Eight Steps to a Bountiful Vegetable Garden

You've decided that you want a vegetable garden to lower your grocery bills. But, where do you start? There are eight essential steps to successful vegetable gardening.

Step 1. Pick an appropriate area for your garden. When you choose your site, consider these important factors:

- Sunlight. Most vegetables grow best in full sunlight. Choose an area that gets at least six hours of sunlight a day.

- Soil. The best soil for growing vegetables is a dark soil, rich in nutrients, that has good drainage but will still hold sufficient moisture for the plants. Don't plant your garden too close to trees and shrubs whose roots will steal nutrients and water from the vegetables.

- Water. Place your garden near your water supply -- faucets that can be reached by no more than two hose lengths.

Step 2. Create your site plan. Make a plan before you purchase your seeds or plants. It will help you decide how many you need to buy to best fit the available space. Base your plan on the vegetables that your family likes, how much work you want to do on the garden and how much room there is in the garden. Create a quick sketch to follow while you are planting.

Step 3. Buy your plants and/or seeds. Be sure that the plants you get will grow well in the area where you live. Buy young, healthy plants that are not limp or straggly or that have been over-crowded in pots. On seeds, look at the date stamp on the package to make sure they are not too old.

Step 4. Prepare your soil for planting. This is one of the most important things to do for a successful garden. To prepare the soil, add a layer of compost or fertilizer over the top of the soil. Then till (or spade) this layer into the existing soil. Rake the soil into rows or mounds, depending on the type of vegetables you'll be planting.

Step 5. Sow your seeds. If some of your vegetables will be planted from seeds, plant them first. Sometimes seeds are started indoors or in a greenouse to give them a good start. When seedlings appear, thin them to the distances recommended on the seed packets.

Step 6. Plant your plants. Plant young plants following the directions given by the plant nursery where you purchased them. Planting times can be tricky. You want to plant early, but not so early as to stunt their growth in cooler weather. Some plants will require netting or wire forms for best results.

Step 7. Care for your growing plants. Once your vegetables are all planted, you need to care for them by watering, weeding, pruning, and protecting them from insects.

Step 8. Harvest your garden. Different vegetables are harvested at different times. Vegetables should be carefully watched and picked at their peak. You may eat them immediately after harvesting or you can freeze or can them for later use.

Improve Organic Gardening Using Composting

Building up sustainable soil for organic gardening starts right after the garden soil testing has been completed. The testing of the soil helps to identify the additional fertilizers and conditioners that can be added. When attempting to garden organically, testing, maintaining and improving the soil is a constant process and one that is well worth the effort, according to those who advocate organic farming and gardening.

Creating sustainable soil for gardening organically means that you have to be able to replenish the topsoil of the garden. One of the best substances to have for keeping the soil rich and healthy enough for an organic garden is a good supply of compost. In addition to compost, it is good to have enzymes, earthworms, and beneficial microbes available to add into the soil mixture as well.

In most cases, when the garden bed has been established with great quality soil that is able to support and sustain organic gardening, it can then be maintained by simply adding home composting on a routine basis. This can easily be done by replacing a layer of the garden soil with a layer from your compost.

Backyard composting is a terrific way to improve your soil structure and also enhance moisture retention. In the average compost heap there are billions of bacterial organisms that will grow, feed, reproduce and die. Through this life-cycle of the microorganisms, the organic waste material that has been added to the compost pile will be recycled into a robust organic fertilizer and effective soil conditioner.

Many people say that composting is truly the ultimate in recycling because it benefits the soil in so many ways and supports organic farming and gardening in its highest and best sense. In addition to improving the structure of the soil and the moisture retention ability of the soil, composting also provides excellent aeration, full fertilization and nitrogen storage. Composting also creates a beneficial pH balance in the soil, releases a stream of nutrients and supplies food for the beneficial microbial inhabitants in the earth.

