Selecting a Location 0 comments

You can have a garden regardless of where you live. In fact, there are 2 types to choose from and once you figure out what you want, you can already start working on it.

The first one is outdoor gardening. This can be done in your home either in the front or your back. Since you are working within your property, you can plant just about anything including bushes, flowers, fruits, shrubs and vegetables.

Once you buy what you need from the nursery, you have the option of planting these directly on the soil or in a container. If you live on your own lot, you can do what many homeowners do and that is to do both.


If you are from the city and live in an apartment or condominium, you have no choice but to work with container gardening.

With container gardening, everything you plant has to be placed inside a pot. These containers are usually made of plastic or terra cotta and this can be purchased in various colors, sizes and shapes. If you have a few old containers which you are not using, this can be used as well.

The difference between container gardening and conventional gardening is that you don’t use regular soil. This is because real soil tends to harden after repeated waterings.

The absence of real soil has many advantages. You don’t have to worry about weeds, soil borne diseases and you have complete control with regards to moisture, sunlight and temperature.

Similar to container gardening is raised bed gardening because you are using freestanding structures that can be relocated. You can choose to work with a raised bed made of wood, stone or concrete and the best part is that it does not require that much maintenance.

When you are working with a raise bed garden, you use real soil together with compost and manure. This gives adequate drainage to whatever you put there which is excellent since you don’t have to bend over that much to check on them.

Aside from working in the confines of your home, you can also do some gardening if there is a vacant lot in your neighborhood. Such spaces are called community gardens and because of the large area, you share this with other gardeners so that everyone will benefit from it.

If you think that there are only a few of these around, it is estimated that there are over 18,000 community gardens both in the United States and Canada. This number is expected to grow since reaping your harvest is much cheaper than buying these from the supermarket.

Another form of outdoor gardening is water gardening. This is usually made of a pond that contains plants, fish or a combination of both. How big your pond will be depends on the availability of space.

Homeowners who have wide open areas can put a bridge in the middle of the pond, a waterfall and other accessories. Those who have small spaces will have to do without those things and settle for the basic design which consists of a few plants and fish.

The second type of gardening is indoor gardening. This is because instead of working in your front lawn or backyard, this is done inside the house. So you don’t make a mess, plants are usually placed inside containers. While most can be placed on the floor, windowsill, shelf or table, there are a few which you can also hang on the ceiling.

Indoor gardening does more than just provide beauty to the home. It also helps purify the air as it absorbs airborne pollutants. This is probably the reason why it is allowed inside offices as well since these buildings are airtight.

Some examples of plants you help purify the air include bamboo or reed palm, Chinese evergreen, dracaena, English ivy, snake plant and weeping fig. If you do some research, you are sure to find a few more.

Knowing what type of gardening you want to focus on is the right step in selecting a location. Unlike pets, you don’t have to clean their waste but you have to do other things like trim the branches and water the plants regularly so these will be able to bear fruit or bloom.

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Vegetable Gardening 0 comments

You have heard it said a thousand times that you should eat your vegetables. If you want to save some money in these hard times, perhaps you should consider planting these in your backyard rather than buying these from the store.

People who engage in vegetable gardening will most likely engage in organic gardening because this is both cheaper and healthier. They won’t use any pesticides or fertilizers and rely on other things such as compost, water and sunlight to help them grow their crops.

Some of the vegetables you can plant at home include bush beans, broccoli, cabbage, capsicum, carrots, eggplant, lettuce, onions and potatoes. You just have to be aware that some of these cannot be planted during different times of the year since they may not survive due to the weather conditions.

If you are planting it in the soil, make sure you have proper drainage otherwise you will not be able to produce these as big as you thought it would. If you are unable to provide proper drainage, see if it is possible to grow these using a raise bed.

It is only after doing proper research that you can now go to the store and buy everything you need for vegetable gardening. The most important of these are the seeds and if you don’t have any tools yet like a rake, fork and hoe, you better get them since you are already there.

Once you get home, you can now start planting your vegetables. Before you get your hands dirty, check the condition of the soil first and if everything is good, only then should you prepare the ground using the tools you have.

