Gardening Tips

When it comes to garden Illumination, the options are endless. You have the realistic, the unrealistic, the beautiful, the unkempt, the cute, and even the goofy ways to decorate your lawn and garden. Sometimes nosy passer-bys can even see memorial tributes that are blended in amongst the d

If you have a tiny yard and would like a simple but well-maintained garden, you only need two things - determination and know-how. Here are some tips on how to keep your yard gardening looking spruced up and glamorous.

1. Deadheading
Keep your border free from wilted flowers and dried leaves. Deadheading or removing dead flower heads will encourage the plants to produce more blooms for longer. Many perennials such as geraniums and dahlias, and some annuals benefit from having spent blooms removed

3. Pinch out tops.
Certain plants - especially foliage plants like Coleus - respond with a spurt of growth when their tops are pinched out. Pinching out makes the plant much bushier and so more blooms are produced. Fuchsias are prone to becoming leggy unless they are pinched out.

4. Fertilize lightly.
A minimal amount of fertilizer will further boost the growth of your vegetation. If you water your yard frequently, you have to fertilize it more regularly because of nutrient depletion. A fortnightly application of liquid fertilizer is sometimes more beneficial than granules as it is more readily absorbed by the leaves. Container plants will be considerably healthier with a half-strength solution of liquid fertilizer applied regularly.

5. Weed out.
This is one of the best ways to preserve the beauty of your yard gardening. Remember, weeds compete with your plants for both nutrients and moisture. If the weeds are not close to seeding, leave them on the bed to rot down for mulch. If you must use a weedicide, try and get a wick applicator, rather than a spray. This will protect you plants from spray-drift.

6. Water them well
One good tip when it comes to watering your garden by the yard is to give it a thorough soaking once a week, making sure there is no run-off to cause erosion. Deep watering will encourage the growth of deeper roots that will be able to withstand dry spells weatherwise

7. Say no to chemicals
Chemicals are dangerous to humans and often kill the natural predators of the pest in your garden, so avoid them if possible. There are many organic alternatives that work almost as well.

8)Fertilization

Just like watering, fertilizing depends on the type of plant. If you have managed to supply your garden with the right amount of light, water and humidity, fertilization may not need much attention. A good fertilizer can be bought from most home depot or hardware stores. Orchids need the special fertilizer available.

With these simple tips, your yard gardening will soon be the envy of your neighbors.

The original square foot unit is 4×4ft, 16 sq ft, which can supply one person with vegetables and salads.

When I made mine I made raised beds and made them 36 “wide and since there were 6 of us I had to make two 3 ft. wide by 24 ft. long with a 20” path between them. Now if I had to do it over again I would make them 24” wide and do the math for the length. At this writing we are down to only two of us and one of them is not a gardener. However, he has made me some waist 3 high planters that are 2 ft x 5 ft and that gives us what we need in our old age.

When I put the first square foot gardens in we removed the lawn and tilled the ground which is mostly red clay where we live so we had to modify that with top soil that we had hauled in and organic matter.

Then I read that about putting down old carpet between the beds. We did and I wish we did not because it looks like heck then and still does not because it was not biodegradable in my life time.

I suggest plain mulch. Even today’s cardboards and especially newspapers have a lot of chemicals in them and on them. We could get wood chip mulch for free from out local lumber mill at that time.

If you are starting from scratch you will need a good layer of top soil and organic compost and we put about 10-12 inches in our raised beds. Here again we used the “double digging” method for our beds.

At this point our beds became pretty high and with the sloping down of the sides we were reducing our growing area, so we made wooden sides for our beds and that allowed us to put up trellises or growing hoops where needed. It also allowed us to make “mini” green houses across the tops with plastic for early seed planting and hardening of our plants as they emerged from the seeds.

Do not use pressure treated lumber. We were able to get some good boards from our local Amish lumber mill. Plus because we were also building a house and stuff was being delivered on pallets we were able to salvage the wood from the pallets.

We had a good crop that summer. However, in the following spring we noticed our raised beds had settled and we had to add another 5-6 inches of dirt to them. We also used seaweed emulsion as an additive.

The years have flown by and it is now almost 9 years later. We no longer need all those beds as I said there are just 2 of us now.

The container method is good for the urban gardener who wants to do square foot gardening.

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Limited space in your backyard shouldn’t stop you from planting vegetables in your garden. There is always a way to conquer this shortcoming.

