Rainwater harvesting has become part of our everyday language; it is all about taking a vital and precious natural resource and finding ways to collect, store and re-use it, onsite, for domestic, industrial and irrigation needs throughout the year. Every time it rains, you have a chance to harvest it.    Solutions for harvesting rainwater are all about collecting the rainfall before it touches the ground and becomes polluted by silt and other chemicals that may be on the ground. Depending on the amount of air pollution in your area, rainwater is relatively pure and uncontaminated - safe for drinking and reuse in your garden and home. The purity of the water will also depend on the container the water is collected in. Simply filtering or boiling it will make it even safer for consumption.  What will it take to persuade you? The many benefits of rainwater harvesting are a...

Who doesn’t love growing and picking their own fresh herbs and vegetables? City living may limit the size of your personal outdoor space, but urban gardening means there is no limit to planting your own edible garden on your balcony or patio.  Container gardens are on-trend, creating a ‘rural’ and organic feel within the city limits. Even with limited space available, installing a few planters or pots will soon have your balcony producing all year round and offering you plenty of Instagram urban and city gardening moments. Our top urban garden edibles: Herbs When it comes to city gardening, herbs are the easiest edibles to grow in containers. You don’t need green fingers; as long as the herbs are watered regularly and have sufficient sunlight and healthy potting soil with added compost and nourished with fertilizer, they are likely to delight you with their greenery and flavours. Our favourites include parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme...

The trend of urban or city living does not mean compromising on personal green space. A tiny patch of lawn, a small balcony or narrow terrace are the perfect green-fingered urban gardening opportunity. Enjoying your own piece of the outdoors in the city is at your fingertips, and when it comes to a beautiful garden space, size does not matter.  Your 2nd-floor city balcony can blossom and grow, providing an outdoor sanctuary full of colourful joy and green peace.  City gardening is all about nurturing your terrace or balcony within the concrete jungle. It is creating a garden vignette on a tiny wooden patio that blooms with life - a place to escape and relax. The tiniest urban garden terrace is an invitation to sit among nature and enjoy the outdoors. Add a few spiked garden solar lights in your pots for a little extra outdoor magic. From potted herbs to an array...

Spring is in the air and along with the chirping of the birds and the buzzing of the bees, it is the time of year for spring cleaning our homes and our gardens. Marie Kondo may be your guru of choice for organising your home, but STEP building supplies is your go-to online store for gardening tools and essentials.  As you wander the seedling paths and meander the rose bush displays at your local nursery, you are inspired, and you pile the trolley with an array of colourful blooms. But a beautiful garden needs more than sun, rain and green fingers. An arsenal of gardening tools and essentials is vital in helping to grow your garden all year round.  ‘Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?’  We are sure that today Mary’s answer would be: ‘Good quality gardening tools.’ We completely agree.  The basic tools of the gardening...