Beautiful Gardens Start in Your Own Backyard

Everyone enjoys a beautiful garden and you can too. It does not matter if you live in a new home or the same one for years because now is the time to start your plan for the garden. It can be discouraging when the garden is planted and looking pretty and a bout of bad weather moves in. It can leave the garden a wreck and you might want to give up. Instead of giving up make a plan that will cover everything so you are prepared before Mother Nature hits.

When you are thinking about the garden you want to plant go outside and look at the yard. Look at the ground and everything that is around the yard. This is the first step to planning your home garden. You have to remember that different plants require different degrees of sunlight, soil, etc. Take the time to note anything you see on the ground such as slopes, how long the sun beats down in a spot, etc.

Once you have the spot picked out where you want the garden think about what size would be right. Draw the picture you are seeing in your head on paper so this lets you see what it will look like. Gardens are beautiful to look at but you want the beauty to still be on your home. The garden is like a woman wearing a dress. The dress makes the woman look even more beautiful after she wears it and that is what you are striving for with a garden around your home.

Having drawn the picture now is the time to insert any ponds, cement steps, or anything else you might want to go with the garden. If you are going to plant any trees you need to make sure they are properly placed away from the home. If you plant the tree next to the house then when it starts growing the risk is high that the roots could damage the foundation of your home and the branches would grow against the walls.

Another thing you should do when planning your home garden is to gather information about various plants in order to find out what sort of plants will grow well in your neighborhood and not require so much maintenance. In order to do this you can drive around your area and observe the different types of plants in other people’s gardens. This will give you a good idea of what to get for your own garden.

Likewise, noting the shade-giving trees native to the area and planting them first is considered as being sensible as these take a long time to grow deep roots and attain height. On completion of this task, it is time to decide on the nature of the garden wherein a flower garden could be chosen for fragrances and a vegetable and fruit garden for utility.

It is also important to decide the position of each plant as per their requirements like water, sunlight, etc. Also you should find out about plants which can co-exist and grow together without any problems such as strawberries and onions, while plants like potatoes and spinach should never be put next to each other.

Some of the most gorgeous homes are surrounded by gardens and adornments. It is a lot of work with machines and tools but in the end it is all worth it. You will be proud to say you did it all yourself and will soon be the envy of the neighbors.

Earthworms and Worm Castings

Earthworms and other kinds of worms like red wigglers, white worms, etc. are fed with organic matter such as leaves, kitchen waste and other such materials. Make sure the worms you are buying are earth worms that will live in your area.  I could not find them so added regular ol' earth worms sold for bait. I also vaguely recall hearing somewhere that earth worms were technically mammals.

Earthworms, plain and simple earthworms, which are part of the class known as  Oligochaeta. Earthworms are good for gardens, especially for the organic gardeners.  Earthworms measure from 1 inch to as much as 11 -12 feet. 

They are wonderful building blocks for the environment.  They only communicate with each other by touch and taste, but they can feel vibrations, and often avoid predators by sensing their footsteps. To make your own worm casing fertilizer, you need to begin with the correct type of worms. 

You can obtain these worms from an organic garden supply store.  I would also look for the worm casing that would have the baby worms and separate as many of those as I could as well.  As it leaves the worm, the mucous cocoon or "worm casing" immediately starts to curl itself into a ball around the eggs and captured sperm and begins to harden.

You can sort out worms, but don't worry about the worm casing and don't get caught up into breaking every lump of compost down to make sure there isn't a worm hiding in it.  Another organic supplement is a liquid worm casing supplement you can buy at your local organic nursery.

In Worm Food you play as a ravenous sand worm.  You can chop/mince and add droplets of water to your kitchen scraps to make worm food.  I read that if your worm food is mushy enough for an infant to eat then it is mushy enough for a worm to eat. The quicker the worms eat, the quicker the worms poop. And you want your worms to be a poop factory. 

Aside from the value of livestock manure as a worm food, the large-scale vermicomposting of these wastes also has considerable potential from an environmental and horticultural standpoint.

Gardening Tools of Spades, Trowels and Gloves

A set of garden tools is one of the best gifts which you can give to an amateur gardener. Sharpening garden tools requires just a two simple tools, a mill file and a small hand-held sharpener. We're not talking about huge garden equipment such as the Honda Leaf Vacuum Blower Chipper, we're talking about the really important tools like gloves, spades and trowels.

Because most garden tools are exposed to dirt and moisture, this is the first place to start when it comes time for tool maintenance. A proper set of garden tools can make our gardening experience from a difficult, discouraging one to a fruitful, rewarding gardening experience.

Similar to other pastime, it is important to have the right gardening tools for the job. This doesn’t mean that we have to buy a whole set of gardening tools at great expense. Yet, there are some basic tools that most gardeners should have. Some of the oldest garden tools in the world date back many thousands of years.

The main reason for choosing a garden spade over a shovel is that spades are suitable to more of the tasks specific to gardening and landscaping than shovels are. Break up the clay as best you can using a garden spade or maybe even a pickaxe. If your garden has delicate or small plants growing in it, a garden spade is a tool you should have on hand. You can easily uproot weeds with a garden spade.

