Things You Should Know About Gardening

Gardens come in different varieties like the plants you find in them. There are several gardening tips that can be used for all type of gardens.

1.Mulching protects your garden topsoil from being blown away. It also provides nutrients as it decomposes and improves the appearance of your gardens. Mulching has other benefits and is one of the most recommended gardening tips by gardeners and farmers alike.

2.Healthy plants are more disease resistant. Plant are like people, a person with a strong immune system can combat diseases. A healthy plant does the same.

3. Pests can be eradicated by cleaning the plant with a watery solution of soap. Just make sure to rinse after. This gardening tip is best heeded for fruit bearing trees or edible plants.

4. Using compost fertilizers are a great way to have healthy plants. It is also a great way to save money on expensive fertilizers. Non -organic fertilizers also tend to leave chemical residues that can accumulate in garden soils and harm not only the plants but the gardeners as well. They cause toxins to go to the water supplies. Another gardening tip recommended not just by farmers and gardeners but also by environmentalists.

5. There are several plants that are only suitable for a specified climate, a certain kind of soil or can only grow with certain plants. You have to know what plant grow in the conditions you have in your area this is for you to avoid unnecessary purchases. This is a money saving gardening tip.

6.Landscaping is a good investment which can double the value of your home. This is one gardening tip that can earn you money.

7. Growing grass on bare ground is an easy way to make your home look better and appreciate in value. This is one gardening tip that promotes earning money while growing grass legally.

8. Aside from looking great in your home, trees also provide some sort of protection from direct sunlight exposure and strong winds.

9. Vines on the walls, fences and overhead structures also would offer some protection and would also look great.

10.Flowers are beautiful, but they are also expensive. Get one that is resistant to many elements. Flowers from your local community already have developed resistance to conditions present in your area.

11.For most gardens plants, their roots go only as deep as 6 inches. Putting fertilizer deeper than that would be a waste of money. Put them shallower as they seep down when the plants are being watered.

12.Earthworms are important to plants. They till and aerate the soil for the roots to breathe. Non-organic fertilizers can kill them. This gardening tip dates back to the old days of gardening.

13. Having several kinds of insects that are beneficial to your garden would be good. These insects can be encouraged to stay by having diverse plants in your garden.

14. Spot spraying weeds with household vinegar, instead of using commercial weed-killers, can eradicate them. This is another environment friendly gardening tip.

15. Avoid putting too much mulch on tree trunks, this would encourage unwanted pests to reside on them.

16. Use plant varieties that are common to your area or have been taken from an area with similar conditions.

17. Be sure to know the plants that are poisonous. If you are intent on growing them, make sure to have the necessary cure available in your household. Take note of this gardening tip, it can save your life.

18. The best time to water plants is during mornings.

19. Before planting a new plant in your garden, you must consider its height and size when it matures. This garden tip can help you save money in the future.

20. Newly transplanted plants may require special attention during its first week. This is to reduce the stress and shock it got during transplantation.

And last but not the least of the gardening tips...

21.Plants are living entities. If you want them to grow in your garden you have to treat them as such. They need to be taken care of. They are like your pets, you look out for them. In return you get that feeling of contentment watching them thrive.

A good way to take care of them is to consider that plants might have some feelings too.

About The Author
Gerardas Norkus

Subscribe to "Gardening Secrets Unearthed" 7-part e-mail course from http://GardeningSecretsAndTips.com! Discover the keys to having a garden a professional landscaper would envy.

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Tips for Preparing a Planting Bed

f you are preparing beds for landscaping around your house this article shouldsimplify the process for you. I say that because of everything that is written about this subject, some of it is accurate, some of it is just plain wrong, and much of it is much more complicated than it needs to be. I like to think of myself as Simple Simon. I find the easiest, yet most effective way to do things, and they work.

Let’s assume that the area where you are planning your bed is now planted in grass. How do you get rid of the grass? Chemicals or no chemicals? Chemicals are easy, so we’ll look at the chemical method first.

My favorite chemical for killing grass and weeds is RoundUp, and used properly it is effective. Rule number one: Read the label on the package, and mix the chemical exactly as recommended by the manufacture. Rule number two: Assume that every plant that the RoundUp touches is going to die. It is a non-selective herbicide.

