A Juggling Mums Garden

Design The Perfect Vegetable Garden To Suit Your Dinner Table

2008-05-06T13:24:00.002+10:00

By Ann Marier

When you are looking to start your own vegetable garden, you have a few decisions to make. First of all, you have to decide what kind of vegetables you want to include. You have to decide how many of each plant type you want to include and you have to decide where to place your garden. The placement of your garden is the most important part. You want to choose a place that gets plenty of sunlight and you want to make sure that your garden is big enough for the one that you have in mind. Once you have your spot picked out and your seeds in hand, it's time to design the perfect vegetable garden. Pick Out A Spot To choose a spot for your vegetable garden, pick a spot near your house or at least where you can keep an eye on it. You shouldn't be worried too much about people coming into your garden and messing things up but you want to be especially worried about rodents, pests and other animals who might see your vegetable garden design as some help yourself buffet. Once you have your plot picked out, you might want to line it with chicken wire to keep it safe from those same pests. The size of your garden is important as you want to make sure that your plants have enough room to grow and flourish. When creating your vegetable garden design, you want to make sure that each seed is placed at least six inches apart. Any less than that and you risk overcrowding, which means that your vegetable garden may not produce as much as you hope. When you have the spot picked out and you deem it large enough for all the vegetables that you plan to sow, make lines in the soil with your finger or a garden tool. These lines should lead the long ways across the garden, at least six inches apart as stated above. Once you have the lines in the soil drawn, drop your seeds into the divots that you made, again about six inches apart. Cover the holes with soil and water thoroughly. If you wish, you can insert some plant food sticks that you can get at your local home and garden store to give them the extra nutrients they need to grow big and strong. Make sure you water your vegetable garden thoroughly every day and keep a close eye on it. The most important part of your vegetable garden design is proper maintenance. By paying attention to your plants, you will begin to notice when they are in need of certain things, such as water, certain nutrients and even sunlight. The perfect vegetable garden design is all about what you are looking for whenever you break ground to plant your seeds. There really is no wrong vegetable garden design. As long as your garden produces and you get the vegetables you set out to grow, you have the perfect vegetable garden design.

Ann Marier has written articles on house and garden topics providing helpful tips and advice. Read all about her latest articles on types of garden design offering a new insight into Garden design

Source:www.isnare.com

Organic Indoor Gardening: Grow Your Own Fresh Herbs - Be Healthy

2007-07-23T12:22:00.000+10:00

Do you like to consume organic food? People are becoming more aware of what they eat, so it could be a very good idea to start an organic indoor garden of your own so you can be sure of eating vegetables that are free of unhealthy chemicals. One of the best things with organic indoor gardening is it doesn’t need a lot of space to grow a good crop of vegetables. A small balcony or an accessible rooftop are all you need to get started with organic indoor gardening.

Even if you live somewhere that doesn’t have anything like a balcony or flat rooftop, you can still indulge in organic indoor gardening. Not having these doesn’t mean you won’t be able to garden. If you have some space you can devote to your plants inside your house, you can easily set up your organic indoor garden. You can use artificial lighting for the plants so you won’t need to be concerned about having enough sunlight.

In addition to having a good supply of organic vegetables, there are a number of advantages to organic indoor gardening. Professionals insist that stress can be relieved by gardening. Indoor gardening can help relieve stress because it doesn’t require much thought or hard-on-your-back work. It can be a great way to be calmed and relaxed after a hard day at the office.

Save Yourself From Yourself

As well as relieving stress, indoor gardening has the bonus of saving money on your grocery bill. Since you will be growing some of your very own food, a lot less money will be spent at the grocery store. But experts say that you really save a lot on recreation and health expenses. How does this work? Studies show that people involved in organic indoor gardening are more content as a result and have less of a need to leave home to find such contentment in the spending of money for pleasure. If you don’t like coming back to an empty lonesome house with nothing to look forward to, you can keep yourself happily busy with as organic indoor garden.

According to studies, medical expenses are high because some much money is spent of anti-depressants. It is believed that without constructive release of pent up frustrations and stress through some sort of outlet, many Americans end up suffering from depression. A hobby that interests them, such as indoor gardening, helps to reduce episodes of depression in many people.

Source: Articles 3000

Butterfly Gardens - 7 Essential Elements For Attracting Butterflies

2007-07-22T00:22:00.000+10:00

Butterflies are very beautiful to watch as they flit and float all over the place, as if they have no cares in the world. Butterflies hold a sense of delight and wonder for all ages. Bring some of that delight and wonder to your garden by creating a butterfly garden.

Butterfly gardens can be any size, from small patches of flowers to large flower beds. The most important aspect of creating a butterfly garden is to research what butterflies are native to your area and concentrate on attracting those butterflies. Next, find out which plants or flowers attract those butterflies and plant the ones that are native to your area.

Here's a list of seven essential elements to include when creating a butterfly garden.

1) Have plants in your garden or yard that will attract butterflies. Some of the most popular plants are buddleia, milkweed, a butterfly bush (planted where it will get plenty of sunshine), lavender, thistle, wildflowers and herbs such as chives. The butterflies feed on the nectar of the plants, so the more nectar that a flower produces, the more butterflies that flower will attract.

2) Have plants that will provide food for caterpillars. Butterflies will stay longer if there are plants handy for them to lay their eggs on. Caterpillars will emerge from the eggs when they hatch and the caterpillars will need a food source nearby. In a short period of time, the caterpillars will form cocoons and emerge as new butterflies and once again you'll have some beautiful butterflies to watch. Some of the most popular plants for caterpillars are alfalfa, clover, milkweed and peas.

3) Provide a sunny spot. Butterflies are cold-blooded and need the sun in order to warm themselves up. Plus, butterflies prefer to visit flowers that are in the sun, since they are able to keep warm and obtain nourishment at the same time.

4) Create shelter. Butterflies need a calm place to rest, a place without a lot of wind or breeze. Shrubs or small bushes suit this need well.

5) Avoid pesticides. There are two main ways that pesticides affect butterflies. First, as caterpillars. If the caterpillars can't survive, then they will never turn into butterflies. Second, butterflies also eat insects. If the insects have ingested pesticides then so will the butterflies when they eat these insects.

6) Have a source of water handy, such as a birdbath or even sand that is soaked with water. The sand should be soaked, but not submerged in the water. The butterflies will sit on the sand and drink the water underneath it.

7) Have rest spots for the butterflies – they get tired too! Rocks are perfect for this task. Plus, when the rocks are in the sun, it allows the butterflies to warm up on a cool morning.

By combining all of these elements together, you will be successful in attracting butterflies to your garden.

To plan your dream garden today, please visit http://www.thegardenersescape.com/ and escape to your own world ... where it is all about you!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joanne_Jones

Boost veggies with side-dressing of nitrogen fertilizer

2007-07-07T00:18:00.000+10:00

Many vegetable crops benefit from a side-dressing of nitrogen fertilizer after making considerable growth or starting to fruit, unless a slow-release fertilizer was applied at planting time.

In a side-dress application, the nitrogen fertilizer is applied along the sides of the plants, about six inches away from the stems, either along the row or around individual plants, such as tomatoes.

A Purdue publication on vegetable gardening, HO-32-W, suggests using ammonium nitrate, which has an analysis of 33-0-0, as the fertilizer material. However, it's not readily available, and other forms of fertilizer can be used on an equivalent basis.

One is urea, which has an analysis of 46-0-0. It can become volatile, escape into the air and burn the leaves and should be incorporated immediately by lightly tilling it into the soil or watering it in with irrigation.

The general application rate for ammonium nitrogen is about one pound, or about one pint, per 100 feet of row. For three feet of row, that's one tablespoon (one teaspoon per foot). When urea is used, apply slightly less, or about 1 1/2 cups per 100 feet of row, 2 1/4 teaspoons per three feet of row or 3/4 teaspoon per foot of row. For example, if you side-dress tomato plants, spaced four feet apart, you should use one level tablespoon (three teaspoons) of urea around each plant.

The time for side-dressing depends on the crop. Side-dress tomatoes about two weeks after the first fruit sets, two weeks after picking the first tomato and again one month later. The cole crops (cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli) should be side-dressed three weeks after setting out plants, onions about one to two weeks after bulb formation and peppers after the first fruit sets.

Side-dress cucumbers one week after blossoming begins and three weeks later; peas and beans, after heavy bloom and set of pods; and sweet corn when plants are 8-10 inches tall and one week after tassels appear. It's important not to apply more than the recommended amount of nitrogen or damage to plant roots can occur.

The third week of June is the time to ...

*Obtain a copy of the publication, 'Home Gardener's Guide', from an Extension Service office in Indiana for details on fertilizing vegetable crops.

*Deadhead or remove spent blossoms from early-blooming perennials to prevent seed formation and encourage re-bloom later this season or next year.

*Remove vegetable crops such as lettuce, which have bolted (formed seed stalks), and replant the areas with bush green beans.

*Thin fruit from apple trees after the June drop of excess fruit. Space remaining fruit about 6 inches apart (one per cluster on the average), to obtain larger and higher quality fruit.

*Plant seeds of cole crops (cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower) to obtain transplants to set out in late July for a fall harvest.

Steve Buchanan writes article on many topics including Honda Generator, Yard machines snowblower and Murray lawn mower

Source: High Quality Article Database - 365articles.com

Organic Herb Farm – Getting Started

2007-06-10T09:08:00.000+10:00

An organic herb farm can be rewarding financially, physically, and emotionally. Even a small organic herb farm can produce a good harvest. You can use the herbs yourself, or sell them for profit at a farmer's market. You will want to plan, of course. You will need to learn a number of things before getting started with an organic herb farm.

Organic Herb Farm Plans

Organic herb farm plans begin with determining how large a space you will allot to growing organic herbs. Herbs do not require as much space as many organic vegetables require. You can reap a good harvest in a small space.

You will want to plan, too, what types of herbs you will plant. There are three main categories.

1. Culinary – herbs valued for their taste

2. Medicinal – herbs valued for healing power

3. Scented – herbs valued for their fragrance

Organic herb farm plans often use all three, but some limit the farm to one type. Some organic herb farms grow only one herb. Think about whether there are any organic herbs you consider "must-haves" and whether there are some you really do not want to grow.

Once you have decided on space and the type of organic herbs you will grow, you need to test your soil. Is it chalky, clay, loam, or sandy? The type of soil you have will play a part in your organic herb farm plans. Test it, or have it tested so that you know. Determine whether the soil is well drained. Is the location sunny, shady, or mixed sun and shade? Will parts of your organic herb farm be exposed to wind?

Organic Herb Farm Layout

Your organic herb farm plans will need to include a layout. Use graph paper, or a computer program with a graph. On your graph paper, mark north and south. Then draw in the basic shape of your planned farm. Use a key. For example, 1 square on the graph equals 1 square yard. Draw any buildings, walls, ponds, streams, trees, or other obstacles. Indicate how tall the trees are, since this will affect sunlight. Indicate areas that are especially damp or dry.

Use your farm layout to select seeds or healthy herb plants. You can buy bulk organic herb seeds, sometimes at wholesale prices. Consider your soil and climate in selecting plants or seeds. Most nurseries or farm suppliers can give you guidance in these matters.

You may want to arrange plants according to color, If soil, sun, shade, and wind conditions allow. Or you may group organic herbs that offer benefits to one another on the farm. Here are three examples of good groups.

1. Germander, lavender, rosemary, sage, and thyme

2. Cilantro, lemon balm, lemon verbena, oregano, parsley, and thyme

3. Basil, mint, oregano, and thyme

Organic herbs are among the most beneficial plants you can grow. The plants will attract insects to your organic herb farm. Count on the help of bees, birds, and butterflies to enhance pollination and increase harvest.

Your organic herb farm plans should take advantage of the fact that those who grow organic herbs create a beautiful landscape, teeming with wildlife.

