Wayside Gardens: Garden Decor -- It Is More Than Just Decorations
Garden décor... when post people think of décor, they probably think of the decorations in their living room, or elsewhere in the house. Only a minority of people connect "décor" with gardens and yards.Some people may say that the best way to decorate your garden is with flowers and beautiful plants. And yes, this may be true, but there is so much more that you can do! With the proper garden décor, you can turn your garden into your own personal oasis.Great types of garden décor:· Garden Benches. What is the point of having a beautiful garden if you do not have a good vantage point to see it from? Setting a garden bench in the midst of your garden gives you the perfect place to sit, relax, and watch your garden grow. A garden bench is not only an inviting place to sit, it is also a beautiful visual addition to almost any garden.· Bird Bath. There are many styles of birdbaths available these days. There are birdbaths that suit contemporary styles as well as birdbath that suit more traditional styles, and there are ones to suit any taste and style that falls in between. Not only do birdbaths themselves add beauty to your garden, but the birds that they attract add beauty, as well.· Water Fountain or Pond. Water has many soothing qualities -- even the look and sound of water can be soothing. Placing a fountain or a pond in your garden will transform your garden into a mini oasis. You will love coming home from a hard and stressful day of work and sitting near the peaceful sounds and sights of your garden water feature.· Garden Statues. Garden statues come in many different varieties. You can find garden statues that add humor, elegance, sophistication, or whimsy to your garden. Indeed, you can find a garden statue to suit any gardener's taste, whether you want to place and hide bunny sculptures throughout your garden, or whether you want a funny garden gnome.· Lights. There are many different ways to light up your garden at night. And why shouldn't your garden be lit up at night? There is no reason that you should not be able to enjoy the beauty of your garden at any time of day or night.These are just a few types of garden décor that you should consider adding to your garden. Adding garden décor to your garden is like adding a beautiful frame to a painting - it enhances it. Sure, your flowers and other plants are still the main event, but the right garden décor can really make your garden unique and beautiful. [EXTRACT] Garden decoration ... when people think after the decoration, it is likely to think about decorating your living room, or in other parts of the house. Only a minority of people connect "decorated" with gardens and yards.Some people can say that the best way to decorate your garden is of flowers and beautiful plants. And yes, this may be true, but there is much more you can do! With the right garden décor, you can turn your garden into your own personal oasis.Great types of garden decor · Garden Benches. What is the point of having a beautiful garden, if you do not have a good vantage point to see? The establishment of a garden bench in the middle of your garden gives you the perfect place to sit, relax and watch your garden grow. A garden bench is not only an inviting place to sit, is also a beautiful addition to almost any garden visually. · Bathroom bird. There are many styles of birdbaths available these days. There are bird baths to suit contemporary styles and birdbath that most traditional styles of play, and something for all tastes and style that falls in the middle. Not only are birdbaths add beauty to your garden, but attract birds add beauty, too. · Source of water or ponds. Water has many soothing qualities - even the look and sound of water can be a relief. The placement of a fountain or a pond in your garden will transform your garden into a little oasis. You'll love coming home after a busy day and stressful work and sit near the peaceful sounds and sights of the garden water feature. · Garden Statues. Garden statues come in many different varieties. You can find garden statues than a touch of humor, elegance, sophistication or whimsy to your garden. In fact, you can find a garden statue to the taste of any gardener, whether to place and hide bunny sculptures throughout the garden, or if you want a funny garden gnome. · Lights. There are many ways to light your garden at night. And why should not your garden illuminated at night? There is no reason it should not be able to enjoy the beauty of your garden at any time of day or night.These are only certain kinds of garden decoration you should consider adding to your garden. Adding garden decoration to your garden is like adding a beautiful frame to a painting - it enhances it. Sure, flowers and other plants are still the main event, but the right garden décor can really make your garden unique and beautiful.
Wayside Gardens: Finding Garden Benches: Get the Perfect Look for Your Garden
Many outdoor benches are multi-purpose, for example, they can be used in city parks, in malls, as well as serving as great garden benches. In this article I will provide some examples of the many types and styles of garden benches available. However, there are even more than these to choose from:Standard garden and park bench:This kind of bench is sold most commonly six feet in length, but that is also available as short as four feet, redefines the traditional park bench style. The bench has a flat long seat and a wooden frame and legs. There is a gap between the bench seat and the bench seat back, however this is a very comfortable type of garden bench.Deluxe park and garden benches:Deluxe park and garden benches offer all the benefits of the standard benches, but add a graceful contour. Therefore your garden bench will be able to fit all body styles comfortably. The more comfortable the make, the easier it is for you to relax and enjoy your garden.Elite park and garden benches:These garden benches have a cultivated architectural form. They hold their high quality condition in bad weather, and are virtually maintenance free. They are made with a sustainable recycled plastic construction. They will add a touch of personal taste and beauty to your garden. And they are long lasting as well.Contour park and garden benches:Contour park and garden benches are constructed with sturdy type of recycled plastic lumber, and this lumber is firmly fastened to a heavy steel frame. Like all of the other benches I have mentioned, and those that I will mention, the size of the bench usually ranges between four and eight feet in length so you can purchase the perfect fit. These garden benches are not only pleasing to the eye but comfortable and stylish too.Monarque park and garden benches:This kind of garden bench is designed for those who require a lighter form of garden bench. However, they are very popular and nice to look at, as well as being a nice to rest in your garden.Standard park, mall and garden benches:Standard garden benches provide bench space with no extra frills. It is just garden seating with simplistic design. And this design allows the garden bench to complement virtually any architectural style surrounding it.Deluxe mall, park and garden benches:Deluxe mall, park and garden benches are available for more up-scale applications. Still using recycled plastic construction and maintenance free features, these garden benches are matched with aesthetics to be an attractive addition to any garden setting.Elite mall, park and garden benches:These elite mall, park and garden benches are designed with a slatted seat assembly that offers the look of freshly treated exotic wood. Wooden benches are very attractive in your garden, and these come especially designed to be long lasting, do not require maintenance and are splinter free. No up-scale garden should be without a bench with this kind of elegant and luxurious design. No matter what size you need.Remember, because the garden benches I have mentioned are suitable for many purposes, you should choose the size of your bench based on where you want to put it, and assess how it will look in any specific place or places in your garden. Measure the perfect length for your garden benches to be before making any purchase, and choose the style that best fits your garden and you. [EXTRACT] Many banks are outdoor multipurpose, for example, can be used in city parks, shopping centers, banks and served as a large garden. In this article I will give some examples of the many types and styles of garden benches available. However, there is still more to choose from: standard garden park bench: These bank sold more than six feet long, but it is also available as short as four feet, redefines the traditional style park bench . The bank has a long flat seat and a wooden frame and legs. There is a gap between the seat and the seat back, however, this is a very comfortable bench.Deluxe garden park and garden benches: Deluxe park and garden benches, with all the benefits of level banks but add a stylish edge. So the garden bench will be able to fit all body comfortably. The most comfortable of the brand, the easier it is for you to relax and enjoy your garden. Elite park benches and gardens: These garden benches architectural form of cultivation. They maintain their high quality condition in bad weather, and virtually maintenance free. They are made with recycled plastic construction sustainable. They will give a touch of personal taste and beauty to your garden. And they are long lasting as well.Contour park and garden benches: Contour banks parks and gardens are built tough with the type of recycled plastic wood and the wood is firmly attached to a heavy steel frame. Like all the banks that I mentioned, and I will note, the bank's size usually ranges between four and eight feet long so you can purchase the perfect fit. These garden benches are not only pleasing to the eye, but the park too. Monarque comfortable and stylish garden benches: This type of garden bench is designed for those who require a lighter form of the garden bench. However, they are very popular and pleasing to the eye, besides being a nice break in the park garden.Standard mall, and garden benches, garden benches provide standard desktop space with no extra frills. It's just sitting garden with simplistic design. And this design allows the bench in the garden to complement any architectural style it.Deluxe banks surrounding the mall, park and garden: Deluxe banks mall, park and garden are available for more high-scale applications. Even with the construction of recycled plastic and maintenance-free characteristics, these garden benches correspond to the aesthetics that an attractive addition to any garden setting.Elite mall, park and garden benches: banks in these elite shopping centers, park and garden are designed with a mesh seat assembly that provides the look of freshly treated exotic wood. Wooden benches are very attractive in your garden, and these are specially designed to be durable, require no maintenance and are free of splinters. No garden should be without at a bank with such elegant and luxurious design. No matter what size you need.Remember because banks in the garden I have mentioned are suitable for many purposes, you must choose the size of your bank in terms of where you want to, and assess how it will look at any specific place or places your garden. Measure the length perfect for your garden banks before making any purchase, and choose the style that best suits your garden and you.
Wayside Gardens: Cedar Benches: A Fine Choice for Your Garden
Cedar is a very popular material especially for garden furniture. There are garden benches of many other sorts, of course, but cedar garden benches come in all sorts of sizes and in plain as well as several decorative styles and can add a touch of elegance that will impress your guests and show off your personal taste. Make your garden beautiful this season, and buy a garden bench that will last and last!Well-made cedar garden benches will remain in good shape for a long time, and do not require any considerable amount of upkeep such as refinishing etc. Such benches are the kind of garden benches that, if you choose to purchase one, will become a wonderful asset to you garden. Your cedar garden benches will require very little maintenance.Multi purposed:There are cedar garden benches made for watching the birds and the flowers, which also double as outdoor seating and even garden benches and table sets that can serve as outdoor dining areas.With hundreds of cedar garden benches to choose from, you can create an outdoor focal point for your yard or garden. Your bench or benches will complement your existing indoor or outdoor wood garden furniture by matching the look you are going for.There are cedar garden benches with full backs and armrests for just sitting back and relaxing in, some come in straight designs, some come in more abstract designs, and some come in more arched or elegant designs.Some cedar benches are more stylish, but a little more plain than the more luxurious styles available, and others have a unique, design just by adding a few extra decorative touches. But any backless garden benches can add a beautiful touch to your home.When you choose a more streamlined look by purchasing a backless bench you can sit facing any direction for the perfect view. Watch the sunrise and watch the sunset all from the same picturesque backless bench. Some of these cedar garden benches are offered with curling decorative armrests on either side, and some have no armrests at all.In the flower garden:Cedar garden benches can add a beautiful touch to your garden and can even become the focal point of your garden and attract special attention to the area in which you choose to put it. Some cedar garden benches seem to be made especially for sitting down and admiring the flowers.Teatime cedar garden benches:Many cedar benches are elegant, and some are quaint. Some especially are designed for sitting in your yard or garden or on your patio or porch for eating and drinking either meals or in between meals. So have a cup of coffee or tea and a snack with friends in style. These cedar furniture often comes in sets, using extra chairs and wooden tables as well. Garden benches are perfect for a get together, a card game, for a cup of tea, or just for a relaxing time at home.In the yard:A cedar garden bench might just be perfect place for "sitting the next one out" and resting in the shade as you watch. Under the shade of the trees, by the pool or the volleyball net, cedar garden benches are perfect if you just want to sit back and watch.Pick one that fits your personal style and you will enjoy the individuality that cedar garden benches can bring to your garden as well, sit and relax through the season on your cedar garden bench. Let a cedar garden bench help dress up your yard or garden and create that great look you are going for.Your cedar garden bench or benches will definitely be a big part of what gives your yard or garden that picturesque look you want. Cedar benches can even add a graceful touch to the view of your garden from the window in the kitchen, living room, bedroom, dining room, or whatever window faces it. [EXTRACT] The cedar is a very popular, especially for garden furniture. There are garden benches many other types, of course, but the cedar garden benches come in all sizes and styles of decoration as well as several simple and can add a touch of elegance that will impress your guests and show your personal taste . Make your garden beautiful this season, and buy a garden bench that will last and last! Well made cedar garden benches will be maintained in good condition for a long time, and require a considerable amount of maintenance, such as finishing, etc. These banks are the type of garden benches that if you decide to buy one, will become a wonderful asset to the garden. Your cedar garden benches require very little maintenance.Multi proposed: There are cedar garden benches made for the observation of birds and flowers, which also serve as outdoor seating and even garden benches and table games that can serve as areas for outdoor dining. With hundreds of cedar garden benches to choose from, you can create an outdoor focal point for your patio or garden. Your bank or banks that complement your interior wood furniture or outdoor garden, matching the look you are going for.There cedar garden benches with backs and armrests complete just sit back and relax in, some come in straight designs Some are more abstract designs, and some banks are more arched cedar or elegant designs.Some are more elegant, but slightly lighter than the most luxurious styles available, and others have a unique design, just by adding a few extra decorative touches. However, any backless garden benches can add a beautiful touch to your home.When choose a more aerodynamic through the purchase of a backless bench, you can sit in any direction for the perfect view. View the sunrise and sunset all in the same picturesque backless bench. Some of these cedar garden benches are available with decorative curling arms on both sides, and some have no armrest in the flower garden all.In: Cedar garden benches can add a beautiful touch to your garden and can even become the focal point of your garden and draw attention to the area in which you choose to put. Some cedar garden benches seem to be made especially to sit and admire the garden flowers.Teatime cedar benches, many banks are elegant cedar, and some are picturesque. Some are specially designed to sit on your patio or garden or on your patio or porch to eat and drink well meals or between meals. So grab a cup of coffee or tea and a snack with friends in style. These cedar furniture often comes in sets, with wooden chairs and tables as well. Garden Benches are perfect for a reunion, a card game for a cup of tea, or just a relaxing time in the yard home.In: A cedar garden bench may be the perfect place to "sit at the next "and resting in the shade as you watch. Under the shade of trees, beside the pool or the volleyball net, cedar garden benches are perfect if you want to sit and watch.Pick one that suits your personal style and individuality will enjoy the Cedar garden benches can take your garden, so sit back and relax through the season in the cedar garden bench. Let's help a cedar garden bench dress up your yard and think that will look great garden bench for.Your cedar or banks will certainly be a big part of what gives your yard or garden seem quaint that you want. Cedar benches can even add an elegant touch to your garden view from the window of the kitchen, living room, bedroom, dining room, or whatever it faces the window.