Read Full Article Here : Tips for Preparing a Planting Bed

Getting Rid of Standing Water in Your Yard

Do you have one or more areas in your yard that hold water after a rainfall? This is a common problem, and sometimes difficult to solve. Over the years I’ve talked with dozens of people trying to battle this problem, and on several occasions I have been hired to solve the problem. So what can be done?

Too often people come to me asking what kind of a tree, or what kind of shrubs can be planted in a wet area to dry it up. This is the wrong approach. Most plants, and I mean almost all plants are not going to survive in an area where the soil is soggy for extended periods of time. The roots need to breathe, and planting a tree or shrub in a water area will kill it.

Read Full Article here : Getting Rid of Standing Water in Your Yard

Gardening is Good Therapy

Many of us garden just for the sheer joy of it. But did you know that all over the country the healing aspects of gardening are being used as therapy or as an adjunct to therapy?

Although this might sound like a new concept, garden therapy has been around for decades. For example, the Garden Therapy Program at Central State Hospital in Milledgeville, and in regional hospitals in Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Rome, Thomasville and Savannah, has been helping people for over 40 years through gardening activities known as social and therapeutic horticulture.

So what exactly is social and therapeutic horticulture (or garden therapy)?

According to the article “Your future starts here: practitioners determine the way ahead” from Growth Point (1999) volume 79, pages 4-5, horticultural therapy is the use of plants by a trained professional as a medium through which certain clinically defined goals may be met. “…Therapeutic horticulture is the process by which individuals may develop well-being using plans and horticulture. This is achieved by active or passive involvement.”

Although the physical benefits of garden therapy have not yet been fully realized through research, the overall benefits are almost overwhelming. For starters, gardening therapy programs result in increased elf-esteem and self-confidence for all participants.

Social and therapeutic horticulture also develops social and work skills, literacy and numeric skills, an increased sense of general well-being and the opportunity for social interaction and the development of independence. In some instances it can also lead to employment or further training or education. Obviously different groups will achieve different results.

Groups recovering from major illness or injury, those with physical disabilities, learning disabilities and mental health problems, older people, offenders and those who misuse drugs or alcohol, can all benefit from the therapeutic aspects of gardening as presented through specific therapy related programs. In most cases, those that experience the biggest impact are vulnerable or socially excluded individuals or groups, including the ill, the elderly, and those kept in secure locations, such as hospitals or prisons.

One important benefit to using social and therapeutic horticulture is that traditional forms of communication aren’t always required. This is particularly important for stroke patients, car accident victims, those with cerebral palsy, aphasia or other illnesses or accidents that hinder verbal communication. Gardening activities lend themselves easily to communicative disabled individuals. This in turn builds teamwork, self-esteem and self-confidence, while encouraging social interaction.

Another group that clearly benefits from social and therapeutic horticulture are those that misuse alcohol or substances and those in prison. Teaching horticulture not only becomes a life skill for these individuals, but also develops a wide range of additional benefits.

Social and therapeutic horticultures gives these individuals a chance to participate in a meaningful activity, which produces food, in addition to creating skills relating to responsibility, social skills and work ethic.

The same is true for juvenile offenders. Gardening therapy, as vocational horticulture curriculum, can be a tool to improve social bonding in addition to developing improved attitudes about personal success and a new awareness of personal job preparedness.

The mental benefits don’t end there. Increased abilities in decision-making and self-control are common themes reported by staff in secure psychiatric hospitals. Reports of increased confidence, self-esteem and hope are also common in this environment.

Prison staff have also noticed that gardening therapy improves the social interaction of the inmates, in addition to improving mutual understanding between project staff and prisoners who shared outdoor conditions of work.

It’s interesting that studies in both hospitals and prisons consistently list improving relationships between participants, integrating with the community, life skills and ownership as being some of the real benefits to participants.

But in addition to creating a myriad of emotional and social benefits, the health benefits of being outdoors, breathing in fresh air and doing physical work cannot be overlooked. In most studies, participants noted that fresh air, fitness and weight control where prime benefits that couldn’t be overlooked.

Although unable to pin down a solid reason, studies have shown that human being posses an innate attraction to nature. What we do know, is that being outdoors creates feelings of appreciation, tranquility, spirituality and peace. So it would seem, that just being in a garden setting is in itself restorative. Active gardening only heightens those feelings.

