Plant Gardens 101

These days, as environmental awareness spreads like wildfire, so too does a push for organic products and a general concern over chemicals and their possible dangers. If you’re one of the many concerned about the safety of chemical pesticides, you should know that the Environmental Protection Agency reports that almost all cases of poisoning related to pest control chemicals has come as a result of not following the instruction label that came with the product.

That being said, many believe the use of any chemical poisons in the treatment of pest problems represents some amount of risk. Indeed, these modern times have brought not only a rise to cloth grocery bags and a demand for organic lotions, but also a general concern for the safety of all things manufactured. And, if you are one of the concerned, you may have spent hours scouring the internet for a pest control alternative that is not only natural, but also truly effective. Read the rest of this entry →

Hydroponics uses several different types of lights for optimum plant growth. While using different grow lights, it is important to invest in a specialized digital ballast, which is a necessary component of any lighting circuit. Simply put, a ballast is an electronic component in a lighting system that controls the amount of current in a circuit. Without it, a grow light would fail to work.

Why Digital Ballasts
Earlier ballasts consisted of resistors, which is an inefficient way to control current, as it leads to loss of electricity. Modern digital ballasts limit current flow without wasting electricity. They also help to extend the lifespan of grow lights. Moreover, they help to reduce flickering, a common feature in older ballasts. Also, the performance of most conventional magnetic ballasts worsens after few years of operation, while digital ballasts provide a consistent lumen output and efficiency over its lifetime. As a bonus, digital ballasts offer noise-free operation and less startup time, or the time required to achieve full brightness. Read the rest of this entry →

The debate about climate change has been raging for quite a few years now. Not only about what may or may not be causing it but also as to whether it actually exists. I suppose as a gardener one of the things that you do tend to observe on a regular basis is the weather and in particular rainfall.

Now without getting too deeply into this debate the one thing that I’ve noticed over the last ten years where I live in Melbourne, Australia is that we are now getting less and less rain. In fact it’s now at the stage where our water storages are at an all time low.

So having said that there has never been more reason to plant drought tolerant plants in your garden. I’ve been growing them for over ten years but I also realize that not all gardeners are into drought tolerant plants. So whether you are or aren’t here are some tips so that your plants can survive on less water. Read the rest of this entry →

Sometimes, the urge to garden might be stomped out by other circumstances, such as living arrangements or space constrictions. If you live in an apartment, you can’t really operate a full garden, just because you don’t really have a yard! I think that one of the best solutions for this problem is to grow plants in containers. You can hang these, or just arrange them on your patio, window sill or balcony. Just a few baskets or pots, and your whole living area will look much classier and nicer.

A benefit of growing in small containers is the fact that you can move them around to suit your needs. If you rearrange your furniture and you think that it would look nicer if it was in the other area, it’s no trouble at all to scoot it over. As long as the lighting is about the same, your plant shouldn’t mind the transition at all. Another benefit of the containers’ versatility is the fact that you can adapt it to simulate any environment depending on the type of soil you fill it with and where you place it.

If you are trying to make an aesthetically pleasing arrangement of containers and plants, you can adjust the containers to be at different heights by hanging them from the ceiling or placing them on supports. Hanging them will allow you to make the most of the space you have. This is called “vertical gardening”. If you pull it off right, you can make a very pleasing arrangement of plants while conserving your valuable space. If you live in an apartment, you know how important it is to conserve space! One method of vertical gardening is the use of a wooden step ladder. If painted correctly, you can arrange all the plants on it in a beautiful, stylish cascade of color. Read the rest of this entry →

My back hurts, my arms ache and I’m sunburned. With the soil warming up to temperatures favorable to seed sprouting, the farmer in all of us is ready to take hoe in hand and test the hortacultural waters. I’m planting a garden this year and it’s hard work.

Planting and weeding a garden is not for the faint of heart, or maybe it is. Part of my rehabilitation from recent heart surgery, is the exercise I’m getting from working my little plot of soil. My doctor gave me his permission to do this as long as I didn’t grow Broccoli. He says there is enough of that plant in the world already.