© 2007, Anna Hart. Anna Hart invites you to read more of her articles about organic herbs at http://www.organicspringtime.com . Anna is posting new articles regularly on that site, each one dealing with some facet of organic gardening. If you want information on maximizing your organic herb harvest, visit Anna now.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anna_Hart

Building Your Garden On A Budget

2007-06-09T21:04:00.000+10:00

By Joanne Jones

Have you always imagined what your dream garden will look like? If you're like me, it's going to cost a pretty penny. But you can have that gorgeous garden that you have always dreamed of and do it on a budget. You just have to be creative and patient. I'll show you how.

For plants, choose smaller plants that will grow for the whole season. Smaller plants are cheaper than larger plants and they will quickly grow and fill your garden. When you buy larger plants at a green house, the staff there have had to spend more time caring and growing the plant and they charge you for that.

Build your garden one item at a time. Start small with a few essentials, like seating and a small number of plants. You can expand your garden over several years, which will be easier on your wallet. Also, it can be a lot of fun to window shop until you find just the right item. There are several advantages to taking your time. One, you won't overbuy on furniture and plants. Two, it gives you a chance to do some comparison shopping. You just might find the same product, or something very similar, elsewhere for a much better price. Three, most importantly, visit many stores until you find that something special that will make your garden unique.

Get to know the clerk at your garden centre. They know which plants are the healthiest, how best to grow the plant, and most importantly, when the sales are coming. The most important sales of all are the end of season sales, especially for garden furniture. It might not get much use this season, but you will have the furniture ready for next season and saved a lot of money.

When buying from a mail order company, try to buy from only one or two. This will save you money on shipping costs when compared to the shipping costs you would pay if you bought the same items from several different mail order companies.

Constantly buying new pots, especially large pots, can be expensive. So, get creative when it comes to containers. You can use vases, an old barrel or tub, old boots or anything else that you can think of. The most important thing in selecting a container is to ensure that it is large enough for the plant to spread out its roots for future growth.

Join a garden club. You will get a lot of ideas from the other people in the club and you can trade plants, cuttings and seeds. Sometimes, some club members will give away plants to other members. Some plants grow like crazy and are easy to transplant a portion of the plant or start a new one. For example, to start a new African violet, simply break off one of the leaves near the base of the plant. Then, put the newly cut leaf in soil in another pot. The leaf will begin to root and within a few weeks you will see new leaves start to grow. Easy and inexpensive!

To plan your dream garden today, please visit http://www.thegardenersescape.com and escape to your own world ... where it is all about you!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joanne_Jones

How To Naturally Enrich Your Soil By Using Organic Garden Fertilizer

2007-06-08T21:05:00.000+10:00

Every organic gardener knows that it is vital to use good quality soil in you want successful produce. The start and end of each growing season are the times which the organic gardener is going to work with the soil to ascertain it is capable of producing good quality organic vegetables or flowers. At least twice a year, organic garden fertilizers need to be added to the soil to enrich it and replace nutrients which have been used by the plants. Organic garden fertilizers are made from live materials rather than being chemically manufactured. An organic gardener might also mix various additives into the soil, organic or non-organic, to add micronutrients or to control the pH. Common organic soil additives include potash and Epsom salts.

Soil additives are an optional extra for the soil. They help to improve the soil consistency or give micronutrients. Organic garden fertilizer improves the soil's overall substance.

Nearly all animal-based organic garden fertilizers can be called manure. You can get other types of animal-based fertilizers, such as fish emulsion, but manure is by far the most common. Manure can come from bats, cows, chickens, horses, rabbits and other animals. Human manure is used in some places. Manure cannot be used from cats or other predators because they have pathogenic bacteria in their digestive systems, which can get into the food grown. Manure needs to be composted or aged before being used as an organic garden fertilizer to remove such dangerous pathogens as E. coli. You can add composted manure to the soil in liquid or solid form and you should mix it into the soil well. It is best to add the manure at least a few weeks before planting, so it can mix well and age. Also, it will be more pleasant to plant when the manure is mixed in and aged a bit rather than fresh and ripe-smelling!

Another option is plant-based organic garden fertilizer, such as worm castings, compost, seaweed and 'green manure'. Kelp and seaweed are usually dried and processed before being sold.

Compost creation is an ongoing process which can be learn from community workshops or other experts. It is a great way to recycle peelings and left over vegetable matter. Worm composting (also called worm castings) can be made or bought. They contain a lot of nutrients. To make them yourself, you will need to get the right sort of worms from any organic gardening source. You also require some sort of covered tub and some damp vegetable matter such as old newspapers. Then you just leave the worms to it and you will get great organic fertilizer from them.

'Green manure' is normally planted after harvest in the fall and is a cover crop. It is usual to plant a nitrogen-fixing crop like soybeans or something similar. In the springtime, when the cover crop emerges, you just dig it into the ground where it enriches the soil and decomposes.

Organic garden fertilizer can be bought or created and is very worthwhile because you can add living matter to the soil and fertilize in the most natural way possible with no need for potentially dangerous chemicals.

Lee Dobbins writes for Backyard Garden And Patio where you can learn more about gardening and find out about organic garden fertilizer.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lee_Dobbins

Raised Bed Gardening - Be The Envy Of The Neighborhood

2007-06-02T10:19:00.000+10:00

Raised bed gardening will provide you with the unique opportunity to have a garden that will be the envy of the neighborhood. You will produce more, have higher quality vegetables and spend less time maintaining them. All of the work is done the first time your raised beds are created and you will enjoy the fruits of your labor for years to come.

1. Reasons for using Raised Beds - Creating a raised bed gardening system is a fantastic way to control the soil you use, control weeds and produce the most garden vegetables and flowers in the smallest space possible. Raised bed gardening allows you to easily control the environment in which your garden plants grow - temperature and moisture. Raised bed gardens allow you to start your garden sooner and extend the growing season by green housing the raised bed. Raised bed gardening additionally makes it very easy to fertilize and control any types of garden pests that might otherwise damage your garden plants.

2. Materials for Raised Bed Gardening - A limited number of materials are required to create a raised bed for gardening - To build one 4'x8' Raised Bed:

(3) 2"x12" 8 foot long pieces of treated wood from any local lumber yard (12) Screws or long nails (24) small nails or tacks string or twine.
Optional - Roll of clear plastic, stakes, clothes pins (clip type) and black plastic. (These are used for creating a mini-greenhouse over the bed and for controlling weeds)

3. Building the Raised Bed - Take one of the 3 pieces of wood and cut it in half - creating two 4ft end pieces. Now just create a rectangular box by nailing or screwing the four pieces of wood together. When you are finished you will have a 4'x8' box that stands 12" high. Find a good location, consider amount of sun and mark off a spot that is 4x8 feet for your raised bed. Either by hand or with a rototiller prepare the area, digging at least a foot deep. If the soil is poor you may want to add things to improve the drainage before placing the raised bed over the area.

4. Create great soil for your Raised Bed - Having great soil filling the raised bed is the key to having a fantastic garden. Use a combination of regular garden soil from your yard, compost, perlite, manure, etc. so that the soil in your raised bed box is rich for growing garden vegetables and/or flowers. You can purchase garden soil additives at the lumber yard, department store or local greenhouse.

5. Finishing Touches - Fill your bed with your soil mixture. Once the garden soil is in, place small nails every 12" around the top and run your string to create one foot squares. These act as dividers and planting guides for your raised beds, also referred to as square foot gardening. Now you are ready for planting. If you are planting a little earlier than usual, you may want to greenhouse your raised beds if the weather is a bit cold. Merely place stakes around the bed at the edges, cover with plastic and hold it in place with clothes pins.

Another nice touch is to place a dripper hose that runs up and down the rows of your raised beds for an instant irrigation system.

I have been using raised bed gardens for years and would never go back to traditional ways. Once established, raised beds require minimal time year after year. One can vary the size of their raised bed(s) to create a very well organized and designed layout. Give raised bed gardening a try - you will love it!

Robert Schpok is an avid gardener who has used his gardening skills to greatly enhance his culinary techniques and ability to create great new recipes. He has used raised beds and square foot gardening techniques for fantastic results for decades. Gain valuable gardening information, view raised beds, and make cooking fun at his newest site Got-Eats.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Schpok

Growing Fruits And Vegetables The Way Nature Intended Them To Be

2007-06-01T11:52:00.000+10:00

Growing Fruits And Vegetables The Way Nature Intended Them To Be
By: George Hapgood -

Gardening can add more quality to the way you live and even to some extent may also add quantity to one's life. There are many benefits of gardening, particularly organic gardening that can make one can forget about whatever is bothering him or her.

Organic gardening is the way of growing vegetables and fruits with the use of things only found in nature.

Why would one want to indulge in organic gardening?

1. Organic gardening is less boring.

One can easily make his own compost from garden and kitchen waste. Though this is a bit more time-consuming than buying prepared chemical pesticides and fertilizers, it would surely be one rewarding activity.

2. Less health harming chemicals on the food that you and your family may consume.

Pesticides contain toxins that have only one purpose kill living things. One of the best known benefits of organic gardening is the zero tolerance for pesticide use. This is the most widely know reason for the boom of organic gardening and is also the best of what we get from the benefits of organic gardening.

3. Less harm to the environment.

Organic gardening has residual effect on ground water. The Environmental Protection Agency says that 38 states have cases of contaminated ground water.

The protection of the topsoil from erosion is another concern dealt with the practice of organic gardening.

The Soil Conservation Service says that an estimated 30 - 32 billion tons of soil erodes from United States farmlands every year. Commercial farming causes this.

4. Cost savings

One does need to buy costly chemical fertilizers and pesticides with organic gardening. One example of organic fertilizer that one could make use of is as lowly as the stale coffee and coffee grounds. If one wishes to attract off aphids from vegetables, plant marigolds.

One frugal garden pest spray could be concocted through mixing 1 tablespoon of liquid dishwashing soap and 1 cup of cooking oil. Put 3 tablespoons of this mixture in 1 quart of water and spray on plants.

Mulch, which is used to keep moisture in and weeds out, could be in the form of grass clippings and pine needles.

5. Organic gardening makes one feel better knowing he is doing his part in safeguarding the future of the next generations.

On the average, a child ingests four to five times more cancer-causing pesticides from foods than an adult. This can lead to various diseases later on in the child's life. With organic gardening, these incidents are lessened.

Article Source: http://www.articleinterchange.com

You Too can have a green thumb. Visit Georges Blog here www.push-button-online-income.com/gardening

Planning A Flower Garden

2007-05-31T11:27:00.000+10:00

Planning A Flower Garden
By: Kirsten Hawkins

If you're planning to start a flower garden, you might be a little stumped when it comes to choosing flowers. Although there's no such thing as a bad choice of flowers, there are some choices that can take your garden from okay to simply magnificent. Consider these simple tips when you're trying to choose which beautiful blooms you want for your garden.

First of all, how much light do you have? If your garden is located in an area that gets direct sunlight for part of the time, and shade for the rest of the time, your flower choices are almost infinite. The majority of flowers in the world are best adapted to these half-and-half lighting conditions. If your garden area is very sunny, on the other hand, consider planting flowers that not only enjoy sunlight, but can stand up to direct heat. A few good strong sunlight flowers are sunflowers (of course) and daylilies. On the other hand, if your area is more on the shady side, go for lower-light flowers such as irises, tiger lilies, or honeysuckle. These plants are more tolerant of the cooler temperature in the shade, and their photosynthesis process is adapted to smaller amounts of sunlight.

What about soil? If you're planting in a rocky area, you may have some trouble getting many plants to take root. The ideal dirt for flowers, of course, is black, fine dirt without much rubble. If you live in an area where the ground has a sand consistency, look into planting local flowers- those will be the ones most adapted to growing in sand, such as violets.

Now comes the fun part. Once you get an idea of what types of flowers you're able to grow, it's time to think about what types you'd like to grow. Try drawing out your garden on a sheet of paper, based on the various heights the plants are expected to reach. Try framing sunflowers with ground covering plants that will flourish in the shade of the taller plants around them. Pay attention to the colors of the blossoms and arrange them in a pleasing manner. Use your imagination here- feel free to plan a garden with a strict outline, featuring only blue and yellow flowers; or let your brain and your garden run wild, with bursts of random color everywhere. It's up to you.

