Author: blogger

Vertical Gardening

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Do you long for masses of plants, but have only a small balcony or patio to work with? Fear not, garden lover, the answer is at hand with vertical gardening.

The idea of transforming a blank wall into a blaze of living colour has long been popular in Europe, where cramped conditions put outdoor space at a premium. So, if you want to get the most out of your outdoor living space, why not consider a vertical garden?

The types of vertical gardens you can create will be governed by the space available, the types of plants you wish to grow, and your imagination.

If you have a skinny garden bed along the base of a blank wall, careful planting can cover the wall from bottom to top with foliage. A trellis against a wall works especially well with containers placed at the base filled with climbers such as vines or roses.

Without a garden at the base of your wall, you are limited to stackable modules, containers or hanging baskets. You can use stackable modules that can be placed against a wall, attach a trellis to a wall, or use hanging baskets made from a breathable fabric

Plants which don’t require much soil, such as succulents, work best in small stackable trays. Trays also tend to have better irrigation than hanging pocket baskets.

The simplest and easiest vertical garden could be just a wire trellis hung on hooks attached to a wall, with plant containers placed on the ground below it. Fill the containers with climbing plants and in no time you’ll have your vertical garden.

If you are handier with tools, you can make your own stackable modules from a durable timber. Make sure you make allowance for drainage and apply a good preservative to the timber before filling with potting soil.

Vertical gardens work just as well for herb and vegetable growing and flower displays. Place your trailing herbs, such as oregano or thyme, towards the top of the wall and use the lower spaces for upright varieties, such as lettuce or tomato.

You don’t need to be an expert handyman or woman to create your own vertical garden. Even if you are more at home with a spade than a hammer or saw, there are modules that you can buy as opposed to making your own. And if everything else fails, you can always have an expert come in and create your vertical garden for you.

Now take another look at that blank wall outside and see how easy it is to change it into a glorious living vertical garden. Let your imagination run wild!

Maintaining Your Garden Improving

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There are many things that go into planning and planting a summer garden. Far too often would be gardeners do not consider the time and energy that should be spent maintaining the summer garden in order to keep your summer garden looking beauty and healthy throughout the long dog days of summer and well, in many cases, into the first frosts of fall. If prolonging the life and beauty of your summer garden is a priority then there are things that must be done in order to keep everything ship shape and in good working order.

Mini gardening goals should be mapped out and you should make all attempts to achieve and follow them as closely as environmental changes permit. Make sure this list allows for upsets such as a week of rain or a week of no rain as well as time to adjust for these inconsistencies and an inability to work in the garden when temperatures are well over the mark on the thermometer that reads uncomfortably hot. You should place a copy of these task or goals in a highly visible spot that you can notice each and every day and more likely make them happen.

Do what you have must to keep the weeds out, and provide proper nourishment to each specific plant you are growing. Check for leaves that are turning yellow and any pruning that needs to occur on a weekly basis. Get rid of the leaves as well as execute necessary cutting as required and take away every weeds when ever the ability or demand comes up. When you feel that weeds are taking over your garden area, you should simply add more mulch to kill them off.

Keep a garden perfectly trimmed so the grass and also flower garden seem properly blended and totally incorporated together. You do not want to ignore the best thing about a garden because your lawn looks unkept and ungroomed. Invest some time to grass maintenance in order to keep your grass and garden over a regular balance together throughout the summer time gardening season.

You must make sure that you are ready to fulfill the specific necessities of the numerous plants and flowers that you are growing inside your flowerbed. Should your plants and flowers that require less sunlit areas or even added liquid happen to be possibly getting too much sun rays or not really enough water you need to come up with attempts to incorporate cover from the sun to them and obtain a lot more h2o to them during the entire outstanding months or else you face the loss of an investment of your time and cash you will have currently made in acquiring and raising these kinds of crops.

Implementing proper care of your garden during the summertime might make the fall gathering operation go far more effortlessly whilst assisting get ready for the actual preparing that should happen in the winter months ahead of you. Learn from the maintenance of your garden and plan the next garden with the needs you became aware of this season in mind. Always take time to learn from both your successes and your summer gardening failures for the best possible results. Understanding how to take care of your flowerbed is the best strategy to see whether or not you would like to chance a pretty much driven flower garden in the future growing months.

