Posts Tagged ‘garden tools’

Organic Gardening – Advice For First Time Growers

Friday, May 28th, 2010


Setting out to work on an organic veggie and herb garden is quite an enterprise, but can be one of the most satisfying ways to go green that there is. The definition of organic is grown without the use of pesticides or other chemicals, but naturally.

If you already eat some organic herbs and vegetables, you will surely appreciate the better taste, the health benefits and also the lack of harmful residual substances. Imagine how great it would be if you had an organic garden that would furnish you wit a plentiful supply!

Unless you have no space to spare at all, one of the first steps to an organic garden is to set up a composting box, which will allow you to fertilize your herbs and vegetables, while also getting rid of kitchen waste. Even if you live in a flat you can compost, as it’s an odorless procedure if done right.

In fact compost will also help your garden to retain moisture, so you won’t have to water much compared to non-organic gardens. Most of your food waste can be composted as well as some animal waste, but for your first compost heap be sure not to add human or pet (cat or dog) manure to your compost as these need special treatment to eliminate some potentially nasty bacteria that you won’t want near your edible plants.

The next step is to get organic seeds for gardening. You need to avoid most seeds and address yourself to a specialist, as most industrial seeds may already be contaminated with pesticides, or may be genetically modified.

Try purchasing your organic garden seeds online. There are plenty of retailers, you will have a bigger choice, the purchase will be delivered to your home and you will be protected by a postal return guarantee.

Start seeds inside the house or in a glasshouse rather than putting them directly outdoors. Seeds should be put in small containers that contain organic soil. Make sure they have plenty of light and water, but don’t overwater them as they can die easily – the soil just needs to be moist.

Once your little plants have grown two leaves, you should repot them into biodegradable pots and later bury these in your garden. You can of course also go for an indoor window garden for your herbs. These make additions to windowsills and beautify the house.

Now that you have compost and grown seedlings, you will also need good organic soil. This earth is much better as it acts as a natural pest controller, and will let your plants grow more vigorous. If you had a on-organic garden or flower bed where your organic garden is going to be planted, we recommend removing and substituting a layer of old soil altogether.

Once you have some good compost, spread it over your soil. The layer should be about two inches thick. If done correctly, the compost alone will contribute all the necessary nutrients and minerals that your organic vegetable and herbal garden needs to grow and flourish.

Whether you want to find the right organic herb for each dish or learn how to save on your cooking, here is the place to start: OrganicHerbalGardening.com covers all your organic gardening needs, with tips and information. Just follow a link to find out more.

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How To Start Growing Beneficial Plants Organically

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010


Organic herbal gardening is a topic that had been gaining prominence, especially on the context of growing your own plant-based and natural medicines. A growing number of people are considering alternatives to a health system that is completely based on chemically derived pharmaceuticals.

Organic herbal gardening provides an alternative to pharmaceutics. This substitute option has a long history, but has been overshadowed in recent decades by an over-reliance on technological and scientific quick fixes.

The viewpoint of herbal medicine is one of considering the whole organism and not just the symptoms. As a result two people who visit a practitioner and have similar symptoms, may be suggested to take quite different remedies.

Overall, while herbal remedies have their critics, they provide a valuable complement to modern medicine for many ailments and its emphasis on prevention and balancing is liked with many who are striving for a more harmonic way of life.

Whether you are an experienced organic gardener or just starting out with natural medicinal herbs, you will probably share the wish to control the origin of foodstuffs and other bodily intakes with people with the same interest.

Many people now choose to grow part of the food that they consume through organic herbal gardening. Organic herbal remedies are in fact a natural progression from deciding to emphasize organic food for one’s own wellbeing.

It’s true that you can buy ready-made organic herbal medicines, but the option of growing your own is recommended, as you can get just what you need and have more control on the results. Plus, organic herbal gardening can be fun!

There are several ways to consume organically grown medicinal plants. The easiest one is simply to eat them, whether raw or cooked, and many therapeutic plants are part of normal kitchen usage, such as garlic or pepper.

You can also prepare herbal teas and brews. Plus, ingesting organic herbs is not the only way to consume them. You can also prepare balms and creams with many organically gardened herbs, and use them to relieve aches and inflammations.

