Plant Gardens 101

Japanese gardening is a cultural form of gardening that is meant to produce a scene that mimics nature as much as possible by using trees, shrubs, rocks, sand, artificial hills, ponds, and flowing water as art-forms. The Zen and Shinto traditions are both a large part of Japanese gardening and, because of this; the gardens have a contemplative and reflective state of mind. Japanese gardening is much different than the Western style and most would say it is far more meditational and soul soothing.

In Japanese gardening there are three basic methods for scenery. The first of these is reduced scale. Reduced scale is the art of taking an actual scene from nature, mountains, rivers, trees, and all, and reproducing it on a smaller scale. Symbolization involves generalization and abstraction. An example of this would be using white sand to suggest the ocean. Borrowed views refers to artists that would use something like an ocean a forest as a background, but it would end up becoming an important part of the scene. (more…)

The only thing that distinguishes a kitchen vegetable garden from any other sort is that the garden plants are specifically selected to be eaten. Given that, the primary consideration in choosing your plants is what you will use, either for your own consumption or as trade items at a local farmer’s market. (Of course the climate in your area and the length of the growing season are also major factors.)

Your primary goals are to save money, to provide yourself with a healthy source of fresh food, and to have some fun in the process. There’s nothing quite as satisfying as seeing something you’ve grown with your own hands on your dinner table. But how to start?

Where to Plant Your Garden

Obviously you can only use the land available to you, if there is any, or you can augment what space you have with containers. Figure out how much room your plug plants will need and plan accordingly. Tomatoes and peppers grow to a large size and do quite well in containers with cages for stabilization. Carrots and lettuce, on the other hand, do well planted in rows. (more…)

Gardening is a wonderful hobby, which kind of grows on you. Often people stumble upon this hobby when they are depressed, or find themselves aimless with too much free time on their hands. Sometimes, gardening is taken up as a therapy to unwind from a tough routine or over-stressful life. Whatever is the reason for you to take up gardening, you will find that it makes a wonderful hobby - one that not only relaxes you like no other leisure occupation, but also fills you with an extraordinary satisfaction.

Gardening for beginners - The Starting Point
When you decide to take up gardening, you will need a few basics both in knowledge and in equipment. For knowledge, you can use the Internet which has an almost inexhaustible amount of information on this subject; and for implements you go to the closest gardening shop and ask for a kit for gardening for beginners. For more details visit to www.sales-letter-secret.com .This kit will have all that you need for that first time contact with the earth. Some of the must-haves that the gardening for beginners kit would consist of are seed trays or pots with adequate drain holes, plastic bags, multi-purpose compost mixture (you could also use vermiculite, which is much lighter than the compost and easier to use), labels for your plants and plant seedlings, and a medium sized watering can with a fine rosette. (more…)

Even though sunflowers have been cultivated for hundreds of years, professional growers are still discovering new methods for increasing output and improving the overall quality of the crop. Plus, as new uses for the byproducts of sunflowers (seeds, oil, etc.) are developed, the crop acreage has increased. Today, nearly 3 million acres are cultivated annually in the U.S. alone.

Below, I’ll describe how to plant sunflowers to ensure your crop, large or small, maintains its quality. I’ll also provide a few tips for fertilizing and protecting your crop while it grows.

Planting Your Sunflowers

Sunflower crops can usually be planted as early as April, though many farmers wait for May when the weather is warmer. The higher temperatures allows for quicker drying and an earlier harvest. When you’re planting sunflowers, keep in mind that the crop output (in seeds) is often inversely correlated to seed rate (or, plants per acre). In other words, sunflower heads tend to produce larger quantities of seeds when the crop is thin. As a rule of thumb, plan to have approximately 20,000 seeds per acre. Also, the wider the rows, the more easily you can manage the weeds. (more…)

Organic gardening is the practice of growing vegetables, herbs and fruits relying only things found in nature. An organic gardener aspires to work in harmony with natural systems and to minimize and continually replenish any of the resources the garden consumes. The organic gardener prefers to use natural and organic materials and methods, while trying to avoid using practices and synthetic chemicals that may be detrimental to his or the environment’s health. As a reward, organic gardens can be both attractive and productive - and it’s simpler than you think!

