gardeners over the past 10 years...

What I have learned so far:

1. This is a lot of work! So make it count for double the time & money: add nutrients while you mulch.

2. Apply it 2-3 inches deep to suppress weeds for the growing season. You still may get some, but usually they are easier to pull out of the loose mulch than the firm soil.

3. Make sure to leave your plants some wiggle room. Apply the mulch deeply, but leave it at least one inch away from the crown of the plant. Leave 2-3 inches of space all around tree trunks.

4. Do not apply hot compost (meaning mushroom compost or other nutrient rich sources) to woodland (e.g. ferns) or silver-leaved plants (lavender).

5. For garden areas in which you want to encourage self-seeding plants, use a garden fork to "tickle in" some compost over those areas. Christopher Lloyd talks all about this in his book Succession Planting for Year-Round Pleasure. He also covers many other aspects of ornamental gardens. (It is my favorite garden book\!)

6. If you are mulching with well-rotted mushroom compost, be sure to save some extra for patching you lawn, topping off your vegetable beds (or containers), and even your ornamental containers.

7. You know you are a real gardener when just thinking of rotted plant and animal material gives you excited butterflies in your stomach... as opposed to the queasiness that most people feel in their stomachs.

Any more tips from my fellow gardeners?

existing deck the area under it will need to be considered. Most of the time it is covered with rock or mulch and left alone. If you plan to complete yourself or hire a design professional make sure you consider a couple of factors: Head room - 7' is a good minimum height for useable space; Drainage - always make sure you create a positive flow away from the house; Planting Soil - if you plan on gardening you will need to amend the soil and work to negate the compaction due to deck construction. When working on your landscape master plan make sure to create an "Outdoor Bonus Room" under the deck. Cheers!

farmhouse fun. Click here to see it all - -http://www.astrollthrulife.net/2013/03/country-french-farmhouse-inspired.html

the shelves, my husband cut them out of MDF boards, I painted them with several coats of paint, and he installed them with aluminum channel. The channel allowed use of the shelf all the way to the back of the space. I counted and measured all the things in my food pantry to make the plan for how many shelves, how wide, tall and deep they needed to be. See the beginning and end result. It's so nice to be able to find things now. It turned out so nice, we did the 2nd pantry where I keep dishes, plastics, and mixed items for the kitchen!