Home Gardening
March 12th, 2010 Subscribe To Our Feed
Home gardening is a general term that covers not only plant cultivation but landscaping, lawn mowing, watering and soil fertilizing too. There are many reasons why gardening is such a popular hobby: some people want to go organic, others consider gardening a relaxing activity and a smaller percentage turn it into a lucrative occupation. There is much more to be said about motivation, but it usually differs from case to case.
An earth-friendly attitude more easily finds expression in home gardening. When you do home gardening to cover the needs of the household, it goes without saying that the use of pesticides and insecticides will be minimum if not inexistent. As for flowers they are usually planted for their beauty.
You can find equipment for home gardening in any local department store. You don’t have to buy all the tools imaginable. Just keep the activity simple, pleasant and comfortable. There are no more important aspects. Gloves will prevent hand injuries and heavy nail soiling, and good shoes will keep humidity away and provide protection for your feet. Choose your methods and equipment depending on what you grow.
Many of the supplies can also be ordered online if you don’t find them in the regular department store. In case you need something for landscaping purposes, then you may have to try the outdoor decorations section of such stores. Then, if you are a regular reader of gardening magazines and web sites, you will come across all sorts of recommendations for equipment, plants, seeds and soil enhancers. On the average, such materials also provide solutions to your dilemmas as well as answers to pressing questions.
You decide how complex or simple home gardening should be. You can have just one bed to look after or you can cultivate the entire garden. Yet, not every house owner chooses to garden on the property. You can get the hedges trimmed and the lawn mowed whenever it is the case, there are many service providers that can help you here. Consequently, home gardening is an occupation you love. Whether productive or enjoyable, gardening could become the perfect refuge from a stressful world.
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Green House Gardening
March 12th, 2010 Subscribe To Our Feed
Green house gardening allows for the cultivation of vegetables, ornamental plants and flowers that cannot be grown outside because of the climate conditions. Yet, not every gardener can afford to create the greenhouse of his/her dreams, and therefore green house gardening becomes a privilege in so many cases. Here are the most general lines that define this occupation.
1.The greenhouse is a chamber of plastic or glass that allows the light to get through to the plants while providing enough warmth to allow for the harmonious development regardless of the external weather conditions. Green house gardening involves a very large number of activities; hence the reputation for being challenging.
2.Regular beds, hanging baskets or containers can be freely used for green house gardening objectives. Regardless of the size of the facility, you can make it decorative, lucrative or both. The cultivation of plants all year round seems simpler than ever when the flowers, plans and vegetables do not get exposed to the direct action of the elements.
3.There are many purposes for green house gardening. Some people want to extend the availability of seasonal crops such as strawberries or tomatoes for instance. Others are just interested in the propagation of seeds and the retention of less sensitive plants during the cold season. And finally, a warm green house could be specialized strictly in the cultivation and display of rare plants.
The conditions for green house gardening vary depending on the temperature of the environment.
-A cheap method is cold green house gardening. It depends on the accumulation of heat inside the greenhouse in summer thus accelerating the growth of the crops inside. In very humid weather, such greenhouses trap a lot of humidity inside which could be detrimental to the plants.
-Cool green house gardening is much more common. Normally a steady temperature is preserved by using some sort of heating system. Many plants are thus capable to resist throughout winter without any inconvenience. The temperature inside is around 45F
-Warm green house gardening is conducted at temperatures of 55F or higher and it is usually specific to the cultivation of exotic plants, fruits and vegetables. Warm greenhouses usually serve for professional purposes and they require a considerable investment in technologies.
Besides the brief description provided here, you can read more in depth materials about each of the categories.
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The Enchanting Beauty of Garden Antiques
March 12th, 2010 Subscribe To Our Feed
Garden antiques - Garden antiques are honestly a “must have” addition to your back or front yard.
In addition to being a beautiful decoration, garden antiques will make your yard more stylish and give it something people won’t quite be able to describe - but in a good way.
Pssst, the neighbors will be green with envy when they see your selection of garden antiques.
One of the wonderful things about garden antiques is that they do more than merely decorate your yard. Depending on the antique you get, you may be able to use them for sitting on or for some other use. Whatever your personality and tastes - exquisite, elegant, modern, antique, country garden - you can find a garden antique that you love.
You will absolutely enjoy the selection you have as you start to look for the antiques that will go best in your garden. Antique desks
The most common garden antiques entail old fashioned furniture - a great way to add some personal flare, and function, to your yard. This can’t help but make a significant impression in your yard. And don’t forget the fun part of garden antiques - searching through all those yard sales and unlikely corner stores for that perfect jewel buried in all that junk! It’s amazing what you can find hunting for garden antiques. Don’t be surprised to find some familiar patterns and styles either, things you’d forgotten all those years ago; designers are always looking to the past for inspiration. Did you know that Victorian garden furniture is considered to be a real asset and that the ornate benches and love seats are still much sought after even now?