With so many positive benefits to gardening, isn’t it time you got outside and started tending to your garden? Next time you are kneeling in fresh dirt to pull weeds or plant a new variety of a vegetable or flower, think about the tranquility you feel while being outdoors in your garden. Let the act of gardening sooth and revitalize you. Soak up the positive benefits of tending to your own garden.

If you have someone in your life that could benefit from garden therapy, contact your local health unit to find out more about programs in your area. Not only will the enjoyment of gardening help bond you together, but it will also create numerous positive mental and physical benefits for both of you.

So get gardening today for both your physical and mental health. You’ll enjoy the experience so much that you’ll immediately thank yourself.
Valerie Giles operates the Grow Your Own Garden Website which focuses on gardening products, flower and vegetable seeds, atio furniture and garden accessories. Everything you need for the gardening season.http://www.grow-your-own-garden.com

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Gardening - Using Bulbs in Your Landscaping

Naturalized bulbs look beautiful in a wooded setting. You can plant them and leave them to multiply. After the bulbs bloom the foliage will die down, but you can interplant bulbs with ground covers for a carefree and beautiful garden.

For a natural look you should arrange your bulbs informally. If you toss them and plant them where they land, with small adjustments for spacing, it'll look much better than if you arrange them.

Bulbs also work well in a perrenial garden. When your bulbs finish blooming your perrenials are just ready to get started and they're now filling in the spaces and hiding the soon to be dormant foliage of your bulbs. This is a great way to extend color in the garden for a good 6 weeks.

Summer bulbs can be used to fill in areas that need color when perrenials have finished. Keep in mind that most summer bulbs do need to be dug up and stored over the winter. The good part is that next season when you replant them you can totally redesign with them.

Whatever your garden style, make sure you add some bulbs. They'll provide you with years of enjoyment!

Favorite Picks

Early Spring

Crocus,Grape Hyacinth,Early Tuplips,Hyacinths,Snow Drops

Mid Spring

Daffodil,Crown Imperial,Iris,Tulips

Summer

Dahlias,Gladiolus,Lily

About the Author
Jill has been an avid gardener for the last 15 years. She faces the challenges of New Mexico's high desert at 6800 feet. Resource websites are http://www.bulbandseed.com and www.agardenwalk.com

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The Secret of Rooting Cuttings

The secret of rooting cuttings can be summed up in two words.

“Timing and technique”.

When you do your cuttings is every bit as important as how you do them. So if you do the right thing, at the right time of the year, your efforts are sure to bring success. Through this article you will learn both.

"Rooting Hardwood Cuttings of Deciduous Plants"

Hardwood cuttings are much more durable than softwood cuttings which is why hardwoods are the best technique for the home gardener. A deciduous plant is a plant that loses it’s leaves during the winter. All plants go dormant during the winter, but evergreens keep their foliage.

Read full article at : The Secret of Rooting Cuttings

Terrace Gardening And Landscaping Ideas

Terraces present wonderful possibilities in the garden. They are outdoor living rooms during good weather and form a transition from the outdoors to the indoors throughout the year.

The terrace may be either at ground level, below ground level, or raised above it. The simplest type is ground level, which requires only the grading we have indicated. There is a wide choice of flooring materials to use. One may use cement, poured and levelled with a large board, but in maintaining the drainage grade or including shallow drainage paths, smooth turf may be used, in which case the preparation will be the same as for other lawn areas and various other types of bases.

The use of flagstones is made simple by applying a load of sand or gravel to the subsoil and digging the flagstones into the sand or gravel. The niches between the stones can be dug out and filled with top-soil and grass or other cover planted between them. This gives a very pleasing effect.

Hollow clay building tiles can be split and laid as units in the terrace floor, their rough edges in the soil. Another good surfacing material is "exposed aggregate," which is free from glare because of its rough finish. For this type of surface, build a form of 2 x 4's. Pour the flooring in squares, one square at a time, and level with a straight board. The material used is a mixture of cement, sharp sand and crushed rock or pebbles.

