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Things to keep in mind for a beautiful garden
Main principles on the garden's design
Bring the Japanese feeling into your garden with these basic steps. First of all, embrace the ideal of nature. That means, keep things in your garden as natural as possible, avoiding to include things that could disrupt this natural appearance.
For example, don't include square ponds in your design as square ponds are nowhere to be found in nature. Also, a waterfall would be something closer to what exists in nature if we compare it to a fountain. So you also have to consider the Japanese concept of sumi or balance. Because one of Japanese gardening design main purposes is to recreate large landscapes even in the smallest place. Be careful when choosing the elements for your garden, because you don't want to end up filling your ten by ten courtyard with huge rocks.
As a miniaturized landscape, the rocks in the garden would represent mountains and the ponds would represent lakes. A space filled with sand would represent an ocean. By that we assume that garden masters were looking to achieve a minimalistic approach, best represented by the phrase "less is more".
The elements of time and space
One of the things westerners notice at first are the many portions of empty space in the garden. In fact, these spaces are an important feature in Japanese gardening. This space called ma, relates to the elements around it and that also surround it. The concepts of in and yo are of vital importance here, they are best known to the Western civilization by the Chinese names yin and yang. If you want to have something you have to start with having nothing. This is an idea quite difficult to understand, but it is a rule of thumb in Japanese gardening.
An important clue in the development of a garden is the concept of wabi and sabi. There's no literal English translation for those words. Wabi is about uniqueness, or the essence of something; a close literal translation is solitary. Sabi deals with the definition of time or the ideal image of something; the closest definition might be time strenghtened character. Given the case, a cement lantern that might appear unique, would lack of that ideal image. Or an old rock covered in lichens would have no wabi if it's just a round boulder. That's why it is important to find that balance.
Ma and wabi/sabi are connected to the concepts of space and time. When it comes to seasons, the garden must show the special character of each one. Japanese garden lovers dedicate time to their gardens every season, unlike the western gardener who deserts in fall just to be seen again in spring.
A very relaxing view in spring is given by the bright green of new buds and the blossoms of the azaleas. In summer, the lush foliage in combination with the pond offer a powerful and fresh image. The vivid spectacle of the brilliant colors of dying leaves in fall are a prelude for the arrival of winter and its white shroud of snow.
The two most important gardening seasons in Japan are spring and winter. Japanese refer to the snow accumulated on braches as Sekku or snow blossoms. Yukimi, or the snow viewing lantern, is another typical element of the Japanese garden in winter. The sleep of the garden in winter is an important episode for our Japanese gardener, while for the western gardener spring is the beginning of the work at the garden. Maybe because of the eastern point of view as death like part of the life cycle, or perhaps the western fear to death.
About garden enclosures
Let's see the garden as a microcosm of nature. If we're looking for the garden to be a true retreat, we have to 'set it apart' from the outside world. Because of that, fences and gates are important components of the Japanese garden.
The fence and the gates have both symbolism and functionality. The worries and concerns of our daily life have to stay out of this separate world that becomes the garden. The fence protects us from the outside world and the gate is the threshold where we leave our daily worries and then prepare ourselves to confront the real world again.
The use of fences is based in the concept of hide/reveal or Miegakure. Fence styles are very simple and are put in combination with screen planting, thus not giving many clues of what hides inside. You can give a sample look of your garden by cutting a small window in the solid wall that encloses your garden if that's the case. Sode-gaki, or sleeve fences, are fences attached to an architectural structure, that will only show a specific view of the garden from inside the house. Thus, we're invited to get into the garden and enjoy it in its entirety. That's what makes the true understanding of the garden, to lose in it our sense of time and self.
Basic Arrangements
Despite the fact that certain rules are applied to each individual garden, don't think that there's just one type of garden. There are three basic styles that differ by setting and purpose.
Hill and Pond Garden (Chisen-Kaiyu-skiki)
A China imported classic style. A pond or a space filled with raked gravel fronts a hill (or hills). This style always represents mountainous places and commonly makes use of vegetation indigenous to the mountains. Stroll gardens commonly use this style.
Flat Garden (Hiraniwa)
It derives from the use of open, flat spaces in front of temples and palaces for ceremonies. This is an appropriate style for contemplation and that represents a seashore area (with the use of the right plants). This is a style frequently used in courtyards.
Tea Gardens (Rojiniwa)
Function has a greater importance than form in this type of garden. The Roji or dewy path, is the main point of the garden, along with the pond and the gates. This would be the exception to the rule. The simple and sparse plantings give a rustic feeling to the garden.
Formality has to be taken in consideration
Hill and pond and flat styles may be shin (formal), gyo (intermediate) or so (informal). Formal styles were to be found usually at temples or palaces, intermediate styles were suitable for most residences, and the informal style was used in peasant huts and mountain retreats. The tea garden is the one that always fits in the informal style.
The garden components
Rocks (ishi in Japanese) are the main concern of the Japanese garden. If the stones are placed correctly, then the garden shows in a perfect balance. So here are shown the basic stone types and the rules for their positions.
The basic stones are the tall upright stone, the low upright stone, the curved stone, the reclining stone, and the horizontal stone. These must be usually set in triads although this doesn't happen always. Two almost identical stones (by way of example, two tall verticals or two reclining stones), one a little quite smaller than the other, can be set together as male and female, but the use of them in threes, fives, and sevens is more frequent.
We have to keep away from the Three Bad Stones. These are the Diseased stone (having a withered or misshapen top), the Dead stone (an obviously vertical one used as a horizontal, or vice versa, like the placement of a dead body), and the Pauper Stone (a stone having no connection to the several other ones in the garden). Use only one stone of each of the basic types in any cluster (the rest have to be smaller, modest stones also known as throwaway stones). Stones can be placed as sculptures, set against a background in a two-dimensional way, or given a purpose, such as a stepping stone or a bridge.
When used as stepping stones they should be between one and three inches above the soil, yet solid underfoot, as if rooted into the ground. They can be put in straight lines, offset for left foot, right foot (referred as chidori or plover, after the tracks the shore bird leaves), or set in sets of twos, threes, fours, or fives (and any combination thereof).
The pathway stands for the passage through life, and even particular stones by the path may have meaning. A much wider stone placed across the path tells us to put two feet here, stopping to enjoy the view. There are numerous stones for specific places. When observing the basic design principles, we can notice the exact character of the Japanese garden.
Water (mizu in Japanese) plays an important part in the composition of the Japanese garden because of Japan's abundant rainfall. Water can be represented even with a raked gravel area instead of water. A rushing stream can be represented by placing flat river stones closely together. In the tea garden, where there isn't any stream or pond, water plays the most important role in the ritual cleansing at the chozubachi, or water basin. As the water fills and empties from the shishi-odoki, or deer scare, the clack of bamboo on rock helps mark the passage of time.
The flow of water, the way it sounds and looks, brings to mind the continual passage of time. A bridge crossing the water stream is often used as a landscaping complement. Bridges denote a journey, just as pathways do. Hashi, in japanese, can mean bridge or edge. Bridges are the symbolic pass from one world into another, a constant theme in Japanese art.
Plants or Shokobutsu may play a secondary role to the stones in the garden, but they are a primary concern in the design too. Stones represent what remains unchanged, so trees, shrubs, and perennials have to represent the passing of seasons. Earlier garden styles used plants to make up poetic connotations or to correct geomantic issues, but these have little meaning today.
As the the Heian style diminished under the Zen influence, perennials and grasses fell out of use. So, for a long time, there were only a few plants that tradition allowed for the garden. However, in modern Japan, designers are again widening the spectrum of materials used. It is highly recommended that native plants are chosen for the garden, because showy exotic plants are not in good taste. Be aware that native plants are used in the garden, because it is in bad taste to use showy exotic plants. Although pines, cherries and bamboo immediatly remind us of Japanese gardens, we encourage you to use native plants of your locality that you can find pleasing. If we choose evergreens as the main plant theme and combine it with deciduous material that may provide seasonal blooms or foliage color we can recreate the look of the Japanese garden.
Now the next thing taken in consideration in a Japanese garden are the ornaments or Tenkebutsu. Stone lanterns are, for westerners, a typical impression of Japanese gardens.Stone lanterns are not important components of the Japanese garden. The reason is that ornaments are subjected to the garden's design. Lanterns, stupas, and basins are just architectural complements added when a point of visual interest is necessary to the design.
A good way to finish yor garden design could be a well-placed lantern. The three main styles (although with many variations) are: The Kasuga style lantern, is a very formal one featuring a stone base. In the Oribe style lantern, unlike the Kasuga style, the pedestal is underneath the ground. The Yukimi or Snow-Viewing lantern is set on short legs instead of a pedestal. Consider the formality of your garden setting to choose the appropiate lantern.
When possible, elements from outside the garden can be included in it. For instance, you can work a far away mountain including the scenery in your design, framing it with the stones and plants existing in the garden.
The borrowed scenery (shakkei in Japanese) can be: Far (as in a far away mountain); near (a tree just outside the fence); High (an element seen above the fence) or low (like a component seen below a fence or through a window in the fence).
As much as it is perceived to contradict our sense of enclosure, it reminds us of how all things are interconnected.
The feel of your garden
The Japanese garden is a subtle place full of contradictions and imperatives. Where firmly established rules are broken with other rules. If you meet the Buddha on the road, you must kill him is a Zen paradox that recommends not to stick so tightly to rules, and the same goes for Japanese gardens.
When building a Japanese garden, don't get too attached to traditions that hold little meaning for you. It would have no function to recreate a Buddhist saints garden. This also applies to trying to remember the meaning of stone placements, as this method is no longer used in Japan, or even in the United States, due to the lack of meaning for us in the modern world.
That's why we have selected a few gardening suggestions that do hold relevance and integrate them into a garden. These three ideas on gardening will give direction to achieve perfect results.
First
The overall setting of the garden should always be right for the location, not the other way around.
