July 6, 2011 by admin
Herbs are wonder plants that are well worth the gardener’s effort to include them in a home garden. One of the many good things about herbs is that most of them can be grown in pots or similar containers with great success. So in addition to supplying ample supplies of succulent fresh food flavorings for the kitchen potted herbs can be also become an attractive component of a landscape plan. In pots they are mobile so they can be arranged along borders of patios, balconies, walks, porches, walks and drives and add their unique beauty and color to many different areas.
Growing herbs in containers require no extraordinary effort and is no more demanding than growing vegetables in containers. The three basics of culturing herbs in containers is soil, light and water. Simply stated herbs in pots need plenty of sunlight (at least ten hours per day), well drained soil and enough water to just keep the soil damp.
Getting started growing herbs in pots is easy. All that is needed is a few six inch pots (a good size for herbs). Herb plants are not very demanding but they are insistent about one thing.
They don’t like wet feet and they will demonstrate their dislike by either not producing a product or by just merely dying. Well drained soil to live in is an easy request to satisfy. Place a layer of pea gravel size stone material in the bottom of the pot then fill it with a mixture of two parts potting soil and one part coarse sand. Doing this will insure that the plants receive adequate moisture while excess water drains out through the gravel. Add a teaspoon of lime for sweetness and you are ready for planting.
Adequate lighting is another important consideration. To prosper and provide the most delectable fresh herbs for the home chef the plants need ten to twelve hours of light every day. Sunlight is the best but if that is not possible then “grow lights” will get the job done. Grow lights are nothing more than a small florescent light fixture with the word grow appended to the name. They are readily available at any number of places including big box stores, garden shops, nurseries or hardware stores. Place the lights about eighteen inches above the plants and have them on ten to twelve hours per day to coincide with the amount of time in the sunlight they would normally receive. Sunlight is better for the plants, it’s free and you don’t have to plug it into a wall socket. A quick survey of where the sun shines into or around the house will indicate where the potted herbs should be located. Wherever they are located they should be rotated at least weekly.
To get the herb plants started in the prepared pots the gardener can choose to begin with seed, bulbs or seedlings. With seed or bulbs it is possible to grow more than one herb per pot but that depends on the herb. Seedlings are a good way to get a fast start by just transferring the established seedling into the prepared pot. Annuals are replanted each year and perennials should be replanted in the pot each year in new potting soil or transferred to the outdoor garden.
Growing herb plants in pots is easy and rewarding. It is a great way to get started in outdoor herb gardening or a practical to cultivate herbs on an extended basis.
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June 15, 2011 by admin
Plants typically grow in a growing medium known as soil or dirt, but this is not the case with hydroponic gardening. With hydroponics, plants grow without soil. They can be planted in hydroponic growing mediums that are soil-free, and plants are fed through the use of plant nutrient, another name for plant fertilizer. Water is used to carry the nutrient to the plant’s roots, where they take it up. There are several different types of hydroponic growing mediums, so a quick overview of your options is in order.
For hydroponic gardeners, there are several hydroponic growing mediums that you can try. Coconut coir is a good product to use. It comes in a brick form that, when water is applied, expands to five times its original size. Coir can be mixed with other hydroponic growing mediums, and can be used in indoor and outdoor gardening applications. Rock wool is another medium that originates from mineral compounds that are molten, resulting in a reusable product that allows the roots to have better access to oxygen than other types of hydroponic growing mediums.
For traditional plantings where having quality soil is important, such as container gardening, gardening in raised beds or hanging baskets, you might want to try Foxfarm Ocean Forest, which is an organic potting soil mix. Because Foxfarm Ocean Forest is organic, it is perfect to use to grow organic fruits and vegetables in containers or as an amendment to your existing garden soil. Featuring a light texture that is well aerated, Foxfarm Ocean Forest’s ingredients include micronutrients, bat guano and earthworm castings.
Another excellent choice for use with plants grown in soil is made by Botanicare. Two options are Botanicare Soil known as Hydroplex, and Pure Blend Pro Botanicare Soil. Hydroplex Botanicare Soil contains no nitrogen in favor of phosphorus and potassium, and this is a great choice for use in gardens containing clay soil because they tend to be low in phosphorus and potassium, necessary for flower, fruit and root formation as well as disease resistance. Pure Blend Pro was made for container gardening, and contains plant nutrients that will enhance vegetable and flower formation.
Another option is to grow your plants in Hydroton grow
rocks. Hydroton grow rocks are made out of clay, and they offer a clean and odorless solution for soil gardening. Hydroton grow rocks offer several advantages in plant growth, including a reduction in root rot and better root aeration, reduction in acidity as well as soil pests that can devastate traditional crops. The clay helps the soil to store water as well.
