Free Gardening Tips

The Advantages of Using Organic Herbs and Vitamins

2007-08-15T09:05:00.004+02:00

With modern technologies we want to improve everything in our lives including food and vitamins. But in attempt of trying to make everything taste and look better, and produce better results, many herbs and vitamins have been severely modified from their original version. As a result, they provide us with chemicals, which bring more side effects that desired results.

What are Organic Herbs and Vitamins?

Organic herbs and vitamins are those being produced with no chemicals involved in the process of making them. Hence, they have no harmful side effects to worry about. Organic vitamins and herbs originate mostly from Asia with the main sources from countries such as China and India. People in these countries are still using age-old ingredients to prevent and cure diseases as well as boost the immune system and provide energy.

Organic vitamins and herbs may not provide the desired results very fast, but they don’t have any side effects – this is why more people adopt the organic way of life.

Where to Get Organic Herbs and Vitamins?

Organic stores that you can find both online and locally are the best place to get organic herbs and vitamins. When shopping online ensure you research the company first because there are many fraudulent companies on the internet who will sale fake organic products at cheaper prices than found in the market.

More Useful Info

Organic herbs and vitamins boost your own immune system from within and often take longer time to show results than traditional products. If you want to make a fair judgment about the product you are trying and see if it works or not, you should complete the entire treatment as indicated on the package or by your doctor.

Though organic herbs and vitamins don’t have any side effects, they still may interact with other medications you may be taking or a present health condition, so due you should always consult your doctor before you start taking them. If you have any adverse reactions from the organic herbs and vitamins stop them immediately and consult a doctor.

Organic herbs and vitamins can be your first step to a healthier lifestyle. However, organic herbs and vitamins alone are not enough – you should compliment them by consuming organic vegetables, food products and even beauty products that are now widely available. All this will help you get back to nature and reap the benefits.

For more information on Organic herbs and vitamins check out http://www.myorganicgardeningsecrets.com You'll find loads of tips and techniques plus you'll find answers to questions many others in your situation have asked before. But Hurry! For a limited time you can get your very own copy of our award winning Organic Gardening Software at absolutely no cost.

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

Organic Hydroponic Gardening - Facts and Advantages

2007-08-15T09:05:00.003+02:00

Some organic gardeners consider hydroponic gardening non-organic since it doesn’t use soil. They believe that true organic gardening is impossible without rich, loamy soil. After all, organic gardening is based on good soil. However, organic hydroponic gardening does exist, and even has some advantages over conventional organic gardening.

Using Less Soil

Organic hydroponic gardening is based on the same principles as usual organic gardening, but it doesn’t use the soil. Organic hydroponic gardening relies on water to provide the nutrients needed for plant growth. Organic hydroponic gardening still requires a growing medium, something solid to put the plants’ roots into. The growing medium is not the source of nutrients, however; it is as sterile as a chemically fertilized monoculture wheat field. The growing medium is simply a structure to root the plants into and to hold the nutrient-filled water.

In organic hydroponic gardening the growing medium can be of any organic material. Vermiculite and perilte are often used. (Be careful when handling vermiculite, as it is a source of asbestos). Straw, cotton, plant fiber or any other organic material are all good choices, too.

Water is Essential

Organic hydroponic gardening relies on dissolving substances in water to provide nutrients for the plants. So, anything that goes into the water must be organic in order to comply with organic gardening rules. So-called compost tea is frequently used in organic hydroponic gardening. It is made by soaking compost in water and straining out the solid material. The water gets enriched with nutrients and then is used to feed the plants.

Manure tea is also used in hydroponic gardening. Manure tea can be a source of bacterial contamination of the produce, including contamination with lethal varieties of E. coli. Therefore, manure should be well-composted or sterilized before making manure tea. You make it the same way you make compost tea, i.e. by dissolving the manure in water and straining out the solid material.

Further organic choices include seaweed and fish emulsion. There are no special fertilizers because you continually circulate and refresh the nutrient mixture.

Special Uses

Organic hydroponic gardening has a special niche in the organic gardening landscape. Its biggest advantage is that it fits anywhere, and requires no soil to support the plants’ growth.

Organic hydroponic gardening is an excellent alternative allowing to grow crops in parts of the world where the soil has been over-farmed and is too depleted to grow food. Organic hydroponic gardening is used in outer space living and will almost certainly be part of any attempt to colonize the moon or another planet. Organic hydroponic gardening is being used for urban gardens on rooftops, allowing urbanites to grow healthy food in wasted space. This is because not every rooftop can support the weight of soil for traditional organic gardening.

As you see, hydroponic gardening can also be organic. Of course, it is different from traditional gardening, but it has a number of its own advantages. And last but not least, organic hydroponic gardening does let you grow healthy, sustainable, organic food.

For more information on Organic hydroponic gardening check out http://www.myorganicgardeningsecrets.com You'll find loads of tips and techniques plus you'll find answers to questions many others in your situation have asked before. But Hurry! For a limited time you can get your very own copy of our award winning Organic Gardening Software at absolutely no cost.

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

The Benefits of Switching to Organic Plant Food

2007-08-15T09:05:00.001+02:00

Even though switching to organic gardening may seem to be a tough task for many gardeners who are used to sprays, fertilizers and chemical dusts, the results are rewarding and worth all the efforts. Probably, using organic plant food and fertilizers, and following a different process for organic gardening is new and unusual for you, but very soon you’ll be able to adjust and enjoy the thought you are saving lives as well as preserving the environment by doing so.

For those ones who just start gardening, consider practicing organic gardening from the beginning. Learn about the benefits organic plant food brings to your garden. If you are an expert gardener who have been using and following traditional methods for gardening take the time to consider all the advantages that organic plant food could bring for you and your garden.

Advantages of Using Organic Plant Food

In order to appreciate organic methods of gardening and using organic plant food, you have to understand the benefits of these fertilizers and plant foods. This information can surely break your routines of chemical gardening for good.

Organic plant food and fertilizers may seem less effective compared to chemical fertilizers. However, it is not so – they just work slower, but provide a more stable and steady release of essential nutrients to your plants. In addition, organic foods for plants supply plenty of micronutrients that are not found in chemically produced plant food. To keep your garden’s soil healthy switch to organic plant food that serves as an effective soil conditioner. It provides the soil with its needed organic compounds and increases the soil’s friability.

Fertilizers with chemical compounds usually cause an unwanted accumulation of inorganic salt. When this happens, it can greatly affect your soil’s condition and your plants’ development as well as decreasing the population of helpful microbial and soil insects. While there are still a few build-ups of insoluble salts when you use organic plant food, you can ensure less harm done to your soil compared to synthetic fertilizers.

Excessive amounts of chemical-based fertilizers can actually burn your plants. With organic fertilizers that are slowly released into the soil, you can accidentally add too much of the organic plant food, but it is far less dangerous and damaging to your soil and plants. In the same situation with chemical fertilizers your plants would be killed.

Practicing organic gardening has numerous benefits, and first of all, it ensures that your soil becomes healthy and your plants flourish beautifully and naturally. Using organic plant food is an important step towards organic gardening and, subsequently, towards tastier food and better health.

For more information on Organic Plant Food check out http://www.myorganicgardeningsecrets.com You'll find loads of tips and techniques plus you'll find answers to questions many others in your situation have asked before. But Hurry! For a limited time you can get your very own copy of our award winning Organic Gardening Software at absolutely no cost.

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

All About the Bonsai Tree

2007-05-02T14:34:00.000+02:00

When people think of the bonsai tree, they usually think of China and Japan first. While these two countries are most famous for growing and training bonsai, the growing of miniature trees can be traced as far back as ancient Egypt. It's believed that the growing of miniature trees was pioneered by healers as a way to easily transport trees with healing powers for medicinal purposes. However, it soon evolved into an art form and pastime for the wealthy.

The bonsai is not a genetically modified plant or a hybrid tree. Many different trees found in nature can be made into bonsai, and master growers are always looking for new specimens. The bonsai tree is kept miniature by pruning its roots and keeping it in a small pot. The size of the tree is just one aspect of the bonsai. It's shape and style is the real way to tell the difference between a bonsai and just a small potted tree. The bonsai's trunk and branches are shaped sometimes over many years to get the perfect style.