As you plant the vegetables, make sure to mix some compost and fertilizer so that each seedling gets sufficient amounts of water. These should be planted in rows from north to south direction, which will ensure that it will get maximum exposure from the sun.

Once you harvest the vegetables, rotate it. This prevents the soil from losing its nutrition so you can keep using it again and again.

The biggest challenge in growing your own vegetables is that these may come under threat from pests, weeds and other animals. To prevent this from happening, you need to create a pest management system.

Some of the things you can use to combat these threats include other insects, birds and even a toad. As for weeds, you have no choice but to pull these from the ground with your hands. If there are other animals that may damage your vegetables, you better put up fences or use animal hair, baby powder and deodorant soaps that have proven to be good deterrents.

To make sure that the soil around your vegetables gets enough nutrients, you can mix the soil with compost, manure or mulch.

Compost is basically recycled garbage while manure is waste from your pets or even your own. If that sickens you, these can also be purchased from the gardening store. A combination of manure and compost together with chipped barks and leaf moulds is what is known as mulch. In all three, whatever you use must be applied at least 3 to 4 inches or 8 to 10 cm from the ground.

Vegetable gardening can also be indoors. You just need to put the seedling into a pot made out of clay, plastic or wood. As for your soil, make sure you are using a mixture of peat, perlite and vermiculite.

Just be sure to water it daily and give it sunlight so it can grow. If it is a hot day outside, you can bring it out and put in on the porch. When it gets too cold, bring it inside and out it somewhere warm.

Organic vegetable gardening is challenging but it will be worth it when the plant grows and you can mix this with whatever dish you are making in the kitchen. You may not grow like what farmers in their farms but just enough to feed you and your family.

Best of all, you save money which can be used for other things which will come in handy especially during the current recession.

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What is Xeriscaping 0 comments

Xeriscaping is one of the newest techniques in gardening. It is designed to eliminate or reduce the need for supplemental irrigation and promoted in areas where there is lack of fresh water.

Unfortunately, not all plants are ideal for xeriscaping. In the US, this can only work for agave, cactus, juniper, lavender, sedum and thyme.

But if such plants are suited to your environment, you can reap the benefits like lowering your water bills, using the water supply for other purposes, less maintenance for the plants and little or no lawn mowing.

The disadvantages are it will take some time prepare beds to start planting them, not all neighborhoods permit the planting of non-traditional plants especially in residential areas, since you don’t use water that much weeds will soon grow in your lawn and the beds once prepared have to be maintained that happens to be more challenging that edging or mowing.

If you want to try xeriscaping, study your terrain first and then decide if it is feasible. For instance, in California, people there have realized that plants from the northern regions of California are not suitable for plants coming from the desert south. This means you have to consult some first so you don’t waste your time and money.

Should it be feasible to use xeriscaping in the area, the advantages that were mentioned earlier will take place.

Aside from using plants that consume water only found in the US, you might even want to try other species that come from Africa, Australia or Southern Europe. Chances are, these might already be available at the gardening store as these were already imported by someone who is also encouraging gardeners to practice xeriscaping.

But xeriscaping is gaining popularity. This is now being encouraged both by municipal and state agencies in the Western US. You will notice this on the exterior of buildings as well as within the regional parks. Each state has already made a list of what plants can survive a given area so you don’t have to ask around anymore when you can get this information from the experts.

Allowing these plants to grow without even giving them enough water has reduced the cost in maintenance and has even provided a habitat to various creatures like the hummingbird and the butterfly.

To make this look good with your home, landscape experts compliment the plants used with rock garden arrangements that have creeping groundcovers and succulents that can provide color, height, texture, and a seasonal variety equivalent to conventional ornamentals.

But won’t this make the lawn look bear since we are accustomed to bushes and grass? The answer is no because it can be substituted with herbaceous perennials, and deciduous or coniferous shrubs. You can also use buffalo grass and blue gamma grass which does not consume that much water compared to bluegrass.

You can even help this grow by using mulch that is made of bark chips, pine needles, wood grindings, composted cotton burrs or gravel and decomposed granite.

So how do you start xeriscaping at home? Before you do anything, it is best do some research and then come up with a plan.

