Sweet potatoes are a delicious and healthy vegetable that can be grown in a home garden. They grow on vines or bushes and both types love hot summer sun. It takes about one month and is relatively easy to grow these vitamin-rich vegetables. Read more →

Summer never seems to last long enough and on rainy days, the season is just like every other. Bring summer indoors so you can enjoy the best of the season during inclement weather and after the sun sets. Here are some quick and easy ways to add a bit of summer to the interior of your home. Read more →

Warm weather is the time for planting and adding trees to the yard beautifies the area. Proper planting and care ensure that a tree will be around for many years. Use these tips to select the correct location, the best tree, and the best way to care for it. Before long, your yard will become a focal point and the envy of the neighborhood.

You will need:

• Tree
• Wheelbarrow
• Shovel
• Cultivator
• Root stimulator
• Tree food
• Mulch
• Tree stakes
• Hammer
• Watering can
• Garden gloves
• Spray paint

Step 1: Contact local utility companies to located underground plumbing and wires. Identify a spot away from these areas and determine how much daily sunlight it receives. Choose a tree suitable for these conditions.

Step 2: Planting instructions should be included with the tree. These tell you how deep and wide the hole that will contain the tree should be. If no instructions are provided, ask an expert at the nursery. Spray a circle to indicate the recommended diameter of the hole.

Step 3: Put on the garden gloves. Using a shovel of the correct size, dig the hole, putting the removed dirt into the wheelbarrow for later use.

Step 4: Move the tree near the hole, tip it onto its side, and remove the container that holds the roots and dirt.

Step 5: Use the cultivator to slightly loosen the roots. This encourages the roots to grow and expand.

Step 6: Turn the tree upright and put it into the hole. Level it, adding dirt below the roots of any areas that are leaning.

Step 7: Place tree food into the dirt in the wheelbarrow. Use the shovel or cultivator to mix the food into the dirt. Remove the dirt from the wheelbarrow with the shovel and use this dirt to refill the hole.

Step 8: Pour some water into the watering can and add root simulator to the can. Use this to thoroughly water the tree. Repeat this watering frequently for a minimum of one month. The tree should receive at least one inch of water each week. To verify whether additional watering is needed, dig a hole near the root ball, going four inches deep. If the soil at the bottom is dry, the new tree requires more water.

Step 9: Add a two-inch layer of mulch to the top of the dirt around the tree, staying two inches from the tree trunk to prevent any diseases from developing.

Step 10: Install stakes around the tree and anchor them to the trunk. This keeps the tree straight and healthy and protects it from wind damage. Remove the stakes after one year.