Control Weeds in Your Rose Gardens

Posted on April 26, 2010 by jag

Weeds are simply undesirable plants growing in the places you don’t want them. Even though they are undesirable, they insist on growing in your garden anyway.

The best of gardeners go through this, too. The good news is there are methods for reducing the weed problem

Weed your roses frequently and compost them. Weeds and roses compete for moisture, food and light. A weedy border will have poor air circulation, increasing the chances that disease will take hold. Watering regularly is helpful when weeding your garden. This keeps the soil moist enough that when you pull the weeds out, the roots will come out too. You can pull the weeds by hand or yo can use tools.

Mulching is a good idea too because it helps keep maintenance to a minimum. By mulching, your roses require les watering and it helps keep the weeds from growing. Plastic placed under the mulch will provide weed control for several years. In most home gardens, mulches supplemented with regular hand weeding or rouging (digging out the entire plant, roots and all) should provide satisfactory weed control.

Mechanical cultivation devices such as hoes must be used with care because roses are shallow rooted.

Weed killers are another option for getting rid of those nasty weeds in your rose gardens. However, you have to be especially careful when using them so you dont get any on your rose bushes.

Certain weed killers will not only kill the unwanted weeds, but they can also harm or even kill your roses. When using a weed killer, you will have to spot treat the weeds. This ensures you are only treating the unwanted weeds and not your whole garden.

So, whether you are a beginner or an expert gardener, remember that one of the most important factors to having a great rose garden is keeping it weed free. Remember to research the type or roses you are growing or wish to grow. There is plenty of information and tools out there to help you get started and help you maintain a beautiful, lush rose garden.

Gardening Gift Certificatesmake GREAT Mother’s Day Gifts. Let her get what SHE wants!

If weeds have distroyed your grass, try Patch Perfect Grass Seed!

Taylor Gifts has what you're looking for!

Posted in Rose Gardening | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Vegetable Garden Planting For Maximum Efficiency

Posted on April 20, 2010 by jag

When you’re planning a vegetable garden, there’s more to consider than just what plants grow in your area.  In fact, that should be your secondary concern as you get ready for your vegetable garden planting.

There are four questions you need to ask yourself before you even begin planning a vegetable garden:

  • What do you and your family like to eat
  • How much of these things CAN you eat
  • How much space do you have for growing vegetables
  • What grows best in your area

Taking these factors into account before you even begin will prevent you from wasting the food you grow, making vegetable gardening just that much more pleasant.  After all, the sight of rotting vegetables after you’ve done all that work to plant vegetable gardens is never pleasant.

Vegetable Garden Planting:

Depending on how much room you have, you might consider vegetable container gardening.  In fact, if you already have a flower container garden that grows a little tall, you can plant some herbs in with the flowers and make a border out of lettuce.

Green onions, carrots and herbs all make excellent vegetable container gardening plants, and are actually nice green plants to look at.

Also, when planning a vegetable garden, plan for the timing of harvesting your crop. Just because you get a million seeds in a packet doesn’t mean you have to plant them all at once.  If you plant everything at once, it will all become eatable at once.  Plant a few seeds the first time, then maybe a week or two plant a few more depending on how long it takes them to grow.

Hopefully this gives you some ideas to start planning a vegetable garden, and also how to do your vegetable garden planting so you’ll be eating fresh garden greens all summer long – and beyond!

For more good advice, check out Bartholomews All New Square Foot Gardening Cookbook: Taking the Harvest to the Table

Posted in Container Gardening, Vegetables_Fruits_Herbs | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Vertical Gardening Space Saving Tips

Posted on April 12, 2010 by jag

When I visited Epcot Center last month, I took a tour of the vertical gardening area and I was very surprised. They are now experimenting with tons of plants that can be grown vertical, saving space and water, so more plants can be grown in the same amount of space.

Vertical Gardening is not really a new concept. The first time I saw a vertical gardening plant was in tomatoes gardening. This was actually upside down vertical gardening, but it solves the problem of having to use a bunch of wire to hold the tomato plants up. The tomatoes gardening vertical concept has now been redesigned into a Revolutionary Planter for Tomatoes and has been improved upon to include a self watering system!

Most vertical gardens don’t grow upside down though. You can grow plants vertically on garden arbors, fences, a trellis, or other structures that make the plant grow upright instead of flowing over the ground.

