TestDIYOrganic

I don't know what came over me but a few years ago I got it stuck in my head that I had to have plastic lawn edging. For some reason that little tube of black separating the green lawn from the mulch just looked right to me. It made sense, it would keep the grass from growing in the beds and it would keep the mulch from spilling over into the lawn. Sounds good right? Wrong!



The problem with almost any type of landscape edging in areas that experience cold winters is that it can pull up if not properly installed. While that little black strip looked good to me, seeing a big black, grey, brown, torn strip of plastic sticking out from the lawn after the frost heaved it up doesn't quite have the same appeal.



I'm a bit compulsive when it comes to buying and installing things that are meant to be in place for years so I read everything I could about landscape edging, went out to look at different brands and models and learned how to properly install it.

If You Insist On Installing Landscape Edging

If there's no talking you out of it this is what I learned

• You need a landscape edging that has a flange to help prevent it from lifting up. 


• The edging should be at least 5" tall. 


• You also want to use the 8-Inch Metal Garden Stakes not the plastic ones. The 


• edging should be stiff not floppy. It should be the type that needs to sit out in the sun for a little bit to warm it up so that you can manage it easier.

The three landscape edgings I felt would be the best choice were Black Diamond Edging, Valley View PRO-20 and Master Mark Deep Edge.



I got lured down this path when I saw some cheap edging for $20 for 50'. Figured I could do the project cheap in a few hours. Not as cheap as I thought if I wanted to do it right, but not that expensive either if you really like the look.

How To Edge Landscape Beds

You know, I really feel stupid for even considering installing landscape edging in the first place. My flower beds and shrub beds never had a problem with my grass growing into it. For years I didn't even mulch the beds but I got tired of weeding as much. I was nervous about adding mulch to the beds without edging but the cedar mulch I use does a good job of staying in place and I don't have any problems.< br/>


They way I edge my lawns is to make a V-shaped groove at the edge as shown below.

Step 1: Preparation

If you already have mulch in your beds use a rake to push it back away from the edge to help keep it clean and allow you to see what you're doing.



If this is a new edge, plan out where you want your edge to be and mark the lines to be cut.

Step 2: Vertical Cut

First you make the vertical cut which should be around 4-5" deep into the soil. Past the grass and thatch layer. This cut defines your lawn edge and is the important bit that keeps your lawn from growing into your flower beds.



To make this cut I used to use a garden spade. I'm partial to the Fiskars 9667 Garden Spade or the Ames True Temper Pony Garden Spade if you plan on using a spade frequently and are willing to pay a little more.



Now that I have a Black and Decker LE 750 edger I use that. The curb guide lifts up into the body and allows me to cut slits into the grass. Very handy.

Step 3: The Angled Cut

Now you need to create an air gap. If all you did was create a slit, it would heal over time and the grass would spread.



To remove the cut side of the grass and dirt I use a hoe like the one pictured to the right. It has a mattock head on one side and a two prong weeder on the other.



I just slowly walk backwards and scrape up the cut side leaving a bit of an angle going up to the beds. The angle of the slope isn't that important and you're probably not going to be able to get a precise angle no matter how hard you try.



If you have a lot of room to work with and have large beds planned you can create dramatic looking beds with long slopes that are higher than the lawn.

Step 4: Clean Up

Clean up the area you just edged. Go over it to make sure the edge looks straight and is deep enough in all areas. Find a suitable location to  move the dirt and cuttings to.

Step 5: Mulch

Now with your edge complete it's time to add the mulch. You want to add mulch right up to the vertical cut line to prevent weeds from growing in the exposed soil near the edge from invading your lawn. The mulch should at least come up to the thatch layer.



Before adding the mulch you can use a landscape fabric to help block weeds further or you can do what I did and just lay cardboard down before you put the mulch.




When the mulch is even with the thatch layer it gives the wheels of your mower a nice area to ride on but I also like the look when the mulch is almost even with the grass height. Do whatever looks best to you in your garden.

I always wanted a little planter of grass on my desk so I decided to try a little indoor grass growing experiment to see how well it turns out.



I'm hoping it can survive year after year with proper care. Instead of growing it in soil I'm using an organic potting mix and I'm using a grass seed I've had good results with in shade. I'm hoping it does equally well indoors.



If you'd like to follow along with the progress of my indoor lawn I'll be posting it in the into the Grass Indoors section of my site.

Step 1: Prepare Planter

If any of you happen to know where I can find a planter that looks like the one on the right but smaller please let me know!





I filled the planter up to about 1" from the top with Jungle Growth Organic potting mix. There are many beneficial fungi in soil that help grass grow. I hope using a potting mix isn't going to cause any problems. I didn't really want to bring any dirt and bugs inside.