Garden antiques often have a particular pattern or art form specific to the era it is from, especially if you are looking for furniture, such as benches, love seats, etc.
As a matter of fact, a lot of the furniture is considered to be artifacts from eras gone by, especially those that are made of heavy wood, like those that were found in the gardens of nobility. Most of the furniture in the gardens of noble families was custom made and had very intricate carvings on it. Antique sofas You will have really found a priceless asset if you are able to locate such garden antiques.
Searching for garden antiques is just about as much fun as actually finding what you wanted, or finding something you never expected you would. The look of envy and astonishment on your neighbors’ faces as they peer over your fence when you finally get it home - which is usually an exhilarating challenge in itself - is just one of the many reasons to embark on your own quest to find that perfect antique garden accent.
Iron does fare better in foul weather, but at the end of the day it’s all about making your yard a reflection of you. If that involves heavy wooden nobility, go for it. But iron’s ability to survive the elements does make for older, and thus more expensive, garden antiques.
So grab your newspaper and start hitting those yard sales. You never know when or where you’ll find that perfect garden antique, just waiting to grace your yard.
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Winter Plants To Grow In Your Garden
March 12th, 2010 Subscribe To Our Feed
Winter may seem an unlikely time for trees, shrubs and garden plants to bloom, but you can still see a few if you do your research and plant right. For instance, a gardening expert may recommend trees like the Acer palmatum dissectum, which blooms red, yellow and orange in Pennsylvania’s late Novembers, or red, yellow and orange blooming shagbark maples. The oak-leaf hydrangeas (also called “snow queens”) are good plants that love hot summers but survive hardy northeast winters too. They can be red, purple or white. The enkianthus usually turns bright red in the winter and azaleas can be bright red, yellow or pink. The helleborus and aloha rose are two exotic-looking flowers that can hold a vivid bloom against the white winter snow as well. Read on for more gardening information because if you know what to plant and how to plant, you can have a thriving winter garden.
During the winter, you may also want to add late growing plants to the mix. You can plant ornamental cabbages that come in stunning foliage colors such as yellow, lilac, deep purple, white and pink. This heath is the hardiest winter flower, as it’s able to withstand temperatures as low as -25. Parsley survives from May through November. From June through November, you can harvest broccoli, chard and kale. Beets can even be harvested into December and potatoes can be dug up from July into December. Starting in August (through November), you can harvest broccoli raab, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, rutabagas and turnips. Starting in August (through December), you can harvest leeks, pears, carrots and winter squash. September through November, you’ll gather your pumpkins, shelling beans and celery root. October through November, you’ll pick fennel and from October through December, you can gather cranberries and parsnips. Mushrooms can be cultivated year-round. Home vegetable gardening is not only enjoyable when you see the fruits of your labor, but it’s also practical because you can feed your family, while saving hundreds at the grocery store.
There are several tactics to help your garden plants withstand colder temperatures and extend your growing season. The Ed Hume Seeds gardening blog recommends building windbreaks and walls to add 10 to 15 degrees of warmth to your garden. Similarly, permanently edged raised beds with well-made soil can increase the temperature between 8 and 12 degrees. Cloches (portable greenhouses made of cloth, glass panes or pop bottles) can increase the solar energy, although they must be properly ventilated and firmly secured. Cold frame boxes made of old 18 x 12 window sashes and glass are more permanent structures that protect from strong winds, elevate temperatures and protect flowers and veggies from frost; these boxes can also allow you to seed up to 8 weeks earlier than usual. Hot beds (cold frames with electric heating cables to provide bottom heat) can keep a garden frost-free all winter long. Lastly, if you’re really into home vegetable gardening, then you may want to build a permanent greenhouse. You can grow leaf and root vegetables without heat, or — if you’d like — you may grow tropical plants, tomatoes and cucumbers in a heated greenhouse even if it’s cold as Alaska outside!
If this is your second year of producing garden plants, then it’s important that you plant your winter vegetable crops in a different location than last year. Planting in the same spot every year weakens the soil, loses nutrients and attracts insects or disease. A gardening expert may also recommend that you use cover crops to build up damaged or idle soil. By planting fast-growing greens, you can spade, plow or till them into the soil for added green organic matter and nutrients. In the fall, you can sow alfalfa, Austrian field peas, white clover, crimson clover, red clover, purple vetch, hairy vetch, woolly vetch, common vetch, fava beans, wheat, oats, cereal rye, winter rape, and lupines. If you’d like to cover in the winter, try cow-peas (Southern peas), hairy indigo, bell beans (a small fava bean) Lana vetch, winter peas, lupines, and purple clover.