Second
The stones should be placed first, next the trees, and then the shrubs.
Third
Get used to the concepts of shin, gyo, and so. This is of great help to start working on the garden.
Have in mind that the real Japanese gardens are the traditional ones in Japan. What we can do in America is to shape a garden in the Japanese style. Rikyu once said about the perfect Roji: "Thick green moss, all pure and sunny warm". In other words, techniques are not as important as the feeling you evoke in your garden. Said in other way, the feeling is more important than techniques.
The Quest for Significance
People are looking for ways to add significance, peace of mind, a quality experience, and an escape from the "rat-race" in their lives. Stated differently, people want to add depth and meaning to their lives. One way to accomplish this, it is asserted, is to make or purchase decor for your garden.
Make Your Garden Unique
Garden decor, along with things related to gardens, provides a return to nature, a sense of spirituality, and a return to the earth as people journey on their quest for significance and ultimate meaning. Moreover, through the use of decorations, gardeners reveal their quirks and shortcomings, their wit, their creativity, and their desire to make their gardens unique.
Transform Your Life
Gardens and their ornaments are symbols of enchantment, of mystery, of meaning, and of ultimate being. Another way of looking at this is to see that gardens and garden accents provide the power to transform one's mood and one's life. To be sure, garden accessories can become symbolic reminders of life's blessings as they encourage people to enrich their surroundings by transcending the mundane.
The Gardening Imagination
Garden ornaments help people take an active stance in their lives by enabling them to create a niche in the world that is in concert with their values and their dreams. Indeed, it is this "gardening imagination" that provides people with the opportunity to select meaningful objects that speak to their senses, to their experiences, and to their lives.
An Invitation to Add Garden Decor to your Life
Websites that sell garden decor can be viewed as invitations for people to experiment and let their imaginations run free so that they can, with conscious effort or with playfulness, select the accents that they like--decor that speaks to their dreams and to their soul. With this in mind, look at the different products that are sold and select garden accessories that help elicit childhood fantasies. Examine the different garden accents and choose ornaments that speak to your inner self.
Let Your Personality Shine Through
Garden decor helps calm the spirit, soothe the soul, and delight the senses. By letting your individuality shine through as you select your decorative accents, you will transform your garden into one of the most meaningful experiences in your life. The challenge is to capture moments of wonder, joy, and inspiration and experience the lasting pleasures of beauty and the splendors of nature by decorating your garden in a way that is congruent with your noblest thoughts, feelings, and aspirations.
Your Garden Sanctuary
Strive to decorate your garden with ornaments that magically call you to return to your garden sanctuary. Look at different garden products and decide on decorations that motivate you to tap into your playfulness or into your artistic bent as you contemplate how you will decorate your garden. In a word, you can add richness, depth, and a sense of discovery to your garden with different garden ornaments.
Summary
In conclusion, garden decor is significant because it is an invitation for people to open themselves to the magic, to the wonder, to the meaning, and to the pleasure that gardens and garden-related accessories can bring to their lives.
Denny Soinski is the owner of the highly successful, Ohio-based company ?Water Fountains and Garden Decor.? Denny?s website http://www.water-fountains-and-garden-decor.com offers home and garden decor accents and accessories including water fountains, vases, birdhouses, plant shelves, lanterns, sculptures, wall plaques, plant stands, birdfeeders, lighthouses, planters, and windchimes. This article is copyrighted (c) 2005 by Denny Soinski and may be reprinted in its entirety as long as this byline and copyright statement is included. You can contact Denny directly at mailto:info@water-fountains-and-garden-decor.com/
Successful vegetable gardening involves far more than just popping a few seeds into the ground and waiting for a tomato to appear. I'll briefly cover the basics of vegetable garden design, but you might also want to get some gardening books.
Planning your garden is one of the most important parts of vegetable gardening, and it's quite simple. Whether it's a vegetable garden, a flowerbed, indoor houseplants, or some combination, successful gardening requires planning, patience, and a little detective work. Whatever you do, do not choose garden soil, no matter how rich it might be, for indoor vegetable gardening! No matter what gardening zone your garden is located in there are catalogues with myriad variety of vegetables. Use these vegetable gardening tips to prepare your garden and keep your home full of fresh vegetables. Preparing your garden soil for planting is the most physically demanding part of vegetable gardening and may also be the most important part.
The patios and balconies of apartment buildings and condominiums often have good exposure for container vegetable gardening. Container gardening makes it possible to position the vegetables in areas where they can receive the best possible growing conditions. Container gardening can provide you with fresh vegetables as well as recreation and exercise. Although vegetable production will be limited by the number and the size of the containers, this form of gardening can be rewarding. Soilless mixes such as a peat-lite mix are generally too light for container vegetable gardening, since they usually will not support plant roots sufficiently. MEDIA A fairly lightweight potting mix is needed for container vegetable gardening. Soil Conditions The right type of soil for the right type of plant is key to successful vegetable gardening. Clay and sandy soils must be modified for successful vegetable gardening. Proper fertilization is another important key to successful vegetable gardening.
Buy seeds, seed starting kits and gardening supplies for vegetable gardens. If you are new to gardening, starting vegetables from seed may be too huge an undertaking, instead purchase plants. Practice crop rotation in your vegetable gardening by planting tomatoes and other vegetables in a different spot every year. Mulches can be used effectively in all types of gardening situations from vegetable gardens to flower gardens and even around trees and shrubs. I know an eyebrow or two might be raised at the suggestion of indoor vegetable gardening, but it can be done, within limits.
Added to the pleasure of gardening will be satisfaction derived from relishing vegetables freshly picked from your very own plot. Learning is a process, vegetable gardening needs time. As in so many other pursuits, so it is in the art of vegetable gardening: practice does make perfect.
Organic gardening is growing in popularity as people increasingly see the need to avoid chemicals and synthetic products. Organic gardens also provide protection form genetically modified organisms (GMO) in the garden.
Those who take up organic gardening often are at a loss as to where to buy supplies. They don't know what products they need for soil nourishment or pest control. They may not know how much water to supply, or how to go about composting kitchen scraps for their gardens. They need more than a few organic garden tips and ideas.
Organic garden helpful ideas and tips are widely available, if you know where to find them. Here are a few places to begin your search.
Organic Garden Helpful Ideas
One of my favorite organic garden tips is this one. The most important thing you can do to control pests in the organic garden is to keep the soil healthy. Healthy soil produces healthy plants. Healthy plants, like healthy humans, are better able to withstand disease.
A second helpful organic garden idea I like is to control pests with ladybirds (ladybugs). These beautiful little red insects with shiny black spots control aphids naturally and totally. You can order them from several organic garden places on the Internet. Until they arrive, spray every part of aphid-infested plants with well diluted soapy water. Rinse with clear water.
My third favorite organic gardening idea is to plant guardian plants around and among tender vegetables. Marigolds make the organic garden border colorful, and ward off many pests. Onions and garlic are also great deterrents to pests that would like to break in and steal organic produce.
Sources for More Organic Garden Helpful Ideas
We do not give specific websites here, but most of these groups or products can readily be located on the Internet. Simply use key words from any one of these categories in your search engine to find more organic garden ideas.
* Cooperative Extension Office: The Cooperative Extension System is a nationwide network. Every U.S. state and territory has a state office at its land-grant university. They also have a network of local or regional offices. The staff at these offices includes at least one expert who can give you useful, practical, and research-based organic garden helpful ideas.
* Park and Recreation Departments: If you live in a large neighborhood, your local park and recreation department will be a good source of helpful ideas for your organic garden. Classes may be available on topics such as organic garden plans, planting seed, and how to compost.
* YMCA / YWCA: In some areas, these organizations provide workshops on organic garden topics, with plenty of helpful ideas and tips. These are led by local organic garden experts. They may include vegetable organic gardens and organic gardening of flowers.
* Gardening Stores: An increasing number of gardening stores are beginning to offer organic garden products, seeds, and supplies. Many try to have at least one person on staff who can give organic garden helpful ideas.
* Nurseries: Local nurseries may have helpful ideas and tips for your organic garden. As the demand becomes greater, they are learning that they must provide not only organic fertilizer and seedlings, but advice also.
* Magazines: Organic gardening magazines have been around for many years now, and are filled with organic gardeners' helpful ideas and tips. Visit your public library and browse the magazines. Some are aimed at small farming size organic gardens. Others focus on organic gardening of vegetables for family or farmers' market. Choose one that has the most helpful tips for you, and subscribe for ongoing organic garden help.
* Seed Catalogs (catalogues): Many times, seed catalogs have not only organic seeds, but also ideas and tips for the organic garden. Look for major seed companies' catalogs.
* Books: If you are new to organic gardening, you will want to invest in at least one good book on organic gardens. Books can explain how seeds and produce are certified organic. They can provide organic gardening advice from ants to weed control.
* Family and Friends: They say we all have a circle of 250 acquaintances. Within that circle, you will likely find at least one person who is experienced in organic gardening and has ideas or tips that will help you. Their own organic garden may be only a container, or it could be 50 containers. Anyone who does any organic gardening will be eager to share the tips and helpful ideas they have received.
* Internet: The Internet excels in providing information. It is a wonderful source of organic garden helpful ideas and tips. Become a member of an organic gardening forum and share ideas. Read organic gardeners' blogs. Finally, visit Cornell University's organic garden website. They offer an online class in organic gardening. The professor is sure to have helpful organic gardening ideas and tips.
?2007, Anna Hart. Anna Hart invites you to read more of her articles about organic gardeners' helpful ideas and tips at http://www.organicspringtime.com. Anna is posting new articles regularly on that site. If you want to know how to make compost for your own organic fertilizer, you will want to read Anna?s article on the subject.