Farmers are being encouraged to go organic and you should probably do so as well. This is because it is very healthy but the problem that many are concerned about is how much they cost at the market. Fortunately, you don’t have to worry about that anymore when you consider having your own Container Gardening

This means getting Container Vegetable Gardening instead of driving over to the supermarket. When you need them, you only have to take a few steps, take it out from the ground and you’re back in the kitchen.

Any vegetable can be planted, grown and harvested in your backyard. You will just have to choose which one you want and then buy the necessary materials and equipment.

For example, if you do decide to plant squash, you should know that this vine type plant will require more living space compared to that of a carrot. Most people that engage in Container Vegetable Gardening will be planting two variants or more because this isn’t the only thing that they eat in a month. Just remember to choose wisely because you have limited space.

Once you have made a decision, it is time to head on over to the store and buy the seeds. Just double check the year that these were packaged so you are sure that what you have with you is a fresh batch instead of an old one.

You can skip the phase of planting seeds by buying starter plants. The only problem is that they will cost more than seeds and it takes away the suspense of seeing these plants grow.

In any case, whether you are using seeds or starter plants, they have to be narrowly spaced. This will prevent the vegetables from growing out of line and weeds from sprouting out.

Within the next few weeks or months, you will no longer be buying vegetables or even fruit from the supermarket you’ll simply picking be picking them from your garden. You will also save money this way and at the same time eat right because they are fresh.

If you have a lot, maybe you can go into business and sell them to your neighbors. Just think of it as your way of promoting organic vegetable gardening so everyone around you will be able to live a healthy life.

The gardener in me really appreciates urban gardening because this is the area that I feel urban gardening began.

For centuries the inhabitants of Mediterranian have used the art of window box planting, hanging clay planters as they managed to garden and add beauty to their small personal spaces.

These people even knew how to compost in a small space by using containers in their homes where they added organic scrapes from their daily foods such as peelings, leftover vegetables and fruits and then adding a few worms. When the compost was ready, they drew out the worms, set them aside and added the fresh composts to their pots and flowerboxes.

Many gardeners in our cities are starting to have this European mindset. We are now seeing roof top gardens. Though most cities will not allow hanging planters and window boxes we are seeing these things on condo patios. These containers will easily create focal points on your patio. Plus they will give you a sense of beauty and charm when you sit amongst them.

Community gardens are now becoming part of the urban gardening scene.

We are seeing more and more self watering containers for use on patios and hanging planters. This is a great boon for the urban gardener. In these you can plant flowers that will feed the soul and you can also plant vegetables to feed your body.

A good self watering container cuts down on the attention you need to give it. However, basically any container that has about 5 holes drilled into the bottom of it will create a good reservoir for your plantings. These types of containers will need a water catching dish or container base under them. For large, heavy containers you will do well to put some roller bases under them for easy moving around because most things you plant will need about 4 hours of sun a day.

Remember to use good organic soil. Get help and advice from your local organic nursery. The easiest plant to start with is the old stand by, the tomato! It is usually easier to buy a plant or two then to buy a pack of seeds. Cherry and grape tomatoes are wonderful in containers, especially hanging ones. Whatever kind you buy will probably need to be staked if you do not use a hanging pot. Staking is easy and one does it as the plant grows. You can use gardening wire or loops or basically an organic piece of hemp or string.

Lettuce is always an easy urban gardening vegetable to grown. A few large pots filled with good organic soil will give you basically all you need for salads. I like to mix the salad greens or you can even buy packets of mixed greens today. Just sprinkle a few on the top of your soil and gently cover with another light layer of soil, then gently water and keep it watered.

Believe it our not, one can even do cucumbers in hanging pots or basically any kind of pot. I like to grow the small pickling cucumber because they grow quickly and are delicious without peeling. Just make sure you wash them well because even though, as an organic gardener, you will not use pesticides, there are a lot of “things” in the urban air from soot to acid rain and you need to wash all you veggies before you eat them.

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Hanging baskets are wonderful sights to behold. If a person does a little research, they can learn how to create their own hanging basket that can rival that of the local nursery. If one starts a flower bed with tiny seeds, the wait time for a bountiful garden may be increased, but if one know how to start the seeds beforehand, that time can be cut in half.

ornamental plants
When making hanging baskets, a person should choose their plants carefully. Instead of buying just the regular begonia or petunias that normally appear in a hinging basket, a person should consider buying long-trailing plants that can create volume to any home made basket.

These plants, especially trailing petunias, can help a basket to appear much larger than it really is. Short trailing plants will also help enhance a basket if they are placed just right. They can be planted on the sides for added color and depth.