Keep in mind that the first year of a flower garden is only the beginning. If you truly want to enjoy your garden to the utmost, try to plant perennials that will return next season. That will give the plants a year to mature and gain strength, and with a little luck, you'll be surprised each year with a flourishing flower garden that gets stronger and brighter as time goes by.

Article Source: http://www.articleinterchange.com

Where To Place The Bird Bath

2007-05-31T09:32:00.000+10:00

Where To Place The Bird Bath
By: Doug Mahopac -

When it comes to providing a place for birds in your area to splash, bathe, play, and drink, a bird bath can please both the feathered and human inhabitants of the property. Bird baths serve as a huge draw to entice birds of all types to your yard, and in turn, the birds receive a necessary place to refresh themselves on hot summer days or chilly winter nights. Before you purchase a bird bath, first consider where you will place the bird bath in your yard or garden to ensure the specific style you wish will fit the outdoor space.

You have countless options when it comes to where to place a bird bath, but the most popular places include:

• Decks or Porches: If you do not have a great deal of space in your yard, or do not have a yard at all, consider purchasing a bird bath that affixes to the railings on a deck of porch. In addition to having the bird bath close to reach for refilling, installing a bird bath on your deck or porch will allow you to enjoy the birds that flock to your bath up close and personal.

• Up in the Trees: What better place to put a bath for your birds than up in the trees? Choose a hanging bird bath that will suspend in your trees so that your birds will not have to leave home to get a drink of water or take a bath. Consider hanging a bird bath near a window so that you can enjoy the birds while they splish and splash. However, keep in mind that bird baths will need to be cleaned and refilled, so avoid hanging a bird bath too far out of your reach so that you will not be able to properly maintain the bath.

• In Your Garden: If space permits, consider creating a sanctuary for the birds in your area. Use stylish bird baths to add style and flair to your yard or garden. Since running water is popular with birds, often enticing them to visit your bird bath over a neighbor’s bird bath, use a fountain bird bath to add a special touch. In addition to enticing the birds in your area, the tranquil sound of running water will allow you to enjoy your outdoor space and relax in your garden.

• Under the Trees: Since many birds seek the shelter of bird baths to escape from summer’s oppressive heat, placing a bird bath under the shade of trees in your yard will further entice birds to your area. However, keep in mind that the leaves and other debris from the trees can cause the bird bath to become dirty quicker so that it requires cleaning more frequently. Also, the blocked view from the trees may not allow you to see the birds that visit your yard and enjoy the bird bath. Generally, individuals choose to place bird baths in open places to prevent hassles associated with frequent cleanings.

• Near Your Home: Watching birds frolic will allow you to relax and unwind in your own home. Place your bird bath near a window that will allow you to oversee your feathered friends. Great places to watch birds include the kitchen, living room, bed room, or home office. Imagine taking a break from work to enjoy watching the birds or watching the flock while washing dishes in your kitchen.

Wherever you decide to place your bird bath in your yard or garden, remember the reason: to entice birds to your yard. Furthermore, consider the great variety of styles and sizes that will allow you to find a bath that matches your personal tastes.

Article Source: http://www.articleinterchange.com

Pictures Of Landscaping - Using Other Peoples Ideas To Design Your Landscape.

2007-05-30T11:39:00.000+10:00

Pictures Of Landscaping - Using Other Peoples Ideas To Design Your Landscape.
By: Steve Boulden

One of the most common searches on my site is for pictures of landscaping. So I know that a lot of folks rely on photos of other peoples designs to get ideas. But at the same time, while I do have a large picture directory of other peoples projects on my site, the most common questions I receive are still related to specific shapes and design ideas.

It would seem that with as many pictures of landscaping there are to look at online, just about everyone could find a close match to their own property that could be copied. It would seem so.....if every yard was square or rectangular. However, the fact is that most yards aren’t square or rectangular. So even with the endless landscaping ideas and examples out there, it’s still highly unlikely that you’ll find an exact match to the shape of your property.

Even as a professional, I still use pictures of other peoples landscaping as an educational tool and to get new ideas. However, I find it almost pointless to search for an exact idea to copy. I look for unique, creative, and new ideas and pieces of the puzzle.

Now here’s a piece of advice and the point to this entire article.

When looking at pictures of landscaping, pay attention to the details, ideas, and principles that are universal to most designs. Look for the things that are common and repeated often by different designers. These are the elements that look good because they are generally based on basic principles of art. These are the things that will probably incorporate well into your own design project regardless of shape.

Look at the way shapes are repeated, plants are placed, and colors are used. Take notice of little details like plants and rocks being grouped in odd numbers. Pay attention to the details of landscaping and not just the shape. You’ll discover more about the mechanics of landscape design and eventually it will materialize into your own ideas.

Other peoples landscaping pictures are a great design tool to help you get your project done. However, instead of hopelessly searching for your exact layout, borrow several ideas from several different designs. You’ll save yourself a lot of frustration and have a much better chance of creating something unique to your own property.

Article Source: http://www.articleinterchange.com

Written by Steve Boulden. Steve is the creator of The Landscape Design Site which offers free landscaping ideas, pictures, and advice to do it yourselfers. Check out his free gallery of pictures of landscaping at www.the-landscape-design-site.com/gardenstyles

Hydroponics Gardening - How to Grow Flowers and Vegetables with Minimal Time and Effort

2007-05-29T18:43:00.000+10:00

Hydroponics Gardening - How to Grow Flowers and Vegetables with Minimal Time and Effort
By: Paul MacIver

Did you know that you can still grow your own beautiful flowers and vegetables, without having to spend many hours every week looking after your garden?

One of the biggest problems many gardeners face is never having enough time to maintain their garden. There's always weeds to remove, insects and other pests to take care of, and steps to take to prevent plants becoming diseased. Even watering the garden each day can be very time consuming, unless there’s an automatic sprinkler system in place.

If you want a garden but only have limited time to look after it, hydroponics is a great option. Hydroponics gardening has many time-saving advantages over conventional gardening methods.

Some of these advantages are:

1. No weeding required.

With hydroponics gardening, the plants are grown in a solution of nutrients dissolved in water instead of soil. You don't have to worry about weeds sprouting amongst your plants, because soil isn't used.

2. Fewer problems with pests and diseases.

When growing hydroponically, you have less of the typical problems with pests such as slugs, snails and caterpillars attacking your plants.

Although the nutrient solution of your hydroponic garden will have to be changed regularly, this only takes a fraction of the time compared to conventional gardening maintenance - eg. greenhouse gardening, where soil has to be replaced between crops to prevent disease.

3. You don't need to spend time watering your plants.

Plants grown in a hydroponic garden have an unlimited supply of water. You never need to be concerned that your plants are getting too much or too little water.

4. Say goodbye to digging your garden.

Preparation of a conventional garden involves loosening the soil to add oxygen for the plant’s roots to extract. Once again, as soil isn't used with hydroponics, this means one less time consuming job for you to do.

Plants grown hydroponically extract oxygen from the nutrient solution via their roots. The oxygen can quite quickly be used up, so it's important that it's replaced. The way it's replaced depends on which system is used. The most common hydroponic system is the passive system, which uses an aquarium bubbler to put oxygen back into the solution.

Plants can be grown rapidly without all the concerns of regular gardening. Although a hydroponics system can take some time to set up, you'll find it's well worth the effort.

Article Source: http://www.articleinterchange.com

To learn more about hydroponics and the advantages over regular gardening, visit www.hydroponic-gardens.info

Growing Fruits And Vegetables The Way Nature Intended Them To Be

2007-05-28T09:52:00.000+10:00

You Too can have a green thumb. Visit Georges Blog here www.push-button-online-income.com/gardening

Indoor Organic Herb Garden

2007-05-27T09:47:00.000+10:00

Growing an organic herb garden is a delightful project. The fragrant plants not only look and smell good; they are also good for flavoring foods.

Indoor organic herb gardens have the advantage of being year-round, giving a continuous supply of fresh herbs. An indoor organic herb garden can be as small as a few pots on a window sill or as large as a greenhouse filled with containers of aromatic organic herbs.

Herb Choices

There are many ways to decide which herbs to include in your organic herb garden. Here are some ideas.

1. Italian Herb Garden: Plant rosemary, oregano, basil, fennel, and chives. Terra cotta containers will make your indoor organic herb garden look authentically old world.

2. French Herb Garden: Begin with lemon basil, marjoram, and parsley, and add other herbs you like to use in French cooking.

3. Fragrant Herb Garden: Choose angelica, bergamot, catmint, chamomile, thyme, lavender, lemon balm, mint, and sage. This organic herb garden is a natural air freshener.

4. Tea Herb Garden: If you enjoy herbal teas, your organic herb garden might focus on appropriate herbs for your tea: catnip, chamomile, lavender, lemon grass, mint, and peppermint.

You may not want to theme your indoor organic herb garden, but simply grow a few herbs that appeal to you.

Containers

Many herbs are well-suited to container gardening, but you will want to choose containers according to the herbs you intend to grow.

1. Those tiny herb peat pots sold in discount stores give the wrong idea. Your indoor organic herb garden will not last long with such small thinking.

2. Begin with containers a bit larger than those in which the live nursery plants were purchased. This will give your plants room to start growing.

3. Once your herbs are stabilized and growing well, transplant them into larger containers.

4. Basil, mint, oregano, and sage are examples of herbs that can be grown in pots of about 8 to 10 inches.

5. If you want a large crop of herbs that is constantly being replenished in your organic herb garden, use 3 to 5 gallon containers. This will assure you of having plenty of rosemary, basil, etc. when you want it.

Container Soil

Indoor organic herb gardens call for building organic soil. Your soil should have a pH of about 7, since herbs prefer a more alkaline soil. If yours is too acid, add some calcified seaweed. Be sure you use only organic fertilizers to build your soil.

Indoor Lighting

An indoor organic herb garden will need lighting, especially if your room is not sunny. Lighting is especially important for year-round indoor gardens.

Different plants have different light requirements, some preferring bright sun and others preferring shade. Most herbs prefer full sun, but there are exceptions, so learn what each of your herbs needs.

Incandescent lights, even though called “grow lights”, are a poor choice for your indoor organic herb garden. Fluorescent lights are better, and have the advantage of being inexpensive, easily available, and easy to set up. The best choice for lighting your indoor organic herb garden is high intensity discharge lighting, often called HID lights. These are even more affordable and efficient.

Useful and Beautiful

An indoor organic herb garden can be both useful and beautiful. Herbs are generally eager to please, and require little maintenance. Simply give them the right food, water, and sunlight, and they will reward you abundantly.

©2007, Anna Hart. Anna Hart invites you to read more of her articles about organic gardening at http://www.organicspringtime.com Anna is posting new articles every week on that site, each one dealing with some facet of organic gardening. If you want information on locating live organic herb plants for your organic herb garden, you won’t want to miss Anna’s article on the subject.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anna_Hart

Organic Garden - Helpful Ideas and Tips

2007-05-27T09:37:00.000+10:00

Organic gardening is growing in popularity as people increasingly see the need to avoid chemicals and synthetic products. Organic gardens also provide protection form genetically modified organisms (GMO) in the garden.

Those who take up organic gardening often are at a loss as to where to buy supplies. They don't know what products they need for soil nourishment or pest control. They may not know how much water to supply, or how to go about composting kitchen scraps for their gardens. They need more than a few organic garden tips and ideas.

Organic garden helpful ideas and tips are widely available, if you know where to find them. Here are a few places to begin your search.

Organic Garden Helpful Ideas

One of my favorite organic garden tips is this one. The most important thing you can do to control pests in the organic garden is to keep the soil healthy. Healthy soil produces healthy plants. Healthy plants, like healthy humans, are better able to withstand disease.

A second helpful organic garden idea I like is to control pests with ladybirds (ladybugs). These beautiful little red insects with shiny black spots control aphids naturally and totally. You can order them from several organic garden places on the Internet. Until they arrive, spray every part of aphid-infested plants with well diluted soapy water. Rinse with clear water.

