Gardening With Seeds

Quick Tips For Gardening With Seeds

During the spring and summer months, many people are eager to get outdoors and begin planning their gardening for the year ahead. Many will head to the nurseries to purchase plants, while others choose to start their own garden from seeds.

Anyone familiar with gardening knows that it’s more expensive to buy plants rather than seeds. While cheaper seeds may seem like a good bargain, if they don’t grow, they’re just as much of a waste as the plants that don’t survive after they’re brought home from the store. It will take a lot more work and care to grow a plant from seed.

The majority of seeds will be able to germinate in temperatures ranging from 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit, or about 18 to 23 degrees Celsius. After the seedlings have made their way through the soil, be sure to give them plenty of light, as much as 16 hours each day, depending on the type of plant. In addition to sunlight, some fluorescent lights also help with growth, just be sure to periodically move your plants as they grow taller so they are not too close to the light source.

Young, fragile plants that haven’t firmly rooted yet need a bit of extra care to be sure they thrive and grow well. The right kind of potting soil with the proper amount of nutrients is essential for gardening with seeds. Be aware that inexpensive brands of potting soil may not include enough of these nutrients to produce hearty plants, in essence wasting money that would be better spent on a higher-end brand.

When you are using gardening containers the most important thing to remember is that regardless of their size or shape, the one thing they must have is enough drainage holes. These holes help the soil stay at the right level of moisture, keeping young plants out of dirt that’s too wet for them to grow properly. Inexpensive flats hold several plants at once and already have the necessary drainage holes, or try using old milk cartons or other containers that will serve the same purpose. If you do decide to use some type of container from home, be sure to thoroughly clean it before using, making sure there’s no residue of harmful bacteria or chemicals.

Several gardening manufacturers sell flats that are biodegradable, allowing you to start plants indoors from seeds, and then simply plant the entire container when ready. Moisture within the soil will cause the containers to break down and essentially be absorbed in dirt, which allows the roots to firmly plant themselves into the earth. This method also causes the least amount of stress on the young plants by not having to take them out of their container when transplanting.

By following these few easy tips, gardening will be the enjoyable adventure it’s supposed to be, rather than stressful or disappointing. All it takes for a rewarding harvest that you can be proud of is a little bit of hard work, and a lot of patience and dedication.

Beneficial Insect

Tips For Attracting Butterflies To Your Garden

Butterflies are colorful creatures that are special and wonderful additions to your garden. A carefully planned garden can attract butterflies that sip nectar from many flowers and search for a place to lay their larvae. Butterfly gardens are basically organic gardens that use no chemicals. With this in mind, be sure to create a safety zone for your butterflies. Habitual zones and places where areas of the landscape meet with the tree lines are favorite safe places for them. It is also helpful to find out what kinds of butterflies are native to your area so you can find appropriate plants for them.

Fennel, parsley and dill are wonderful plants for attracting Anise Swallowtail and the Black Swallowtail butterfly. Lupine flowers are a favorite with Fritillary butterfly and Snapdragons are a great choice of attracting butterflies that are native to your own area. To attract butterflies in passing, early butterfly gardens are often sufficient; however, gardens that offer a safe haven for them will urge the butterflies to stay longer. Most butterflies are active in the mid to late summer, so it is important that you also have plants available to them during that time. You can also use a home made feeder as a supplement the garden’s flower nectar. To make a home made feeder from a small jar, drill a small hole in the middle of the lid and plug the hole with cotton. Next fill the jar with a solution of nine parts water and one part sugar, attach brightly colored fabric petals to the lid and hang your feeder in a tree near your garden.

Butterflies are attracted to gardens that will provide adequate food for both them and their offspring. While young caterpillars eat from the plants, adult butterflies sip nectar from the flowers. As your plants grow and mature, the number of butterflies will also increase. They also search for areas that can shelter them from high winds, summer storms and rains. Shrubs and trees are good choices for plants that will provide them protective shelter. The wide open areas of the garden are also desired on normal warm and sunny summertime weather. To find water, butterflies often seek soft, sandy ,soil; especially when the soil allows water to puddle up after a rainstorm. Unlike birds, butterflies are unable to drink from birdbaths and other sources of open water. Flat rocks are helpful to butterflies so they can stretch out in the sun and absorb much needed heat that makes it possible for them to fly.

