How to keep your garden, lawn looking great, even on a tight budget

Whether it's taking on the responsibility of weekly lawn care, starting a vegetable garden, landscaping with plantings, flowers or trees, or tackling a home improvement project, home gardeners can prudently accomplish their landscaping goals. Enter for a chance to win a $2,500 Visa gift card!



It just takes a little research and planning, both available for free from New Jersey's network of Rutgers Cooperative Extension County Offices, and from local garden centers and nurseries that are invested in staying well-informed about the latest information and products.

"I just gave a fully enrolled workshop on homeowner lawn maintenance and how to budget landscaping costs," said Bill Hlubik, the agricultural agent for Rutgers Cooperative Extension Middlesex County.

"There's increased interest in doing these chores oneself," Hlubik said.
Careful choices


Garden experts also urge homeowners to buy garden products carefully, considering where foliage will be used in relation to a residence's orientation and soil conditions.

"People are concerned with price but don't consider whether they are putting a plant in the wrong light," said Steve Parker, owner of Parker Greenhouse Farm & Garden Center in Scotch Plains.

The reason for the purchase must always be considered, Parker said. "Are you trying to block a neighbor's house or trash?"

Doug Loth, owner of Mendham Garden Center, which has locations in the Annandale section of Clinton Township, Chester and Mendham also has noticed a change in his customers' thinking.

"People are not hiring lawn services this year and many are going back to planting a vegetable garden," said Loth, who called it a "Victory Garden" reminiscent of the World War II gardens that sprang up to counter food rationing. But he suggests that a "Stimulus Garden" might be more appropriate this year.
Loth presided over a do-it-yourself patio paver clinic last week "to educate consumers about the right questions to ask a contractor or to show the do-it-yourselfer how to go about it," he said.




Kristin Grilli, a spokeswoman for W. Atlee Burpee & Company, veritable American seed company first started in 1876 in Philadelphia and still family owned, confirms that more people are growing their own flowers and vegetables.

"Our sales for transplants (young seedling plants ready for planting) and seeds, flowers and vegetables, are up 30 percent over 2008," Grilli said. Burpee & Company's biggest sellers are tomatoes, beans, summer squash and green and red peppers, Grilli said.

Here, then, are some of the experts' best suggestions for those shopping this summer for bountiful gardens and landscapes.
Beds, lawncare


A recurring theme of lawn care is learning the art of mulch.

"It's the cheapest way to beautify the outside of your home for about $200," said Pete Verse of Mulch & Garden Supply in Hillsborough. He explained that eight yards of mulch can give three inches of plant and flower bed cover for about 800 feet.

Mulch also helps plants retain their moisture, keeps weeds at bay and protects the roots of trees and plants in winter, Verse explained.

Verse's garden center offers eight different types of mulch, and a 10 percent discount to customers who pick up the shredded organic stuff themselves.

"The easiest and most economical way to freshen up one's landscaping beds is to rake the mulch and turn it over," advised Nick Polanin, the agricultural agent for Rutgers Cooperative Extension Somerset County.

"Cross the street and look at your property as your neighbor sees it. That's the great thing about mulch. It can cover up some skimping by just fluffing up what compacted over the winter," Polanin said.

Rutgers' agent Hlubik suggested triple-ground mulch, which is less expensive.

The experts also suggest that do-it-yourselfers try a soil test, which should be done before starting a regimen of lawn and plant care. The county Rutgers extension offices sell soil kits, as do most garden centers. Soil tests report on soil acidity, "providing a good starting point for good lawn care," Hlubik said.
"Spend because of your lawn's requirements, not by the calendar," advised Polanin. An inexpensive soil test shows what nutrients that a particular lawn needs. Loth of Mendham Garden Center said the $12 soil kit he sells, and credits with the cost of a purchase, allows homeowner to buy only what's needed.




"It's the environmentally friendly approach and can provide a savings on a lawn care manufacturer's packaged system," Loth said, explaining that not every lawn needs insecticide or weed-killer applications.

Watering the grass properly also can make or break a lawn.

"Irrigate early in the morning, never in late afternoon," Hlubik said, adding that it takes time for water to penetrate the ground. "You don't want to have wet blades sit overnight to promote mold or fungal growth."

Parker notes that there is important value in lawn maintenance and landscaping costs.

"A nice landscape can increase house value by 15 percent, and can be the difference between selling your house or not, especially in the kind of economy we have now," he said.
Grass, gardens


Like all mechanical equipment, maintenance of the lawn mower will provide the most economical service and protect the grass, Hlubik said.

"Keep the blades sharp. Look to see if your grass tips are ripped or shredded, which indicates dull blades," he said.

Maintenance also includes checking oil levels and a mower's air cleaner. "A dirty air filter will cause the mower to use much more gasoline," said Hlubik, who also suggested replacing the filter once a year.

Rutgers' Polanin advises home mowers set their equipment's cutting blade at a high setting. "And consider using a mulching head that returns the cuttings down into the lawn. It's good for the lawn and less work for the mower," he said.

Loth of Mendham Garden Center said he's been in the business for 37 years and still gets satisfaction from "seeing the joy in people's faces who talk about their vegetable gardens."

Novice vegetable gardeners are cautioned to keep it small. "Ten by 20-feet should be adequate for several tomato plants and zucchini mounds, and even a little more," Loth said.

Crops can also be grown in container pots on a patio. For example, Verse suggests starting with a "pizza pot container" he sells that grows all the fixings for a homemade pizza — herbs, spices and a tomato plant.

Burpee & Company has bred the Patio Princess, a petite and compact tomato plant fashioned for container growing.

The seed pioneer suggests growing its newest and unique variety of tomato, the Sweet Seedless, a seedless slicing tomato debuting this summer.

The Rutgers Cooperative Extension also conducts a seed-breeding program. Polanin said the Ramapo variety of tomato has been reintroduced, along with the Moreton tomato. Go to njfarmfresh.rutgers.edu/jerseytomato for more information.

"And remember, vegetables you grow yourself are free from pesticides and contamination," said Grilli