Redwood or cypress blocks may also be used for terrace floors and are very attractive, although somewhat less durable than stone or brick. You can buy the blocks cut to size and lay them directly in a bed of sand, which in turn has been laid on compacted gravel or cinder. Un-mortared brick, laid in a pattern, on 2 to 4 inches of well-tamped sand, with loose sand in the crevices for grass, makes a hardy and simple-to-construct terrace floor. The bricks may be laid flat or on end, and to keep them from spreading, drive an angle iron against the corners. Use a pattern that follows the lines of your terrace.

The Sunken Terrace Gardening

A sunken terrace is one which is below ground level. It can be very attractive, and it does give a feeling of coolness on a humid day or a hot night. The sunken terrace requires a retaining wall to prevent soil from continually eroding into it, and also to maintain the topsoil of the surrounding garden. The subsoil must be dug to a depth of about 5 or 6 inches below the level you wish to attain with the terrace itself. The use of sand or gravel as a base is of importance. The top treatment can follow your own dictates.

The Raised Terrace Gardening

The raised terrace is generally not fully raised, but starts at the house level and is raised at its outer edge. Again, a retaining wall is called for. The principle problem with the raised terrace is levelling. Once this is accomplished, and the retaining wall built, construction follows the same procedure as in any other case. Drainage is supplied either by a central drain, going into a tile line, or by underground piping through the retaining wall.

About the Author: Landscaping and gardening hasn’t always been my occupation, but it has been my passion for a very long time. I inhale landscaping books and magazines. I have lots of landscaping ideas for all the enthusiasts at http://www.e-landscaping-ideas.com

Source: www.isnare.com

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How to Grow Ornamental Grasses

Ornamental grasses have become extremely popular in the past ten years or so, and if you buy them at a garden center they are kind of pricey. Learning how to grow them yourself is actually quite easy. They can be grown from seed, but I won’t pretend to be an expert at that for several reasons. One, I don’t know anything about growing them from seed, and two, I have no desire to propagate them from seed because seedlings require too much care.

The easiest and most effective way to propagate them is through simple division. Of course you will need at least one parent plant of each variety that you would like to grow. If you shop around you might be able to find some 4” inch pots at a fair price.

Read full article at : How to Grow Ornamental Grasses

Gardening In A Square Foot

If you haven’t heard of square foot gardening, you’re about to learn one of the most useful and versatile gardening techniques ever created. Conceived by Mel Bartholomew, author of Square Foot Gardening, the techniques have been enthusiastically adopted by gardeners all over the world. Square foot gardening is eminently suited for container gardening, patio and roof gardening, backyard gardening, organic gardening, herb gardens, vegetable gardens, flower gardens and more.

The basic concept is to start small – the unit of measure is the square foot. Although Bartholomew’s original square foot garden was four feet square, many schools, community gardens and home gardeners start even smaller – a couple of one square foot containers is plenty to get you started. According to Bartholomew though, a four square foot garden provides just enough harvest for one person.

How to Create A Square Foot Garden
Creating your own square foot garden is as easy as building (or buying) a box in which to garden. My own first square foot garden was a two square foot garden on the cement apron outside my back door in a city apartment. I used four square wicker plastic lined wicker wastebaskets bought for a dollar apiece at the All-for-a-Buck store. Any container that can hold 6-8” of dirt, and has drainage holes in the bottom will work. The biggest requirement for location is sun – choose a nice, sunny spot to place your garden.

Did I say dirt? Amend that. Bartholomew recommends what he calls ‘Mel’s mix’ instead of soil. Mix 1/3 vermiculite, 1/3 peat moss and 1/3 compost to fill the squares of your box or container. A 10 pound bag of each was plenty to fill my little 2 square foot garden.

Choosing and Laying Out the Plants for Your Square Foot Garden
The most important factor in laying out your garden is the one-square-foot grid. You’ll be planting one type of plant in each square – how many of them depends on the recommended spacing between plants – which you’ll find on the back of the seed packets. Depending on the needs of the specific seedlings, you can plant 1, 4, 9 or 16 plants in each square. To break it down – if the recommendation on the seed packet is 1 foot apart, you can plant 1 in a square. If they need six inches between plants, you can plant 4. Two inches gives you room for 9 plants, and one inch spacing means you can fit 16 plants into one square foot.

