Smart Gardening Tips

Here are some tips on vegetable gardening that should help make your gardening experience easier and a very gratifying experience. Preparing the soil for your garden is the most important step. The basis of any successful garden is proper soil that creates good seed germination. Vegetables enjoy garden soil that is well drained, deep, contains high organic matter and retains moisture. Make sure the soil is dry before you try plowing or working the dirt. Check the soil acidity or PH for the different vegetables you are going to plant as some may require varying degrees of PH levels. Another tip on vegetable gardening is that you need easy access to water to keep your garden moist during the growing season. Regularly watering is necessary to keep your garden healthy. In most gardening areas, a vegetable garden requires approximately one inch of rainwater or tap water weekly during the growing season. So, if you experience a dry spell, make sure you water your vegetable garden sufficiently to keep the plants healthy and growing.

Another couple of helpful tips on vegetable gardening are making yourself knowledgeable about the requirements of the vegetable seeds and vegetables you want to plant in your garden. Find out information, such as tendency toward insects, germination qualities, light required, vigor of the plants and the planting zones. This will help you determine the best varieties and types of seeds and plants for your area and garden. A great tip on vegetable gardening is, when you sow your seeds, always plant a few extra to replace ones that fail to germinate. Keep the garden moist until the seedlings have emerged and never thin them until their second set of leaves appears. Thinning out the row when the seedlings are small keeps you from disturbing the other vegetables roots. Test your soil periodically to determine if you need fertilizer and the amount you need. Having your own compost is a great and natural way to fertilize your vegetable garden and cuts down on garbage.

The best way to keep pests away or under control is to start by having healthy soil and plants, using compost, regular watering and adequate drainage. When considering tips on vegetable gardening, do not forget weed control. Weeds rob plants of water, light and nutrients. Hoe or cultivate the soil between your plants after it rains, as this kills any newly sprouted weeds. Use a mixture of pine needles and grass if available, to keep the weeds down or a layer of wet newspaper between the rows of vegetables. Try planting marigolds around the vegetable garden border in order to discourage aphids.

A very good homemade deterrent for pests is:

In a jar, combine 1 teaspoon dishwashing liquid and 1 cup vegetable oil. Shake vigorously. In an empty spray bottle, combine 2 teaspoons of this mixture and 1 cup water. Use at ten-day intervals (or more often if needed) to rid plants of whiteflies, mites, aphids, scales, and other pests.

Most important of all is that you enjoy your vegetable garden. You will gain a lot of satisfaction from the fact that you grew the vegetables yourself. Not only will you have fun from your garden hobby but now you can start a culinary hobby with all your fresh produce.

Happy Gardening!

Copyright © Mary Hanna, All Rights Reserved.

This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.



Get All Your Gardening Supplies Here

A basic herb garden is not hard to create and it can be created in a remarkably small amount of space. Everybody loves an herb garden. The idea of gathering fresh herbs from the garden to use in the kitchen is so enticing. Therefore, no matter if you live in an apartment or you have a yard that is perfect for planting making a basic herb garden is easy.

There are a few things that you will need to get started for creating a basic herb garden. The first thing is to decide what type of basic herb garden you want. Do you want a container herb garden or are you looking for something a bit grander like a kitchen garden or a backyard herb garden. One of the nicest ways to add an special something to your cooking is by using herbs and spices, and luckily it is very simple to create an indoor herb garden to make sure everything you use is as fresh as it possibly could be.

Once you have decided the kind of garden that you want to create you will need to decide if you want to create your garden from seeds or from already existing plants that you will transplant. Once you have authenticated the mode of planting you want to do for your basic herb garden.

Supplies

There are a few supplies that you are going to need for your herb garden. Of course, these supplies vary depending on which mode of herb garden you are creating. The list includes all the supplies necessary for both gardens. Some of the supplies are going to be the same so the list is combined for the purpose of being brief. The items you will need are: soil, fertilizer, seeds or herb plants, containers, and a spade.

Instructions

If you are using a container or containers to create your herb garden, prepare the container by placing the soil in it. Then depending on the type of fertilizer you are using add the fertilizer to create the growing environment. You may or can not depending on the type of soil you get want to wet the soil down before planting. If you are, using seeds follow the planting instructions for the types of herbs you are planting. If you are using already appreciated plants follow replanting instructions. These are usually listed with the plant, but can be found online if necessary.

For kitchen gardens weed and till the area to break up the soil and remove any hefty objects like rocks. Then add in the top soil and fertilizers and plant the seeds or transplant following the same as above instructions. Make sure that you look at the lighting needs of your herbs and place them in areas that receive the right amount of light and shade to ensure proper growth.



Get All Your Gardening Supplies Here