Shredded alfalfa hay is one of the best types of material that you can add to your compost heap, and some say it is "the" secret to a great compost recipe. Worms really thrive on alfalfa, making worm composting even more effective and faster, and it provides excellent mulch and soil additive components for your soil.

When you want to get your compost ready for your organic gardening undertaking, you should make the compost pile about four feet high and also about four feet wide as well. It needs to be located in an area that allows for good drainage and it should be surrounded with chicken wire so it will have proper air circulation. After about three to four months, your compost will be ready to mix in with the soil and begin working wonders for your garden.

Urban Survival Patio Gardening – Episode 1

www.survivalistboards.com This is a garden project for you apartment dwellers. We are going to take this tub and plant some seeds in it. One tub is going to get turnip seeds and the other is going to get spinach seeds. Urban Survival Patio Gardening radish spinach home garden apartment survivalist

Gardening Made Easy – Gardening Tips For Creating A Lush Garden!

Most people across the globe take to gardening as it is a great pastime. Gardening is a leisure activity that simply erases the tension and pressure that goes with everyday life in the present times. It provides you with an opportunity to revel in nature while producing something lovely and highly satisfying. Rules on gardening are invaluable to gardeners since they provide them with creative views and help simplify most projects on gardening.

Worldwide, English roses are renowned for their beauty, with yearly sales in millions and nearly everyone has a couple of these exquisite plants adorning their gardens. A vast majority of people is not certain about the right approach to pruning. Gardening pointers throw light on this task and help clear any doubts. The principal reason why roses are pruned is to discard the old, unhealthy, or disfigured stems, which promotes fresh growth and further enhances the rose bloom quality.

Abiding by these simple gardening suggestions for contemporary rose plants will bring forth appreciation from all quarters for your stunning roses. It is advisable that you trim your roses between autumns, when the roses are dormant, until spring when the buds are just bursting forth. Begin by removing all the unhealthy and spoiled stems. Peel back the stems that have turned brown in color to expose the healthy green tissue inside.

Plant growths that overlap each other or those that are extremely lean, will not bring forth flowers, and hence should be taken out. The subsequent gardening suggestion is to ensure that the center of the roses is not in any way inhibited by numerous branches and fresh air and sunshine are easily accessible at the center in order to prevent disease. You have to cut the length of the robust and sturdy stems that are left behind by about one-third.

Many people get baffled at this point although it is a relatively simple thing to carry out. You have to slice the stem up to the nearest bud facing outwards, which is usually one foot above ground level.

Many people wish to learn the ways in which to prevent

slugs and snails feeding on hosts and a variety of plants. The two gardening tips mentioned so far deal with maintaining a neat and clean garden devoid of plant litter, since slugs and snails inhabit sheltered and moist crooks.

Together with getting rid of snails that you discover, also take out the eggs. Snail eggs are usually tiny, semi-transparent and shaped like a sphere. Break up and turn over the soil so that birds can find the snails you have failed to spot. Even in winter, you need to dig up the soil so that birds such as robins can help you out with your predicament. The use of frequent fertilizers yields limp squashy growth that draws slugs. Hence, a fertilizer with slow discharge should be used for your gardening.

Propagation in Herb Gardening

Before you start thinking about herb gardening you you should know how they are propagated.

Propagation refers to how new plants are created. There are several ways to propagate plants. The first is by seeds. Seeds should be planted in a rich planting medium made of one part potting soil, two parts vermiculite, and one part peat moss. This soil is light and allows seeds to grow easily. Do not use soil from your yard because it is contaminated and is usually doesn't allow a seed to germinate easily.

Propagation by Seed

Some seeds need special care before you can plant them. They mean you'd to be soaked in water to soften their outer shell or they may need to be frozen or refrigerated for a time. Some seeds may need extra heat to help with germination. Plant your seeds in seed trays or tiny pots, then they can be planted in the ground after germination.