My own first square foot garden was a spaghetti garden with this layout:

1 Basil Plant 4 Tomato plants

1 Oregano Plant 16 Onion plants

After You Harvest Your Square Foot Garden
Harvest the crop in each square foot when it’s ready, and continue harvesting until it’s no longer producing fruit/vegetables. At that point, uproot the plants in that square (use them for compost!), and plant another, different crop. By refilling and rotating the crops, you avoid depleting the natural nutrients of the soil, and keep every bit of space productive throughout an entire growing season.

About the Author
This article courtesy of http://www.floral-world.org

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Tree Pruning Tips

There are two kinds of winter gardening. The first method usually starts in January as the gardening catalogs begin to arrive in the mail. This type of gardening is as easy as sitting in your favorite chair, browsing the catalogs, and either dreaming about what you're going to do this spring, or actually drawing designs for the gardens you intend to work on.


The second type of winter gardening is to actually get out in the yard and do a little work. Of course if it's bitter cold, you'd be better off waiting for a good day. Winter is a good time to do some pruning if the temperatures are around 30 degrees or so. I don't recommend pruning if it's considerably below freezing because the wood is brittle and will shatter when you make a cut.

Read full article at : Tree Pruning Tips

Using the Propagation Technique Known as Budding to Grow Beautiful Ornamental Trees

Flowering Dogwood trees can be easily grown from seed, however 99.9999% of the seedlings that sprout will be Cornus Florida, which is White Flowering Dogwood. It doesn’t matter if you collect the seeds from a White Dogwood or a Pink Dogwood, the seedlings are likely to be white.


The only predictable way to grow a Pink Dogwood, Red Dogwood, or one of the beautiful Dogwoods with variegated leaves, is to bud or graft the desired variety onto a White Dogwood seedling. That’s why the botanical name for Pink Dogwood is Cornus Florida Rubra. Cornus means Dogwood, Florida indicates White, Rubra indicates Red or Pink. Cornus Florida Rubra indicates Pink Dogwood grown on White Dogwood rootstock.

Read the full article here : Using the Propagation Technique Known as Budding to Grow Beautiful Ornamental Trees

How to Grow Japanese Red Maple Trees from Seed

Most Japanese Maple seeds ripen in the fall. Watch the tree and wait for the seeds to turn brown. The seeds are ready to be harvested when they are brown and can be easily removed from the tree.


The seeds are attached to a wing, it’s best to break the wing off before storing or planting the seeds. Japanese Maple seeds have a very hard outer coating as do many ornamental plants. Under natural conditions the seeds would have to be on the ground for almost two years before they would germinate. All that happens the first winter is the moisture softens the hard outer shell, and the second winter germination is beginning to take place.

In order for all of this to happen in the proper sequence so the seedlings actually sprout at a time of the year when freezing temperatures or hot summer sun doesn’t kill them, takes a tremendous amount of luck.

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Gardening- An Expression

Give the same plants to several people, you will see several arrangements. Each one distinct and different, yet, using the same plants.

This is the ultimate reward of gardening- a means to express, to create with the help and inspiration from the gifts of Nature.

Gardening is not just physically and aesthetically rewarding.It enriches the spirit. It awakens one’s creativity that lies dormant from neglect, or lack of motivation, or a popular excuse, not enough time.

Gardening is fast becoming a popular hobby of the times. From the tropics , to the frigid climes, gardening centers are offering more choices to tantalize even the most conservative taste.

Each year, gardeners look forward with excitement to their gardening; a hobby they take passionately. What new plants are being introduced? What variety of surprises awaits them? The ornamental gardener will be glorious with the new plants or hybrids for the present growing season. The vegetable/herb gardener looks forward with anticipation at harvest time.

With so much variety to choose from, what factors determine which plants to buy? After considering the soil, weather, sun/shade location factors, the choice is all about self- expression.

No two gardens are alike, given the same set of plants.

Colors are as revealing as the plants. A conservative gardener will opt for traditional plants. At times, you see the same plants, the same arrangements year after year. Aha!! Perhaps the gardener does not adapt to change too quickly. It may be lack of time, or change of physical health.

Vibrant colors in the garden reflect a vibrant gardener. A garden bursting with colors is very attractive and pleasing to look at. It is inviting.

