Landscaping involves the use of many tools in gardening. Therefore, it is important to know these tools and know how to use them in order to make your gardening dream a success.

•    Tools for preparing the soil

Before planting, the soil needs to be prepared. Below are some of the commonly used tools in soil preparation. Hoe- the tool has a long handle and a square blade that is at right angle with the handle. It is used to break the soil surface in order to kill weeds and prevent compacting of the soil. It is usually the first tool used in ground breaking. Garden fork-it has a long handle with thick tines. It is used for soil aeration and on working in compacted soil together with shovels and spades. Shovels and spades- the tools have long handles and they are used to dig and move soil. The spade has a narrower and sharper blade to dig hard and compacted soil. Shovels have a curved blade to scoop and move soil. Hand trowel- it is similar to spade but shorter for use with one hand. It can be used to dig planting furrows and for removing unwanted weeds.

Many people enjoy having lawns, plants and flowers to make their surroundings beautiful. However, they may not have time and energy to establish or take care of this beauty. This means that there is potential in having a landscaping business. You can help those who would like to beautify their landscape and earn income in the process. You can provide basic services such as weeding and mowing or advanced services such as landscape design, planting and installations. Below are some tips to guide you on your landscaping business.

•    Decide on the service to offer

Landscaping is wide and therefore, you should decide on the services that you would offer. You could start small by providing basic services such as weeding and mowing, or you could do more by providing landscaping design services as well. Determine whether you will target residential or commercial customers. You should base your decision on your knowledge, skills and experience in these areas. If you will start small for residential customers, you will need the basic equipments such as a lawn mower and other hand tools. Starting a large company will require that you have more equipments, expertise, hire personnel and maintenance costs and other related costs. To differentiate you from others, you should set a target market and provide specialized service. For instance, you could specialize in flowerbeds or in landscape design for residential customers.

If you have started a new lawn or planted plants that need watering for a short duration, then you need a temporary irrigation system. The system is also useful if you would like to preserve your plants for a temporary duration of dryness. The guide below explains how you can install the irrigation system. Determine how much you need to spend on the installation and whether it is cost effective. Take the cost of the equipment you need, labor and that of the water. Decide on where your water source will be. You may drill a well, use public utility water or water from other providers. You can also get the water from fire hydrants if they allow in which case you will be required to use water meter and backflow preventer.

Make a layout of the watering area to find out the materials you will need for the watering system in terms of sprinkler heads, pipe and additional materials. You will need to choose the sprinkler heads to use. The water requirements and spacing of the sprinkler heads will depend on the manufacturer’s instructions. If you are using public utility water, you will need to connect water meter and backflow preventer. Ensure that the utility provider approves them. The sprinkler lines should be installed with valves to control the flow of water. Some of the valves include gate valves, standard ball or valves that are electrically operated in the case of use of controllers or timers in the system. Run the main pipes along buildings and sidewalks so that they do not interfere with mowing and activities in the area that is irrigated. These lines feed individual zones and branch lines with water.

Based on the manufactures instructions on spacing and coverage, fix the adapter tees where the sprinkler heads will be installed. Once all the piping is done and the tees are in place, flush the pipes using water to get rid of the trash and dirt that would obstruct the sprinkler heads when installed. While at it, check whether there are leaks from the pipes. This is because some pipes and fittings may be reused and may have been damaged in storage or while being handled. Some new pipes may also have damage, which is noticeable when the watering system is operational. It is better to repair leaks before installing the sprinkler heads. Install sprinkler heads to the tees with connectors and check if they are stable. Set the rotating heads to the radius needed to cover the area to be watered. This will prevent wastage of water because it will not get to walkways, pavements and other areas where sprinkling is not needed.

If you are living in an area where there is no gardening space on the ground, you can still enjoy the pleasures of gardening by creating a rooftop garden. This is so especially in urban environments where there is limited gardening space. The tips below will guide you on creating a roof garden.

The first thing you should do before spending your money and time on the project is to ensure that you can create a rooftop garden. In some areas, one is not allowed to have a roof garden. The rooftop may also not be strong enough to hold the garden. It is therefore important to find out from the relevant authorities if a roof top garden is allowed. In addition, use the services of a structural engineer to determine if the roof can hold the garden and how much weight it can hold.

Once that is out of the way, then you can start working on the garden. Establish a way to access the rooftop and you can seek the help of a specialist in roof garden or an architect. Determine the design of the garden and its layout. This will depend on how you want the garden to look like. If you are not good at designing, use the services of a designer to help create the best design.

Having a small space or unproductive garden does not mean that it is the end of growing plants. This is because you can use raised beds to grow the plants. Raised beds are made by adding soil to a structure such as a boat. The bed takes less space and can be used more efficiently. There are various methods of constructing a raised bed. You can use old items such as a bed frame or an old boat. If you prefer, you can construct the raised bed from scratch.

•    Using old items

You can use an old wooden boat to make a raised bed for your plants. Buy the boat if you do not have one and paint it the color you prefer. Drill holes at the bottom of the boat and place it where you want to grow the plants. Place the gardening plastic at the bottom of the boat and add fill materials to create an even bottom. Add dirt and plant. Instead of a boat, you can use a bed frame to create a raised planting bed. Make sure it has the appropriate height and width to make it easy to plant. You can make a box by adding sideboards on the sides of the bed, fill it with dirt and then plant. Crates also make good objects for raised beds. You can use orange crates, wine crates or other crates. Drill holes on the bottom of the crates, fill them with dirt and they are ready for planting.