Wayside Gardens: Using Garden Decor For a Complete Garden
For many people, the garden is an extension of the home; a living area to be beautified just as they would want to decorate the interior of their house. Much of the beauty, both in their eyes and those of the passer-by and visitor, comes from the garden layout, the plants and flowers, the trees, the terraces, and the lawns. Such beauty can be brought to life by the birds and butterflies that visit the garden. It can also be further enhanced by the choice and use of garden decor.Types of Garden DecorThere are many types of garden decor that you can consider when designing or improving your garden. The use of the word 'decor' is traditionally used for the decoration of a house interior, incorporating everything from the furniture to the paint on the wall, and the fabrics used for curtains and bedding. There is no reason that a garden, an extension of the home living space, should not also be considered in the same way.You could argue that all the flowers and plants in a garden are decor; in fact, I would not even argue. You are trying to create a beautiful entity in which you can spend leisure time, and which gives aesthetic pleasure as you look out of your window, relax in the summer sunshine, or arrive home from a concrete jungle on a summer's evening.However, for the purposes of this article, we will consider garden decor as the decoration added to the garden plants, shrubs and flowers for both functional and aesthetic reasons. Once that is done, then garden decor falls into a number of popular types or themes, and all are worth considering.Fountains and WaterfallsThe use of water in a garden with no natural water feature can greatly enhance it. Most people appreciate both the sight and sound of water, and it is definitely an aid to relaxation. I know I am not the only person in the world who finds it relaxing sitting or strolling by water.Artificial garden fountains and waterfalls can make an impressive difference to your garden, either as standalone features or as part of a larger water garden and are well worth considering to help turn your garden into a complete outdoor haven.Garden Statues and OrnamentsWith a long historical background, statues have stood the test of time as a popular decor item. While classic statues may have been on a grand scale, and for public sites or stately homes and country mansions, they have found their own niche as garden decor in the modern and smaller garden.Garden statues come in many styles and designs, some of them following ancient and classical traditions, such as cherubs and angels. Other popular subjects include animals, such as domestic cats and dogs, and wild animals such as lions and frogs.Small statues, which some may call garden ornaments, can also be found for those of us with small gardens, and no scope for the great sculptures you may see in large country gardens.Garden Containers or PlantersAn important feature of any garden, especially those with patios, terraces or little visible soil, can be the containers or planters used to house some of your plants. Container gardening is a type of gardening in its own right, and you will find many books on the subject to choose the best plants to grow in a confined planter.When it comes to the planters themselves, then you will find, as with statues, a wide range of designs, made from a choice of materials. There are attractive containers in concrete, fibrestone, fibreglass and plastic; if you like the reddy colour of terracota, then that can be used successfully in a formal or informal garden.Planters, used carefully, can add height and shape to areas of the garden that may seem barren, and they can certainly bring a terrace or patio to life.Other Garden Decor PossibilitiesReally, there is no end to the possibilities of what you can use to decorate the garden. For particular holidays, such as Christmas and Valentine's Day, you may find ornaments and decorations to hang outside or stick in the ground. Then there are other types of decor that may be multi-purpose, with a functional or decorative use. Examples of these are decorative bird houses or garden lighting.Allow your imagination some leeway as you design your garden, observe from visiting public gardens, plus what you see online, in magazines and around you, and I am sure you can come up with a unique mixture of garden decor and plantings that will be the envy of your friends and neighbours, and give you pleasure as long as you live there. [EXTRACT] For many people, the garden is an extension of home, a living room to be embellished as you want to decorate the interior of your home. Much of the beauty, in their eyes and those of pedestrians and visitors coming from the garden layout, plants and flowers, trees, terraces and gardens. That beauty can be brought to the lives of birds and butterflies that visit the garden. It can also be reinforced by the choice and use of garden Garden decor.Types DecorThere many types of garden decor that can be considered in designing or improving your garden. The use of 'decoration' of the word is traditionally used to decorate the interior of a house, incorporating everything from furniture to wall paint, and fabrics used for curtains and bedding. There is no reason that a garden, an extension of living space at home, should not be considered in the same way. One could argue that all the flowers and plants in a garden decoration are, in fact, I did not even discuss. You are trying to create a beautiful entity in which you can spend your free time, and gives aesthetic pleasure to look out the window, relax under the summer sun, or come home from a concrete jungle in summer evening.However for the purposes of this article, we consider the decoration of the garden as decoration added to garden plants, shrubs and flowers, both aesthetic and functional reasons. Once this is done, then the garden decoration is divided into a number of popular types or themes, and all are worth considering.Fountains and WaterfallsThe water use in a garden with no natural water feature to a great extent can to improve. Most people appreciate both sight and sound of water, and is definitely an aid to relaxation. I know I'm not the only person in the world that is relaxing to sit or stroll along the water. Garden fountains and artificial waterfalls can make a striking difference to your garden, either as independent or as part of a larger water garden and are well worth considering to help turn your garden into a completely haven.Garden Statues outdoor and historical OrnamentsWith long, the statues have stood the test of time as a popular design element. While classical statues may have been a large scale, public places and stately homes and mansions or country that have found their own niche as a garden decoration garden statues. Smaller modern garden come in many styles and designs, some of them following the ancient and classical tradition, such as cherubs and angels. Other popular themes are animals, like cats and dogs and wild animals like lions and statues frogs.Small, some may call garden ornaments, also can be found for those of us with a small garden, and there is no room for the large sculptures can be seen in large country gardens. Garden Planters containers or feature important part of any garden, especially those with patios, terraces or little visible soil, containers or pots can be used to house some of its plants. Container gardening is a type of gardening in their own right, and you will find many books on the topic of choosing the best plants to grow in a planter. When limited regarding the planters themselves, then you are, like statues, a wide range of designs, from a selection of materials. There is particular attractive containers, fibrestone, fiberglass and plastic, and if you like the color terracotta Ramos, then that can be used successfully in a formal or informal garden.Planters, used carefully, can increase height and form to the garden areas that may seem sterile, and can certainly bring a deck or patio to PossibilitiesReally life.Other garden decoration, there is no end to the possibilities of what can be used to decorate the garden . For special holidays, like Christmas and Valentine's Day, you can find ornaments and decorations to hang out or stick in the ground. Then there is another type of decoration that can be multi-purpose, functional or decorative use. Examples of these are decorative bird houses or in the garden of his imagination lighting.Allow leeway as you design your garden, look to visit public gardens, in addition to what is viewed online, in magazines and around you, and I'm sure you can reach a unique mix of landscaping and plants that will be the envy of your friends and neighbors, and give you pleasure as long as you live there.
Wayside Gardens: Vegetable Gardening
Successful vegetable gardening involves far more than just popping a few seeds into the ground and waiting for a tomato to appear. I'll briefly cover the basics of vegetable garden design, but you might also want to get some gardening books.Planning your garden is one of the most important parts of vegetable gardening, and it's quite simple. Whether it's a vegetable garden, a flowerbed, indoor houseplants, or some combination, successful gardening requires planning, patience, and a little detective work. Whatever you do, do not choose garden soil, no matter how rich it might be, for indoor vegetable gardening! No matter what gardening zone your garden is located in there are catalogues with myriad variety of vegetables. Use these vegetable gardening tips to prepare your garden and keep your home full of fresh vegetables. Preparing your garden soil for planting is the most physically demanding part of vegetable gardening and may also be the most important part.The patios and balconies of apartment buildings and condominiums often have good exposure for container vegetable gardening. Container gardening makes it possible to position the vegetables in areas where they can receive the best possible growing conditions. Container gardening can provide you with fresh vegetables as well as recreation and exercise. Although vegetable production will be limited by the number and the size of the containers, this form of gardening can be rewarding. Soilless mixes such as a peat-lite mix are generally too light for container vegetable gardening, since they usually will not support plant roots sufficiently. MEDIA A fairly lightweight potting mix is needed for container vegetable gardening. Soil Conditions The right type of soil for the right type of plant is key to successful vegetable gardening. Clay and sandy soils must be modified for successful vegetable gardening. Proper fertilization is another important key to successful vegetable gardening.Buy seeds, seed starting kits and gardening supplies for vegetable gardens. If you are new to gardening, starting vegetables from seed may be too huge an undertaking, instead purchase plants. Practice crop rotation in your vegetable gardening by planting tomatoes and other vegetables in a different spot every year. Mulches can be used effectively in all types of gardening situations from vegetable gardens to flower gardens and even around trees and shrubs. I know an eyebrow or two might be raised at the suggestion of indoor vegetable gardening, but it can be done, within limits.Added to the pleasure of gardening will be satisfaction derived from relishing vegetables freshly picked from your very own plot. Learning is a process, vegetable gardening needs time. As in so many other pursuits, so it is in the art of vegetable gardening: practice does make perfect. [EXTRACT] Horticulture success involves much more than just popping a few seeds in the ground and wait for a tomato to appear. Briefly cover the basics of garden design, but you might also want to get some gardening books.Planning your garden is one of the most important vegetable crop, and is quite simple. If it's a garden, a parterre plants inside, covered, or some combination, successful gardening requires planning, patience and a little detective work. Whatever you do, do not choose garden soil, no matter how rich it is, for indoor gardening! No matter what gardening zone your garden is that there are a variety of catalogs with lots of vegetables. Use these tips to prepare your garden horticulture and keep your house full of fresh vegetables. Preparing your garden soil for planting is the most physically demanding of horticulture and can also be the most important. The patios and balconies of apartment buildings and condominiums often have good exposure of container gardening vegetables. Container gardening makes it possible to place the vegetables in areas where they can receive the best possible conditions for growth. Container gardening can provide fresh vegetables, as well as recreation and exercise. Although vegetable production will be limited by the number and size of containers, this form of gardening can be rewarding. Soilless mixes, as a mixture of peat-lite are generally too light for container gardening vegetables, and usually will not support plant roots sufficiently. MEDIA A fairly lightweight potting mix is needed for container gardening vegetables. Soil Conditions The right type of soil for the type of plant is key to successful gardening. Clayey and sandy soils must be modified for successful vegetable growing. Proper fertilization is another important key to the success of gardening.Buy vegetable seeds, seed starting kits and gardening supplies for vegetable gardens. If you are new to gardening, vegetables from seed may be too large an undertaking, instead purchase plants. The practice of crop rotation in vegetable crops of tomatoes and other vegetables planted in a different location each year. Mulch can be used effectively in all situations for gardening gardens to flower gardens and around trees and shrubs. I know an eyebrow or two might be raised at the suggestion of indoor horticulture, but you can do, within limits. Added to the pleasure of gardening satisfaction derived from relishing vegetables freshly picked from the same plot itself. Learning is a process, horticulture takes time. As in many other activities, so it is in the art of gardening: practice makes perfect.