My third favorite organic gardening idea is to plant guardian plants around and among tender vegetables. Marigolds make the organic garden border colorful, and ward off many pests. Onions and garlic are also great deterrents to pests that would like to break in and steal organic produce.

Sources for More Organic Garden Helpful Ideas

We do not give specific websites here, but most of these groups or products can readily be located on the Internet. Simply use key words from any one of these categories in your search engine to find more organic garden ideas.

* Cooperative Extension Office: The Cooperative Extension System is a nationwide network. Every U.S. state and territory has a state office at its land-grant university. They also have a network of local or regional offices. The staff at these offices includes at least one expert who can give you useful, practical, and research-based organic garden helpful ideas.

* Park and Recreation Departments: If you live in a large neighborhood, your local park and recreation department will be a good source of helpful ideas for your organic garden. Classes may be available on topics such as organic garden plans, planting seed, and how to compost.

* YMCA / YWCA: In some areas, these organizations provide workshops on organic garden topics, with plenty of helpful ideas and tips. These are led by local organic garden experts. They may include vegetable organic gardens and organic gardening of flowers.

* Gardening Stores: An increasing number of gardening stores are beginning to offer organic garden products, seeds, and supplies. Many try to have at least one person on staff who can give organic garden helpful ideas.

* Nurseries: Local nurseries may have helpful ideas and tips for your organic garden. As the demand becomes greater, they are learning that they must provide not only organic fertilizer and seedlings, but advice also.

* Magazines: Organic gardening magazines have been around for many years now, and are filled with organic gardeners' helpful ideas and tips. Visit your public library and browse the magazines. Some are aimed at small farming size organic gardens. Others focus on organic gardening of vegetables for family or farmers' market. Choose one that has the most helpful tips for you, and subscribe for ongoing organic garden help.

* Seed Catalogs (catalogues): Many times, seed catalogs have not only organic seeds, but also ideas and tips for the organic garden. Look for major seed companies' catalogs.

* Books: If you are new to organic gardening, you will want to invest in at least one good book on organic gardens. Books can explain how seeds and produce are certified organic. They can provide organic gardening advice from ants to weed control.

* Family and Friends: They say we all have a circle of 250 acquaintances. Within that circle, you will likely find at least one person who is experienced in organic gardening and has ideas or tips that will help you. Their own organic garden may be only a container, or it could be 50 containers. Anyone who does any organic gardening will be eager to share the tips and helpful ideas they have received.

* Internet: The Internet excels in providing information. It is a wonderful source of organic garden helpful ideas and tips. Become a member of an organic gardening forum and share ideas. Read organic gardeners' blogs. Finally, visit Cornell University's organic garden website. They offer an online class in organic gardening. The professor is sure to have helpful organic gardening ideas and tips.

©2007, Anna Hart. Anna Hart invites you to read more of her articles about organic gardeners' helpful ideas and tips at http://www.organicspringtime.com.

Anna is posting new articles regularly on that site. If you want to know how to make compost for your own organic fertilizer, you will want to read Anna’s article on the subject.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anna_Hart

Lessons Learned In The Greenhouse

2007-05-26T21:28:00.000+10:00

Greenhouses can be places to learn many different kinds of things. Owning a greenhouse means that lessons will be learned. In many cases, lessons that build character. Patience is one of the lessons learned by those who own greenhouses. It takes patience to build the greenhouse or wait until it is built. Patience is acquired while putting a greenhouse together and organizing all the various components. When you start plants from seeds your patience may reach an all-time high as you wait for the plants to emerge, the flowers to bloom and or the vegetables to grow large enough to eat. If you work with children or new gardeners in your greenhouse you will not only be learning how to be patient, you will be passing that quality along to others. Greenhouses are great places to learn how to relax. Wander through a greenhouse and you will be amazed at the beauty and peacefulness. If you allow yourself to enjoy the wonders of a greenhouse you will be able to relax and slow down. The business of your life will fade away, even if just for an hour or two. In a greenhouse a person can learn a new skill. A greenhouse is the perfect place to discover how to plant, sow and reap. Inside a greenhouse you will learn about taking care of living, growing things. Greenhouse gardeners can find out how ventilation and watering systems work. Appreciation is something that gardeners learn while working in a greenhouse. Appreciation of nature and the miracle of growth, of being able to nurture and tend to plants and flowers that begin as fragile things and soon grow into sturdy, healthy things. These are just a few of the lessons that can be learned by those who own and work in greenhouses.

About the author: Michelle Torres has nearly 20 years experience using and designing greenhouses and is an avid gardener.

You can find additional useful greenhouse information at http://www.greenhousecatalog.com.

Aussies Living Simply

2007-05-26T15:05:00.000+10:00

We are a community focused on sustainability, permaculture, organic gardening, backyard livestock, simple living and stepping lightly on the planet. We invite you to become a member, it’s free and you’ll be part of one of the most interesting and friendly groups on the net. The posts you see listed on this home page are a tiny example of the large collection of interesting and in some cases, life changing, forum discussions you will have free access to as a member.

Our forum is lively and active and often you can get an answer to a question within minutes. We discuss simple living, backyard livestock, permaculture, organic food production, sustainable energy, living well on less money, preserving, bread baking, stockpiling food, recycling, mending and reusing and a wide range of sustainability topics. There is a seed and plant exchange, members’ discounts for open pollinated vegetable seeds, bare-rooted plants, native trees and plants. You’ll also find a treasure chest of homemade food recipes and instructions on how to make natural household cleansers, soap, laundry detergent, shampoo and lots more.

Certified organic farmer and author of Easy Organic Gardening and Moon Planting, Lyn Bagnall, is here to answer your organic gardening questions.

So join us and start working towards your sustainable future today!

Kids Gardening Website

2007-05-25T09:48:00.000+10:00

I found this great website the other day while doing a bit of net surfing.

Global Garden - Growing Kids

There is information on how the kids can make lots of cool things like garden ponds, seedpod animals, bamboo calligraphy pens, newspaper pots and heaps more.

There is also easy to follow information on how to grow different plants, from vegetables to herbs and flowers.

And there is information on good bugs, how seeds are formed and butterfly watching plus heaps more. There is heaps of information there which would be great for school projects.

How To Keep The Bugs Out of Your Garden

2007-05-24T09:36:00.000+10:00

You have worked for many hours on planning, preparing and planting your garden. Only to have those annoying pests then move in and destroy what you worked so hard to build up. Insects can damage your plants within a matter of hours once they’ve found the fruits of your labor.

The best way to control these bugs is to keep them out of your garden to begin with. There are many pesticides that you can use to keep the bugs away, but you need to make sure they’re safe to use.

Some of the sprays can be harmful to the health of other animals and possibly small children. You want to get rid of these pests, but make sure you don’t get rid of all of them, since there are some you actually want to keep in your garden.

Some of these helpful pests, such as ladybugs and spiders, feed on the annoying insects that damage your plants. They’re essentially the best bodyguards one could have for their garden.

One of the best ways to control the insects and pests that damage the plants in your garden is by allowing helpful pests in that will drive those harmful ones away or eat them.

By planting inviting plants or “homes” for the helpful insects, you can keep the harmful ones at bay quite efficiently. Check with your local gardening center on which plants attract the good pests.

Another thing to keep in mind is to keep your garden clean. The harmful pests are often attracted to piles of leaves, grass cuttings and dense spots of weeds. These pests can thrive in those areas, so weed your garden regularly and clean up the leaves and grass cuttings that find their way into your garden.

Some organic gardeners use a hot pepper wax that they lightly spray on the leaves of their plants. The oils from the spicy contents of this wax wards off the harmful insects and other pests as well.

The wax solution is safe for your plants and doesn’t affect the produce at all, so don’t worry about “spicing” up your vegetables. As long as you properly clean them before consuming them, you won’t notice any residue.

There are some plants that give off a scent that repels those bugs and keeps them away from your precious produce. Such plants - like marigolds and the borage herb plant - are very effective at keeping those pests away from your tomato plants. Plant them nearby and watch your tomato plants grow to be healthy and robust.

Every gardener wants to see their garden thrive after putting in a lot of hours of hard work and dedication into it. No one wants to see that labor go down the drain by losing their plants to those annoying pests that move into your garden.

Before planting your garden, do your research and find the best companion plants to repel the annoying pests and the ones that invite the good insects in according to your geographic location.

Paul Duxbury writes extensively on Gardening and Landscaping at The Gardening Column and has a range of Gardening websites including The Garden Care Centre

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Duxbury

Improve Your Family's Diet by Growing an Organic Garden

2007-05-24T09:02:00.000+10:00

Organic gardens are gardens that produce plants and vegetables that are grown and handled naturally. There are many people who are understandably concerned about the chemicals that are sprayed on commercial fruits and vegetables and the additives they’re given to keep them fresh.

We all know how fruits and vegetables are healthy for our mind and bodies, but what about those chemicals and additives that are placed on commercially grown food? When you think about it there are literally hundreds of additives and chemicals in our food that we have no idea about never mind not being able to pronounce them! They sometimes cancel out the benefits they provide because they cause damage to our systems and there is a strong argument that they remove much of the real taste of the fruits and vegetables..

Organic gardening has come into play to ensure that we’re consuming fresh, natural foods to provide the necessary nutrients for our bodies. Organic gardening doesn’t use any chemicals or additives, so you can enjoy an all-natural diet.

The commercially grown fruits and vegetables use chemicals to keep the insects and other pests away from the food. It's the additives which keep them fresher longer from the harvesting field to a consumer’s table. However, do you really want your family to be eating the produce of chemical gardening?

The idea behind them is fine, but there are other ways to produce food for the population without tainting it with chemicals and additives. If you grow your own organic garden, you have the benefit of eating the produce right away, which would eliminate the need for any additives to be put in your food.

The fruits and vegetables will last long enough after you pick it until the time you go to eat it. There’s also no need for chemicals to rid the plants of pests. All you need to do is grow natural bushes and plants in your garden that deter some insects and attract others that will rid it of insects that would harm the food.

There’s also no need to use artificial fertilizers to help the plants grow. You can use natural fertilizers that you can recycle over and over, keeping waste under control. All you need is leaves, grass clippings and table scraps to be stored for composting.

One of the biggest advantages of having an organic garden is that because there are no chemicals used in your soil, there’s no danger to the plant life, wildlife, water supply, and humans.

Organic gardening allows you to put food on the table for your family and know exactly what you’re putting on the table instead of just taking a chance that you’re not putting anything harmful into your family’s mouths.

Take control and make sure your family is safe with the food you prepare for them. Do you want to risk harming them with traces of sprayed chemicals - or do you want them to benefit from the nutrients an organic garden provides?

Paul Duxbury writes extensively on Gardening and Landscaping at The Gardening Column and has a range of Gardening websites including The Garden Care Centre

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Duxbury

Sunflowers in My Garden

2007-05-23T10:40:00.000+10:00

A couple of months ago when I pulled the vegies out of my garden I planted some sunflowers in there to grow until I was ready to start planting vegies again. But they didn't grow, or they got eaten or something.

But I looked out the back door this morning and there are 3 sunflowers shooting up. Woo hoo, I think I might go out and throw a few more seeds in there to see what happens :)

Easy Steps to Composting

2007-05-23T09:05:00.000+10:00

By: Carey Pott

It is becoming more and more obvious these days that we need to recycle as much as we can, and anyone with a garden has a head start and can make a great contribution. To many novice gardeners, including myself, this subject can be somewhat difficult to grasp; but in fact it is really straightforward - there are just a few very simple rules:

You need a compost bin, and the type you decide on rather depends on the size of your garden, but there are a couple of options:

A purpose built plastic bin purchased from a garden centre, not too expensive; and you just fill up from the top and a few months later, you can take compost from a small hatch at the base.
Alternatively, if you can wield a saw and some nails, you can make a wooden slatted enclosure, one metre square - or you can buy them ready made - and cover it with a piece of old carpet to keep the worst of the weather off.