Many times vertical gardening is used for vines. When growing vines this way, be sure to keep about four inches of mulch at the base of the plant to make sure the soil will retain water in the summer. Vertically-growing plants tend to dry out more quickly than ground flowing plants, so make sure to check them often for watering needs.

At first, you may have to train your plants to grow where you want them to (waterproof twine is good for this), and it may take a few years to get a nice vertical garden growing.

But as you know, you need to be patient when growing vertical gardens, or any other garden. In a few years, or months depending on the plant, you will be an expert in vertical gardening and can start creating shapes and forms that make your garden just that much more interesting.

Deluxe Revolution™ Planter

Garden Grids, Set of 4

Florence Planter with Obelisk

Posted in Container Gardening, Vertical Gardening | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Herb Garden How To

Posted on April 2, 2010 by jag


Gurney's for your plants and seeds! It’s no wonder herb gardening is one of the most popular forms of gardening. Herbs are not only used for flavor while cooking, but some herbs have been used to treat illness. They were even believed to have magical powers.  That’s why many people look for herb garden how to information and get pretty excited about growing an herb garden. That being said, here are a few ideas on growing herb gardens.

Planting Herb Gardens

Before you buy your herb garden seeds, carefully consider what type of herbs you want to plant, and how much room you will allow each herb to take up.  Some herbs are like weeds and will take over everything!

Also think about what types of herbs you will need when growing herb gardens.  Do you want annuals, biennials or perennials? You may have to test what works best for your space, but be sure to address this question and know what you’re buying so you don’t pull out something that would have come back next year.

Start an Herb Garden! 6 Top Quality Plants for only $39.95. Shipping Begins in April 2010. Use Code AS306
Click Here!

Before planting herb gardens, and especially square foot gardens, it’s a good idea to draw your garden on paper first.  Make notes or separate the annuals from the perennials so when the time comes to pull out the annuals, you won’t be disturbing the perennials. 

Many herb garden how to’s recommend planting Perennials on the edge of your garden so you can till it later without disrupting them.

Another thing to remember when planting herb gardens is to plant the taller plants at the back and the shorter ones in front.  Also, provide your herb garden plants with enough space to grow – as we said earlier.

When planting herb gardens, consider planting the more invasive herbs in herb pots. The pots best for herbs are the large containers with three or more outlets for the herbs. Fill the planter up to the first outlet and plant, and then continue filling and planting as you get to the next spaces. Make sure to plant the herbs that requires the most water in the bottom hole, while the variety that requires the least goes in the highest hole.

Herb Garden How To Design Ideas

Here are a few different ways of growing herb gardens:

  • Consider having a square foot garden herb bed.  You can have your square bed divided into four by two paths crossing at mid point measuring 3 feet.  You can border it with stone or brick. 
  • A wooden ladder can be used for climbing herbs.
  • When using herb garden seeds, that wooden ladder can also be laid down on your garden before you begin planting the herb garden, then plant your herbs between its rungs.
  • How about a wagon wheel bed for growing herb gardens? Lay the wagon wheel down and plant your herbs in between the wagon wheel’s wedges. 

Growing Herb Gardens is one of the easiest things to do. But as with other plants, you need to be aware of effective drainage needs, sunlight, humidity or moisture and fertile soil.  But even with just minimally meeting these requirements they will be bound produce a good harvest.

Posted in Container Gardening, Herb Gardening | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

When to Plant Roses

Posted on March 22, 2010 by jag

Its important to the future health of your rose bush to know when to plant roses – you definitely need to watch out for just the right time. 

Actually, that’s easier said than done. Determining when to plant roses can be confusing. Ill go over a few pointers to help take the guesswork out of the timing for planting your roses.

First let me mention that if you order online garden supplies it takes the guesswork out. The online companies ship your order at the right time of year for planting in the climate zone you live in.

You can also use the zone finder on their sites to find out what climate zone you live in.

When planting bare-root roses, which are roses that are in their dormant state, youll need to consider your wintertime temperatures. If your minimum temperatures during the winter drop below -10 degrees you should only do your rose planting during spring and only after the danger of a freeze has passed.

If the area you live in has minimum winter temperatures between 10 and -10 degrees, you can plant in spring and fall, again only when there is no danger of a freeze occurring.