Wayside Gardens: Gardening Tools - An Overview
Most people know very well about the rules and regulations to keep your plants to grow healthy in your garden. For getting sustainable growth from your garden plants, they do require good soil quality, sun light and sufficient water. Although these items have been gifted by nature, gardening tools are necessary to upkeep your garden. Good gardening tools will assist you in taking care of your plants as well as cultivating good growing conditions, thus having a positive effect on your plant's health.Defective gardening tools can be detrimental to your garden and to you. Defective gardening tools can cause injury to your plants or injury to yourself. Gardeners should find the best quality garden tool that they can afford. Once you have labeled your garden tool as "the best", it implies that the tool provides quality work for which it was designed for and with the least labor possible.Below is a list of some common garden tools and their uses.LawnmowersLuxus Push Reel Mower rated as best by the gardening aficionados provides large top cover that protects overhanging flowers and shrubs. Another special gardening tool called American Lawn Mower Deluxe has also been accredited as best, which will be helpful to operate on elbow grease alone and causing no pollution. However, this is not conducive for too tall grasses.Garden ShreddersIn general, all garden shredders have a high watt motor and come with silent crushing system. This kind of gardening tool accelerates your shredding activity. Gardening shredders with an electric shredder are easy to assemble and aids in tree pruning with maximum of 40 mm. The garden shredder also aids in shredding debris from punning your hedges. This gardening tool is considered the best among all the garden shredders since it is available with a plunger for increased portability and built-in wheels.CultivatorsThese modern gardening tools are available with patented tines to help in cutting the hard compacted soil smoothly. Cultivators are available with a free border edger. It is perfect to use in cleaning the moss, aerating and in thatching. This garden tool helps extensively in preparing vegetable plots, flowerbeds, etc.Leaf sweeperThese gardening tools are extensively used for smaller lawns. It is having an infinite height adjustment with 200-liter collector.Edge TrimmerThe gardening equipment reviewers have also accredited this gardening tool as important equipment. This aids in trimming the hedges and aids in plant pruning.Spading fork
This is a wonderful gardening tool used for aerating and transplanting. By using this gardening tool, it is possible to perform splitting grasses and perennials. In addition, this garden tool can be used as a manure fork, mulch fork, and sorting hay.MattockMattock is an important gardening tool for breaking up the clay soils and working around established trees with the roots. There is no need to have a pick and a hoe, if you have a mattock.Before you leave the garden center, it is highly advisable to have a look at this checklist of gardening tools and confirm if you have all the gardening tools you need to make your garden picture perfect. [EXTRACT] Most people know very well about the rules and regulations to keep your plants to grow healthy in your garden. To achieve sustainable growth of your garden plants that require good soil quality, sunlight and sufficient water. Although these elements have been endowed by nature, gardening tools are necessary for the maintenance of your garden. Good gardening tools will help in caring for their plants, and the cultivation of good growing conditions, thus having a positive effect on the tools of their health.Defective garden plant can be harmful for your garden and you. Defective gardening tools can cause damage or injury to the plants themselves. Gardeners should find the tool of the highest quality of garden you can afford. Once you have marked your garden tool as "the best", which means that the tool provides quality work for which it was designed for and with possible.Below to work is a list of some common garden tools and their uses. Push mower LawnmowersLuxus rated best by the gardening aficionados provides coverage for much higher that protects overhanging flowers and shrubs. Another special gardening tool called American Lawn Mower Deluxe has also been credited as the best, it will be useful to operate on elbow grease alone and causing no pollution. However, this is not conducive to high grasses.Garden ShreddersIn general, all garden shredders with a high-watt motor and come with silent crushing system. This type of gardening tool accelerates your shredding activity. Garden shredders with electric shredder are easy to assemble and help in the pruning of trees up to 40 mm. The garden shredder also aids in shredding waste puns of their coverage. This gardening tool is considered the best among all the garden shredders since it is available with a plunger for increased portability and built-in wheels. CultivatorsThese modern gardening tools are available with patented tines to help in the reduction of hard compacted soil smoothly. Cultivators are available with a free border edger. Perfect for use in cleaning the moss, aerating and ceilings. This garden tool helps a lot in preparing vegetable plots, flowers, garden tools etc.Leaf sweeperThese are widely used for small gardens. It's about having an infinite height adjustment with 200 liters collector. Gardening equipment reviewers TrimmerThe Edge also accredited this gardening tool as important equipment. This helps to cut the hedges and aids in the plant holder pruning.Spading This is a wonderful gardening tool used for aerating and transplanting. By using this gardening tool it is possible to carry out the division herbs and perennials. In addition, this garden tool can be used as a manure fork, mulch fork, and sorting hay. MattockMattock is an important gardening tool for breaking the clay soils and working around established trees with the roots. No need to take a peak and a hoe, if you have a mattock. Before leaving the garden center, we highly recommend taking a look at this list of gardening tools and confirm if you have any gardening tools you need for your picture perfect garden.
This is a wonderful gardening tool used for aerating and transplanting. By using this gardening tool, it is possible to perform splitting grasses and perennials. In addition, this garden tool can be used as a manure fork, mulch fork, and sorting hay.MattockMattock is an important gardening tool for breaking up the clay soils and working around established trees with the roots. There is no need to have a pick and a hoe, if you have a mattock.Before you leave the garden center, it is highly advisable to have a look at this checklist of gardening tools and confirm if you have all the gardening tools you need to make your garden picture perfect. [EXTRACT] Most people know very well about the rules and regulations to keep your plants to grow healthy in your garden. To achieve sustainable growth of your garden plants that require good soil quality, sunlight and sufficient water. Although these elements have been endowed by nature, gardening tools are necessary for the maintenance of your garden. Good gardening tools will help in caring for their plants, and the cultivation of good growing conditions, thus having a positive effect on the tools of their health.Defective garden plant can be harmful for your garden and you. Defective gardening tools can cause damage or injury to the plants themselves. Gardeners should find the tool of the highest quality of garden you can afford. Once you have marked your garden tool as "the best", which means that the tool provides quality work for which it was designed for and with possible.Below to work is a list of some common garden tools and their uses. Push mower LawnmowersLuxus rated best by the gardening aficionados provides coverage for much higher that protects overhanging flowers and shrubs. Another special gardening tool called American Lawn Mower Deluxe has also been credited as the best, it will be useful to operate on elbow grease alone and causing no pollution. However, this is not conducive to high grasses.Garden ShreddersIn general, all garden shredders with a high-watt motor and come with silent crushing system. This type of gardening tool accelerates your shredding activity. Garden shredders with electric shredder are easy to assemble and help in the pruning of trees up to 40 mm. The garden shredder also aids in shredding waste puns of their coverage. This gardening tool is considered the best among all the garden shredders since it is available with a plunger for increased portability and built-in wheels. CultivatorsThese modern gardening tools are available with patented tines to help in the reduction of hard compacted soil smoothly. Cultivators are available with a free border edger. Perfect for use in cleaning the moss, aerating and ceilings. This garden tool helps a lot in preparing vegetable plots, flowers, garden tools etc.Leaf sweeperThese are widely used for small gardens. It's about having an infinite height adjustment with 200 liters collector. Gardening equipment reviewers TrimmerThe Edge also accredited this gardening tool as important equipment. This helps to cut the hedges and aids in the plant holder pruning.Spading This is a wonderful gardening tool used for aerating and transplanting. By using this gardening tool it is possible to carry out the division herbs and perennials. In addition, this garden tool can be used as a manure fork, mulch fork, and sorting hay. MattockMattock is an important gardening tool for breaking the clay soils and working around established trees with the roots. No need to take a peak and a hoe, if you have a mattock. Before leaving the garden center, we highly recommend taking a look at this list of gardening tools and confirm if you have any gardening tools you need for your picture perfect garden.
Wayside Gardens: Build a Rain Garden
There's a new garden in town. It is (mostly) easy to install, looks good year-round, requires almost no maintenance and has a terrifically upbeat impact on the environment. No wonder rain gardens are such a great new gardening trend!Storm water runoff can be a big problem in summer during heavy thunderstorms. As the water rushes across roofs and driveways, it picks up oil and other pollutants. Municipal storm water treatment plants often can't handle the deluge of water, and in many locations the untreated water ends up in natural waterways. The EPA estimates as much as 70 percent of the pollution in our streams, rivers, and lakes is carried there by storm water! By taking responsibility for the rainwater that falls on your own roof and driveway, you'll be helping to protect our rivers, streams and lakes from stormwater pollution.To reduce the excess water runoff, many towns are encouraging businesses and homeowners to install rain gardens in their yards. Rain gardens are specially constructed gardens located in low areas of a yard where storm water can collect. The idea is to have the water naturally funnel to this garden. The rain garden collects water runoff and stores and filters it until it can be slowly absorbed by the soil. Rather than rushing off into a storm sewer or a local waterway, the rainwater can collect in a garden where it will be naturally filtered by plants and soil.Installing a rain garden is easy.You simply dig a shallow depression in your yard and plant it with native grasses and wildflowers; things that are easy to grow and maintain in your area.What makes a garden a rain garden?First, the garden will be designed with a low spot in the middle to collect and absorb rain water and snow melt. This depression can range from a few inches in a small garden, to an excavated trough that's several feet deep. Second, rain gardens are usually located where they'll catch the runoff from impermeable surfaces like sidewalks and driveways, or from gutters and roof valleys. Third, rain gardens are usually planted with native wildflowers and grasses that will thrive in tough growing conditions. Finally, rain gardens are designed to channel heavy rains to another rain garden or to another part of the garden.Your rain garden should be located at least 10 feet from the house. The garden's size and location depends on the yard. The ideal situation would be to locate the garden in a natural depression. You also can funnel water from downspouts on gutters into the garden. The soil should be well drained so the water doesn't sit in the garden for more than two days. A special "rain garden" soil mix of 50 to 60 percent sand, 20 to 30 percent topsoil, and 20 to 30 percent compost is recommended. You can dig this mixture into the soil to depth of 2 feet before planting.Once you've identified the new garden's location, remove the sod and dig a shallow depression approximately 6-inches deep. Slope the sides gradually from the outside edge to the deepest area. Use the soil that you remove to build up a slightly raised area on the lowest side of the garden. This berm will help contain the stormwater and allow it to percolate slowly through the rain garden.If your rain garden is no more than about 6-inches deep, stormwater will usually be absorbed within a one- to seven-day period. Because mosquitoes require seven to 10 days to lay and hatch their eggs, this will help you avoid mosquito problems.Your downspout or sump pump outlet should be directed toward your rain garden depression. This can be accomplished by a natural slope, by digging a shallow swale, or by piping the runoff directly to the garden through a buried 4" diameter plastic drain tile.Plant Selection... The final touch.The most difficult part of building a rain garden (if it can even be called that) can be plant selection. Plants need to be tough enough to withstand periodic flooding, yet attractive enough to look good in the garden. Deep-rooted, low-care native plants, such as asters, and tough non-natives, such as daylilies, are best. If properly designed, the rain garden can consist of a blend of attractive shrubs, perennials, trees, and ground covers. Planting strips of grass around the garden and using mulch also can help filter the water.New plants should be watered every other day for the first two weeks or so. Once they are well established, your garden should thrive without additional watering. Fertilizers will not be necessary, and only minimal weeding will be needed after the first summer of growth. [EXTRACT] There is a new garden in the city. It's (almost) easy to install, looks good all year, requires almost no maintenance and has a tremendously optimistic impact on the environment. There are rain gardens wonder this great new gardening trend! Stormwater runoff can be a big problem in the summer during heavy thunderstorms. As the water runs through the roofs and driveways, which includes oil and other contaminants. Municipal storm water treatment plants often can not handle the deluge of water, and in many locations the untreated water ends up in natural waterways. The EPA estimates that up to 70 percent of the pollution of our creeks, rivers and lakes is carried by rain water! By taking responsibility for the rainwater that falls on your own roof and home, you will be helping to protect our rivers, streams and lakes stormwater Pollution. To reduce excess runoff, many towns are encouraging businesses and homeowners to install rain gardens in their yards. Rain gardens are specially constructed gardens located in low areas of a yard where rainwater can collect. The idea is that water naturally funnel to this garden. The rain garden collects water runoff and stores and filters until it is slowly absorbed by the soil. Instead of running away in a sewer or a local channel rain water can accumulate in a garden where it is filtered naturally by plants and soil.Installing a rain garden is simply easy.You dig a shallow depression in the garden and plants with native grasses and wildflowers, the things that are easy to grow and maintain in your area. What makes a garden a rain garden First, the garden was designed with a low point in the center to collect and absorb rainwater and melting snow?. This depression can vary from a few centimeters in a small garden, through an excavation that is several feet deep. Gardens in second place, the rain that normally found in the second round will take impervious surfaces like sidewalks and driveways, or channels and valleys of the roof. Third, rain gardens are usually planted with wildflowers and grasses that grow in the harsh growing conditions. Finally, rain gardens are designed to channel heavy rains to another rain garden or other part of the rain garden should be located garden.Your at least 10 feet from the house. Garden size and location depends on the yard. Ideally, locate the garden in a natural depression. You can also pipe the water from the gutters into the garden. The soil should be well drained so that water does not sit in the garden of more than two days. A "rain garden" soil mix of sand from 50 percent to 60, 20 to 30 percent topsoil, and 20 to 30 percent compost is recommended. You can dig this mixture into the soil to a depth of 2 feet before planting. Once you have identified the location of the new garden, remove the grass and dig a shallow depression about 6 inches deep. Slope the sides gradually from the outer edge of the deepest zone. Land use is removed to create a slightly raised area in the lower part of the garden. This berm will help contain rainwater and allow it to percolate slowly through the rain garden. If your rain garden is only about 6 inches deep, usually storm water will be absorbed within seven days-a-a. Because mosquitoes require seven to 10 days to establish and lay their eggs, this will help avoid mosquito problems.Your down or out of the sump pump should be directed to the rain garden depression. This can be achieved by a natural slope, digging a shallow drainage channel or pipe through direct runoff to the garden through a buried 4 "diameter plastic Selection tile.Plant drain ... The final touch. The hardest part of building a rain garden (if you can call it) may be the selection of plants. The plants need to be durable enough to withstand periodic flooding, yet attractive enough to look good in the garden. Deeply rooted in the care of native plants such as asters, and tough non-natives, such as daylilies, are best. If designed properly, the rain garden can consist of a mixture of attractive shrubs, perennials, trees and ground covers. Planting strips of grass in the garden and use mulch also can help filter water.New plants should be watered every two days during the first two weeks or less. Once well established, your garden should thrive without additional watering. Fertilizer is not necessary, and only minimal weeding will be needed after the first summer of growth.