Although you can find lots of different types of bonsai trees, the Juniper in windswept style is probably the most popular. This is where the tree looks like its blowing in the wind. The limbs spread out from the trunk in one direction as opposed to being symmetrical. You'll also see bonsai in the cascade style, where one branch flows down below the pot. Again, the trees don't grow that way by accident. It takes years of patient training and pruning, to achieve the shape.

Many connoisseurs of the bonsai aren't content with a single tree. You might see a group of bonsai trees growing in a single pot. This is called the forest style of display. But it doesn't stop there. Many growers take great pride in designing intricate miniature landscapes with their trees. It could be an indoor display or even a much larger outdoor display in a garden. However a bonsai is displayed, it requires a great deal of care to keep your tree healthy and properly groomed.

If you own a bonsai, you know how hard they are to care for. They need just the right amount of water. A little too much or too little could be fatal. Your best bet is to use a moisture meter when watering. You also need to repot your tree periodically. This is a great time to inspect and prune your trees root system. One thing that kills bonsai faster than anything else is getting root bound. You need to care for your tree above ground and below.

If you don't already have a bonsai tree, but want one, my best advice is to find a nursery specializing in bonsai. This can be hard to do, but take to the Internet, and look for one around your area. There you'll be able to talk to a bonsai master who can give you plenty of advice on caring for your tree. He can also help you select the tree that's right for you and the amount of time you have to devote to caring for it. Its good to develop a relationship with a bonsai master just like you would with a car mechanic if you want your tree to last for years to come.

Effective Ways To Really Solve Perennial Problems Of Algae

2007-04-23T15:09:00.003+02:00

A water garden pond is certainly something that can really improve your garden and make it more comfortable. The real problem however is how good you're at caring and maintaining the quality of the pond. If you are starting to have algae appearing in your pond, you should really take the time to learn about some of the effective ways to completely eliminate them.
One of the reasons why algae are growing in your pond is mostly because you're having too many nutrients dissolved in the water. There are two ways you can solve this problem. The first way, which is the easy way is to simply kill them all easily just by using a proprietary algicide which won't harm the plants and animals in it. The only disadvantages to using this method is that the materials left behind in the water will only provide ample nutrients for further algal growth. So instead of killing them, you're encouraging them to grow more.
The second which is the most effective ways but will require some time and efforts on your part. The tackle the root of the algae problem, here are some useful methods which you can use:
1. Use a rake or net to physically remove all yellowish-green filamentous algae. Repeat this process several times if there are many of them.
2. Make sure you don't overfeed the fish by giving more food that you should. This is because any food that sinks to the bottom will only place a heavy burden on the ecosystem.
3. Occasionally, you will need to reduce the water hardness. You can do this easily by adding rainwater or hang some sacks of peat in the pond for a short time.
4. Avoid the temptation to add fertiliser. You will also need make sure that nutrient-rich soil carried in by drainage from the surrounding land do not enter the pond.
5. To combat algae naturally, you can add some plants that are able to deprive them of light and nutrients. Waterlilies, hair grass, water violet, water soldier, willow moss and mare's tail are plants that can really help combat the problem of algae.

Upside Down - Perfect for Your Tomatoes

2007-04-23T15:09:00.001+02:00

You may have seen upside down tomato gardens and planters advertised, or you may have thought of building an upside down planter of your own. But what are the advantages of these upside down planters, and what are the options for buying or making one?
Upside Down Tomato Planter - Make or Buy
There are a couple of commercially available planters. Some are for just a single plant, while others handle several plants.
They are advertised heavily to be used for tomatoes, but they can also be used to grow smaller bush plants like peppers and maybe even eggplants. Many herbs will grow well in these planters.
There is a smaller type of planter (for example the Topsy Turvy planter) that your can find for under $20. It will usually hold one plant (you can sometimes put a second one on the top), and will need someplace to hang.
Another type is the larger self supporting units like the Upside Down Tomato Garden. This garden unit stands about 5 feet tall and is designed to hold several tomato plants, and herbs or flowers on the top. An ideal fit for an apartment balcony or patio, it will also serve well as a nice little garden space you can put close to your kitchen on a deck.
You should be aware that fully loaded with soil they can weigh quite a bit, so consider ahead of time just where you want to put it. The larger upside down tomato garden can hold 80 pounds of dirt, so you don't want to be moving it after it's loaded.
You can build an upside down planter yourself. A simple plastic bucket could be used for the planter with a hole in the bottom of a few inches in diameter. You can hang it from a hook on the house, or build a simple sawhorse bracket.
Pros of Using an Upside Down Tomato Planter
With the tomatoes hanging in the air they can ripen without rot. You have fewer problems with pests like snails and ants. Make sure to keep the planter soil moist, as all container grown plants tend to dry out fairly quickly in hot weather.
An upside down tomato garden is perfect for your apartment on a balcony or a patio, or put one on a patio or deck for those just looking to move part of the garden closer to the kitchen.

A Traipse Through the Tulips

2007-04-23T15:06:00.002+02:00

Flowering bulbs can change your garden from being merely a plot of dirt and rocks adorned with a few scraggly plants to being an absolute showplace, with splashes of brilliant color. Bulbs provide a good investment in terms of their longevity and hardiness. Your garden will benefit from the vast variety of bloom colors, length of flowering time, and the heights and shapes of flowering bulbs. Autumn is the ideal time to plant robust spring-flowering bulbs; most bulbs can be planted until the ground is frozen.
Most bulbs are perennials, going through a period of growth and flowering, dying back to the ground before going dormant at the end of each growing season. Late spring or early summer herald the end of the growing season for spring-flowering bulbs. However, these bulbs will begin to grow again in the fall and flower the next growing season.
Tulips and other spring-flowering bulbs, such as snowdrops, crocus, daffodils, and hyacinths require a stretch of cold weather during the winter in order to give their growth cycles a running start. This cooling process enables the bulbs to flower in early spring. They can be planted until the first frost.
Make careful plans on paper before planting your bulbs. If you sketch your plan on graph paper, it will help you to calculate the correct number of bulbs to purchase. Keeping a “roadmap” of your garden will help jar your memory in case, in the future, you want to mix in annuals or perennials where your bulbs have gone dormant. Tulips bloom anywhere, especially in full sun, from very early spring to late spring/early summer.
Your tulips may bloom in an explosion of color or you may choose to limit the color palette to just one or two. Colors give the viewer the perception of warmth or coolness; hues of blue and violet give the impression of coolness, while warm hues are tones of red, yellow, and orange. The human eye perceives warm colors as advancing while cool shades recede into the background. To create the illusion your yard is larger than it actually is, make a planting of cool-colored flowers in the rear of the yard, but if you want the illusion of a smaller and more intimate garden, plant warm-colored flowers in rear of the back plot. Remember, warm colors will create a dramatic effect, no matter where planted. Whatever color scheme you decide to use, plant each type of flower in groupings of at least three to twelve plants. A particular color, placed one here and another there and yet a third elsewhere, will diminish the effect you wish to create. Keep the color groups massed together for best effect.
When planting tulips or daffodils, use at least twelve bulbs of one variety in a grouping. The more bulbs of one variety, and color, the stronger the visual impact will be. However, when planting smaller spring bulbs, such as snow crocus, it will take a minimum of fifty bulbs or more to make a statement. Small bulbs need to be seen at close range to make the planting more effective, Mixing in early flowers such as pansies give visual contrast to a planting packed with just tulips.
If you prefer a more casual look to your garden, think about naturalizing your tulip bulbs. Naturalizing may take the guise of devil-may-care planting or, of a planting very carefully calculated to give the illusion that Mother Nature has decided to put down a bulb, or other flowering plant, in a random action, much like broadcasting wildflower seeds in a meadow. I guess this style of planting might be considered a variation of the Chaos Theory.
The process of naturalizing is that of man imitating nature with bulb plantings. Bulbs, when found in a natural state, do not grow in neat, meticulous rows; rather, they present themselves in irregular clumps dispersed throughout the landscape.
One advantage of naturalizing is that bulbs so planted need very little care. At the end of the tulip blooming cycle, either allow the foliage to die away on its on, allowing the plants sufficient time to revitalize their bulbs in anticipation of flowering during the next season or you can remove the dead foliage by hand. An important point to remember is that if you have naturalized bulbs in your lawn, the foliage must not be mowed over until it dies naturally or the bulbs themselves will sooner or later die out.
Autumn is the perfect time to plant hardy tulips. Tulips need plentiful water plus good drainage. The hard subsoil in the planting area needs to be broken up so that there is no standing water interfering with the healthiness of the tulips. After breaking up the subsoil, you will need to put in a layer of drainage material such as loose gravel, broken stone, or sifted cinders (some gardeners use barbecue briquettes smashed by a hammer) below the soil surface.
When planting spring bulbs, a general rule of thumb is to plant the bulb two to three times as deep as the bulb itself is tall; most large bulbs such as tulips should be planted approximately six inches deep while smaller surrounding bulbs will be three to four inches deep. Measure the depth of planting from the surface level of the soil to the shoulder of the bulb. To measure the distance between plants, mark off from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next.
There exist two basic methods of planting bulbs. One way is to dig individual holes for each bulb with a garden trowel or a specialized hole-cutting tool known as a bulb planter (or dibble). Dig a hole several inches deeper than the called-for planting depth; fill the hole to base level with plant food specifically designed for bulbs. After placing your bulb in the hole, cover it with loose soil. Using your hands, delicately form the soil around each plant to eliminate air pockets.
Now for the question that has plagued mankind...Which end of the tulip bulb is UP? Tulips have pointed ends that should be positioned upward. Some of the smaller bulbs, such as Poppy Anemones, can be planted in any direction. These small bulbs send out shoots which find their own way through the soil to the sun.
Once planted, tulip bulbs need serious watering. Not only does the water settle the soil in the planting bed, but also acts as a water well needed to provide moisture for rooting activity. It is vital for bulbs planted in the fall to root before cold weather sets in but avoid over-watering, the perfect setting for bulb rot.
Your tulips should get adequate hydration from average spring conditions. But, if you get a stretch of unusually hot and dry weather, a weekly deep soaking will make bigger and longer-lasting flowers. Water with a soaker hose so the blooms will not get overly wet.
Aesthetically, tulip foliage remains long after the bloom is dead. As unattractive as it is, do not mow off the foliage until it becomes yellow and dies back naturally, a process that can take several weeks. The plant needs the green leaves for photosynthesis, or the manufacture of food which is stored in the bulb for the next growing cycle. If the foliage is removed too soon, the plant will no longer be able to create the nutrient reserves necessary for future growth.
The botanical name for the tulip is believed to have been derived from the Persian (Iranian) word toliban or turban; the inverted flower was said to resemble such head wear. Tulips are members of the Lily Family and grow wild in the vast region from Asia Minor through Siberia to China. Tulips are a good bulb for the beginning gardener, as they are extremely easy to grow. Tulips are happiest in the full sun and should be planted around 6” deep. Within a few short months, tulips will bejewel your garden in a dazzling array of color.