Step 2: Add Seed

I'm using Jonathan Green Dense Shade Grass Seed Mix. It's a seed mix I use in a shady part of my lawn and have had great success with it. The bag I had was a few years so I added more than the recommended rate in case some of it has gone bad. I know at least some of it is good because I had to seed a patch of lawn earlier this year and the grass came up.



The label on the bag lists the following cultivars:

• 29.45% Carmen Chewings Fescue


• 24.55% Hood Chewings Fescue


• 14.75% Eugene Creeping Red Fescue


• 9.83% Frontier Perennial Ryegrass


• 9.82% Darkstar II Perennial Rygrass


• 9.82% DeepBlue Kentucky Bluegrass


• 1.71% Inert Matter


• 0.04% Other Crop Seed


• 0.03% Weed Seed

Step 3: Mix the Seed

I used my hand to just gently work some of the seed into the soil and evenly distribute it along the top layer.

Step 4: Cover With Coffee Filters

I placed a layer of regular white coffee filters over the seed and soil to act as a sort of seeding mulch. It will help keep the seeds moist and provide a better indication of when the seeds might need more water.

Step 5: Water Grass Seeds

The final step was to water the seeds. I only added about a cup of water. I'll be adding more water 2-3 times a day using a spray bottle to keep the seeds moist.




The age of the seed gives me some concern but I'm hoping it works out. Add my RSS feed to your reader to keep up with the progress.

Glyphosate based herbicides like Roundup are commonly used to kill all grass and weeds when doing a full lawn renovation or to kill unwanted weeds and plants in garden beds. Glyphosate has generally been considered safe. When it comes in contact with soil it becomes inert but there have been concerns over it's use including this most recent one. It's definitely not a product that is allowed in use for organic gardening or organic lawn care.



If you are opposed to using Roundup in your lawn or garden there are some alternatives to Roundup that are approved for use in organic farming. If used correctly they can kill your lawn and weeds in preparation for reseeding.

Vinegar

Acetic acid is the main component of vinegar and can be used to kill grass and weeds. I've successfully been using plain old distilled white vinegar to kill weeds in beds and driveway cracks for years.




Horticultural vinegar has a 20% concentration of acetic acid, compared to about 5% for grocery store vinegar. It is more effective especially over a larger area such as a lawn. 20% vinegar is also approved for organic farming.



It's best to apply on the foliage of unwanted plants during a warm, sunny day. The way acetic acid works is it breaks down the cell membranes causing desiccation of the the plants. The heat and sunlight increase the rate of desiccation. The plants will typically die in a few hours.



The acid in the horticultural vinegar will not greatly affect the pH of your soil but follow appropriate guidelines when applying as acetic acid in this high a concentration can burn skin and cause severe eye injury.

Burn Out II

BurnOut II Weed & Grass Killer is a commercially available product made of a high concentration of citric acid and clove oil.



It is an OMRI approved organic weed killer. BurnOut II kills grass and broadleaf weeds. Just like horticultural vinegar it is best to apply it on a warm, sunny day to get the quickest results and follow the manufacturer's safety recommendations.

Nature's Avenger

Nature's Avenger Weed and Grass Killer is another commercially available non-selective herbicide that is OMRI certified and approved For Organic Gardening use.



It is another citric acid based solution that when applied to plants causes them to dehydrate and die. To improve the performance of the product it should be applied on a warm, sunny day.

Not As Complete As Roundup

I've owned my Suncast Sidetracker 125-Foot Garden Hose Reel for just over 3 years now and wanted to update my review. There have been a couple of hiccups but overall I'm extremely happy with the hose reel and especially pleased with Suncast's customer service.



Even though the hose reel is very affordable (it costs less than $30 at the time of this writing,) I just hate wasting money on products that don't work or break. It makes me feel like I was scammed. Reading the reviews for the various affordable hose reels I kept seeing the same negative reviews over and over. Not just for the Suncast STA125B but for all hose reels. They leak, their flimsy, they break, etc.



I really needed a hose reel and was anxious for the delivery but I also felt very anxious fearing that I made a bad purchase decision. I was so close to spending over $100 on a metal hose reel, like they use at my local garden center. I have friends and family that have had plastic hose reels for years and haven't had problems so I decided to take a shot on the Suncast Sidetracker. I'm very glad I did.

Why Use A Hose Reel?

With all the frustration I was having trying to choose the best hose reel you might wonder why bother? I guess I'm a bit lazy sometimes. I like doing things, home improvement projects, yard work, etc., but I don't enjoy tidying up afterwords one bit. The faster I can be done, after I already consider myself done the happier I am.