Hydroponic products, including growing mediums, can be found through better online hydroponic discount gardening suppliers.
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June 5, 2011 by admin
Though hydroponics has many advantages over traditional soil growing, plants grown hydroponically are still subject to the same kind of diseases of soil-based plants. One of the biggest factors that determine your success in general hydroponics growing may very well be what steps you take to make sure your plants stay uninfected. If you take the following measures, your odds of having to deal with an epidemic in your grow room will decrease dramatically.
Keep Your Grow Room Clean – Old trimmings that are lying on the floor or in the cracks of your growing medium can be an invitation to disease. Make sure you follow up every pruning session by clearing away all the removed foliage. You should also make sure to thoroughly clean out or completely replace your growing medium after every growing season.
Isopropyl alcohol should be a regular presence in your gardening closet. Regularly wipe down your tools, tubing, and containers. This will kill off any nasty bacterial or viral diseases before they get chance to ruin your plants.
Handle Plants With Care – Much like open wounds on a person can become easily infected because of the easier access that bacteria have to the body, cuts and scrapes on your plants can also make your plants more easily fall ill. Even very clean, intentional cuts that are conducted in general hydroponics growing can make your plants more prone to disease. Regularly examine your plants for cuts and cover them up with a pruning cleanup substance.
Contain small problems before they become large problems – If you notice one of your plants developing the symptoms of a bacterial or viral disease, quickly quarantine that plant. It may seem like a pain to have to go through the steps necessary to transfer that plant to a new grow area, but it will probably save you a lot of hassle if you can prevent the infection of the entire crop.
Keep all Soil Out – General hydroponics growing is typically more disease free than traditional growing, because many of the worst plant diseases lurk in the soil. But soil can sometimes still find its way into your grow trays, so make sure you take steps to eliminate all dirt. When transferring a plant from a soil garden to your hydroponic system, rinse the roots thoroughly. You should also perhaps use a bit of organic fungicide on all outside plants before introducing them to your garden to reduce the chances of fungal infection.
Keep an Eye on Bugs – Bugs don’t just wreck your system by feeding off of your plants, they can also be carriers of nasty diseases. Learn to identify the signs of a bug infestation early, and handle it before it gets out of control.
Stick to the Basics – The things that you do to increase the size of you buds, improve the flavor of your vegetables, and increase your yields are the exact same thing that will help prevent disease. Keeping your nutrient solution’s pH well regulated, making sure your plant receives optimal nutrients, and keeping an eye on the heat and humidity will not just be a boon come harvest time, they will also boost the collective immune system of your crop.
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May 15, 2011 by admin
Does Your Home Garden Have a Style? You may be asking me “Style? For a garden? I just plant flowers.” But, if you think about it, you can see that there really can be different styles for gardens.
A garden style can help you decide what kind of look you want for your garden as well as where to put your plantings.
How do you take style design into your gardening plans when you have so many practical matters to think about? You have garden size, whether the area is in sun or shade, its proximity to buildings, and how you will be using the space.
The solution is to treat is element of your garden as a part of a single design. The walls, garden furniture, even potted plants should all relate to the overall garden style. The most successful and beautiful gardens have started with a plan.
Let’s take a look at some different garden styles:
You’ve probably heard of the cottage garden. This style is suggested by rambling roses, type of fencing (usually rock or stone walls) , stones for garden paths, ponds and other natural grasses and materials.
Some other garden styles can be classified as “national” styles. These garden styles can be Italian, Japanese, English, Spanish and American. American gardens are broken down further into southern, desert, southwest and others.
Many times, the style of a garden is determined by climate and location. Gardens located in Arizona, for instance, must be of a different style from those located in northern, colder climates. And plants in southern gardens with their lush greenery and overblown flowers won’t live in either hot desert or cold snowy climates.
So, you can see that the style of your garden is closely tied to the climate conditions surrounding it.
Gardens can also be defined in style as formal or informal. For instance, a simple rose garden can look dramatically different when planted in a cottage garden style than when planted in a more formal geometric style.
When trying to decide on a style for your garden, first look at your geographical location. Then, think about what style you have in your home. Is it more casual or quite formal? This will give you a place to start for designing your garden.
Now, decide on how you will be using the space. Will you be having family barbecues or will you be doing more formal entertaining? Do you have children or pets that will need a lawn or enclosed area to play in?
Next, take a look at your trees and buildings. You will need adequate shade (or sun) for certain flowers and plants.
