DIY Projects

Outdoor Grilling Station

The most common outdoor grilling station is one made of concrete or patio blocks sitting on a wood patio or wooden one. It can have an overhead roof with a patio table and chairs. You can make it as cheap as you want also.

You want the station close to the house which makes it easy to haul supplies back and forth. If you want to run electricity or waterlines to the station from the house, it is cheaper. A water supply whether from a hose or water line makes for easy washup. There are plumb sinks that are hooked to a garden hose for water supply that can be placed on the countertop. The dirty water goes in another garden hose to your flowerbeds.

The grill or smoker can be set in brick or patio stone which is easy to place and affordable. Placing in a cabinet will make storage easy.

You will want a countertop to place everything on. Whether granite (more expensive), outdoor ceramic tile, or wood.

You can build a roof over the top of the grilling station or a pergola to add shade. Place light under the roof for night grilling and entertaining. You can purchase propane portable heaters for warmth on colder nights.

DIY Projects

Outdoor Grilling Station

The most common outdoor grilling station is one made of concrete or patio blocks sitting on a wood patio or wooden one. It can have an overhead roof with a patio table and chairs. You can make it as cheap as you want also.


You want the station close to the house which makes it easy to haul supplies back and forth. If you want to run electricity or waterlines to the station from the house, it is cheaper. A water supply whether from a hose or water line makes for easy washup. There are no plumb sinks that are hooked to a garden hose for water supply that can be placed on the countertop. The dirty water goes in another garden hose to your flowerbeds.


The grill or smoker can be set in brick or patio stone which is easy to place and affordable. Placing in a cabinet will make storage easy. You will want a countertop to place everything on. Whether granite (more expensive), outdoor ceramic tile, or wood.


You can build a roof over the top of the grilling station or a pergola to add shade. Place light under the roof for night grilling and entertaining. You can purchase propane portable heaters for warmth on colder nights.

Shrubs

Shrubs for Your Landscaping

European Mountain Ash with fall berries
European Mountain Ash

Here are some shrubs for your landscaping that will take anything from the heat of the summer to the coldest winter. Starting with the mountain ash. A compound leaf shrub growing to 15 tall and 10 feet wide. They can be trained into a single trunk looking small tree. Noted for their showy white flowers and red to orange cherry-like fruit in clusters. There used to be beautiful ones along the old Farmer’s State Bank in Winner, SD years ago.

Serviceberries blooming in early spring
Serviceberries

Saskatoon Serviceberries grow 12 feet tall and 5 feet wide. One of the first blooming shrubs with white plum-like flowers. The purple fruit ripens in mid to late July and is eatable. Deer resistant.

European Viburnum blooming in early summer
European Viburnum

European Viburnum grows 8 feet tall and wide. Can be grown in the shade bloom with white flat flower clusters followed by bright red berries later in the summer. The best trait is the fall color of red to purple.

Siberian Peashrub in early spring
Siberian Peashrub

Caragana or Siberian Peashrub are still growing in our old shelterbelt which means they are over 50 years old. Blooming with yellow flowers in the early spring followed by pea-like seed pods. Grow to 6 feet tall with 4 feet spread on golden color bark. The Walker’s Weeping Peashrub is the toughest weeping shrub I know of.

Smooth Sumac in the fall
Smooth Sumac

Any type of sumac can grow in our area. Grown in wet or dry soils. The shrubs get taller in wetter soils. Most have a fall color of bright reds and oranges. Smooth Sumac has smooth bark and the Staghorn Sumac has hairy bark. They will get reddish berries on the top of the canes. Both grow to around 10 feet and wide because it does sucker.

American Elderberries in mid summer
American Elderberries

American Elderberries grow 10 feet tall and 6 feet wide. You will get white flower clusters 10 inches across followed by dark purple or red berries. If you want the berries, plant two varieties.

Ninebark species blooming in mid summer
Ninebark

Ninebarks are a family of shrubs of different sizes, leaf color (bright green to reddish), flower color, and fruit color. Most get around 6 feet tall with similar widths.