The Advantages of Raised Bed Gardening

Thinking about creating a garden this year? Then take a lesson from the Chinese, who successfully cultivate prolific, raised bed gardens in miniscule backyards. High, mounded garden beds yield nearly twice the amount of produce than traditional row gardens. The plants also tend to be bigger and bear more fruit. Here are a few more reasons why raised bed gardens are the way to go.

Raised bed gardens allow you to fit more plants within a smaller space. This is because with mounded beds, the roots of your plants grow downward toward where the water is, rather than spreading outward in search of moisture and tangling with the roots of neighboring plants. In a raised bed garden, each plant takes up a modest amount of space beneath the soil while thriving in an upward direction above ground.

Raised bed gardens reduce soil compaction. This also factors into the way that your plants’ roots grow. Without raised garden beds, the tender of said garden is more likely to walk on top of the soil. This compacts the soil together and makes it more difficult to hold moisture.

Raised bed gardens reduce the amount of weeds. Since the plants tend to be larger and grow more closely together, this leaves less room for weeds to invade the area.

Raised bed gardens deliver moisture directly to the roots of your plants. This is because water naturally drains downward. With a flat garden bed, water tends to pool on top of the ground, flood the plants, and then evaporate in the hot sun, with less chance for absorption into the soil.

Raised bed gardens extend the growing season. The soil in a raised bed warms up more quickly than at level ground, and takes longer to cool at the end of the season. Thus, you can maintain a more consistent temperature for your plants to thrive in. It’s also relatively easy to insulate your raised bed garden to protect plants from frost and wind.

Raised bed gardens are easily accessed from all sides. Because they’re more compactly sized at 4′x8′ or 4′x4′ depending on what you grow, the gardener is able to maneuver around the entire perimeter of the garden. This makes planting, watering, weeding and harvesting much easier.

Raised bed gardens are easier on your back and arms. Of particular interest to the elderly and those with decreased mobility, raised bed gardens require less leaning and bending. You might even be able to do your weeding and picking from the comfort of a lawn chair!

For a handy reference on raised bed gardening, check out Vegetable Gardens the Chinese Way! Please read the post below this one to learn about our raised bed garden box delivery service.

Garden Bed Delivery – Hunterdon, Warren, Northampton County

Hi, folks! Just wanted to send the word out on a limited time offer. 4 Seasons Lawn Care is doing garden bed assembly for spring 2011. We offer your choice of 2 types of wood: Douglass Fir and Cedar. Garden bed boxes come in 2 standard sizes: 4′x4′, and 8′x4′. We also build and deliver custom sizes upon request. Call Mike at 908 783 5733 and get free delivery in Hunterdon and Warren County, NJ, and Northampton County, PA.

Here are some photos of garden beds that we built over the last week.

8'x4' garden bed boxes

 

10'x5' garden bed box, mid-assembly

 

We can accomodate your needs in a variety of ways, including:

• Picking up all necessary supplies (wood, etc.) for your garden bed
• Assembling the structure
• Delivering the garden bed box to your home or office
• Installing the garden bed box/ground prep/adding topsoil
• Arranging multiple garden beds over a large area
• Adding gravel around and in between beds
• Adding a simple fence to keep deer out

Important Note: We do NOT use pressure treated wood to create our garden bed boxes.

Your individual quote depends on how many garden bed boxes you require, the size of each one, and the extent of the work you require from us. Just think… the sooner you get those garden beds prepped, the sooner your tasty vegetables and colorful flowers will be reaching for the sun!

Contact mikehyde@4seasonslawns.com or call 908 783 5733 to get your garden beds installed in time for the 2011 gardening season.

Tree Pruning: Worth the Extra Effort

Here's a picture of the ugliest tree we could find. What not to let happen to your trees!

With the occasional late-March sunny day still teasing us, NJ turns its thoughts to springtime and the manicuring of our lawns and gardens. One item that should ideally be on your spring landscaping to-do list is tree pruning. Many people opt to skip this task, squeaking by with the minimum of raking and tidying. However, those who do prune their trees each spring will reap the benefits greatly and have wonderful results to show for their effort. A few good reasons to make April your month to prune those trees:

Pruning is excellent for the overall health of the tree. The tree-trimming process involves snipping away dead and decaying branches, which encourages new, healthy growth and prevents the spread of plant disease.

Pruning improves the appearance of your trees. Did you know that yearly pruning encourages upward growth of your tree’s branches? This makes the tree aesthetically more pleasing, and it also strengthens the tree’s branch and trunk growth. A good, healthy tree’s branches will meet at a “Y” formation and reach skyward toward the sun.

Pruning is good for your tree’s root system. A tree that goes for too long without a haircut ends up having its branches shadow out the base of the tree. Too much shade beneath a tree prevents grass and other plants from growing there. This causes soil erosion, which gradually exposes the tree’s roots and invites disease.