Landscape Ideas and Design - Success Requires Planning and Action

2007-04-23T15:06:00.001+02:00

Watching the news it won’t take long until you’ll hear talk of the “Green” movement. This focus on all things green is not new; back in the 1970’s we experienced a craze where everyone wanted green plant indoors. This eye toward green zeros in on protecting our planet and it natural resources.
All this talk makes people not only look at what they consume but also pushes landscaping right to the forefront. Our microwave culture and I want it now attitude slowly begins to peel away and people begin to look at a relaxed, healthy and more laid back informal lifestyle.
This a lifestyle shift, spurred on with ever increasing gas prices, make homeowners step back and look at expanding the walls of their homes and bring the outdoors inside. The patio, pool and deck areas incorporate more green by using landscaping, decorative containers, flowers and even cared for lawns.
To make your home comfortable, usable and beautiful as possible requires some planning. Any landscape idea when properly planned and executed will blend the look of the home right into the landscape. Harmony outside creates a comfort inside and together can increase the property value.
To create your landscape plan, which fits your needs and lifestyle, take a walk around your neighborhood with a watchful eye and a digital camera to grab landscape ideas and designs for others. Some probably hired a landscape designer or architect to achieve their look. You can get that idea with a simple click.
When doing your planning don’t forget three items some often skip over. The reason they pass over these is because they can be big budget busters, but they are essentials nonetheless. The three items are large trees, a healthy lawn and walkways made of brick or pavers. During the design phase a barbeque or deck can easily overshadow the need to spend money on brick you walk on.
Consider following the lead of one successful landscape design friend of mine. He divides the landscape project for a home into three distinct sections each serving a specific function. The front yard is part of the landscape anyone driving by can admire. This he calls the public area. Most of the design in this area needs to look attractive and require minimal care.
The next section he refers to as the service or traffic area. The section is where traffic enters and leaves the property and includes the driveways, garage area and possible access to the backyard.
The final section is usually the largest and receives the most detail and focus which he calls the private area. This area and the design encompass all of your lifestyle. This area may include a pool, decks patio seating and a barbecue for cooking and entertaining outdoors, a play area for the kids, water features or even a rose garden. It’s whatever meets your lifestyle desire!
Create a “well dressed” home with a landscape will take time and a constant evolution. Watching a garden and trees mature from your plan can be very gratifying. Know the kids can play in a safe planned environment reduced stress, and a landscape that embraces your daily life has the green movement written all over it. Don’t want to catch the green movement train get started with your landscape plan today.

The Rubber Tired Backhoe Loader

2007-04-23T15:02:00.000+02:00

Also referred to as simply a backhoe, the backhoe loader is a construction and excavation machine that consists of a tractor, front shovel and bucket and a small backhoe on the rear end. Due to the small size and versatility, backhoe loaders are common on small construction projects and are used for most small excavation type work. The rubber tires allow the backhoe to drive on grass and fragile ground coverings without causing too much damage.
The first backhoe loader was originally invented over 150 years ago in Burlington Iowa. The backhoe loader is the most common variation of the classic farm tractor. As the name implies, it has a loader bucket assembly on the front and a backhoe attachment on the back.
Anytime the loader bucket and backhoe are attached to the machine it is no longer referred to as a tractor, as it is not normally used for towing and doesn't normally have a PTO or a power take-off unit. When the backhoe is permanently attached, the machine has a seat that can swivel to the rear to face the backhoe controls. Many types of removable backhoe attachments will sometimes have a separate seat on the attachment itself.
Backhoe loaders are common and can be used for many tasks, which include construction, light transportation of materials, powering building equipment, digging holes, excavating, breaking asphalt, and even paving roads.
The front assembly on a backhoe may be either removable or permanently attached. You can often replace the backhoe bucket with other tools such as a breaker for breaking or smashing concrete and rock, a post hole auger or even a fence post driver. In order to mount different attachments to the loader, it must be equipped with a tool coupler. The coupler consists of two hydraulic cylinders on the end of the arm assembly, which can expand and retract to allow different tools to be attached to the unit. There are also some loader buckets that offer a retractable bottom also known as a clam bucket that opens and closes, which enables the bucket to empty the load more quickly and efficiently. The retractable bottom loader buckets are often times used for grading and smoothing off sand.
There are several types of backhoe loader brands, including New Holland, John Deere, Case and Caterpillar. Some will offer you cabs that will keep the operator warm, cool and or dry, while others won't. The newer types of backhoe loaders even offer you air conditioning, radios, and other accessories that make you feel like you are working in a luxury automobile.
Common with excavating jobs, the backhoe is very versatile and can serve many different purposes. It can even haul or raise equipment and supplies in the loader bucket. Another great use is to cover up dirt when filling in trench lines or covering up pipe that was just put in the ground. The backhoe attachment at the rear is ideal for digging trenches for water pipes and sewer pipes.
The best thing about the backhoe loader is the fact that it is very easy to operate. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to fully operate this nifty piece of equipment.