Top rose gardens to visit in the United States
Take a day trip to a rose garden Roses have always been valued for their stunning beauty and intoxicating scent. They also have a long history of symbolism and meaning and are ancient symbols of beauty and love. In fact the rose was sacred to several goddesses such as Aphrodite and is commonly used as a symbol for the Virgin Mary. The rose also is the national flower for both England and the United States. Many of the below listed rose gardens are only a day trip away and the majority of them are public rose gardens which are free to the public. So, take time to stop and smell the roses and visit one of these beautiful rose gardens located around the world.
International Rose Test Garden Washington Park
Portland, Oregon Portland is known as the "Rose City" and has several public rose gardens; however, the International Rose Test Garden in Portland is the most well-known. It was founded in 1917 and is the oldest official, continuously operated public rose test garden in the United States.
Rose Garden in Woodland Park Zoo
Seattle, WashingtonThe Woodland Park Zoo Rose Garden was planted originally to provide a free, public display of roses. Currently, the garden houses 280 rose varieties.
Lyndale Park Rose Garden
Minneapolis, Minnesota Located in Minneapolis, the Lyndale Park Rose Garden is the second oldest public rose garden in the U.S. With over 3,000 roses of 250 varieties, the layout of the garden has not been changed since it was planted by Theodore Wirth in 1908.
McKinley Park Rose Garden
Sacramento, California A popular setting for weddings and day trips, this Sacramento Rose Garden is home to over 1,200 roses of all different varieties. The garden is free to the public during daylight hours.
The Centennial Rose Garden, Schmidt Mansion
Tumwater, Washington Planted on the grounds of the Schmidt Mansion, the Centennial Rose Garden is maintained by the Olympia Rose Society for the enjoyment of the public. The garden was designed to display a plethora of rose varieties and within historical context. The garden documents the development of roses from ancient times to present day.
Elizabeth Park Rose Garden
Hartford, Connecticut The Elizabeth Park Rose Garden is the oldest municipally operated rose garden in the country. With over 800 rose varieties which amounts to 15,000 plants total, this rose garden packs a lot in on two and a half acres.
Mesa Community College Rose Garden
Mesa, Arizona This Mesa, Arizona rose garden is a unique and important part of the city's community. The garden serves as an iatrical part of education, allowing students from kindergarten through high school and community college and universities use the gardens as botanical laboratories and study areas.
Chicago Botanic Gardens
Glencoe, Illinios - north of Chicago, Illinois The Chicago Botanic Gardens is home to 26 distinct gardens, one of them being a beautiful rose garden that houses 5,000 colorful rose bushes.
The John E. Voight Trial Garden
Hales Corners, Wisconsin Part of the Boerner Botanical Gardens, the Voight Trial Garden was opened in 1939 and was traditionally designed with gravel walks around the garden and grass walks through the rose beds. The garden also follows the traditional European design with two circular pools and a rectangular pool filled with water lilies and other plant life on the grounds.
Tyler Rose Garden
Tyler, Texas As part of a 14 acre park, the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden is the nations largest rose garden and admission to the park is free seven days a week from dawn to dusk. This breathtaking rose garden is also host to the annual Texas Rose Festival held in mid-October.
Jillian Scheeler makes it easy to provide a list of top rose gardens in united states. visit the top ten rose gardens of United States. To recieve free part mini-course visit the United States Rose Gardens Website.
If you've decided to create a garden for your home, then you have made a wise decision. Whether it's to add to the appeal of your home or to grow vegetables, this is a great hobby to take up and you will benefit immensely from each choice. But to get started with your task of gardening, you first need the right gardening supplies, and this is what this article will touch on today.
In this article, you will learn how to select the right gardening supplies for your garden, and how your choices will help you to grow the garden that you desire.
Gardening is an art form, and it requires a lot of care and work in order to grow the beautiful plants and vegetables that you want from it. So it's important to choose the right tools in order to maintain your beautiful garden so that you can have it for a long time. Knowing how to choose the right tools will go along way in sustaining the look of your garden.
When selecting the right gardening tools for the job, you should know that alot of tools come in packages. These packages will vary based upon the type of garden that you want to grow. So the first step in selecting your gardening tools depends on the type of garden that you want to create. Do you want a rose garden? A vegetable garden? A fruit garden? Or a general garden with beautiful plants and flowers that can add life to your home?
Once you've made your decision, it's time to start looking for the right tools. You should have to spend more than you have to on the right tools, since most tools will do the job even if your garden is large or small.
To get help, you should go by your nearest gardening supply store and ask for some advice. Simply tell them your agenda and the type of garden that you're looking to build, and they will point in the right direction in the form of a certain product or a gardening specialist. But no matter what solution they recommend, make sure that it doesn't exceed your budget and the most you're willing to spend on tools.
Another tip is to consider the type of gardening store that you're going to. Depending on the type of garden that you want to grow, you should visit the local store that specializes in the kind of garden that you want. There are indoor gardens, rooftop gardens, outdoor gardens, vegetable gardens, and more. So know which type of garden you want to make and select the store that mostly resembles it.
If you don't have the time to visit a local gardening shop, then you should go online for help. There is an abundance of information available to you online about gardening tools and you should take advantage of this help. Simply go to Google and type in the kind of garden that you want, and all kinds of search results will show up for you. You should also go into gardening forums for help also because there are tons of people who have built the kind of garden that you are looking for.
When it comes to gardening, having the right supplies make all the difference. Be sure to select the right supplies for your garden so that you can have the masterpiece garden you've always dreamed of.
FOR MORE INFO: Learn gardening tips you can use to grow a beautiful garden in your spare time. To learn more, visit the following website for more details: http://www.instant-downloadz.com/americangardener.html
Are you interested in creating your own organic vegetable garden? Here are some green gardening tips that will lead you in the right direction:
10 Organic Gardening Tips
1. Test your soil:
If you are looking to have a successful outcome with an organic vegetable garden, you should first test your soil with a do-it-yourself home testing kit before you plant anything. These testing kits can be found at local garden centers and on the Internet at garden speciality stores. The kits use a number scale, 0 to 14, that helps you determine the acidity or alkalinity (also known as pH) levels of your soil. For most vegetables, an ideal number is about 6.5. If the results are too acidic (towards the low end of the scale) or too alkaline (towards the high end of the scale), your plants will not be able reap the benefits of the soil's nutrients. Once you know the results of your soil, you will be able to adjust the soil accordingly by balancing these levels with the nutrients it is lacking.
2. Make plans ahead of time and decide where and how you will grow your garden:
Before you begin digging up your lawn, take a look at your property and decide where you would like to plant a garden. Location is very important, as you will want to pay attention to the position of the sun throughout the day (your plants will need healthy doses of direct sunlight each day), the rockiness of the ground, the drainage quality of the soil, and the location's relation to your main water source.
If you have high quality soil in your yard and you have determined a location, you will want to take advantage of the benefits found in it. Healthy soils have upwards of 650 million microorganisms per one gram of soil. These organisms already present, such as earthworms and other forms of soil life are essential to the life of the soil and will help your garden prosper by providing your plants with valuable nutrients and minerals.
What to do if your soil is not healthy or if you do not have space for a garden at home:
Build a raised bed
By making a raised bed, you will have control over the garden's soil quality. When building your bed, use untreated wood, stones, or brick as a side border and be sure to make the border at least 16 inches high as the depth is important. The plants' roots will need room to stretch and grow.
Consider container gardening
If you are a city dweller, you do not have to miss out on the benefits of growing your own produce. Plant in containers that are large enough to accommodate root growth. Be sure they also have drainage holes. If you are planting organic herbs, pots that are at least 6 inches across are ideal. Another helpful hint is to use plastic pots instead of terra cotta pots. Plastic may not be as aesthetically pleasing, but they will hold moisture longer and will not dry out as quickly as terra cotta pots.
Join a local community garden
Another option is to join a community garden in your area. This is a great way to reap the benefits of growing your own organic food if you do not have land at home. Community gardens are vacant lots or fields that have been turned into mini-farms so that members of the community can plant small gardens of their own. To find out if there are community gardens near you, contact your local parks and recreation department, visit the website http://www.communitygarden.org, or take a stroll in your neighborhood and see if any gardens exist. If you stumble across one, step inside and ask a member what you need to do to join.
3. Select authentic, high quality organic vegetable seeds to use in your garden:
Organic seeds can be found at local nurseries, garden stores, home centers, online seed stores, seed catalogs, and farm supply stores. Always make sure the seed company is "certified organic" and be sure to stay away from any seeds that are "genetically engineered." To save money, start growing the seeds indoors and transplant outdoors when ready.
4. Make your own compost:
Compost, also known as "gardeners gold," is a vital element in organic gardening that improves the soil structure of your garden. Compost provides a great source of nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, and micro/macronutrients essential for plant growth. It also aids in stabilizing soil moisture and pH which helps keep the soil cooler during the summer months.
Other benefits of organic compost:
Great source of food for wildlife because it attracts insects and fungi that eat decaying matter. These small animals support larger animals like songbirds
Suppresses plant disease
Assists in controlling soil erosion
Acts as a mild herbicide
Reduces need to apply commercial fertilizers
Reduces amount of waste sent to landfills
Reduces gas emissions that would result from transporting kitchen waste to a landfill
How to compost:
Build or buy a compost bin. These can be found at home centers, garden centers, and online.
Place compost material in repeated layers. To give your compost the best result, alternate layers of green matter with brown matter. An example would be alternating kitchen scraps with straw/stalks or dead leaves with grass clippings.
Cover compost heap for optimal results. This will avoid moisture loss and keep in heat.
Keep the pile moist as a wrung-out sponge.
Aerate and turn compost pile over frequently.
When ready, pile will look like fresh fine soil.
Some ideas for good compostables:
Kitchen waste
Aquarium water, plants, and algae
Sawdust
Tea leaves/coffee grounds
Pet rabbit or hamster droppings
Eggshells
Old spices
Lawn clippings (thin layer)
Make leafmould:
Leafmould is a dark brown, rich and crumbly material that is created from naturally decomposed Autumn leaves that have fallen onto the ground. It is an excellent soil conditioner and mulch, a great earthworm meal, and is easy to make.