Another thing that is critical for making bountiful hanging baskets is to be picky about the potting mix that is used. Hanging baskets are very difficult to keep moist once they dry out.

planter box garden
A way to ensure that this does not happen is to add humus based potting mix to the regular soil that one chooses. Another good tip for a hanging basket is to add a slow release fertilizer at planting and this will help to ensure that these ornamental plants thrive beyond what is expected.

Hanging baskets can be customized to reflect one’s space and personality. If a person does a little research, the right plants and soil mixture can be found so that they work in harmony together to produce amazing plants. You can even use other gardening ideas like a container herb garden and organic container gardening to increase the number of plants on the patio.

Another thing to consider with a hanging basket is the soil. Everyone who has a thumb no matter if it is black or green can make a hanging basket work for them.

The winter is the ideal season for checking out all the different components of your irrigation system. It may be stating the obvious, but from my over 20 year’s worth of experience as a professional gardener in a hot dry country, many people tend to forget about it during the rainy season, only to wake up in a panic at the first sign of hot weather in the spring. So make a commitment to go through the system 8 weeks or so before the onset of spring. Let’s see then what has to be done, section by section.

Underground lawn sprinklers

Firstly open the tap to see which sprinklers if any are not working properly. Underground or pop-up sprinklers can sometimes sink somewhat in the ground. Adjust the height of the whole housing if necessary, even if that involves some digging to do so. Modern sprinkler heads have small filters inserted in the housing. Clean out each one. Three minutes work per unit can save a lot of frustration later, as part of the grass browns off in the summer, due to poor water coverage.

Drip irrigation

Irrigation drippers tend to get blocked in time. Switch on to see which ones are not emitting water. If the drippers are pre-set in the pipe by the manufacturer, then insert a “button” dripper next to the blocked up units. To reduce blockages in the future, it is essential to flush out the lines at least once a year. After turning on the tap, simply open the end of the line and let the water flow for about 5 minutes or so. The life span of dripper lines is usually up to 10-15 years, as mineral deposits in the water eventually make the line inoperable. However, neglecting to periodically wash out the system will significantly reduce their operable life span. I’ve seen drippers block up after 3 or 4 years when this simple routine task is ignored.

The Irrigation head unit

A professional irrigation system will include a controller, or timer, filters and pressure regulators. Needless to say, wash out the filters thoroughly. A dirty filter reduces the water flow rate, resulting in reduced pressure to the sprinklers, and blockages in the dripper lines. The operating efficiency of the pressure regulators should also be checked. These are vital for ensuring that the drip system is operating at the prescribed dynamic pressure, which is something between 1-2 Bars for a home unit.

Finally, spray oil on all the metal parts of the unit. What a pain it is to try and unscrew a fitting attached to the wall, only to find the screws are totally rusted! As a very great comic actor and writer once said – “Silly little point but it does seem to matter!” I wonder if you know who that might have been.

Read about heirloom organic seeds and organic gardening tip info on the heirloom organic seeds resource.

Other than lawns, watering the garden plants by means of drip irrigation is unquestionably more effective than by sprinklers and more efficient in terms of water management. Roughly speaking, drip irrigation, if installed and applied correctly, can save at least 20% of the water that is lost in run-off, especially where trees and shrubs are concerned. However, the great benefits of drip irrigation are often not attained by the home gardener, because three aspects are not addressed properly.

Working at the correct pressure

Drip irrigation should operate at as low a pressure as possible. In small, private gardens, a pressure of about 1.5 bars is appropriate. For this purpose, a pressure regulator ought to be installed at the system’s head unit.

Very often, the drippers at the end of the line barely emit water. The reason is usually that the dripper line itself is too long and not because of insufficient pressure to begin with. A common mistake is to snake a line or two around the plants, instead of the correct method, which is to connect several shorter lines to a feeder or supply pipe.slopes.

Care and maintenance

Blockages are the main problem associated with drippers. Firstly, a filter designed for drip irrigation should always be installed. Secondly, it is wise to flush the lines once or twice a year. This from my experience can extend the lifespan of the system to some 10-15 years, whereas failure to carry out this simple procedure is liable to result in blockages after 2-3 years.

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When I first started my present garden, it had been totally farmland and therefore, it was full of weeds. It had no shape. It was like a typical farmers field, bumpy ground and obnoxious weeds. At first I felt rather daunted and overwhelmed by the job of creating this nightmare into an English Cottage garden. As I have lived in England, I knew what I wanted my garden to look like.

