Home & Garden

Truly devoted gardeners can attest to the many benefits of gardening, which can range from increased health to lower stress levels. It obviously has added perks such as a beautiful work of art in your own back yard, and fresh vegetables to grace your table. If this sounds good to you, then read on for some tips on how to cultivate the ultimate garden to meet your needs.

One of the most important things about cultivating a successful garden is to be prepared and equipped. It is no secret that people who excel in their endeavors have the necessary tools to work with. This concept applies to gardening just as it does to other areas of life. Do some research to discover exactly what tools are needed to plant and tend your garden on a continual basis. Purchase quality implements and have them easily accessible at all times. It is much more likely that you will spend time daily on your garden if the needed tools and equipment are easily on hand.

Once you have things organized and planted, do not neglect to prune plants in the spring. This applies to permanent plantings, trees and shrubs. Protect fragile plants if necessary even through the spring months, when the wind can be stronger than usual. Excessive rain is a common issue in the months of March through May, so make sure your tender young plants are not getting too much. Cover them if necessary with tarps or small umbrellas.

When choosing new plants, seek out advice from professionals, not only online, but also from local nurseries. These are the people with hands-on experience in your own area. They will know the weather patterns and which plants will survive and thrive in your climate. Ask for tips and suggestions. You will likely find that people love talking about their skills and knowledge, as well as their passion for gardening. This can be an invaluable resource for you.

For flower beds, be sure to use mulch. This will help your plants to retain needed moisture and will also help to protect them from the sun’s harsh rays. Insects will have a harder time getting to your flowers, as well.

If you have limited time to spend in your garden, consider using evergreens. These typically are more sturdy and require less maintenance. It will also help your yard to look healthy and colorful even in the drab winter months. Place evergreens strategically so that each part of your garden will have at least some evergreen color. Use taller plants to create height and depth to your garden.

Spend time in your garden, and invite friends and family to join you there. Not only will you gain the benefits of fresh air and sunshine, but it will also help you to bond with your environment in a healthy way.

Use these ideas to lay a solid foundation for your garden, then relax and enjoy the process of creating a work of art in your own living space.

Because your plants are just awakening from their long winter’s nap in the spring, it is the best time to place new ones in the ground, and to prune unneeded limbs and other growths off the ones you have. If you prepare yourself for the spring, yours will be the most plentiful garden in your neighborhood by the time the calendar turns to the summertime.

It is important to keep your gardening tools neat and tidy. If you don’t know where your spade is, it will be difficult to find it the next time you have to go out and do some soil turning, or add some compost to the top of your dirt for your newly growing vegetables. Gardening takes some time each day, and you don’t want to waste time hunting down things, or sweeping up dirt from a spade or shovel that you did not clean properly before putting it away for the day.

Woody plants need pruning each spring. You might think that pruning is actually hurting your plants, but what you are actually doing is making room for new growth. By taking off what is dead, you give the plant a chance to replenish that part of itself with new tissue. It cannot overtake the dead area itself but instead needs that area to be removed.

Go down to your local nursery and talk to a salesperson about the best plants for your area. Different parts of the country are more hospitable to different sorts of plants, because of the variety in climate here. You won’t want to xeriscape your yard if you live in Seattle, but you might want to think about it if you live in Phoenix, because it’s hard to grow anything with a particular degree of success. You can do it, but it is extremely difficult. Talk to your nursery expert and get some insight into your own part of the world before buying a bunch of plants.

Once your beds are planted, cover them with mulch. This will keep the sun from beating down and baking your new plantings, and it will also help the soil retain moisture instead of yielding it to evaporation. Mulch will protect your plants as they begin their journey to maturity and will also give your beds an even-toned appearance, making even your early garden attractive.

If you want color during all four seasons, then you’ll want to add some evergreen plants to your garden. Your other plants may look vibrant and amazing during their season of growth, but even perennials take the winter off, leaving a dearth of color in their wake. With evergreens, you’ll have a burst of color which will keep your yard compelling and attractive in all seasons.