Wayside Gardens: The Importance of Garden Decor
The Quest for SignificancePeople are looking for ways to add significance, peace of mind, a quality experience, and an escape from the "rat-race" in their lives. Stated differently, people want to add depth and meaning to their lives. One way to accomplish this, it is asserted, is to make or purchase decor for your garden.Make Your Garden UniqueGarden decor, along with things related to gardens, provides a return to nature, a sense of spirituality, and a return to the earth as people journey on their quest for significance and ultimate meaning. Moreover, through the use of decorations, gardeners reveal their quirks and shortcomings, their wit, their creativity, and their desire to make their gardens unique.Transform Your LifeGardens and their ornaments are symbols of enchantment, of mystery, of meaning, and of ultimate being. Another way of looking at this is to see that gardens and garden accents provide the power to transform one's mood and one's life. To be sure, garden accessories can become symbolic reminders of life's blessings as they encourage people to enrich their surroundings by transcending the mundane.The Gardening ImaginationGarden ornaments help people take an active stance in their lives by enabling them to create a niche in the world that is in concert with their values and their dreams. Indeed, it is this "gardening imagination" that provides people with the opportunity to select meaningful objects that speak to their senses, to their experiences, and to their lives.An Invitation to Add Garden Decor to your LifeWebsites that sell garden decor can be viewed as invitations for people to experiment and let their imaginations run free so that they can, with conscious effort or with playfulness, select the accents that they like--decor that speaks to their dreams and to their soul. With this in mind, look at the different products that are sold and select garden accessories that help elicit childhood fantasies. Examine the different garden accents and choose ornaments that speak to your inner self.Let Your Personality Shine ThroughGarden decor helps calm the spirit, soothe the soul, and delight the senses. By letting your individuality shine through as you select your decorative accents, you will transform your garden into one of the most meaningful experiences in your life. The challenge is to capture moments of wonder, joy, and inspiration and experience the lasting pleasures of beauty and the splendors of nature by decorating your garden in a way that is congruent with your noblest thoughts, feelings, and aspirations.Your Garden SanctuaryStrive to decorate your garden with ornaments that magically call you to return to your garden sanctuary. Look at different garden products and decide on decorations that motivate you to tap into your playfulness or into your artistic bent as you contemplate how you will decorate your garden. In a word, you can add richness, depth, and a sense of discovery to your garden with different garden ornaments.SummaryIn conclusion, garden decor is significant because it is an invitation for people to open themselves to the magic, to the wonder, to the meaning, and to the pleasure that gardens and garden-related accessories can bring to their lives. [EXTRACT] The search SignificancePeople looking for ways to add significance, peace of mind, a quality experience and an escape from the "rat race" in their lives. In other words, people want to add depth and meaning to their lives. One way to accomplish this, he says, is make or purchase decor for your garden UniqueGarden garden.Make Its decor, along with things related to gardens, offers a return to nature, a sense of spirituality and a return to earth people travel in their quest for significance and ultimate meaning. Moreover, through the use of decorations, gardeners reveal their quirks and shortcomings, their wit, their creativity and desire to make their gardens unique.Transform Your LifeGardens and ornaments are symbols of magic, mystery, of meaning, and be the last. Another way of looking at this is to see the gardens and garden accents provide the power to transform the mood and one's life. To be sure, garden accessories can become symbolic reminders of life's blessings as encourage people to enrich their environment, transcending the garden mundane.The ImaginationGarden ornaments help people take an active stance in their lives by allowing them to create a niche in the world who agree with their values and dreams. In fact, this "gardening imagination" that gives people the opportunity to select meaningful objects that speak of their senses, experiences, and his invitation to lives. An Add Garden Decor LifeWebsites selling your garden decor can be seen as invitations to people to experiment and let their imaginations so they can, with conscious effort or joy, select the accents that they like - the decor talking about their dreams and their soul. With this in mind, see the different products that are sold and select garden accessories that help trigger childhood fantasies. Examine the different garden accents and choose ornaments that speak to your inner self.Let your personality shine ThroughGarden decor helps calm the mind, soothe the soul and delight the senses. By letting your individuality shine through you select your decorative accents that will transform your garden into one of the most significant experiences in your life. The challenge is to capture moments of wonder, joy and inspiration and experience the lasting pleasures of beauty and splendor of nature by decorating your garden in a way that is congruent with noble thoughts, feelings and Aspirations . Your Garden SanctuaryStrive to decorate your garden with ornaments that magically call you to return to your garden sanctuary. Look for garden products and decide on different decorations that motivate you to take your game or your artistic talent to watch how you will decorate your garden. In a word, you can add richness, depth and a sense of discovery to your garden with the conclusion of different ornaments.SummaryIn garden, garden decor is significant because it is an invitation for people open to the magic, wonder, to the meaning and pleasure gardens and garden related accessories can bring to their lives.
Wayside Gardens: Suggestions for New Gardeners
There are many gardeners who have been planting vegetables, herbs, and flowers for years and really enjoy it. New gardeners are also hoping to have the same enjoyment but may not be sure on how and where to begin. You do not need a large area to start a brand new garden, it is better to start small to see how well it is going to work and then progress to something larger. You may even want to start out with a small container garden instead of a plot in the ground.You can check to see if there are any classes being offered with regards to gardening; some nurseries, garden centers, or master gardeners in your area may offer some suggestions. You may also have neighbors that do some gardening and would be willing to show you how to begin. Some cities have public gardens for you to visit so you can see what will grow well in your environment. In order to make your gardening experience enjoyable start out small so it will fit into your schedule. A new garden should not be so large that you are going to wonder what you got yourself into.You are going to need a few basic gardening supplies regardless of whether you are planning on growing vegetables, flowers, or herbs. Compost, which is composed of decaying organic material, will greatly improve your soil by adding back nutrients that will improve growth. Compost can be made at home by using kitchen scraps and natural yard and garden waste or it is available in bags from home improvement centers and garden nurseries. If you add mulch to your garden in the spring it will cut down on your weeding time and it will retain moisture for the plants especially during the warmer summer months. Organic mulch is probably the best to use because it will eventually break down over time and help feed the soil. Other types of mulch can be wood chips or straw.The basic set of gardening tools generally includes a dibbler or trowel for digging holes for seedlings and to plant seeds and a three-prong cultivator for weeding a small garden and establishing troughs for planting seeds. A garden hose with a spray attachment for releasing gentle sprays for those delicate seedlings is a must. A good investment is a garden hat with a wide brim to protect your head and face from the sun along with a good sunblock. If you do not want to use sunblock on your arms and legs some old clothing with long sleeves and long pants can be worn for protection. A pair of gardening gloves that is going to last awhile during gardening tasks is a must. There are gardeners that spend a lot time on their knees while gardening and have purchased gardening mats or kneelers that help protect those knees.Wherever you decide to have your garden be sure the area is going to get the right amount of sunlight for what you are going to grow. Most herbs, vegetables, and fruit will need six hours, at least, of full sunlight daily; some of them may need more time. Flowers are going to be different; some need partial sun; full sun; or even shade. You can have an in-ground flower garden in full sun and a container flower garden for partial sun or shade; remember a container garden can be moved around as needed. If your garden is not going to be near the water spigot just make sure your garden hose is going to be long enough to reach. Your in-ground garden soil needs preparation as soon as the ground is pliable with plenty of compost or organic material. Good garden soil needs to have organic material added every year to keep it healthy. If you feed garden soil every year it will grow and produce everything your plants need for producing a good healthy crop or beautiful plants and flowers.There are a few plants that are difficult to grow from seeds such as tomatoes, peppers, and petunias, so you may want to plant their seedlings instead. If you prefer growing from seed, try planting indoors early and transplant them as seedlings, when they are strong, to your outside garden. If you plant any seedlings outside too early you may run the risk of another frost and your plants will die. It is probably best to check with a gardening neighbor or your local garden nursery for best times for planting in your area.As new gardeners you may find your first year of gardening may not give the best crop of vegetables or the most beautiful flowers; do not get discouraged, if you enjoyed the gardening experience your following years will always be better than the last. Just remember to grow the plants that will do well in your environment, keep the garden small at first and grow the plants that you and your family will enjoy. [EXTRACT] Many gardeners have been planting vegetables, herbs and flowers for years and really enjoy it. New gardeners are also hoping to have the same pleasure, but can not be sure how and where to start. You do not need a large area to start a new garden, it is best to start slowly to see how well it will work and then move on to something bigger. You may even want to start with a small container garden instead of a plot in the ground.You can check to see if there are classes offered in terms of gardening, some nurseries, garden centers and landscapers in your area can We offer some suggestions. You can also have neighbors who do a little gardening and would be willing to show you how to begin. Some cities have public gardens for you to visit so you can see what will grow well in your environment. To begin to make your experience pleasant garden with small things to fit your schedule. A new garden should not be so great to be asking yourself what is into.You going to have some basic gardening supplies, whether you are planning on growing vegetables, flowers or herbs. Compost, which is composed of decaying organic matter, will greatly improve your soil by adding nutrients back to improve growth. Compost can be done at home using food waste and natural debris or yard and garden is available in bags of improvement centers for home and garden nurseries. If you add compost to your garden in the spring will reduce weeding time and will keep moisture from plants, especially during the summer months. Compost is probably the best to use because it will eventually break down over time and help feed the soil. Other types of mulch may be wood shavings or straw. The core set of general gardening tools, including an elusive or trowel to dig holes for the seedlings and seeds of plants and a three-prong cultivator for weeding a small garden and the establishment of channels for planting seeds. A garden hose with a spray system for the release of aerosols soft delicate seedlings is a necessity. A good investment is a garden hat with wide brim to protect head and face the sun with a good sunscreen. If you do not want to use sunscreen on your arms and legs a bit of old clothes with long sleeves and long pants can be worn for protection. A pair of gardening gloves that will last a while in the yard work is a necessity. There are gardeners who spend much time on their knees while gardening and landscaping have purchased carpets or couches that help protect the knees.Wherever you choose to have your garden make sure the area is going to get the right amount of sunlight at which to grow. Most of the herbs, vegetables and fruits takes six hours, at least, of full sunlight each day, some may need more time. The flowers will be different, some need full sun to partial sun, not even the shadow. You can have a flower garden in the ground in full sun and a flower garden container for sun or partial shade, reminiscent of a container garden can be moved if necessary. If your garden is not going to be near the water faucet just make sure your garden hose will be enough time to arrive. On the floor of your garden soil preparation needed as soon as the soil is flexible with plenty of compost or organic matter. The garden soil that claims need organic material added each year to stay healthy. If you feed the garden soil will grow each year and produce everything your plants need to produce a good harvest was healthy and beautiful plants and flowers. There are some plants that are difficult to grow from seeds such as tomatoes, peppers, petunias, so you can to sow the seeds in place. If you prefer growing from seed, try to plant inside early and transplanting as plants, when they are strong, your outdoor garden. If you plant the seedlings out too soon may run the risk of frost and one of its plants will die. It's probably best to consult a gardening neighbor or your local nursery for best time to plant in their new gardeners area.As you can find your first year of gardening can not give the best crop of vegetables or beautiful flowers, is Do not be discouraged if you liked the gardening experience of next year is always better than the last. Just remember to grow plants that do well in your environment, keep the garden at first and grow the plants you and your family can enjoy.
Wayside Gardens: Start a Vegetable Garden Today
Spring Fever!Kick up your heels, the sun is finally shining! Get out and smell the flowers and dig in the earth and grow your dinner and your breakfast too! It's easy to grow your own organic food and beat the high prices, for free. You can also grow beautiful flowers. Spring is the time to start.The first step to growing your garden is to find a good spot with at least 6 hours of direct sun. Next, visualize your dream garden and imagine all your favorite vegetables. Then make a garden plan. Finally prepare your garden beds and plant your garden!Garden Plan:So what goes into a garden plan? What do you like to eat most and what will grow well in your location? Every good plan will consist of:* A list of your favorite garden vegetables and flowers* Garden bed layout: type, shape and placement of your garden beds and perennial plants* First and last frost dates* Compost Area* Water system* Optional - green house or cold frameAll these elements will interrelate and enhance each other, creating a fine-looking garden. Draw out a plan and order your seeds! Although gardening is flexible and always growing, having a solid plan in place first will help you avoid frustration and give you a good start. You can draw out your plans by hand or use some of the new on-line garden planning programs. I have been having fun working with an on-line planner this season for the first time. I have always done my garden planning on paper and there was always lots of erasing, changes and rough drafts. Making garden plans used to be an unpleasant and messy chore for me. Now I am having fun using an on-line gardening tool for making my garden plan, and changing it and playing around as much as I want in just seconds. Once you have a good plan and a list of all your favorite veggies' it is time to order your seeds or buy some from your local nursery or feed store.Prepare your garden beds:There are many options for making garden beds, some include: raised beds, square-foot gardening, or old-fashioned hand or tiller dug garden beds. If you have a large garden, old fashioned garden beds are probably the best. If you have a small area, raised beds or square-foot gardening will be the most productive.Start small if this is your first garden. Be sensible and don't get overwhelmed. It is better to have a beautifully maintained garden that you can take care of than a big weed patch that is so overwhelming that you dread going in your garden. You can get an amazing amount of great food out of a small garden.Compost is crucial. Don't delay, start your compost today! Turn your garbage into gold.No matter how big your garden is and where you put it, you will need to feed your soil. There is nothing that compares with rich compost for growing productive gardens. Always grow organic! For your health and the health of the planet, it just doesn't make sense and costs more to use chemical fertilizers, herbicides (weed control) or pesticides. I have been growing my food organically for over 30 years and have beautiful, productive gardens! It is important to know what nutrients your soil is rich in and what nutrients you will need to add to have a productive garden. Test your soil and add the required organic nutrients. Let the soil settle and then plant seeds and starts and you will soon be eating some of the best food you have ever tasted and will probably have enough for all of your friends too.I hope you are inspired to plant your organic garden today. Here's to a great garden season!Farmer Dave [EXTRACT] Spring Fever! Raise your heels, the sun is shining at last! Get out and smell the flowers and digging in the dirt and grow your dinner and breakfast too! Easy to grow their own organic food and beat the high prices, for free. You can also grow beautiful flowers. Spring is the time of start.The first step in the growth of your garden is to find a good place with at least 6 hours of direct sunlight. Then visualize your garden dream and imagine all the vegetables of your choice. Then make a garden plan. Finally, prepare your flowerbeds and your garden plants Garden Plan: So, what happens in a garden plan? What do you like to eat more and what will grow well in place? Every good plan shall include: * A list of your favorite vegetables and flowers * garden bed design: type, shape and placement of planters and perennials * Surname * frost dates and compost area * Water system * Optional - cold green house or frameAll these elements are interrelated and mutually reinforcing, creating a garden look good. Needed a plan and order your seeds! Although gardening is flexible and ever growing, have a solid plan in the first place will help to avoid frustration and give you a good start. You can draw your plans by hand or with some new programs online garden planning. I had fun working with a planner on-line this season for the first time. I've always done my garden planning on paper and there was always plenty of clear, changes and drafts. Make plans garden used to be a nasty and dirty work for me. Now I'm having fun with gardening tools online to make my garden plan, and change it and play as much as you want in a matter of seconds. Once you have a good plan and a list of all your favorite vegetables "it's time to order your seeds or buy some of your local nursery or store.Prepare feed your garden beds: There are many options to make the garden beds Some are: beds, gardening square meters, or farmer's old dug garden beds. If you have a large garden, old-fashioned garden beds are probably the best. If you have a small area, raised beds or gardening square meters, will be the smallest productive.Start if this is your first garden. Be sensible and do not get overwhelmed. It is better to have a well-kept garden that you can take care of a large patch of weeds that is so overwhelming that afraid to go in your garden. You can get an incredible amount of food from a small garden.Compost is essential. Do not delay, start your subscription today! Turn your trash into gold.No matter the size of your garden and where you put it, you will have to feed their land. There is nothing that compares with rich compost for growing productive gardens. Always grow organic! For your health and the health of the planet, it makes no sense and costs more than the use of chemical fertilizers, herbicides (weed control) or pesticides. I've been growing my organic food for over 30 years and have beautiful gardens, productive! It is important to know what nutrients your soil is rich in nutrients and you'll have to add to have a productive garden. Test your soil and add organic nutrients needed. Let the soil settle and then plant the seeds and starts, and soon will be eating some of the best food I have ever tasted, and probably have enough for all your friends too.I hope was inspired to plant your garden organic today. Here is a great garden season! David Farmer
Wayside Gardens: How-To Get Started With Organic Gardening
How-To Basics of getting started with Organic Gardening.