Once you have taken these matters into account, you can start your actual garden plan. Draw up a plan for your garden. Even a rough sketch of the space where your garden will be and where each element (such as flowers, foliage, stonework,or pond) will be can be a tremendous help in planting your beautiful new garden.
Now, all you have to do is plant it!
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March 21, 2011 by admin
According to Mexican myth the gods were born from Frangipani flowers. Frangipani (Plumeria) is very rare in China, and even more precious than orchids. So, when a person gives frangipani flowers to a sweetheart, it is the closest thing to saying you’re special, I love you in a culture where expression of personal feelings is frowned upon. The colorful caterpillar of Pseudosphinx tetrio feeds predominantly on the leaves of Plumeria rubra (frangipani). “Warming” oils — such as those from frangipani are said to have a calming influence on those suffering from fear, anxiety, insomnia or tremors, according to the principles of Ayurveda, a 5,000-year-old Indian holistic science that seeks to balance mind, body and spirit. Frangipanis are good hosts for dendrobium orchids. According to Vietnamese myth, ghosts live in trees with white and fragrant flowers including the frangipani. In Vietnam and China the colour white is associated with death and funerals. In Hindu culture, the flower means loyalty. Hindu women put a flower in their hair on their wedding days to show their loyalty to their husbands. There is a theory that Catholic missionary priests spread frangipanis around the world as they travelled. This may explain why the frangipani is so popular and common in the Philippines and Thailand but very rare in China and Vietnam. Thailand and the Philippines welcomed the Christian missionaries while, in China and Vietnam, they were persecuted until around the 1850s. The frangipani is regarded as a sacred tree in Laos and every Buddhist temple in that country has them planted in their courtyards. Frangipanis won’t burn except in extreme temperatures (over 500 degrees). In Caribbean cultures the leaves are used as poultices (a healing wrap) for bruises and ulcers and the latex (sap) is used as a liniment for rheumatism. The frangipani is also associated with love in feng shui. In India the frangipani is a symbol of immortality because of its ability to produce leaves and flowers even after it has been lifted out of the soil. It is often planted near temples and graveyards, where the fresh flowers fall daily upon the tombs. In Vietnam the frangipani is used for its healing qualities: the bark, mashed in alcohol, prevents skin inflammation. It is also used to treat indigestion and high blood pressure, while the roots have purgative effects on animals and the milk-like sap serves as a balm for skin diseases. The white flowers are used in traditional medicine to cure high blood pressure, haemophilia, cough, dysentery and fever. In Malay folklore the scent of the frangipani is associated with a vampire, the pontianak. In modern Polynesian culture, the frangipani can be worn by women to indicate their relationship status – over the right ear if seeking a relationship, and over the left if taken. Frangipani trees were once considered taboo in Thai homes because of superstitious associations with the plant’s Thai name, lantom, which is similar to ratom, the Thai word for sorrow. As a result, frangipanis were thought to bring unhappiness. Today, however, the blossoms are presented as fragrant offerings to Buddha and Thai people wear them on special festival days like Songkran (Thai New Year). The frangipani is the national flower of Nicaragua and it features on some of their bank notes. The name, frangipani, comes from the Italian nobleman, Marquis Frangipani, who created a perfume used to scent gloves in the 16th century. When the frangipani flower was discovered its natural perfume reminded people of the scented gloves, and so the flower was called frangipani. Another version has it that the name, frangipani, is from the French frangipanier which is a type of coagulated milk that the Plumeria milk resembles. The name, Plumeria, is attributed to Charles Plumier, a 17th Century French botanist who travelled to the New World documenting many plant and animal species, although according to author Peter Loewer (The Evening Garden: Flowers and Fragrance from Dusk Till Dawn; Timber Press, 2002) Plumier was not the first to describe Plumeria. That honour goes to Francisco de Mendoza, a Spanish priest who did so in 1522.
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March 20, 2011 by admin
Information on Organic Products
You may be shocked at how much of the produce at your local supermarket has been genetically modified with chemicals and pesticides. While there is strong evidence that chemically modified foods are harmful to your health, there have been no long term studies done either.
Here is a quote from The Environmental Protection Agency “Pesticides are designed to kill pests. Many pesticides can also pose risks to people. The health effects of pesticides depend on the type of pesticide. Some, such as the organophosphates and carbonates, affect the nervous system. Others may irritate the skin or eyes. Some pesticides may be carcinogens. Others may affect the hormone or endocrine system in the body.” Now let’s take a look at the fertilizers and pesticides that are used for farming. Pesticides infiltrate deep into the foliage of plant life and they reside even after you bring them home and wash them or use some product to make sure they are clean and free of bugs.