Build Your Own Eco-friendly Water Soaker Garden Irrigation System – Conserve Water

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You looked at installing a underground sprinkler system on your property. And then stopped short when you realized the thousands of dollars it would cost! How could plastic pipe and sprinkler heads cost so much? Here is a lasting inexpensive water irrigation system that is near maintenance free and will have your neighbors wondering why they never see you watering your garden and plants. You can claim yours to be an environmentally friendly garden soaker system (or water drip system), using the minimum amount of water to sustain your plants and shrubs.Get the water as close to the plant roots as possible. Using less water is important to our global environment.Communities now encourage water soaker systems instead of sprinkler systems. Water applied near the ground will mostly be absorbed into the earth where it is needed by the plant and grass roots. Water sprayed above the plants and grass lands on the leaves and flowers before dripping to the ground. This longer exposure to the air will cause much of the sprayed or sprinkled water to evaporate into the hot summer air.More than ever now communities control the watering of lawns and gardens during the summer months. Sometimes you are restricted to garden watering only – not lawns. An automatic water timer system combined with a soaker hose system makes plenty of sense in reducing the amount of water dispensed to water your garden plants and shrubs. So how can I make an effective soaker system for my garden for under $500?With some off-the-shelf components, you can have a simple but elegant soaker system that with be automatic and near maintenance free. With a simple water timer system, Y-connectors, faucet multipliers, some 1 1/2″ abs pipe, quality 1/2″ garden hose and your choice of soaker hoses or irrigation hoses for potted or hanging plants, border gardens, row gardens or (dare I say) even lawn sprinklers. You now have the elements for a simple soaker irrigation system for your garden. This do-it-yourself automatic water irrigation system will ensure you water plants at the best time every day; specifically, early morning and late afternoon. As an added home security feature, when you are away from home your garden will sustain its beauty and make it look like someone is at home.Here is the material list required for your automatic garden soaker system. (Note: there is a complete Picasa image gallery of all the required components of this inexpensive soaker system at http://picasaweb.google.com/carl.chesal/GardenIrrigationSystem ):1) Select your water timer I selected Orbit from Home Depot. Make sure it has a battery timer so power outages won’t alter your scheduled watering times. It should allow for at least 3 watering zones.2) Select your main faucet multiplier (or Valve splitter) that will attach to your outside water faucet and can accommodate the 3-4 water zones plus a spare to allow for regular garden hose watering. You can secure these special faucet multipliers from garden centers or at Lee Valley Tools. 3) Enough 1 1/2″ ABS pipe (and glue) and 22.5 degree elbows to run underground (6″ – 10″ depth). Use the 22.5 degree elbows only to allow for easy insertion of the garden hose into the ABS pipe. You can cut further costs by burying the garden hoses directly underground. The ABS piping does provide added protection from accidental puncture from aerators, pitch forks and other garden tools. This ABS pipe can also serve double duty to run low voltage wire or speaker wire to the remote areas of your garden.4) Enough quality garden hoses to run through the ABS pipe and connect to the soaker hoses in all your garden beds.5) Soaker hoses for all your garden beds.6) Enough Faucet multipliers (Valve splitters) to extend each watering zone with soaker hose as required.Creating your automatic garden soaker system involves more of a landscaping effort than anything else. Here are 3 steps to completing your eco-friendly automatic garden soaker system (Note: refer to the Picasa image gallery for details of component assembly):1) Bury the ABS pipe feeding the garden hose through it as you connect and glue the pipe sections. Bury the pipe 6″-10″ under your lawn or sidewalk. Have both ends extend out of the ground using the 22.5 degrees elbows so that the stiff hose can still be easily pulled through the pipe.2) Connect the soaker hoses to the ends of the garden hoses and weave the soaker hoses through your garden under plants and around shrubs. Follow the installation instructions of the soaker hose manufacturer.3) Install the water timer and water zone valves on the faucet multiplier. Connect the hoses for each zone. Follow the installation instructions of the water timer manufacturer. Do not set the water time for each zone more than 20 minutes each. Set two water times early morning (around 6 am) and late afternoon (around 7 pm).Maintenance of your Irrigation System and Preparation for Freezing Winter Temperatures:1) Disconnect the [zone] hoses at the main faucet where the Water Timer is located. 2) Using a Shop Wet Vac, suck the excess water from each zone hose. Use electrical tape to secure the vacuum pipe against the end of the hose. Turn on the wet vac and let it run for 10-15 minutes. Empty the water extracted before repeating this for each hose at the main faucet. You will extract enough water from the hoses so as not to incur any winter damage to your hoses from freezing water.3) Tape a plastic bag over the ends of each of the [zone] hoses. This will prevent little critters from getting in the hoses and clogging them when you reconnect the system in the spring.4) Remove the water timer and faucet multiplier. Store them in a warm place where they will not freeze.5) Note: you DO NOT need to disconnect and remove the soaker hoses. They should last 4-6 years before you need to replace them. Check the soaker hoses each spring for holes. You can patch these holes with high-friction Silicone tape. You may also leave outdoors all-year-round any valve splitters that were used to increase the soaker hoses in a particular water zone.You now have an inexpensive water soaker system that won’t break the bank. You have saved thousands of dollars and can boast of being a friend to our environment. You clearly are doing your part for water conservation and the ecology. Nice going!