No matter whether you are an experienced organic gardener or you have simply decided that you would like to become more self-reliant by growing some of your own food, planting a garden requires planning. A properly planned and planted organic garden will naturally resist disease, deter pests, and be healthy and productive. With the spring planting season fast approaching, winter is the ideal time to get started.Set Goals
What do you want to do with your plot of earth this season? Begin planning by setting goals. Grab your garden map, a pencil, your gardening guide, catalogs, and your thinking cap. List the areas of your yard and garden separately (i.e. lawn, vegetable patch, flower garden), and, keeping in mind the size and conditions of your site, brainstorm! Are you planning a garden for the first time? Do you want to expand your existing garden? Did you have pest or disease problems last year that you're hoping to prevent this year? What map? To create a map of your yard or garden, measure the dimensions of your site as a whole, and then the individual dimensions of your vegetable patch, flowerbeds, and lawn. It's easiest to draw your map to scale on a sheet of graph paper. These measurements will be necessary later, when you are determining how much of a plant or seeds to buy. Once the map is drawn, write in any information you know about soil characteristics, drainage, environmental conditions (sunny, shady, windy), and the names of trees and perennial plants that already exist. Your map will let you know exactly what you have to work with, and will give you a realistic idea of problems that need attention or features you'd like to change or add.Gardening 101
It is important to understand the magnitude of your project before you begin. Getting the background information necessary to fulfill your goals may take an hour or a week, depending upon your level of experience and how involved you plan to get. Consulting your garden guidebook is a great way to begin - I suggest Warren Schultz's The Organic Suburbanite, The New Organic Grower by Eliot Coleman, Rodale's Chemical-Free Yard & Garden, or The Handy Garden Answer Book by Karen Troshynski-Thomas. You can also go to your local library and investigate their resources or contact your local garden club for their suggestions. As you research, write down how long each project will take, what tools you will need, and the approximate cost of everything you will need. This information will be invaluable when you make up your shopping list and schedule of activities. Scheduling and Organization. A schedule of activities lists what you hope to accomplish in what time frame. It will help keep you on track. It is important to be realistic about what you are capable of.This is not a project that can be taken on alone in a week. Staggering your major tasks over time will make them easier to accomplish and save you the ultimate frustration of unfinished projects. Planning for the long term will aid in your organization. You can create a year-by-year schedule that maps out a time frame in which to achieve your big goals. Obviously, the schedule can change as time goes by, you learn new methods and you rethink your objectives, but maintaining focus on what you hope to create in the long term can keep you motivated on what you are doing now.Tool Tutorial
You have a plan! You have knowledge! Do you have tools? Chances are you may be able to obtain most tools at your local lawn and garden store. Bring the list that you assembled in Gardening 101, and, if you are a seasoned gardener, assume that the same pests and plagues will be back that you dealt with last year and buy your supplies now. If you are new to the gardening scene, buy the basic tools that you will need, and then nose around the neighborhood and perhaps your local gardening club to see what is recommended for what you are planting and where you live.Basic Tools:
Diggers - You will need a spading fork for aerating your soil and turning your compost pile. Look for a spading fork with rectangular, flat blades. A manure fork may also be compost-pile friendly when it comes to turning.
Weeders - Weeding tools include hoes and short-handled cultivating tools. Both are made in a variety of styles, and you will probably want more than one of each.
Hoe
hoe types include:
Swan-neck hoe - The curved neck positions the cutting blade to skim just below the surface, making it ideal for light work around garden crops.
Oscillating hoe - Also called a scuffle hoe or hula, it has a hinged, double-edged blade that barely disturbs the soil surface, minimizing the number of new weeds brought to the surface.
Collinear hoe - Designed by Eliot Coleman, the narrow blade and angled handle are useful for cutting off small weeds with little soil disturbance.
Eye hoe - Also called a grub hoe, the heavy blade is for hard chopping at tough, overgrown weeds.Standard short-handled cultivating tools:Hand cultivator - A tined tool, useful for disturbing the soil surface around close planting to uproot young weeds.
Dandelion weeder - Made for uprooting weeds with long taproots.
Pavement weeder - A trowel for removing weeds in cracks of stone slab or brick walkways.
Pruners - Pruning trees and shrubs promotes growth and good health, and pruning out diseased wood helps to control disease problems. Pruning tools come in varying sizes depending on your need. Choose a sharp, high quality pruning tool.
Tillers - Tillers will also range in size, depending on the job. There are large, gaspowered tillers for breaking ground or big jobs, and small tillers that are lightweight and are useful for cultivating around perennials. Rent a few tillers to try them out before buying, as they do differ a great deal and can be expensive.
Sowers - Wheeled seeding tools that have changeable interior disks for different seed sizes and spacings are available and very handy if you are planting large areas.
Comfort tools - There is a plethora of comfort- oriented garden accessories available on the market today. Products range from gloves, to knee pads, to small, wheeled benches/carts. It is up to you to decide what will suit your needs, if you need any at all..Starting From Seed
Starting your plants from seed will ensure that they are chemical free. Most transplants sold in garden centers have been treated with chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Seeds themselves bought at garden centers may be coated in fungicides, so be very careful about what you buy or buy from an organic seed supplier. To start plants from seed, you need sterile soil, sterile planting containers, and labels. It is better to grow each seedling in a separate container to avoid the damage incurred by ripping roots apart, and to make for a less shocking transplant. If you purchase soil mix, be sure that it is sterile to avoid spreading disease to your seedlings.To make your own mix, use vermiculite (a mica-based mineral that has been heated to make it expand to many times its original size), perlite (volcanic ash that has been heated and 'popped'), and sphagnum (moss that has been collected while still alive, dried, and then finely ground). Add 1 tablespoon of lime for each 2 quarts of sphagnum that you use to counteract its acidity. Good recipes for soil mix are 1 part sphagnum and 1 part vermiculite, or 1 part each sphagnum, vermiculite and perlite. Seeds actually need heat, not light, to germinate. The heat from a grow light or sunny window may be enough for some, but placing the containers on top of a warm refrigerator or on a seed-starting heating pad may be necessary.Keep your seeds moist by planting them in moist mix and covering them with plastic wrap. As soon as you see the first sign of life, remove the wrap and place them someplace where they will receive 8-10 hours of sunlight per day.Water them care fully with a spray mister, careful not to knock the seedlings over or wash away the soil. Before you transplant your seedlings outdoors, they need to be acclimated to the different climate. Bring them outside and place them in a sheltered, somewhat shady spot for a few hours each day, gradually increasing their exposure to the elements over a week or two. Plants have a hardiness zone, an area based on the average annual low temperatures where a plant is most likely to withstand the region's annual low temperature http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has produced a map that breaks the U.S. into 11 zones. Growing plants that are outside your hardiness zone is not impossible, but they will need special attention. When deciding what to plant, consult a hardiness zone map to come up with plants that are most likely to thrive in your zone (see map).Garden Design
Switching to chemical-free gardening will not only mean changing your gardening practices, but also your gardening design. Gardening in beds, as opposed to rows, provides for better weed, disease and pest management. Beds are also more attractive and easier to maintain. In a garden bed, everything is planted within arm's reach. The leaves of adjacent plants shade the soil, reducing weed growth. Diversity in a garden bed also has many advantages. A variety of plants in a mixed bed provide some natural pest protection by making it difficult for pests to find and eat their target plants, or helping to attract insects that are beneficial to your garden and prey on pest insects. It also reduces the chances that pests and disease organisms will build to epidemic levels, as they won't be able to hop from tasty host to tasty host, as they would if you had planted in rows. Your soil will also reap the benefits of your diverse planting techniques. A good example is planting nitrogen-gobbling corn with nitrogen-giving beans. Pairing up particular plants or planting in variety can help the soil maintain its nutrient balance, ensuring happier plants and a better crop yield. In fact, this technique even has a name - companion planting.Companion Planting:Much of the science of companion planting is figuring out what works for you. Many books can give you guidelines about what plants work well together. Some plants are attractants, some repellents, some can be inter-planted with your crops and flowers, and some compete too vigorously and should be planted in separate borders or hedgerows. For example, sunflowers are a good border plant, attracting lacewings and parasitic wasps; radishes are good to inter-plant because they repel the striped cucumber beetle; and marigolds are good to both use as a border and inter-plant, as they attract hover flies and repel root nematodes, Mexican bean beetles, aphids, and Colorado potato beetles. It can be confusing, and not all plants work well together. Your best bet is to start simple, determine what pests you encounter, and work from there, altering the plants in your garden bed as needed from year to year. Often, a mixture of flowers, vegetables and herbs work well together in a single bed.For a good guide to the basics of companion planting, consult Rodale's Successful Organic Gardening: Companion Planting. Making your bed. Making your bed can be as simple as marking off 3-by-5-foot sections of garden with pathways left between them. However, to optimize the advantages of planting in garden beds, raise your beds. Raised beds provide lighter, deeper, more nutrient-rich, water absorbent soil. Raised beds, however, must be regarded as permanent in order to maintain their splendor. They cannot be walked on or broken down at the end of the season. You can build sides on your bed with bricks, rocks, or cedar 2-by-4 or 2-by-six planks to maintain the shape instead of raking and reshaping the bed every year.Stay away from pressure-treated wood, as it is treated with wood preservatives that are harmful to you and the environment. How do you achieve raised beds? With double-digging, of course! (This is also known as hard work.)Double-digging raised beds.
1. Dig out the top one-foot of soil along one end of the bed. Keep the soil in a wheelbarrow or on a groundcloth.
2. Loosen the exposed subsoil by thrusting in a spading fork and twisting its tines back and forth. For extra benefit, add a small amount of organic matter and work it in as you loosen that subsoil.
3. Once the subsoil is loosened, move over and begin removing the topsoil from the next strip of garden bed. This time, instead of keeping the topsoil that you are removing, shovel it over the subsoil to which you have just added the organic matter. You can add a little more organic matter to the topsoil as you shovel.
4. Repeat step 3.
5. When you have reached the last row of your garden bed, use the reserved topsoil to cover the last area of exposed subsoil.