To make leafmould:
Collect fallen leaves (avoid evergreen leaves) and place in a container to rot Leafmould matures best in high moisture, so the best time to collect leaves is just after rain.
Wait 9 months to a year for the leafmould to mature.
5. Use water wisely:
Water conservation, harvesting, and recycling are great methods for organic gardening.
Recycle/harvest rain water
Not only is rainwater is a great way to hydrate your plants, but it is also an excellent way to lower your monthly water bills, reduce storm-water runoff, and prevent flooding and erosion. It is generally clean, free of containments and byproducts such as minerals, fluoride and chlorine and has a low pH which plants and soils like. Rainwater can be collected and stored using gutters, downspouts, rain barrels and/or cisterns and can be used whenever needed, even later in the season during dry weather.
Use a soaker hose
A soaker hose is a great and easy way to save time and money in your garden. Water seeps out of soaker hoses and delivers water directly to your plants' roots while keeping the leaves dry, which helps prevent disease. Hand watering is time consuming and tedious, sprinklers can be wasteful due to evaporation and runoff, and drip irrigation is expensive.
Avoid grey water
When recycling water, avoid use of grey water (household waste water that comes from sources such as sinks, washer machines, and showers) on any plants used for consumption. Grey water may contain phosphates, nitrogen, and pathogens that can be harmful to your health.
Watering tips:
Water your garden when the air and soil are cool, typically in the early morning or evening hours. During these times, less water will be lost due to evaporation.
Water deeply but less often. Direct the water at the root systems at the base of the plant. This will encourage plants to grow deeper roots, causing them to need less watering. Shallow watering causes the roots to grow close to the surface, making them more vulnerable to drought.
Remember that plants and soil in containers will dry out much faster than in the ground and require frequent watering.
Avoid watering leaves. Excess water film on a plant makes it more susceptible to disease.
Shallow rooted vegetables such as beans and greens need to be watered more often with lighter applications than deep rooted plants like corn and tomatoes. These vegetables require more water but less often.
Use a milk jug. For a clever trick, take a 1 gallon milk jug and poke very small holes into the bottom. Bury most of the jug next to your plants when you plant your garden. If you leave it uncapped, you can place your water hose nozzle into the opening to fill. With this method, the water slowly drips into the ground and encourages deep plant roots. This self-irrigation system is great for whenever you need to travel and leave the garden unattended.
7. Weed Control:
Weeds can be a serious threat to gardens because they remove valuable moisture, nutrients, sunlight and growing space needed by crops.
Some ways to control weeds:
Select high quality vegetable seeds or transplants
By planting high quality seeds, the chances of them containing weed seeds or seedlings is very low.
Rotate your vegetable crops
As crops differ in their ability to compete with weeds, rotating crops between hardy competitors and weaker plants can reduce weeds.
Use ground cover
The use of ground cover and organic mulches such as hay, straw, glass clippings, and manure in your garden is one of the most effective ways to control weeds. Spread the ground cover 2-3 inches thick as this will block sunlight and prevent weed germination and growth.
Transplant seeds
Transplanting seeds instead of sowing them gives plants a healthy head start in defense against weeds.
Methods of removing weeds:
By hand
This method is most effective after a recent rain because the soil is loosened.
Thermal
A short blast of heat directly onto the weed causes it to wilt and die. This is most effective on driveways and paths and is not always ideal for gardens.
Hoeing
This is effective for larger patches of newly cleared ground.
7. Make sure you have earthworms
Earthworms are essential to a successful garden. Vermicompost, the combination of organic matter and earthworms' castings is a high-octane form of compost that provides the soil with an immediate all-purpose fertilizer loaded with nutrients and nitrogen. By tunneling through the earth, earthworms aerate the soil which improves the soil's access to air and drainage so that water reaches the deep roots of plants more easily. They also encourage beneficial soil bacteria while discouraging disease and predators such as crop destroying insects.
Don't have earthworms in your soil? Here is how to get them:
Discontinue use of any toxins in your garden.
Spread 2-3 inch layers of organic matter on top of the soil each year - this will attract earthworms
Use leafmould - this is a great earthworm meal.
Order earthworm eggs online. Once you receive them, scatter them onto the ground and in about 3 months they will be adults and ready to reproduce.
8. Keep a gardening journal
By keeping track of your garden's progress, you will be more prepared next year to tackle issues that came up this year. You will also have a place where you can jot down experiments, experiences: the good and the bad.
9. Protect against predators and pests:
Make your garden friendly to the native wildlife in your region. This will attract and encourage natural wildlife pest controllers to your garden. Ladybugs, birds, frogs, toads, and bats all help to keep pests such as aphids, insects, and snails in check.
Other beneficial garden predators and the pests they feed on:
Centipedes: feed on slugs and eggs
Preying mantis: feed on all types of insects
Spiders: feed on insects and arthropods
Lizards: feed on insects/pests
Frog/toads: feed on all types
Ladybugs: feed on aphids
To protect against pests:
Plant nectar producing plants
Tiny flowers on plants such as sweet alyssum will attract beneficial insects, such as predatory wasps. The alyssum's aroma will also scent your garden all summer. Herbs like parsley, dill, and fennel will attract ladybugs which will also eat intruding insects.
Choose native plant species over imported varieties whenever possible
Native species have better "immune systems" and will be able to fight against insects in your area better than an exotic plant will.
Try companion planting
Companion planting is growing two or more different types of species of plant together for the benefit of one or both. For example, by pairing a flower with a vegetable plant, many adult insects will visit flowers for pollen and nectar and in return are effective natural controllers of unwanted pests on the vegetable crops.
How does companion planting work?
Companions help each other grow:
Tall plants provide shade for shorter plants sensitive to sun.
Companions use garden space efficiently:
Vining plants cover the ground, upright plants grow up. Two plants in one patch.
Companions prevent pest problems:
Plants like onions repel some pests. Other plants can lure pests away from more desirable plants.
Companions attract beneficial insects:
Every successful garden needs plants that attract the predators of pests.
Examples of good companion plants:
Carrots and onions:
Pests attracted to carrots' sweet smell can be confused by the pungent smell of onions.
Corn and beans:
The beans attract beneficial insects that prey on corn pests such as leafhoppers and leaf beetles. In addition, the bean vines will climb up the corn stalks.
Cucumbers and nasturtiums:
Nasturtiums are said to repel cucumber beetles and can create a habitat for insects such as spiders and ground beetles which help defend the garden from destructive pests.
Radishes and spinach:
Radishes attract leafminers away from the spinach. The leafminers will damage the radish leaves, but since radishes grown underground, no damage is done to the radishes.
Cabbage and dill:
Cabbage can help support the floppy dill plants, while the dill attracts the tiny beneficial wasps that control cabbageworms and other cabbage pests.
Tomatoes and cabbage:
Tomatoes are repel diamondback moth larvae (caterpillars that chew large holes in cabbage leaves)
Cauliflower and dwarf zinnias:
The nectar from the dwarf zinnias lures ladybugs that help protect cauliflower plants.
Collards and catnip:
Planting catnip alongside collards can reduce flea-beetle damage on the collards.
Other ways to deter pests from your organic garden:
Create barriers and deterrents:
Try hanging shiny silver objects in your garden. The reflection produced from the sun can confuse insects such as aphids which orient their flight patterns by sunlight.
Rotate your crops each year
This will aid in keeping pest and disease problems at bay as well as correct nutritional deficiencies.
10. Last few tips on garden and soil care:
Avoid compacting soil by walking on it excessively
This restricts air movement and makes it hard for roots to penetrate.
Do not over dig
This will destroy vital soil structure.
Cover
Keeping plants covered with things like mulch helps protect soil structure.
Avoid overfeeding and over or under watering
Let the plants performance guide you.
I hope you will be able to share the same satisfaction and gratification I experience when I build, create, and tend to my own vegetable garden. Have patience, be willing to get dirty, and be ready to smile and reap the bountiful benefits of an organically grown vegetable and herb garden.
Enjoy!
In good health
Jennifer M. Regan, NASM-CPT, C.H.E.K HLC
Jennifer Regan is the founder and owner of Bamboo Core Fitness, a personal training and holistic lifestyle coaching business based in the Boston and Metrowest areas.
Jennifer holds a BS in Exercise Science and Minors in Health and Nutrition from Ithaca College, is a National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer, and a C.H.E.K Holisitc Lifestyle Coach. In addition, she is a Cancer Wellness Specialist and holds certification in AED, CPR, and First Aid.
For more information on health, nutrition, and fitness topics, please visit her web site at: http://www.bamboocorefitness.com
From the gardener who tends a single geranium in her windowsill, to the one who supplies bountiful bouquets of roses to floral shops, many people have spoken many words about the art and skill and benefits of gardening. Let's listen in to some of their voices, historical and contemporary, for in them we may discover the gardener deep within the soil of our soul:
Gardening gives one back a sense of proportion about everything - except itself. ~May Sarton, Plant Dreaming Deep, 1968.
The most noteworthy thing about gardeners is that they are always optimistic, always enterprising, and never satisfied. They always look forward to doing something better than they have ever done before.--Vita Sackville-West, 1892 - 1962.
My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant's point of view. ~H. Fred Ale.
I have found, through years of practice, that people garden in order to make something grow; to interact with nature; to share, to find sanctuary, to heal, to honor the earth, to leave a mark. Through gardening, we feel whole as we make our personal work of art upon our land.--Julie Moir Messervy, The Inward Garden, 1995, p.19.
Gardening requires lots of water - most of it in the form of perspiration. ~Lou Erickson.