Seeds should be planted six to eight weeks before the last frost of the year. This gives the new plants enough time to grow and get used to being outside before being planted in the ground. This is called "hardening off" - a gradual exposure to weather and sun.

Place seeds in your containers, and prepare them according to their needs. Some herbs will just need to be put into the potting soil while others will need special care. Put plastic or glass over the top of the containers and keep them moist by placing water in a tray below the container.

You can also water by removing the plastic and misting gently with a spray bottle, then replacing the cover. The plastic or glass will keep the soil moist so you won't need to water for several days.

Some seeds will need bottom heat. There are several ways in which this can be done. You can purchase a commercial seed bottom warmer, install florescent or grow lights, or use a water bed heaters. Never use a heating pad because if it should get wet, you will have big problems.

As soon as the plants have sprouted, remove the glass or plastic covering. Pull the weakest of the seedlings, and leave the strongest and healthiest of those to flourish.

Place your seedlings under grow lights or place them in indirect or filtered sun. Do not put them in direct sun because that will burn them up. If you are going to put them in the sun, turn them every day saw that they will grow straight.

The second set of leaves that a plant grows are its true leaves. As soon as they appear, it's time to plant them into bigger pots. Since these are temporary pots, you can use margarine containers. Poke holes in the bottom and use the lids as trays.

When your plants have three or four rows of leaves and are a few inches high, they are ready to be hardened off. Now is the time to get them accustomed to the weather, sunlight, or lack of sunlight.

When the temperature outside reaches about 65 to 70 degrees, place your containers outside in a shady area or a few hours. Each day, leave them out a little bit longer, then began to move them into the sunlight. They will soon be ready to plant.

Layering

Layering is very time consuming but also very reliable. It is done in the summer using low growing herbs. Choose an outer branch of the plant and strip it of its leaves near the base. Do not cut this branch, but press it into the soil next to the plant. Secure it down by pinning it down with a U-shaped wire.

Once the new plant is established, cut the connection to the original plant and then transplant.

Division

This method is best done in early spring. Herbs will have underground roots, bulbs or tubers. Carefully dig up your herb. Cut or separate the clump into smaller sections, about the size of your fist, with a knife. Immediately replant into the ground or in pots.

Stem Cutting

Stem cutting is best done in spring or late summer. Mature stems should be about three to four inches long and have no blooms. Strip leaves from the stem bottom, dip in water, and then in rooting hormone. Set in a pot containing rooting medium, water well and cover with a plastic bag.

Make sure the plastic bag doesn't touch the plant by inserting popsicle stick or pencil and propping the plastic bag on top of them. Again, you can use plastic margarine containers for the pots.

When your plant develops new growth you know that the roots have developed. Then, you can remove the plastic bag, water normally, harden off, and plant.

Root Cuttings

In the spring, carefully dig up a portion of an established plant and remove a root. Cut this root into 2 inch pieces. Fill a pot with a mixture of one part sand and one part peat moss and place the root section into it.

Cover with 1 inch of the mixture. Moisten with a mist and place a plastic bag over the top preserve humidity. Place the pot in indirect sun and keep moist. When you see sprouts, remove the plastic bag and water normally until the cutting is big enough to plant outside.

Haneisen: Gardening is a full-contact hobby

Haneisen: Gardening is a full-contact hobby
So I was standing in the garden Saturday afternoon with my hand over my left eye waiting for the blood to flow. ... That wasn't really how I envisioned my weekend gardening chores crammed between going to work, spending time with family and, oh yeah, relaxing.

Read more on The MetroWest Daily News

Vegetable Gardening – Essential Basics You Should Know!

Right from the level of planting a couple of tomatoes in a large pot to the level of indulging in a large scale commercial plantation area dedicated to the gardening of a wide variety of plants like lettuce, potatoes, corn, tomatoes, tall beans etc, vegetable gardening is done on all scales.