6. Plant!Composting
Compost is a great fertilizer and can aid in pest prevention. Compost is created when microorganisms, earthworms and nematodes consume and breakdown organic matter into simpler compounds. This process happens more quickly in an active compost pile because these microorganisms have the required heat, air and moisture, and a diverse supply of raw materials to digest. An active pile requires turning every week to add oxygen and keep the decomposition rate high; a passive pile is a pile of organic matter left to decay over time - usually in one to two years. Whichever method of composting you choose, the first step is making a compost pile. You can layer the materials in a heap, set up a heavy chicken wire frame (this works well for a passive pile), build wooden or concrete-block bins, or buy a commercially made bin to hold your pile.Some commercial bins have built in rotating turners that will make your job much easier. The ideal size for an active compost pile is 4 feet by 4 feet, though size can vary. Choose a location that is shady and well drained for your pile. Clear away any surface cover at the site, loosen the soil with a spading fork, and put down a layer of wood chips or brush as a base. You can toss in garden or kitchen wastes, grass clippings, newspaper, manure, and sawdust. Avoid adding kitchen waste that is heavy in oil and meat products. Shredded materials make better compost more quickly. Try to alternate layers of plant material (chopped leaves or straw) with nitrogen-rich materials (kitchen scraps with manure and blood meal). Keep your pile moist, at a similar level to a squeezed-out sponge, and keep open piles covered with a tarp or heavy canvas so that they won't become waterlogged in the rain. If your pile becomes too dry, add water with kelp extract to moisten it and stimulate biotic activity.Turn your active pile regularly, mixing and loosening the materials with a spading fork, to prevent overheating and keep microorganisms happy and active. Ideal active compost temperature should be within 140° to 150°, or at slightly higher temperatures if you are composting diseased plant material, around 160°. Your organic compost pile will yield rich humus that will be an ideal fertilizer to your garden. It will save you the money of buying commercial, synthetic fertilizers, many of which have shown to contain toxic waste. Healthy soil makes for hardy plants. Planning your garden can be the most important thing you do this growing season. With a solid plan in place and establishedgoals, you can minimize your pest problems and potential frustration, and maximize your growing season, and your garden's beauty. All this while saving on your grocery bill and increasing the quality of food you ingest by leaps and bounds. By planting an organic garden you will also be reducing your carbon footprint via producing some of your food (requiring no transportation or storage at the grocery store or packaging) thus contributing to our culture's sustainability in general. Check out Thrifty & Green for more articles on how you can save money and live green.Suppliers:
* Seeds of Change, 888-762-7333, seedsofchange.com
* Gardener's Supply Company, 128 Intervale Road, Burlington, VT 05401, 888-833-1412, (fax) 800-551-6712, gardeners.com
* Harmony Farm Supply and Nursery, 3244 Highway 116 North, Sebastopol, CA 95472, 707-823-9125, harmonyfarm.com
* Peaceful Valley Farm Supply, P.O. Box 2209, Grass Valley, CA 95949, 888-784-1722, groworganic.com
* Gardeners Alive, 5100 Schenley Place, Lawrenceburg, IN 47025, 812-537-8650, gardensalive.comResources:
* Bradley, Fern M., ed. Chemical-Free Yard & Garden, Eamus: Rodale, 1991.
* Troshynski-Thomas, Karen, The Handy Garden Answer Book, Detroit: Visible Ink, 1999. [EXTRACT] How to do the basics to get started with organic gardening. No matter if you are an experienced organic gardener or have simply decided that you would like to become more self sufficient in growing some of your own food, planting a garden requires planning. A well planned and planted garden organic naturally resistant to diseases, deter pests, and be healthy and productive. With the spring planting season fast approaching, winter is the ideal time to achieve the Millennium started.Set What do you do with your plot of land in this season? Begin planning by setting goals. Grab your garden map, a pencil, your guide to gardening catalogs and your thinking cap. List areas of your yard and garden separately (ie, lawn, garden, flower garden), and taking into account the size and conditions of your site, brainstorm! Planning a garden for the first time? Want to expand your existing garden? Have you had problems with pests or disease last year you are hoping to prevent this year? What map? To create a map of your yard or garden, measure the dimensions of your site as a whole, and individual dimensions of your garden, flowers and grass. It is easier to draw the map to scale on a sheet of graph paper. These measures will be needed later, when determining the amount of a plant or seed to buy. Once the map is drawn, write to any information you know about soil characteristics, drainage, environmental conditions (sun, shade, wind), and the names of trees and perennial plants that already exist. The map will let you know exactly what you have to work, and give you a realistic idea of the problems that need attention or features you would like to change or 101 add.Gardening It is important to understand the magnitude of your project before you begin. Get the basic information needed to meet their targets can take an hour or a week, depending on your level of experience and how involved you will get. Consult your garden guide is a great way to start - I suggest The Organic suburban Warren Schultz, the new organic farmer Eliot Coleman by, Rodale chemical free lawn and garden, or the book by Karen practical response Garden Troshynski-Thomas. You can also go to your local library and research resources or contact the local garden club for their suggestions. As the research, writing the duration of each project will take, what tools are needed, and the approximate cost of everything you need. This information will be invaluable when you make your shopping list and schedule of activities. Planning and Organization. A program of activities of the lists of what you hope to achieve in what time frame. This will help you stay on track. It is important to be realistic about what they are capable. This is not a project that can be taken in one week alone. Amazing main tasks over time will make them easier to find and save the final frustration of unfinished projects. The long-term planning will help your organization. You can create a schedule year after year that lays out a time frame in which to achieve their big goals. Obviously, the schedule may change as time goes on, to learn new methods and redefine its goals, but keep the focus on what is expected to create long-term motivation can keep what you are doing now.Tool Tutorial You have a plan! You have knowledge! Do you have the tools? Chances are you may be able to get most of the tools in the local lawn and garden store. Bring together the list in Gardening 101, and if you are an experienced gardener, assume that the same pests and pests will be back this is the last year and buy your supplies now. If you are new to the scene of the garden, buy the basic tools you need, then nose around the neighborhood and perhaps the local garden club to see what is recommended for what you sow, in which live. Basic Tools: Excavators - You need a trident fork to aerate the soil and turn your compost pile. Find a trident fork, flat rectangular sheets. A manure fork can also be nice compost pile when it comes to convert. Brushcutters - weeding hoes and tools include short-handled tools of culture. Both are made from a variety of styles, and is likely to want more than one of each. Hoe hoe types are: Gooseneck hoe - The curved neck positions the cutting blade of skim just below the surface, which is ideal for light work around the garden crops. Oscillating Hoe - Also called a fight or hula hoe, which has a hinged double-edged blade that barely disturbs the soil surface, minimizing the number of new weeds brought to the surface. Collinear hoe - Designed by Eliot Coleman, narrow blade angled handle is useful for cutting small weeds with little soil disturbance. Eye hoe - Also called a grub hoe, heavy blade to cut the hard drive is covered weeds.Standard short-handled tools cultivar: hand cultivator - a tool of teeth, useful for altering the surface of the soil around the plantation near weeding youth. Dandelion Stands - Made for weeding with long roots. Floor Stands - A palette to remove weeds in the cracks in the slab of stone or brick walkways. Clipper - Pruning of trees and shrubs promotes growth and good health, and prune diseased branches helps control disease problems. Pruning tools come in different sizes depending on your need. Choose a sharp tool, high quality pruning. Labradors - Routers also vary in size depending on the job. There are large clumps, gaspowered to break the ground or big jobs and small stems are light and are useful for growing perennials around. Rent to tenants to try before buying, because they differ greatly and can be expensive. Sowers - wheels planting tools have interchangeable disks within different seed sizes and spaces available and very handy if you are planting large areas. Tools comfort - There are a number of garden accessories geared to the comfort available on the market today. Products range from gloves, knee pads for, small banks, wheels / cars. Up to you to decide what suits your needs, whether you need any at all .. From the seed From his seed plants make sure they are free of chemicals. Most transplants are sold at garden centers have been treated with chemical fertilizers or pesticides. The seeds were purchased at garden centers can be coated on fungicides, so be very careful what you buy or buy from a supplier of organic seeds. To start the seedlings, you need the sterile soil, planting sterile containers, and labels. It is better to grow each plant in a separate container to avoid damage by stripping away roots, and to make transplantation less shocking. If you purchase soil mix, make sure it is sterile to prevent the spread of the disease to her seedlings.To make your own mix, the use of vermiculite (a mica-based mineral that has been heated to expand to several times its original size), perlite (volcanic ash that has been heated and "popped"), and sphagnum (moss has been collected from the ground while still alive, dry, and then finely). Add 1 tablespoon of lime for every 2 liters of Sphagnum that is used to counteract the acidity. Good recipes for soil mix are a part sphagnum and vermiculite or sphagnum one part each, vermiculite and perlite. Seeds actually need heat, not light to germinate. The heat from a window or grow light sunlight can be enough for some, but the placement of the containers on top of a refrigerator, hot or starting a seed heating pad can be necessary.Keep wet seeds by planting of them in the wet mixture and cover with plastic wrap. As soon as you see the first sign of life, remove the wrap and place in a place where they will receive 8.10 hours of sunshine a fully caring day.Water with an atomizer spray, careful not to touch the seedlings more or washing the ground. Before transplanting the seedlings outdoors, have to get used to the differences in climate. Take them out and place them in a sheltered, somewhat somber for a few hours each day, gradually increasing their exposure to the elements over a week or two. The plants have a resistance zone, an area based on average annual low temperature, where the plant is more likely to support the region's annual http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html low temperatures. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has developed a map that breaks the U.S. in 11 areas. The cultivation of plants that are outside their area of resistance is not impossible, but that need special attention. When deciding what to plant, consult a map of hardiness zone to reach the plants that are more likely to thrive in your area (see map). Garden Design The switch to chemical-free gardening means not only change their gardening practices, but also the design of your garden. Garden beds instead of rows, provides better weed, disease and pests. The beds are also more attractive and easier to maintain. In a garden bed, it's all hand plant. The leaves of adjacent plants shade the soil, reducing weed growth. Diversity in a garden bed also has many advantages. A variety of plants in a mixed bed provide some natural protection from pests by making it difficult for pests to find and eat their target plants, or help attract beneficial insects to your garden and feed on insect pests. It also reduces the chances of pest and pathogens build to epidemic levels, it will not be able to jump from host to host a tasty tasty, as they would if planted in rows. Your soil will also reap the benefits of the diversity of planting techniques. A good example is the planting of corn and beans gobbling nitrogen giving nitrogen. Pairing to plants or plant in the variety can help keep your soil nutrient balance, ensuring happier plants and better yields. In fact, this technique still has a name - planting.Companion Companion planting: Much of the science of crop association is to find out what works for you. Many books can give guidance on what plants work well together. Some plants are attractive, some repulsive, some may be inter-planted with crops and flowers, and some compete vigorously and should be planted in borders or hedges separately. For example, the sunflower is a good border plant, which attracts lacewings and parasitic wasps, radishes are good for between plants, and to repel the striped cucumber beetle, and marigolds are good both for use as a border between plants, as they attract hover flies and repel nematodes, Mexican bean beetles, aphids, Colorado potato beetles. It can be confusing, and not all plants work well together. Your best bet is to start simple, to determine what pests occur, and work from there, the alteration of the plants in your garden bed if necessary from year to year. Often, a mixture of flowers, vegetables and herbs work well together in a single bed. For a good guide to the basics of planting company, check with Rodale Organic Gardening Success: The association of crops. Make the bed. Making the bed can be as simple as marking sections 3 and 5 meters of garden paths left between them. However, to optimize the benefits of planting beds, lift their beds. Raised beds provide lighter, deeper, nutrient-rich soil water absorbent. Raised beds, however, should be considered as permanent to maintain its splendor. You can not walk or broken at the end of the season. You can build the parts in the bed with bricks, stone, or cedar 2 x 4 boards or 2-for-six to keep the way to sweeping and remodeling of bed each year.Stay away from treated wood pressure, which is treated with wood preservatives that are harmful to you and the environment. How do you make beds? Double digging, of course! (This is also known as hard work.) Double digging raised beds. 1. Excavate the top of a foot of land along the edge of the bed. Keep the soil in a wheelbarrow or a groundcloth. 2. Loosen the subsoil is exposed by pushing and twisting trident fork teeth back and forth. For a bonus, add a small amount of organic matter and working on what to loosen the soil. 3. Once the ground is loosened, move more and begin to remove the topsoil from the next strip of the garden bed. This time, instead of keeping the surface of the soil to eliminate the shovel in the ground to the newly added organic matter. You can add a little more organic matter to the topsoil as the shovel. 4. Repeat step 3. 5. When you've reached the last row of your garden bed, the use of topsoil set aside to cover the last area of exposed subsoil. 6. Plant! Composting Compost is a great fertilizer and can aid in pest prevention. Compost is produced when microorganisms, earthworms and nematodes consumption and degradation of organic matter into simpler compounds. This process occurs more rapidly in an active compost pile because these microorganisms have the necessary heat, air and moisture, and a diverse supply of raw materials to digest. An active cell requires converting each week to add oxygen and maintain the high decomposition rate, a lot of liability is a lot of organic matter left to decay in time - usually one or two years. Whichever method you choose composting, the first step is to make a compost pile. You can layer the materials in a stack, providing a framework of thick chicken wire (this works well for a stack of liabilities), construction of wooden vessels, or concrete block, or buy a box of commercially made to keep their magazines pile.Some business built on the rotation of lathe to make your job much easier. The ideal size for an active compost pile is 4 feet by 4 feet, although the size may vary. Choose a location that is shaded and well drained to its stack. Clean all surfaces of the cover in place, loosen the soil with a fork trident, and take a layer of wood chips or a foundation brush. You can throw waste or kitchen garden, grass clippings, newspaper, manure and sawdust. Avoid the addition of kitchen waste that is heavy on petroleum products and meat. Crushed materials to compost better faster. Try to alternate layers of plant material (straw or chopped leaves) with nitrogen-rich materials (food scraps with manure and blood meal). Keep the humidity in his stack, at a level similar to that of a wrung-out sponge, and keep open the batteries covered with canvas or strong cloth that are not flooded with rain. If your pile is too dry, add water to moisten it with seaweed extract and stimulate your stack activity.Turn biotic active regularly, and loosening the mixture of materials with trident fork, to prevent overheating and keep the organisms happy and active. The ideal temperature of active compost must be within 140 ° to 150 °, or slightly higher temperatures if you compost diseased plant material, about 160 °. Your compost pile will yield humus ideal fertilizer for your garden. That will save money buying commercial fertilizers, synthetic, many of which have been shown to contain toxic waste. Soil health makes plants resistant. Planning your garden can be the most important thing to do this growing season. With a solid plan in place and establishedgoals, you can reduce pest problems and potential frustration and maximize their growing season, and the beauty of your garden. This saves on your grocery bill and increase the quality of their food rapidly. By planting an organic garden that also reduces your carbon footprint by producing some of the food (which does not require transportation or storage at the supermarket or on the packaging), thus contributing to the sustainability of our culture in general . Check out Thrifty and green for more articles on how to save money and live green.Suppliers: * Seeds of Change, 888-762-7333, seedsofchange.com Gardener * Supply Company, 128 Intervale Road, Burlington, VT 05401, 888-833-1412, (fax) 800-551-6712, gardeners.com * The harmony of agricultural supply and Nursery, 3244 Highway 116 North, Sebastopol, CA 95472, 707-823-9125, harmonyfarm.com * Peaceful Valley Farm Supply, PO Box 2209, Grass Valley, CA 95949, 888-784-1722, groworganic.com * Gardeners Alive, 5100 Schenley Place, Lawrenceburg, IN 47025, 812-537-8650, gardensalive.comResources: * Bradley, Fern M., ed. Chemical-free yard and garden, Eamus: Rodale, 1991. * Troshynski-Thomas, Karen, The Handy Answer Book Garden, Detroit: Visible Ink, 1999.