A hose real is an easy way to tidy up your hose after watering your lawn or garden. I used to have a wall mount hose hanger but the hose always looked unkempt and lots of times I'd leave the hose piled up on the ground underneath it just so I could get out of the heat faster.



Using my Suncast hose reel is a snap and I no longer have my hose laying around where it can get kinked or damaged. It also makes it easy to remove the hose and store it for the winter.

Hose Reel Installation

The Suncast Sidetracker was very easy to install. It comes with screws and wall anchors which I needed to install it on my brick wall. All I needed was a drill, masonry bit, hammer and screwdriver to securely mount the hub (base) onto the wall.



An included short hose connects the hub to the faucet and then your hose attaches to the reel.

It Leaked!

That's right. Right after I first installed my hose reel, attached my hose and turned the knob on my hose bib, water started shooting out the hose reel in every direction. This wasn't just a trickle either. I wasn't happy at all.



I took the hose reel apart and looked at what the problem was. There were a couple of issues. One major one was there were no rubber garden hose washers in the short hose that was included. I contacted Suncast and after providing them with the information about when and where I purchased the hose reel, they quickly sent me replacement washers as well as an additional tube of silicone grease and mounting anchors. If you're having problems with leaks there's more detail in my how to fix a leaking hose reel article. It didn't take much to fix the leaks.

It Warped!

At this point you might be a little confused, I did say I loved the hose reel right?



Actually, it came a little warped. The base that mounts to the wall had a slight bend but it got worse over the years. At first it didn't seem like a big deal because the screw had straightened it out and held it flat on the wall. Every few months though it would pull out and even though I used various methods to keep the anchor in place, mortar, hydraulic cement, epoxy, it would still pull the screw out from the wall.



It seems like it's a design flaw with the hose reel hub (the part that mounts to the wall.) You can see there's a thin spot in the plastic because of the notch for the leader hose to pass to the back of the hub. There's one on each side to allow you to mount it on either side of your faucet.



The top screw is very important because the reel mounts to the top and the weight of the hose on the reel puts extra strain on that screw.

Suncast Support Is Great!

I wasn't very happy at this point and I contacted Suncast customer support again. After describing the problem and sending them photos they told me they would send a replacement hub.




The replacement hub arrived promptly and I noticed they had updated the design. Suncast moved the notches for the leader hose to the bottom which made the new hub sturdier than the old hub.



Installation was easy and the new hub came with new o-rings, though in 3 years I hadn't needed to replace them in that time. All I needed to do was add more silicone grease every year when I put the reel back on the hub.



Even though I had some major issues with the hose reel, I understand that sometimes issues can come up, some of which might  have been the retailer's fault, but they stood by their product. If their products were garbage, they'd go out of business doing this so I guess I was just unlucky. These things happen.

The Best Features

Like I said, I really like the Suncast Sidetracker Hose Reel.The issues I had above were a pain to deal with but hopefully you don't run into the same issues as I believe the new model comes with the sturdier hub. (Update: Confirmed with Suncast new STA125B's come with sturdier hub.) The good things about the hose reel far outweigh the problems I've had and even when the hub was bent the hose reel functioned well and didn't leak after I corrected the issues. I've had the new hub installed for quite a while now without issue.

Compact Design

What I liked about the Sidetracker was that it mounts with the reel flat against the wall which minimizes the amount it protrudes from the all.

Hose Guide

The Sidetracker has a hose guide built into the base. There is a spinning bar behind the front of the guide. This allows the hose to be pulled perpendicular to the wall and still gracefully spin out of the reel without causing strain on the hose or the reel.



This was an important feature for me since most of the time I use the hose I'm pulling it straight out from the wall. It also makes it easy to collect the hose without having to fight to align the hose properly while winding it up.

125' Capacity

One of the complaints I read about other hose reels was that even though they claimed to hold 100' of hose, they didn't. The extra capacity allows me to roll up my 100' hose without having to be too neat about it.

Easy To Remove and Replace Hose

At the end of the season I store my hose indoors to prevent it from deteriorating in the freezing weather. Pulling one tab unlocks the reel and provides a neat bundle to store away. When it's time to replace the hose it's just a matter of adding more silicone grease, sliding the hose reel onto the hub and locking the tab in place.



The hose reel also makes it easy to drain water from the hose before storing it for the winter. I just remove the sprayer, pull out the entire length of the hose and slowly reel it back in letting gravity do the work.

Affordable Price

The Suncast Sidetracker CPLSTA125B Hose Reel is priced very well. It's a small price to pay but it has made some yard work more enjoyable and I don't have to worry about people tripping over my hose or having my yard look messy.