To start organic herbal gardening for the purpose of improving your health, you can either start from seeds or buy seedlings from specialist shops, either by going there in person or by buying over the internet.

OrganicHerbalGardening.com covers all your organic gardening needs, with tips and information. Whether you want to grow herbs or construct an indoor kitchen garden, click on a link to start.

Caring For Your Container Garden And Garden Pots

Sunday, March 21st, 2010


With some basic gardening skills, you can ensure a successful container garden. Starting with the containers themselves, make sure that any garden pots made from porous materials (such as terracotta or wood) are sealed on the inside with a quality water sealant. Otherwise, the pots will soak up much of the water meant for your plants.

Watering Your Plants

It is just as important not to over water as it is not to underwater. Most garden pots will have a saucer or bowl underneath to catch any extra water and keep it from rotting your patio or deck. The best way to water your container garden is by filling the saucers up with water. This helps you avoid over watering and the water from spilling over the top of the saucer. The water will seep up through the hole in the bottom of the pot feeding the roots of your plants.

Another method of watering is to water your plants at the surface. If you do, however, make sure you fill about a cup at a time and watch how much water ends up in the saucer. You want to avoid overfilling the saucer. Spraying your plants with water from a hand sprayer is always welcome by your houseplants. Try to avoid using hard water though so calcium won’t build up on the leaves.

Food

Because garden pots are generally small, nutrients don’t last much more than five or six weeks in most potting soils. Vital nutrients in the soil will need to be replenished with plant food. It usually comes in either a granular form or a liquid form. For really low maintenance, it is recommended that you use slow-release granules since they last a long time and they keep a steady supply of food going to the plants.

Controlling Insects

Systemic and Contact are the two main types of insecticides. Systemic is poured right onto the soil and is then absorbed into the soil to the root system of the plant and right on up through the leaves. This type of insecticide works best for bugs under the soil that are hard to get to and for leaf eaters as they ingest the poison when they eat the leaves.

The other type, contact insecticide, is sprayed directly on the pests. You may need to repeat this method depending on how much infestation there is but contact insecticides work rather quickly.

With loving care (and sufficient monitoring), you are sure to have satisfying results with a thriving container garden.

David Haines has been working in gardens since his early childhood and has always been interested in educating others on gardening and landscaping techniques. If you would like to know more about garden pot and landscaping, visit AllGardenPots.com

Top Ten List – Container Gardening With Garden Pots

Friday, March 19th, 2010


Container gardens have been around for quite some time and are gaining in popularity. In many instances, such as high-rise or apartment living, the only option for a garden is to place your plants in garden pots. Here is a short list of considerations on using garden pots in your own garden:

1. Choosing the Proper Material for Your Garden Pots

Garden pots are made from a large variety of materials, like clay, plastic and stone. Some of these materials are more durable than others and some more stylish. How you will use the pots will help you narrow down the options.

2. Size Does Matter

The kind of plant you will be planting (and the number of plants) will help determine how big the pots you will need to have. Obviously, small trees will require a larger pot than, say, a tulip.

3. Vary the Pot Sizes

To give your garden an eye-catching appearance, vary the sizes of pots and plants. Larger pots work better farther away from the viewer and smaller ones work great up close.

4. Grouping Your Garden Pots

Add interest or a focal point to your garden by grouping smaller and mid-sized pots around a large pot.

5. Group Plants Requiring Similar Watering In Each Pot

Obviously, you shouldn’t put a water-loving plant (like a fern) in with a group of cactus. Watering requirements should be the same for all the plants in a single pot.

6. Select Plants That You Put In A Pot That Require The Same Amount of Sunlight

The same goes for how much sunlight your plants require. If you place your pot where they are in direct sunlight for most of the day, they will dry up quickly.

7. Choose Plants That Don’t Require Much Watering

Since pots are relatively small, they tend to dry up pretty fast. Choosing plants that require less water will make your container garden easier to maintain and will also be more forgiving.

8. Proper Drainage Is Essential

You will have to drill holes in the bottoms of your pots if they don’t already come with one – most do. Now place a shard from a broken pot over the hole to keep the soil from spilling out the bottom but allowing excess water to drain.