Organic gardening differs from “conventional” gardening mainly in what regards fertilization and pest control. If pests are present, it is important to assess whether or not they are causing sufficient damage that action must be taken against them. Plants such as marigolds, sunflowers, and dill can attract beneficial insects that prey on pests that would otherwise damage nearby plants. Some plants have a tendency to ward off specific pests, especially when planted next to susceptible plants. They do this by emitting chemicals from their roots or leaves, called allelochemicals, which repel pests. Also, birds, ladybugs and praying mantises are to be considered the gardener’s best friends when it comes to insect control. (more…)

If we could garden without any interference from the pests which attack plants, then indeed gardening would be a simple matter. But all the time we must watch out for these little foes little in size, but tremendous in the havoc they make.

As human illness may often be prevented by healthful conditions, so pests may be kept away by strict garden cleanliness. Heaps of waste are lodging places for the breeding of insects. I do not think a compost pile will do the harm, but unkempt, uncared-for spots seem to invite trouble.

There are certain helps to keeping pests down. The constant stirring up of the soil by earthworms is an aid in keeping the soil open to air and water. Many of our common birds feed upon insects. The sparrows, robins, chickadees, meadow larks and orioles are all examples of birds who help in this way. Some insects feed on other and harmful insects. Some kinds of ladybugs do this good deed. The ichneumon-fly helps too. And toads are wonders in the number of insects they can consume at one meal. The toad deserves very kind treatment from all of us. (more…)

It’s easy to imagine a garden that is full of tall, brightly-colored sunflowers. They’re easy to grow, simple to maintain and can add a dazzling splash of color to any landscape. However, though sunflowers are easy to grow and maintain, there are several potential pitfalls. Small critters can steal the seeds before they have a chance to sprout. High winds can decimate a sunflower garden if stakes aren’t used for structural support. Wild birds can swoop down to pillage the seeds before they can be stolen by other animals.

By taking a few preventative measures, you can help ensure that your sunflowers grow to be a vibrant, stunning component of your garden. Below, we’ll explain how to grow sunflowers and provide a few useful tips for cultivating a gorgeous end-of-summer garden. (more…)

Bare root plants are easy to handle. They are usually dormant perennials, shrubs, or trees that have been harvested from the field, have had the soil washed from their roots and then have been stored in refrigeration for later shipment. “Bare rooting” a plant is a safe, proven, and much used means of storing and shipping many garden plants. At Cottage Farms we always recommend that you plant bare root plants as soon as possible, but you can hold them in a refrigerator, unheated garage, or cellar for a short period if necessary. The best time of year for planting bare root plants in the garden is during the winter (if the soil is not frozen) or spring. The arrival of warmer temperatures and longer days cause the plants to wake up naturally from their winter dormancy and help insure gardening success.

Daylilies:
Cottage Farms suggests choosing a garden area that will receive at least four hours of direct sun each day. Spade or roto-till the intended flower bed to a depth of at least 8-10 inches. If you do not have good garden soil, you may want to blend in a generous portion of dehydrated manure, compost, peat moss, or shredded leaves, but daylilies are one of the easiest to grow and most forgiving plants in any garden. (more…)

If you are considering starting a hydroponic garden, there are some basic facts you should know. Hydroponic gardening presents many challenges, but also has many benefits.

The name, hydroponics, suggests plants grown in water, and that is the basic method. However, it really refers to any method of horticulture that doesn’t use soil. It is sometimes called S/CEA or soil-less controlled environment agriculture.

Light control is the most important aspect, although water and nutrient control can be the most difficult. Of critical importance is the pH adjustment. When you have a soil based garden, these factors are mostly self-regulating. However, in a hydroponic garden, you must take a little extra care. (more…)

Renegade Water Secrets with Barry Carter, leading authority on ormus, a white, powder gold.

Kevin: How does someone get ormus and then how are you applying it?

Barry: Oh, it’s really, really quite easy. If you have access to sea water or even Celtic sea salt or Dead Sea salt, as long as the salt is crude, unrefined salt. Celtic salt will be kind of damp and gray-colored. That kind of raw salt, you mix it with water or you just put your sea water in a container and if you’re going to consume it, you want to boil it before you do anything else. But if you’re just going to put it on plants, you just add sodium hydroxide, which is the same thing as lye and raise the pH, the alkalinity of the water, up to 10.78 and no higher, and you’ll get a white precipitate. And this precipitate will drop out, will fall down to the bottom of your container and you take the clear liquid off the top and there will be very little, if anything, wax equivalent at the top in terms of the ormus and the white precipitate that’s left at the bottom will be about thirty percent ormus and seventy percent other elements like magnesium, calcium and so on. The precipitate, you want to wash it several times before you consume it because you’re just washing the salt out. It isn’t particularly healthful. It a very easy process, though it is dangerous to work with lye.

