Garden
Featured Articles:
4 Gardening Lessons Revealed: Planting Methods, Tools,
Crop Rotation & Clothing
by: John Parker
1. Planting Methods: There are several methods for planting.
Picking any of these methods depends on the vegetable, the size of
your garden, and your fondness. Three methods of planting, namely,
single rows, wide rows, and hills are clarified as follows:
A) Single Rows: In this method, seeds are sown in rows or lines that
are spaced equal distances apart. The distances between the rows and
between the seeds within the rows differ from vegetable to
vegetable. If you want the rows to be straight, which gives a
pleasant appearance to your garden, stretch a string between two
stakes and sow the seeds along it. If you think this is too much
work, use a stick to mark a line on the ground and try to make the
line as straight as possible. With some training, you will get it
straight.
B) Wide Rows: In wide row planting, seeds are sprinkled at equal
spacing in both directions over a wide area. The width of the row
varies from 6 to 16 inches. The row's width is limited by your arm's
reach to the area in the middle of the row while standing at the
edges. We find that wide rows are convenient and productive for peas
and beans. In addition to giving high yield per unit area, they cut
down on weeds. Wide rows are also good for starting leaf vegetables
like lettuce and spinach. When the seedlings emerge, they can be
thinned and transplanted elsewhere. Double rows are a special form
of wide rows.
C) Hills: In hill planting, 3 to 5 seeds are sown close to each
other. They need not be sown on a formed hill, as the name implies.
This method is used for example when planting zucchini and
cucumbers.
2. Gardening Tools: There are many gardening tools available on the
market today. The basic tools you'll need are a shovel, trowel,
steel rake, tomato cages, and a water hose or can. The shovel is
used to till the soil, mix potting soil, move soil around, and cut
the weeds if they grow big. Some gardeners use a fork instead of a
shovel to till the soil, but we don't.
The choice is yours. The trowel is used for cultivating the weeds,
transplanting the seedlings, mixing soil or fertilizers, and filling
containers with soil. The steel rake is used to grade the soil and
to compact the soil over the seeds. Tomato cages are indispensable
for supporting tomato plants. You can also use them to support
running plants such as cucumbers and peas. Without them the plants
will collapse on the ground and their fruit will get into contact
with the soil and eventually decay. A hose or a can is used to water
the plants in the garden and within containers.
3. Crop Rotation: Crop rotation is the practice of planting each
vegetable in a different location each year. The advantages of crop
rotation are:
A) The chances of transmitting diseases and insects to next year's
crop are very much reduced. Certain diseases and insects attack
certain vegetables. These diseases and insects move from the plants
to the soil, where they winter. If the same vegetable is planted in
the same spot the following year, the diseases and insects will
surface from the soil and attack the new plants once again.
B) Each vegetable absorbs trace amounts of specific minerals from
the soil. If the same vegetable is planted in the same spot year
after year, the minerals the vegetable needs to grow healthy plants
will be depleted, resulting in a meager harvest.
C) The roots of legumes (peas and beans) have bacteria that soak up
nitrogen from the air and fix it on the roots of the plants and in
the soil. To take advantage of the nitrogen they fix in the soil,
the legumes should be followed by a leafy vegetable, such as lettuce
and or spinach, which both need nitrogen-rich soil. This is one of
the techniques organic growers use to grow vegetables without the
use of chemical fertilizers. It may be impractical to rotate every
crop each year if your garden is small.
This difficulty can be overcome by taking the following measures:
(1) choose disease-resistant vegetable varieties, (2) keep your
garden clean of rubbish, and (3) watch for insects and diseases. If
a plant becomes teeming with insects, pick them by hand; if a plant
is infected by a disease, pull it from the ground and dispose of it.
4. Proper Gardening Clothing: In the course of gardening, your
footwear and clothes are likely to be soiled. You walk on dirt and
or mud, your clothes make contact with plant leaves and stems, and
your hands are soiled. You are also exposed to the sun. Your shoes
accumulate mud and will soil the floor if you walk directly into the
house. Therefore, you should have a pair of aged shoes set aside for
gardening. Put them on before going into the garden and take them
off before entering the house. Leave them in the garage or put them
in a bag until you use them again.