As the biocentric view suggests, the garden prospers when control is balanced by equal measures of humility and benevolence. A balance is struck. Control, servitude, respect, imagination, pragmatism, an ecological conscience, compliance, and a certain measure of mysticism and altruism all meld together to provide nurturance. Try to separate the various aspects into their constituent parts - grant any one of them the status of fundamental gardening definition and one soon skews the entire process. Put them back together again in the service of the two-way street called nurturance, and we express the state of grace called gardening.--Jim Nollman, Why We Garden: Cultivating a Sense of Place, 1994, p. 106.
There can be no other occupation like gardening in which, if you were to creep up behind someone at their work, you would find them smiling. ~Mirabel Osler.
The home gardener is part scientist, part artist, part philosopher, part plowman.
He modifies the climate around his home.--John R. Whiting.
Gardening is a matter of your enthusiasm holding up until your back gets used to it.--Unknown.
Gardening is an exercise in optimism. Sometimes, it is a triumph of hope over experience.--Marina Schinz.
The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for him there. ~George Bernard Shaw, The Adventures of the Black Girl in Her Search for God, 1932.
Science, or para-science, tells us that geraniums bloom better if they are spoken to. But a kind word every now and then is really quite enough. Too much attention, like too much feeding, and weeding and hoeing, inhibits and embarrasses them. ~Victoria Glendinning.
In gardens, beauty is a by-product. The main business is sex and death. ~Sam Llewelyn.
The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses. ~Hanna Rion.
In my garden there is a large place for sentiment. My garden of flowers is also my garden of thoughts and dreams. The thoughts grow as freely as the flowers, and the dreams are as beautiful. ~Abram L. Urban.
It is good to be alone in a garden at dawn or dark so that all its shy presences may haunt you and possess you in a reverie of suspended thought. ~James Douglas, Down Shoe Lane.
Weather means more when you have a garden. There's nothing like listening to a shower and thinking how it is soaking in around your green beans. ~Marcelene Cox.
God made rainy days so gardeners could get the housework done. ~Unknown.
I used to visit and revisit it a dozen times a day, and stand in deep contemplation over my vegetable progeny with a love that nobody could share or conceive of who had never taken part in the process of creation. It was one of the most bewitching sights in the world to observe a hill of beans thrusting aside the soil, or a rose of early peas just peeping forth sufficiently to trace a line of delicate green. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne, Mosses from and Old Manse.
Don't wear perfume in the garden - unless you want to be pollinated by bees. ~Anne Raver.
Take thy plastic spade,
It is thy pencil; take thy seeds, thy plants,
They are thy colours.~William Mason, The English Garden, 1782.
It is a golden maxim to cultivate the garden for the nose, and the eyes will take care of themselves. ~Robert Louis Stevenson.
Gardening is about enjoying the smell of things growing in the soil, getting dirty without feeling guilty, and generally taking the time to soak up a little peace and serenity. ~Lindley Karstens, noproblemgarden.com.
I know that if odour were visible, as colour is,
I'd see the summer garden in rainbow clouds.~Robert Bridges, "Testament of Beauty".
Unemployment is capitalism's way of getting you to plant a garden. ~Orson Scott Card.
How fair is a garden amid the trials and passions of existence. ~Benjamin Disraeli.
Our England is a garden, and such gardens are not made
By singing: -"Oh, how beautiful!" and sitting in the shade. ~Rudyard Kipling, "The Glory of the Garden".
You can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirt. ~Unknown.
Garden writing is often very tame, a real waste when you think how opinionated, inquisitive, irreverent and lascivious gardeners themselves tend to be. Nobody talks much about the muscular limbs, dark, swollen buds, strip-tease trees and unholy beauty that have made us all slaves of the Goddess Flora. ~Ketzel Levine's talkingplants.com.
On every stem, on every leaf,... and at the root of everything that grew, was a professional specialist in the shape of grub, caterpillar, aphis, or other expert, whose business it was to devour that particular part. ~Oliver Wendell Holmes.
Half the interest of a garden is the constant exercise of the imagination. ~Mrs. C.W. Earle, Pot-Pourri from a Surrey Garden, 1897.
No two gardens are the same. No two days are the same in one garden. ~Hugh Johnson.
We have descended into the garden and caught three hundred slugs. How I love the mixture of the beautiful and the squalid in gardening. It makes it so lifelike. ~Evelyn Underhill, Letters.
I think that if ever a mortal heard the voice of God it would be in a garden at the cool of the day. ~F. Frankfort Moore, A Garden of Peace.
Last night, there came a frost, which has done great damage to my garden.... It is sad that Nature will play such tricks on us poor mortals, inviting us with sunny smiles to confide in her, and then, when we are entirely within her power, striking us to the heart. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne, The American Notebooks.
Despite the gardener's best intentions, Nature will improvise. ~Michael P. Garafalo, gardendigest.com.
Many things grow in the garden that were never sown there. ~Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia, 1732.
In order to live off a garden, you practically have to live in it. ~Frank McKinney Hubbard.
Give me odorous at sunrise a garden of beautiful flowers where I can walk undisturbed. ~Walt Whitman.
Gardens always mean something else, man absolutely uses one thing to say another. ~Robert Harbison, Eccentric Spaces, 1977.
Gardens... should be like lovely, well-shaped girls: all curves, secret corners, unexpected deviations, seductive surprises and then still more curves. ~H.E. Bates, A Love of Flowers.
I never had any other desire so strong, and so like to covetousness, as that one which I have had always, that I might be master at last of a small house and a large Garden. ~Abraham Cowley, The Garden, 1666.
One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it provides. ~W.E. Johns, The Passing Show.
Earth is here so kind, that just tickle her with a hoe and she laughs with a harvest. ~Douglas William Jerrold, about Australia, A Land of Plenty.
I have never had so many good ideas day after day as when I worked in the garden. ~John Erskine.
Green fingers are the extension of a verdant heart. ~Russell Page.
There is no gardening without humility. Nature is constantly sending even its oldest scholars to the bottom of the class for some egregious blunder. ~Alfred Austin.
It is utterly forbidden to be half-hearted about gardening. You have got to love your garden whether you like it or not. ~W.C. Sellar & R.J. Yeatman, Garden Rubbish, 1936.
A garden was the primitive prison, till man with Promethean felicity and boldness, luckily sinned himself out of it. ~Charles Lamb, 1830.
Let no one think that real gardening is a bucolic and meditative occupation. It is an insatiable passion, like everything else to which a man gives his heart. ~Karel Čapek, The Gardener's Year, translated by M. and R. Weatherall, 1931.
Most people who possess anything like an acre, or half of it, contribute weekly to the support of a gentleman known as Jobbing Gardener. You are warned of the danger that he may prove to be Garden Pest no 1. ~C.E. Lucas-Phillips, The New Small Garden.
Tomatoes and squash never fail to reach maturity. You can spray them with acid, beat them with sticks and burn them; they love it. ~S.J. Perelman, Acres and Pains, 1951.
I appreciate the misunderstanding I have had with Nature over my perennial border. I think it is a flower garden; she thinks it is a meadow lacking grass, and tries to correct the error. ~Sara Stein, My Weeds, 1988.
It takes a while to grasp that not all failures are self-imposed, the result of ignorance, carelessness or inexperience. It takes a while to grasp that a garden isn't a testing ground for character and to stop asking, what did I do wrong? Maybe nothing. ~Eleanor Perényi, Green Thoughts, 1981.
The kiss of the sun for pardon,
The song of the birds for mirth,
One is nearer God's heart in a garden
Than anywhere else on earth.~Dorothy Frances Gurney, "Garden Thoughts".
I don't think we'll ever know all there is to know about gardening, and I'm just as glad
there will always be some magic about it!--Barbara Damrosc.h
Gardening is civil and social, but it wants the vigor and freedom of the forest and the outlaw. ~Henry David Thoreau.
It is always exciting to open the door and go out into the garden for the first time on any day.--Marion Cran.
Gardening is a kind of disease. It infects you, you cannot escape it. When you go visiting, your eyes rove about the garden; you interrupt the serious cocktail drinking because of an irresistible impulse to get up and pull a weed. ~Lewis Gannit.
Gardening is any way that humans and nature come together with the intent of creating beauty.--Tina James, 1999.
When you have done your best for a flower, and it fails, you have some reason to be aggrieved. ~Frank Swinnerton.
Show me your garden and I shall tell you what you are.--Alfred Austin.
A garden really lives only insofar as it is an expression of faith, the embodiment of a hope and a song of praise.--Russell Page, The Education of a Gardener, 1962.
The best fertilizer is the gardener's shadow. ~Unknown.
Gardening is a labour full of tranquility and satisfaction; natural and instructive, and as such contributes to the most serious contemplation, experience, health and longevity.--John Evelyn, 1666.
By the time one is eighty, it is said, there is no longer a tug of war in the garden with the May flowers hauling like mad against the claims of the other months. All is at last in balance and all is serene. The gardener is usually dead, of course. ~Henry Mitchell, The Essential Earthman, 1981.
What a man needs in gardening is a cast-iron back, with a hinge in it. ~Charles Dudley Warner, My Summer in a Garden, 1871.
Gardening is the art that uses flowers and plants as paint, and the soil and sky as canvas.
--Elizabeth Murray.
Copyright © 2006, Ian White Access 2000 Pty Ltd
Author Ian White is founder of Housecarers House Sitting Directory. Find a live-in house sitter to care for your home, garden and pets while you are away =>http://www.housecarers.com
During his 40-year career as a garden writer and photographer, Derek Fell has designed numerous garden spaces, many involving his wife Carolyn. The best example of their work can be seen at their home, historic Cedaridge Farm, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. There, they have designed more than twenty theme areas, including shade gardens, sunny perennial borders, tapestry gardens involving trees and shrubs, a cottage garden, herb garden, cutting garden and an ambitious water garden.
Derek worked as a consultant on garden design to the White House during the Gerald Ford Administration. Derek designed Ford's 'Win' garden, following his 'Win Speech', advising the nation ten ways to fight inflation.
