Friendship Methodist Blog

Eating out doors with family or friends has been increasing in popularity on a yearly basis, although very dependant on the weather. The introduction of Gas barbecues has meant that the slightest break in the weather is now an opprtunity. For me and for many others though the only real way to barbecue is on a Charcoal Barbecue.

The charcoal smell from a Charcoal BBQ, and the chargrilled taste, cannot be replicated by its gas counterparts, making the traditional charcoal bbq the prefered choice of many keen would-be outdoor chefs.

Always think about the positioning of your Charcoal Barbecue before setting up. Things to look for in a good charcoal BBQ spot are:

Make sure there is nothing overhead that can catch fire like trees or washing lines.

make sure you keep a good distance from any buildings, especially wooden sheds.

Flat level ground.

Good access or exit in case of a problem.

Somewhere that you can preferably exclude pet’s from.

When choosing the right spot for the Charcoal BBQ also consider what it will be like when all of the starving guests are in the same area. All of this will give you a idea of how much space you have available and also whether you want static charcoal BBQ or a Portable BBQ. The best way is to weigh up the pro’s and cons and work out which will best suit your needs.

The Portable BBQ is the more popular choice as they can be wheeled away and stored in a shed or garage. Whereas a static charcoal BBQ is out in all weathers and open to animals both wild and pets running on them or worse.

Now you have decided which type of charcoal BBQ you want and you have chosen the area that you are going to be using it in you can start to look around at the various types and designs that are available.

When choosing one think safety, you will effectively be making fires in the base of your BBQ. Some of the portable BBQ’s that are available are far too flimsy and are prone to collapsing or bending causing not just a fire hazard but also possibilities of burning. Go for a sturdy charcoal bbq with a good thick solid base. not only will it last much longer it will also be much safer.

Whatever happens though don’t let your heart rule your head and just run out and buy the biggest and meanest charcoal BBQ that you can find. In the vast majority of cases such a buying charcoal BBQ decision will be regretted at a later date.

Now, although health and safety has already been mentioned it is the most important thing of all, just make sure the kids and pets are out of harms way, then crack open a nice cold beer and enjoy you charcoal BBQ.

The quality of your garden can, to a degree, hinge on the quality of your garden topsoil. Your plants use this topsoil to get all the nutrients needed to prosper. In the following paragraphs i will go over a couple of things to consider plus some ways that we can help out both our gardens topsoil and the plants that we want to grow in it. Hopefully this will allow you to get the most from your garden.

The moisture levels of your Garden Topsoil is probably the single most important thing for you to watch out for. Too much and it will be too boggy. Meaning your plants will be far too wet around the roots. on the flip side if there is not enough moisture in your topsoil the plants will not be able to draw the nutrients they need. This is a sign that the water has drained away too quickly and that the right amount of water is not being held in the garden topsoil. There are of course things that you can do to improve your gardens topsoil.

To improve drainage dig in some sharp sand or fine gravel this will help the soil to not clog together allowing the water to drain through easily. Horse Manure or well rotted compost will also benefit your soil.

Reducing drainage may be a little bit more work, the easiest way would be to bring in some good quality garden Topsoil from a outside reputable supplier this isn’t usually as expensive as it first seems. Alternatively try good quality compost will have a 2 pronged attack in that it will retain moisture and add nutrition.

Weeds are another problem that will drive you up the wall especially in a garden that hasn’t been well looked after for a period of time. They seem to grow quicker than you can control them. A good natural Mulch is probably the most effective way to control this. This will help by blocking out the light so the weeds won’t grow again, as it rots down it puts nutrition back in to the soil meaning that your gardens topsoil remains in excellent condition.

Areas of lawn can show signs of problems with the topsoil. Out of sight out of mind springs to mind when talking about the condition of the topsoil underneath your grass. Of course there are signs that problems are occurring even with a lawn. Moss for example would suggestthat you have popor drainage and the water is not draining away properly. The best way to solve that is to aerate the lawn add a small amount of sand and a good quality natural turf dressing.

Your lawn going discoloured before anyone else’s in hot weather is a sure sign that your soil in too free draining and needs your attention. Although Lawns should be more on the drier side they don’t want to be too dry.

There are many materials that could be used for the landscaping borders.  The most common ways to make the borders are bricks, stones.  These could be arranged one by one with mortar in the joints.  This method has certain advantages that the joint might get dislocated and the plants on the other side of the border may intrude in the pathway.  The best option for this problem could be to use concrete.  This would take curved shapes and is also joint-less.  This molding could be done with the landscaping site itself.  These borders have another added advantage that it would control the growth of plants from one border to another.  While on the other hand landscape edgings like metal edging, plastic edging, bricks, pavers and wood timbers are the materials used for landscape edging.  Before the installation of the material things like flexibility, longevity, faster and easier installation should be considered.  The concrete outlasts the metal, wood plastic and it allows the curves and contours to fit the demands of landscaping designs that are modern.  There are custom-fit seamless concrete borders for landscaping.  These give the landscape a beautiful outline and make the garden eye-catching.  These things should be kept in mind before the installation of the edging.