Pruning your trees makes for a safer home and yard. We’ve all seen the damage to trees caused by severe weather. Overgrown trees planted too close to the house can wreak costly and dangerous havoc. Downed branches in the street can create a traffic and pedestrian hazard. Low-hanging tree branches can compromise the safety of children playing beneath them, or pose a risk to the innocent passerby. Avoid this kind of trouble by keeping your tree’s branches pruned to a more manageable size and healthy condition.

Now that you know all the great reasons to have your trees pruned, why not consult with a team of professionals and cross it off your to-do list? 4 Seasons Lawn Care offers expert tree pruning service in Hunterdon county, NJ.

Call Mike Hyde at 908 783 5733 or email mikehyde@4seasonslawns.com for more info today. Your trees will thank you!

The Time to Book a Spring Cleanup is Now

Thoughts turning to garden planting, flower beds, and that first glorious trip to Home Depot for seeds and garden supplies?

Get a jump on spring with a yard cleanup from 4 Seasons Lawn Care. Give us a call at 908 783 5733 and ask for Mike!

We’ll come right over, lickety-split, and rake up all those decaying leaf piles, haul away dead branches, and do all the things that make spring garden prep a chore rather than the fun, stress-relieving activity it’s supposed to be.

Just a few outdoor cleanup jobs we handle:

• Cutting back dead ornamental grasses
• Hedge trimming
• Leaf cleanup and haul-away
• Edging around property and garden beds
• Shrub, tree and flower planting
• Mulching garden and flower beds, around trees and shrubbery

Start the spring growing season off on the right foot. 4 Seasons Lawn Care makes it easy! We offer lawn and yard care services in and around Hunterdon County, NJ. We also can be seen in Warren County on occasion, so give a call to find out if you fall within our territory!

908 783 5733 or email mikehyde@4seasonslawns.com.

Gearing Up for Spring and the 2011 Grass Cutting Season

Wasn’t it just the other day that we were frolicking about in short sleeves and cutoff shorts? Then, surprise, today the frozen white stuff makes yet another appearance in northern NJ. Never mind, the friendly folks at 4 Seasons Lawn Care remain undaunted by the chill in the air and ready to take on the sprawling lawns of Hunterdon County.

Do you live or work in Flemington or Whitehouse or the surrounding areas of NJ? Need a quote for lawn cutting or yard maintenance this spring and summer?

Give Mike Hyde a call at 908 783 5733. Now is the time to phone in and snag that discounted price for an entire lawn care season. And don’t forget, spring cleanups make landscaping a snap. We do those too! Just think, you’ll have great looking grass, and won’t have to lift a finger to get it.

Call today – 908 783 5733, or email us at mikehyde@4seasonslawns.com.

More Benefits of Aerating Your Lawn

If you haven’t already, there’s still time to have your lawn aerated before the cold weather arrives. As I’ve mentioned before, this summer really took its toll on the grass, especially here in Hunterdon County. Aerating is the proactive way to bring that dormant lawn back to life come next growing season. Here are a few reasons why it’s so beneficial:

• Aerating your lawn works to oxygenate its root system. Your lawn or landscaping professional uses a special, aerating machine which pokes holes into the top surface of your soil to get the air beneath circulating. This process wakes up your grass and increases ceullular activity beneath.
• Aerating increases your lawn’s ability to soak up moisture. Tightly compacted soil makes it difficult for your lawn to absorb water, even if you’re using the sprinkler on it every day.  When you aerate, you loosen up the top layer of soil so that water can sink into the roots and be absorbed more readily.
• Aerating your lawn twice per year (spring and fall) can significantly reduce your water bill! A tightly compacted lawn results in increased runoff and wasted water and resources. However, a lawn that’s been aerating soaks up every thirst-quenching drop. You want the water that you apply to do its job – make your lawn thick, green, healthy and beautiful.
• Aeration helps thatch break down more readily. This is because the ground becomes compacted over time and it’s increasingly difficult for water and nutrients to reach the roots of your grass. A thatched lawn will turn yellowish-brown and become thin and brittle, ultimately dying. Aeration halts this process, causing your lawn to thrive once again.
• Aerating gets to the root of the problem. When you first aerate, you may think that your yard looks something of a mess, with dirt plugs everywhere and your lawn appearing in the same condition as before. But within a few days, the newly exposed roots and earth will soak up needed water and nutrients, causing your lawn to put down strong roots that go deep.

Have your lawn aerated before the end of the season.

It’s not too late to call for an aeration quote! Contact 908-783-5733 and ask for Mike Hyde. Or, email us at mikehyde@4seasonslawns.com.

A Basic Landscaping Install

Remove existing landscaping. Remove excess mulch. Dig a fresh edge along walkway.

Dig holes for new shrubs, and cover the whole bed with landscaping fabric. Then cut the fabric away to reveal the holes beneath.