My garden is on a friend’s property; mine has a line of trees, practically all shade and no sun. His property is large, but not as gigantic as it was before the Civil War as one of the largest plantations in Alabama, encompassing thousands of acres. Read the rest of this entry →

Plants are just as accepted as furniture when one is deciding furniture and ductile furnishings.

Aside from the aesthetic treasure plants grant your home with, there are also strength benefits – grade instruct knowledge classify tells us that plants wash the air through using the carbon dioxide and producing more oxygen. Here is some important information on how to burden for your enclosed plants to increase the best health and aesthetic benefits.

Lighting

Most interior plants necessity good lighting. You can present this through usual lighting in the area of your wealth or there must be thrilling lighting. Darker leaved plants generally don’t essential as much light as others.

Here are the varieties of plants (generally those that only command middle to low light) that are known to be correct for interior farming: Read the rest of this entry →

All greenhouse owners have experienced it at one time or another, munched on plants, missing leaves, and more.

There are more than just bugs in my greenhouse.

Over the years I’ve seen a whole menagerie of creatures setting up home in my greenhouse. For years I had a huge warty toad that helped despatch slugs and snails fro the nooks and crannies inside my greenhouse. Sadly he died this summer, but I’ve seen lots of tiny toads crawling about the garden and I’m hoping one or more may take over where he left off.

There’s a comfy chair in my greenhouse, the idea was to occasionally sit and read and escape the phone, but the reality was that one of my cats found it and claimed it as her own. Now I very occasionally get me chair back but to be honest I rarely have time to simply sit in the greenhouse, more’s the pity. Read the rest of this entry →

When summer rolls around, many individuals enjoy spending time in their backyard. When it comes to summer, many individuals associate backyards with picnics, barbeques, swimming, and outdoor sports. While all of these activities are nice, there are not the only things that you can do in your backyard. In fact, there are a number of other popular backyard activities that you may never have given much thought to. One of those activities involves growing a garden.

When it comes to gardening, there are many individuals who wonder why they should even bother. Growing a garden may take a lot of time and hard work; however, there are a number of benefits to gardening. To determine if growing a garden would be the perfect backyard activity for you, you are advised to fully examine these benefits. After that examination, you should be able to decide whether or not gardening is an activity that you would enjoy. Read the rest of this entry →

An indoor herb garden takes many forms, and growing herbs in pots is just one of many options available to a natural herb enthusiast. Potted herbs are easy to maintain and typically require less maintenance than herb gardens grown outdoors. A decorative hanging basket or window box can also be an attractive addition to your indoor environments. Let’s take a closer look at some of the aspects involved with growing potted herbs.

Potted plants, or all plants for that matter, require three basic ingredients to thrive – controlled sunlight, good soil, and an adequate water supply. Fresh herb gardens are no exception. Proper placement and regular care will ensure your plants thrive and produce regularly. The amount and variety of the herbs you grow will allow determine how they should be lit.

Where would you place potted herbs to offer the best sunlight? Find a room with a window that faces south or west. These directions give the most favorable light. Some people utilize supplemental lights like fluorescent grow lamps that offer more consistent, even lighting for potted plants. These lights work well in isolated, temperature-controlled areas, if there is indoor space to set them up properly. Read the rest of this entry →

If you’re like me, the idea of walking out your back door to pick vegetables for dinner is incredibly appealing. Right now, my back patio is home to three large tomato plants and two huge pots of greens. This weekend, I’ll plant the rest of my garden, water, and wait for the returns.

Unfortunately, my lower back is home to a nagging pain, which is telling me I’ve overdone it in the garden this past weekend. With a little rest and the humility to ask for help from someone stronger than me, I’ll be fine.

As an acupuncturist, I love to see patients in my clinic, but I hate to see people in unbearable pain, especially if that pain is avoidable. As a result, here is a compilation of tips and guidelines for pain-free gardening. Read the rest of this entry →

Your yard and garden are places that you can spend countless hours relaxing if you want to. Luckily, there are some things that you can add to the yard or garden that will make it a more ideal place for you to spend time, or will simply better the results of your efforts. Some things are quite little but others will make a big difference in what you are able to grow as well as how efficient your outdoor space is.