Also, have special clothes for the garden. If you don't, your
ordinary clothes will be soiled no matter how careful you are. To
protect your hands and fingernails from collecting dirt, use a good
pair of garden gloves. Some are washable and can be reused again and
again...
Please feel free to forward a copy of the "Gardening Online
Newsletter" to any of your friends and associates.
Happy Gardening,
About The Author
John Parker makes it easy to create beautiful gardens, quickly &
easily. Learn the essential keys to lush, vibrant gardens. To
receive your free gardening newsletter visit:
http://www.how-to-grow-tomatoes.com
When Gardening What Are The Right Tools That Anybody Will
Need
by: Allison Thompson
For different kinds of gardens you will need different kinds of
tools. Most hardware and DIY stores now have a wide range of tools
available in stock, but if you want there are shops that specialize
in the more expensive ranges that shout quality to you. But wherever
you decide to purchase your tools from here a few points to help you
make an informed decision.
Firstly you need to look at the size of your garden, is it small or
is it large? A small garden does not require the same large
equipment that would be used in a bigger one. Why bother purchasing
a ride-on lawn mower if you only have a small lawn. Also you need to
look at who in your household does most of the gardening. If you say
it is your wife that spends a vast amount of time gardening then you
need to look for tools that will suit her, there are some out there
that are too heavy for women to use.
You are looking to purchase a pair of secateurs and you should
always ensure that the blade is kept sharp to avoid causing undue
damage to your plants. If you can look for a pair where the blades
can either be sharpened or they can be replaced, as well as a pair
that have a tension control system and a pair that best fits your
hand size. Normally a good quality pair of secateurs can cost from
around $50 to £130.
If you have a hedge or considering growing one (to provide that all
important privacy that you crave) then you need to look at
purchasing a good quality hedge trimmer or a good quality pair of
shears. You may find that some hedge trimmers have a curved blade
which stops branches from sliding out when cut, and as with
secateurs the shears you decide to purchase need to be suitable for
the blades to be sharpened or replaced.
Essential items you should have in your gardening tool kit are a
fork, shovel, rake, chipping hoe and a pruning saw (not essential
unless you have trees or large shrubs in your garden).
When selecting a fork remember that it has to be strong enough to
carry out the work required of it such as turning and aerating
compost as well as breaking up lumps in the soil. So rather than
opted for the cheaper versions which you will find are not strong
enough to work in heavy soil, you should look at one that is sturdy.
The average cost of a fork starts at about $30 and goes up to about
$100.
When looking to purchase a shovel it should have a scoop blade and
is mainly used for moving dirt and garden soil around. However, a
flat bladed spade is ideal for cutting edges, digging and dividing
plants. All edges of spades should be kept sharpened for clean and
efficient cutting as this will cause little or no damage to your
plants. A fork is really a gardening necessity and can cost from say
$30 up to as much as $50.
Another tool that is part of the essential ones to have when
gardening is a rake. There are two types of rakes that are
available, the strong flat head rake that has sharp metal prongs is
ideal for smooth out a garden bed and removing any bumps and weeds
that still remain, whilst the plastic version is specifically
designed for gathering and clearing leaves and grass clippings.
The chipping hoe is a handy tool to have as it helps get rid of all
those small weeds that are dotted around the garden. However if you
want to avoid causing undue damage to your neck and shoulders whilst
gardening with a hoe it might be well worth considering purchasing
either a Dutch or push-hoe instead.
Now we come to the pruning saw which as I said previously is only
really necessary if you have either trees or large shrubs in your
garden. This should be used in place of secateurs as they are only
really designed for dealing with delicate plants such as rose bushes
etc. A good quality pruning saw will have a narrow curved blade that
can easily fit between the stems and branches of the tree or shrub
and cuts them as you pull the saw back towards you. You will usually
find that a good quality pruning saw costs from as little as $27 and
can cost as much as $55.
Although gardening tools do not have to be expensive you may find
that you can pick up good quality tools at either flea markets or
garage sales at a bargain price.
About The Author
Allison Thompson a work from home now living in Spain and is a
partner in a small real estate firm. After working in this field for
a number of years she decided to set up a number of sites relating
to property matters and this one is related to gardens and
gardening. If you would like to learn more than please visit
http://www.gardening.householdfacts.info.