What about passion? They say red is a color of passion, of energy and courage. Add white to the reds, and the garden beckons the passer-by to take a look. Someone said this combination looks like a candy cane.

My garden is overcome by burst of yellows and orange, not really by choice. Somehow, it gives out a golden glow as the blooms bask in the sun. It reflects my enthusiasm for life. Many of my plants are gifts from friends, treasures for my garden. Yellow flowers remind me of my mother.

Purples and blues in the garden are colors of reflection, of peace and calm. Add white flowers to this and it invites a meditative mood.

After colors, the arrangements of the plants reveal something of the person. I have a friend whose flowerbeds are symmetrical, weedless, picture- perfect, right out of a magazine. Indeed, this expresses her organized way of thinking and living.

A gardener who loves to re-arrange the plants and loves to add new plants and ornaments shows an enthusiastic and energetic spirit, ready to welcome change, eager to experiment.

What about an overgrown garden? Perhaps it reflects someone with scattered energies, at times, a full plate, or one who does not have the time or energy to tend the garden. It may well show one who starts with a burst of enthusiasm that wanes quickly after the planting is done.

No matter how you plan your garden, it is a creative tool that allows you to express yourself. Gardening is therapeutic,physically, mentally and spiritually.

Happy gardening.

Source: www.isnare.com

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Transplanting Tips

Early spring is a great time for transplanting trees and shrubs, but you must do so before they wake up. Transplanting a plant is a very traumatic experience for the plant if it is awake. It’s like doing surgery on a person while they are awake. Dormancy starts in the fall as soon as you experience a good hard freeze, and the plants remain dormant until the weather warms up in the spring. This is when you should transplant, while the plants are dormant.


You can transplant in the spring up until the plants leaf out. When the buds are green and swollen you are usually safe to still transplant, but once the leaf develops, you should wait until fall. When transplanting you can dig the shrubs out bare root, just make sure they are out of the ground for as short a time as possible, and keep the roots damp while out of the ground.

Read the full article here : Transplanting Tips

Gardening in Containers

Container gardening is a wonderful idea whether you have a garden bed or not. It's perfect for apartments or small areas, but can also really enhance your patio. Here are some tips on gardening in containers.

Every Garden can benefit from the addition of container gardens. They add interst and variety, plus are easily moved around. If you live in an apartment or have a small area to work with this may be the only solution for you.

Your Container

Your container can be pretty much anything and is only limited to your imagination. Just make sure there is adequate drainage for your plants. I love old buckets, discarded kitchen pots and baskets for a rustic feel. For a formal garden choose a more traditional container.

Regardless of your choice of container, make sure it's not to big or too small for your planting.

Your Soil

Do not use garden soil for your container plants. Garden soil is too heavy, dries out too quickly and will not provide the needed nutrients your container plants need. You can find good potting soil at your local garden center or you can mix your own.

To mix your own make sure you include soil, peat, sand and a slow release fertilizer.

Maintenance

You'll need to pay close attention to your container grown plants -- much more than plants in your garden beds. The soil will dry out more quickly so frequent watering it a must. You'll also need to fertilize more frequently. Water in the morning or evening whenever the soil is almost dry and water thoroughly until water comes out the bottom drainage holes.

One thing I really love about container gardening is mobility. If a particular grouping doesn''t work you can simply move your pots and change your garden design.


Have fun, experiment and be creative!

About the Author
Jill has been an avid gardener for the last 15 years. She faces the challenges of New Mexico's high desert at 6800 feet.
Resource websites are http://www.bulbandseed.com and www.agardenwalk.com

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It's Gardening Season

It's Gardening season again! Are you ready? Whether you are a seasoned gardener, or are looking to start gardening, you will likely need supplies and plants. If you shop smart, and use the tips below, you can get that garden running with very little money. And you can save a lot of money on your grocery bill as well.

There are many different types of gardening, but it is important to learn the basics of the activity. Below you will find a list of my tips to planting a garden on a budget.

Read the full article here : http://gardeningtips.infoplugin.com/permalink.php?article=its_gardening_season.txt

How to Build a Simple Potting Bench

The potting bench that you are about to read about is not fancy, but very functional. It is also very easy to build and use. Except it doesn't have any legs! Don't panic, having a legless potting bench is actually a benefit, I'll get to that a little later.

