Plant Gardens 101

HOW would you like to plant a vegetable that would supply you and your family with some food for up to 20 years? What if it did this without any replanting or much cultivation? Would it not also be appealing if the plant had the habit of yielding when other vegetables are in short supply? Well, that versatile vegetable is asparagus! And for that lengthy supply, a family of five would need only about 12 crowns of it.

Do you wonder about nutritional value? Well, asparagus contains varying amounts of calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium and iron, as well as vitamins A, B1, B2, C and niacin all necessary for a healthful diet. That in itself is good reason to include asparagus in the home garden bed!

This tasty relative of the regal lily has been lending interest to menus ever since it was cultivated by the ancient Egyptians. By 200 B.C.E. information on its cultivation was being recorded by the Romans.

While many consider asparagus a common vegetable, others classify it as a delicious luxury. Although usually retailed in canned form, the fresh spears also are of delectable flavor. Both white and green asparagus is cultivated, green possibly being best for the home gardener because it combines higher food value with better flavor.

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LED refers to light emitting diodes, and they are the latest type of light bulb to make an impact on all types of lighting today. With regard to using LED lamps and LED grow lights with plants, there are many reasons why they are beneficial. They are small and lightweight, yet produce an amazing amount of light that is specifically usable by plants for photosynthesis. They run cool, eliminating the need for expensive cooling equipment, and they run on much less electricity than traditional HID, HPS or MH grow lights. This is why many gardeners are selecting LED grow lights, but knowing a bit about how the lights work will help you in selecting the correct LED bulbs for your indoor garden.

Plants need light from different parts of the light spectrum in terms of color temperature in order to grow well and thrive. Young seedlings need light that will help them to grow into sturdy, mature plants, and that type of light is blue spectrum. Once mature, plants can be induced to produce flowers and fruits by growing them under red and orange spectrum lights.

Knowing this, you can be quite selective in terms of the LED lamps that you choose. Many traditional bulbs offer only one part of the light spectrum, and if it is the wrong part of the spectrum for what your plants require, the plants will not thrive in an indoor setting. This can be alleviated with the use of LED bulbs.

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Container gardening is the answer would love to grow some vegetables but I have no room to grow anything”.

By utilizing containers, both large and small, it is possible to grow almost anything that you can grow directly in the ground. Patios, balconies, steps, and window sills are good locations as long as there is sufficient sunlight (about 6 to 8 hours worth), the only limit being the size and the weight of your containers.

Containers come in a variety of shapes, sizes and materials and in fact, can be just about any thing that will hold soil, even old shoes and sneakers can be pressed into service as flower pots with admirable results. Materials can be wood, plastic, terra cotta, clay or metal. All containers do need drainage, so it is good advice to add one inch of coarse gravel on the bottom and have drain holes ideally one half inch from the bottom. Drainage can be severely hampered by placing the pot directly on a hard surface such as concrete so elevate the container an inch or two to insure proper water flow. (more…)

The botanical name for plantain lily.