How to Make Your Home Work for You

If you’re a homeowner, there are a number of steps you can take to ensure that your home is working as hard as you do. A few simple changes in your backyard landscaping routine will not only help you budget and save money but also help to save the environment.

Get out in the garden. In the past year, about half of Americans participated in some type of gardening. Have you done any gardening in the past 12 months? Go into the garage and find your hoe or trowel and break up your top soil.

Simply growing your own fruits and vegetables can save you a tremendous amount of money every year. If you invest around $70 on your garden every year, you can sell your produce and make as much as $530! If you have produce left over, you can always eat it yourself. You can make money and eat healthier at the same time!

What you will be able to grow is dependent on your location, of course. In Seattle, a whopping 63% of homeowners claim to have done some type of gardening in the past 12 months.

Use mulch to your advantage. Mulch is used to help your soil stay healthy and conserve moisture, so it’s important to purchase it for the health of your garden and landscape. Premium mulch is a little pricey, but it is definitely worth every penny; mulch does a number of things for your landscaping, including suppressing weed growth and regulating soil temperature.

When dealing with mulch, timing is extremely important. To get the very most out of your mulch, apply it early in the summer, when top soil temperature has started to rise. If you live in a warmer climate, you may need to apply it a little earlier, as early as late spring. When mulch is applied properly, it will help your growing crop retain heat throughout the day and night, nurturing plant growth.

If you don’t have a green thumb, don’t worry. There are other steps that you can take to make your yard beautiful this year. For example, maintaining your driveway, and the best material for your driveway is gravel.

Gravel is a good options for driveways for a number of reasons. Unlike asphalt driveways that will crack over time, a gravel driveway will last as long as you maintain it. While it may not be the most attractive option, a gravel driveway can be more cost-efficient over time.

In addition, because a gravel driveway is porous, it allows water to travel through it easily and into the top soil below, a point that is especially important if your home gets a lot of rain. Additionally, gravel is highly customizable and comes in a variety of colors. Pick the right one that matches your home for a unique addition to your home’s color palette or your landscaping design.

Get out in your yard this summer, and make your yard or garden work for you! Making simple decisions can make a world of difference to your wallet and increase the value of your home. Let’s get outside!