As spring arrives and we head outside for fresh air, it’s time to get outdoor projects underway. Sweep out the garage, and clean rain gutters, windows, and outdoor furniture. Perhaps creating a vegetable garden has been something you want to try, now is the time to get moving!
Clean Outdoor Furniture: Assess, scrub, wash, repaint
The first step is to clean the furniture. Click here to review tips on the best way to clean your outdoor furniture. Look at your pillows, cushions, and umbrella as they may all need cleaning; click here for tips.
Be careful if you go to your local home store and see the many outdoor cleaning products for your deck and outdoor furniture. Do your homework ahead of time, as many of these products use Bleach (Sodium hypochlorite) as the active ingredient, which will kill your plants. Look for nontoxic cleaners that are better for your health, kids, and pets. Products with sodium percarbonate and sodium carbonate (OxiClean) break down and do not kill plants.
Keep it simple and make your own cleaner using equal parts of white vinegar and warm water use a scrub brush, and you will be amazed at how clean your furniture will look. If working with metal furniture, carefully remove all rust with a wire brush before cleaning. Repaint for a fresh look! Use Rustoleum paint and primer as it comes in many colors and finishes and quickly gets the job done. If you are painting a large amount of furniture to reduce hand fatigue, purchase a comfortable handgrip, you will be glad you did!
Create a Garden
If this is your first endeavor in gardening, you may wish to keep it simple. Creating a raised bed will help control the soil components (what is going into your vegetables) and control pests.
Resources and how-to steps:
- Choose your components for creating the box.
- How to build a raised 4 x 4 bed. You can purchase a kit; click here for information.
- Pick suitable soil. It should consist of 25% compost, 25% topsoil, and 50% raised bed or veggie garden potting mix. Or select bags to fit your box; click here for a soil calculator.
- Check the soil pH before you plant. Click here to understand what it tells you.
- Choose what you want to plant and understand organic fertilizer options for your vegetables. Click here to understand what it takes to grow plants from seed.
- Keep deer away with a simple structure of posts and netting. For other animals, click here for tips. If you want something more structural, check out how-to videos and find the option you think would work best for your garden.
Happy Spring! Enjoy your outdoor spring projects, share pictures of your completed work. I would love to see them! Are you struggling with a remodel or pulling a room together? Give me a call at 610-955-8202 or email me for a consultation; I would love to help!
By Debbie Correale, Redesign Right, LLC. Stay connected on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Houzz, and Pinterest. Feature photo licensed from Shutterstock.