Home & Garden

The only thing better than a healthy garden is a high-yielding garden. For many gardeners out there, this is something that extends well past a hobby; it’s an actual way of life. Whether it’s to feed your family, to donate to charity, to supplement your income, or for any other reason, you can get a lot more out of your harvest if you follow some great tips.

It might sound too simple to be true, but a fantastic way to get more out of your garden is to simply start earlier. Start as soon as the frosts stop by growing seedlings, plant as soon as the springtime officially hits, and keep growing until mid to late fall.

Berries and other fruits will grow in colder seasons. You can also grow indoors in baskets. Fruits like strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc, are great to grow inside. You can also plant fruit trees like peach, plum and apple trees and start bearing fruit in a few seasons.

When you plant a regular seed in the dirt outside, you’re going to be dealing with a lot of pests and natural elements. This is why starting seedlings indoors is always the best way to go if you want more out of your harvest. Make sure to always start your seedlings in a safe environment.

With many varieties of plants, you won’t have to start a new seedling for a new crop. You can simply cut away some of the root and allow it to sprout a new plant. This is a great way to turn a healthy plant into a group of healthy plants without having to start from scratch with a seed.

Many people believe that watering properly means watering often. However, if you’re watering out of your town water supply, you’re spraying your plants down with chemicals that may harm them. In this context, watering properly means to use organic, clean water that your plants will appreciate more.

Growing in succession is a great way to keep your harvests coming steady. So when you’re about to harvest one set, you should have your indoor garden seedlings ready to go for another set. Just remember to either replenish the soil or to change the location of the next garden.

Perennial vegetables, like asparagus, garlic and collard greens, will give you more produce every year without having to put in the hard work. You can donate an entire garden to perennials and know that you’ll have a solid crop every season.

A come-again crop is a crop that you can clip for harvest and still see continued growth. Any type of leafy green is a come-again, and if you’re pruning and harvesting properly, you can also get some extra life out of tomato plants. Herbs are also great come-again plants if you harvest the leaves and not the stems.

You should never try to build a better wheel when gardening. If your goal is to get more out of the harvest, then stick with what you know works. Don’t abandon a good thing to try some newfangled method of gardening. Just take what you know and improve upon it.

Before you set out to improve your harvest, make sure you’re implementing some of the tips you have read above. It doesn’t take much to get more out of your garden. As long as you’re willing to be attentive, you can do it.

Gardening is a wonderful activity to practice. It’s relaxing and it gives you the reward of having plants that produce beautiful flowers or food that you can eat. One of the greatest things about gardening is that it can be done using organic practices. Read the following article for some tips that can help you cultivate an organic garden.

Growing close to home is the best idea for creating an organic garden. Plants that are native to your area or have successfully adapted to grow in your area have a greater chance of surviving. These plants have optimized themselves to grow under the soil and climate conditions in your area, making them easier to take care of and stronger in endurance. You can try your hand at a few exotic plants, but leave the majority of the garden with local and adapted plants.

Just like any other garden, an organic garden can be susceptible to over watering. In some areas, nature will do most of the watering for you. A rain gauge placed outside can give you an idea of how much rain falls in your area, and help you decide if you need to add more water. If you have to water, aim for early morning or late evening hours. These times will give the water ample time to seep into the soil and prevent water evaporation due to heat from the sun.

Pests can be a major problem for anyone trying to grow an organic garden. Just one insect can spell disaster for any of your plants. Your first line of defense against these pests should be physical. Some pests can be removed by hand if they don’t pose that much of a threat. If you find yourself overwhelmed, move on to stronger defenses. Barriers placed around the garden and sticky traps can keep pests out and stop invaders before they reach plants. If this fails, use organic pesticides as a last resort, as they might cause harm to your plants or any pest killing insects.

Plant based pests can be just as bad as insects for an organic garden. Weeds can grow around your plants and leave them without any nutrients. You can add mulch to a garden to keep weeds from growing, but if it’s too late and they’ve already started growing, you’ll have to remove them. The safest way to take care of weeds is to pull them from the garden. It takes a little effort, but once the weeds are gone, your plants will be able to grow to their fullest. An easier route would be to use organic weed killers, which can be made easily, but raise the risk of your plants and any beneficial insects being damaged.