You can transform your outdoor space with something as small and seemingly insignificant as garden wind chimes. Wind chimes come in many different shapes and sizes and if you like this sort of thing you will find that the chimes offer a welcoming sound each time the wind blows. If your garden is near your bedroom you may even enjoy being lulled to sleep by the chimes or simply place them by a hammock or a chair that you keep in the yard. Wind chimes are always a great choice when you are looking to make small changes to your outdoor space. Read the rest of this entry →

Imagining your goal is to avoid ingesting pesticides, pick organic crops from the most common – pears, peaches, grapes, nectarines, apples, strawberries, bell peppers, cherries, celery, lettuce, carrots, and kale. A regular diet of the non-organic versions of these could lead you to consume up to 10 different pesticides a day.

Every plant regardless of its properties starts as a seed. Each seed starts off in a good amount of soil or fertilizer. While many people still don’t see the differences between organic and non-organic there could be high health risks involved. In several schools around California school children have been exposed to pesticides with out even ingesting the product. Imagine acres of farm land being sprayed with pesticide on a mildly windy day, as the pesticide hits the crops, not all of it is kept on the fields. Chemicals have blown through local schools causing two children to collapse in spasms at one local school in Strathmore California. Read the rest of this entry →

There are many reasons that a person might be interested in greenhouses. Greenhouses can provide hours of relaxing fun and can even be used for therapeutic reasons.

There are times when an accident or health issue changes some of the things people are able to do. A stroke or car injury can leave someone unable to garden in a regular type of setting. Maybe the weather is not conducive or the garden area is not accessible from the home. In cases like this greenhouses can provide a smaller, safer way to garden.

Gardening is very relaxing and stress reducing for many people. When a person has a very busy job or lots of stressors in his life, a greenhouse can be the place to go to relax and let the tension fade away. Successful greenhouse gardening is also a good way to enjoy a positive experience.

Greenhouses are often a place for a retiree to spend some extra time. When a person retires she may find that the greenhouse is a perfect new hobby. Hours can be whiled away in a greenhouse setting. Sometimes when a person retires it can be difficult to fill all the extra time.

When people have experienced a loss the greenhouse offers a place to putter and reconnect. Greenhouses are filled with plants and flowers that need care and can take a person’s mind off the loss even if it’s just for a little while.

Greenhouses are wonderful settings for all kinds of people who are living with many different issues and situations. Greenhouses are places for people to recuperate, renew and grow, right along with the plants and flowers.

About the Author: Michelle Torres has nearly 20 years experience using and designing garden greenhouses and is an avid gardener. You can find additional useful information about greenhouses and greenhouse gardening at The Greenhouse Catalog.

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Growing hostas is a sure bet for fabulous, foolproof foliage that will enhance any garden. Their food and water requirements are minimal, and they repay even even modest care with stunning beauty.

Hostas are the most popular perennial in the US and it’s easy to see why – these undemanding, easy-to-grow plants will thrive almost anywhere with a minimum of care.

Water Requirements

Hostas like to be moist, but they don’t like to be soggy. As a general guideline, think in terms of a minimum of an inch of water per week, but be prepared to adjust according to temperature and conditions.

When the temperatures are high, hostas will need more water. If you’re growing your hostas in sandy soil water will drain quickly, so you may need to increase the amount of water you provide. Read the rest of this entry →

All gardeners want to get the most out of their greenhouses, especially when they have invested in finely crafted structures like the greenhouses sold by Gabriel Ash. Once the greenhouse is assembled and furnished with benching and shelving it is ready to be filled with seedlings and plants. Many people find that a greenhouse can be a lot of work, especially during the summertime when the plants’ demand for water increases. If you have a busy schedule you may find it difficult to keep all of the plants watered on schedule, and you may want to consider installing a watering system.