If you live in a climate zone where the minimum winter temperatures are above 10 degrees its safe for you to plant roses whenever the bare-root roses are available.

But keep in mind, no matter which zone you live in, do not plant when theres a chance for extreme heat, freeze or excessively windy conditions.

All of these can cause stress that can adversely affect your plants health.

If youre planting a potted plant or transplanting a rose from one location to another the rules are a bit different.

These roses can be planted any time of the year, weather permitting. That is, as long as the ground isnt frozen, theres no possibility of freeze, or no chance extreme heat, cold or wind.

Its best to plant roses in the spring or fall, but as I said, you can plant any time, weather permitting.

Be sure to follow the proper procedures on when to plant roses to ensure you have healthy rose blooms in the summer.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Organic Gardening Tips to Grow Naturally

Posted on March 16, 2010 by jag

Usually when people think of gardening, they think they are gardening organically. But unfortunately, there are a lot of things you can do unconsciously that make your garden not so organic.  These are the most basic and simple mistakes people make that can distroy the organic qualities of your garden.  So if you’re trying to do organic gardening, here’s a few organic gardening tips to guide you to the perfect organic garden. 

Don’t use just any compost! You can easily make compost from garden and kitchen waste, this way you know EXACTLY what’s in it. This way is a little more time-consuming than buying prepared chemical pesticides and fertilizers, but it helps in three ways:

  • puts garbage to good use
  • saves the environment
  • you can be certain that you have an organic vegetable garden

The best organic gardening tips tell you NOT to use chemicals that may have an adverse affect on your health. This is especially important when growing vegetables. Chemical companies tell us that the chemicals we use are safe if used according to direction, but research shows that even tiny amounts of poisons absorbed through the skin can cause such things as cancer, especially in children.

On the average, a child ingests four to five times more cancer-causing pesticides from foods than an adult. This can lead to various diseases later on in the child’s life. With organic gardening, these incidents are lessened.

Remember, pesticides contain toxins that have only one purpose – to kill living things.

You are also doing your part to save the environment. Poisons are often washed into our waterways, causing death to the native fish and polluting their habitat.  Organic farming practices also help prevent the loss of topsoil through erosion. The Soil Conservation Service says that an estimated 30 – 32 billion tons of soil erodes from United States farmlands every year.

And, of course, there is a cost savings. You will not be buying costly chemical fertilizers and pesticides with organic gardening. In fact, many organic recipes for the control of pest and diseases come straight from the kitchen cupboard. Sometimes other plants can be grown as companions to the main crop. An example of this is the marigold, which helps to repel aphids from vegetables.

 
Mixing 1 tablespoon of liquid dishwashing soap and 1 cup of cooking oil can make a cheap garden pest spray. Put 3 tablespoons of this mixture in 1 quart of water and spray on plants.

A simple mulch of pine needles will help to suppress the growth of weeds as well as keeping the moisture in.

These organic gardening tips will help to keep the environment safe for future generations, as well as keeping the organic gardener in the best health possible. Use this tips in any garden, and especially in a square foot garden where plants may be closer together.

If you enjoy organic gardening but need more tips, check out this valuable organic gardening guide today.

—————-

Begnners Maual for Organic Food Gardenig

Organic Food Gardening Beginners Manual

“103 Page Step By Step Gardening Manual
For Beginners To Learn How To Grow Your Own
Healthy, Organic Food – Saving Money & Eating Chemical Free.”
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Backyard Landscape Design Ideas

Posted on March 8, 2010 by jag

Getting back to nature can be a rejuvenating experience. But nature doesn’t have to mean exploring the forest, you can bring nature into your back yard with a few creative backyard landscape design ideas.

  • Jeff was working in a small area in our backyard this weekend and here’s what he came up with. It’s simple, but will grow into something very colorful.  He has:
  •  Two Weeping Willow Trees,
  •  A pink Camiela  (in the back),
  • Purple heather for color,
  •  A bluish green plant (I’ll add the name when I find the stickers),
  • spiked ornamental feather grass,
  • nice garden statue to look at until everything grows.

Jeff can get pretty creative when he is thinking about backyard landscape designs, even in our small spaces. It’s nice when the landscaping gives you a feeling of peace and comfort.