What you can compost:

- all uncooked vegetable and fruit peelings
- teabags, tea leaves and coffee grounds
- egg shells
- dead flowers from the house
- and from the garden, soft prunings spent bedding plants, dead leaves, lawn mowings
- spent compost from hanging baskets or containers
- some dryer materials such as shredded paper, rabbit and guinea pig bedding.

The only thing you have to be careful about is to mix different types of material; if you have too many grass clippings in a big mass, they will turn soggy and slimy, or if there is too much paper and prunings, it will be too dry. So keep an eye on it, especially if you are using the wooden enclosure, and mix it with a fork occasionally.

What NOT to compost:

- all meat products and bones; bread, cooked food - these will attract vermin
- dog or cat waste
- woody material - which takes too long to compost
- weeds - these can 'infect' your compost with their seeds
- anything that is non-biodegradable, such as plastic.

And because you won't always feel like taking a trip to the compost heap when it's wet or cold or every time you peel vegetables why not keep a lidded container by the back door which you can fill up and then make the trip to the compost bin every one or two days?

Over a period of time - 3 months to 1 year, depending on conditions - all this matter will have broken down into lovely dark brown crumbly compost, which you can fork into your beds and borders. It makes an excellent soil conditioner and can be used as surface mulch, helping conserve moisture and discourage weeds.

You can also convert fallen leaves into wonderful compost. Rake up any leaves from your lawn - you may have to do this several times over the autumn - and collect them from the borders. Put them all into a black waste sack, sprinkle with water, put a few holes around the sack with a fork, tie the top, and leave it in a corner for about a year. What you end up with is known as leaf-mould.

Article Source: http://www.articleinterchange.com

Fran Barnwell is a self-taught gardener, learning through experience in her own garden. Fran understands the difficulties that face new gardeners, and has written The Ultimate Guide to Gardening for Beginners, a successful eBook that helps anyone new to gardening to get started, explaining the basics in easy to understand terms. To find out more and to sign up to receive a free series of articles, go to www.NewToGardening.com.

Article Submission done by: www.articles-submit.com

Benefits Of Gardening For Kids

2007-05-22T08:57:00.000+10:00

By: George Hapgood

Apparently, we can see how nature is treated these days. It is a sad thing to know that people do not pay attention so much anymore to the environmental problems. What can we do about this? It's as simple as starting with the children. It is good to see the children's involvement with environment-friendly activities. One such nature-loving activity that children could easily get their hands on is gardening. Why should you consider gardening for your children?

Here are the benefits that gardening could easily provide the children with:

1. Science

In planting, children are indirectly taught the wonders of science like the plant's life cycle and how human's intervention can break or make the environment. They can have a first hand experience on the miracle of life through a seed. This would definitely be a new and enjoyable experience for the kids.

2. Life

Watching a seed grow into a tree is just as wondrous as the conception to birth and growth of a child. In time, kids will learn to love their plants and appreciate the life in them. Gardening could actually help simulate how life should be treated -- it should be with care. The necessities to live will be emphasized to kids with the help of gardening - water, sunlight, air, soil. Those necessities could easily be corresponded to human necessities, i.e., water, shelter, air, food. By simply weeding out, one could educate how bad influences should be avoided to be able to live life smoothly.

3. Relaxation

Studies show that gardening can reduce stress because of its calming effect. This is applicable to any age group. More so, it stimulates all the five senses. Believe it or not, gardening may be used as therapy to children who have been abused or those who are members of broken homes. It helps build one's self-esteem.

4. Quality Time with the Family

You can forget about your stressful work life for a while be soothed by the lovely ambience in the garden. You can play and spend quality time with your children. You can talk while watering the plants or you can work quietly beside each other. The bottom line is, always do what you have to do, together with your kids. You might discover a lot of new things about your child while mingling with them in your garden.

Let kids become aware of their environment's needs. And one way to jumpstart that environmental education may be through gardening. It's hitting two birds with one stone -- teach them to respect life while you bond with them.

Article Source: http://www.articleinterchange.com

You Too can have a green thumb. Visit Georges Blog here www.daveshealthbuzz.com/gardening

Vegetable Gardening Tips At Your Backyard

2007-05-21T20:54:00.000+10:00

By: George Hapgood

Would it be possible for you to grow a vegetable garden at your backyard? Consider this option, healthy foods just within your reach. Even your children can help and cultivate their own vegetables. Having fun while learning is not a bad idea right? But you have to plan ahead before you start.

Which Veggie?

Plan which vegetables you would like to grow in your garden. Choose early, middle of the season and late kinds of these vegetables, which you like best.

Against all veggie odds

You have to know the odd characteristics of certain vegetables and use them to best advantage. Some vegetables bloom even in partially shaded positions, while others require lots of sunshine.

Goodie veggies

Good vegetables are of exceptionally slow growth during the seedling stage of development. You have to take advantage of this by using space between rows for quick-growing crops. For example, propagate beet seed by middle of April and position young lettuce plants between the rows.

Don't let the water run dry

Throughout dry periods, vegetable gardens need extra watering. Most vegetables benefit from an inch or more of water each week, especially when they are fruiting.

De-pest the infested

During the growing season be attentive against insect pests. If you discover a bug problem early it will make it much easier to take suitable action and get rid of the pests. But be careful to not use pesticides once the vegetable have grown unless it becomes an absolute necessity. Organic gardening is one healthy and environment-friendly option. Once you have reaped your crop, put the used up vegetable matter into your fertilizer pile so that it can be recycled for next spring.

Animal appeal not needed

It is important to protect your vegetable garden. In most cases, the garden is surrounded by a fence adequately high and close-woven to keep out dogs, rabbits, and other animals. The harm done by wandering animals during a season can equal the cost of a fence. A fence also can serve as a frame for peas, beans, tomatoes, and other crops that need support.

Protection is needed in order for your vegetable garden to yield a bountiful harvest. Hard work would pay off if necessary precaution has been made. Learning is a process, vegetable gardening needs time. See to it you have patience and dedication to it.

Article Source: http://www.articleinterchange.com

You Too can have a green thumb. Visit Georges Blog here www.daveshealthbuzz.com/gardening

Herb Gardening

2007-05-20T08:50:00.000+10:00

By: George Hapgood

Herbs have been around since time immemorial. Ever since, herbs have served different kinds of purposes. Herbs have been used to treat illness and also in cooking. They were even believed to have magical charms. Do you want to have your own herb garden? Here are a few ideas on how to establish an herb garden.

Plan you garden.

Consider the herbs you want to plant. Think about their types. Would you like annuals, biennials or perennials?

How much space will they occupy in your garden? If you want, you can purchase a book that can give you the right information on what specific plants you are planning to grow.

List or draw your garden on paper first. Separate the annuals from the perennials so when the time comes that you have to pull out the annuals, you won't be disturbing the perennials. Perennials can be planted on the edge of your garden so when it is time to till your garden; you won't have a hard time.

Another thing to remember is that you have to plant the tall ones at the back and the shorter ones in front. Also, provide your plants with enough space to grow. Proper position shall help you in this area.

Some Design Ideas

You can consider having a square herb bed. You can have your square bed divided into four by two paths crossing at mid point measuring 3 feet. You can border it with stone or brick. A wooden ladder may also do the trick. You can lay it down on your garden and plant your herbs between its rungs. You can also choose to have a wagon wheel bed. Planting here is like planting with the wooden ladders. Plant your herbs in between the wagon wheel's wedges.

Get Your Plants Growing

Of course, different plants have different needs. This is the reason why you have to determine the herbs you want to plant in the planning stage. This can more or less help you find out how you should care for your plants. With starting seeds, remember its germination and soil temperature rules. If you see the seedlings sprouting, check the plants' air circulation, humidity and sunlight. When you see some leaves appear, allow proper spacing.

One of the plants that are easy to grow are herbs. You just have to provide them with an effective drainage, sunlight, enough humidity or moisture and fertile soil. Even with just minimally meeting these requirements they will be bound produce a good harvest.

Article Source: http://www.articleinterchange.com

You Too can have a green thumb. Visit Georges Blog here www.push-button-online-income.com/gardening

Growing Fruit Trees and Citrus Trees

2007-05-19T20:42:00.000+10:00

By: seoprofessional

Fruit trees can be divided broadly into two categories; citrus and deciduous. Once, every household grew several fruit trees, but now suburban blocks are much smaller and so space is limited. Citrus trees don’t take up much room and are fairly hardy. They will grow in a variety of soils, but don’t like wet feet, so if you have clay soil you might have to build it up to encourage the moisture to drain away. Citrus Forum

Lemons, oranges, grapefruit, mandarin and kumquats all make delicious marmalades and are packed full of vitamins when eaten fresh. They last on the tree for ages too, so there is no problem with storage. Kumquats can be grown in a large container and though the fruit is too bitter to eat fresh, makes great marmalade.

The main pests to attack citrus are aphids and shield beetles. If you notice a black coating like soot growing on the leaves of your citrus, it is sure to be caused by aphids. They exude a sticky substance that is favorable to the growth of sooty mold. Spray the tree with white oil and the problem should clear up.

Shield beetles can be identified by their pungent odor. They are large beetles and can be green, brown or red with black markings, depending on the stage of their life cycle. They will eat all the young leaves, severely retarding the growth and fruiting of the tree, so spray as soon as you notice them. Be careful not to get too close, as they tend to squirt an acid stream that can cause painful injury, when disturbed. Rogor or Lebaycid are two systemic sprays for these pests.

Deciduous fruit trees are the apple, pear, and stone fruits. Because they are dormant in the winter, they can be grown in areas of severe frosts, though a late frost could damage the blossom. All have glorious blossom and the leaves of many turn yellow, orange or scarlet in the fall. With the addition of fresh fruit, what more could you want in a tree?

The fruit will encourage birds to your garden too, and you might have to share the fruit with them. Otherwise, light netting is available by the roll. Four iron stakes joined over the top with poly-pipe makes a good support for the netting.

Fruit flies are the main pest to attack stone fruits like peaches, plums, apricots and nectarines. There are different ways of controlling this pest, the two main ones being to spray the fruit regularly with Rogor or Lebaycid, or hang fruit fly baits in the tree. These attract and kill the male fly, so there are no grubs to burrow into the fruit and spoil it.

Apples and pears are attacked by the codling moth, which lays its eggs just under the skin of the immature fruit. When the grubs hatch they eat their way through the fruit leaving a brown tunnel. Carbaryl, Malathion or Lebaycid are the sprays to use for codling moth.

If you would love a fruit tree, but are short on space, dwarf apples are available in some areas. They only have one or two short stems, but are covered in normal size fruit.

Article Source: http://www.articleinterchange.com

Visit the Mortgage Forum Today www.citrustreeforum.com to find more information! Citrus Forum

Article - You Can Prevent Disease In Your Garden

2007-05-17T10:49:00.000+10:00

You Can Prevent Disease In Your Garden
By: J. Brian Keith

Would you like to find out what those-in-the-know have to say about disease in your garden? The information in the article below comes straight from well informed experts with special knowledge about diseases in your garden.

Preventing disease, and controlling any diseases that do occur, is a vital part of building a successful garden. Whether you are a casual weekend gardener or a grower of championship blooms, keeping your garden healthy is important.

Of course the best way to enjoy a healthy garden year after year is to keep your plants as healthy and well cared for as possible. Healthier plants are better able to fight off infections and resist damage by common insects.

Unfortunately, however, there are a number of common plant ailments that are entirely beyond the control of even the best gardener. The common bacterial infection known as fireblight, for instance, can easily penetrate plants if it rains at the right time of year. In order to prevent this infection, the gardener would need to be able to control the weather, and this is one thing that is definitely beyond their control.

In addition, other common plant ailments are difficult to detect at first. For instance, the mosaic virus, which often affects bare root roses, rarely displays any symptoms that would notify the gardener of its presence until it is too late.