4 Gardening Lessons Revealed: Planting Methods, Tools, Crop Rotation & Clothing

2007-02-26T11:07:00.000+01:00

1. Planting Methods: There are several methods for planting. Picking any of these methods depends on the vegetable, the size of your garden, and your fondness. Three methods of planting, namely, single rows, wide rows, and hills are clarified as follows:

A) Single Rows: In this method, seeds are sown in rows or lines that are spaced equal distances apart. The distances between the rows and between the seeds within the rows differ from vegetable to vegetable. If you want the rows to be straight, which gives a pleasant appearance to your garden, stretch a string between two stakes and sow the seeds along it. If you think this is too much work, use a stick to mark a line on the ground and try to make the line as straight as possible. With some training, you will get it straight.

B) Wide Rows: In wide row planting, seeds are sprinkled at equal spacing in both directions over a wide area. The width of the row varies from 6 to 16 inches. The row's width is limited by your arm's reach to the area in the middle of the row while standing at the edges. We find that wide rows are convenient and productive for peas and beans. In addition to giving high yield per unit area, they cut down on weeds. Wide rows are also good for starting leaf vegetables like lettuce and spinach. When the seedlings emerge, they can be thinned and transplanted elsewhere. Double rows are a special form of wide rows.

C) Hills: In hill planting, 3 to 5 seeds are sown close to each other. They need not be sown on a formed hill, as the name implies. This method is used for example when planting zucchini and cucumbers.

2. Gardening Tools: There are many gardening tools available on the market today. The basic tools you'll need are a shovel, trowel, steel rake, tomato cages, and a water hose or can. The shovel is used to till the soil, mix potting soil, move soil around, and cut the weeds if they grow big. Some gardeners use a fork instead of a shovel to till the soil, but we don't.

The choice is yours. The trowel is used for cultivating the weeds, transplanting the seedlings, mixing soil or fertilizers, and filling containers with soil. The steel rake is used to grade the soil and to compact the soil over the seeds. Tomato cages are indispensable for supporting tomato plants. You can also use them to support running plants such as cucumbers and peas. Without them the plants will collapse on the ground and their fruit will get into contact with the soil and eventually decay. A hose or a can is used to water the plants in the garden and within containers.

3. Crop Rotation: Crop rotation is the practice of planting each vegetable in a different location each year. The advantages of crop rotation are:

A) The chances of transmitting diseases and insects to next year's crop are very much reduced. Certain diseases and insects attack certain vegetables. These diseases and insects move from the plants to the soil, where they winter. If the same vegetable is planted in the same spot the following year, the diseases and insects will surface from the soil and attack the new plants once again.

B) Each vegetable absorbs trace amounts of specific minerals from the soil. If the same vegetable is planted in the same spot year after year, the minerals the vegetable needs to grow healthy plants will be depleted, resulting in a meagre harvest.

C) The roots of legumes (peas and beans) have bacteria that soak up nitrogen from the air and fix it on the roots of the plants and in the soil. To take advantage of the nitrogen they fix in the soil, the legumes should be followed by a leafy vegetable, such as lettuce and or spinach, which both need nitrogen-rich soil. This is one of the techniques organic growers use to grow vegetables without the use of chemical fertilizers. It may be impractical to rotate every crop each year if your garden is small.

This difficulty can be overcome by taking the following measures:

(1) choose disease-resistant vegetable varieties, (2) keep your garden clean of rubbish, and (3) watch for insects and diseases. If a plant becomes teeming with insects, pick them by hand; if a plant is infected by a disease, pull it from the ground and dispose of it.

4. Proper Gardening Clothing: In the course of gardening, your footwear and clothes are likely to be soiled. You walk on dirt and or mud, your clothes make contact with plant leaves and stems, and your hands are soiled. You are also exposed to the sun. Your shoes accumulate mud and will soil the floor if you walk directly into the house. Therefore, you should have a pair of aged shoes set aside for gardening. Put them on before going into the garden and take them off before entering the house. Leave them in the garage or put them in a bag until you use them again.

Also, have special clothes for the garden. If you don't, your ordinary clothes will be soiled no matter how careful you are. To protect your hands and fingernails from collecting dirt, use a good pair of garden gloves. Some are washable and can be reused again and again...

Please feel free to forward a copy of the "Gardening Online Newsletter" to any of your friends and associates.

Happy Gardening,

Drought Tolerant Trees

2007-02-26T11:04:00.000+01:00

Beautiful Southwestern Shade and Ornamental Trees. Looking for low water type trees? Check out descriptions below. Many are evergreen and some have fantastic blooms and color.

The Afghan Evergreen Pine Tree - Scientific Name: Pinus eldarica It loves full sun but can tolerate some shade. This is a fast growing evergreen tree and can used as border landscaping. It Can grow up to 80ft. tall and 30ft. wide. This is a very drought resistant evergreen pine tree. Trim bottom branches for quicker shade. They do drop numerous pine needles and cones so there will be maintenance involved. This is also called a Mondell Pine and Desert Pine. Can be planted in USDA zones 8-10

Desert Willow tree - Scientific Name: Chilopsis linearis Sun: Loves Full Sun - USDA Zone 8 - 9. The Desert willow grows to about 25ft tall. If you are looking to attract hummingbirds then this is the tree to get. Beautiful light purple blooms very hardy shrub or tree. Very drought tolerant once established. They drop some pods during fall time. Great stand alone or border tree, deciduous in the southwest USA.

Mesquite Tree/Shrub - Scientific Name: Prosopis juliflora Full Sun - USDA - Zone: 7 - 10. Mesquite trees have green foliage and are deciduous. Large sweet edible pods on branches. Very drought tolerant tree. Grows about 15-20ft tall and wide. Has large thorns can be easily trained as a tree. They will grow much taller in a tree form. Or leave alone to use as a border shrub.

Mimosa or Silk Tree - Scientific Name: Albizia julibrissin. Loves Full Sun - USDA - Zones: 6b thru 9. The Mimosa can withstand droughts. They have beautiful pink spike blooms at top. Can grow up to 30ft. tall and sometimes wider. Excellent shade tree. Very little maintenance other than fall foliage.

Vitex Tree or Chaste Tree Scientific Name: Agnus-castus. Full Sun - USDA Zones 6-10. The Vitex tree or shrub. Also called the chaste tree. Can grow to about 40-25ft. tall and wide. Very low water once established. Beautiful spiky dark blue blooms late spring early summer. Very narly looking tree during winter.

Live Oak Tree - Scientific Name: Quercus virginiana. Full Sun - USDA Zones: 8-10 Southern Live Oak - Can grow up to 70-80ft. Live oak is a long-lived, massive, evergreen shade tree. Its horizontal branches form a broad rounded canopy. This tree loves full sun and is a slow grower. Moderate water once established. You can form this tree into almost any shape.

Ocotillo Tree - Scientific Name: Fouqueiria splendens. Full Sun - USDA zone 8 & 7a - 7b The Ocotillo is more of a shrub no real shade but has beautiful bright orange spring blooms. Large vicious type thorns used for border plant. Green foilage in summer and grey in winter about 8-10ft tall. Once established can survive with desert rain only.

Southwestern Trees - photos of these and other trees.

Southwestern Chitalpa Tree - Scientific Name: Chiltalpa tashkinensis Full Sun - USDA zones 7-8 (roots are hardy to zone 6) This tree grows to about 25 - 30ft. tall and wide. Beautiful pink all summer long blooms. Fast grower and very drought resistant. Chinese Pistache Tree- Scientific Name: Pistacia chinensis Loves Full Sun - USDA Zones: 4-10 This Southwestern tree is a desirable ornamental with attractive, umbrella-like crown. Lustrous green leaves turn a brilliant orange crimson color in fall. Very drought tolerant, deciduous and extremely handsome tree. About 30-40 ft. tall and wide. Does well in the desert heat.

Magnolia Trees - Scientific Name: Quercus virginiana. Full Sun/Shade - USDA zone 8b - 10 Grows up to 60ft tall and about 40-50ft wide. Beautiful evergreen tree that will shed leaves in spring. Slow grower, not really drought resistant but has large white fragrant blooms during early summer. Does better with shade. There are numerous varieties/species. They will do quite well in the Southwestern heat but will need additional watering.

Landscaping For Small Space

2006-11-04T21:58:00.001+01:00

Having a small yard area does not prevent you from having a beautiful space that you will enjoy. It does, however, require planning and a bit more ingenuity than the average garden. There are a number of options for small spaces that will help you use the size and shape as an advantage. The trick is to work with the space that you have.