When this has been laid out, it will probably be a good idea to consult an irrigation professional for advice on your new watering system because this technique still requires you to use water anymore to keep the plants alive.

From there you can already put the walkway and then add the plants one by one to the sides of your garden.

Is it cheaper to do xeriscaping compared to regular landscaping? The answer is no because the prices of the plants and the services of a contractor are pretty much the same. The only difference is that you don’t have to pay that much anymore for maintenance costs since the plants do not need that much water which helps lower your water bill.

Xeriscaping can be done. You just have to check if this can work where you reside and then invest a certain amount of money to remodel your entire garden. In time, your neighbors and friends will compliment you on what you did and may even want to do same thing for their garden.

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About Container Gardening 0 comments

What should you know about container gardening? While we can talk about its history, people are more interested in its advantages compared to planting flowers or other plants in the soil. To give you an idea, here are some of the pros.

First, using containers for gardening allows you to plant stuff even if you are living in an apartment or a mobile home. This means limited space is not a hindrance if you want to grow flowers, fruit, herbs, shrubs and even vegetables.

Container gardening offers you mobility since a container placed in section of your can be moved to a new spot in a matter of seconds. If the plants have already grown making it difficult to carry, you can buy a garden dolly to help transport it around.

Pests are the greatest threat against plants. If you were able to catch it before this spreads to the other plants, you can isolate that plant from the others and then deal with the problem. Aside from using a herbicide or getting the help of other insects, you can also rearrange the plants since some of these happen to repel pests.

Container gardening can also help decorate the interior of the house. There are many plants to choose from and you can surely complement this with the overall color of the room.

An example will be to use a collection of yellow and blue bloomers, such as Calendula, heliotrope and pansies which are sure to cheer your day. If you want to some plants in your balcony or patio, you can use either Sedum or Sempervivum.

People who have never tried container gardening before should start with a handful of plants before buying more. This will give you time to figure out which ones are nice and which ones are not.

There are three types of flowers namely annual, biannual and perennial. Gardeners who plant these in containers usually go for either annuals or perennials.

The nice thing about annuals is that it grows from a seed in one growing season while perennials will last for a few years before these are replaced. The most popular annuals are marigolds and petunias because these add color to any room.

If you decide to plant perennials, you should know that these need more care and attention compared to annuals. So just take your pick and then see what happens.

But container gardening is not focused just on what plants you should be buying. You should also pay attention to the containers that will be used. The rule of thumb when choosing a container is that this should complement the plant both aesthetically and functionally.

For those who want to grow strawberries, ideally you should be using a terra-cotta planter that has special holes through which you can cultivate your fruit or herbs. There are many examples that we can discuss but you get the point. Do research about the plant first then select the container.

The containers we keep talking about come in different shapes, sizes, color and material. The ones most commonly used are plastic and terra cotta. Going back to those who live in apartments, a good choice to use are window boxes also made of plastic or wood.

Aside from those you put on a shelf or on the floor, there are also containers you can use through which you can hang a plant. These are made of wire or wood. Just be sure not to put these over a table or any other furniture because water will drip down and damage it.

One of the biggest problems of container gardening is keeping the soil inside the container since it could get washed every time you pour water. Fortunately, you can deal with that by putting a handful of rocks, pebbles, charcoal or Styrofoam in the bottom as this allows water to drain through the soil keeping the soil inside the container.

Container gardening is very easy. Once you have successfully grown a handful of them, you can already expand your collection since you already have an idea what works and what you think should be added. Don’t be afraid to try planting something new one in awhile so you can expand your gardening experience.

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About Herb Gardening 0 comments

Herb gardening has been practiced for years. In fact, Chinese history has revealed that this was used as early as 2700 B.C. Aside from using it for medicinal purposes, people have also used this to add flavor to what they concoct in the kitchen.

The interesting thing about herb gardening is that it is not that different from planting flowers or vegetables in your garden because you still need to prepare the soil and then plant it into the ground so this will grow.

Since there are no so many herbs around, you have to decide first which herbs you want to plant. For beginners, you can start with basil, dill, oregano, rosemary and sage since these are all easy to grow in containers, require little maintenance and are adaptable for a wide variety of dishes.

