Whenever there is an economic downturn there is a rise in gardening, specifically vegetable gardening. If you have the time and energy vegetable gardening is an inexpensive and rewarding way to grow food. Imagine walking in your own backyard picking a tomato off the vine and taking a big bite out of it. The tomato juices running down your chin as the joy of satisfaction crosses your face. If you want the full experience buy a small growing tray with the plastic cover. Some manufacturers call them greenhouses others call them seed starting kits. It's basically individual plastic trays with dirt and a lid to create a warm moist environment for your seeds to get a start. Here are some helpful hints about seed starting indoors.
1. Growing cycles vary greatly so plant accordingly. Lettuce is ready to harvest in 45 days yet Broccoli can take up to 85 days. That's a huge difference if you were thinking about putting both of those ingredients into a salad. Use the growing trays for the longer growing cycle items like Tomatoes, Broccoli, Eggplants, cabbage, peppers and herbs.
2. Pay attention to the specific seed requirements. For example I wanted to grow some Lupines (flowers) for my garden and the seeds require 4 weeks of refrigeration. After 4 weeks, when I moved them into the sunlight the seed exploded from the ground within a few days. Some seeds require very little soil on them.
3. Watering. There are a couple problems that people run into with watering their seeds. The first is over watering. You're excited to see the seeds sprout from the dirt so you constantly check them and add too much water. Patience grasshopper, patience. The other issue is watering with bad water. If you have a water softener in your house unless you use the right faucet (typically the cold water in the kitchen) you could be watering your plants with salty water. Some tomato plants are especially bothered by salt water.
Get out there in the yard. Get your hands dirty. Grind up a little dirt and make something good. You can get a nice Honda Tiller/Cultivator which is light weight and powerful for a good price.
There are gardening suggestions that you hear and think "oh that would be nice to try sometime" and there are other suggestions that you actually implement. Please make this gardening tip the one you implement. It will save you a ton of money. Go around to your flowers and harvest the seed pods. Put each kind in a different plastic ziplock bag and label it with a permanent marker.
The picture to the right shows a Liatris flower that is long past it's prime. You just scrape what was the flower into a baggy and poof you've got a ton of Liatris for next year. Go to a nursery and see how much 1 liatris plant costs. This will allow you to create a amazing display instead of 1 or 2 flowers. Close your eyes and envision 100 liatris blooming in your garden. I've done this before and it was incredible. When there was 1 or 2 plants in a flower bed no one noticed it, when there's 100 everyone notices and comments. You will love it too. A word of caution about Liatris, bees love them. So if you have someone near and dear who is allergic to bees this isn't a good plant for you or at least not close to your house.
To the left you'll notice a Stella De Oro Day Lilly that is completely dried out. Each former flower turns into a pod with 3 compartments and 1 seed in each compartment. Stella De Oro's have a lot of flowers meaning that you have a lot more seeds to grow more lillies. Since the Stella De Oro is a small compact flower that blooms profusely for a long time people use it as a border. The problem is that to create a great looking border you need numerous flowers of the same type. Now you're getting it. In one year you'll have a gorgeous looking border.
To the right are some of my bags of flower seeds and pods. You should only close the bags when you are sure that the seeds are all dried out. If you seal the bag before the seeds dry out the condensation will mildew your work and you won't get anything out of this. I wait until later in the season to make sure that all my seeds and pods are dry.
Enjoy digging in your yard,
John
Filed Under (Fall plantings) by John Danes on 02-11-2009
It's a strange thing that everyone seems to think that you can only plant in the spring. A long winter does make a gardener long for the outdoors, soft grass and muddy boots. But you can plant trees, bushes and bulbs in the fall too. Some of my best plantings have been in the fall. Planting in October and November is a good motivator, you only have so much time before the cold hits. It's like a planting deadline.
There are some words of caution for enjoying a good fall planting season. One of the most important things that a new tree or bush needs is water. This can be a little bit of an issue if the weather turns too quickly. You don't want to leave your garden hose outside and connected when a freeze hits. (That's the best way to break your outdoor faucet) So you might have to connect your hose for watering and disconnect it afterwards. If you only have one or two things to water you might try filling a bucket from an indoor faucet and taking it outside for watering.
Another advantage to planting in Autumn is that you can see what the tree will look like in that season. There are some trees that have magnificent fall colors and unless you're an expert you might not know that. Going to an local nursery and picking out a tree in vivid fall colors can be fun.
Parents in general are very protective of their children. They do whatever it takes to ensure that their kids are safe. One common apprehension that we have is that our children might develop an allergy. Allergies can be caused by exposure to a plant that triggers it. So one must be extra careful on the kind of plant that one brings at home because a simple act can lead to disaster. To help parents beware, here are some of the plants that are less likely to aggravate allergies.
* Fruited mulberry, pear, silk, magnolia, palm, redbud, yew, and fir trees
* Azalea, oleander, yucca, pyracantha, and hibiscus shrubs
* Lilies
* Iris
* Tulips
* Crocus
* Hyacinths
* Daffodils
* Chrysanthemums
* Bougainvillea
* Orchids
* Gladiolas
Here are some plants, trees and weeds that are likely to make you sneeze
* Clover
* Ragweed
* Sugar Maple
* Various Oak trees
* Bermuda Grass
* Sagebrush
John
Filed Under (Pergola) by John Danes on 30-06-2009
I've had so much interest in the Pergola plans that I decided to post some links to plans. It's important to note what material is being used, redwood, cedar, treated lumber, vinyl or something else. Be concerned if it's "something else". Another important point is the interior dimensions. If a Pergola is too short inside it looks cheap, if it's too tall it looks strange. More than 84"and less than 100" interior is idea.
Pergola details
Detailing, detailing, detailing. A plain looking pergola is useless to me. It needs to have quality details like nice rounded supports. (See the picture above.) This is the latest yard trend and there's a reason for it. Done correctly a pergola can really add structure and enjoyment to your back yard.
Filed Under (Yard Ideas) by John Danes on 20-04-2009
PERGOLA PLANS
Have you been thinking of putting a pergola in your backyard? Well, building a pergola doesn't mean you always have to buy a pre-built one, their are lots of pergola plans online that will help you build your own. Pergola kits can also help you build your own pergola in a day without having any special building skills but the problem with these kits is their high price tag. If you prefer the cheaper way then you can start with scratch with pergola plans and your own materials.
PATIO IDEAS
Having a beautiful patio lets you have fun and functional area for your family and friends. With these simple and easy patio ideas you could make your patio something that your guests will love.
If your patio is large then you can put chairs and and tables. You can consider putting a outdoor fireplace or a fire pit to warm you up and your family or friends on a cool night. You can also add a water feature to your patio that range from anything between a nice little plug in wall waterfall to a koi pond. Lightning makes a difference, this not only gives you light to keep any party going but also sets the mood. Hanging lights can set a romantic mood for example. Garden lovers grow additional plants in planters patio. Putting a table with an umbrella could mean you can still enjoy you patio without worrying about the sun.
Their are lots of simple and easy patio ideas, just use your imagination.
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