When it comes to garden gloves, cheaper is not always better, but automatically reaching for a high end designer glove isn't necessary either. There are many different types of garden gloves and each one is best for a particular job.

Rubber-coated garden gloves are useful for working in wet soil, making manure tea and avoiding painful cracked skin. Cloth gloves are meant for lighter tasks. Though cotton garden gloves may be better fitting than other types of gloves, they are still not great for planting tiny seedlings.

Keep a set of rubber garden gloves handy for handling infected plants. The only downside to growing your own tomatoes and vegetables is the unattractive looking garden stakes, garden gloves and garden tools you have strewn about.

Adding a Beautiful Fish Pond to Your Garden

Homes with waterfront views and accents are admired by many. This is because being around water offers a feeling of beauty, allure, and serenity. Putting up your own water accent in your backyard, such as a fish pond, will also add that visual appeal. Make your yard alive with the soothing sounds of water in motion. Make your fish pond the focal point of your backyard.

However, there are some considerations before constructing one.

Climate: Consider the climate of your area. If your weather experiences winter times, then it is best if you make you fish pond deeper since the fish tend to hibernate at the bottom of the pond and naturally stop eating when the water temperature goes below 45 degrees.

If you live in a location where the pond will completely freeze over, it is imperative that a hole be created in the ice to help the fish remain alive. In this case, aquatic plants should be removed and placed indoors since they may not survive the cold temperature.

Filters: Consider the filtration system of your pond. There is what you call natural filtration where it is provided by the action of the moving water. If this is the case, considering the design of your system and the climate of your area, then you do not need a filter for the pond.

However, to know what is best for your pond, consult a pond professional concerning filtration. There are cartridge filters and biological filters available from shops that provide pond supplies.

Now, to get your backyard pond started.

First step. Make intelligent decisions by educating yourself.

Do not push through water gardening or pond building without knowing the essentials about it. Know what equipment are needed to be used. Find out if your yard is appropriate to hold such an accent. Is the climate
compatible with your pond? Are you up for the regular maintenance it needs? Take into consideration the availability of supplies such as electricity, filtration, and water. Decide what type of pond are you willing to make, is it a small one? Or a large one?

Second step. Decide on the location of your pond. Locate your pond in an area where the sun will be able to shine on it. Do not place it under the trees since it will cause a cleaning nightmare due to the falling leaves. Do not place your pond where runoff water tends to overflow. These will accumulate in your pond making it dirty and murky.
Determine the depth of your pond. The average depth of a back yard pond is between 18" to 24" usually. Make the outline of your pond and start digging it. Make steps in order to provide easy access to the pond during cleaning. These steps will also be perfect for holding potted plants just above the water. Make sure that the bottom is leveled as you dig.

Third step. Get hold of an appropriate sized pond liner.

In order to get the right pond liner size, take the width of your pond and add twice the depth of the pond, and then add 24 more inches. Measuring the length will be done using the similar formula. Now, drape the liner over the pond. Arrange it and place stones around the edges. Fourth step. Fill it up with water.

Start filling the pond with water. Fold large creases neatly and remove wrinkles as you fill the pond with water to make it less noticeable.

Fifth step. Install the needed equipment. After filling it up with water, place filters, pumps, and lighting to the pond. Connect it to the electrical supply. Then add your fish and plants, and you are ready to go!

Quick Gardening Tips

 Typical urban soils are deprived of much of this crucial microbial life due to a number of factors.  Research has shown that temperatures above 90°F are unfavorable for most crops, since they lead to an increase in the rate of metabolism, which in turn increases the stress levels for other biological processes in the plants.    Don't choose plants that require full sun if you live in a shady woodland.  A little research will go a long way.  Opt for vegetation whose natural defenses will keep it healthy, without a great deal of attention or external influences.

Healthy plants are not generally prone to insect infestations.

Once the plants are in place, buckwheat hulls are my favorite choice for mulch, keeping moisture in and weeds out.

Synthetic fertilizer can not achieve this.  Fungal diseases run rampant when plants are planted too closely.  Refer to your seed packet or starter plant instructions for more information.

* Seeds from plants that thrived under organic management should produce plants that fare better when grown organically in their turn, but as far as I know there has been no scientific trial of this thesis.

Whereas chemical based agriculture attempts to change the environment to suit the crop by using chemical additives and fertilizers etc.  They tell a lot about the health of the soil.    Check your soil frequently with a pH kit   and correct the soil pH when necessary.

Chemical fertilizers add nothing to the soil, and can in fact have harmful effects. Organic

Organic pest control uses nature's own methods to keep destructive insects in check, and so allows your garden to maintain a healthy diversity of organisms.

Chemical fertilizers and additives will, over time, damage the soil's ability to provide what plants need to resist disease, insect attacks, and stress.

They can be spread through the air on spores, pollen and by insects.

If that was the case, you could eat peach seeds with impunity, curare would be no big deal, and pig farms wouldn't have such nasty reputations.

