The Perks of Buying over Renting

  The Perks of Buying over Renting Thinking about buying a home? While today’s  mortgage rates  might seem a bit intimidating, here are two solid reasons why, if you’re ready and able, it could still be a smart move to get  your own place . 1. Home Values Typically Go Up Over Time There’s been some confusion over the past year or so about which way  home prices  are headed. Make no mistake, nationally they’re still going up. In fact, over the long-term,  home prices  almost always go up ( see graph below ): Using  data  from the  Federal Reserve  (the Fed), you can see the overall trend is home prices have climbed steadily for the past 60 years. There was an exception during the 2008 housing crash when prices didn't follow the normal pattern, but generally, home values kept rising. This is a big reason why  buying a home  can be better than  renting . As prices go up and you pay down your mortgage, you build  equity . Over time, this growing equity can really increase your net wort

A TO DO LIST YOU WILL LOVE: May Gardening Tips



Be thankful for the sunshine again and things beginning to grow in the garden!

  • Harden off transplants.
  • Sow lots of flowers & herbs for the bees and wild pollinators to increase biodiversity.
  • Transplant the warm season crops mid-month or earlier with hoop tunnel or frost protection and add compost or seasoil under each plant. 
  • Transplant the remaining brassicas and add compost under each plant. Sow lettuce and radishes around brassicas as a bumper crop until plants get larger.
  • Continue succession sowing the ‘come and cut again’ greens after the May heat wave for June (many usually bolt by now).
  • Harvest early spring crops. Pull up any overwintered veggies and replace with transplants. 
  • Be super excited not to worry about last spring frost. Our last frost is May 20th although it’s often end of April. Early May I always expect a frost and have heavy weight row cover handy to cover plants if needed.
  • Create a good watering rhythm in the mornings. 
  • Keep an eye for bolting plants and pests. Constant vigilance is the best gardening technique!
  • Sow flowers for companion planting and to attract beneficial insects and bees.
  • Thin out plants so they have space to grow and use thinnings in a salad or stir fry.
  • Keep up with bi-weekly weeding.
  • Direct sow any warm season crops if not growing transplants (bean, corn etc). Only seed bolt resistant lettuce varieties.
  • Continue composting.

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