No matter whether you are an experienced organic gardener or you have simply decided that you would like to become more self-reliant by growing some of your own food, planting a garden requires planning. A properly planned and planted organic garden will naturally resist disease, deter pests, and be healthy and productive. With the spring planting season fast approaching, winter is the ideal time to get started.Set Goals
What do you want to do with your plot of earth this season? Begin planning by setting goals. Grab your garden map, a pencil, your gardening guide, catalogs, and your thinking cap. List the areas of your yard and garden separately (i.e. lawn, vegetable patch, flower garden), and, keeping in mind the size and conditions of your site, brainstorm! Are you planning a garden for the first time? Do you want to expand your existing garden? Did you have pest or disease problems last year that you're hoping to prevent this year? What map? To create a map of your yard or garden, measure the dimensions of your site as a whole, and then the individual dimensions of your vegetable patch, flowerbeds, and lawn. It's easiest to draw your map to scale on a sheet of graph paper. These measurements will be necessary later, when you are determining how much of a plant or seeds to buy. Once the map is drawn, write in any information you know about soil characteristics, drainage, environmental conditions (sunny, shady, windy), and the names of trees and perennial plants that already exist. Your map will let you know exactly what you have to work with, and will give you a realistic idea of problems that need attention or features you'd like to change or add.Gardening 101
It is important to understand the magnitude of your project before you begin. Getting the background information necessary to fulfill your goals may take an hour or a week, depending upon your level of experience and how involved you plan to get. Consulting your garden guidebook is a great way to begin - I suggest Warren Schultz's The Organic Suburbanite, The New Organic Grower by Eliot Coleman, Rodale's Chemical-Free Yard & Garden, or The Handy Garden Answer Book by Karen Troshynski-Thomas. You can also go to your local library and investigate their resources or contact your local garden club for their suggestions. As you research, write down how long each project will take, what tools you will need, and the approximate cost of everything you will need. This information will be invaluable when you make up your shopping list and schedule of activities. Scheduling and Organization. A schedule of activities lists what you hope to accomplish in what time frame. It will help keep you on track. It is important to be realistic about what you are capable of.This is not a project that can be taken on alone in a week. Staggering your major tasks over time will make them easier to accomplish and save you the ultimate frustration of unfinished projects. Planning for the long term will aid in your organization. You can create a year-by-year schedule that maps out a time frame in which to achieve your big goals. Obviously, the schedule can change as time goes by, you learn new methods and you rethink your objectives, but maintaining focus on what you hope to create in the long term can keep you motivated on what you are doing now.Tool Tutorial
You have a plan! You have knowledge! Do you have tools? Chances are you may be able to obtain most tools at your local lawn and garden store. Bring the list that you assembled in Gardening 101, and, if you are a seasoned gardener, assume that the same pests and plagues will be back that you dealt with last year and buy your supplies now. If you are new to the gardening scene, buy the basic tools that you will need, and then nose around the neighborhood and perhaps your local gardening club to see what is recommended for what you are planting and where you live.Basic Tools:
Diggers - You will need a spading fork for aerating your soil and turning your compost pile. Look for a spading fork with rectangular, flat blades. A manure fork may also be compost-pile friendly when it comes to turning.
Weeders - Weeding tools include hoes and short-handled cultivating tools. Both are made in a variety of styles, and you will probably want more than one of each.
Hoe
hoe types include:
Swan-neck hoe - The curved neck positions the cutting blade to skim just below the surface, making it ideal for light work around garden crops.
Oscillating hoe - Also called a scuffle hoe or hula, it has a hinged, double-edged blade that barely disturbs the soil surface, minimizing the number of new weeds brought to the surface.
Collinear hoe - Designed by Eliot Coleman, the narrow blade and angled handle are useful for cutting off small weeds with little soil disturbance.
Eye hoe - Also called a grub hoe, the heavy blade is for hard chopping at tough, overgrown weeds.Standard short-handled cultivating tools:Hand cultivator - A tined tool, useful for disturbing the soil surface around close planting to uproot young weeds.
Dandelion weeder - Made for uprooting weeds with long taproots.
Pavement weeder - A trowel for removing weeds in cracks of stone slab or brick walkways.
Pruners - Pruning trees and shrubs promotes growth and good health, and pruning out diseased wood helps to control disease problems. Pruning tools come in varying sizes depending on your need. Choose a sharp, high quality pruning tool.
Tillers - Tillers will also range in size, depending on the job. There are large, gaspowered tillers for breaking ground or big jobs, and small tillers that are lightweight and are useful for cultivating around perennials. Rent a few tillers to try them out before buying, as they do differ a great deal and can be expensive.
Sowers - Wheeled seeding tools that have changeable interior disks for different seed sizes and spacings are available and very handy if you are planting large areas.
Comfort tools - There is a plethora of comfort- oriented garden accessories available on the market today. Products range from gloves, to knee pads, to small, wheeled benches/carts. It is up to you to decide what will suit your needs, if you need any at all..Starting From Seed
Starting your plants from seed will ensure that they are chemical free. Most transplants sold in garden centers have been treated with chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Seeds themselves bought at garden centers may be coated in fungicides, so be very careful about what you buy or buy from an organic seed supplier. To start plants from seed, you need sterile soil, sterile planting containers, and labels. It is better to grow each seedling in a separate container to avoid the damage incurred by ripping roots apart, and to make for a less shocking transplant. If you purchase soil mix, be sure that it is sterile to avoid spreading disease to your seedlings.To make your own mix, use vermiculite (a mica-based mineral that has been heated to make it expand to many times its original size), perlite (volcanic ash that has been heated and 'popped'), and sphagnum (moss that has been collected while still alive, dried, and then finely ground). Add 1 tablespoon of lime for each 2 quarts of sphagnum that you use to counteract its acidity. Good recipes for soil mix are 1 part sphagnum and 1 part vermiculite, or 1 part each sphagnum, vermiculite and perlite. Seeds actually need heat, not light, to germinate. The heat from a grow light or sunny window may be enough for some, but placing the containers on top of a warm refrigerator or on a seed-starting heating pad may be necessary.Keep your seeds moist by planting them in moist mix and covering them with plastic wrap. As soon as you see the first sign of life, remove the wrap and place them someplace where they will receive 8-10 hours of sunlight per day.Water them care fully with a spray mister, careful not to knock the seedlings over or wash away the soil. Before you transplant your seedlings outdoors, they need to be acclimated to the different climate. Bring them outside and place them in a sheltered, somewhat shady spot for a few hours each day, gradually increasing their exposure to the elements over a week or two. Plants have a hardiness zone, an area based on the average annual low temperatures where a plant is most likely to withstand the region's annual low temperature http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has produced a map that breaks the U.S. into 11 zones. Growing plants that are outside your hardiness zone is not impossible, but they will need special attention. When deciding what to plant, consult a hardiness zone map to come up with plants that are most likely to thrive in your zone (see map).Garden Design
Switching to chemical-free gardening will not only mean changing your gardening practices, but also your gardening design. Gardening in beds, as opposed to rows, provides for better weed, disease and pest management. Beds are also more attractive and easier to maintain. In a garden bed, everything is planted within arm's reach. The leaves of adjacent plants shade the soil, reducing weed growth. Diversity in a garden bed also has many advantages. A variety of plants in a mixed bed provide some natural pest protection by making it difficult for pests to find and eat their target plants, or helping to attract insects that are beneficial to your garden and prey on pest insects. It also reduces the chances that pests and disease organisms will build to epidemic levels, as they won't be able to hop from tasty host to tasty host, as they would if you had planted in rows. Your soil will also reap the benefits of your diverse planting techniques. A good example is planting nitrogen-gobbling corn with nitrogen-giving beans. Pairing up particular plants or planting in variety can help the soil maintain its nutrient balance, ensuring happier plants and a better crop yield. In fact, this technique even has a name - companion planting.Companion Planting:Much of the science of companion planting is figuring out what works for you. Many books can give you guidelines about what plants work well together. Some plants are attractants, some repellents, some can be inter-planted with your crops and flowers, and some compete too vigorously and should be planted in separate borders or hedgerows. For example, sunflowers are a good border plant, attracting lacewings and parasitic wasps; radishes are good to inter-plant because they repel the striped cucumber beetle; and marigolds are good to both use as a border and inter-plant, as they attract hover flies and repel root nematodes, Mexican bean beetles, aphids, and Colorado potato beetles. It can be confusing, and not all plants work well together. Your best bet is to start simple, determine what pests you encounter, and work from there, altering the plants in your garden bed as needed from year to year. Often, a mixture of flowers, vegetables and herbs work well together in a single bed.For a good guide to the basics of companion planting, consult Rodale's Successful Organic Gardening: Companion Planting. Making your bed. Making your bed can be as simple as marking off 3-by-5-foot sections of garden with pathways left between them. However, to optimize the advantages of planting in garden beds, raise your beds. Raised beds provide lighter, deeper, more nutrient-rich, water absorbent soil. Raised beds, however, must be regarded as permanent in order to maintain their splendor. They cannot be walked on or broken down at the end of the season. You can build sides on your bed with bricks, rocks, or cedar 2-by-4 or 2-by-six planks to maintain the shape instead of raking and reshaping the bed every year.Stay away from pressure-treated wood, as it is treated with wood preservatives that are harmful to you and the environment. How do you achieve raised beds? With double-digging, of course! (This is also known as hard work.)Double-digging raised beds.
1. Dig out the top one-foot of soil along one end of the bed. Keep the soil in a wheelbarrow or on a groundcloth.
2. Loosen the exposed subsoil by thrusting in a spading fork and twisting its tines back and forth. For extra benefit, add a small amount of organic matter and work it in as you loosen that subsoil.
3. Once the subsoil is loosened, move over and begin removing the topsoil from the next strip of garden bed. This time, instead of keeping the topsoil that you are removing, shovel it over the subsoil to which you have just added the organic matter. You can add a little more organic matter to the topsoil as you shovel.
4. Repeat step 3.
5. When you have reached the last row of your garden bed, use the reserved topsoil to cover the last area of exposed subsoil.
6. Plant!Composting
Compost is a great fertilizer and can aid in pest prevention. Compost is created when microorganisms, earthworms and nematodes consume and breakdown organic matter into simpler compounds. This process happens more quickly in an active compost pile because these microorganisms have the required heat, air and moisture, and a diverse supply of raw materials to digest. An active pile requires turning every week to add oxygen and keep the decomposition rate high; a passive pile is a pile of organic matter left to decay over time - usually in one to two years. Whichever method of composting you choose, the first step is making a compost pile. You can layer the materials in a heap, set up a heavy chicken wire frame (this works well for a passive pile), build wooden or concrete-block bins, or buy a commercially made bin to hold your pile.Some commercial bins have built in rotating turners that will make your job much easier. The ideal size for an active compost pile is 4 feet by 4 feet, though size can vary. Choose a location that is shady and well drained for your pile. Clear away any surface cover at the site, loosen the soil with a spading fork, and put down a layer of wood chips or brush as a base. You can toss in garden or kitchen wastes, grass clippings, newspaper, manure, and sawdust. Avoid adding kitchen waste that is heavy in oil and meat products. Shredded materials make better compost more quickly. Try to alternate layers of plant material (chopped leaves or straw) with nitrogen-rich materials (kitchen scraps with manure and blood meal). Keep your pile moist, at a similar level to a squeezed-out sponge, and keep open piles covered with a tarp or heavy canvas so that they won't become waterlogged in the rain. If your pile becomes too dry, add water with kelp extract to moisten it and stimulate biotic activity.Turn your active pile regularly, mixing and loosening the materials with a spading fork, to prevent overheating and keep microorganisms happy and active. Ideal active compost temperature should be within 140° to 150°, or at slightly higher temperatures if you are composting diseased plant material, around 160°. Your organic compost pile will yield rich humus that will be an ideal fertilizer to your garden. It will save you the money of buying commercial, synthetic fertilizers, many of which have shown to contain toxic waste. Healthy soil makes for hardy plants. Planning your garden can be the most important thing you do this growing season. With a solid plan in place and establishedgoals, you can minimize your pest problems and potential frustration, and maximize your growing season, and your garden's beauty. All this while saving on your grocery bill and increasing the quality of food you ingest by leaps and bounds. By planting an organic garden you will also be reducing your carbon footprint via producing some of your food (requiring no transportation or storage at the grocery store or packaging) thus contributing to our culture's sustainability in general. Check out Thrifty & Green for more articles on how you can save money and live green.Suppliers:
* Seeds of Change, 888-762-7333, seedsofchange.com
* Gardener's Supply Company, 128 Intervale Road, Burlington, VT 05401, 888-833-1412, (fax) 800-551-6712, gardeners.com
* Harmony Farm Supply and Nursery, 3244 Highway 116 North, Sebastopol, CA 95472, 707-823-9125, harmonyfarm.com
* Peaceful Valley Farm Supply, P.O. Box 2209, Grass Valley, CA 95949, 888-784-1722, groworganic.com
* Gardeners Alive, 5100 Schenley Place, Lawrenceburg, IN 47025, 812-537-8650, gardensalive.comResources:
* Bradley, Fern M., ed. Chemical-Free Yard & Garden, Eamus: Rodale, 1991.