Gardeners, while taking up vegetable gardening must be well aware about its significant aspects like the climatic conditions, proper soil analysis and the duration of growth seasons. It is true that the same vegetables that are cultivated in Florida can be produced in Alaska as well. However, both varieties will differ considerably in taste, sizes and duration of growth. The vegetables that are grown in Alaska may take shorter time due to the shorter and cooler growth season in Alaska as compared to Florida's. With the advancement in cultivation science, it is possible to grow any vegetable in any part of the world with the assistance of methods like hot house effect etc. through which the climatic factors conducive to vegetables growth can be controlled effectively.

Owing to all these factors, unless the gardener is using very advanced and expensive methods of cultivation, he should be well aware of the seeds and plants that can be most easily grown in certain weather and soil conditions. This is where the importance of planning and general awareness comes into picture. Taking a small example, lets pick up a tomato. Tomatoes can be grown in a small pot in your backyard as well as in large array of fields dedicated to tomato cultivation. The difference will lie in the size and juice of the tomato. While the one that is grown in a small pot will be smaller in size, more apt for making dishes, the ones that are cultivated in fields, may find a place in McDonalds Hamburgers because of their large sizes and juicy nature. If one wants to grow large tomato at home, he will need equally large pots with each one dedicated to single tomato plant. Such option may not be very feasible sometimes due to space constraints and the proper care required.

Gardeners can be impatient too. Don't believe it. We'll tell you how. As explained earlier, vegetable gardening can be best done outdoors. However, in case, the gardener has had success with a certain plant on the mini level, and has tasted it to confirm as well, he would generally tend to go large scale with the same plant without giving much thought to the pertinent factors. In such case, too much may be attempted in one season and the eventual result can be as disastrous as the entire crop failure. A gardener venturing into vegetable gardening for the first time must consult the other gardeners in the vicinity. It may also pay off nicely to get friendly with the staff at the local garden center. They normally possess huge experience and can come handy in resolving lot of doubts of the starters.

Tips on Organic Gardening

Instead of chemicals in your soil and on your food, why not try organic gardening?  You can start with just a few plants in pots or a small patch, or you can go whole hog and dig up half your yard! 

Actually, if it’s your first garden, it’s better to start small.  Gardeners have a tendency to plant more than they can reasonably care for – everything looks so great in the catalogs!  But even though gardening is a lot of fun and a satisfying pastime, it’s also a lot of work.  Half way through the growing season you may wish you’d been a little more moderate in your planting.  It’s better to work your way up to that huge garden!

On Location…

Like the real estate agents are fond of saying, “It’s all about location, location, location.”  Some plants will grow in the shade, but for most vegetables you need sunshine.  An ample amount of sunshine is one thing you can’t provide artificially, unless you’re planning on a huge bank of portable lights out in your garden, and with the price of electricity these days, that’s a definite no-no.

Practically speaking, any garden, organic or otherwise, needs sunshine.  Put your pots or garden plot where the plants will get at least 6 hours of sun a day for best results.  While it’s nice to locate the garden close to the house for easy access, shade from the house or trees may not make that possible.  Sunshine has priority over easy access.

Be sure your garden location not only gets ample sunshine, but drains well so the plants don’t sit in water.  Fertile soil is a big plus, but if that’s lacking, you can always add soil amendments.

Down and Dirty

Adding compost will help your soil no matter what type it is.  You can also use natural fertilizers and organic materials to improve the soil and help the plants grow.  Most vegetable roots are in the top 6 inches of soil, so tilling or double digging will easily mix the materials into the soil where the roots can reach it.

Time to Plant

Seed catalogs and nurseries are brimming with all types of vegetables.  Besides taking into account what you and your family like to eat, choose vegetables that will do well in your climate.  For instance, some long season crops like sweet potatoes wouldn’t do well up north, while cool climate crops might not fare so well in the deep south.

Mulching your vegetables with organic material helps conserve water, adds humus and nutrients as well as discourages weeds from growing.  It’s a great way to improve your garden soil and plants!