Don't stop now. See how much you can learn about disease in your garden when you take a little time to read a well-researched article? Don't miss out on the rest of this great information.

In order to protect your garden from disease and keep your plants vigorous and healthy, it is important to follow these important steps:

Keep your plants as healthy and vigorous as possible through providing the recommended amounts of water, fertilizer and sunlight. The staff at your local nursery or garden center can provide you with information on the specific growth needs of each plant you buy.
Buy disease-resistant varieties of plants whenever possible. Seed packets and seedlings at the nursery are labeled to show their resistance to various common plant ailments.
It is important to avoid damaging the roots as you transplant the seedlings. That is because damage to the plant’s root system is a major cause of disease and other issues that can prevent plants from reaching their full potential.
When working in the garden, be careful not to injure the plants as you work. It is important to exercise caution when weeding, fertilizing, tilling the soil, etc. Damaged stems and roots are a leading source of bacterial and fungal infections.
If at all possible, avoid working in the garden when the weather is very damp. Dampness can spread disease and fungus, and it is easy for the gardener to unknowingly spread infections among the plants.
If possible, use either a drip irrigation system or a soaker hose when watering plants. These two watering methods help to avoid getting water on the leaves and flowers. Standing water on plants is a leading source of fungal and bacterial infections. Furthermore, standing water makes it easy for infections to spread from one plant to another.
Any disease plants should be removed from the garden immediately. It is important to remove any diseased plants from the garden and replace them with hardier varieties. Doing so is the best way to prevent an infection from spreading.
Any diseased plants should be disposed of immediately with the regular household trash. It is important not to mulch the infected plants, or add them to a compost bin. While many disease causing organisms are destroyed by the heat of decomposition in the compost bin, some are able to survive. It is always best to not take the chance that composted materials could reinfect the garden bed.
Keep your garden clean. A clean garden is less susceptible to infection. It is always a good idea to perform a thorough cleaning after every growing season. This includes removing weeds and dead plant parts, since some plant pathogens are able to survive the cold of winter.

Knowing enough about disease in your garden to make solid, informed choices cuts down on the fear factor. If you apply what you've just learned about disease in your garden, you should have nothing to worry about.

Article Source: http://www.articleinterchange.com/

B. Keith Johnson is a contributing author for Flower Gardens. Visit his other sites for Product Reviews, Free Website Content and Free Photo Sharing

Article - Decorating Your Kitchen Garden

2007-05-16T14:00:00.000+10:00

By: Susan Wong -

It's a fact that fruit, vegetables and herbs are very rewarding to grow. There's an extra special flavor to produce you've grown yourself. Moreover, the look and taste of fruit and vegetables are even better than those sold in the supermarket. If you add a few decorative herbs to the mix, there's absolutely no reason why your kitchen garden can't look as good visually as your flower garden.

Even though a kitchen garden has a charm all its own, a kitchen garden is going to be very labor-intensive. If you're not into hard, manual work in your garden, a kitchen garden may not be for you. The only way you're going to get bumper crops of the fruit, vegetables and herbs that you grow is by lavishing tender loving care and attention on them.

Starting your growing early can produce a bountiful crop weeks ahead of its normal time, giving you a home-grown harvest at a time when those fruits and vegetables are particularly expensive in the shops.

With a careful planning, you can make your kitchen garden as visually attractive as possible. If space is at a premium you can choose some of the more decorative vegetables and herbs and plant them in your flower beds.

It is better to choose a sunny site in your garden for most herbs and vegetables to do well. If you are growing fruit trees, you should ensure that they do not cast a shadow over the vegetables and herbs.

Please note that although most herbs are leafy and lacking flowers, they will provide greenery in your garden, even in the winter. Just exercise a little thought as to where to place them and think in terms of what your garden will look like in each of the seasons and factor this into your planning.

Different from most plants, herbs will normally do very well when planted in containers, so they are an excellent option even if you don't have much space in your garden. Tall herbs can be planted at the back of a traditional flower garden and low-growing herbs make excellent flower garden borders.

The normal method of growing vegetables is in regimented rows. If they are kept properly weeded, this can still look good. Again, if you don't have much space, you can still grow a large range of vegetables in containers e.g. peas and potatoes. Some vegetables are even attractive enough to be planted amongst the flowers - but remember that you are going to have gaps once the vegetables are harvested.

Even if you do not have several acres worth of orchard plot, there is a large range of fruit that you can grow. Small apple trees can grow in pots on the patio, you can grow strawberries in containers and there are even certain varieties of cordon-trained apples and pears that can be grown against a garden fence.

Nearly all fruit trees prefer a sunny site. You will certainly suffer from poor crops if you allow frost to damage the blossom on apple and pear trees. Pears are particularly vulnerable because they tend to flower earlier than apple trees. If you don't have space in abundance but still want to try your hand at fruit growing then you should look at planting trained fruit trees such as espaliers, cordons and fans against a fence or wall. They can look very decorative and take up very little room.

You will enjoy growing and harvesting food for your own kitchen table in from your own kitchen garden. Is this wonderful? You know how your vegetables and fruits are grown without any toxic. Is it a relief for you to know that what you are eating is free from pesticide.

Article Source: http://www.articleinterchange.com

Susan Wong maintains a number of metal detector websites, including Metal Detecting, Metal Detector Secrets ,and Metal Detectors Information.

Landscaping On A Budget

2007-05-13T11:24:00.000+10:00

Landscaping On A Budget

By: Rex Ryan

It is possible to have an appealing, unique look to your yard without investing thousands of dollars every year in order to do so. Practicing some basic conservation rules can help you to save money and still make your yard look great.

One great new innovation that is all the rage is the art of xeriscaping. As water becomes ever more valuable a commodity, many homeowners are seeking to conserve their water costs by choosing plants that do not need very much water in order to survive. These plants are available in many different varieties, and they will add a splash of color to your yard while still saving you money. Know which plants tend to use a lot of water- cedar hedges, for example, are the landscaping equivalent of the sports utility vehicle. Don’t plant any if you are concerned about your water costs!

Another way to save money on water is to include a material in your planting that has good water retention qualities. Peat moss, for example, is very cheap. When you mix it in with the dirt and bone meal while planting your new flowers or hedges, any water that goes near the area will be soaked up and retained for later use as the plant’s needs dictate.

As with many other areas of budget concern, the best way to stay within your means when it comes to landscaping is to do the job yourself. This means everything, from picking your plants to weeding and pruning. With the information age in full swing, though, it is not hard to educate yourself well on all the different tasks specific to your yard.

When it comes to weeds, you are probably going to have to expect a few. If you wage a campaign against your weeds, and this is especially true of your lawn, you are going to end up spending a lot of money and time on various chemicals and treatments, processes which, in the end, may end up doing more harm than good. Be content with some weeds on your lawn, particularly if they have some aesthetic appeal, such as clover.

Don’t be afraid to skip the nursery and buy your plants at a box store. A lot of the time, the plants you buy at a big store that carries many varieties of items will cost much less than those at the local nursery. These plants will not have been tended as carefully as the nursery plants, but with some care taken in the planting and tending, they will probably grow to the same levels in terms of appeal as will the plants which cost more but took less time initially in tending. Most do-it-yourself gardeners like to maximize their time outside anyway, so the extra attention these plants may need will help to increase the time spent on your hobby.

One of the best ways to keep a low budget in your landscaping is to limit your green space. Smaller lawns, and less flowers mean less materials needed for the upkeep. Watch what you use as your replacement, though- some types of landscaping rocks (such as lava rock) can be incredibly overpriced. Bark mulch is a fairly inexpensive option, but again, you have to be willing to invest a little extra time into its containment and maintenance.

Article Source: http://www.articleinterchange.com

Article - Planning the Vegetable Patch

2007-04-29T14:33:00.000+10:00

Planning the Vegetable Patch

Growing vegetables is one of the most rewarding aspects of gardening. Even in a small space it is possible to grow a wide range of nutritious vegetables.

A reasonable quantity of vegetables can be produced even in a small to average size garden. Most species can be grown much more closely together than generally indicated if the soil is rich and constantly replenished with organic matter and a good watering regime is maintained. In a larger garden partial self-sufficiency can be achieved across a wide range of vegetables if the garden is efficiently planned and maintained.

The most important prerequisite for growing vegetables is an abundance of sunlight. A vegetable garden needs to be located in the most open and sunny part of the garden, away from overhanging trees or shade from buildings.

This often means that the vegetable garden has to be centrally sited. Not always an appealing thought but properly maintained there is no reason why a vegetable garden should not be as attractive as an ornamental garden.

Ideally the vegetable garden should be within easy access to the kitchen door. A small pathway, lined on either side with herbs, can lead to a bed containing well-mulched rows of vegetables in season.

When choosing a site for the vegetable garden, avoid large, well-established trees. Not only will they cast unwanted shadows they will also compete for moisture and nutrients from the soil. Also consider the need of some crops for shelter against prevailing winds. One way of providing this is to plant a hedge of small slow-growing bushes.

To get the most from the available space in the vegetable garden, first draw up a garden plan. Factors to be considered when making a plan include companion planting, succession planting and crop rotation. The general rule is to alternate root crops and leaf crops, ensuring that the lower-growing species are placed at the front of the garden, where larger plants will not block sunlight.

Group perennial crops such as rhubarb, asparagus and strawberries together in one bed, where they can be mulched easily in the winter.

Allow sufficient space between rows to walk, weed and harvest. Remember, however, that if the soil is enriched with plenty of organic matter and kept well watered, then plants can be grown quite close together. Keep in mind that tall-growing crops like sweet corn, climbing beans and tomatoes should be positioned towards the back of the garden.

Use graph paper to draw a ground plan for the garden, starting with the spring growth. Record how long each group of plants takes to mature in your particular climate. After several seasons a pattern will emerge.

In this day and age there are good reasons for adding a vegetable garden to the general landscape. Increased knowledge about the effects of pesticides and chemical fertilizers on the food chain is a concern to many families. It is possible to supplement the average family diet with home grown vegetables that are not only free from chemicals but also rich in nutrient value due to their freshness.

Author: Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Gardening

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell

8 Tips To Get Your Kids To Enjoy Home Gardening

2007-04-22T11:52:00.000+10:00

Dirt has always been one of the kids' best toys, so home gardening could just be one fun activity for your children. Excite them by allowing them to pick whichever plant they want to grow. Here are some tips to help you make your little ones become enthusiastic with home gardening.

1. Choose the right plants

Kids will more likely choose plants and flowers with bright colors, so have a load of varieties of plants. Examples of bright flowers are zinnias and cosmos; these will keep your children fascinated. Don't forget the sunflowers. Anything that is tall and fuzzy will surely overwhelm a kid. Make sure these plants will not cause any allergic reactions from your kid.

2. Starting seeds

Give your children the freedom to help you with the staring seeds. Some seeds might be too small for the tiny fingers, but their digits can be of help in covering them with dirt.

3. Home Gardening Memoir

To last the kids' enthusiasm until the plants grow, make them create a home gardening journal. This activity will allow them to use their imagination to sketch on what the plants will be like and write down when they placed in the ground the seeds and when they first witnessed a sprout pushing up.

4. Make sure that the garden is somewhere very visible for the kids.

Before you start home gardening, pick a spot where the kids often play or walk by. Every time they see and pass by their garden, the more they will sight changes.

5. Dirt playing

Always remember that children are fond of playing with dirt or mud. They can help you ready the soil, even if what they are only doing is stomping on the clumps. To make home gardening with the kids more fun, you can provide them with kid-sized tools to make home gardening very engaging for them.

6. Your kids own the garden

A picture of each plant will enable the children to foresee what the flowers will look like. You can also put your child's name on a placard, so everyone can see that it's their garden.

7. Playing with the water

Playing with water is right up there with playing with dirt. Look for a small watering can that they can use to water their garden. You can show them how to let the water go right to the roots of the plants. Hoses want only trouble. They are simply formidable for little hands to control.