9. Add a Water Sealant to Terracotta Pots

Terracotta left unsealed (on the inside of the pot) will soak up a lot of your plant’s water before the plant does. Brush on a good water sealant to prevent this from happening.

10. Use a Good Potting Soil

Use potting soil instead of regular dirt. Potting soil is specially blended for the purpose of putting in pots. Its made to hold water better than normal soil and its considerably lighter in weight.

Before you decide to purchase any garden pot for your container garden, visit Keith Maiden’s web site: All Garden Pots for more information on container gardening.

Container Gardening With Simple Alternatives to Ordinary Garden Pots

Friday, March 12th, 2010


A great and versatile way to bring new life to your existing garden is with garden pots. However, there are several items that you can use in place of your standard garden pots. For example, use an old rusty watering can to place your plants in. Just drill a hole in the bottom for water drainage and you have yourself a charming plant container.

If you have a large stump close to, or in, your garden, you can hollow it out to put a pot into. Use a wide boring drill bit and drill out several holes that make up the outside diameter of the circle. Once you have most of the material drilled out for the circle, continue boring out the material on the inside. Using a chisel, remove all the remaining wood that is left between the holes. Put in the pot and fill in any gaps around it with dirt.

If you break a large garden pot, another trick that a lot of gardeners do is to cut the bottom off at an angle or bury the pot halfway into the ground. This gives the illusion that the pot is more like an artifact that has been unearthed.

For a less permanent but really fun idea, take a pair of old cowboy boots, fill them with dirt and top with your choice of plant. You can even spray paint the boots to make them blend in or stand out.

A common alternative to garden pots is a wooden barrel that is cut in half. Although they are made to hold liquids, it’s a good idea to still coat them on the inside with a water sealant to protect them.

A simple idea is to lay down a used car tire and fill it with dirt. You can even stack four or five tires to make a very interesting garden feature.

If you look around you’ll see plenty of ordinary objects that you can use as containers for your garden. Your imagination is your only limit.

Daniel Rapier has been working in gardens since his early childhood. He has always been interested in learning new gardening and landscaping techniques and helping educate others. If you would like to know more about the subject of garden pots, visit AllGardenPots.com

How To Know Your Plant Zone

Saturday, April 11th, 2009


Before beginning your garden consult one of the maps that certain books, magazines, agricultural bulletins, and seed catalogs print, showing temperature belts, or one of the weather tables showing the date of the last probable frost in each state. Find out who the best gardeners are quite near you, preferably by watching whose gardens seem to do best, and then boldly ask their advice on when to plant, which things do best, which things need special attention, and what kind of attention. Whether you are a beginner or a newcomer to a community, most of them will be quick to help.

By now you may be wondering whether gardening is not a lot of work. I cannot answer that one, because the word “work” means different things to different people. If you mean by work something disagreeable that requires a lot of effort to do but that you do in order to get paid money, I can only answer that gardening in order to make money, or even to save money, is hard work.

But if you mean by work doing something intelligent that involves both your mind and your body, and doing it for so sensible and primary a purpose as to grow your familys food, then gardening is delightful and rewarding “work.” You plant grains of corn, cultivate the cornstalk which the seed produces, harvest the ears when the silk gets brown, and eat delicious corn. The work of planting, cultivating, and harvesting is so plainly connected with eating good corn that it is interesting: we know why we are doing it.

Finally, gardening is something a whole family can do together… father, mother, and even quite small children with no fear that unequal skill will spoil the fun. In a garden families learn to work well together using garden hand tools in order that they may eat well together. A home garden just like tiller tools has dimensions and meaning which few hobbies possess.

Is it an expensive hobby? The answer is an emphatic no. Like every other hobby, gardening can be made to cost a good deal of money: through expensive and often unnecessary tools; through interesting but expensive experiments. But a good vegetable garden can be run very cheaply. The basic tools are few and simple: a shovel, a spade, a steel rake, a “draw” hoe, a trowel, and a ball of twine to stretch between sticks to run a straight row. Before long you will want a wheelbarrow. These tools should be kept clean and dry when not in use.

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