By Ryan Henderson

Perhaps you have dabbled a bit in woodwork, and you aren’t too bad at doing some minor home repairs but you have discovered you really need an outdoor shed to store all those tools and garden items in. Problem is there just isn’t anything on the market that perfectly suits your needs.

Then all you have to do is design your own shed. It doesn’t take a scientist to draft plans for these and its not much different than when you have planned out how to do those minor repairs.

There are several benefits to drawing your own outdoor shed plans. Most importantly, it’s going to be exactly what you want. It’s not as expensive because you don’t have to buy the plans.

Not to say that plans are really expensive but they still cost money and besides you most probably won’t be able to find the perfect plans anyway because what you are drawing is the plans for a custom built shed. On top of all this, it really is fun and quite rewarding not only when you have the plans finished but hopefully you will go onto building your shed. You have to admit that’s a real do it yourselfer.

So what do your require to complete this task of drafting your own designs for your shed? Not much at this point really. You don’t need to be a mathematician but you need some average math skills. Ideally, you will need a computer that has some soft wear like AutoCAD, or Corel draw or even adobe illustrator. If you don’t have any of this software there are free programs that you can sometimes download on your computer or even purchase that are for design planning.

So assuming your computers on and you are ready to go with your new software the first thing you are going to want to design is the floor. There is no doubt that once you have designed one thing you are going to be hooked and want to take on other projects. Being as this is your first time though keep it simple. Don’t get too fancy with your design especially if you are going to be the one using the plan to build your outdoor garden shed.

Visualization goes a long way when you are designing something. You have to have the picture basically in your head then get that picture into the computer. So the next item you will need to draw is your walls. Use the actual measurements that you are going to use when building your shed because your software should draw it to scale. Finally, when it comes to the room you may find it a little trickier because of the angles. You could go with a flat roof but some type of triangle room is far more appealing such as a barn roof or even a gable roof.

The nice thing about drawing your design this way with the computer and software is you can try all different kinds of designs and options until you get the exact one that suits you and is your perfect plan.

About the Author: Download your *FREE* shed plan at MyShedPlans.com – http://www.MyShedPlans.com Discover the easy way to build beautiful woodworking projects with over 12,000 shed plans and woodworking blueprints. MyShedPlans – Discover The Easiest Way To Build Remarkable Sheds And Woodworking Projects Today!

Source: www.isnare.com

Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=385556&ca=Gardening

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Planting

Watermelons (Citrullus lanatus) are warm-season crops that grow best at average air temperatures between 70 and 85 °F. Melon seed do not germinate well in cold soil. The soil temperature at the 4-inch depth should be 60 to 65 °F before this crop is planted. In the spring, do not plant this crop until after the last chance of frost.

Watermelon seed can be planted directly in the garden or transplants can be grown to get an early start. Watermelons need a lot of room. Seeds or transplants should be planted in rows spaced 6 to 8 feet apart. Plants should be spaced 5 to 6 feet apart within the row.

Under normal conditions watermelons grown from transplants can be harvested as much as two weeks earlier than melons grown directly from seed.

Another way to get an early start on your watermelon crop is to use black plastic mulch. The black plastic absorbs the sun ’s warmth, allowing the soil to warm quickly. To plant, punch a small hole in the plastic and plant the seed or transplant. The black plastic will warm the soil faster in the spring and will also conserve moisture throughout the season. Other advantages of this type of mulch are weed control and a reduction of fruit rot.

If a second crop or fall crop is going to be planted on the black plastic mulch, spray paint the black mulch white. The hotter soils created by a black

mulch become too hot during the summer and early fall. Spraying the mulch white reduces the amount of heat absorbed.

It is best to use drip irrigation in conjunction with the plastic mulch. Using drip irrigation instead of overhead irrigation keeps the foliage dry and reduces disease problems. It is also possible with the appropriate equipment to inject the needed nutrients through the drip line and spoon-feed your plants.

If earlier melons are desired, a row cover can be used alone or in combination with black plastic mulch. The row cover can be either clear polyethylene sheeting supported by wire hoops placed every 5 feet across the row or a lightweight “ floating” type material. The clear plastic row covers will need to be vented by cutting slits in the side. Temperatures under these materials can get hot enough to inhibit plant growth and will need to be removed so pollination can occur.

Watermelons need a lot of room. Plant them in rows 6 to 8 feet apart. Transplants or seed should be planted in the rows 5 to 6 feet apart. If starting from seed, plant the seed about 1 inch deep.

Recommended Cultivars

Standard:

• Charleston Gray
• Crimson Sweet
• Golden Crown
• Royal Sweet
• Tiger Baby

Seedless:

• Sugar Baby

Fertilizing

It is best to base fertilizer application on the results of a soil test. If a soil test has not been taken, apply 5-10-10 at 30 pounds per 1,000 square feet before planting. Melons should be sidedressed before the vines start to “run.” Sidedress with ammonium nitrate at 1 pound per 100 feet of row or calcium nitrate at 2 pounds per 100 feet of row. Sidedress a second time after bloom when fruit is developing on the vine. Too much nitrogen fertilizer can encourage excess vine growth and reduce fruit growth.