8. Kids commit mistakes

Adults, too, are sometimes impatient. Give the kids full control to their garden. If they create a mess, let it be, it's their mess. Allow them to get pleasure from it and take dignity in their own piece of territory. Just don't forget to tell them how to clean up that mess.

You Too can have a green thumb. Visit Georges Blog here http://www.push-button-online-income.com/gardening

Article Source: http://www.articleinterchange.com

My Garden in April

2007-04-07T07:20:00.000+10:00

There isn't much to report in the garden this month. During March my zucchinis ended up getting powdery mildew again and nothing I did got rid of it, so even though the plants themselves were huge the zucchinis were not. So I ripped them out.

The eggplants finally started fruiting and we ended up with heaps of them. I had to share them around amongst my family members. They finally came to the end of their life and I pulled them out too.

The tomatoes never really had a chance, they were too squashed in amongst the out of control zucchini and eggplant. So their poor little frail sickly sticks were pulled out also.

You are probably wondering what is in my garden now. Well to be honest not much. I'm 2 weeks away from baby #5's due to date so my energy levels are just not up to maintaining a garden at this stage. I'm also not counting on getting any time to spend in the garden for the next couple of months once the baby is born so once I pulled all the vegetables out of my vegie patch I planted a whole heap of sunflower seeds (which were collected from the last crop of sunflowers we grew).

They are going to look brilliant when they all come up :)

My Garden in March

2007-03-01T07:02:00.000+11:00

During the first week of each month I like to take a look at my vegetable garden and decide what needs to be done. The photo above was taken on the 1st February and the photo below was taken today.

As you can see there has been quite a lot of growth.

The cucumbers on the trellis on the right have not done so well in the heat but there is still a bit of green vine and some small cucumbers so I'll leave it in there for now. I want to get in there and pull out all the dying leaves though.
Some of the lettuce is just about ready to pick so I want to plant some more lettuce seeds in the gaps.
The radish have just about all been picked so I will plant some more radish seeds and also some carrot seeds.
It's also time to get leeks into the garden, so I will either get some seeds or buy some seedlings.
The zucchini is doing really well and I have heaps and heaps of little zuc's that should be ready to pick in the next week or so.
The eggplant is still doing well and there are quite a few little eggplants growing on there so nothing needs to be done with them. A few of the plants need to be staked so I'll do that.
Behind the eggplant are the tomatoes and basil. The tomatoes are getting quite tall now and I need to stake them too. There is no sign of fruit yet but hopefully soon :)
And the whole garden needs a good dose of Seasol and a bit of weeding.
I bought a hose weeks ago to make into a drip irrigation system, but I haven't put the holes in it yet, so I need to do that and set it up in the garden.

So that's the plan for the next week. I'm hoping now that summer is over we will have some tamer weather and hopefully some more rain.

What I Did Today!

2007-01-16T17:26:00.001+11:00

Today I had a boost of energy, not to mention that we had a southerly change late in the afternoon and it was cooler outside than inside so I did a lot in my vegetable garden.

I pulled the tomato plants out which were dying off.

I took the top layer of pea straw off the garden and put it in the compost bin.

I dug up the soil and dug in some blood and bone.

I added some blood and bone to the compost bin.

I planted some tomato, zucchini, leek and lettuce seedlings.

I filled in a few gaps in my row of radishes with some more radish seeds.

And I lay another layer of pea straw on the garden.

There are still a few more things that I need to do, but it got dark, so I'll have to leave them until tomorrow. I still need to plant a couple more eggplant seeds, fill in the gaps in the cucumber row, make a climbing frame for the cucumbers and stake the eggplants.

I culled the zucchini

2006-12-28T19:01:00.000+11:00

After the research I did on the powdery mildew I found that the best option was to remove any mildewy leaves and then spray with the milk solution. So I went out to the garden today to start removing leaves and found that the majority of the leaves were contaminated, so I culled the lot. It wasn't a great fruiting plant anyway due to the lack of lime in the soil, so pulling it out wasn't such a bad thing. At least now the cucumbers have a better chance of not getting the disease.

A few other things I did in the garden today were:

Setting up my compost bin
Planting some herbs in hanging pots
and doing some general tidying up

Powdery Mildew

2006-12-27T21:43:00.000+11:00

I have just noticed powdery mildrew on my zucchini and cucumbers :( So I have done some research and here is what I found:

Disease watch - powdery mildew
Wednesday, 14
December 2005
Reporter: Phil Dudman

There are a few ways to control powdery mildew without using chemicals.
If you have ever noticed a white powdery growth on your plants, chances are you have got the disease called powdery mildew. It is common on pumpkins, zucchinis, grapes, strawberries, roses and even hydrangeas and if it is left unchecked, it will seriously reduce the vigour of your plants.

The good news is there are a few ways you can control this disease without using nasty chemicals.
The first step is to take off any affected growth as soon as the disease appears. That will slow it down from spreading.Then you need to coat the remainder of the plant with some sort of preventative fungicide. You can make your own spray from common ingredients around the home - like milk. Just mix up one part full cream milk to 10 parts water, and your ready to go!You can also make a useful spray using common bicarb of soda. Simply pour four litres of water into a bucket, add three level
teaspoons of bicarbonate soda, two teaspoons of vegetable oil and half a
teaspoon of dishwashing liquid. Mix it well to dissolve the soda.
The best time to apply either of these homemade fungicides is early on a cool morning. Spray both sides of the leaves and stems until they are well covered. You need to reapply them at least once a week as well as after rain.
From: http://www.abc.net.au/northcoast/stories/s1530584.htm

December - An Update

2006-12-19T17:17:00.000+11:00

I've taken advantage of the cool change in the weather this afternoon. I went out to my garden initially to give it a little water and see what I could harvest to add to dinner. But I ended up watering, harvesting the last of the broad beans and pulling them all out. The kids helped to pull all the ripe cherry tomatoes off the tomato plant and we picked a cucumber, a zucchini and the last of the radishes.
After that was done I decided to lift all the straw up in that section of the garden because all that was left was the rocket. I weeded the few grass runners that had popped up and gave the garden a good dig up. I saw lots of worms so that was a good sight. I added some dolomite lime and fertiliser, I wish I had some compost but I don't :(

After that was done I planted some lebanese cucumbers, white onions, more radishes, some all year lettuce and some Great Lakes lettuce.

I put the straw back on top and gave it all a good watering. Now the fun part, waiting for everything to appear :)

Blossom End Rot and my Zucchini

2006-12-02T21:00:00.000+11:00

I've been doing a bit of research on the problem with my zucchinis. As I mentioned in a previous post they grow and then shrivel up and die and I came across this which is quite possibly the problem.

"Blossom End Rot (BER) - fruits rot from the blossom end. Highly acid soil and/or a lack of calcium is usually the problem. Dolomite lime will help over the long term - apply in your vegetable garden every spring. To effect your zucchinis this year, a careful application of hydrated lime may be used. I say careful because if you add too much it can burn your plants and render the soil far too alkaline. Hydrated lime is also known as Quick lime. You should be able to pick up a small bag at a garden or feed store. Ask them for explicit directions at the time of purchase." ( Taken from http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/perennials/6130/3 )

December in my Garden

2006-12-01T09:56:00.000+11:00

Here are some photos I took of my garden today.

This is my original garden. Most of it has been harvested already but there are a few things still in there. There are still broad beans growing although only one or two at a time now.

There are still some carrots in there, one or two onions, two beetroots and some radish and rocket.

I planted some corn seeds about 2 months ago but they never came up.

I'm going to wait until I've harvested everything and then I'll build up the soil again and do some more planting.

This garden seems to have taken on a life of it's own. In here are tomatoes, basil, capsicum, eggplant, zucchini, squash and cucumber. It's pretty much a gumble of everything, the cucumber seems to have taken over the whole garden and is growing in amongst everything. I've been harvesting the squash and the cherry tomatoes. There are lots of cucumbers growing and one is almost ready to eat.I am yet to see any capsicum or eggplants, but those plants seem to have been growing slower than everything else anyway.

Here is my cucumber that is almost ready to eat.

I'm having a bit of trouble with my zucchini. They grow well, look great and then all of a sudden they shrivel up and die :(

Here is todays harvest. I'm making rissoles for dinner tonight so the carrot, zucchini and onion will get grated up and added to them. Yummo!

Last but not least is my little daisy. I love these daisies, they are always so bright and happy :)

Our Front Garden

2006-10-31T10:22:00.000+11:00

We have this one section of garden bed in the front yard that seems to kill everything we put in there. Ok perhaps it's not entirely the gardens fault, it may have something to do with the fact that it is mostly clay and I'm a little slack when it comes to watering the front garden. But we have decided to try again.

Rob, the kids and I went to Bunnings on the weekend and brought some gardenias and some gazanias to try and grow in the bare patch. We have some gardenias in the garden already that seem to be growing quite well, although they have some yellow leaves - but more about that later. So we thought we'd try then and gazanias are pretty drought tolerant so they might grow well too.

I also brought 2 little lavender plants and 2 little white daisy plants. I have pulled the parsley and thyme out of the herb garden (that's all that was in there) and I'm going to put the lavender and daisies in there. We don't have any flower beds out the back and I really wanted to have some flowers out there. I will make another herb garden but probably not until after summer.

Ok now onto the gardenia yellow leaf problem - I noticed while planting the new gardenias that our existing gardenias have got quite a few yellow leaves on them so I have just done a search on the net and come up with this info from the Burke's Backyard website:

"Yellow leaves (particularly seen in spring): In the past leaf yellowing has
generally been attributed to a magnesium deficiency and treated with
applications of Epsom salts (sulphate of magnesium) but the plant is probably
more in need of an all purpose fertiliser and a good watering. Apply fertiliser
in spring when weather begins to warm and yellow leaves begin to show."

I thought that the soil must have been lacking in something, I didn't realise that it would be as simple as giving the plant some fertiliser though....LOL!

An Update

2006-10-27T13:42:00.000+10:00

I finally got some sugar cane mulch and now my gardens look very "farmy"!. I love it :) I decided against trying to grow watermelons. My garden is just not big enough for melons. So instead I planted some corn, rocket, radishes and some more carrots. I am just waiting for them to come up now.

Everything else in the garden is doing really well. I have beans growing on my broad bean plants, little tiny green tomatoes on my tomato plants, I can see little baby squash on my squash plants, the lettuce is growing well and I have been picking leaves as I need it. And the basil is thriving near the tomato plants.

I am thinking about pulling the parsley and thyme out of the small herb garden and growing some flowers in there over the summer months. Then when the weather cools down a little I'll build the soil back up and plant some more vegetables or different herbs in there.

Leek Harvesting

2006-10-12T15:54:00.000+10:00

I finally got to harvest my leeks yesterday. I pulled about a dozen out and cleaned them, cut them up and froze them. I also pulled up about 10 spring onions.

So now I've got some space in my garden and I need to find something else to grow in there. I wouldn't mind trying to grow some watermelon... hmm I might need to look into that.

I've also got to get some straw as mulch. I'll have to do that on the weekend. It's pretty hot here today and I think we are going to be in for a really hot summer.

My Carrots

2006-10-07T08:33:00.000+10:00

It seems that the carrots that I thinned and replanted have not survived the move :(
It didn't help that we had some pretty hot days just after I moved them.
Oh well, time to pull them out. I bought some rocket seeds, so I think I'll plant them in that space.

September in my Garden

2006-10-01T17:48:00.000+10:00

I haven't been doing much in the garden lately, Just watering, pulling out the odd weed here and there and harvesting some of my yummy vegetables. I've been to tired to really do anything much but now that my morning sickness is easing and I have a little more energy I found today that I really felt like getting out there and doing a few things in the garden.

Rob took all the kids to the park for an hour so it was the perfect time for me to do a bit of pottering.

I pulled out the broccoli that had gone to seed, unfortunately I think I planted that a little late because as soon as the warmer spring weather arrived it all went to seed. We had only gotten to eat a few little florets here and there.

I pulled out the peas that were looking a little worse for wear. We didn't get to eat a meals worth of peas but it was fun for the kids and I to eat the peas straight from the plant everytime we went out to water the garden.