Many garden designs by Derek Fell have been implemented without inspecting the site. The great late architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed beautiful homes for his clients, entirely from photographs without the need for a site inspection.
Fell's garden spaces have been featured in newspapers, magazines, books and also on television, including Architectural Digest, Gardens Illustrated, The Garden (the magazine of the Royal Horticultural Society), Country Gardens, HGTV, QVC and PBS.
Derek has authored more than sixty books and garden calendars, including 550 Home Landscaping Ideas (Simon & Schuster), The Encyclopedia of Garden Design (Firefly Books), The Complete Garden Planning Manual (Friedman), Garden Accents (Henry Holt) and Home Landscaping (Simon & Schuster).
Curb appeal and ambiance are important to brighten up your propoerty or prepare it for sale. Feel free to ask Derek any garden related questions regardless of how big or small.
SOME GARDEN TYPES
Water Garden. Water is the music of nature. It can be tricked over stones, cascaded from a great height so its crashes onto rocks. It can fall in a solid sheet or as silver threads. A beautiful water garden with waterfalls and stepping stones can be located in sunlight or shade. The water garden shown here is located at Cedaridge Farm. It includes a pool for dipping, and it features both a collection of koi and hardy water lilies. A popular water garden design features a koi pool fed by a series of waterfalls, and the water re-circulated through filters to keep the water clear.
Sunny Perennial Border. This can be formal or informal, square, rectangular, round and kidney shaped, in the form of an island bed or backed against a decorative hedge, wall or fence. Plants can be chosen to produce a parade of color through all the seasons, or concentrated for a particular season. Color themes can be polychromatic like a rainbow, monochromatic (for example all white - perfect for a wedding), or it can feature an Impressionist color harmony, such as yellow and purple; orange and blue; red, pink and silver; blue, pink and white; even black and white or black and orange (one of Monet's favorites). A popular perennial garden design is two parallel border with a grass path leading to a focal point such as a sculpture or gazebo.
Tropical Garden. You do not need to live in a frost-free area to have a beautiful tropical garden. At Cedaridge Farm we have two - one is a tribute to the design philosophy of the late Roberto Burle Marx, who designed dramatic tropical gardens around Rio. It is in a lightly shaded area and features plants that are hardy (like 'Sum & Substance' hosta) but look tropical and tender plants that are tender (like banana trees and tree ferns) that either need moving indoors during winter or can be discarded like annuals at the end of the season. Our second tropical space is a patio with tropical plants grown in containers.
Shade Gardens. We design two kinds of shade gardens - one where the plants provide mostly foliage interest (like ferns, hostas, heuchera and hakone grass), and plants that flower well (like impatiens, coleus, and lilies), or a combination of the two.
Woodland Garden. Whether you have existing woodland or you need to create a woodland from scratch, the result can be sensational. Decide whether you want deciduous trees that provide fall color or evergreens that stay green all winter, or a mixture. At Cedaridge we made a 'cathedral' garden where the existing trees are trimmed high so the trunks look like the columns of a cathedral, and the branches arch out to meet overhead like the vaulted ceiling of a cathedral. Below, we provide two more layers of interest, at ground level and the under-story.
Vegetable Garden. We can design you an easy-care garden of raised beds where vegetables are planted in blocks or an edible landscape where edibles are grown for ornamental effect. We can provide the plan for a garden that was approved for the White house during the Ford Administration where Derek Fell worked as a garden consultant. Derek Fell's book, "Vegetables - How to Select, Grow & Enjoy", won a best book award from the Garden Writers Association.
Herb Garden. The herb garden at Cedaridge Farm is a 'quadrant design', feature in numerous calendars and books, including Derek Fell's 'Herb Gardening for Beginners.' We can also provide a cartwheel design or a parterre herb garden for bountiful harvests of fresh herbs. The Herb Garden can also do double-duty as a vegetable garden.
Cutting Garden. The cutting garden at Cedaridge Farm features bulbs such as tulips and daffodils for spring, and ever-blooming annuals to follow the bulbs so armloads of flowers can be harvested from April through October.
Victorian Garden. A garden with romantic overtones! Imagine a white gazebo framed by mostly white flowers for a wedding in the family. Or choose from among several color harmonies, such as yellow and blue, red, pink and silver, or blue, pink and white.
Cottage Garden. You don't need a cottage to have a cottage garden. But if you do, such as a guest cottage, why not wrap it in shrub roses and climbers, plus those delightful English cottage garden plants like poppies, sunflowers and pinks. We also like to include plants to attract butterflies and hummingbirds.
Stream Garden. Lucky you if you have an existing stream to be landscaped. At Cedaridge Farm we have a stream, but when we moved here it was overgrown with poison ivy and brambles. Today it is criss-crossed with bridges, and beds of moisture-loving plants like astilbe and water iris. If you don't have a stream, but would like one, we can create a design where the water is re-circulated along one that's man-made but looks natural.
Orchard. You don't need a lot of space for a productive orchard. By making the right choices, fruit trees can be grown in containers or espaliered against fences and walls to save space. Peaches and apples can be trained over arbors. Just a few plants of small fruits like strawberries and raspberries can be highly productive.
Bog Garden. Ideal for soils that tend to remain moist all season, bog gardens can be extremely colorful and highly imaginative, incorporating stepping stones and bridges to cross wet areas, and growing some of nature's most diverse plant families, such as water iris, Japanese primroses, astilbe and waterlilies.
Japanese Garden. The problem with many Japanese gardens is a tendency to use pseudo-Japanese elements such as Chinese dragons. Derek Fell has twice traveled to Japan, has written award-winning articles about Japanese garden design, and has the experience to design authentic-looking spaces in the Japanese tradition using elements of Zen or Feng Shui, or a combination of the two disciplines to create a magical space.
Italian Garden. Although Italian gardens can be highly ostentatious, requiring steep slopes to achieve the best effect, like the Villa d'Este, near Rome, small spaces can achieve the aura of an Italian garden. Derek Fell has not only visited some of the finest Italian Gardens, such as La Mortola on the Italian coast, and Boboli overlooking Florence, he has toured and photographed the Vatican Gardens.
French Formal Garden. The elaborate style of Versailles Palace and Vaux le Vicompte, may be beyond your means, but elements of French garden design, such as a parterre garden, can be incorporated in small spaces.
Monet's Garden. This beautiful artist's garden north of Paris contains more than a hundred special planting ideas to create what Monet considered his greatest work of art. Moreover, his planting ideas have undoubtedly inspired more new garden design than any other garden. Monet's arched bridge, his waterlily pond, his arches leading to the entrance of his house, and his color harmonies are just some examples of Monet's innovation that people today like to emulate.
Tapestry Garden (Trees & Shrubs). The great French Impressionist artist, Paul Cezanne's garden, in Provence, is composed mostly of trees and shrubs, not only as a labor saving device, but to provide a tapestry of color from leaf colors, leaf texture and leaf shapes. What could be more appealing than to look out of a window of your home at a rich foliage panorama, including all shades of green from light green to dark-green, plus blue, silver, gold, bronze?
Hillside Garden. Even dry hillsides can make beautiful rock gardens, with paths twisting and turning in a zig-zag to create a visual adventure from the top of the slope to the bottom. They can be terraced and threaded with streams to create waterfalls and planted with some of nature's most beautiful plant forms. Bridges, benches and belvedere are some of the structural elements that can add interest to a hillside.
Please visit http://www.derekfell.com to learn more or contact Derek directly.
There's a new garden in town. It is (mostly) easy to install, looks good
year-round, requires almost no maintenance and has a terrifically upbeat impact
on the environment. No wonder rain gardens are such a great new gardening trend!
Storm water runoff can be a big problem in summer during heavy thunderstorms.
As the water rushes across roofs and driveways, it picks up oil and other
pollutants. Municipal storm water treatment plants often can't handle the
deluge of water, and in many locations the untreated water ends up in natural
waterways. The EPA estimates as much as 70 percent of the pollution in our
streams, rivers, and lakes is carried there by storm water! By taking
responsibility for the rainwater that falls on your own roof and driveway, you'll
be helping to protect our rivers, streams and lakes from stormwater pollution.
To reduce the excess water runoff, many towns are encouraging businesses and
homeowners to install rain gardens in their yards. Rain gardens are specially
constructed gardens located in low areas of a yard where storm water can collect.
The idea is to have the water naturally funnel to this garden. The rain garden
collects water runoff and stores and filters it until it can be slowly
absorbed by the soil. Rather than rushing off into a storm sewer or a local
waterway, the rainwater can collect in a garden where it will be naturally
filtered by plants and soil.
Installing a rain garden is easy.
You simply dig a shallow depression in your yard and plant it with native
grasses and wildflowers; things that are easy to grow and maintain in your area.
What makes a garden a rain garden?
First, the garden will be designed with a low
spot in the middle to collect and absorb rain water and snow melt. This depression
can range from a few inches in a small garden, to an excavated trough that's
several feet deep. Second, rain gardens are usually located where they'll catch
the runoff from impermeable surfaces like sidewalks and driveways, or from gutters
and roof valleys. Third, rain gardens are usually planted with native wildflowers
and grasses that will thrive in tough growing conditions. Finally, rain gardens
are designed to channel heavy rains to another rain garden or to another part of
the garden.
Your rain garden should be located at least 10 feet from the house. The garden's
size and location depends on the yard. The ideal situation would
be to locate the garden in a natural depression. You also can funnel water
from downspouts on gutters into the garden. The soil should be well drained
so the water doesn't sit in the garden for more than two days. A special
"rain garden" soil mix of 50 to 60 percent sand, 20 to 30 percent topsoil,
and 20 to 30 percent compost is recommended. You can dig this mixture into
the soil to depth of 2 feet before planting.