The first consideration in landscaping a small space is the shape and size. Many small yard areas are made up of straight lines that highlight the negative features of the space. Consider using curving lines that will give a sense of flow and movement to the space. You can integrate curves into your garden by creating a brick or gravel walkway that curves through the space. You can also incorporate curving lines when you form your garden beds.

Another way of making the most of a small space in the planning stages is to consider that you are dividing the space into different compartments. By creating raised beds on different levels, you can give a feeling of depth and space in a previously cramped area.

It is a good idea at this point to start mapping out your space using grid paper. Be sure to include features like trees and make space for patio furniture if you will be using it. As you work through your planning, add to your map. This simple step can save you from making costly mistakes.

Once you have a general idea of what your space is going to be laid out like, you can start thinking about what is going to go into it. For a small space, having a theme is very important. Especially if you are using raised beds, you can have more than one theme; just make sure to consider how they will relate to one another. For smaller spaces, tabletop fountains are a good choice: http://www.garden-fountains.com/Categories.bok?category=Tabletop+Fountains

In selecting a theme, consider if you are looking for a romantic classic garden or a more modern outdoor space. There are a number of possibilities. You may want to focus on a specific element, and use the rest of the space to highlight that. Oftentimes, a feature can help you determine what your entire space will look like. For example, investigate a wood barrel fountain like those seen in crafty cottages where theme is called for.

The plants you will use need to be carefully selected so that they will grow properly with limited room and be suited the light exposure and drainage of your space. Also, remember that the larger your elements, the smaller your space will appear. Limit yourself to one small tree to provide shade, or go without a tree entirely. If you do have a tree, make sure it not one that drops a lot of twigs or seeds. Otherwise, you could find yourself saddled with daily yard cleaning.

A good technique to use in a limited space is to choose plants that will look good year round and provide interesting groundcover. Avoid any plants that tend to "take over". In a small space, these can end up becoming the entire garden.

There are a number of tricks that professional landscapers use to create the illusion of more room. These are not difficult to emulate. You don't need to use all of these ideas, either. One or two tricks of illusion will dramatically affect the appearance of your small space.

Remember to utilize walls and fences with climbing vines and trellises. These are especially effective in a corner where they can soften hard right angles. Any element that works with the walls or fence around your space is a great way to make the space appear larger than it is. Mirrors are often used indoors to create an illusion of space and mirrors can be used outdoors as well.

Container plants can be a beautiful addition to your small space. The planters act as a unique decorative element and whatever you grow in them will appear different than it would if planted in the soil. Planters come in a wide range of styles that can suit any garden theme. Have a look at garden planters ranging from classical motifs to simple and modern art.

In addition to plant life, your small space can be enhanced with a water feature. Pools and running water of any kind will give a feeling of depth. Running water will bring movement and energy into the garden, in addition to its peaceful relaxing sound. If space is running tight, have a look at some of the wall fountains. These require only a minimum of space, but will give you all of the benefits of a free-standing fountain.

A small space can be more difficult to design than a large one. However, with a bit of creativity and time, you can transform a cramped yard into an outdoor retreat.

Bamboo Plants - Big Is Not Always Beautfiful!

2006-11-04T21:57:00.000+01:00

Big is NOT always Best. Do not be fooled by the tremendous foliage and mass of leaves, this is not the real story! GET to the ROOTS, Take a look at your Bamboo plant or any plant for that matter and LET the roots show the true health of your plant.

Purchasing Your Bamboo

It is important to purchase a young seedling or bamboo plant that is say 12 months old EVERY TIME. When purchasing a bamboo for your garden it is important not to become carried away with buying the biggest and best bamboo that you can find. This can be difficult however especially as the bamboo plant is ideal for screening and fencing large areas within your garden. It is necessary then to detach yourself from emmotion then to pay attention to the bamboo plant and how it has been cultivated.

BUYING A YOUNG BAMBOO - Bamboo plants need time to allow for growth and maturity, this is because of their complex rhizome and root structures, if the plant is rushed or potted on too early and not allowed to grow at its own pace then it may be of poor quality, it may well be prone to disease and ultimately die.

LARGE IS NOT ALWAYS BEST - It is easy to become carried away with how large your bamboo plant is but the most important part of the bamboo is not the amount of leaf foliage above the pot or the number of culms (remember quality not quantity), it is what is within the pot, that is the Bamboo's rhizomes and roots.

GREEN LEAVES ARE GOOD - A healthy bamboo will have healthy moist leaves and fresh culms which show new growth at its nodes. The culms should be undamaged and free from disease. Bamboo with pale or yellow leaves or a high percentage of old, woody culms should be avoided as this plant will probably have been split from an older bamboo through division.

LOOK AT THE RHIZOMES and the ROOTS - The pot must be in similar poportion to the amount of leaf foliage above the pot. Take a look at the roots within the pots as these should show a healthy white root and rhizome structure. If there are a large amount of white new roots, then there will be a good strong bamboo that will emerge, at this stage you will also be able to identify whether the bamboo plant has been container grown or containerized.

Take a look around the top of the bamboo container as there should also be visible signs of fresh new growth at the edge or around the top of the bamboo pot, which again indicates a good strong plant

CONTAINER or CONTAINERISED? There are various methods of growing bamboo for your garden, this can be from bamboo seed (which is hard to come by given the long flowering periods of bamboo), vegetative, division , tissue culture, however which ever method is used each has their own advantages and disadvantages.

Bamboos grown and potted on in containers is a bamboo plant that has been allowed to grow at its own pace and mature throughout its life, it is a bamboo that will have been potted on when it was ready for the next stage in its growing cycle. This will provide a healthy balanced bamboo plant, that when positioned in the garden will be healthy and able to adapt to the change in conditions easier than a containerised bamboo.

Let us then take a look at a containerised bamboo plant, this is one which has been split from a large stock plant through the splitting of the root and rhizome structure. If great care is not taken the rhizome and root system can be severed when the division took place, so whilst the bamboo may have fantastic foliage and be of a good size, checks must be taken as previously discussed.

Look at the culms/ canes - is there a mixture of young and old, with visible signs of new leaf growth? Leaves - these should be healthy, moist and green in colour Roots and Rhizomes - do these look white and healthy and have new growth, are they intact Pests and Diseases- look for visible signs of damage and establish if chemicals have been used when treating these (chemicals can damage the immune system) Gain as much information from the supplier as possible.

Again DON'T BE FOOLED with what is above the pot, Look To The ROOTS!

Greenhouse Overview

2006-10-28T23:50:00.002+02:00

Anyone can grow plants, but to grow plants well takes a combination of knowledge, skill and the right location. A greenhouse creates the perfect atmosphere for plants to flourish; so many people are building greenhouses on their properties, and stocking them with the right greenhouse supplies.

Many factors are required to create a productive greenhouse. The greenhouse supplies will determine these factors. In other words, to have a really successful greenhouse, it is important to have the proper accessories and supplies to maintain it. Read on to learn which greenhouse supplies are vital to creating a nourishing environment for your plants:

A greenhouse serves as a nourishing home for young and tender plants, particularly those grown out of their normal season. Greenhouses are designed to create a proper environment for the plant to grow and be successfully cultivated. All kinds of plants will grow well in a greenhouse. Cacti, citrus trees and orchids do especially well in the greenhouse environment. Greenhouses are also ideal venues for scientists to conduct plant research.

A typical greenhouse is constructed with walls and a sloping roof, all built from glass or plastic panes. This structure provides the light, temperature and moisture needed for plants to grow in balanced conditions. Ideally, natural sunlight sufficiently supplies the requirements of plants, especially in temperate regions. When winter comes, however, it is necessary to provide added light and heat sources to encourage growth in your plants. The heat source generally is created by a steam or hot-air circulating system.

During the summer, the greenhouse panes are covered to reduce the intensity of the light. The structure of the greenhouse allows heat to be easily reduced. Whitewashing the panes and opening the ventilators are two ways to reduce greenhouse heat.

Most plants grow well with a certain amount of humidity in the air, which is maintained by the water supplied in the soils. The floors are sprayed with water to create more humidity when required. Orchids and other potted plants are set on racks with moistened residues.

