It is a smart choice to take water availability into consideration when choosing plant types.

It is also important to note that the consumer will want to water your plants according to their needs. In many instances, this will require different amounts of water for different types of fauna. Once the consumer decides on what they want to plant and how to best water it, there are numerous reputable websites available for purchasing products.

Top Online Resources:

  1. Consumer Website
  2. New Hampshire State Web site
  3. North Carolina State University Web Site

Equipment

Compost Bins

Compost bins are an important part of keeping a healthy environment for plants and animals around one’s home and garden. They also provide an economical and safe way to dispose of many biodegradable household items, reducing the amount of trash created by a household. The 'mulch' (dirt) that is created in the compost bin through the composting process is extremely rich in minerals and nutrients, and provides extremely fertile soil for gardens and plants - in effect it helps create fertilizer.

Some important things to consider are the size and purpose of the compost bin. In addition, the price and the material that the compost bin is made of are also important things to consider before purchasing a compost bin.

Top Online Resources:

  1. Recycle Now - Compost at Home
  2. Garden Tools, Composters Reviews and Prices
  3. Compost Bins: Compost-info-Guide.com

Garden Tiller

Garden Tillers are devices used to loosen soil, and turn it, which prepares it for gardening or landscaping. There are many types of tillers, from handheld to riding tractors. Make sure when buying a tiller to take into account the amount of land you want turned, and how quickly you want it done. Also ask yourself, will it be done annually or just once? These websites will help you to choose the right one.

Top Online Resources:

  1. NexTag: Garden Tillers
  2. Tillers - Garden - Shopping.com
  3. Amazon.com: Garden Tiller: Home Improvement

Gardening Supplies

When building a garden, one must decide what type of a garden they want. From vegetables to flowers to rocks to herbs--there is something for everyone.

Once the decision is made, the next step is gathering the supplies. Soil will be the relevant factor in almost any garden. Even amongst soil there is plenty to consider and choose from.

When selecting your garden supplies, be sure to get those items that are applicable to the type of garden you are creating. Different gardens require different types of tools. After all, some are more general and useful in all types of gardens.

Another issue to consider is the season. Not all gardens can be upheld 365 days a year. For example, tomatoes can only be harvested in the summer seasons, as the cold weather kills the plant. Other gardens, i.e. rocks, last all year long. Take into consideration the labor and dedication you want to put into your garden before you overwhelm yourself.

Top Online Resources:

  1. Gardener's Supply Company
  2. Gardening Supplies
  3. Garden Types

Hedge Trimmers

Here are some websites that provides hedge trimmers for a reasonable price, as well as easily navigation so that a person can access the information and get their hedge trimmer with minimal stress. Find sites that compare different trimmers instead of a site that only carries one brand.

Top Online Resources:

  1. Consumer Choice
  2. Popular Mechanics Magazine
  3. Amazon

Lawn Tractors

When purchasing a lawn tractor you must first consider the size of you lawn. Most recommendations stated that lawn tractors are inappropriate or unnecessary for lawn smaller than 1/2 acre. So, if you lawn is smaller than 1/2 acre you should consider a lawn mower.

Over the past few years, prices for lawn tractors have been decreasing. You can purchase lawn tractors at all major appliance stores like Home Depot, Sears, Lowe's, and Wal-Mart. Costs will range from $1,000 to $2,500. If you want a bagging system consider and extra couple hundred dollars. If you purchase lawn tractors from small independently owned stores you will receive more information and help with setup.

A few things to consider when going to purchase a lawn tractor: area of use (hilly or not), blade height adjustment, transmission operation, mulching or not, operation levers, reverse cutting ability, required maintenance, and price range.

Top Online Resources:

  1. Popular Mechanics
  2. Consumer Reports
  3. Consumer Affairs

Mini Tillers

One of the main draws to the mini-tiller is that it isn’t designed for large pieces of land; they can handle small yards and can do every day projects. In newer models, a feature is a four-stroke engine, like what lawn mowers have. This produces more power and fewer emissions than the two-stroke engine. There are also electric tillers. These are a good choice if you hate gasoline and want a push button start, but they have less power and run slower then gas powered tillers. On the flip side, gas powered tillers are noisy, producing 85 decibels of noise. There are many attachments available for mini-tillers, at about $80-100 each.

Mini-tillers can do the following things: break ground for a new plot, cultivate and weed around rows, dig holes, de-thatch and aerate lawns, edge lawns and gardens, till soil in raised beds, turn and mix debris in compost piles, and plow furrows for planting.

Top Online Resources:

  1. Consumer Reports
  2. Consumer Guide
  3. Mantis

Seeds

Seed shopping and gardening is not as easy as one might think. Many may think of gardening as going to the store picking out some delicious foods, put the seeds in some good dirt, add a little water and with a little bit of occasional care you get a flourishing garden. The truth is that for a successful garden much planning is required such as: garden size, spacing, soil preparation, and climate. Eachplays a key role when deciding what seeds to buy for your garden. Prices do not vary greatly in seed shopping unless large quantities are being purchased, therefore the real decision will be what type of seeds to plant in your garden and these websites address that as the main issue.

Top Online Resources:

  1. How Stuff Works - Direct Seeding in the Vegetable Garden
  2. Garden Guides
  3. National Gardening Association

Weed Eaters

Some of the most important consumer choices that we make are not always the "big money" ones. Simply choosing appropriate appliances and home maintenance tools wisely can help to save a lot of money. If a consumer is constantly replacing these items; they will end up spending much more than is needed. However, simply buying the most expensive item is not always the best choice as well.

It is important to have an equal balance of quality and cost. To help a consumer save money in the future, it is important to do your research. For example, when buying a refrigerator, you must not only look at what is going to look best with the decor of your home but also the quality of the item and how long it will last. It is acceptable to ask a sales associate to help recommend one. They are trained on helping you chose the appliance that is best for you, but it is also important to remember that they are trained to sell whatever they can as well. It is always smarter to do your research before shopping. That way you have a knowledge base and know what it is you want. It is also perfectly acceptable to shop around a few places before making a final purchase. Buy your home care and appliance products like you would buy a car.

Top Online Resources:

  1. Consumer Reports
  2. Reviewing the Reviews
  3. Smarter consumers
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