Don’t Let Them Bug You

Where there’s lovely young plants, there’s bugs looking for a meal.  Hand picking caterpillars or other bugs off is one option, or spraying the plant with soapy water, or even plain water, will dislodge the bugs.  There are also some organic products made for bug control. 

 Not all bugs are bad, and some are even beneficial.  Bugs such as green lacewings, ladybugs, praying mantis, spiders and wasps eat the insects that try to eat your vegetables. 

Companion planting with insect repellant plants such as marigolds or nasturtiums can also help keep bugs away from your garden.

It also helps to learn to live with a certain amount of imperfections.  The vegetable doesn’t have to be perfect to taste good.  You can cut off any problem spots before eating it.

Destroy Those Weeds!

Weeds have been defined as “a plant growing in the wrong place.”  That pretty much sums it up.  If it’s not something you planted, consider it a weed and hoe it out, pull it up, or till it under.  However you do it, get it out of the garden.  Those extra plants steal nutrients and water needed for your vegetable plants.

Ready, Set, Garden!

A good location, fertile soil, the right plants, and working to keep the garden weed and bug free are the right ingredients for a great garden.  Growing an organic garden is a wonderful way to put superior tasting food in your diet.  So get out there and get your garden growing!

Gardening on Salvia

Click here for Erik's latest salvia adventure on Comedy Central's Tosh.0, with celebrity guest Tommy Chong! tinyurl.com Erik shows you some great tricks for gardening on salvia! Here's the rest of my salvia tutorials: www.youtube.com

Late Summer Garden: Easy and Cheap Gardening Tips

Has your late summer garden seen better days? If your outdoor paradise is getting a little ragged, and you would like some easy and cheap gardening tips to get it back into shape in time for fall, keep reading!

Most gardens, no matter how well they are designed will have periods without a lot of bloom. But a late summer garden is more than just lack of bloom; it's overgrown plants, ratty leaves, spindly annuals and brown spots in the lawn. Here's how to fix these garden problems.

Cut back your blooming perennials by half. This will stimulate new growth, and create need for another flush of flowers in the fall for many varieties. It will also clean up the overgrown look of your flower beds.

If you still have brown foliage from spring bulbs showing, it is safe to cut them to the ground now. They have already stored all the energy they need for spring bloom, and the dead plant matter isn't doing anything for the look of your garden.

If you have a pest problem, you should be addressing it. You can use commercially available Sevin dust for many of the most common predators, or seek out an organic alternative. One good way to identify what is eating your plants is place a piece of white paper under the leaves of the plant being attached and give the plant a good tap or shake. Whatever pest is the culprit should fall onto the paper for easy identification. If you're stumped, pop it in a jar and take it to your local nursery for identification and advice on how to eradicate it while doing the least damage to beneficial bugs. Remember, we need those bees! Don't' poison them.

If you have annuals planted in containers or beds that have seen better days, cut them back hard. Apply a good dose of water soluble fertilizer and they will bounce back and start re-blooming for you. Petunias, alyssum and geraniums all need a good rejuvenation this time of year, but will bloom well into fall if you try this trick.

If your lawn has developed some dry spots, try raking in an organic compost or fine bark to protect the soil and hold in moisture. Water frequently during the day for a week or two until you start to see new green growth. Cut back on the watering gradually, but be consistent until the lawn is once again green in the spot.

A late summer garden may seem to have gone to sleep, but its pretty easy to throw a big basket of water on it and wake it back up. (Both literally, and figuratively!) Use these easy and cheap gardening tips to renew your garden, and have a beautiful spot to spend those quiet autumn afternoons.

Want free gardening tips and ideas? Kathy Wilson is a home and garden writer, author and consultant and is the home decorating expert for LifetimeTV.com. Visit her for more home and garden ideas at http://www.TheGardenGlove.com and http://www.TheBudgetDecorator.com . Also visit her at http://www.Women-on-the-Net.com where any woman can learn to make money on the internet!

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