Herbs can be planted on the soil or in containers. For those who will be planting these on the soil, make sure you plot the area first before putting these in. While drawing it on a piece of paper is good, why don’t you place pegs, rocks, or other markers to outline the shape of the garden plot? This will give you an idea how it looks like when the herbs finally grow.

It will also be a good idea to mix some flowers to add color so it will look good even when you see this from afar.

If it is hard for you to visualize, buy a few samples and then see how it looks. You can surely take back what you don’t need and exchange these for those that you will end up using.

For those who will use a container, make sure that it is food-safe and made of plastic. Keep in mind that terra cotta pots can also be used. Some people are able to put two or more herbs in one pot. If the herb you are planting is a large plant, don’t even try it and grow these in separate pots.

The best place to buy herbs is in a nursery. There, you can buy a plant that is almost fully grown or one that is still a seed.

The problem with some seeds is that it takes weeks before it grows. On the other hand, there are also some seeds that quickly grow so you have to do some research to find out how fast it grows.

Aside from choosing what herbs to plant, attention must also be given to the type of soil where this will be placed. Ideally, you should work with soil that is sandy because this will provide good drainage for your herbs.

If you are using the proper soil, the only thing to do now is make sure your herbs are getting sufficient amounts of sunlight.

Unlike fruits, you don’t have to harvest the herbs all at once. You should only get it sparingly so these will still be good whenever you mix this with whatever you are cooking.

One thing you should know about herbs is that not all plants are compatible with others. This is because some of these herbs have a negative biochemical reaction with certain plants around them so you have to be careful.

Aside from using the right soil and giving your mulch sunlight, it will also be good if you add mulch. You can make this yourself using some garbage or buying this from the store.

Herb gardening is interesting because it can be used for a lot of things. You can use it for food, as an alternative to medication or even for aromatherapy.

One threat you should always be on the lookout for are pests like red spider mites and aphids. You can get rid of them by mixing castile soap and water then spraying this over the herbs or putting a few other insects that will do the job of getting rid of them.

There are many ways to use the herbs and it can be used fresh or dried. It really depends what you will be using it for because you can even soak this in oil.

So what are you waiting for? Go to the nursery and get some herbs so you can have your own herb garden.

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About Hydroponic Gardening 0 comments

Did you know that not all plants have to be placed in soil in order for it to grow? Yes this technique has been around for hundreds of years and this is called hydroponic gardening.

Hydroponics comes from two Greek words namely "hydro" meaning water and "ponics" meaning labor. Some of the greatest examples happen to be the hanging Gardens of Babylon and The Floating Gardens of China.

This type of gardening made a come back in the 1950’s. Now, countries like Australia, Germany and Holland use it extensively for crop production.

What people should know hydroponic gardening is that there are a lot of benefits. Studies have proven that this technique makes plants grow 30-50 percent faster than planting in the soil. This is because the extra oxygen in the hydroponic growing mediums helps to stimulate root growth and makes the plants absorb nutrients faster.

These nutrients are already mixed in the water and goes directly to the root system unlike in soil where plants have to rely on the nutrients that are in the ground.

If you water your plants twice a day, hydroponic gardening delivers nutrients several times a day and with no obstruction around, uses up less energy to find and break down food causing it to grow faster and bear fruit.

Another benefit of hydroponic gardening is the fact that it will have fewer problems such as bug infections, disease and funguses. In short, you will most likely have healthier and happier plants all year round.

But doesn’t hydroponic gardening require you to consume more water? The answer is no because less water is used thanks to reusable nutrient solutions.

Plants grown through hydroponics occur through a medium. One of the fastest ones around is called the Hydroton or the expanded shale that works well in an ebb and flow type system. For the most part, it is light and expanded clay aggregate which allows sufficient amounts of oxygen to penetrate the plant's root system.

The nice thing about this type of medium is that it is reusable but shale, one of its components has a tendency to break down making hydroton a better option. But despite that, these are stable and rarely affect the pH of the nutrient solution.

