It can be hard to get motivated for work on our outdoor spaces when winter weather is hanging on, but now really is the best time to begin planning and prepping. If we put a little effort into our outdoor spaces starting now, we'll be able to enjoy the dog days of summer lapping up cocktails in the shade.
GROW IT
• How To Grow Your Own Moss
• 5 Fear-Conquering Tips For First Time Gardeners
• You Can Do It! First-Time Vegetable Gardening for the Black-Thumbed
• Starting a Garden Without Spending a Ton of Green
• 7 Kitchen Waste Items to Use in the Garden
• How To Start a Compost Heap
• How To Start Seeds In Eggshells
• 10 Colorful & Low Maintenance Window Box Plants
• 5 Fragrant Plants for a Small Space
• One Minute Tip: How to Grow Your Tomatoes Into Trees
BUY IT
• 15 Stylish Planters Under $50
• Handmade Wooden Tree Swings
• Dala by Stephen Burks: Outdoor Furniture Made From Recycled Food Packaging
• 7 Indoor-Worthy Outdoor Chairs
• 10 Outdoor Finds: Under $10
• Wired and Wonderful: Airy Outdoor Furniture
• Outstanding Tents by Field Candy
• The Most Glam Garden Games
• Patio Pop: Neon Accents for Outdoor Rooms
• Colorful Outdoor Seating for Kids
DIY IT
• How To Make an Easy DIY Outdoor Rug
• Modern DIY Filing Cabinet Gardens: Durable & Inexpensive
• How To Make a Hot Pink Chair Swing
• Try This: Make A Bird Bath From An Unloved Lamp
• 15 Repurposed Planters: Just Add Dirt
• Make It: A Chevron Recycled Wood Planter
• How To Make An Oil Can Planter
• 15 Outdoor DIY Projects For Summer
• Make It: Twine Ball Light Garland
• DIY Urban Planter Box Plans
• 5 Ways to Update Old Patio Furniture
• 3 DIY Blankets to Solve Picnic Problems
• Do-It-Yourself Hanging Bench
• DIY Lawn Twister
• An Eco Friendly, Safe Way to Repel Flies
Images: 1. John's Lovely & Lush Backyard Retreat by Bethany Nauert; 2. How To Grow Your Own Moss by Tanya Lacourse; 3. Stackable Totem Planters from West Elm; 4. How To Make an Easy DIY Outdoor Rug by Katie Steuernagle
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Love this! Our neighbors on each side have ugly chain link fencing. I'm spending the day planting beans and sunflowers all along the fence line. In a month we'll have shade, privacy and good things to eat :)
Great post! If possible I'd also love to see some posts on garden design.
Sculpture gardens post please! We just bought our first house. I have a black thumb and some outdoor space. There is a patio with an ivy wall on one side and two sides have a strip of dirt for planting. I think we might just make some sort of sculpture garden on the strips so don't have to feel badly about killing things, and it helps conserve water.
What a fantastic resource - bookmarked. Thank you!!
I want the red table in the first pic please!
I've started decorating my previously avoided, very long and narrow balcony (17' x 3') for the first time in two years, because I am determined to have a summer night dinner party on it! I'd love to see more outdoor posts tailored to tiny or, specifically, narrow balconies. I've exhausted the AT archives, but you can almost count the balcony posts from the past 5yrs on 2 hands! MOAR please. There are plenty of patio/deck/yard/garden posts, but a lot of us apartment dwellers share the dreaded tiny balcony, and we need some help too!
Thanks!
postagenotes: I think the best you can do is to use the walls, rail, and ceiling of the balcony as much as possible. Maybe get a few small bar tables for folks to stand at, because I don't think there's going to be a lot of room for seating.