It is best to buy organic fruits and vegetables but they can be so expensive that sometimes it just does not fit into your budget. The best part is that anybody with some soil and a shovel can grow a vegetable garden which means, healthy organic vegetables at a fraction of the price. Many of the vegetables are noticeably tastier and sweeter, not to mention healthier when they come strait from a home garden.
How to Plant Fruit trees
Another great way to produce your own organic fruits is to grow your own fruit trees. Now this requires a little more experience but it is well worth it. The fruit trees will have to be planted in a place where you can get the roots to go grow deep enough.
Apples are considered on of the most popular fruit today and when grown properly a single tree can produce up to 500 apples in a season. They taste nothing like they use to when I was a kid. It bothers me to know that the kids today have to deal with pesticides that stay in the fruit long after the crop was gathered. Then they are waxed and stored in chemical dependant surroundings. Some other possible trees to consider planting are cherry, lemon, lime, plum, pear and orange trees. Explore what will grow in your neighborhood and plant, plant, plant.
The Best Flowers, Shrubs and Herbs
Every garden should have some variety of attractive flowers. It’s essential to gardens! When you have a climate that is considered dry and pretty hot then planting herbs like rosemary, thyme and sage are best. When the climate is humid but still sunny then planting herbs like chives, shallots, Italian parsley, tarragon and coriander and cooler climates suits borage, peppermint and lemon balm. This is just some suggestions but try to plant species that are native to your area. Have you considered that if you plant flowers that attract local insects, frogs or birds that this too helps with the growth of your garden.
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March 8, 2011 by admin
Well, the time is here. You’ve been growing and nurturing your little tomato seedlings the last six to eight weeks and it’s time to put them in the garden. Don’t worry. You’ll be fine. Transplanting tomatoes really isn’t rocket science.
For those gardening in the upper two-thirds of the country, don’t plant your tomatoes outside until at least Memorial Day. In fact, when I lived in Vermont, we never planted hot season crops until the first moon in June. Tomatoes are part of a crop of what’s known as “tender” annuals.
What makes them tender? The cold. Anything below about 55-60 degrees at night and tomatoes aren’t happy. Planting around Memorial Day weekend will ensure that you won’t lose your tomatoes to a cold snap. No, you won’t have the first ripe tomato by Fourth of July. But you’ll have a strong yield in August when the early bird plants are starting to die back.
Prepare the bed in the garden before removing the seedling from its cup. You’ll want a nice deep trough to plant them in. Instead of digging a deep hole, make sure you dig a furrow to lay your tomato plant down. The root ball lies in the foot of the trough and the plant goes at the head. You may not need to secure the plant to a trellis or tomato cage right away but just be prepared to do so.
Next, remove any seedling stakes and plant ties that have been supporting your tomato plants while they grew in their seedling cups. Next, gently massage the sides of the seedling cup to loosen the soil. Place your hand over the top of the cup with the stem of the tomato plant between your first and second fingers. Turn the cup over so the root ball lands in the palm of your hand and pull the cup off with your free hand.
When you have gently removed the plant from its seedling cup, lay the root ball and the stem in the furrow up to the true leaves. They’re the very first set of leaves that were produced during germination.
The best thing about this process is that tomatoes will grow roots along the stem as well as continue growing roots in the root ball. Planting tomatoes this way will ensure a stronger root base and better fruit. Does this mean you can’t plant the traditional deep-hole way? No, you certainly can. I’ve found, though, that my tomato plants are stronger when they’re laid in a furrow instead of planted in a hole.
Tomatoes are voracious eaters so feed them every two weeks or so with a liquid fertilizer. Toward the end of the summer and into early fall, keep your eye out for a nasty tomato muncher called the tomato hornworm. They’re clever and disguise themselves like the color of the plant so they’re hard to see. Look for tomato plant green with white stripes. These pests will destroy a tomato plant in the time it takes to change your mind.
Well, maybe not quite that fast but I’ve seen them reduce a plant to stubs and half-eaten fruit in the course of a few days. When you see one … and you will … clip the branch that they’re resting on and kill them. I may get some comments about killing a living thing but I can’t imagine one beneficial thing a tomato hornworm does. If you know of one, feel free to email me.
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March 2, 2011 by admin
If you are starting out with indoor gardening, there is a lot to learn. One of the important environmental factors that you will need to provide for your plants is appropriate light. Plants need light for photosynthesis. Plants have the amazing ability to change light energy through photosynthesis into glucose and oxygen, which they need to thrive and grow. You will want to consider the grow lights you use in your indoor growing area very carefully, because it is a major aspect that will affect the success of your gardening venture. There are several new grow lights, and very popular ones include HID lights, HPS grow lights, LED grow lights, and MH grow lights. These are all hydroponic gardening grow lights, and all can be used with plants grown in soil as well.