Another option is the use of Rockwool. This is produced from volcanic rock and limestone. This is very popular because it is able to hold 10-14 times more water as soil and retains 20 percent air. Gardeners should be careful though because although it has a pH of 7.8, this can be harmful to the plants.

Other mediums available include perlite, vermiculite and different grades of sand. These three mediums are stable and rarely effect the pH of the nutrient solution. The downside though is that it holds too much moisture and can only be used with certain plants.

We mentioned earlier that hydroponic gardening uses nutrients that are mixed in the water to give the plants the food it needs to grow. Most of these happen to be highly concentrated and mixed with 2 to 4 teaspoons of water. You can choose to use the liquid or the powdered mix. Liquids are cheaper and dissolve quickly.

But none of these can work without a hydroponic system. You can use the ebb and flow that was mentioned before or use something like continuous drip, nutrient film technique or the wick system.

Now that you know more or less about hydroponics, the question you probably want to know is whether you should build it or just buy the system. If you know how to put everything together, then you can buy all the materials and build it yourself. However, if you are not sure that what you build will work, you should probably buy the system instead.

A lot of people believe that hydroponic gardening is the way of the future. After all, the Earth is made up more of water than land so people have to find ways to grow crops to feed the ever increasing population. As a result, the technique is being studied by local horticultural societies and in government funded research labs at major universities and NASA.

If gardening is your thing, then why don’t you try hydroponics. It is just as fun as planting in your backyard or in your greenhouse.

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About Japanese Gardening 0 comments

There are different ways to make your garden look good. For those that want to make it look simple and yet elegant, you can try Japanese gardening.

Japanese gardening has been around for centuries. What makes it so unique is that you are able to do a lot with less. There are three types of landscape gardens that you can do for your home namely Tsukiyama or hill garden, Karesansui or dry garden and Chaniwa or tea garden.


The Tsukiyama or hill garden may consist of a hill, a pond, trees, stones, flowers, pathways and even a bridge. The objective here is to create a miniature reproduction of a natural scenery.

The materials used for the Karesansui or dry garden are much different. Here, you get to use gravel, sand and stones with patches of moss to represent mountains. Its design is strongly influenced by Zen Buddhism but you don’t have to be a Buddhist to try this style in your home.

The Chaniwa or tea garden is usually built for a tea ceremony since it often has pathway made of stones and lanterns leading to a tea house. This is great if your guest house is a few meters away from your home so people will not have a hard time going back and forth.

But the first step in making a Japanese garden in your backyard is to decide which type you want. You can do research online to see what pictures you like and then see if this can be done in your own garden.

While you are browsing, you will notice that a lot of people will tell you that there is no right or wrong way to make a Japanese garden. Some will even tell you to incorporate all three types into your backyard.

Can you actually do that? The answer is yes and here are a few things you should know if you decide to put these structures.

If you decide to put a garden bridge, make sure that this is placed over a pond. For those who have space, make sure it looks natural. Add a few water plants as well because this will make it look nice and provide a source of food for the fishes in the pond.

Should having a pond prove to be difficult, do without it by having a dry river bed instead that is carefully filled with raked pebbles. To add the finishing touch to the pond, put a few flowers and shrubs on both sides of the bridge.

We all know that rocks come in all shapes and sizes. When you are buying them from the store, choose each one carefully so you can be sure they look very natural even when these are arranged later on. You can add sand in between the edges and are also great to have when there are wild plants.

Lanterns can also be used for your backyard especially at night. You can put these along a walk way so you know where you are going while a few can also be hung on trees to set the right mood in the garden.

Lastly, a Japanese garden is not complete without a bench. Just make sure this is sturdy so it is not blown way by the wind. You can buy one made out of marble or stone. This can be placed near the pond or under a tree so you can relax when you need to be alone.

The end product may not always look like what you saw in the picture. This is because there may be some limitations to your work area so you will have to make a few adjustments. But once you have an idea of what you want to do for your garden, it will already be easy to buy what you need.

One important reminder before you do anything is to remove the weeds as this will damage your garden in the long term. To do that, spray it with a herbicide that is designed to destroy the plant all the way down to the roots.