As stated before, gardening is both relaxing and rewarding. The results of any garden you grow will give you a smile and in many cases, something good to eat. Why not go the extra mile and make your garden an organic garden that the world can enjoy.

Gardening is one of those hobbies that just about anyone can do. However, when it comes to gardening successfully, with a high-yielding, healthy harvest, that’s another matter entirely. If you want a great garden this year, make sure to check out some of the tips below.

One of the first steps in the gardening process is to determine the type of soil you have. Sand, silt, clay and other types of soil will give you different results based on what you want to grow, so figure out your soil type before you decide on what you want to plant.

Not only do you need to know your soil type, but you also have to build up your soil. Your soil should contain many nutrients. It should have the proper pH balance. Building up your soil may require you to supplement it with compost and other additives to ensure the health of your harvest.

Instead of planting your seeds directly in the ground, it helps to give them a head start by starting them indoors. You want to grow seedlings in different containers. This will give you a much higher success rate when you finally transplant the seedling to the garden.

Although there are some plants that can survive in the shade, the overwhelming majority of garden-variety plants need a lot of sun to survive. This means that you should locate them in an area that receives ample sun all day. Not having enough sun will lead to weaker plants.

Your plants also need room to grow. Remember, plants extend well beyond what you can see above the surface. Their root systems spread out and absorb water and nutrients. If they’re crowded, they will compete to the point of dying. Avoid this by spacing your plants properly.

Plants need the right amount of water to survive. Too much water, you risk flooding your plants and harming or even killing them. Too little water, your plants will wither up and die. You should make sure they get a little water every day. If it rains, try to avoid watering further.

Once the plants are in the ground, a lot of gardeners believe that all they need is sunlight and water. However, you should still provide good nutrition for your plants by supplementing them with nutrient-rich mulch and other plant food. Anything that boosts the nutrition of the plants is a good thing.

A leggy plant is a plant with a long stem system and few leaves. This is very common with tomato plants. A good way to support these plants is to plant them deeper as seedlings. However, if they become leggy as they grow, you can build up more mulch around the base to offer further support.

Left unattended, plants will become very bush-like, with wild leaves and stems growing in every direction. This is why proper pruning is a must in a garden. You won’t have to do a lot of work here. When you see a stem growing out of control, literally nip it in the bud. It’s a seconds-long process that will save you a lot of trouble later on.

Gardening doesn’t have to be back-breaking work, nor do you need an encyclopedia’s worth of knowledge to do things properly. By following the few simple tips above, you can start gardening like a pro.

If you’re an avid gardener, you’ve probably tried various ways of doing your gardening while your children are doing something else. Use the tips below to incorporate techniques and strategies for sharing and encouraging your love of gardening with your children.

Make sure you have supplies set up for your gardening activity with your children ahead of time so that everything is ready to go before you invite your children outside with you. You can explain what you’ve got assembled in terms of tools and plants as well as other materials you’ll use during the gardening. Show your child all the tools and explain which ones he or she will be permitted to use and which ones are dangerous.

If you decide to plant edible vegetables or herbs in your larger garden area, have your children create signs with sticks on them that you’ll stick into the ground that say, “Food,” and “Not Food.” You can incorporate pictures including a picture of a child eating something for your food signs and a picture of a child not eating something or of the item with a big X through it for non food. Spend some time putting the stakes in the ground.

Never plant food items throughout your garden. Always plant food in a separate area to keep your child from experiencing confusion about what is or is not edible, especially if you have shrubbery that grows berries during certain times of year.

Try to purchase a small plant that has already been grown by a nursery, in addition to purchasing seeds for that plant to help your child understand from the seed envelope and the actual plant what you’re trying to grow. Attach the empty envelope to a piece of a garden stake and stick it in the ground so that your child can see where the plant is supposed to grow.

Do not have your child do work at one end of the garden while you do work at the other end. Even if you’ve got your child digging shallow holes to plant annuals, you’ll want to be there to watch his or her progress and compliment his or her efforts.

Involve your child in watering plants whether you do it by hand or through the use of a sprinkler. Continually involving your child in the care of the garden will illustrate that it is an ongoing job.

Supply your child with kid-sized gardening gloves to protect his or her hands and to help reduce the chances that he or she will touch his face or mouth with dirty hands.

