Greetings, everyone and thanks for your continued following. This week I will go over some garden tips and home tips as well.
Garden
The last week of June is a great time to feed your plants. Here are a few things to keep in mind when feeding your plants in the yard and the garden.
Not all fertilizers are created equal
Never use a fertilizer in your vegetable garden that is not labeled for vegetables. This can lead to poisoning from pesticides in the fertilizer and from sources of nitrogen not fit for human consumption.
Lawn fertilizers should be used only if you plan on watering the whole summer. A good blend would be something like a 7-0-20 blend. If you have a weak root system, follow up in two weeks with a 0-0-20 lend. The formulas will vary by brand by anywhere from 5 to 10 points per number. Just remember to follow the label directions for a per 1,000 square foot ratio.
I always use liquid food for annual flowering plants. Remember to keep your nitrogen low. Your goals are to increase flower production, so a 1-5-20 is a great option.
The same ratio holds true for the vegetable garden, but it’s important to use targeted feeding so as to feed the plants, not the weeds! I like to use a backpack sprayer I only use for vegetable garden feeding.
Home Maintenance
June is a good time to test all your electrical outlets with an outlet tester to ensure they are working and that they are grounded. An outlet tester that simply plugs in and gives you a reading can be bought for as little as $6 and a high-end model for $21. Just make sure whatever one you use is also for testing GFCI outlets.
Home values, home sales and the economy
Home values this year have seen some declines, as much as 3.1% and higher in areas where more people are moving out than in. Mortgage rates have fallen and so have prices, but the affordable home is still out of reach for most today. As a result, some people in their thirties have even resorted to asking their parents to subdivide their current lots to allow them to place tiny homes on their parents’ land.
Looking at what is happening in Europe as far as home loans. If our markets follow their trends, as sometimes they do, we could see a new bank crisis. But it’s too early to tell.
Your best defense against that scenario is to avoid becoming house-poor and to keep credit card use to a minimum. If you already own and need to pay for an emergency, consider an equity line of credit at a much lower rate instead.
In my opinion, I think home prices will come down to reality and wages will continue to increase. So your time to buy will come again if you are waiting.
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