Guides and Reference
24 guides and 6 reference tables, grouped by the job rather than by publication date. The guides are the long reads - how to size a hose to a yard, what a patio umbrella base actually has to weigh, which pest you are looking at before you buy anything to deal with it. The reference tables are the short answers: thread standards, chain dimensions, belt cross-references.
Everything links back into the collections it describes, so you can read the reasoning and then go straight to the shelf. Free US shipping applies on every order.
Reference tables
Single-answer lookups, kept on one page each so they can be bookmarked or cited.
- Hose and Irrigation Thread Reference Chart (GHT, NPT, BSP)
- Chainsaw Chain Selector: Pitch, Gauge and Drive Link Chart
- Mower Belt and Blade Cross-Reference
- Patio Umbrella Size and Base Weight Chart
- Fall Lawn Calendar: Overseeding and Soil Temperature by State
- Bird Seed to Species to Feeder Matrix
Watering and irrigation
- Drip Irrigation vs Soaker Hose: Which One Actually Fits Your Garden? - A practical head-to-head on drip line and soaker hose: how each delivers water, what pressure and filtration they need, and a five-step method to size
- How to Pick a Garden Hose That Matches Your Yard Size - Length is the wrong first question. Here is how diameter, pressure loss and coupling material decide which hose actually delivers water at the far end
- Hose Timers and Smart Controllers: How to Choose and Program One - A clear comparison of mechanical, digital and Wi-Fi hose timers, plus a four-step method for building a watering schedule that encourages deep roots.
- Winterizing the Patio: A Weekend Checklist That Prevents Spring Repairs - What to do first when the forecast turns, how to drain and store water gear, and the fuel and battery rules that decide whether power equipment starts
- Garden Hose Thread (GHT) vs NPT: Why Your Fitting Will Not Screw In - GHT is 3/4 inch straight thread at 11.5 TPI sealing on a washer; NPT is tapered at 14 TPI sealing on the threads. Identification steps, a full thread
Planters, beds and growing
- The Small-Patio Tool Kit: What You Actually Need on a Balcony - Nine tools cover a container garden. Here is what each one is for, how to size it for a balcony, and how to store and maintain the set in almost no sp
- Choosing Planters: Match the Pot to the Plant, Not the Patio - Size, material and drainage decide whether a container plant thrives. Here is the sizing table, an honest material comparison, and the repotting steps
- Starting a Raised Bed Garden: Sizing, Soil Mix and First Season Steps - Bed depth by crop, a soil mix recipe with the volume math worked out, and the first-season sequence that keeps a new raised bed producing instead of d
Patio, shade and furniture care
- Patio Furniture Covers: How to Pick One That Survives the Season - Denier, coating and venting decide whether a cover lasts one season or five. Includes a five-step measuring method and the fit rules that prevent wind
- Patio Umbrellas: Size, Base Weight and UV Answers That Matter - Canopy size by table, the base weight chart nobody publishes clearly, fabric and UV ratings explained, and a wind-safety routine for cantilever umbrel
- Patio Umbrella Sizing and Base Weight: The Two Numbers Everyone Gets Wrong - Canopy diameter should be your table diameter plus four to five feet; free-standing base weight starts at about ten pounds per foot of canopy. Full si
Heating, fire and cool nights
- Propane, Electric or Natural Gas: Choosing a Patio Heater Fuel - BTU output, running cost per hour, clearance requirements and ventilation limits for the three patio heater fuel types, with a sizing method for your
- Fire Pit Clearances: How Far From the House, Deck and Overhang - The International Fire Code sets 25 feet for recreational fires and 15 feet for portable outdoor fireplaces, measured to the nearest combustible point
Pest control
- Patio Garden Pest Control: Identify First, Then Choose the Tool - A damage-pattern identification table, the case for barriers before sprays, and a five-step response sequence that keeps treatment proportionate and l
Seasonal work and winterizing
- The Seasonal Yard Checklist: What to Do in Each Part of the Year - A quarter-by-quarter maintenance calendar driven by soil temperature rather than dates, with mowing heights, overseeding windows and the fall tasks th
More from the yard
- Cold Plunge Water Care: Chlorine, Ozone and UV, and How Often to Drain - Ozone and UV-C treat water only as it passes through the unit and leave no residual, so a residual sanitiser plus filtration and circulation still doe
- Pool Is Cloudy but the Chemistry Reads Fine? Start With Cyanuric Acid - Cyanuric acid shields chlorine from sunlight but slows it down. Ideal is 30 to 50 ppm and free chlorine should be about 7.5 percent of the CYA reading
- Can You Overseed and Apply Pre-Emergent at the Same Time? - Conventional pre-emergent herbicides stop grass seed as effectively as crabgrass. Siduron and mesotrione are the recognised exceptions for cool-season
- Chainsaw Chain Pitch, Gauge and Drive Links: How to Read Your Bar - Pitch, gauge and drive-link count are the three numbers that order a chainsaw chain. How to read them off the bar stamp, measure them with a coin and
- Which Bird Seed Brings Which Bird: A Seed to Species Matrix - Black-oil sunflower is the universal seed, nyjer brings goldfinches, and safflower brings cardinals while grackles, starlings and usually squirrels av
- Mower Deck Belt Sizing: Getting the Right Belt for a 42, 46 or 48 Inch Deck - Deck width does not determine the belt. Find the model and serial plate, decode 4L / A / 5L / B belt sections, and measure effective length with the s
- Is It Too Late to Overseed? A State-by-State Cutoff Table - Finish cool-season seeding at least 45 days before the first hard frost. A regional cutoff table, why warm-season lawns are a different job, and what
- Your Hardiness Zone Probably Changed: Reading the 2023 USDA Map - The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map used 1991-2020 normals and 13,412 weather stations, and about half the country moved to the next warmer half zo
- What Size Grill Cover Do I Need? A Measuring Guide - One grill model can have three correct cover sizes. Measure width, depth and height in the right order, add the right allowance, and choose a cover th