Watering

Watermelons need a lot of water. In fact, water comprises 92 percent of the watermelon fruit. If using overhead irrigation, water in the morning so the foliage has time to dry before dark. Wet foliage encourages foliar diseases. The use of drip irrigation is very beneficial in that no water is applied to the foliage but is applied to the plant root zone instead. When watering, make sure the soil is moistened to a depth of at least 6 inches. Watermelons need an immense amount of water during fruit set and development.

Harvest

Make sure you know the approximate number of days to maturity for your variety. For example, ‘Golden Crown’ takes an average of 70 days to reach maturity, while ‘Crimson Sweet’ takes around 85 days. Also, look at the tendril closest to the fruit. When this tendril turns brown, the watermelon is usually ready to harvest.

Problems

Poorly formed fruit can be due to several problems, but lack of pollination by bees is the most common cause. Blossom-end rot is primarily due to inadequate calcium in the plant. Too little calcium can be due to several problems which include low soil pH, low calcium and irregular uptake of water. All vines and little fruit is usually due to overfertilizing with nitrogen fertilizer or planting too close.

Insect problems are usually critical only in the seedling or early growth stage. Cucumber beetles and aphids are the most noticeable problem insects.

One of the least expensive and most effective disease control measures is crop rotation. Do not plant after watermelon or similar crops such as cantaloupe, cucumber, squash and pumpkins for at least three years.

Diseases that may be a problem include anthracnose, gummy stem blight, powdery mildew and nematodes.

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Robert Benchley, a late 1800s writer once said, “In preparing the soil for planting, you will need several tools. Dynamite would be a beautiful thing to use, but it would have a tendency to get the dirt into the front hall and track[ed] up the stairs.”

Frustrated gardeners tempted to try Mr. Benchley’s approach may need to evaluate their selection of gardening tools. Using the correct tool with the correct design and construction can make the difference in a pastime and passing out.

The old saying, “you get what you pay for” holds true for gardening tools. Not only will a high-quality tool get the job done easier, but it will also get it done quicker. Premium implements can last a lifetime if cared for properly and will be more of a bargain than those that need to be replaced every few years.

Handles of tools are typically constructed from four things: wood, fiberglass, steel and aluminum. A wooden handle should not have any knots or flaws. Handles that have been painted should be avoided since the paint is usually there to cover imperfections. A wooden handle that has been seal-coated to keep out moisture makes for a longer-lasting tool. Ash and hickory both are suitable types of woods for tool handles; hickory is just as strong as ash but a bit heavier. Fiberglass is as much as 40 percent stronger than wood, but like steel and aluminum, is less shock absorbent than wood.

Handles should also fit the person using them. They should be easy to grip and short enough not to be awkward to use, yet long enough to be used without stooping.

Several types of steel are usually used to create the blade of the tool. Foraged steel is often stronger, but is about twice as expensive as stamped or laser-cut steel. High-carbon steel blades are typically easier to sharpen than stainless steel; however, stainless steel blades will not rust.

Construction of the tool is important, but having the right tool is most important. Several implements that no gardener should be without are hand pruners, lopping shears, hedge shears, hoes, rakes and shovels.

The two types of common hand pruners are anvil pruners, which are used to prune woody stems, and bypass pruners used for cutting softer stems. Both will cut stems up to ¾ inch diameter.

Lopping shears are also available in both the anvil and the bypass form. However, these tools are ideal for cutting branches up to 1½ inches in diameter. More heavy-duty types are also made for cutting even larger branches.

Hedge shears come in manual, electric and gas models, and are appropriate for trimming shrub stems up to ½ inch in diameter. Blades with serrated or notched edges also help to prevent stems from slipping while being trimmed.

Hoes are suitable for minor digging, such as with weeding or relocating plants. These can be found in a variety of widths for performing different tasks. Light weight hoes, or those with narrow blades, are designed for weeding; heavier hoes, or those with deeper blades, are made for moving soil in activities such as building raised beds. Sometimes these heavier hoes are called grubbing hoes. Remember the rules of the construction of the handle and the blade.

Rakes also come in a variety of styles. For raking leaves or clippings, a yard broom with long flexible spines is best. For larger scale jobs, use an oversized landscaper’s rake. For leveling soil after planting, a flattop, rigid rake works best. Here too, the quality of the handle should be kept in mind.

Shovels are the workhorses of gardening tools. A round, long-handled shovel is the most common variation. A garden shovel is similar but has a slightly shorter handle. A trowel is a smaller version of a shovel and is used in smaller-scaled jobs, such as home gardening. A square-end spade is designed for edging. Shovels with D handles allow for legwork in addition to arm work and are suitable for more heavy-duty tasks.

With these six basic, yet good-quality tools, gardening does not have to be quite such hard work and can actually be enjoyable. Perhaps if the late 1800s novelist Charles Dudley Warner had used the correct gardening tools, he would have not said, “What a man needs in gardening is a cast-iron back, with a hinge in it.”

Pruners	Loppers	Hedge Shears

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