Make a mud-hole! Partially fill the hole with a combination of native topsoil and compost. Soak and mix with shovel until it has the consistency of mixed concrete.

Install shrubs and cover beds with 4″ of root or hardwood mulch.

Voila!

Do you live in Hunterdon County, NJ and need a basic landscaping install? Call 4 Seasons Lawn Care at 908 783 5733. Ask for Mike Hyde! Or, email mikehyde@4seasonslawns.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

Lawn Savers for Fall: Aerating and Overseeding

Hello to all readers and fans of the 4 Seasons Lawn Care blog! Just wanted to post a little “next up” on your lawn care calendar. Just because summer is nearly over doesn’t mean you can stop paying attention to your grass. A lush, green lawn requires regular maintenance, even at the end of the season.

As the hottest summer on record, June, July and August were brutal on your lawn. With no extended rainfalls, most of the grass in Hunterdon County went dormant and the weeds and crab grass took over. Since grass and weeds are always competing, this will likely impact your lawn next spring, and not in a good way. That is, unless you take the proper steps to ensure that your field of green makes a comeback. 4 Seasons Lawn Care can help!

This fall, simply overseeding will not be enough to turn the tide. A 4-step process is needed to re-establish grass in our yards.

1.  Aerate. This process involves pulling small plugs of soil from the yard. This loosens the top layer of soil and allows better penetration of water and nutrients to your grass’s root system.

2.  Dethatch. Once you’ve aerated, you’ll want to rake up the lawn using a heavy duty rake. This further roughs up the soil to allow for better growth of new grass.

3.  Overseed. This involves adding a covering of grass seed to an existing lawn.

4.  Add a starter fertilizer. High phosphorus fertilizer will help the newly planted grass to grow and develop strong roots.

Then….

Next spring, follow up with a weed preventer / fertilizer in the early spring. This prevents weeds from germinating on the lawn. Apply 2 weed and feed applications (late spring and early summer). These simultaneously feed the grass and kill the weeds.

To summarize: regrow grass in the fall. Then in the spring you should prevent weeds, and kill off whatever does germinate. This will give your grass what it needs to once again outnumber the weeds on your lawn and eventually crowd them out.

Lawns that are more than 50% weeds will not improve on their own. Some intervening steps are needed to get the grass back into shape.

Call 4 Seasons Lawn Care at 908 783 5733 for help. Ask for Mike Hyde! Or, email mikehyde@4seasonslawns.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

Mid-Summer Hedge Trimming

Depending on the type of hedges you have in your yard, you may want to trim them anywhere from 1 to 4 times over the course of the summer season. I just trimmed the hedges in my own front and back yards, including a conifer type that grows in front, and a forsythia on the side of the house. I did them back in May, but everything grew really fast and was looking rather unkempt.

How’s your landscaping holding up? There is always maintenance work to be done, such as weeding, refreshing mulch, and the aforementioned hedge trimming. If you’re looking for this type of work, the friendly professionals at 4 Seasons Lawn Care are ready to pitch in. For just a few hours, we can tidy things up and have your yard looking picture-perfect and ready for your next summer barbecue!

For a free estimate on hedge trimming, lawn mowing, weeding or other yard maintenance, call Mike Hyde at 908 783 5733 or email mikehyde@4seasonslawns.com.

Do we mow in your neighborhood?

4 Seasons Lawn Care is out and about the Flemington and Whitehouse areas of Hunterdon County, NJ. Perhaps you’ve seen one of our guys cutting your neighbor’s grass, or maybe you passed our gray 4 Seasons truck on Rt. 22, 31 or 202.

I thought it might be a good idea to list our current primary mowing territory… if you’re nearby, stop and introduce yourself or give us a call! Or even if you’re not, let us know if you and/or your neighbors could use regular lawn care. We’re always adding new clients to the fold.

Where we mostly mow (at the moment):

Whitehouse Station:

• Suydam Street
• Oakland Drive
• Kline Blvd.
• Samson Court

Flemington:

• Hendrick Road
• Cambridge Point (we have quite a few customers around this neighborhood)

• Rainbow Hill Road
• Farmersville Road
• Merrill Road
• Wellington Drive
• Royal Road

Ringoes:

• Rt. 202

Whitehouse:

• Old Route 28

Clinton:

• Red School House Road
• Victoria Drive

Glen Gardner:

• Bachaus Estates Road

Pittstown:

• Grist Mill Road

Of course, we are not limited to these areas, this is just a list of where we primarily mow for summer 2010.

This summer’s a scorcher, and you have better things to do than sweat and toil in the hot sun! Relax, kick back, and let the professionals at 4 Seasons Lawn Care handle everything.

For a free estimate on lawn mowing or other yard-related services, call Mike Hyde at 908 783 5733 or email mikehyde@4seasonslawns.com!