If the plants in your garden appeal to butterflies, you will attract them. The ideal place for butterflies would be a place for them to sip nectar, hibernate and lay eggs, as well as plants where the larvae and caterpillars can feed off of.

Seeing your landscape come alive with butterflies is a beautiful thing to see. Now you can sit back and watch these wonderful creatures grow and thrive in your own back yard this summer.

Garden Watering

Tips on Using Gray Water For Your Garden

Every day, more and more news is coming out on just how damaged the environment has actually become. We are finally awakening to the fact that we have severely damaged our planet and we are looking for ways to live better and not deplete our precious natural resources.

One simple way to help the planet is by planting trees. Trees have a natural ability to convert carbon dioxide that is present in the air, into oxygen. Another way to help is to conserve water so there is enough water for all humans, plants and animals.

Here in lies a paradox. How can we achieve a balance between giving plants very little water while trying to conserve it, yet giving those plants enough water to survive?

Scientists are hard at work trying to develop plants that are genetically engineered to require little water to grow, but we can also do our part. One way is through a gray water rerouting system.

What is Gray Water?

Water that is generated from our baths, dishwashing, hand washing and laundry is called gray water. Black water is water that is generated from our toilets. It is estimated that an average family of four, generates nearly three thousand gallons of gray water weekly. This water is wasted down the drain and could be reused.

The gray water that is discarded does contain soaps and detergents and often bleach. These soaps and detergents do contain certain minerals that can actually help plants, but the gray water also contains chemicals that may harm plans and the soil. Bleach is especially dangerous as it damages the roots and can actually stay in the soil for a long time.

It is possible to reroute the gray water that is now going down the drain and reroute it to your garden. This is done through a series of treatment tubes and a filtration system. This will help the environment by permitting more plant life to grow and you are conserving water by reusing water that would have gone to waste.

The following tips will help you get started to use gray water for your garden.

If you are planning to use gray water to water your garden, then take note of the following tips before you start. Check with a local plumbing supply house or repair shop to see what products are available to reroute gray water.

Drip irrigation systems that direct gray water directly to the plants are available. These types of units are very efficient as they direct water to the root system of the plants where it is needed and best absorbed.

Most gray water does not require treatment, but a filter on the system will help keep dust or debris that may harm delicate plants, out of the water. Your plumbing supply will be able to assist you on how to treat the water. A stop at your local gardening supply center or landscaping professional will be able to give you information on whether or not you can use gray water on the plants you have in your garden.

Most gray water contains phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen, all of which benefit plants. These chemicals are found in organic soaps and shampoos. Check the labels on the products you purchase and look for natural or organic products. Avoid products that contain toxic chemicals and bleaches. If you notice that your plants are suffering damage from the gray water, stop using it and consult a horticulturist or gardener.

Research is needed before you can use gray water. Every garden is different and has different plants with different growing conditions. If your passion is gardenias, you may not want a gray water recycling system as gardenias to not like soap products, and can damage them severely.

If all this sounds expensive and beyond your ability, remember that you can still recycle gray water by keeping a bucket handy whenever you do your laundry, wash your dishes, or take a bath. If you use organic soaps, you can use this otherwise discarded water on your plants.

Garden Planing

For years I have been going to the nursery in the spring and buying flowers and plants that I thought were “pretty” only to get them home and realize they don’t go together or don’t all fit in my small city garden. This year, I have decided to put a little effort into planning my garden before I go out and let my impulses drive my purchases. There are several questions you should ask yourself before you decide which plants and flowers to put in your garden.

1. What is your gardening experience level? If you’re a novice gardener, don’t fill your garden with high-maintenance, temperamental plants that require a lot of attention and knowledge. If you are interested in gaining gardening experience, I suggest that you add one higher-maintenance plant such as a rose bush which requires regular pruning to get some idea of the work involved. If you enjoy it, you can consider adding more next year.