Growing Organic Vegetables In Containers Outside

Growing organic vegetables is so rewarding that it is always worth doing even if you only have a small space for containers outside. You may have a roof garden or a small patch of concrete to call your own. That is fine. You do not need a big garden with beds to benefit from the pleasure of being able to cook, serve and eat your own delicious home grown vegetables.

The good news is that almost any type of vegetable can be grown in containers. Of course, what you plan to grow needs to be adapted to how many containers you have and how big they are. But many vegetables now come in dwarf plant sizes.

If you want to be sure of growing organic vegetables, of course you need to check that your chosen varieties are available as organic seeds. Then set up your containers with organic compost.

In most cases you will start by planting in seed boxes indoors. Then when seedlings have formed, choose the strongest and healthiest to plant out in your containers.

Your plants will benefit from being well nourished. For some plants, like tomatoes, you can buy organic fertilizer or food that you can add to the soil in the containers from time to time. For others, it is enough to add more compost at the end of the season.

Even if you want to keep growing the same plants over and over, it is best to rotate them around your different containers each year. That way, you will benefit from improved soil fertility without having to change the compost every time. You can also rotate plants by growing one crop in for half the year and a different crop for the other half year. This also has the benefit that you can be growing organic vegetables all the year and make the most of your containers.

You do not have to limit yourself to growing one type of plant per container. You can also gain space by mixing herbs or other small plants around your larger vegetables. Just be sure that they will not be shaded when the larger plants grow. At some point you may want to use a wood chipper, weed eater, and well, all sorts of other tools to get the jobs done faster.

Upward growing plants like tomatoes or green beans are ideal for this purpose. For example, you can grow tomatoes at the back of a container and have cucumber, radishes or even small lettuces at the front for a self-contained salad garden.

Other plants that grow well in containers include eggplant (aubergine), especially small varieties like Bambino or Slim Jim; bell peppers, small squashes and green onions (spring onions).

You can use many types of containers for growing organic vegetables. You do not have to go buy expensive pots. You probably want to avoid plastic containers if you are growing organic vegetables, to avoid chemicals leaking into the soil, but there are many other options. Wooden containers are perfect and give a great organic look to your garden space. Wire tubs or baskets have the advantage of allowing drainage without you having to drill holes.

Dark colors absorb heat, so if you live in a hot, sunny climate you might want to paint the outside of your containers white. Plants expect to grow in a situation where the roots below ground are cooler than the stalks and leaves, and they may simply die if the soil in your containers becomes too hot.

Plants in containers need more frequent watering than plants growing in the ground. In summer, you may need to arrange for somebody to come water your plants any time you are away, even if it is only for a few days.

Keeping all of these tips in mind will help you enjoy delicious and healthy food from your container garden by growing organic vegetables successfully.

An Indoor Vegetable Garden The Organic Way

An indoor vegetable garden may be the perfect answer for anybody who wants to grow their own organic vegetables without having any outdoor space. There are plenty of vegetables that you can grow in containers indoors.

You may think that you can only grow certain vegetables inside the house, but that is not necessarily true. Of course, if you only have a very small space, there will be limits to your indoor vegetable garden. You probably do not want a room full of giant pumpkins, for example. But you could grow one or two pumpkins, or maybe a smaller variety of squash.

There are even some advantages to having an indoor vegetable garden. The main one is that your plants are less likely to suffer from disease and pest damage. Provided you are careful not to introduce pests into your home, most of them will probably stay outside.

It is worth taking a little time to plan your indoor vegetable garden before you start. If you make a list of planting and harvesting dates for a lot of different vegetables, you will see that you may be able to have two plants growing in a pot in the same year, by planning for a second vegetable crop that you can plant after harvesting the first. This is a great way to make the most of limited space.

Another option is to have hanging pots, either outside on walls or inside, near the window. The indoor option may block light. If you choose to have hanging pots outside, it will need to be in a place that you can easily reach. This could be from a window if you live in an apartment.

You will need to use organic soil, compost and fertilizer if you want to grow organic vegetables. It is not so easy to produce your own compost if you do not have a garden, but you may have a friendly neighbor who would share. Most gardens produce more compost than they need.

If you are just starting out with indoor garden or if you have never grown vegetables before, it is probably better to start with those that are easy to grow. Radishes and carrots do not require much care and can be delicious. Lettuce grows quickly and you probably do not need more than one ready at a time, so you can make the most of a container and have them growing one after another.

Most herbs grow very well indoors and do not require much space. You can create a herb garden on one or two windowsills and it will produce enough for the fresh herb needs of most small households.

Some plants do require a certain amount of sunlight, so some research and planning is needed before you start out. Fruit needs sun, and many plants that people think of as vegetables are actually fruit in botanical terms.

Tomatoes, for example, grow well in pots with a trellis, but they will ripen best in sun. So you may need to think about which plants are placed near windows. Of course, you may have roof lights or even a conservatory that will allow a lot of sunlight in. That is the ideal situation for an indoor vegetable garden, but not everybody is that lucky.