Kevin: Sure. (more…)

Many people think that the first criteria when picking the “best spot” for a home vegetable garden is good soil; however, although good soil is important, good soil is made, not found. You can rebuild the soil once the spot has been chosen. When you are choosing where you want your home vegetable garden patch to be, you must focus on its convenience and exposure.

Convenience means your home vegetable garden should be “close by” or as close to your house as possible. You may think that a difference of only a few hundred yards cannot be that significant; however, if you have to largely depend upon spare moments for working in and for watching the home vegetable garden, convenience will be much more important than you think.

Don’t wait till you have had to make a dozen time-wasting trips for forgotten seeds or tools or gotten your feet soaking wet by going out through the dew-drenched grass to gather those “vegetables of the day” to realize that “close access to your home vegetable garden” is important. (more…)

If you are new to gardening, this article will give you a few tips to help you make your first garden as good as any seasoned gardener. The first thing you should consider for many reasons are what you are going to plant, and where are you going to plant? For obvious reasons, location is important when growing plants that need sun, as is shade when it is required for survival. Try not to plant to close to trees, as trees will compete for water. However, if your plants require little water, than planting around a tree is encouraged. (more…)

Hydroponic gardening is a great way for anyone who wants to garden but does not have a backyard or a hospitable climate to still participate by growing high-quality fruits, vegetables and flowers indoors without using soil. There are some basic hydroponics supplies that you will need to get started, and all of these can easily be found through online hydroponic gardening merchants. Like any type of gardening, hydroponic gardening does take a bit of attention and care, but it is a small price to pay in order to be able to grow wonderful plants where you might not otherwise be able.

Probably the easiest way to put together hydroponic grow systems is through the use of hydroponic kits. A kit will include basically everything you need minus the plants and water to get started. You can choose kits that come in different sizes, so that you can find the most affordable solution for hydroponic supplies. Hydroponic kits are available for many types of hydroponic grow systems, such as aeroponic, deep water culture as well as ebb and flow.      (more…)

I was at the local Starbucks Coffee shop and noticed an interesting thing…Near the door, one of the staff was placing used coffee bags (the silver ones that hold the beens) in the basket. Curiosity got the better of me so I asked about it.

In each bag there is roughly 5 lb of used coffee grounds. and are free for the taking. So I took 2 bags home and added them to my compost. coffee grounds are great for composts.

More info on this: http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/compost.asp

I also found out another use, since it is relitively starile (Brewed coffee), you can use it as a organic substrate for Oyster Mushroom. Simply find a plastic container, place a 4 to inch layer on the bottom of coffee grinds fresh from Starbuck. Moisture is key here. Buy a few Oyster mushroom from the local store (about 15-30 cents worth will do), Chop the Oyster mushroom in to tiny pieces, the smaller the better. Sprincle the chopped Oyster mushroom onto the coffee grinds, and cover with some coffee grounds so that you nolonger se white specks. Stor Plastic container in a cool dark spot.

Every couple of says, sprits some water from a spray bottle to keep the surface moist. In about 2 weeks you will see white fuss show up, thats ok, the mushroom are growing. In 4 more weeks you should have your first harvest of Oyster Mushroom.

The price of Oyster Mushroom is roughly $7.99 per lb. I personall love mushrooms and I spend lots of money on them, If this works, I will try some other moshroom types in the same manner.

I will keep you posted

PlantGardens101

Many people ask What Is Organic Gardening? Organic gardening is simply the non -use of synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. The basic of organic gardening is replenishing the soils natural resources as it uses them. Replacing some of the depleted soil with composted plants and using cow and other animal manures as fertilizers is one sure way of replenishing the soil naturally, in other words co-operating and being in sync with Mother Nature herself.

The organic matters used in organic gardens is nothing more than decaying plants and/or animal wastes, compost made from dried leaves, grass clippings, with added household food scrapings make for good soil enrichments to be used as a top soil dressing for established garden or added and then worked into the soil for a new garden. With the addition of organic matters into the soil it naturally improves its texture while enriching it for the plants to get the air, water and nutrients that they need. (more…)