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Growing An Indoor Herb Garden Is Easily Done
March 12th, 2010 Subscribe To Our Feed
Instead of planting a {big outdoor herb garden consider planting a nice indoor herb garden instead~If you are thinking of planting a enormous outdoor herb garden you should rethink it and consider putting one inside the house and grow an indoor herb garden instead~When you are considering growing a big outdoor herb garden you should weigh the pros and cons and reconsider growing an indoor herb garden as a substitute~If you are considering putting out a enormous outdoor herb harden you should first think about growing an indoor herb garden instead}. assortments and dwarf assortments of herbs grow quite well in small pots that can be placed on a kitchen window sill~If you are looking for a smaller assortment there are the dwarf assortments of herbs and they do grow quite well in small pots that can be placed in a kitchen window sill~When choosing to grow the smaller dwarf varieties of herbs they do grow quite well in small pots that can easily be placed in the kitchen window sill~You will find that smaller varieties such as dwarf assortments of herbs do seem to grow very well in small pots and are easily placed on a sill such as in a kitchen or any other lighted window~The most popular}. If you pick your herbs before you start cooking you will not have to stop and run to your outside to your garden while you are cooking. You can just simply turn around and grab a few leaves!
Growing your own indoor herb garden is easy. If you are totally serious about growing your own herb garden there are a lot of kits out there to get you started they have everything you will need. If you want to get the whole family involved in growing indoor herbs you can try the chia plants for the kids it makes growing herbs fun for the family. There are distinct advantages to growing an indoor herb garden you can enjoy the same benefits.
Advantages Of An Indoor Herb Garden; With an indoor herb garden you can easily monitor your plants. When they need maintenance you will know right away that they need something. If you are looking for something will minimal effort try misting your plants that can be accomplished with very little effort. Outdoor gardens are more frequently overlooked.
If you want to eliminate bugs eating the leaves of your herbs, you may rethink growing your garden indoors. When growing an indoor herb garden you will not have to contend with trying to find a safe chemical to treat your herbs to keep bugs off your plants. When ever you have your own fresh herb garden you get to harvest all of your fresh herbs, you can do it within the comfort of your own home. When g rowing your garden inside you can enjoy the bug free environment, you do not have mosquitoes or other bugs bugging you while you are gardening.
The ping of the wonderful fragrance you will smell when you plant an indoor herb garden. Delicious smells like fresh basil or rosemary that is how your kitchen will now smell. If you like to be surrounded by the aroma of fresh herbs for inspiration, you are the type of cook that would grow an indoor herb garden. When you are cooking with fresh herbs you will definitely taste the difference, it is so much fresher tasting on any meal you do cook will now taste even better.
If you want to protect your plants having an indoor herb garden will also protect any other plants that might be in the same garden. Be careful some species of herbs are known to be extremely invasive. If your not careful once the herbs start growing before you know it they will have taken over your garden. small individual pots are what you need to plant your herbs in if you want to control its spreading.
Plants can make indoor spaces feel warm and cozy. If you add a few practical plants into your kitchen space may help to achieve the same result. If you want happy plants you should try to generate an inviting atmosphere while growing herbs to use during cooking.
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Keeping Your Herbs inside for the Winter
March 12th, 2010 Subscribe To Our Feed
If you have cultivated an herb garden outside all summer and into the fall, you are probably disappointed that winter is so quickly approaching. You know the nutritional and health benefits to eating natural and fresh foods, and you do not want to have to stop gardening your own herbs. Do not dismay! You can easily bring your herb garden inside of your home for the winter. You can plant a windowsill garden right in your kitchen! By doing this, you can have fresh herbs all winter long.
Preparation
In order to successfully move your herbs into your home, you will have to have a windowsill that is in a sunny area. The best place to put your windowsill herb garden is a windowsill that gets at least five hours of sunlight per day and has minimal drafts. Often times a south or southeast facing window is perfect. Next, buy your favorite herb plants~{Next, buy your favorite herb plants}~Next, purcahse your facorite herb plants}. Make sure that these are smaller plants as the area you will be planting them in is probably not as big as your outdoor space. After that, look for a container that is about half a foot to a foot deep. If multiple herbs are what you plan to plant, get a long container. For individual plants, you will need the pot to be at least six inches deep. Plant your herbs in the pots just as you would plant them outside (many gardeners have very specific ways that they plant their gardens, from different top soils to various potting mixes!).
Caring For Your Herbs
Once you have your herbs planted and set in the windowsill, make sure that you remember to care for them. However, do not over do it. While they were outside in your home herb garden you probably did not have to worry about watering them, but make sure that you water them on occasion when they are in your windowsill garden. Do keep in mind however that herbs do not grow well in wet soil. In addition, once a month you can feed your herbs with a specific fertilizer that says it is safe for use on edibles. Remember, you have to allow your plants some time to get used to their new setting. Do not cut them until you see new growth. Or your plants will not flourish.
Tips For Your Indoor Garden
First, make sure that you are choosing appropriate herbs for your indoor herb garden. You do not want herbs that grow very wide or very tall. Second, if sunny windows are unavailable, you can use a fluorescent light and keep it on for about ten hours a day. Also, make sure it is close to the plants, about eighteen inches away. Third, do make it a point to not trim any more than a third of your plant’s foliage. In addition trimming will often encourage them to grow more, but make sure the before you clip away that there is new growth!
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