I have learned in life, that if you tackle a large project one step at a time, rather than look at a project in its entirety, you are more likely to achieve your goals. I had to think, just what do I want from my garden? Was it to be a place where I could relax, or a place to have wild poolside parties, or a place where I could lose myself in time? While weeding and creating, I chose the latter, but it is important if you are starting from scratch to know what kind of garden you want. Gardens are never made by accident. Whether its a sterile plot or a space filled with plants, someone decides the precise arrangement they want and are prepared to maintain.

I broke all my own rules about planning and detail before getting started. I just went ahead and by instinct knew what I wanted. As my garden covers 2 acres of land, I really could not financially employ anyone to help to dig it all up and renew the soil, so I had to go it alone with my trusty spade and garden fork and my aching muscles and tubes of liniment!

I like rounded edges in my flowerbeds, not straight sided. I think rounded edges add softness to any design, but I had to angle the edges from the grass to stop the weeds from growing into the flowerbeds. I thought that would work, but I soon found out differently. I think some of the weeds I encountered had roots going down 50 feet! As soon as I would dig them out, they just came back. This was very discouraging and backbreaking, but I was determined to go ahead.

Weeds grow either from seed or they reproduce from their roots. The roots grow outward from the parent plant and produce new plants, springing up from lateral roots, creating more parent plants and the process just goes on and on and the weeds thrive. We must remember that weeds are just plants growing in the wrong place. Even the best heirloom organic seeds need that.

The easiest of these essentials for a gardener to control is sunlight. Before mulching, remove all vegetation from your planting area and, using a hoe, undercut the roots and remove the plant, roots and all. Then turn the soil by hand. You may decide to turn it again after a few days have passed. This brings the roots that were left in the soil to the top and the sun will dry them out and make them less viable. It also disturbs the weed seeds that have started to germinate, which makes them less viable.

Before mulching, place newspaper (about 8 layers thick) over the soil and place the mulch on top. The newspaper blocks the sunlight from reaching the soil, which keeps weed growth to a minimum. As it decomposes, it will not affect the appearance of your garden. After 6 years of battling with my own weeds, I am not sure who is winning the battle, but I am determined to win the war!!

I hope you will be able to reach your own goals and realize that nothing is impossible.

Read about heirloom organic seeds and organic gardening tip publications.

Hydroponics equipment News November 8th, 2008

November 8, 2008

Herbs fresh from your kitchen garden boost flavor

THERE’S NOTHING QUITE LIKE stepping outside the kitchen, scissors and basket in hand, to snip fresh basil, rosemary and other culinary herbs from your own herb garden. • Their delightful aroma lingers on your hands and fills the kitchen with rich scents of the meal to come. For a few moments, you feel like the Barefoot Contessa or Emeril Lagasse. • You’ll feel smart, too. For a fraction of the cost of store-bought herbs, you can easily grow your own at home — even if all the gardening space you have is a windowsill.

Culinary herbs are easy to start and maintain. Though many are grown in Florida as annuals from September through May, there are perennial herbs that weather the hot, humid summer with a little TLC.

Read More?

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Using Sphagnum Moss as Your Hydroponics Medium

If you want to try a somewhat unconventional, but still very effective growing medium for hydroponics, you should consider sphagnum moss. Though it is commonly thought of as a soil conditioner, sphagnum moss along with some quality sphagnum moss nutrients can prove to be tremendously effective for hydroponic growing. It is possible to use sphagnum as your sole growing medium, but it is typically used in conjunction with another growing medium, such as perlite.

While sphagnum moss and sphagnum moss nutrients can do wonders for the development of your garden, it comes with its own share of personal challenges. However, if you are aware of them and deal with them head on, you can enjoy this growing medium no matter what you choose to grow.

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Expert Tips on Using Hydroton and Hydroton Nutrients

Hydroponic growers who want to try and get the most bang for their buck when choosing a hydroponic medium usually look to hydroton and hydroton specific nutrients. Hydroton is a kind of expanded clay pebble which is typically manufactured in Germany. Hydroton is a fantastic medium because it is totally reusable, which means that you do not have to have a huge budget for your medium in order to maintain a hydroponic garden. It is also porous, and somewhat absorbent, so you can have confidence that your plants are going to get enough hydroton nutrients.

Here are some easy ways to get the most benefit from your hydroton pebbles.

Clean Thoroughly – One of the main reasons why hydroton can really cut down on your hydroponic budget is because you can reuse it many, many times. While other growing media might fall apart after a while, you can always count on being able to use hydroton next growing season, which prevents you from having to spend so much more on your growing medium.

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