Use collecting bins to pull water in from rain and add it to your new garden. This will keep you from having to drain reservoirs to water your garden, which especially helps if you have watering restrictions.

Preparation is the most important part of gardening. Use this article to plan an awesome garden for yourself.

Controlling Weeds In Your Garden Is A Breeze With These Tips

Gardening is a lot of fun, but it can also be a great deal of work. Weeds are one of the main challenges every gardener faces when attempting to grow fresh produce for the family. It’s a good idea to keep weeds under control as you go along so that they don’t become a huge problem. In this article, we will offer advice for getting your weeds under control and keeping them that way.

You may be surprised to know that it’s easier to keep weeds at bay if you disturb the soil as little as possible. Once you have your plants in place, you don’t want to turn the soil surrounding them too much because this will keep the soil light and airy for new weed growth. It’s best to mulch the soil heavily to create a barrier that will prevent weed seeds from implanting and prevent those that are in place from being able to grow. A good heavy layer of mulch will smother weeds, hold in moisture and compost into rich, nourishing soil for your plants.

An alternative to mulch is landscape fabric. You can use it all over your garden, but it’s really better to use mulch. Nonetheless, landscape fabric makes a nice surface under paths in the garden and helps keep weeds from growing through.

Be sure to weed your garden after you water. In this way, you will be more likely to get the whole root. If you weed in dry soil, pieces of the root will break off and remain in the dirt. These will just grow into more weeds.

Place your plants as close together as is allowed for each type of plant. Open areas in your garden are prime weed growing ground. Instead of allowing weeds to grow there, toss out some marigold seed to brighten those empty spots and help deter pests naturally.

Water by hand to avoid over watering in bare places. Be sure the plants you want get a good watering and avoid watering areas that are likely to grow weeds.

When you purchase new plants to add to your garden, it’s a good idea to check the pots for weeds. Remove them and dispose of them properly. Shake off the dirt from the pot the plant came in and surround it with your own good soil in your garden. In this way, you can avoid having weeds move in.

Be sure to weed on a regular basis. If you check every day or two and pull the weeds after you water, you will be able to keep up with weed growth. If you let it go, it will soon overwhelm you. Another way your weeds, and indeed your garden, might overwhelm you is if you plan a garden that is too big for you to manage effectively. You’d be surprised at how little space is necessary to produce quite a bit of food. Don’t overdo it when you put in your garden, and you will be able to keep the weeds and all other factors under control.

It can be bothersome to have weeds in your garden patch, and they can really hog resources that you want to give to your plants. Some weeds are pretty ugly, as well, so it’s a good idea to stay on top of them and prevent them from taking over your garden. By following the tips presented here, you will be able to manage the weeds in your garden.

Composting Boot Camp: How to Have an Awesome Composting Experience

Composting is one of the most effective ways to deliver organic nutrients to your garden, and also one of the cheapest. Despite the many benefits of composting, newcomers to the composting scene can find the process confusing. Many people might want to start composting but hesitate because of misapprehensions. Thankfully, it is easy to get off to a good start with composting by following just a few simple guidelines.

Many would-be composters are squeamish about the smells their compost may give rise to. One easy trick to squelch compost odors from taking over your kitchen is to keep your compost bin in the freezer. Chest freezers work best, but the technique also works well with small freezers — just use a smaller container. This technique also eliminates the possibility that your compost could fill your kitchen with fruit flies.

Another odor-eliminating idea is to keep your compost properly aerated. When you keep your compost properly turned, it should have a pleasant, earthy aroma. Unpleasant smells result from anaerobic bacteria that grow in non-aerated pockets of your compost pile. You can turn your compost over the old-fashioned way with a shovel. Alternatively, invest in a barrel-type compost bin that can be rolled to stir the contents.