Set up a box near the door to your home you’ll re-enter your home through after gardening so that your child can take off dirty shoes and socks and place them in the box. If you plan on using different towels for hand washing after gardening, make sure these towels are easily within reach for your child when you come inside.

Your love of gardening is something that you can share with your child. Use the suggestions above to incorporate gardening activities into the list of other activities you do with your child.

Gardening with Kids: How to Help Your Child Discover the Joys of Nature

Gardening can be an incredibly important tool in the life of a child. As society becomes more driven by technology, children are getting fewer opportunities to spend time out in nature, something that is crucial for their development. Early exposure to the outdoors can result in a greater awareness of the environment. It also helps them become more responsible, as they are given the task of caring for another living thing. The following information will outline how you can get your child involved in gardening.

Allow your child to have input in the garden from the very beginning. Talk to them about what plants they would like to grow. Have them help you research which plants will grow well in your particular climate. Take them with you to the store to purchase the seeds or plants that you are going to put in the space. Finally, make sure they help you get the garden set up and assign them particular responsibilities that will help keep the garden flourishing.

Remember that your child is going to get dirty. Embrace that. It can be hard for some parents to see their children making a mess, but if you know ahead of time what you are in for (and you have a plan for when your child is finished gardening), both you and your little one will have much more fun. Purchase some inexpensive clothes that you don’t mind your child getting stained. Have your child undress before entering the house and put them straight in the tub after your work is done for the day. If they are young, spend some time walking through the routine with them before you actually take them out in the garden. If they understand that they will be walking straight from the back door to the bathroom, they are less likely to touch anything in the house first.

Because your child will be an integral part of your garden, refrain from using pesticides. There are natural ways to control bugs that you can easily implement. For example, one of the best methods of prevention is to remove anything from your garden that a bug might consider a home. Get your child involved in looking for rocks, leaves, branches, etc, and have them help you get rid of them before a problem can begin.

Make sure you plant a few fruits and vegetables. Kids enjoy eating something that they have helped to create. Your garden can become a tool in helping you establish a healthy diet for your child. You can even take things a step further and have your little one assist you in preparing a dish with the food that they harvested. Not only is it an opportunity to have a little more quality time with your child, but you are helping them discover how exciting food can be.

Gardening is a great way to spend time with your child. It also helps them discover, early on, how amazing nature can be. With the information included here, move forward with your plans to start a garden with your little one!

Guess what? You don’t have to have a huge yard, let alone acres of property, to have a successful garden. Even if all you have is a tiny balcony or some grass along the edges of your driveway, containers can transform your space into an area of beauty.

It’s important to select containers that have enough volume to nurture the plants you want to display. It’s not enough just to hold the plant and the root ball, of course; you have to also have enough room for there to be plenty of soil and for the plant to be able to grow a bit. This is one reason it is better to shop at a home improvement store or even a nursery instead of a big-box retailer for your plants; you can talk about your specific plants with a salesperson, who can guide you toward a particular container — or at least toward a particular size.

Black and brown containers might blend in better with the soil around them, but they will also absorb more heat. This may not seem like a huge factor, but if you live in a part of the world that gets really hot during the summer, you’ll be basically putting your plants into small ovens to sit all day — and to continue to cook all night, as the heat stays in the containers. You don’t want this to happen to your plants, so choose beige or terra cotta colored containers to hold your plants.

At the bottom of your containers, there should be some holes for drainage. You do want your plants to get plenty of water, but you do not want the moisture to sit in the soil and cause rot along the roots. This won’t be a problem if you live in an arid area, unless you have a big storm or two, but if you live in an area that is temperate at all, in terms of rainfall, you’ll want a container with plenty of drain holes to allow excess water to flow out.

Do you have lower back issues? Do you have difficulty bending down and getting back up? If so, you may want to buy a long rack to put them on or buy containers with pedestals so that you can work with your plants more easily. After all, gardening is supposed to be a source of joy — not a source of pain. This means that you should choose containers at a height that will work with you — not against you.

Make sure that your containers match the decor of the rest of your outside setting. If you already have beige outdoor furniture on your patio, choose beige containers to fit in. Remember to stay with lighter colors that complement what you already have going on.

Containers can take on a variety of forms, from old plastic soda bottles to old kiddie pools. Just like any hobby, this is supposed to be fun, so spend some time being creative with your container gardening!