RELATED ARTICLESComposting the Easy Way
Having an ample supply of good rich compost is the gardeners dream.
It has many uses, and all of those uses will result in nicer plants. However, composting can be time consuming and hard work. I place a reasonable value on my time, so spending hours and hours turning compost piles doesn't qualify as a worthwhile exercise, at least in my book. Nonetheless, I do compost, but I do so on my terms.
Garden Fencing
I made my very first garden when I was six in a small corner at the end of my grandmother's garden. It was a small patch, not more than six rows by 10 plants long, but it was MINE, with the flowers I picked and the dirt that I dug. And I knew that it was mine when Nana helped me put up the sections of wire fencing that set it off from HER garden.
5 Simple Steps To Dividing Your Hardy Water Lilies
If you missed the springtime window of opportunity to divide your hardy
water lilies, don't worry, it's not too late. Although springtime is
the best time, you've actually got the entire normal growing season to
get it done.
Organic Hydroponics - Simplified
These days, it's easy to get lost in the wealth of knowledge available on hydroponics cultivation. The dizzying collection of fertilizers, additives and supplement doesn't necessarily help the situation. From foliage to root, there's something for everyone and for every kind of situation.
Liner Ponds versus Folding Preformed Ponds
Introduction
Choosing the Proper Pond Pump
Whether you have a preformed or a liner pond, a pond pump is a paramount component of any water feature. Stagnant bodies of water attract mosquito infestations, which are a nuisance, and also undesirable, due to the recent outbreaks of the West Nile virus. Therefore, it is paramount that you utilize a pond pump that circulates your body of water.
How to Grow Cucumbers
The versatile cucumber (cucumis sativus) is tasty pickled, in a salad, as a salad, in a sandwich, or just eaten raw. How to grow cucumbers depends largely in part on how you plan to eat them. Cucumbers come in over 120 varieties that range from small picklers to large slicers and from dark green to the yellow of the lemon cucumber. They come "burped" or burpless, seeded or without seeds.
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.
Thyme: The Herb of Courage
Garden thyme, fresh or dried, alone or combined with parsley and bay leaves to make a bouquet garni, adds a distinctive aromatic flavouring to meats, poultry, stews, sauces, and stuffing. Thymus vulgaris, commonly known as cooking thyme, English thyme, French thyme, or winter thyme is just one of the 350 species of the genus Thymus. Often called the 'herb of courage,' garden thyme can be grown indoors or out. Thyme is a shrubby perennial with small, oval, narrow, grey-green leaves, long, woody, branched stems, and sturdy roots. This plant blooms in mid-summer and has lavender-pink flowers that occur in small clusters. The flowers attract bees and the honey produced is highly valued. The leaves are very aromatic. Leaves, stems, and flowers may all be eaten.
Do You Know About A Bamboo Orchid
Bamboo Orchid Plant
What to Feed Your Fish During Colder Winter Months
With air and water temperatures dropping in most parts of the country, now is the time to greatly reduce the amount of food you are feeding your fish.
Gardening - Natural Science NOT Rocket Science
Don't force yourself out of the most profitable hobby in the universe because you think it's too hard to learn ...It isn't!
Introducting KOI-Cam!
This is a project I've had on the back burner for many months
now, but now it's finally ready!
How to Control Deer in Your Garden
Deer are the most difficult of all pests to deter from a
garden. They love many different plants. Flowers,
vegetables, trees and shrubs are all on their menu.
Can Your Sundial Really Tell The Time?
"I am a sundial, and I make a botch
Of what is done far better by a watch"
Cannibals on the Porch
No, ghosts of the Donner Party have not started haunting my porch, nor have others of the human type I may have reference to. I am speaking of cannibals in the insect world of which there are many, but two in particuIar that make me stop and wonder. The first is waxy black with a small red hourglass on her abdomen. She dangles on a thin thread late on warm summer nights in doorways or dark corners waiting for the what ever comes her way. I am sure you guessed, it is the female black widow spider, (Latrodectus Mactans) that I am referring to, and she is no stranger to many porches and gardens around the world . Her potent neurotoxic venom is more deadly than a rattle snake, although the actual bite is less noticeable. But she is only one of the many cannibals waiting outside.
Italian Vegetable Seeds
Some might ask, "Why grow Italian vegetable seeds?" Why bother with going international when there are already plenty of seed companies in the U.S.?
Letting Nature Grow Your Garden
It is wisest to let Nature have Her way. Nature has her own agenda, and your life as a gardener will be easier if you bow to Her desires. Better to dance with the fairies than struggle with eliminating "weeds". What herbs already grow around you that you can use as teas and seasonings? Most areas are rich in such plants, both native and introduced. Many of them will be happy to grace your garden with very little effort on your part. Some will appear; others may want to be transplanted. Still others are simply there, waiting for you to notice.
Bare Root Roses, What To Look For When Buying
The first thing to look for is the plant's grade.
Nearly all bare root roses sold today are grown in the field and are approximetly two years old. They are sold in three main grades.
Grade 1 is the best and most expensive grade. In order to obtain this grade the plants are required to have at least three strong cains, two of which must be at least 18 inches in length for hybrid teas anf grandifloras. The canes should be at least 1/8 inch in diameter.
Are My Grapes Ready to Harvest?
This is the time of the year that I keep hearing the question "When do I harvest my grapes?" Or sometimes the question is phrased "Are my grapes ripe yet?" And then there's the "Are they ready yet?"