Health Benefits Of Herb Gardening

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One trend that is quickly gaining huge popularity is herb gardening. People everywhere are starting their own gardens and producing great herbs and other plants that are much healthier and cheaper than the produce that can be purchased at the store. While it used to take a fairly large garden to grow herbs, it is now possible to have your own herb garden inside your home through a process called hydroponic gardening. This means that you will be able to enjoy the health benefits of herb gardening, even though you may have limited yard space or live in a small apartment.

Besides being a great experience, there are many health benefits of herb gardening. The first main health benefit of growing your own herbs is the added nutrition that you and your family will be getting from your food. Home grown food is higher in nutrition because it can be harvested at peak ripeness. This means that you and your family will be getting more nutrients from your food, which will lead to less medical problems. Another one of the health benefits is that garden grown plants are not contaminated with the harmful chemicals and pesticides that are widely used in commercial farming. These chemicals can be dangerous to humans, even in small amounts, so not having them on your food can help keep you healthy.

Aside from the health benefits there are many other benefits that make growing your own food a great option. Plants that are grown at home will be much fresher than plants that were picked, shipped, and sat in the store until you purchased them. The best tasting plants are the ones that are picked fresh and immediately used., and this is only possible for you if you grow your own.

Starting your own garden can be a great idea and also be a lot of fun. Try to choose herbs and plants that you will be using frequently and others that you may not be able to find in local stores. By growing your own herbs you will be getting all of the health benefits of herb gardening as well as better tasting food at a lower cost. If you are new to herb gardening and need some additional information, you can find tips, tricks, and suggestions on the Internet. There is a lot of information that will be able to help you get started with your own garden.

Hydroponics Worldwide A Look At Growing Systems Around The Globe

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The advent of hydroponic gardening has redefined the crop-growing industry worldwide. Western nations such as Canada and the United States, along with eastern countries such as Japan are currently at the forefront of the blooming hydroponics industry, maintaining a steady output of large yields and clean, healthy produce. East and west, the hydroponics industry is steadily growing around the globe. Commercial hydroponics is appealing because of its effectiveness and sustainability.

Leading nations are not the only ones profiting from hydroponics gardening technology – developing countries are also beginning to utilize hydroponics gardening systems because of their efficiency and the agricultural benefits of hydroponic growing.

Commercial hydroponics has grown exponentially throughout the world over the last decade. Small- and large-scale hydroponic farms can be found in countries such as Spain, New Zealand, Mexico and Australia. Nicaragua produces over 125 million pounds of hydroponically grown peppers annually. Thanks to the sustainability and efficiency of hydroponics gardening, countries like Nicaragua can perpetually produce crops while bringing in substantial revenue.

Countries such as Israel can benefit from hydroponics gardening systems because hydroponics prevents water from being wasted in the soil. Hydroponic systems both save and recycle water and nutrient solutions.

While hydroponics growing has an increasing commercial appeal, more individual households are also taking advantage of hydroponic systems. Design and construction of hydroponics systems also make hydroponic gardening appealing due to their portability.

Thanks to hydroponic growing, healthy and high-yielding crops are being grown in places such as Antarctica and the International Space Station. The hydroponics garden in Antarctica is used to provide the staff of the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station with at least one fresh salad a day, and a variety of fruits and vegetables typically unavailable in the past.

Climate in indoor hydroponics systems is easily controllable, adding to the universal appeal of hydroponic gardening.

As the world population steadily grows (experts estimate the global population will reach 8.9 billion by 2050) hydroponics gardening systems may play an even more important role due to the sustainability and economic efficiency of hydroponics growing.