* Troshynski-Thomas, Karen, The Handy Garden Answer Book, Detroit: Visible Ink, 1999. [EXTRACT] How to do the basics to get started with organic gardening. No matter if you are an experienced organic gardener or have simply decided that you would like to become more self sufficient in growing some of your own food, planting a garden requires planning. A well planned and planted garden organic naturally resistant to diseases, deter pests, and be healthy and productive. With the spring planting season fast approaching, winter is the ideal time to achieve the Millennium started.Set What do you do with your plot of land in this season? Begin planning by setting goals. Grab your garden map, a pencil, your guide to gardening catalogs and your thinking cap. List areas of your yard and garden separately (ie, lawn, garden, flower garden), and taking into account the size and conditions of your site, brainstorm! Planning a garden for the first time? Want to expand your existing garden? Have you had problems with pests or disease last year you are hoping to prevent this year? What map? To create a map of your yard or garden, measure the dimensions of your site as a whole, and individual dimensions of your garden, flowers and grass. It is easier to draw the map to scale on a sheet of graph paper. These measures will be needed later, when determining the amount of a plant or seed to buy. Once the map is drawn, write to any information you know about soil characteristics, drainage, environmental conditions (sun, shade, wind), and the names of trees and perennial plants that already exist. The map will let you know exactly what you have to work, and give you a realistic idea of the problems that need attention or features you would like to change or 101 add.Gardening It is important to understand the magnitude of your project before you begin. Get the basic information needed to meet their targets can take an hour or a week, depending on your level of experience and how involved you will get. Consult your garden guide is a great way to start - I suggest The Organic suburban Warren Schultz, the new organic farmer Eliot Coleman by, Rodale chemical free lawn and garden, or the book by Karen practical response Garden Troshynski-Thomas. You can also go to your local library and research resources or contact the local garden club for their suggestions. As the research, writing the duration of each project will take, what tools are needed, and the approximate cost of everything you need. This information will be invaluable when you make your shopping list and schedule of activities. Planning and Organization. A program of activities of the lists of what you hope to achieve in what time frame. This will help you stay on track. It is important to be realistic about what they are capable. This is not a project that can be taken in one week alone. Amazing main tasks over time will make them easier to find and save the final frustration of unfinished projects. The long-term planning will help your organization. You can create a schedule year after year that lays out a time frame in which to achieve their big goals. Obviously, the schedule may change as time goes on, to learn new methods and redefine its goals, but keep the focus on what is expected to create long-term motivation can keep what you are doing now.Tool Tutorial You have a plan! You have knowledge! Do you have the tools? Chances are you may be able to get most of the tools in the local lawn and garden store. Bring together the list in Gardening 101, and if you are an experienced gardener, assume that the same pests and pests will be back this is the last year and buy your supplies now. If you are new to the scene of the garden, buy the basic tools you need, then nose around the neighborhood and perhaps the local garden club to see what is recommended for what you sow, in which live. Basic Tools: Excavators - You need a trident fork to aerate the soil and turn your compost pile. Find a trident fork, flat rectangular sheets. A manure fork can also be nice compost pile when it comes to convert. Brushcutters - weeding hoes and tools include short-handled tools of culture. Both are made from a variety of styles, and is likely to want more than one of each. Hoe hoe types are: Gooseneck hoe - The curved neck positions the cutting blade of skim just below the surface, which is ideal for light work around the garden crops. Oscillating Hoe - Also called a fight or hula hoe, which has a hinged double-edged blade that barely disturbs the soil surface, minimizing the number of new weeds brought to the surface. Collinear hoe - Designed by Eliot Coleman, narrow blade angled handle is useful for cutting small weeds with little soil disturbance. Eye hoe - Also called a grub hoe, heavy blade to cut the hard drive is covered weeds.Standard short-handled tools cultivar: hand cultivator - a tool of teeth, useful for altering the surface of the soil around the plantation near weeding youth. Dandelion Stands - Made for weeding with long roots. Floor Stands - A palette to remove weeds in the cracks in the slab of stone or brick walkways. Clipper - Pruning of trees and shrubs promotes growth and good health, and prune diseased branches helps control disease problems. Pruning tools come in different sizes depending on your need. Choose a sharp tool, high quality pruning. Labradors - Routers also vary in size depending on the job. There are large clumps, gaspowered to break the ground or big jobs and small stems are light and are useful for growing perennials around. Rent to tenants to try before buying, because they differ greatly and can be expensive. Sowers - wheels planting tools have interchangeable disks within different seed sizes and spaces available and very handy if you are planting large areas. Tools comfort - There are a number of garden accessories geared to the comfort available on the market today. Products range from gloves, knee pads for, small banks, wheels / cars. Up to you to decide what suits your needs, whether you need any at all .. From the seed From his seed plants make sure they are free of chemicals. Most transplants are sold at garden centers have been treated with chemical fertilizers or pesticides. The seeds were purchased at garden centers can be coated on fungicides, so be very careful what you buy or buy from a supplier of organic seeds. To start the seedlings, you need the sterile soil, planting sterile containers, and labels. It is better to grow each plant in a separate container to avoid damage by stripping away roots, and to make transplantation less shocking. If you purchase soil mix, make sure it is sterile to prevent the spread of the disease to her seedlings.To make your own mix, the use of vermiculite (a mica-based mineral that has been heated to expand to several times its original size), perlite (volcanic ash that has been heated and "popped"), and sphagnum (moss has been collected from the ground while still alive, dry, and then finely). Add 1 tablespoon of lime for every 2 liters of Sphagnum that is used to counteract the acidity. Good recipes for soil mix are a part sphagnum and vermiculite or sphagnum one part each, vermiculite and perlite. Seeds actually need heat, not light to germinate. The heat from a window or grow light sunlight can be enough for some, but the placement of the containers on top of a refrigerator, hot or starting a seed heating pad can be necessary.Keep wet seeds by planting of them in the wet mixture and cover with plastic wrap. As soon as you see the first sign of life, remove the wrap and place in a place where they will receive 8.10 hours of sunshine a fully caring day.Water with an atomizer spray, careful not to touch the seedlings more or washing the ground. Before transplanting the seedlings outdoors, have to get used to the differences in climate. Take them out and place them in a sheltered, somewhat somber for a few hours each day, gradually increasing their exposure to the elements over a week or two. The plants have a resistance zone, an area based on average annual low temperature, where the plant is more likely to support the region's annual http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html low temperatures. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has developed a map that breaks the U.S. in 11 areas. The cultivation of plants that are outside their area of resistance is not impossible, but that need special attention. When deciding what to plant, consult a map of hardiness zone to reach the plants that are more likely to thrive in your area (see map). Garden Design The switch to chemical-free gardening means not only change their gardening practices, but also the design of your garden. Garden beds instead of rows, provides better weed, disease and pests. The beds are also more attractive and easier to maintain. In a garden bed, it's all hand plant. The leaves of adjacent plants shade the soil, reducing weed growth. Diversity in a garden bed also has many advantages. A variety of plants in a mixed bed provide some natural protection from pests by making it difficult for pests to find and eat their target plants, or help attract beneficial insects to your garden and feed on insect pests. It also reduces the chances of pest and pathogens build to epidemic levels, it will not be able to jump from host to host a tasty tasty, as they would if planted in rows. Your soil will also reap the benefits of the diversity of planting techniques. A good example is the planting of corn and beans gobbling nitrogen giving nitrogen. Pairing to plants or plant in the variety can help keep your soil nutrient balance, ensuring happier plants and better yields. In fact, this technique still has a name - planting.Companion Companion planting: Much of the science of crop association is to find out what works for you. Many books can give guidance on what plants work well together. Some plants are attractive, some repulsive, some may be inter-planted with crops and flowers, and some compete vigorously and should be planted in borders or hedges separately. For example, the sunflower is a good border plant, which attracts lacewings and parasitic wasps, radishes are good for between plants, and to repel the striped cucumber beetle, and marigolds are good both for use as a border between plants, as they attract hover flies and repel nematodes, Mexican bean beetles, aphids, Colorado potato beetles. It can be confusing, and not all plants work well together. Your best bet is to start simple, to determine what pests occur, and work from there, the alteration of the plants in your garden bed if necessary from year to year. Often, a mixture of flowers, vegetables and herbs work well together in a single bed. For a good guide to the basics of planting company, check with Rodale Organic Gardening Success: The association of crops. Make the bed. Making the bed can be as simple as marking sections 3 and 5 meters of garden paths left between them. However, to optimize the benefits of planting beds, lift their beds. Raised beds provide lighter, deeper, nutrient-rich soil water absorbent. Raised beds, however, should be considered as permanent to maintain its splendor. You can not walk or broken at the end of the season. You can build the parts in the bed with bricks, stone, or cedar 2 x 4 boards or 2-for-six to keep the way to sweeping and remodeling of bed each year.Stay away from treated wood pressure, which is treated with wood preservatives that are harmful to you and the environment. How do you make beds? Double digging, of course! (This is also known as hard work.) Double digging raised beds. 1. Excavate the top of a foot of land along the edge of the bed. Keep the soil in a wheelbarrow or a groundcloth. 2. Loosen the subsoil is exposed by pushing and twisting trident fork teeth back and forth. For a bonus, add a small amount of organic matter and working on what to loosen the soil. 3. Once the ground is loosened, move more and begin to remove the topsoil from the next strip of the garden bed. This time, instead of keeping the surface of the soil to eliminate the shovel in the ground to the newly added organic matter. You can add a little more organic matter to the topsoil as the shovel. 4. Repeat step 3. 5. When you've reached the last row of your garden bed, the use of topsoil set aside to cover the last area of exposed subsoil. 6. Plant! Composting Compost is a great fertilizer and can aid in pest prevention. Compost is produced when microorganisms, earthworms and nematodes consumption and degradation of organic matter into simpler compounds. This process occurs more rapidly in an active compost pile because these microorganisms have the necessary heat, air and moisture, and a diverse supply of raw materials to digest. An active cell requires converting each week to add oxygen and maintain the high decomposition rate, a lot of liability is a lot of organic matter left to decay in time - usually one or two years. Whichever method you choose composting, the first step is to make a compost pile. You can layer the materials in a stack, providing a framework of thick chicken wire (this works well for a stack of liabilities), construction of wooden vessels, or concrete block, or buy a box of commercially made to keep their magazines pile.Some business built on the rotation of lathe to make your job much easier. The ideal size for an active compost pile is 4 feet by 4 feet, although the size may vary. Choose a location that is shaded and well drained to its stack. Clean all surfaces of the cover in place, loosen the soil with a fork trident, and take a layer of wood chips or a foundation brush. You can throw waste or kitchen garden, grass clippings, newspaper, manure and sawdust. Avoid the addition of kitchen waste that is heavy on petroleum products and meat. Crushed materials to compost better faster. Try to alternate layers of plant material (straw or chopped leaves) with nitrogen-rich materials (food scraps with manure and blood meal). Keep the humidity in his stack, at a level similar to that of a wrung-out sponge, and keep open the batteries covered with canvas or strong cloth that are not flooded with rain. If your pile is too dry, add water to moisten it with seaweed extract and stimulate your stack activity.Turn biotic active regularly, and loosening the mixture of materials with trident fork, to prevent overheating and keep the organisms happy and active. The ideal temperature of active compost must be within 140 ° to 150 °, or slightly higher temperatures if you compost diseased plant material, about 160 °. Your compost pile will yield humus ideal fertilizer for your garden. That will save money buying commercial fertilizers, synthetic, many of which have been shown to contain toxic waste. Soil health makes plants resistant. Planning your garden can be the most important thing to do this growing season. With a solid plan in place and establishedgoals, you can reduce pest problems and potential frustration and maximize their growing season, and the beauty of your garden. This saves on your grocery bill and increase the quality of their food rapidly. By planting an organic garden that also reduces your carbon footprint by producing some of the food (which does not require transportation or storage at the supermarket or on the packaging), thus contributing to the sustainability of our culture in general . Check out Thrifty and green for more articles on how to save money and live green.Suppliers: * Seeds of Change, 888-762-7333, seedsofchange.com Gardener * Supply Company, 128 Intervale Road, Burlington, VT 05401, 888-833-1412, (fax) 800-551-6712, gardeners.com * The harmony of agricultural supply and Nursery, 3244 Highway 116 North, Sebastopol, CA 95472, 707-823-9125, harmonyfarm.com * Peaceful Valley Farm Supply, PO Box 2209, Grass Valley, CA 95949, 888-784-1722, groworganic.com * Gardeners Alive, 5100 Schenley Place, Lawrenceburg, IN 47025, 812-537-8650, gardensalive.comResources: * Bradley, Fern M., ed. Chemical-free yard and garden, Eamus: Rodale, 1991. * Troshynski-Thomas, Karen, The Handy Answer Book Garden, Detroit: Visible Ink, 1999.
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