2. What is the purpose of your garden? Some people have a garden because they love to spend hours and hours gardening. Others just want some pretty flower to look at while sitting outside on the deck. There are lots of options for the “lazy” gardener who enjoys the beauty of a garden, but doesn’t want to get her hands too dirty. Do some research before you buy or ask an expert at the garden center which plants and flowers are easiest to grow.

3. How big is your garden? You should plot out your garden space on graph paper and plan where each plant will go and how much space it will need. Be sure to allow room for plants that will need to spread out as they grow. Empty spaces can easily be filled in with small green plants or decorative rocks.

4. What color combinations will work best? Some colors go very well together while others seem to stab your eyes. It’s also important to consider the location of the garden. The surrounding structures and foliage will also help you determine the best color scheme.

5. Are you planning to grow food? Fruits and vegetables have their own requirements that must be kept in mind when planning a garden. You might choose to have a separate space for growing vegetables and keep a separate flower garden.

6. Do you want a more formal, manicured look or a natural wildflower garden? Some plants and flowers spread out on their own and require little maintenance. Occasional weeding is all that you’ll need to do for this wildflower garden. A more manicured garden obviously requires much more work. In addition to weeding, you will have to keep shrubs trimmed and pruned as well as maintaining the flowers you choose so they don’t spread out of control.

7. Have you done enough research? This might actually be a better first question to ask yourself. There are so many books, websites, and magazines dedicated to gardening, you have no excuse for not doing the research. Spend a rainy afternoon in the library browsing through gardening books and then choose two or three to check out and use in you actual plan. Visit gardening websites and get specific information about plants, vegetables, and flowers that grow best in your area.

My last word of advice is to start small and create a garden that you will enjoy for years to come. The beauty of home gardening is that you don’t have to create your dream garden all at once. Make small changes here and there throughout the season or from year to year. The creative process and the experience of nurturing your own garden can be extremely rewarding.

Garden Design

General Perspective Of Garden Design

For the house owner who has a little bit of space outside the house, they may thinking about having small garden. Or even ones who have large space so they can have bigger garden either. However, wjat generally happen is garden design and arrangement, most of them normally take this job to professional. Only they have to do is to choose the design from the catalogue that designer give to them and pay when the garden finished.

However, some of them knowing what they are choosing but unfortunately, some of them don’t. Therefore, as there are many style and arrangements of garden design. It is also good to know how they different from each other and which factors you have to consider when you want to have good, attractive and beautiful garden within the budget.

Generally, it is depends on the preference and style of the house owner which type of garden that they are going to have, but apart from that, you may have to that the decision about the type of type of garden have to based on these following elements;

1. Weather/Climate

This is the most important factor to consider but normally be ignored by many of us. You have to choose garden design or type of garden base on the climate of where you are living. For example, it is really impossible to have tropical garden if you are living in the freeze zone and vise vesa. You have to choose garden types and designs that suitable with the local climate first, other wise your garden will not last long and you have to spend a lot of money on maintenance your garden.

2. Space

Space has great impact to the design of the garden. You have to consider the design that suitable with the space that you have. However, in most case, I would suggest that utilization of the space is very, depending on the purpose and preference of the house owner. Arranging space particularly for garden have to be very careful in design and function. Because 0garden needs more function than any other area. For example, it needs the waste water system, it is the place that sunlight have to reach and has proper climate for plants and tree. So you have take these factors in to account before you decide type and design of the garden.

3. Budget

This factor is also important, you can not have your desired garden without proper budget. Also, you do not have to spend much money to get good and beautiful garden if you have good budget planning. One of the big tips here is if you have very limited budget, you can hire only garden designer and once when you have he design, you can ask the designer to give you the list of plants and equipment need for the garden and you go to the shop/market then let the designer arrange it. This is very effective ways, because you can reduce the cost for the garden equipment. As you can have cheaper price if you buy them for yourself to avoid mark-up cost that usually add by the garden designer.