You can further encourage proper break-down of the composted materials by ensuring thorough drying. Many vegetable materials contain natural compounds that retard decomposition. A good way to get around this problem is to locate your composting area in a sunny location that promotes thorough desiccation. Dry compost also allows better airflow and is therefore less prone to colonization by smelly anaerobic bacteria.

Be sure to include a wide variety of decomposable products in your compost. Most people realize they can compost carrot tops and apple rinds, but don’t stop there. Coffee ground and egg shells also add beneficial nutrients to your garden. So do lawn clippings. Beware, though, of using yard waste that may contain weed seeds. You can even compost paper as long as you cut or shred it into small pieces that will decompose easily. An office shredder works perfectly for this purpose.

As you add items to your compost pile, try to balance your “browns” and “greens.” Greens include most herbaceous plant matter, such as vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, and grass clippings. All of these items provide sources of nitrogen for your plants. Browns provide carbon and include tree leaves, hay, straw, and fine twigs.

It is also important to balance the pH of your compost. Ideally, your compost will be somewhere close to a neutral pH to avoid skewing the pH of your soil. Alkaline sources in compost include leaves from poplar, cottonwood, and ash trees. Acidic sources in compost include oak leaves and most vegetable scraps.

A good sign to look for in your compost pile is presence of earthworms. Worms in the pile indicate an environment of healthy decomposition. In addition, worms also help break down the composted material, speeding the release of nutrients into your soil. As the worms eat the decomposing material, they give off waste products, known as castings, that make excellent fertilizer. If you want to speed the process of acquiring worms in your pile, consider purchasing a starter batch of red wigglers. In addition, be sure to keep your compost pile moist enough to support worms.

When properly done, composting will provide you with free, high-quality fertilizer with a minimum of effort. In addition, you’ll also help ease the load on our already overused landfills. Although getting started can require a shift in mindset, the basic guidelines are easy to follow. Stick to the tips provided here, and soon you’ll be composting with the best of them.

There are many joys that go along with gardening, and bringing in the crops of vegetables and fruits for your family to eat can be one of the most rewarding experiences that go along with cultivating your yard. It can seem challenging to get started, but once you are up and running, your work will bring amazing results that will recur year after year.

It is important to choose the right crops to grow in your home garden. First of all, sit down with your family and figure out what you do — and do not — want to grow. You probably won’t want to grow Brussels sprouts if you have kids in your home, because they are likely to hate them and may even sabotage that part of your garden when you are not looking, so they won’t have to eat them. Figure out what everyone wants to eat out of the garden; by getting this buy-in, you will have a group of helpers eager to pitch in with the garden now and then.

It is important to choose the right place for your garden. Do not use the dog run, and do not use the ground right next to the swimming pool. In addition, do not use an area that is mostly covered by your old oak tree. You just won’t get the growth and results that you like. Choose an area that is set apart, and large enough to grow all of the things you want to try. If you don’t choose a hospitable part of your yard for your garden, you will end up wasting a lot of time and effort.

When you are ready, go ahead and till your soil. This is important, so that you can break up existing root systems to give your plant room to grow. You don’t want your new tomato vine competing with St. Augustine grass, which is one of the most ruthless propagating plants out there. Get rid of the competition, and then add some fertilizer to your garden. You may want to go with an organic choice, so that you don’t have to scrub as much poison off your crops as you do when you bring home produce from the grocery store. After you’ve fertilized, it’s time to plant your seeds and wait for them to emerge as seedlings.

Water often — but sparingly. You’ll want to add some water twice a day at the beginning, but just enough to moisten the soil. You don’t have to drop a flood on your plants each day. Just give them enough water to have a drink, and keep an eye on your plants to see how they grow each day. This will help you nurture them effectively.

Now comes the most fun part — pulling your finished crops up and preparing them to feed your family.

Gardening can provide an antidote to the stress of everyday life. Building your own garden, and growing the crops that you love there, will give you a sense of peace.