Installing the right type of flooring is beneficial to the greenhouse owner in a number of ways. Flooring can offer an aesthetic quality to enhance the ambience and polish the image of the greenhouse. To be functional, and safe on watering days, the flooring should be made of non-skid material. Choose flooring that is easy to clean, and make sure the material will endure the high moisture in the greenhouse atmosphere.

Keep these essential elements in mind when planning your backyard greenhouse. It can mean the difference between simply growing plants, and helping your plants to flourish to be their most beautiful best.

A Wonderful Season For Bugs

2006-10-28T23:50:00.001+02:00

Fall is a wonderful season with the beautiful foliage, clear skies, and cooler temperatures. It's a great time to be outdoors. While, you might be looking for outdoor activities this time of year, bugs are looking for the indoors. During the fall months, insects begin looking for warmer places to spend the night and where they can spend the winter. The place they find may be your home.

Ladybugs, spiders, crickets, roaches, box elder bugs, millipedes, and many more insects begin their search in the fall for a warm place to make their home. Before you are overrun with these tiny little creatures, you might want to try some prevention techniques.

Home maintenance professionals recommend a maintenance plan for your home to help you save energy during the cold months of winter. But, many of the same techniques the maintenance professionals recommend also help in keeping out insects, mice, birds, and bats.

Many insects enter your home by crawling or flying in through cracks in the doors. If you use a screen door during the cooler, fall months, make sure the door fits well and that you don't have holes in the screen. A door, screen or solid, that has cracks along the sides, bottom, or at the top, not only will let air in, but it also lets in tiny insects. Check along the edges of your doors to make sure the weather stripping is in good shape. If it is old and doesn't seal your door any longer replace it with new weather stripping. You can buy weather stripping at nearly any hardware or home maintenance store.

Did you know that mice can squeeze into an area the size of a dime? They can, and with that in mind, you should take a close look around the outside of your house. Keep a dime in your pocket so you will remember just how small the holes can be. Often, you will find holes around outside water facets, next to windows, doors, and where electrical and cable enters your home. You should seal these areas with foam insulation, caulking, wood putty, or a small patch of concrete, depending on where the holes are found. Check the areas around the foundation of your home especially, because at the foundation is where weather could have caused some damage over the past year or so, and it is a good place for pests to enter. When sealing the holes, keep in mind that you may not be keeping out just a mouse. You may be keeping out carpenter ants, beetles, spiders, and a whole list of other insects, so you probably want to seal these areas even if they are smaller than a dime.

Check around your windows for cracks in the caulking and where the window fits into the frame. If the caulking is old and weathered and it is no longer keeping the air from coming into the home, you should scrape out the old caulk and put in a fresh new coat. Any number of insects can scale your home, even to the second story, to get in through a crack in the window.

Check the gable vents in your home. Bats, birds, and flying insects love warm attics during the fall and winter months. The air vent screens should be of a small mesh and should not have any holes. Remember, the mouse and the dime here too. Mice are known to scale walls, and they could enter your attic very easily if the screen is old and worn enough that they can chew through.

Fall is a wonderful season, and it's a great time to prepare for the winter months ahead. If you do a little home maintenance this fall, be sure to keep in mind that not only do you want to keep the cold air out, but you also want to keep pests from moving in as well.

For information on how to get rid of these insects, visit www.pestproductsonline.com.

Dennise Brogdon is the managing editor of the Hughston Health Alert, a quarterly, patient-information newsletter, and she is an editorial assistant for the National Athletic Trainers' Association's scientific journal, the Journal of Athletic Training. Dennise is a Web site copywriter and editor. She has experience writing and editing SEO copy and META tags, brochures, advertorials, video scripts, and other technical and promotional material, as well. Dennise earned a BA in English with professional writing as an emphasis at Columbus State University. She is a member of the American Medical Writers Association and the Georgia Writers Association.

Ten use for a tree

2006-10-28T23:49:00.001+02:00

Many ways can be used to accentuate the beauty of your house, and make your backyard more attractive. In your yard design, having a nice patio, a pool or even toys for the kids is great. But having a tree is often overlooked. We will develop ten uses for a tree in your backyard.

Create a shade spot in your backyard Create a wind barrier on your property Use tree as an edge fence Hang your self an hamac under your shade spot Have fresh fruit at reach in your backyard Create a scent with a fragrant fruit tree Use a small tree as bonsai and patio tree Add colors to an existing flower arrangement Have a tree house or a swing rope for the kids Hang a bird feeder and attract beautiful bird species

As you see, this is a small list of utilities for a tree in your backyard. Other then those, planting a tree helps the environment by cleaning the air. It will also embelishing your neighborhood and give the surrounding properties, including your home, an increase in value.

There are many ways of acquiring a tree. You can sow a seed, either collected yourself or bougth. Many online website specialize in seeds, especially tree seeds. You could also buy a juvenile tree from a garden center or take a cutting of a tree you like, given it is an appropriate time of the year. You can always hope a neighbors tree will drop a seed in fall and next spring a tree will arise like magic.

Enhance the Look of Your Yard with Wrought Iron

2006-10-13T18:14:00.003+02:00

Are you looking for a way to draw interest to the outside of your home? Are you ready to make your home the one that everyone notices in your neighborhood? If your answer is yes to these questions, consider investing in outdoor wrought iron décor.

Using wrought iron outdoors is a timeless way to give your home character. Wrought iron is not going out of style anytime soon. It has been used as home décor since the 16th century and continues to be popular today.

There are a variety of wrought iron items available for outdoor use. These items include fences, gates, and stair railings; arbors, plant stands, and other garden accents; and patio furniture.

Fencing, gates, and stair railings made from wrought iron give your home a majestic, almost castle-like feel. When wrought iron is used to enclose your yard, it makes the statement that what it is holding is important. Wrought iron gates can even be used if you do not have wrought iron fencing as long as it compliments your existing fencing. A wrought iron gate or stair railing immediately gives a distinct character to your home's entrance.

You can give your garden the look of an elegant Victorian Garden with the help of wrought iron. Use a wrought iron arbor at the entrance of your garden as a focal point and a place to grow a beautiful vine plant. Or place a wrought iron gazebo or garden bench in the middle of your garden to give you a nice area to sit outdoors. Other garden décor items are available as well, including trellises and plant stands.

Patio furniture that is made of wrought iron is a great choice to accent your home's outdoor living area. Not only does wrought iron patio furniture look great, but also it is very durable. Wrought iron patio furniture comes in many different sizes, so there should be a set that is perfect for your outdoor area whether it is large or small.

Organic gardening or Chemical - or both?

2006-10-13T18:14:00.001+02:00

Today we will discuss a fundamental question in gardening. Previously I was posed this question: "I hear that chemicals are poisoning our waterways, and that organic growing is much healthier than using chemicals. What's the truth, and how do I grow a healthy, productive garden without hurting the environment?"

This important question deserves an accurate answer. Therefore let's learn about plant nutrition. First , plants receive nutrition only as water-soluble mineral compounds through their roots. When we put plants, compost or manure into the soil, the organic material must first decompose, and the nutrient compounds must revert to water-soluble minerals before the next generation of plants can use them. This takes time, and sometimes as much as half of the nutrients are lost in the decomposition process. Nitrogen is particularly susceptible to loss because it is volatile and returns to the air very easily.

Second, there is no real difference between organic, and mineral or chemical nutrients. Everything in this world is a chemical! To the chemist the elements in the soil are called chemicals, to a geologist they are called minerals, and to an organic enthusiast they are called organics, but they are the same substances. To quote J. I. Rodale, from Organic Gardening magazine, "we organic gardeners have let our enthusiasm run away with us. We have said that the nitrogen which is in organic matter is different (and thus somehow better) from nitrogen in a commercial fertilizer. But this is not so." And "actually there is no difference between the nitrogen in a chemical fertilizer and the nitrogen in a leaf."

Third, there is no difference between soil and rocks except for the size of the particles, and 12 of the 13 mineral nutrients plants require are essentially ground-up rocks! They are natural, and there's really nothing "synthetic" about them.