The potting bench described in this article is actually identical to the potting bench that we have been using for years in our backyard nursery, and it has served us well, potting up tens of thousands of plants. I like it because it is large enough to pot up around ten small plants at a time, and it holds a significant amount of soil.

However, since I originally wrote this article, I designed and built a potting bench for home gardeners that you may like better. There are lots of photos and step by step plans for building it on this page: http://www.freeplants.com/free-potting-bench-plans.htm

On the above page you will also find a photo of one of my other potting bench designs, an outhouse with a flip out potting bench! It's unique, that's for sure.

Okay, back to my legless potting bench.

Read the full story at : http://gardeningtips.infoplugin.com/permalink.php?article=How-to-Build-a-Simple-Potting-Bench.txt

How to Lose Weight While Gardening

Have you ever dreaded the idea of pulling weeds, planting a tree, or pushing a lawn mower around the yard?

Does just thinking about it make you sweat? I am sure the majority of are nodding your heads in agreement. What I am about to suggest only takes a slight change in your thinking and a bit of planning and you can learn how to lose weight and get in better shape while gardening this year.

For those of you that are already gardeners, you know that gardening is one of the best ways to get exercise because it involves all of the muscle groups in your body.

Like I mentioned earlier, we only need to change the way you think about outside chores. See I am falling into the trap too, I just called them chores. Instead, you should think of them as outdoor exercises that are designed to enhance the condition of your body and help you lose weight.

As with any exercise program, check with your doctor before starting. Make sure you are dressed properly and that you stretch before beginning.

If you aren’t used to exercising in the garden or have been relatively inactive all winter, start slowly. Start with weeding, watering, and planting seeds.

As you feel yourself getting stronger you can increase your gardening repertoire to include: pruning, heavy digging, hoeing, pushing a loaded wheelbarrow, or mowing the lawn. I think you get the idea because the list of outdoor gardening exercise ideas is endless!

Even carrying plants or a bag of potting soil to the car from the store and then out into the yard is exercise! You can potentially burn up to 300-600 calories per hour depending on your intensity and which gardening exercises you engage in.

You CAN lose weight by gardening ~ eat less and move more! The following list shows what a typical man weighing 180 pounds will burn in 30 minutes of activity. If you weigh more you can burn even more calories!

• Watering lawn/garden~ 61


• Raking~ 162


• Bagging leaves~ 162


• Planting seeds/seedlings~ 162


• Planting trees~ 182


• Weeding ~ 182


• Clearing Land ~ 202


• Digging, spading, tilling~ 202


• Laying Sod~202


• General gardening~ 202


• Chopping wood~ 243


• Gardening with heavy power tools~ 243


• Mowing the lawn with a push mower~ 243


• Shoveling snow~ 243


• Shoveling heavy snow~ 364 cals

Tips for your success:

1. Don’t over do it~ one or two hours of gardening is plenty, especially when you are beginning!

2. Don’t lift objects that are too heavy for you. If you injure yourself, chances are that you won’t be able to continue to garden for exercise and weight loss.

3. Stretch before, during and after gardening. Don’t stay down on your knees while weeding or planting for extended periods of time~ get up and move!

4. Get out in your garden and exercise at least 3-4 times a week.

5. Continue your outdoor exercise routine even after you last blooms have faded. Shoveling the snow, raking leaves, and splitting wood are great calorie burners that will lead to weight loss!

6. Don’t forget the added benefit of growing your own healthy fruits and vegetables and your yard will look beautiful from all of your hard work!


7. Have Fun and "Just do it"!


Once you get into the habit of viewing gardening as an excellent way to lose weight and stay in shape, you may never go back to the gym again!

About the Author
© 2005, Candee Stark and Flowers&Garden.com
This article is provided courtesy of Flowers & Garden.com

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Tips For Windowsill Gardening

Believe it or not, keeping the green of Spring in you life year-round, is easier than you think. While it’s great fun to get outside and start planting that vegetable or flower garden, many people keep the freshness in their life even during the winter, by starting windowsill gardens.

