House Design News

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• Proper pH for Your Veggie Garden
• Top tips for making your own curtains in 5 Simple Step
• How to Combine Colors for the Home Interior | Choose Home Interior Color

Proper pH for Your Veggie Garden Posted: 28 Jun 2014 12:34 PM PDT As a novice gardener, you’ve probably not thought much about the pH of your soil, but it’s an important part of successfully growing vegetables. If you’re an experienced green thumb, you know that pH measures how much acidity or alkalinity is in your soil. Soil pH is important because it dictates how easily plants can take nutrients from the soil. Don’t worry: most plants have a wide pH range in which plants can thrive. But if you’re unsure, consult your trusty gardening book for the preferred pH for your specific plant. What Affects pH? Many considerations factor into what affects the pH level of any given garden. First and foremost, regional differences, climates and environmental factors all come into play. Everything from amount of rainfall to vegetation type to temperature can affect soil pH, says Organic Gardening. You’ll find acid soils in Eastern states and the Pacific Northwest, which tend to get heavy rainfalls and feature forest cover. Light rainfall and prairie cover indigenous to the Midwest create a more neutral pH. Areas of the United States that experience little rain typically feature alkaline soils. But pH levels can even differ between you and your neighbor, as your soil could have been farmed in from another part of the state during construction, for example, giving you a much different type of soil than the lady down the street. Testing pH It’s easy to test the pH level of your soil yourself. Just pick up a simple home soil test kit or a portable pH meter, which may vary in accuracy but can help provide a good range for your particular soil. You could also call in a professional to take samples of your soil and analyze it in a lab setting. If you have vegetables that thrive best in alkaline environments and you find your soil is too acidic, you’ll have to correct it before planting. This involves adding ground limestone. If your soil is too alkaline and you need it to be more acidic to accommodate your desired plants, you’ll need to add powdered elemental sulfur. You can spread all of that using a garden spreader or by hand–just be sure to wear heavy work gloves to avoid getting it on your hands, and wash thoroughly after you’re through. Organic Gardening points out that adding organic matter is the most environmentally friendly option, rather than, say, incorporating peat moss, which is not a sustainable resource. Compost buffers the pH, bringing both acid and alkaline soils closer to neutral. Veggies and Their Preferred pH Levels Not sure which veggies will thrive in your garden? It’s important to first test your soil, then match up the best vegetables to plant based on the results. As a general rule, acid soil is one with a pH lower than 7.0 and alkaline soil has a pH higher than 7.0, according to The Garden Helper. For example, the optimal pH for avocados, beans, cauliflower and celery is 6.0 to 7.0, while the optimal pH for rutabagas, pumpkins, shallots and spinach is 5.0 to 7.0. Yams tend to accommodate a wider range of 5.0 to 7.0, while onions have the narrow range of 6.2 to 6.8. Keep these basics in mind when planning out your super yummy garden, and your vegetables are sure to thrive. This article was written by Fergie McLachlan, organic gardener who grows her own organic veggies and has a fully organic flower garden. She is excited to share her gardening tips with you so can get the best soil for your plants when the growing season begins.

Top tips for making your own curtains in 5 Simple Step Posted: 28 Jun 2014 01:04 AM PDT Doesn't it sound exciting to make your own curtains as per your own specifications and likings? Making your own curtains is no rocket science; in fact it can be fun and saves you money too. There are a number of things you can do in order to avoid mistakes and make the process as hassle-free and enjoyable as possible. In this write-up you will find such 5 simple steps that can lead you through a stress-free curtain making process. Read on without further ado. Tools and supplies needed Before getting into the process of making curtains arrange the tools needed. If you don't have the required tools for making and hanging your curtains, you can buy them from big box stores or you can also be a little creative. You will need curtain rods and hardware for hanging your curtains. In case, you haven't bought the custom curtains yet, we highly recommend buying custom curtains from this website. Besides, you will also need: ? Fabric and thread ? Pins ? Measuring tape ? Sewing or regular pencil ? Table or larger work space ? Iron to crease out the fabric ? Washer and dryer Follow the steps ? The very first step for making curtains is to measure the exact size of your window. It is necessary because the measurement of the fabric depends on the same. Measure the height between the curtain rod and the floor, and then add 30cm extra for the header and border. For the width part, allow at least 2 n half to 3 times the width of the window. ? Look for a fabric that is available at affordable price, otherwise your fabric can cost you the price of ready-made curtains. It is also important to choose a good-quality fabric that is easy to handle and work with.The quality of the fabric plays an essential role because a slippery fabric could be difficult to sew. You may need to put in extra effort and ensure that the seams are straight and the fabric doesn't wrinkle. In contrast to it non-slippery fabric such as all-cotton or cotton blend is easy to sew along. Also, consider buying a close knit fabric rather than going for the wide knitted one, to avoid the need for lining. ? Choose the fabric that can be both dry-clean and machine washed rather than going for only dry-clean fabric. Dry-clean fabric can cost heavy on your pockets whereas machine washed is a cheaper and a faster way out. ? Now that you are all set to make your own curtains, one last thing you need to do is wash the fabric before you cut it. It is imperative to wash the fabric to stabilize it andprevents the curtains from shrinking if you wash them later. Run a casual stitch along the cut ends, to prevent excessive separation of fabric's thread in the washer. ? Hem your curtains to proper length as incomplete hemmed curtains look amateurish and incomplete.Hand-hemmed stitches are less visible from the front, and machine stitched can cause the fabric to wrinkle. So the choice is yours! Besides, you can use a hand-rolled hem for sheer curtains; a folded stitch will show from the front. Making your own curtains gives a tailored look to your home décor without even paying for any tailored-workroom cost. Although you don't have to be a professional tailor to sew curtains but do follow the tips mentioned above to make the process easy and convenient. Last but not the least, don't go overboard with the fabric selection and the hem otherwise your curtains may look cheap and tacky.Full, deluxe curtains made from affordable, plain cotton look more luxurious than meager curtains made from exquisite silk.

How to Combine Colors for the Home Interior | Choose Home Interior Color Posted: 28 Jun 2014 12:34 AM PDT How to Combine Colors for the Home Interior, Choose Home Interior Color. Combine the color on the interior space can add value. The room can be impressive wider, narrower, lighter, warmer, or more fresh. Here tips in combine colors for the home interior : 1. Choose colors that can evoke a positive mood and suit your personality. Then, before choosing the color first consider the size of space and material color / upholstery that already exists. Modern home interior design 2. Consider the effects of existing light, whether sunlight or lamp light. Perform testing paint colors on some parts of the walls of the house first. For example, on an outdoor wall, the wall near the windows, and walls that do not receive direct sunlight. 3. Match the new color of your choice with color frames and wooden doors, if necessary, brush the paint on plywood and hold it in your wood frames and doors. Kids Bedroo Design 4. Do not choose a color just because being in or trends. In addition, if you want to experiment with paint walls, do not try to mix it yourself to get the color choices. 5. Then, when applying color to the room, do not use too many color combinations. Also, do not let the new color instead collide with the furniture that already exists. How about your opinion?

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