So you see, there is no difference between "organic nitrogen" and mineral or chemical nitrogen, except two primary things. 1) the nitrogen that is part of an organic substance must decompose and revert to the water-soluble mineral state before being available to plants, and 2) mineral-source nitrogen is much higher in nutritional content, so much less is required to feed your plants.

As further evidence that mineral nutrients are not bad per se, I've researched which fertilizers meet the requirements for qualification as a Certified Organic garden, and 12 of the 13 nutrients we use in a Mittleider garden are approved. And the 13th - nitrogen - is the one that's most often used by organic gardeners, both in the garden and to aid in composting! Go figure.

This being the case, what should you do to assure you have the best garden and the healthiest plants possible? Give your plants accurate dosages of the best combination of nutrition you possibly can. The Mittleider natural mineral nutrient formulas are available at www.foodforeveryone.org/learn. You can mix your own "from scratch", or get the micro-nutrients from the Foundation website in the Store section. And never over-use any kind of fertilizer. Both manure and mineral compounds will harm our water supply if allowed to leach into the water table.

Meanwhile, remember that 99% of us depend on 1% to feed us, and commercial growers feed their crops! They use formulas like ours and call them "The preferred horticultural mix." Just check out Scott's Peter's Professional Pete Lite as an example.

This is not to say that organic materials don't have a place in the garden. You can improve soil texture and tilth by adding materials that have desirable characteristics, and even add some nutrient value. However, improving the soil in that way is not necessary to having a good garden, and people often introduce weeds, rodents, bugs, and diseases into their gardens, or provide a haven for them with their organic mulching practices. It is for this reason that we do not emphasize or encourage composting and manure.

Mittleider gardens qualify as "organic" because we don't use pesticides or herbicides. However, I suggest they are even better than organic, because the plants receive just what they need, they grow fast, and we almost never have insect or disease problems because there are no weeds to provide a home, and the plants aren't in the ground long enough for the pests to get established

About Plant Damping And Preventing It

2006-10-13T18:13:00.001+02:00

Seed propagation can reveal itself to be difficult if optimal conditions are not present. One common problem is the damping of the seedling. It is often called as root rot. How do you know if your seedling are affected ? Well it’s pretty tricky. Almost 100% of the time you realize too late that your seedlings are affected.

Seeds will die in soil without germinating or seedlings will die overnight, they will be rotten at the base/soil line and the rest of the seedling will be laying against the soil. The damping off disease is caused by a fungi. Fungi being the scientific name for mushroom.

At least four different fungal elements are known to cause the suddent death. It could be initaially present in the soil used to sow the seeds, or be in the seeds itself. Seedlings can be affected in their first 4 weeks of living. Bad conditions are known to trigger this fungi activity.

First, overwatering will cause the shrooms to develop themselves and accelerate the rot of the seedling stem. Unsterile soil or dirty growing containers will cause damping.

The best way to prevent damping of your seeds/seedlings is to adopt a clean method of propagation. First, ensure that you use clean container ans sterile soil. You can also prevent damping by keeping your pot or seed tray clean. Preparing seeds correctly for germination is solving half the problem from the start.

Not overwatering is another method to prevent fungal disease. First, before each watering, you can check the soil to make sure it is dry enough. Letting the soil be on the dry side, but still moist between each watering is the best method to prevent damping.

Planting seeds too deep will also encourage productions of fungi or the activtion of the inner fungi elements. Seeds need to feel the heat of the light/sun.

Lastly, having good air circulation will help prevent damping, as it will help the seedling breath and the soil to dry out.

To be on the safe side, you can used different chemical products, such as damping-off, but the best way is to give your seeds/seedlings the best natural treatment.

Fall Lawn and Garden Preparation

2006-10-13T18:12:00.000+02:00

Today we'll talk about preparing your lawn, trees, shrubs, and garden for winter, and how best to improve your soil during this time of year.

Much of this Country seems to be clay soil, so first let's find out how to improve problem clay soils. These procedures also apply to other types of soil, but may not be so important if you have loamy or sandy soil.

I don't often dwell on amending your soil, because it is not essential for growing a good garden if you feed and water properly. However, it can be a good idea, so long as you use clean, weed, seed, bug, and disease-free materials.

Weed-free grass clippings are good soil amendments when they're available, as are pine needles. And this time of the year you can also use your leaves. Mulch pine needles and leaves as fine as possible with a chipper/shredder or mulching mower, and then turn 3 or 4 inches of them into your soil-beds. Just don't use walnut leaves, as the sap is very hard on some of your vegetables, especially tomatoes. This procedure will improve your soil tilth, and doing it in the fall gives the organic material plenty of time to de-compose before spring planting.

What else should you be doing now to get your yard ready for winter and give growing things a head start for spring? The Mittleider Method - as taught in his gardening books available at www.growfood.com - teaches the importance of and best methods of weeding and feeding your garden. .A final weeding is a very good idea for starters. Left alone, some weeds will over-winter and come back strong as soon as the snow leaves your ground and before you can get into the yard. That's why farmers plant winter wheat, and gardeners plant things like garlic - so they have a head start in the spring. Don't give your weeds that advantage!

The next thing to do is to clean up and remove all organic materials from the garden area! Clean, disease-free plant residue should be turned into the soil along with your leaves, and you should remove everything else, so as not to provide a place for bugs to winter-over.

A slow-release fertilizer is also a good thing to put down in the fall. This way, it is available to lawn, plants, and trees as they first stir in late winter and early spring. This is also an excellent time to apply calcium, which is "the foundation of a good feeding program," and an essential nutrient almost as important as nitrogen. How is this best done? Calcium does not move very far in the soil, so it's best to work it into the plants' root zone in the soil. However, what about the majority of your yard, that doesn't get turned over every fall?

With lawn, trees, shrubs, vines, and perennials such as raspberries and asparagus, it is usually impractical to dig things up every year like a vegetable garden. Therefore, sometimes the question is asked "Would it be advantageous to aerate first, or use a root feeder or something similar to get Pre-Plant minerals more into the root zone?"

Many people feel this is important, and there may be some advantage to aerating your lawn or around your shrubs and trees before applying your fall slow-release fertilizer and calcium. However Dr. Mittleider says it is not necessary and doesn't do it, and we have never aerated our yard and get along just fine. Therefore, I recommend you spread the materials evenly on the soil surface, scratch them in with a rake or hoe, and either water them in thoroughly or, if you have already turned off your outside water for the winter, let the melting snow take them down into the root zone of your plants.

Do these things now and your garden can be a thing of beauty even in the winter!

Acquiring and preparing fruit tree seeds for germination

2006-10-08T10:09:00.000+02:00

Fruit tree are usually very beautiful in spring and in fall. Spring because they are full of flowers, and fall because they are full of fruits.

Many species, such as crabapple, cotoneaster, prunus and cherry, are beauty themselves. Often such specimen can cost alot in specialized garden nursery. One way to cheaply acquire a tree is to propagate them. Fruit tree can be reproduce with seeds or cuttings. Seeds is the easiest but longest method. You can buy seeds or collect them.

The best time to gather fruit tree seeds is in fall, when leaves are starting to drop. At this time, you are certain that the fruits are mature, hence the seeds are also. So, you can pick as many fruits as you need seeds. Some species, have more then one seed per fruit.

The method to clean and prepare the seeds is simple. For fleshy fruit, such as cotoneaster cranberry, crabapple or cherry, you can fill a bowl of hot water, but not boiling water. In the water, you gather the fruits and rub them with your fingers till the flesh is fully removed from the seeds.

Once you have separate the loose flesh pulp from the seeds, you can gather the seeds in a new bowl, pour some boiling water on it, to clean the seeds. Empty the water, keep the seeds, and repeat the process of boiling water.

You will then need to sterilize the seeds. This can be accomplish by laying the seeds on a paper towel on a cookie tray. On a sunny day, you leave the seeds in the biscuit tray under the sun, for at least 4 hours and till they become dry to to the touch.

You can store your seeds, in a dry ziplock bag in the veggie compartment of your fridge till you are ready to germinate/sow your seeds. For further germination instructions you can refer to my articles on my website.