When you are doing this, be careful not to contaminate the soil. Wait at least 2 weeks after spraying before you begin to cultivate the soil and start working on your Japanese garden.

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About Rose Gardening 0 comments

What would you like to know about rose gardening? Chances are, you want to know how it is done so you can do the same on your backyard. So, if you want to know what you need, you better read what is here and then apply what you have learned.

If you have found the ideal spot, get some grid paper and then plot everything. You may need to make some changes if the area where you plan to do this does not offer that much sun exposure so use a pencil to make it easier for corrections. Remember, roses need at least 5 hours of sunlight in order for them to grow.

The last thing you have to ask yourself before planting in your rose garden is whether to plant these on the soil or on a raised bed. Both options are good but for convenience, it is probably best to put your roses on a raised bed.

The reasons for these are simple. With a raised bed, you don’t have to bend over that much to take care of them, you also get better drainage and defined pathways. This prevents weeds from ever harming your roses.

When using a raised bed, its size and weight will determine if this needs to be reinforced. If it needs some help, you can use metal stakes inserted into the planks so that your bed will hold up the weight of the soil.

Another option is to use rebar by placing it into the ground and around the edges to keep the wood in place. If you do this, make sure that half the length of the stake is inserted into the ground.

When you plant roses in the garden, make sure you are only using one type on each row. With the different colors of roses around, find a focal spot and then plant a perfect rose right in the center perhaps so everyone will be able to see it.

Naturally, you need to buy roses from the gardening store for your rose garden. When you are out shopping, make sure that these are at least two years old and are field grown.

When you transfer the roses you bought from the store to the ground or the rose bed, make sure that the hole where this will be placed is at least 6 inches deep and is wide enough to accommodate the roots without bending or crowding. For better drainage, put some small rocks or pebbles before putting it in.

Your rose garden will flourish as long as it gets enough sunlight, water and fertilizer. Don’t forget to prune these during the spring once there are signs of new growth as the buds you will see will turn into new branches. Should there be some damaged branches, cut them first and then cut all but four or five healthy stems.

It takes a lot of time and effort to make a rose garden from the planning stage, to choosing which roses to plant, where this will be planted and finally taking care of them. If you don’t have time to do it yourself, you can probably let someone do it for you but what is the fun in doing that?

By doing it on your own, you know you worked the soil to make it become what it is. It may take days or even weeks to put it all together but those who are able to surpass this will feel proud of what they have accomplished especially when your rose garden will be the envy of your friends and neighbors.

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About Water Gardens 0 comments

What do you think should people know about the water garden? Well aside from also being known as an aquatic garden or pond, it has been around for years dating back more than 2000 years.

Water gardens are man made features. Most of the time, these are usually combined with a pool that has aquatic plants and fish. To make it look good, a few other fixed items are installed like a fountain, a statuary or a waterfall.

There are many things to consider when you decide to have a water garden. The first is deciding what type of pond you want to build. Will this contain fish or just plants? These details have to be put into consideration so you don’t make a pond that is too small which limits the number of fish or plants that you can put inside.

But is a koi pond the same as a water garden? The answer is no because a koi pond has fishes and perhaps a few rocks. No plants are able to survive if you try to put them inside because the fishes will just eat them.

Another difference between a koi pond and a water garden is that a koi pond is bigger because these fishes grow as they get older. Ideally, this should contain 1000 gallons of water and must be between 3 to 5 feet in depth. If you want fish and plants inside the water garden, the best fish to have are gold fish.

Once you have decided what kind of water garden you want, you can already move to the next step which is selecting the proper location.

The ideal place to put it inside your home is the backyard. This should also be situated in a place that will not be overflowed with rain otherwise it could flood the pond and make the fish come out.

You should also avoid putting the pond too close to the tress so falling leaves and other debris don’t land in the water. This should also be placed in an area that will get between 4 to 6 hours of sunlight daily especially if you plan to grow water lilies.

Don’t forget to also have a pump as this will keep the plants healthy and make sure your filter, fountain or waterfall is working. The best one to get is a biological filter.

Water gardens come in different sizes. If you have not decided on its size or shape, you can do so now by using some rope or a water hose to lay out the shape on the ground.