As you can see, landscape design includes many elements. For example:

  • the area (sun or shade)
  • design
  • weather

The overall look will depend on the owner’s taste. Some people want the effect of water (pools, waterfalls, etc.) and some like rocks, stones, etc.

But to create a very natural feel, you must use plants to create the total effect of the landscape. It should not be just any plant; it should be the most appropriate plant for the area and climate.

Choices for Backyard Landscape Design

1. Groundcovers
These plants are indispensable to a landscape as they can serve as backdrops for trees, shrubs, etc. There are many types of groundcovers to choose from.

Sun-Loving Plants
Sunny areas are considered problematic. Many plants do not like direct sunlight. Juniper groundcovers and hardy perennials are very helpful in resolving this problem.

Shade Plants
These plants cannot stand the heat of direct sunlight. They should be used in areas that are not exposed to the sun except for short periods of time. Most of the shade-loving plants are low-growing or mid-sized.

“Attractive”
Many flowering plants attract birds, butterflies, bees, etc. It is important to choose plants that grow pollens. Plants like Bee Balm, Hollyhock and Red Columbine attract hummingbirds.

Aroma
The garden can be made aromatic by using foliage plants. The lavender perennial plant’s flowers provide therapeutic scent. At the same time, it serves as a beautiful border.

2. Wet Plants
Some landscapes come with wet areas like artificial ponds or waterfalls. To avoid leaving it bare, plants that thrive in wet soils are used to give beauty and natural effect.

3. Repellent Plants
More than coming up with a good landscape, it is also necessary to maintain it and keep it free from intruders. Some plants are able to repel pests like the deer. Some ornamental grasses and flowers are used for deer control. This same area last year was growing Marigolds. Slugs are not supposed to like Marigolds, and neither are mosquitos. It worked like a charm, but Jeff likes to get creative – he comes up with different garden landscaping ideas every year.

4. Grasses
These are also helpful in the garden. There are varying kinds of grasses, the ornamental type and the functional ones.

Functional grasses are those that are used in the background. Lawn grass is an example. It serves as an outdoor carpet.

Ornamental grasses appear more to aesthetics. They are used for decoration and for landscaping just like flowers. These can be mixed with trees and shrubs or can stand alone.

Yes plants are beautiful. Your backyard landscape design should put the appropriate plants in your selected areas. Then they will thrive, and everyone will feel like nature is just a backdoor away.

Find all your Garden products at Amazon.com.

Posted in Gardening Tips General, Landscaping | Leave a comment

Plant Lawn Seed Easily With Creative Garden Tool

Posted on March 3, 2010 by jag

I went outside to see what Jeff was doing this weekend, and once again, he had devised another contraption to make his gardening work easier - and save some money with a creative idea on how to plant lawn seed.

Most of the time when people buy lawn seed, it comes in a very large bag that includes the lawn seed and the peat moss. You can’t easily just pour this on the lawn because it comes out of the bag in clumps; then you have to walk around and break down the clumps. This is also the most expensive way to plant lawn seed.

Others buy the seed and plant lawn seed using one of those hand crank seed spreaders.  This is a fairly good way to go but you still need to add the peat because it helps the seed retain moisture and germinate. And again, if you have to pour it out of the bag, it will go onto the lawn in clumps, adding more work to your day.

So, when Jeff decided to plant lawn seed he devised a plan to make it easier, and much cheaper, than the other methods.  And, of course, it involved a newly devised garden power tool! Here’s what he did:

 He took a drill and attached a paint mixer thingy to it.  Then he added peat moss and lawn seed (both purchased separately) into a five gallon bucket. Then he simply mixed the two together with the newly created lawn garden tool!

Now he had a light, fluffy mixture of peat and lawn seed to spread easily and evenly on the lawn.

By purchasing the peat and seed separately, you will save money, and by mixing them together before you plant the lawn seed you will certainly save time!

Mantis Attachments can replace many garden tools. Better than using a shovel.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Planting Your Garden: The First Steps

Posted on February 16, 2010 by jag

Spring hopefully, is just around the corner and in anticipation you might be getting ready for some planting or pruning action. I know my husband is, he just pruned the roses, which I thought weren’t supposed to be done until March, but he says any time after President’s day is fine (unless you’re in one of those states that keeps getting hit by snow, then you better hold off a little while longer.)