Once you've identified the new garden's location, remove the sod and dig a
shallow depression approximately 6-inches deep. Slope the sides gradually from the
outside edge to the deepest area. Use the soil that you remove to build up a
slightly raised area on the lowest side of the garden. This berm will help contain
the stormwater and allow it to percolate slowly through the rain garden.
If your rain garden is no more than about 6-inches deep, stormwater will usually
be absorbed within a one- to seven-day period. Because mosquitoes require seven
to 10 days to lay and hatch their eggs, this will help you avoid mosquito problems.
Your downspout or sump pump outlet should be directed toward your rain garden
depression. This can be accomplished by a natural slope, by digging a shallow swale,
or by piping the runoff directly to the garden through a buried 4" diameter
plastic drain tile.
Plant Selection... The final touch.
The most difficult part of building a rain garden (if it can even be called that)
can be plant selection. Plants need to be tough enough to withstand periodic flooding,
yet attractive enough to look good in the garden. Deep-rooted, low-care native
plants, such as asters, and tough non-natives, such as daylilies, are best. If
properly designed, the rain garden can consist of a blend of attractive shrubs,
perennials, trees, and ground covers. Planting strips of grass around the
garden and using mulch also can help filter the water.
New plants should be watered every other day for the first two weeks or so.
Once they are well established, your garden should thrive without additional watering.
Fertilizers will not be necessary, and only minimal weeding will be needed after
the first summer of growth.
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Since I can remember, I have always loved to get my hands dirty in the garden. I can still remember growing my first pea plant and anxiously watching everyday for that little sprout to get going. It always fascinated me how such a delicate sprout could, with the proper care, become a strong, vibrant plant that will produce delicious fruits.
The garden has always been of great Importance to me. It can be a point of pride or - if its in poor repair - a source of embarrassment. For these reasons, and because a garden is such an Important investment, it only makes sense to provide all the tender loving care that you can give.
Sometimes this is easier said than done, because gardening is so complex, right?
Wrong!
Anyone who has the desire to grow plants can do it. Whether it be fruits and veggies for eating or beautiful flowers to decorate your home. Growing a garden is a simple thing when you educate yourself first. You should do research on any species of plant that you want to grow so that you will be ready and able to address any issues that may come at you along the way. I'm going to touch on the basics of growing your own garden. It will be entirely up to you to do the research on any other particular species other than what is mentioned in this article.
Lighting
Being a gardener, the winters have always been the toughest times for me. I'm not sure if its cabin fever or just a need to make things grow. In some parts of the United States, it isn't an issue, but, in Kentucky, the winters can be very harsh, making it impossible to grow outdoors.
With the evolution of CFL technology ( compact fluorescent lamp ), it has become very affordable to move my garden indoors. The CFL's remind me of aquarium lighting and uses about as much energy. I use New Wave T5 High Output Fluorescent Lights in my garden with grand results.
These new high output fluorescent lamps have an extremely high lumen per watt rating compared to standard fluorescent bulbs, making them extremely suitable for indoor cultivation purposes.
High-output florescent lamps have a very low heat factor which allows the fixture to be mounted extremely close to the plant canopy, thus increasing usable light levels. The New Wave T5 features a wide throw reflector lined with Imported german 95% reflective aluminum to drive every available lumen of light to your plants. Light output is 300% higher in this high-tech reflector compared to cheap fluorescent fixtures.
I keep my lights very close to the tops of the plants and my young sprouts are in no danger of being burned or dried out by the heat. And it gives you peace of mind knowing that there isn't as much of a chance for fire like there is with heavier, hotter, high output metal halide lamps.
When your vegetative area starts getting a little larger, or when you are growing plants larger than 24 inches tall, you may find it time to purchase a metal halide for your indoor garden.
Metal Halide plant lamp systems produce a strong output of the blue spectrum, which will promote strong vegetative growth. This blue spectrum is most needed by plants for rapid growth. It's the best type of light to be used as a primary light source (if little or no natural sunlight is available). If you are growing leafy plants such as lettuce or herbs then a Metal Halide bulb is sufficient. Metal halide plant growth lamp systems can be used as the primary light source to grow plants from start to finish.
The T5 replacement lamps sell for about $17 each (TL5 HO/54W/865) or $68 for four, while the HID bulb can go for about $85 for MH (MS 1000 hor) or $120 (LU100S/HTL/EN hortlux) or $100 (LU1000 standard). The amount of light you can put on the plants will depend to a much greater extent on the distance that the leaves are from the plant than the fixture. The kind of light you want depends on the kind of plants you have.
The Metal Halide will give you more foliage, the High Pressure Sodium will induce bloom but draw the plants out longer. Depending on the natural heat and light conditions where you are growing, the heat output from the HID lights can help keep the growing space warmer. This can be a consideration especially when you are spending good money on heat. Depending on how far North you are, it can be very difficult to get plants to bloom in a greenhouse in the dead of winter. You can, however, mature fruit which has already set.
So, the answer is that every decision is a trade off. Make up your own mind.
HID Lighting Helpful Tips
Hanging height: Due to the heat that is emitted from these types of fixtures, you should hang them according to size. Smaller wattage systems (100 and 250) should be hung about 2 to 3 feet from the top of the plants. Medium wattage systems (400 and 600) should be hung around 4 feet from the top of the plants. High wattage systems (1000 and up) should be placed at least 4 to 6 feet from the plant tops.
How long should lights run? This depends on the type of plant. Most plants and vegetables need about 10 to 12 hours of light to promote growth. Plants that produce fruits or flowers will show improvement with up to 16 hours a day of supplemental light.
Light Emmiting Diode (L.E.D.) - I'm interested to see if these lights will be the lights of the future.The basic idea is that a growing plant uses only a narrow band of the lighting spectrum for chlorophyll production. Up to now the only choice has been CFL, Sodium or Halide lights which both produce a very wide band of lighting and less than 10% of a Sodium or Halide lamps output is actually used by the plant.
With the advent of LED lighting, they can custom tailor the output of the lamp to match exactly the band of light required for Chlorophyll production! This means that almost 100% of the power input for LED GROW LIGHTs is used for plant production.
Another great benefit of the LED GROW LIGHT is the very small amount of heat produced. The l.e.d. grow lights operate completely cool to the touch and plants can actually grow right up to the fixture, try that with any Sodium or Metal Halide lamp.
1) No fans required for cooling
2) No heat damage to plants
3) No high temperature lights to worry about
Also, the LED GROW LIGHT does not require a ballast and simply plugs into any standard household outlet. These lights have a rated life of over 100,000 hours! (there are 8,760 hours in a year).
BLUE LIGHT is important for the formation of chlorophyll, chloroplast development (chloroplast are the little organs inside cells where photosynthesis takes place, more of them = more photosynthesis = more plant growth), also, photosynthesis circadian rhythm (knowing when lights are on and off - related to flowering too) and the production of some enzymes in plants is controlled by blue light. In land plants, a decrease in blue light also might signal to a leaf that it is a shade leaf... meaning it thinks it is not in good light, so it won't make chloroplasts, which means no matter how many photons of light hit that leaf it will not produce the maximum amount of energy that it could.
RED LIGHT stimulates phytochrome responses such as stem elongation, flowering, and other plant morphology changes.
HPS lights have more yellow/red which is why they lead to elongated stems, and great flowering. Red light can increase starch accumulation in some plants (that is like animals gaining fat, extra energy).
It Can be used by itself to grow plants or to supplement HPS (High Pressure Sodium), MH (Metal Halide) or Fluorescent Grow Lights.
Light Emitting Diode (L.E.D.) technology is the absolute newest technology in plant growth. These lights represent the cutting edge of horticultural lighting. LED lights are currently being used by NASA for growing plants in outer space!
Planning and Strategy
Planning and strategy are obviously important for a healthy garden. Make sure to have sufficient lighting, proper soil with good drainage, good nutrients, fresh air, room to grow, and a quality water supply.This will ensure a healthy garden that will pay you back for all your hard work and patience.You should plan for plenty of grow room. Before long, your garden will be lush, and may become difficult to care for if there isn't enough space for you to water.
Make a list, depending on how big you want your garden and what you want to grow. Be sure to ask questions at your local garden center. The people who work at garden centers generally are very knowledgeable about all aspects of growing.
So, make a list, Check it twice, And lets get growing!
The Organic gardener
Organic grow mediums - I always start my seeds in Bio-dome. Bio-dome make germination a breeze with a climate controlled environment. Everything you need to get your seeds going can be bought in a inexpensive kit at your local garden center or you can pick one up at wal-mart for around four bucks.
Tip: Get a spray bottle and mist your seedlings often. As your plants grow, they will benefit from an occasional misting.
Once your seeds have sprouted, you can move them from the bio-dome and plant them into individual containers.
*This is very important:
Be sure to place in containers that drain well. If your soil or containers do not drain well, it will be difficult for their roots to grow big and strong which in turn will deprive your plant of important nutrients and oxygen, resulting in lanky plants with small fruits and, given enough time, will cause disease and unwanted pest.
I always fill my containers with Foxfarm soil. The ultimate potting soil - everything your plants need, in one bag. With their powerhouse blend of earthworm castings, bat guano, and sea going fish and crab meal. Composted forest humus, sandy loam, and sphagnum peat moss give Foxfarm its light, aerated texture. Start with Foxfarm and watch your plants come to life!
I like to add a little perlite to my mix for even better drainage.
Watering properly - This is one of the most common problems with gardeners. I know that it was frustrating for me until i learned the trick to keeping my plants watered well without overdoing it. If you only take one thing from this article with you to your garden...take this tip!
Stick your finger in the soil, about two knuckles deep.
Check for moisture.
If its moist, you will feel it.
Give it another day.
If its too dry, it will be difficult to break the soil very deep.
Do not have a watering schedule without knowing if your plants need watering or not. Water just enough for your plant to consume within 30 minutes or so. This will help prevent root rot and allow your roots to absorb oxygen. The end result will be a huge root mass that will supply your plants with all the nutrients they need to produce the goodies that we all love so much.
