What fun it is to walk out into your own backyard and pick some basil for that night’s pasta dinner, fresh greens and veggies for a great salad, or some just-ripened strawberries. It’s convenient, it’s healthy, and it’s something the whole family can enjoy and do together.

If you don’t have the space to give over to furrowed rows of produce, or if you want to start small and see how it goes, you can do it all in a very small yard or even just in containers on your patio. It’s a wonderful way to grow tomatoes, zucchini and other summer squash, bell peppers, hot peppers, and many other kinds of vegetables as well as lemons, strawberries, and other fruit for a summer bounty.

Of course, while you’re growing your prize-winning produce, you don’t want to neglect your lawn. So do it right by calling a Georgia lawn care company to take care of it for you with experts who will keep it green and trouble-free and leave you time to do the fun stuff.

Select Spots in the Sun

The sunniest places you can find are what fruit and vegetables will need in order to grow and ripen. They need a minimum of six and preferably eight hours of direct sunlight every day. You may think you know what spots those are, but watch those areas periodically for a day or two to make sure trees, patio covers, or house eaves aren’t going to cast their shadows over the plants. One of the benefits of growing in containers is that as the sun changes its height and angle over the course of the coming months, you can move the pots to take advantage of it.

If you’ve got the space, you can keep all of the edible plants in one area, but there’s no reason why you can’t scatter them about in different areas of your yard. Be mindful that it is more convenient, though, to keep plants of one variety near each other so you’re sure to give them the same amount of water and food, and so insects are controlled properly and critters that like one kind of plant don’t have an easy route to another kind. (There are actually plants and flowers that do very well planted in proximity, and plants that don’t like each other at all. It’s more of an issue when you’re planting them directly in the garden, but something to consider when you’re planting in containers as well.)

Choose the Containers

Containers don’t have to be huge to accommodate vegetables, and herbs in particular will grow very well in small pots. Choose something standard or something quirky, because almost anything you like will suit the purpose as long as it already has drainage holes or you can drill them. It’s important that a container has sufficient drainage so excess water doesn’t accumulate and drown roots.

When making your selection, do be aware that dark-colored and metal pots absorb and retain heat and may make the soil too warm for some plants, particularly under the hot summer sun.

Here are size guidelines for containers:

• Tomatoes: one plant per five-gallon container, with room for staking or caging the growing plant and its fruit. The container depth should be no less than 24 inches.
• Zucchini and other summer squash: two plants per five-gallon container, with room for a trellis or cage to support the vines.
• Cucumbers: two plants per five-gallon container. No need for a support if you’re growing the bush rather than vining variety.
• Peppers: two plants per five-gallon container.
• Peas and green beans: you can sow seeds directly into a window-box style container that’s just nine inches deep. Pole beans will need a trellis, while bush beans won’t.
• Lettuces and spinach: any container that’s a minimum of six inches deep.
• Strawberries: just about any container will do because the plant has very shallow roots, but best is the vertical pot with pockets that is especially made for growing them and keeping the delicate fruit from laying on the soil.
• Dwarf lemon and other citrus trees: a five-gallon, 10- to 14-inch diameter container is fine for starting out a two-year old tree you buy at a nursery. You’ll want to transplant the tree when it gets larger, but beginning with a container that’s too big will make the moisture level hard to control.

Feed, Water, and Start Eating

Start using a water-soluble fertilizer about a month after planting. Weeds should be minimal in containers, but pull them as soon as you see them. Because container growing medium is clean, disease shouldn’t be much of a issue, either, but inspect regularly for insect damage and treat it promptly with an eco-friendly product made for edibles.

We have all been in the dilemma where we aren’t sure if we should attempt a minor project around the house, or call in a professional. We don’t know if it is worth the expense of hiring someone, versus doing it on our own with the risk of making costly mistakes.

The truth is, no matter how much money we have, we all tend to get a little cheap when something involves our home. We figure “If I have a basic understanding, why not do it myself?” It’s not like everyone’s got dollars running out of their ears, so there are some times we decide to put in the hard work in order to save an extra buck.

Many self-help Guru’s and financial success leaders will say that you should not undertake home repair jobs, for that time is better spent building your business or working a few additional hours at your job, thereby making you more money than what you would save doing it yourself. Others claim that a minor project (a construction job, for example) for which you have the time and ability to perform, is worth doing on your own. These debates have really been going on since…well forever!

The truth is each situation has to be judged on its individual merits. If the type of job you want done is something anyone could do and thus the professional is as qualified as you are, then you have nothing to lose to do it yourself. Be careful you don’t overestimate your skills. It’s good to be a well-rounded person, but be honest with yourself. Don’t be afraid of asking for help. In these two cases, it’s recommended that you get in contact with a reputable maintenance company, such as https://www.pm247.co.uk/, because a bad job done by you can cause almost unlimited danger to your home and family.

Hypochondriacs are constantly turning to a doctor for advice. Most people understand they don’t need to see a doctor for every single headache; they simply take a Tylenol and move on. Think of your small home projects in a similar way—you don’t necessarily need to call over an Atlanta demolition company to make a small adjustment to a wall. Most of the times, a handyman can take care of something like that and will charge much less than a contractor, so don’t be afraid to ask around. It probably isn’t a good idea to consult the construction company, for they will find some reason to convince you to hire them. I am sure you have friends and acquaintances who can offer suggestions. There are also a number of on-line forums that can help.

Since you do not run to the doctor for every cough, neither should you be calling in professionals for every repair job. However, when you feel you need help with a project, first consider the unlimited free Google searches you can conduct; there is so much information out there. Get creative and use common sense.

One final thought is to keep in mind that if you decide to hire someone to do a job for you, you must pay for both the material and for the labor. If you are not completely satisfied with the final outcome, you will have forked over a handsome amount. Compare yourself with the professionals. Do you really believe they will do that better a job? Don’t be afraid to ask to see some of their previous work.