But if you’re in Seattle (like us), or somewhere just a little warmer, now is the time to start your baby seedlings indoors and watch them grow, flourish, and become big and strong enough to take on the outdoors.

You can begin with seeds from a packet or seeds from last year’s harvest, or you can even take the easy road and purchase pre-sprouted seedlings from your local gardening supply shop. Whichever you choose, you’ll be watching over these little darlings in their first days and weeks of tender life, and that’s a precious time for any gardener.

So first of all, make sure that you have a safe, warm area for your seedlings, one which receives at least six hours of sunlight per day and won’t be knocked over by family members or wayward pets. Usually a window ledge or top of a bookshelf will do nicely.

Once you have the spot picked out, it’s time to set up the nesting area.

Ooh, speaking of nesting, if you have problems with birds (or other creatures) outside being where they don’t belong, here’s a site I just found that can take care of that problem. Get Rid of Birds Here.

OK, anyway, back to the PLANT nesting. . .

You can use a variety of containers for seedlings, anything from a black-plastic flat to Dixie cups to egg cartons. Last year Jeff bought a warmed seedling hatchery.  It was a long flat seedling planter that you plugged in and kept the little plants warm.  Worked pretty well!

But if you don’t have one of those, you’ll really be starting from scratch. So here’s what you need to do: Fill your containers with a little gravel in the bottom to assist with drainage and to keep the container from tipping over easily.

Then fill them the rest of the way with soil, and pop in seeds. Moisten each thoroughly, and cover them tightly with plastic wrap. This will help retain warmth and moisture, and quicken their growth.

Now all they need is sunlight, continual gentle moisture, and time. After a few days, or up to a week depending on the type of plant, you should see little sprouts beginning to peek through the soil. At this point you can remove the plastic wrap and say hello to your new precious babies!

If you haven’t gotten your seeds yet, Gardeners Supply still has their sale going on – Free Shipping at Gardeners Supply.

Bird Control Products Online | Electronic, Sonic Bird Repellers

Posted in Container Gardening, Pest Control, Square Foot Gardening | 1 Comment

Lasagna Gardening AKA No-Dig Gardening

Posted on January 29, 2010 by jag

Lasagna, or no-dig, gardening is a revolutionary new way to get great-tasting, nutritious vegetables and gorgeous flowers out of your very own backyard, but without ANY back-breaking digging or weeding. It’s so easy, it feels like cheating!

Lasagna gardening got it’s name because it refers to the layering involved in creating this pressure-cooker of organic power. To start up your very own lasagna gardening bed, you can build on top of an established plot or start fresh right on top of untilled earth. Either way, you’re going to need a few supplies, which you might already have if you’re currently doing square foot gardening.

  • a wooden frame for containment
  • fertilizer
  • compost
  • newspapers/cardboard
  • hay/peat moss
  • mulch

and, of course, you’ll still need shovel or fork to pile it all up with.

Now, you’re ready to start layering.

Build or place your containment box wherever it should go. This will keep the ingredients from falling out of your bed and wandering away. It should be about 8-10″ high.

Begin your layers with a slab of cardboard or thick newspaper mat, totally covering up the inside of the box. This will form the base and prevent grass or weeds from growing up into your bed.

On top of this, pile about 4″ of water absorbent organic material like hay, peat moss, or whatever you can find. This will act like a sponge, soaking up extra water and encouraging your plants to grow down into it.

On top of the hay, spread about an inch of fertilizer, or compost if you have plenty. The nutrients here will give your plants exactly what they need to grow big and juicy.

Above that, pile lots of hay or straw, or whatever you’ve chosen for your absorbency layer, -about six or eight inches of it. We’re keeping the moist levels separated, so they can breathe as they break down into rich soil.

On top of that, more fertilizer and more compost, forming a five- or six-inch-deep level of nutrients. Now it’s ready to plant!

Put your seedlings into this rich bed, and then mulch around them to prevent weeds and keep in the moisture. You shouldn’t plant root crops in a new lasagna bed, but plants with shallower roots will be fine. And after it has “cooked” for a year, it will be ready for root veggies as well.

Stock up on all your supplies while Gardners Supply has FREE Shipping!

Gardener's Supply Company

Posted in Container Gardening, Square Foot Gardening | Leave a comment