*Tip: The quality of water is of great importance. If you only have a tap water source, be sure to set your water out in containers for at least 24 hrs. before watering. This will give the chlorine and other harmful elements time to dissipate. Using chlorinated tap water will destroy vital microbes that help feed your plants.
Nutrients - You cant just rely on good soil for your nutrients. The truth is that most of your nutrients that come in your soil will be used up within a few weeks. You will need to supplement your soil depending on your plant variety. If you do a simple word search for homemade fertilizers, you will find many home remedies for making your own organic compost. I'm not going to touch on that because its not the route that I take to organicville.
You can start a compost pile somewhere in your backyard but it brings in to many pest for my garden so I buy my nutrients all ready broke down and packaged for easy storage. For a small price I get all I need bottled up and ready for easy application. I use, but not limited to Foxfarm hydroponic plant food. Now i'm an old dirt warrior but I love the easiness of the bottled nutrients. Just because it says hydroponic plant food doesnt mean we can use it on our soil. It works so well for me that i'm sure that I will never try anything else. All the directions are on the bottles and easy to follow.
Get your garden going with Grow Big, Foxfarm's fast-acting, water-soluble fertilizer for lush, vegetative, compact growth. Use Grow Big early in the season when young plants need an extra boost. They add earthworm castings and Norwegian kelp into this special brew to encourage sturdier, healthier stems and leaves, but they also provide enough nutrients and trace minerals to create the kind of healthy branching that you'll need later in the season for more abundant buds and blooms.
Garden Tip: Allow new plantings a few days to settle in, then begin using at the rate of two teaspoons per gallon of water every other time you water. You can also use Grow Big as a foliar feeding, applying to both sides of leaves, preferably early in the morning. At the first sign of flowering, switch to Tiger Bloom Liquid Plant Food.
Ready to bloom? Tiger Bloom makes it happen. This is an ultra-potent, fast-acting, high-phosphorus fertilizer with just enough nitrogen to sustain healthy, vigorous green growth during flowering. The low pH keeps it stable and ensures that the micronutrient's will be available when plants need them. In addition to containing critical trace minerals,Foxfarm brews their liquid fertilizer with earthworm castings and kelp meal for a biologically active formula.
Garden tip: Use Tiger Bloom at the first sign of flowering at the rate of 2-3 teaspoons per gallon of water. It can also be used as a foliar fertilizer; just apply it to both sides of leaves early in the morning. To extend flowering or fruiting, add their Big Bloom liquid fertilizer late in the season.
I also use an all purpose deodorized fish emulsion. This will give you a measured dose of nitrogen to get you through for a few weeks.
Alaska Fish Fertilizer contains over 19 trace elements and 11 different vitamins, including vitamins B-1 and B-12. Deodorized for use on all indoor and outdoor plants. Often combined with Maxicrop to enhance performance. It will not burn the plants.
Root Development
This is probably the most important part of your plants development. Without a large, healthy root system, your plant will be starved of vital nutrients and will produce a small harvest that will hardly be worth your time. The bigger and healthier the root, the bigger and healthier the plant. These two things go hand in hand.
So, I like to focus from seedling, on taking care of the root system and giving it delicate nutrients to boost its growth. This will ensure that my garden will produce large tomatoes and other vegetables. I use Maxicrop liquid seaweed for extra minerals and to bulk up my roots.
Maxicrop Liquid Seaweed (Kelp Extract)
Derived from fresh Norwegian kelp (Ascophyllum nodosum), Maxicrop Kelp contains over 70 minerals, micronutrients, amino acids and vitamins. Also contains growth regulators which stimulate vigorous root development and plant growth. Encourages tolerance to plant stresses such as frost, pests, disease and drought.
Last, but not least I use Earth Juice, a catalyst I give my plants and it increases how much the plants can take in. If you can get more of your nutrients in, your plants are sure to be full.
Earth Juice Catalyst
The crucial link, is a versatile and vital product for the home, farm and anyone who wants to optimize their plants and trees nutrient uptake for increased growth and yields. Catalyst provides whats missing - enzymes, hormones, vitamins, amino acids, nutrients, and surfactants that aid in stimulating overall plant growth and production. Best when used in conjunction with organic or synthetic liquid and dry fertilizers.
Do not use with synthetic time-released fertilizers. A great organic alternative to synthetic B-1 formulas and growth boosters. Use as an organic cloning solution for soft-stem cuttings.
Air circulation and Exhaust
Air circulation - Its very important to provide your garden with fresh air. An oscillating fan will usually be enough to provide fresh air and to provide some sort of exhaust as long as your garden is in the open. If you grow your garden in a closet or a similar small space, be sure to leave the door open as much as possible. This will ensure proper ventilation and your garden will do well.
Good air circulation is essential for a good, strong garden. The motion of the air will cause your plants to have fat stalks and be able to support larger fruit. I wont spend too much more time on this subject. Just go buy a fan and provide some fresh air for your garden. It will love you for it!
Try to buy a fan that oscillates, It will give you more option than a stationary. Making sure to hit every part of your garden.
Your light will depend on how much exhaust your garden will require. The heat from some lamps need to be directed out of the garden area immediately. I have included some Pictures to give you a better idea about exhaust fans.These exhaust systems are not necessary with CFL's or LED's.
Temperature and Humidity Control
Temperature & Humidity Control - Keeping an eye out for your temperature and humidity can help prevent unwanted pest, mold, mildew, and over - heating. Most plants grow well between 70 and 80 degrees and, I like to keep my humidity around 50%, but, it will depend on your choice of plant life.
I use this EcoPlus thermometer / hygrometer. They are really inexpensive and will save you a lot of headache later. They are usually around $25.00.
o Perfect for constant temperature monitoring of a garden.
o Measures indoor/outdoor temperature & indoor humidity.
o Stores the Min./Max. values of the indoor/outdoor temperature and indoor humidity.
o Switch between °C and °F.
o Clock function with alarm
o 12/24 hour mode switch
o Water proof temperature probe
Really hot conditions can result in dry soil and your plants wilting away.
Pest Control
Pest Control - There are some really good organic pest killers and prevention products on the market but, I have found that a combination of cleanliness and preventive maintenance are the best avenues for a pest free garden.
Be sure to clean your grow area before planting the first seed. A couple of teaspoons of bleach in a gallon of water should do the trick. Spray your grow area down well and wipe dry.Pay special attention to the corners, making sure to get every bit of dust and dirt.
I like to follow up with Safer Brand insect killing soap that is all organic. This stuff keeps all the little guys away! It is best used as a preventative measure to ward off insects that might want to eat your lovely plant friends. It contains seaweed extract to keep plants healthy and combat stress.
An OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute) organic product, which means you're not spraying your leafy friends with toxins, unfriendly to either you or your plant. Made from plant oils, the soap gets rid of unwanted insects by disrupting their waxy outer skin (beneficial insects such as ladybugs and praying mantis are hard-bodied and not affected by the soap).
Keeping Safer's on hand will ensure that your garden is a pest free environment, enabling your plants to grow to their fullest capacity.Here are a few examples of the pest that can ravage your garden.
Fungus, Molds, and Mildew Control
Fungus, Molds, and Mildew - This is another instance where I believe that Safer Brand is the best choice for my garden. I use their Garden Fungicide for my entire grow area. I would suggest spraying your grow area down with Safer before planting. This will kill any lingering mold or mildew that can harm your plants.
I believe that with the proper care and preventive maintenance, you can stop these problems from ever occurring. Just remember.....Keep your work area clean and find a good organic product to keep on hand and your end result will be a grow area that you can be proud of and it will produce a bounty for you repeatedly.
Sing to your plants!
I know it sounds crazy but they love it! You could whistle or just make a point to breath on your plants everyday. You could buy an expensive Co2 emitter but, for a small indoor garden, your breath will be plenty of Co2 to make a difference.
Here is a report about the importance of Co2 that I found on the internet:
The Importance of Carbon Dioxide (Co2) for Healthy Plant Growth
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) contributes to plant growth as part of the miracle of nature known as photosynthesis. This enables plants to combine Carbon Dioxide and water with the aid of light energy to form sugar. Some of these sugars are converted into complex compounds that increase dry solid plant substances for continued growth to final maturity. However, when the supply of carbon dioxide is cut off, or reduced, the complex plant cell structure cannot utilize the suns energy fully and growth or development is curtailed.
Although carbon dioxide is one of three main components which combine to produce the products necessary for plant growth, the amount of carbon dioxide in the air is only 0.03% (250 to 330 parts per million). This compares to 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and 0.97% trace gases in normal air. Numerous tests have proven that during the winter months carbon dioxide concentrations inside greenhouses is invariably much lower than in outside air. This same phenomenon has been shown in controlled environment gardens.
CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2) - IMPROVES PLANT GROWTH AND QUALITY
Research has shown that in most cases rate of plant growth under otherwise identical growing conditions is directly related to carbon dioxide concentration.
The amount of carbon dioxide a plant requires to grow may vary from plant to plant, but tests show that most plants will stop growing when the CO2 level decreases below 150 ppm. Even at 220 ppm, a slow-down in plant growth is significantly noticeable.
Colorado State University conducted tests with carnations and other flowers in controlled CO2 atmospheres ranging from 200 to 550 ppm. The higher CO2 concentrations significantly increased the rate of formation of dry plant matter, total flower yield and market value.
So basically, Co2, will help in making your fruits and flowers bigger and better. It will make all the difference to talk, sing, breath or whistle to your plants
And, you could supplement your singing with a Co2 boost kit. You can pick one up from $75.00 - $150.00 from many different suppliers over the internet. This would make all the difference in the world! Highly Recommended for Larger Gardens!!!
So, Enjoy your new garden, and make sure to have fun with it. With the proper care and a little patience, your garden will pay you back repeatedly.
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God Bless,
Josh Ward