Many watering systems use dripping or misting to achieve the proper moisture level in the soil. Some gardeners accomplish this is by suspending a soaker hose over the plants. Unfortunately, soaker hoses work well in outdoor gardens, but in greenhouses they may produce too much water, potentially flooding the greenhouse. For greenhouse gardening, a weeping garden hose is a better solution. A weeping garden hose produces water at a much slower rate than a soaker hose, continuously seeping small beads of water. For a customised watering system, special plastic tubing and fittings can be purchased from most hydroponics stores. You can install micro mist or drip nozzles in precise locations along the tubing for better control of water flow. Read the rest of this entry →

Blueberry fruit is also low in calories and sodium, contains no cholesterol, and is a source of fiber. A major constituent of the fiber is pectin, known for its ability to lower blood cholesterol. In studies blueberry contain measurable quantities of allergic acid, which has inhibiting effects on chemically induced cancer in laboratory studies blueberry juice also contains a compound that prevents bacteria from anchoring themselves to the bladder, thereby helping to prevent urinary tract infections. Blueberries could make a good fruit crop for home gardens since they require small space. At present, blueberry plants are not common in home plantings because the plants require highly acidic soil conditions for best results. The grower of blueberries must, there fore, make extra effort to acidify the soil before plant establishment. Then, the acidity level must be maintained over the life of the planting. Due to the special concerns associated with the rather demanding soil requirements of growing the crop, the soil must be amended with organic matter and the pH must be corrected before proceeding to establish the planting. Read the rest of this entry →

Our kitchens are the center of activity so when we are composting our kitchen scraps we want our kitchens to be odor free from our composting pail or crock. Many families today are recycling thier kitchen scraps to create organic compost for thier gardens.

Having a kitchen compost pail or crock in your kitchen makes composting much easier and convenient. No daily trips to the compost pile in the cold, snow or rain. And most importantly, no odors in your home. Read the rest of this entry →

Many people may not be alert that farming can actually harm the environment. A large quantity of carbon dioxide can be free through tilling the soil. This contributes to overall warming. When you cultivating and compacting the soil, destroys good fungi. Fertilizers like nitrogen and dung often leach out of the soil and infect the water you down.

Global warming

Did you know that the earth’s soil gives out carbon dioxide in the atmosphere 10 period more than the creature activity? This comes from the pill bugs, bacteria, fungi and worms when they breathe, digest food and then die. Although in the former plants have been clever of absorbing carbon dioxide caused by small-amount tillages, this isn’t the instance today. The intensify of the sphere’s mode temperature is because of the carbon dioxide the soil emits when tilled. The good reports is that tilling can be minimized by mulching or layer composting. Read the rest of this entry →

The newest form of making compost has really taken off in terms of popularity. The compost bin tumbler is so quick at making compost and has so many other advantages to conventional compost heaps that it is now extremely popular. You should ensure that you buy the tumbler that is right for you.

There are a number of different designs available and each will make compost very fast. Some, however may be better suited to you and your lifestyle. There are dual chamber urban compost tumblers available which will be better suited to those who make a lot of compost.

The more standard models come in either a vertical or horizontal style. I normally recommend the horizontal models and here is why. Read the rest of this entry →

There is a solution for you if you love the look of plants indoors but don’t have the time or a green thumb to take care of them. A terrarium is a self-contained plant habitat. Once you have set-up the terrarium and closed the lid (on the jar or other container you have chosen) the plants inside create their own eco-system – all you have to do is enjoy it.
The choices for terrarium containers are only limited by your imagination. Traditionally a smaller aquarium is used with a lid but a glass jar or other container will work nicely too. Plastic will work as well, just make sure that it is a clear plastic or you won’t be able to admire your handiwork once it is completed. Whatever size or material you choose for your terrarium the most important factor is that it does not leak. You need the water and moisture to stay inside for it to work and you don’t want a mess inside your house.

The plants that you choose should all thrive in similar conditions and grow well in a humid environment. Popular plants to put into a terrarium are carnivorous (Venus Fly Trap, sundew, or pitch plant) or rain forest plants (chamaedorea palms, small ferns or fittonia). Read the rest of this entry →