Next, you work on the ideal depth of the pond. Ideally, it should be 2 feet deep if you plan to grow both goldfishes and water lilies. But is this depth the same regardless where you live? The answer is no. If you live in a cold climate, it should be deeper to prevent from the pond from freezing during the winter.

The bigger the water garden, the better because it is more stable and easier to maintain. If after plotting it with a rope you think that you are satisfied with size, just remember that the finished pond will be 30% smaller so you should give some allowance.

Once you have figured that out, you can now start building the water garden by digging on the ground. We mentioned earlier about filters so once the hole is ready, have these installed these in their proper locations.

The most important thing to put in the water garden is the pond underlayment. This will make sure that the water placed inside will not sink into the ground. Once this is placed, get some rubber pond liner and put it along the edges. If there are folds as you are putting it, don’t worry because it should flatten when water is added. To make the water garden complete, you now add the water, the plants and the fish.

You will not be able to make a water garden on your own and chances are, you will call a contractor to do the work. If you are able to come up with a plan, they will not have a hard time taking care of the rest.

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About Organic Gardening 0 comments

What would you like to know about organic gardening? There are a lot of interesting facts regarding this technique and perhaps the most interesting is that it has been used by farmers for hundreds of years.

Naturally, you want to know more than its history. This is because a lot of people are talking about it and more vegetables with the “organically grown” label are being sold in supermarkets.

But first what is organic gardening? It is simply the practice of growing crops without the use of fertilizers or pesticides. Nature does most of the work so once you plant these into the ground, you rely mostly on the sun, water and some organic fertilizers to help these grow until it is time to harvest.

Organic gardening like traditional gardening is still threatened by pests. Since pesticides are not used, you have to create an organic pest management system.

You can use insects, caterpillars, microbial pesticides and certain plants that will provide security to your crops. If you are practicing organic farming in the farm, you may also use livestock, birds and toads.

To make sure that the soil is always fertile, farmers should practice crop rotation which is planting a certain variety of fruits and vegetables each quarter and then replacing it with another variant which is designed to control the nutrient levels.

Aside from crop rotation, organic farming can also be done by applying compost, manure and cover cropping.

Compost can be homemade by simply recycling trash and then mixing this with the soil. The same can be done with manure. But if getting your hands dirty is not your thing, both can be purchased from the gardening store.

Cover cropping is basically planting certain plants together with your other crops. It is very similar to crop rotation. The only difference is that the plants used are annual, biennial, or perennial.

For those who insist on using fertilizers, there are now processed versions that are environmental friendly such as seed meal and other mineral powders like rock phosphate and greensand that are natural forms of potash.

People who decide to go into organic gardening are required to follow certain standards set by the US Department of Agriculture. These guidelines are very similar to what was introduced by the European Commission since 1991.

But the governing body which tells the other organizations how it must be done is the International Federation of Organic Agriculture or IFOAM that has been in operation since 1972.

It is no joke when people say that organic gardening is labor intensive. This is because you simply rely on Mother Nature for the most part when you decided to stop using fertilizers and pesticides which gives more nitrates and nutrients.

Although for a time it did produce higher yields, the harmful chemicals that are used are absorbed by the crops. It may be cleaned and washed but it remains as a threat that is harmful to anyone who consumes it.

This is why more and more people are switching to organic gardening. An additional benefit is that it helps the environment.

You might get the impression that organic farming can only be done outdoors but this is not true. If this is planted in a pot, it can be done inside the home. Just make sure you are using a mixture of peat, perlite and vermiculite. It still needs to be watered regularly because its survival is dependent on the fact that it is moist and not damp. Don’t forget that it needs sunlight especially if this is done indoors so put the pot by the window.

Organic gardening is easy and you can do it in your own backyard or indoors. The only things you will need are some gardening tools, some seeds and the ideal location to make sure your crops get sufficient amounts of water and sunlight.

You can get all your organic gardening supplies at the local store or online. When you start planting, try working at night rather than during the day especially when you know that it is about to rain because the seedlings or plants will need a lot of water to adjust to the new environment. Read More ..