Physiology Of A Tree

2006-10-08T10:08:00.000+02:00

A tree vitality requires a complex process consisting in transformation of natural ressource. In other words, the tree’s extract from the soil and the air, the elements they need and with the energy of the sun, it transform and devellop these ressource into food. Trees are mainly composed of three parts; the roots, the trunk and branches and the foliage (leaves or needles).

Roots

The roots are usualy the hidden part of the tree as they are primarly underground. They are destinate to play four roles in the tree vitality. They anchor the tree solidly in the ground, they absorb and transport water and minerals and they store the food processed by the leaves. In younger tree’s, the root system is composed of a sole main root, called the tap root. As the tree gets older, it will develop a lateral network of roots terminating with fine “roots hair”. These small roots, are the ones that absorb water and minerals. Food storage is necessary for next seasons production of leaves, seeds and flowers.

Trunk and branches

The trunk and branches also play different functions. They are the distributor of the water and mineral of from the roots to the leaves but they return the processed food back to the roots from the leaves. They also are a flexible support for the canopy. They are composed of four main sections. First, the Bark, wich protect the inner tree sections from insects, injury and prevent dryness. The second part is the cambium. It is a small layer of tissue compose with multiple cells that reproduce themself constantly which help the tree gain girth. It is also this layer that will form a protective skin again an injury before recreating bark. Third, the layer of sapwood. This layer is the highway for food, minerals and water. It act as the canal between the roots and the leaves for a back and forth distribution of goods. Fourth and last is the heartwood. It is composed of dead wood and is normally darker in color because of the higher resin concentration.

Leaves

The leaves are the factory of the vitality process. They transform the natural elements into food, with the help of the ligth/sun, a process called photosynthesis. The leaves also absorb carbon dioxide from the air to incroporate with water and minerals to form the complex but essential compound for tree survival.

Indoor Hydroponic Systems Let You Garden Year Round

2006-10-07T21:18:00.001+02:00

Do you love gardening? There is nothing quite like going out to your own garden and picking fresh ripe vegetables for your daily meals. If you love gardening as much as I do, then you probably feel a little sad when it all comes to an end each fall.

Well. I have found a way to have fresh vegetable growing all year by growing them with indoor hydroponic systems. It takes a little work to get set up, but then so does traditional gardening.

Hydroponics means soilless gardening. That's right. You can grow lush healthy plants and vegetables without any soil whatsoever. Hydroponics actually is not new technology. I has been in use many years on the commercial and research levels. It has only been the past few years that hydroponic systems have taken off in the home use sector. Now you can buy indoor hydroponic systems in kits so it is easier to get set up.

There are actually several different ways to grow plants with an indoor hydroponic system. Soil is not used, but other growing material is. This material may be water, gravel, sand, or vermiculite. Water needs to be able to flow through the medium so the more porous it is, the better it will be for they plants to grow. One could even use bran, moss or coconut fiber as a medium for indoor hydroponic systems.

The lifeblood of indoor hydroponic systems is the nutrient solution which is added to the water and bathes the roots. The nutrient solution was first developed in the 1890s and continues to be used today. It contains phosphorous, nitrogen, potassium, and trace minerals. This nutrient solution is used in the place of fertilizer.

The fun thing about indoor hydroponic systems is that you can design and build your own system if you want. If that sounds like too much trouble you can buy parts or entire kits. When you design your own system you can use whatever is available to you such as an old aquarium which can be used as a tank for the nutrient solution.

In addition to the tank or the reservoir, you will also need artificial lighting. Lighting that is specifically designed for growing plants, or grow lights, should be used. These can be obtained easily at any garden shop.

You will also need an air pump to maintain the proper levels of oxygen in the nutrient solution for the plant roots. An aquarium air stone works just fine. Anything can be used that aerates the water and makes bubbles.

A growing tray or tubes are needed to support your plants. Design them in such a way that the plant roots can hang below the tray to come into contact with the nutrient solution.

The easiest thing to do is to buy a kit that has all the indoor hydroponic system parts in one easy package. This is especially helpful if you know little about designing and building things, particularly hydroponics systems. Once you see the system in action and have a good grasp of how it all comes together, you may want to design your own system from then on.

If you are wondering what types of plants can be grown in indoor hydroponic systems, you will be pleased to know that you can grow anything you want from tomatoes, to mushrooms, to green vegetables, and anything else you want to try.

Flowers as a sign of Condolence

2006-10-07T10:38:00.001+02:00

One of the most significant ways that you can show your condolences for the family of a deceased person is to send sympathy flowers. Normally, funerals are adorned with sympathy flowers from many concerned friends and acquaintances. Sympathy flowers are a traditional way to brighten up the home of the bereaved family and hopefully divert their grief. Sympathy flowers are a way to commemorate and honor the life of the deceased.

It is important to remember that if you are limited in your budget, synthetic flowers are not appropriate. There are several different lower priced sympathy flower arrangements that would be a better choice. Bud vases, table arrangements, and small wreaths in fresh flowers make a more tasteful choice than a large synthetic flower arrangement.

There are many choices in sympathy flowers. Standing arrangements, sprays, casket drapes, and planters are all common sympathy flower purchases. When ordering a sympathy flower arrangement, you can make a choice of type of flower, color, and style of the arrangement. These options allow you to totally customize and personalize your sympathy flower purchase.

One of the most popular sympathy flower arrangements currently is the garden basket planter. These arrangements are unique because the flowers can be kept and grown in the planter as a reminder for the family members of the deceased.

If you find yourself in a position where you need to send sympathy flowers there are certain things you need to consider. There are some cultural and religious differences that can influence the choice of sympathy flowers. For most cultures and religions, sympathy flowers are accepted and welcomed. However, for some members of the Muslim faith the emphasis at a funeral is on simplicity. Sympathy flowers are not appropriate in this case. Additionally, the shape of sympathy flowers is of important consideration. Sympathy flowers are often arranged in a cross shape, but this would not be appropriate for a Jewish funeral.

Picnic Tables Are Still In Style After Labor Day

2006-10-07T10:37:00.000+02:00

A warm, sunny, autumn day can be gorgeous, refreshing, invigorating, and exciting. It may evoke feelings of nostalgia, as you remember the thrill of finding the perfect Halloween pumpkin on just such a day in your childhood. It may make you adventurous, as it sparks the urge to hike through the woods, reveling in the vibrant colors of the foliage. Indeed, it can conjure many emotions. Unfortunately, however, in many people, it causes twinges of regret, as they gaze wistfully at the glorious day, wishing that they had not put their picnic tables away for the winter.

That's what you're supposed to do, right? It's a tradition. After the end of September, at the latest, all picnics must be tabled until next Memorial Day, because, left outside, exposed to the elements, the old picnic table soon won't have a leg to stand on.

Certainly, that's the way we remember it; but today's picnic tables are a lot sturdier than their predecessors were. Because of some of the improvements in wood treatments, as well as the introduction of many new, synthetic materials, they're incredibly strong. In fact, depending upon the material you choose, and where your picnic table is placed, you may be able to leave it outside all year long. In any case, a properly treated picnic table can last indefinitely.

Western red cedar, one of the most popular woods for picnic tables of old, remains a favorite today, partly because it has natural oils that make it resistant to decay and insects. It is also has properties that make it dimensionally stable, give it a rich, dense texture, and prevent it from warping. Add to that its natural luster and distinct, pleasant aroma, and it's not only a tough wood, but a tough wood to beat, to boot. It can be sealed and stained to maintain its reddish hue, or allowed to weather to a rustic gray.

Treated pine picnic tables, which are also in high demand, are made from top-grade arsenic-free pine that has undergone a process of kiln-drying, before and after a special pressure treatment, to help to prevent decay and minimize warping, checking, and twisting. They can also be sealed and stained, or allowed to weather to gray.

With one of the largest and best selections anywhere, AllPicnicTables.com has picnic tables made from every material imaginable. In addition to cedar and pine, you'll also find stunning oak and teak tables, as well as virtually indestructible vinyl, polywood, thermoplastic-coated steel, aluminum, and fiberglass picnic tables. The metal and synthetic tables are designed to be left outside year-round, without rusting, cracking, warping, or chipping. They are also available in a full spectrum of colors, and many are suited for commercial use.