Lawn rangers
You’ve put hours of labor and buckets of sweat into your lawn. The heck with showing off just for the neighbors; you want the world to see the results. Here’s a chance to strut your stuff in cyberspace. Rate My Lawn and Garden, www.ratemylawnandgarden.com, lets you post one or more photos of your lawn or garden for public scrutiny. Visitors to the site get the opportunity to rate your photo on a scale of 1 to 10, and you can log in to see where you stand. Be prepared. The results can be an ego boost or a big disappointment. The site does have a useful component: It’s a way to get ideas from other people’s yards. Some participants obviously have a sense of humor, though. “I like to water my weeds,” reads the caption under a photo of one unmanicured lawn.
Lunar planting
One of the most well-used sources of gardening guidance through the ages doesn’t sit on a bookshelf or host a TV show. It hangs in the night sky.
Countless generations of gardeners have timed their planting and gardening chores by the phases of the moon. It’s a practice that’s rooted in folklore and superstition, yet there’s a scientific explanation, too. Proponents say the moon’s gravitational pull affects the amount of moisture in the soil, which in turn determines whether a plant puts its energy into root or leaf growth. Gardening by the Moon, at www.gardeningbythemoon.com, can help you plot your own planting schedule based on moon phases, astrology and your own own hardiness zone. Or you can skip the calculating and order a calendar that lays it all out for you. The site also has information on organic gardening, seed starting and the like.
