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April 19, 2005

The Home Garden

The garden should be near the house and away from trees. If it's some distance away from the house, it will not be as well looked after, nor will most use be made of vegetables grown. Vegetables near trees cannot get full sunshine; even more important, tree roots will rob them of water and fertilizer they need to do their best.

If you can, move the garden spot every 10 years or so to help keep down diseases. Proper rotation and use of disease-resistant varieties will help, but sooner or later the old garden spot becomes so full of various disease spores and nematodes that you cannot grow a good crop of many vegetables without use of special soil fumigants.

Soil should, of course, be well drained. Few vegetables can stand "wet feet." A sandy loam with a clay subsoil is best. Heavy clay soils may be made quite suitable by adding heavy quantities of stable manure or compost, or by turning under cover crops, preferably legumes such as vetch, clover soybeans.

Since the best quality quantity of vegetables cannot be duced on anything but a fertile soil, do whatever is needed to make it fertile.

Requirements for growth.

  1. Proper degree of heat.
  2. Moisture.
  3. Oxygen in the air is essential for seed germination and good growth.

English peas, for example, will sprout when soil termperature is only a few degrees above freezing, while seed such as tomatoes will not germinate at all.

To start these tender vegetables for early crops, artificial heat, as in hotbeds, is needed. Otherwise, for early crops, buy plants from commercial growers, or from local growers who produce them with artificial heat. Tender vegetables that do not transplant such as melons, cucumbers, cantaloupes, and squash, should not be planted outdoors until soil has warmed up. These may, however, be started earlier in small pots in a hotbead.

To make the most out of your gardening efforts, take time to do some planning. Also keep a record of wheather you had too much or too little of certain vegatables at any time during the season for a continuous supply. Don't trust it all to memory.

Things to consider when planting.

  1. How much of each vegetable to grow to supply your family needs.
  2. Which vegetables are most need for good health.
  3. How much extra to plant for storage
  4. Which varities are best to plant.
  5. When to plant for continuous growth and supply.
  6. Which pesticides are best for control of insects and diseases.
  7. Supplies needed such as, sprayers, dusters, tools, fertilizer, or mulching material.

Jotting this down on paper, plus any notes made during the season about special pest problems or how a new variety or practice turned out, will be valuable the next season when planning and planting time roll around.

About the Author

Charles French is a freenlance writer and webmaster for Decorating Country Home.

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Perennials in the Flower Garden

Perennials are the basic flowers of any flower garden. To many people, a flower garden is simply beds of perennials. Each year they die and renew themselves for the next growing season. They can be long-lived and last for many seasons. However, care must be taken for the rapid growers which may smother less vigorous flowers. Perennials such as the iris and shasta daisies must be divided or transplanted every few years to prevent this from happening. This is a simple process which we will cover in another article.

Historically, perennials are among our oldest plants. They have been cultivated for centuries and can bear little to no resemblance to their wild antecedents. In some perennials, the blossoms have become so specialized through centuries of cultivation that they no longer grow 'seeds'. Indeed most perennials reproduce by sending up new plants from the base of the old one which is why the dividing process spoken of earlier must take place at intervals.

Another supposed disadvantage is the tendency of certain perennials to die down after flowering, thereby leaving gaps in the garden. There are a number of ways to solve this problem and the resultant spaces. One way is to intersperse perennials with annuals and other flowering plants, whose bloom occurs either later or earlier than that of the perennials. Instead of being a disadvantage, think of this as an opportunity to phase in more flowering plants into your garden design.

Some perennials are easy to transplant. Mums, for example, can be moved from one place to another with no noticeable effect. This is yet another way to keep the color and blooms in your flower garden throughout the growing season.

When your perennials do die down, remove and compost the dead and dying foliage and flowers. If the planting is large enough and accessible, some gardeners will simply mow over the spent flowers.

Perennials, either by themselves or mixed with annuals and other plants, can be placed along a path, or as a border against a background of trees, shrubs, a wall or fence. Such a background shows the flowers to best advantage. When planning such a border or planting along a path, care should be taken to consider the ultimate height of the plant, it's season of bloom, the color of the flower, and its hardiness and preference for sun or shade, type of soil and amount of water.

About the Author

Find more Gardening Tips and other flower gardening articles at our informative website.

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Organic Roses in the Flower Garden

Many people believe growing their flowers and vegetables organically is healthier for them and their environment. It is natural that you may wish to grow your roses this way also. Using the pesticides and insecticides that are usually considered to go along with growing roses and keeping them healthy can cause many people have to health problems . Maybe you just don't want those kind of chemicals in your garden and around your children. This article will give some pointers in using more natural methods of growing your roses.