HID lights go by the full name of high-intensity discharge lights. MH grow lights and HPS grow lights are also high-intensity discharge lamps. HID lights produce a great deal of light that more closely resembles sunlight than the light produced by either incandescent or fluorescent light bulbs, which is better for plant growth and reproduction. The way light is produced by HID lamps is when you turn the electricity on, the current runs through a ballast, which regulates the electrical flow to the electrodes, which are inside an arc tube, along with various gases and metals. When an electrical arc is produced, the gas in the tube helps start the light bulb, and the metals, once they reach the appropriate temperature, evaporate and produce the light that you see.
HPS grow lights make excellent hydroponic lights. HPS stands for high-pressure sodium, and these are used by professional growers to produce vegetables and flowers indoors commercially. HPS lamps use mercury in the arc tube, as well as sodium, and this makes for good color rendering, or colors showing up accurately when lit by the bulb. The spectrum color that a bulb gives off is important, because plants thrive under different colors depending on their stage of maturity. If you are trying to grow lettuce, for example, you will want to use the blue light spectrum under which it thrives. If you have mature tomato plants that you want to produce fruit and flowers, then you will want to use a red/orange spectrum to induce the plant to behave appropriately.
LED grow lights are called this due to a light-emitting diode that allows the lamp to produce light. These lights are handy because they come in an array of colors used in growing plants, and they produce a lot of light that is easily focused where you need it. They have a very long life as well.
Another type of grow lights are metal halide lamps. The arc tubes of these compact and efficient bulbs contain argon gas, mercury and a mix of metal halides. Like the other choices for HID lights, these lights require the use of a ballast in order to function properly.
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December 31, 2010 by admin
Investing in Building A Green House will assure you of the independence of growing your food and making something out of your own two hands. It is but economical to build your own green house since it costs less than having to buy a pre-built one which you only pay for the materials being used.
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We all know that starting a project may not be so easy as it looks. There are things you may need to consider like the ventilation, dimensions, heating, irrigation and the like. Building A Green House is a sample of something that would guide you to build the perfect green house for your homes. This has been picked up from many years of experience.
In Building A Green House, you will be taught how to start off without the assistance of tools that give you a headache to follow on. You basically just need a handsaw, a drill, and perhaps a hammer and some screws. You will be able to follow on diagrams to make it easier for you with all the correct dimensions and the materials needed.
The Building A Green House ebook is easily accessible and downloadable. You can have as many copies to share with the people who will help you out with your project. You will also be provided with detailed step by step plans that would instruct you on how to build your own chosen style that would definitely be perfect for your backyard garden or small fruit farm.
Some of the things you will find in this ebook will definitely help you out in cutting corners by giving you instructions on what to do and information on the materials you need and how to maintain the situation in your green house. Building A Green House will be the best investment you could ever have made.
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November 27, 2010 by admin
Raised garden beds are a great option for many gardeners. What are some of the advantages of raised bed gardening.
First of all, it’s a great way to create a good garden for your vegetables or flowers. With a raised bed, you can create a soil environment that works for your crops. You aren’t saddled with the drainage problems, or soil that has too much sand or clay. In fact, for one type of raised bed gardening, the square foot gardening technique, the preferred approach is to eliminate soil problems completely by using a soilless mix of perlite, peat, and vermiculite.
Also since the bed is raised you won’t be walking around on it, and you can use intensive gardening techniques that basically eliminate the aisle and grow the crops closer together, resulting in higher crop yields. This requires less water, fertilizer, and weeding. Exactly what you would want in a garden.
But, it’s not only good for the garden, but it’s good for the gardener. The fact that the bed is raised makes it easier to get to. You don’t need to do as much bending as with a traditional garden. If this is a major issue for you, you may even consider buying an elevated bed. These beds can be as high as waist high, so you can garden from a chair or a stool if back problems are a real issue for you. These beds usually have a storage shelf, so you can do all your gardening all in one spot. Situate it on a patio or even a balcony, and you can extend the number of years that you can experience the joy of gardening.
Raised bed garden kits come in a variety of styles and construction. For a wooden raised bed the favorite is cedar. Cedar beds will last for years, and the look of cedar can’t be topped. For a less expensive option, consider a recycled plastic kit. These plastic or vinyl kits come in host of colors, so they can fit in any yard.
Raised bed gardening is one idea that’s good for the garden and good for the gardener.
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