Of all plants that are easiest to grow indoors, herbs are at the top of the list. Not only are they green and decorative, they’re also delicious. And when grown in the kitchen, they’re just a step away from the pot of spaghetti sauce or the stew that’s cooking for dinner.

It’s possible to purchase commercial kits that contain seeds for a variety of herbs, as well as a plastic seed bed with a clear hood. These kits usually include a growing medium, and sometimes may also have small pots for transplanting the seeds to once they are growing. Alternatively, you can use a clear, hard plastic box that you bought donuts in, and create you own little “greenhouse”, purchasing only the seeds you want, and buying small pots and growing medium in the quantity you’ll need.

How you set up your “garden” depends greatly on the space of your windowsill. It may only be wide enough to hold small pots once the plants are established. But if you want more room for the seedling boxes, or a sturdy and safe place for your growing plants, consider fixing a wooden shelf under the sill. These can often be found at craft stores or fairs, in the unfinished wood, so that you can paint or varnish them as you please. Many also come with the hooks for mugs and cups, so they’re a great addition to kitchen décor.

If you can get one that has a small railing around the edge of the shelf, that’s all the better, as it keeps pots from accidentally sliding off if someone bumps the shelf.

Although the kitchen is a desirable spot, your plants will do best in a window that has at least six hours of sunlight a day, to keep the growth cycle moving along. This could be an east or south window. West windows tend to have the hottest sun, which may not be good for tender young plants, especially in Spring or Summer. If the window area tends to be extremely cold during winter nights, you may want to put the plants down on a cupboard or table until the sun comes back up.

Be careful of your watering habits, since plants in pots do not lose their water into the earth around them like they would in a garden. Water only when the soil is beginning to dry. But remember also, that your house does not have the same humidity as an outdoor garden, and in winter particularly, indoor heating systems dry out the air. Mist your plants in winter, to keep leaves from drying out, and to prevent the proliferation of certain pests.

Herbs are by no means the only “garden” plant that can be grown indoors year-round. Some annuals and even a few perennials can be grown successfully, given the right soil and temperature conditions. If you have the space, then decorative urns make a wonderful impromptu garden that will yield everything from tomatoes, to spinach, to beans! Give it a try, and see what grows inside your home this year.

About the Author
Johann Erickson is the owner of Online Discount Mart and TV Products 4 Less.

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Vegetable Gardening Tips At Your Backyard

Would it be possible for you to grow a vegetable garden at your backyard? Consider this option, healthy foods just within your reach. Even your children can help and cultivate their own vegetables. Having fun while learning is not a bad idea right? But you have to plan ahead before you start.

Which Veggie?
Plan which vegetables you would like to grow in your garden. Choose early, middle of the season and late kinds of these vegetables, which you like best.

Against all veggie odds
You have to know the odd characteristics of certain vegetables and use them to best advantage. Some vegetables bloom even in partially shaded positions, while others require lots of sunshine.

Goodie veggies
Good vegetables are of exceptionally slow growth during the seedling stage of development. You have to take advantage of this by using space between rows for quick-growing crops. For example, propagate beet seed by middle of April and position young lettuce plants between the rows.

Don't let the water run dry
Throughout dry periods, vegetable gardens need extra watering. Most vegetables benefit from an inch or more of water each week, especially when they are fruiting.

De-pest the infested
During the growing season be attentive against insect pests. If you discover a bug problem early it will make it much easier to take suitable action and get rid of the pests. But be careful to not use pesticides once the vegetable have grown unless it becomes an absolute necessity. Organic gardening is one healthy and environment-friendly option. Once you have reaped your crop, put the used up vegetable matter into your fertilizer pile so that it can be recycled for next spring.

Animal appeal not needed
It is important to protect your vegetable garden. In most cases, the garden is surrounded by a fence adequately high and close-woven to keep out dogs, rabbits, and other animals. The harm done by wandering animals during a season can equal the cost of a fence. A fence also can serve as a frame for peas, beans, tomatoes, and other crops that need support.

Protection is needed in order for your vegetable garden to yield a bountiful harvest. Hard work would pay off if necessary precaution has been made. Learning is a process, vegetable gardening needs time. See to it you have patience and dedication to it.

About the Author: You Too can have a green thumb. Visit Georges Blog here http://www.daveshealthbuzz.com/gardening
Source: www.isnare.com

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