  1. First do your homework and find out what type of roses grow well in your area. Buy disease resistant varieties. If you live in an area that has problems with a certain disease, look for a variety that is resistant to it. If you can, purchase organic roses. As they have already been growing with organic methods, this supposes they are "healthier". and not already loaded with chemicals. Thus they have a stronger immune system. Of course, buy roses with no blemishes on them.
  2. Roses like full sun. Make sure they are placed so as to get 6 to 8 hours of sunlight a day.
  3. Do not crowd your roses together. Ensure that stress is reduced by providing lots of space for air to circulate around the bush. Take growth of the rose bush into account.
  4. Plant your roses in good loamy soil. If your soil is not ideal, then amend it with organic material such as from your compost pile. You do have a compost pile, don't you? Roses like well draining soil but they don't want it draining as fast as you might get with sand, so amend your sandy soil. If you have clay soil, an alternative requiring a bit of work is to build a raised bed for your roses much like vegetable gardeners use. It should be at least a foot deep but more is better. Fill it with will amended soil.
  5. Keep your watering consistent. Don't allow your plants to dry out and suffer stress before watering. Roses can need up to 2 inches of water a week. Water every two to three days. This, of course, depends on your area and the type of weather (how much rainfall) you are getting. Also, be careful not to stress the plant by overwatering and depriving the roots of oxgen.
  6. Mulch, mulch, mulch! Mulching can reduce the stress on your rose in several ways. It helps to hold in moisture which can be very good in a hot, dry climate. It helps maintain a more even temperature in the root zone. And mulch can smother weeds that could be competition for your lovely roses. As the mulch decomposes, it adds more nutrients to the soil around your plant. Lastly, it can cut down on some of your work. ;-)
  7. Roses are, what could be considered, heavy feeders. They respond well to fertilizer and should be fertilized on a consistent schedule. Most organic fertilizers are slow-acting and may produce less spectacular results of a non-organic fertilizer. Some organic fertilizers to consider are composted manure, fish emulsion, alfalfa meal, blood meal, and cottonseed meal. If you wish to have a truly organic rose garden, you should ensure that your fertilizer is also organic. Of all these the only one you can be sure is truly organic would be your composted manure if you know exactly where it comes from and how the animals are raised. Perhaps you should consider your own animals raised organically. Chicken manure is very high in nitrogen and some localities allow a small backyard flock. Make sure it is composted thoroughly as chicken manure is very "hot" and will burn your plants.
  8. Prune your roses in the early spring. To keep your roses healthy, get out the dead wood, damaged wood and anything that starts to look diseased (and don't compost these trimmings). Thin out your plant to keep it from being crowded. Don't allow branches to rub against each other. This will allow air and sunlight to get to the whole plant keeping it healthier.

In part 2 later this week, we will discuss some organic methods of combating specific diseases and pests.

About the Author

Find more Rose Garden articles, as well as part 2 of this article, and other gardening tips for Flower Garden Lovers at our website.

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April 15, 2005

You Can Have A Mosquito Free Yard

In addition to the fact that mosquitoes are both annoying and cause some level of discomfort when you're unfortunate enough to be the entree on their daily menu, they also carry disease which can affect the animal, bird and human populations. In order to keep the possibility of such a fate to a minimum, you'll need to initiate steps to control these pests in the home environment.

Water that accumulates in tires, buckets and other types of outdoor containers provide a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Your yard should be carefully inspected for any signs of pooled water that might attract these insects. It doesn't take much to entice mosquitoes to hang around, once they've found a swampy area that they can call home.

Gutters should be checked on a regular basis, in order to avoid the accumulation of leaves and other objects that might form a blockage. When this happens, water can accumulate and offer the irresistible temptation for mosquitoes to breed. This is especially true in those climates which experience autumn, since fallen leaves are abundant and the foliage is often damp due to rain.

Children's wading pools can be the equivalent of a spa for mosquitoes. Be sure to empty the pool at least once each week and refill it with fresh water, if the pool is in constant use. When it's not being used, empty and dry it thoroughly and store it indoors – within a storage shed, basement, garage or other structure that can accommodate its dimensions.

Make it a point to fill holes or depressions in the ground around your home, as well as hollow stumps or holes within the trunks of trees. These, too, can gather water and lure mosquitoes to nest in the area. Be sure not to use foliage, grass or some other type of natural product that might serve to retain water and become akin to a comfy mattress on the mosquitoes' bed.

Screens, doors, windows and other entryways that may contain holes or other violations of their integrity should be repaired in order to keep mosquitoes from entering the home. Of course, it goes without saying that doors and windows that don't include screens should never be left ajar. This would be the equivalent of ringing the dinner bell for these pesky insects.

If you should happen to have an ornamental water garden on your property, be sure to keep the water stocked with mosquito-eating fish, such as goldfish, minnows or guppies. When mosquitoes hover over the water – which they're inclined to do – the fish will eat them and help to reduce their population around your home.

Other precautions, such as covering trash cans, barrels and stored boats will also help your efforts at pest control, but don't rely on bug zappers. These do very little to discourage mosquitoes from taking residence around your home. Your focus should, instead, be on ridding yourself of the excess water that may have accumulated in key points around your property.

About the Author

Sarah Yee is a writer for http://www.mosquitocontrolguide.com, which mosquito information and mosquito control tips both at home and on the road.

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