I was really scared about all the negative reviews but even with the issues I initially had, I'm very pleased with the product and the service I received from Suncast. I found the best price on Amazon.com and it included free shipping.

Whenever possible I like to use electric lawn power tools because maintaining multiple small engines and having to deal with storing extra gas is a pain but dealing with power cords can be a hassle too. Thankfully cordless outdoor power tools have gotten better over the years.



After using a cordless grass trimmer I feel comfortable recommending them to others. In this article you'll find my thoughts regarding their use and benefits.

Cordless Trimmers Are Underpowered

Battery powered trimmers are not as powerful as either good corded trimmers or good gas powered trimmers. All tools have pros and cons and as long as you understand the limitations of cordless trimmers you'll enjoy using them.



I own a Black & Decker NST2018 Grass Hog 12-Inch 18-Volt Cordless String Trimmer which I really love. On a freshly charged battery it has enough power to touch up the edges of my lawn, trim up against walls, around posts and remove weeds from cracks in concrete. Black & Decker has updated the model and the new version is the Black & Decker NST2118






An 18v trimmer is the minimum you should consider to get a decent amount of power. If I were buying a new trimmer today I'd either get the Black & Decker LCC220 20-Volt Max Trimmer and Sweeper Combo Kit because it comes with the cordless blower for the same price as the trimmer alone or the Toro 51486 Cordless 12-Inch 24-Volt Lithium-Ion Electric Trimmer/Edger because the head rotates and includes a wheel guide so it can be used like a stick edger. The Toro 51486 is similar to the WORX GT WG150.1 in that regard except it's more powerful. The walk behild design of the Toro makes it easier to edge along walkways that are right up against buildings compared to the Black & Decker where you have to hold the shaft perpendicular to the edge.

Cordless Trimmer Battery Life

I've been using my cordless trimmer for over 2 years now and the batteries are still running fine. I get around 10 minutes per battery. Each battery is enough to do around 400 linear feet of trimming. The battery will run longer than that but after about 10 minutes power is dramatically reduced to the point where trimming becomes very slow.



The 18v NiCad batteries seem to have rapid self discharge. If I leave the batteries for a few days not charging I don't get the most battery life out of them. To get the most power out of my cordless trimmer I find that it's best to put the batteries in the charger overnight right after use. Then 2 nights before I'm going to mow the lawn I recharge one battery overnight. The following day I recharge the 2nd battery and leave it in the charger until I'm ready to use. Before I start mowing the lawn I swap batteries in the charger to top off the 2nd battery in case I need it.



The Li-ION battery technology in the Black & Decker LCC220 and Toro 51486 should have improved battery performance. I have a cordless Li-ION drill which I don't use frequently and the battery doesn't seem to drain as fast when not in use. Even months after being left off the charger the drill starts right up. Li-ION batteries also have a different power curve. They provide almost the same amount of power during use. When the battery doesn't have enough power it just stops, unlike NiCad batteries which just slowly become less powerful.

String Trimmers Are Not Edgers

I previously wrote about String Trimmers vs Edgers explaining why it's best to use an edger instead of trying to use a string trimmer as an edger. String trimmers don't give as straight or clean results.



For edging along my driveway and walkways I use a Black & Decker LE750 Edge Hog about once a month. Because it's corded it takes a little longer to use but it also is more powerful. The metal edging blade also cuts through overgrown edges easier than a string trimmer. Cordless string trimmers just aren't powerful enough to give the same results.



The cordless trimmer does a great job of maintaining the edge after every mowing. It will cut the grass that's overgrown but it won't dig into the soil like the edger does. I don't like having to drag out the cord every time I mow so I use the string trimmer.

Conclusion

I was really woried about using a cordless string trimmer but I am so happy I decided to purchase one. My last trimmer was a corded electric model and I wouldn't use it as frequently. With a cordless trimmer I don't find it a hassle to use it every time I mow.



If you use your codlress trimmer as a trimmer and to maintain your lawn's edge in between using an corded or gas edger every few weeks it will make maintaining your lawn much easier.



The Black & Decker NST2118 is a newer version of the trimmer I have which I've been very happy with for over 2 years and for some reason is even cheaper than the old model! If you don't mind spending a little more go with the Black & Decker LCC220 20-Volt Max Trimmer and Sweeper Combo Kit which uses a more powerful lithium ion battery and includes a cordless blower or for a little more go with the Toro 51486 Cordless 12-Inch 24-Volt Lithium-Ion Electric Trimmer/Edger if you don't care about the blower and want a trimmer whos head rotates and can be used as a walk behind edger.