My carrots were planted to close together so I thinned them out, but when I saw the little tiny carrots I couldn't just chuck them out, so I replanted them in to where I had pulled the broccoli out of and I'm hoping that I didn't disturb them to much and that they'll keep on growing.

The broad bean plants are growing nice and tall, they have flowered but no sign of any pods yet.

I had to stake up my tomatoes as they are getting tall now. The lettuce seeds that I planted are doing really well. They are going to need thinning out soon too.

The cucumber, squash and zucchini plants are doing really well and growing bigger and bigger everyday.

And the eggplant and capsicum seeds finally sprouted just as I was starting to think that they would never appear.

Rob and the kids brought me some little pots of colourful flowers a few weeks ago so I potted them up and they look lovely.

I have a few flowers on my sweet pea, so far mostly a very vibrant purple but I have just spotted a bright pink flower which looks very nice.

So even though it is technically October, I have still titled this post September in my Garden because it shows everything that went on in the garden last month.

I'll try and get some photos of the garden today and post them.

Spring has Sprung and So Have My Seeds

2006-09-05T17:16:00.000+10:00

The weather has been glorious lately, perfect for gardening. If I didn't feel so terrible with morning sickness I'd be doing much more in my garden. But it is doing well anyway. They have forecast rain for the rest of the week which will be great if it actually happens.

The lettuce and cucumber seeds that I planted straight into the new garden have sprung up, so now I'm just waiting on the others to appear.

I planted some basil in amongst my tomato plants so hopefully that will help boost the tomatoes growth.

My broccoli is starting to go to seed which I am unhappy about. I guess the warmer weather lately isn't helping. I will have to remember to get it planted in Autumn next year for winter pickings.

I had to move my greenhouse round to the side of the house. It was getting to much sun where it was and all my seedlings were wilting.

I also planted some new radish and corn seeds and have put them in my greenhouse. I have a spot for the corn already and I'll put the radish in when I pull the broccoli out.

I Started From Scratch

2006-08-27T17:08:00.000+10:00

As I was saying in my last post my new garden was just not thriving. So I pulled the wilted lettuce, tomato and zucchini out and added chook manure and organic material and dug it all through the exciting soil. It's now a really good consitstancy and I'm happy with it.

I planted 3 of the tomato plants that I had growing in the greenhouse in the new garden as well as eggplant, capsicum, zucchini, squash, cucumber and more lettuce seeds. Now I just have to wait and see if they come up.

An Update

2006-08-15T11:20:00.000+10:00

The lettuce seedlings that I planted into the 2nd garden all died. I'm not sure why, I kept the water up to them. Perhaps they were a bit small and couldn't handle the cold mornings. I dug them back into the garden and luckily I still had some lettuce seedings in the greenhouse so I have planted them in. They are a bit bigger so hopefully they will survive.

I took the 2 zucchini plants out of the old garden and put them in the new garden, one of them died and the other is doing ok.

Everything else is growing big and strong.

A Very Productive Day!

2006-08-10T18:51:00.000+10:00

I had a very productive day in the garden today!.

I dug the cow manure and blood and bone into the new garden
Replanted the zucchinis into the new garden
Replanted the tomato plant into the new garden
Planted the lettuce seedlings into the new garden
Planted the carrot seedlings into the old garden
Planted the beetroot seedlings into the new garden
Repotted the tomato seedlings into bigger pots
Repotted the basil seedlings I brought yesterday into bigger pots

I still have some eggplant, cucumber and squash seeds to put into the seed raising trays, but I'll do that tomorrow or over the weekend.

It's Dug!!!

2006-08-08T16:27:00.000+10:00

I spent an hour today digging the foundation for garden #2. It was a beautiful sunny winters day and the perfect day to work up a sweat in the garden.

My new garden is the same size as my original vegie patch, approximately 1m x 1.5m and is located right beside it but with a 60cm space in between for easy access.

As I said in my previous post I didn't plan my garden very well, so I sat down with a sketch of my original garden and my gardening book on a 4 bed rotation garden, and worked out that if I made a second garden and divided them both in half I could quite easily use the 4 bed rotation rule.

I am going to have to move the zucchini, corn and beetroot. I don't really mind if they don't survive the move as I have more seedlings on my greenhouse and can replace them easily.

In Bed #1 (which is the right hand side of my original garden) I will have the:

Broad beans
Peas
Broccoli
Pak Choy and
Radish

In Bed #2 (which is the left hand side of my original garden) I will have the:

Leeks
Onions
Spring Onions
Beetroot and
Carrots

In Bed #3 (which is the right hand side of my new garden) I will have the:

Zucchini
Sweet Corn
Squash and
Cucumber

And In Bed #4 (which is the left hand side of the new garden) I will have the:

Tomatoes
Eggplant
Capsicum and
Chillis

I'm very excited about my new garden, I can't wait to have it filled with delicious vegetables.

My Pak Choy

2006-08-06T21:32:00.000+10:00

I pulled all the pak choy out today. I only had 2 plants left in there, so I pulled them up, pulled them apart and divided it up for my Mum, Nanny and Aunt.

I haven't planned my garden very well. I just planted seedlings pretty randomly as they were ready to be transplanted from my greenhouse. So I'm going to have to plan my plantings a little better.

My Garden In August - Photos

2006-08-05T22:01:00.000+10:00

As you can see the pak choy is quite large and ready to be picked, the broccoli growing next to the pak choy is growing well and the lettuce next to that is getting bigger.
Here's my broccoli, there are some small radish seedlings growing amongst it.

Here are my broad beans, they are a little slower than most of the other things in my garden but they are still doing well.

These are my peas.... look theres a pod on there!

And here is my pak choy, all ready to be picked and eaten.

These are my leeks that are growing in my herb garden.

This is Whats Happening in my Greenhouse

These are my tomato plants that are loving their warm and cosy little home.

My lettuce seeds in desparate need of thining and my spinach seeds which are doing well.

Heaps of broccoli seedlings that are looking a little thin and wirey but hopefully they'll get bigger and stronger.

The carrot seeds are doing well.

Some pak choy, beetroot and corn seedlings ready to go into the garden.

I wish I had a bigger garden!!!!

My Greenhouse!

2006-08-05T05:15:00.000+10:00

It's only small but it's the best thing I have ever bought. I have been able to grow seeds in it very successfully and at the moment I have some tomato plants (that I grew from seed) in there staying safe and warm until the weather warms up enough for me to put them in the garden.

We ate my radishes!

2006-07-28T12:42:00.000+10:00

My first harvest was of 2 radishes and they were delicious!. I added them to our salad for dinner last night.

Today I planted some more radish seedlings in my garden. I planted them among all the other slower growing vegetables.

I have some more lettuce seeds that have just sprouted, so they will go in the garden next.

I am running out of room though, so I am thinking that it's time to extend my garden a little.

My Garden Is Doing Well

2006-07-23T08:38:00.000+10:00

My garden is doing well, the rain lately has been very much appreciated.

Today I mounded up the soil around the leeks to keep their stems blanched. I planted another 6 pea seedlings into the garden. I love fresh peas so hopefully I have planted enough to get a good crop from them.

My lettuce seeds have sprouted and are doing well and the brocolli and radish seedlings that I thinned out are getting bigger.

My pak choy is growing well and should be ready to pick soon.

Today in the garden......

2006-07-17T09:41:00.000+10:00

My Mum brought me some plant hangers for my fence and some potting mix and pansies, so I potted them up into some hanging pots and I think they look great!. What do you think?.

I took all but one tomato plant out of my garden and put them in my greenhouse, so hopefully they will be ok.

I planted some carrot seeds and put them in my greenhouse. I've run out of room in my greenhouse now, so thats all I can grow for the moment.

Another Lesson Learnt!

2006-07-17T03:25:00.000+10:00

I was watching my Gardening Australia DVD last night and learnt another lesson.

Tomatoes need to be kept out of the ground until the soil warms up a bit which is around September. So my tomatoes which are in my garden probably won't do so well. I think I might pull a couple out of the garden and keep them in the greenhouse and leave one or two in the garden to see what happens.

I'll keep you posted on their progress :)

The broad beans are in!

2006-07-14T10:13:00.000+10:00

This afternoon while it was warm and sunny in the backyard I planted my broad bean seedlings into the vegetable garden.

The garden is getting rather full now, I think that it is about as full as it's going to get. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with all the other seeds I growing, I wonder if they will look good in the front garden??? LOL!

I thinned out my broccoli and radish seedlings and planted some more lettuce and some spinach. They are now all nice and warm in the greenhouse.

I planted two tomato seedlings in my herb garden, next to the parsley, so hopefully they will fruit nicely. It will be interesting to see if there is any difference between the tomatoes growing in my vegetable garden and the ones growing in my herb garden.

I've surprised myself!

2006-07-08T10:25:00.000+10:00

I am very impressed with myself, my garden is going really, really well. Much better than I expected it to go.

The pak choy are growing the best and the fastest. The only thing that didn't do well was the zucchini, but I think that was my fault, I broke the roots when I was transplanting them, so they both died. So I planted another couple of seeds and have had them in my greenhouse. Today I transplanted them into the garden, being very careful not to break the roots this time, so we'll see what happens :)

One thing that I did just learn was that tomatoes and parsley are good companion plants. My parsley is growing really well in the herb garden, and I have a few tomatoes in my big garden and some more still in the greenhouse. So I might put a tomato plant from the greenhouse in the herb garden with the parsley and see how it goes.

My seedlings have been transplanted!

2006-06-14T10:16:00.000+10:00

I've just spent an hour and a half this afternoon transplanting my seedlings (which I grew from seed) from my greenhouse into my new vegetable garden.

I'm so happy with it, I was able to put at least two of each plant type into the garden, even my lettuce which I thought I had killed came back to life and I was able to put 2 plants into the garden.

It will be interesting to see how they go out in the open, instead of in their nice warm little greenhouse. Hopefully the birds don't try to eat to much.

I pulled some of the smaller leeks out of the herb garden, now that they are getting bigger they were getting a bit crowded. So I pulled out the smallest 5 and put them into the big garden. Hopefully they will do alright in there.

I gave the gardens a watering with seasol so hopefully that will give them a nice boost.

I've learnt another lesson!

2006-05-01T06:13:00.000+10:00

Don't leave seedlings in the greenhouse on a hot morning.

Unfortunetly most of my lettuce seedlings died due to the heat. A couple of the broad beans died and the tips of the leaves have blackened..... grrrrrrrrrr!!!

The annoying thing is that I was going to plant the lettuce in to the garden the day before, but I decided to puy some blood and bone in first and plant the next day. Oh well I've learnt my lesson now!.

Whats going on in my garden!

2006-04-25T09:55:00.000+10:00

I planted a lot of seeds yesterday afternoon. I planted onion, spring onion, broccoli, corn, radish, parsnip, pak choy, zucchini, beetroot, peas and sweet peas. I got some great little seed raising trays from the reject shop which worked really well. With some of my birthday money I brought a small green house which is great for all my new seeds.
.
My last lot of seeds are growing well. I have some lettuce that I planted about 6 weeks ago. I would like to get them into the garden in the next 2 weeks.
.
About a week ago I planted some tomatoes, peas and beans which are growing nicely. They probably won’t be ready to put in the garden for about 6 weeks.
.
The kids made up their own trays of vegetables that they wanted to grow. I gave them each a punnet and they put in what ever seeds they wanted.
.
I still have lots of seeds left so if any of them don’t grow I can just put in another couple of seeds. I might also grow some more seeds once I have transplanted the others into the garden, that way I can have an on going supply for as long as possible.
.
My small garden is looking good. The parsley, garlic chives and thyme are still thriving. My new strawberry is growing well and the leeks and carrots are doing nicely.
.
I need to add some blood and bone to the big garden to help break down the grass and paper and get it ready for planting. Then that garden should be done for the moment.
.
I also need to remember to give the lettuce some seasol the day before I put them into the big garden. I might put one or two into the little garden too, just to fill in a couple of gaps.