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With window sill gardens, the growing season is never over even with back to school and the end of the outdoor gardening season in the Northern tier of the world. But, it doesn't necessarily mean the end of the gardening season altogether. Did you ever hear of a Window Sill Garden?

What to do with that green thumb and taste for fresh and homegrown? No matter where you live, if you have a sunny window or not you have some gardening choices. As long as you have a tabletop, bookshelf, top of a refrigerator, washer or drier or any unused or under used flat surface where you can put a container, you can garden indoors.

I don't have any pots or planters, you say. It doesn't matter. Let's deal with each issue. A sunny window with a wide sill or ledge is ideal, but a small stand, plant stand, book case, ironing board (you have heard of an ironing board haven't you?) or dresser in front of a sunny window will be a great grow spot. Not only that, growing plants indoors adds much needed humidity and cleans air to your indoor winter living quarters. Any container from a coffee can to soup can, glass pickle jar or soda bottle, an old ash tray, dish pan, or boot will be a fine container to use to plant in.

First you will have to decide what you want to plant so that you know what size container you will need. Any number of herbs, leaf lettuce, a tree tomato, and other possibilities are limited only by your space and your container. Herbs are the most natural or popular choice. Parsley, thyme, basil, and rosemary and sage are all delicious additions to your cooking, teas or garnishes.

Next, choose appropriate containers. They do not need to be flower posts, but they do need good drainage. You may have to poke holes in the bottom of a boot, the base of a can or put drainage material in a glass jar to make sure your plants aren't sitting with wet feet. (that's not good for humans, nor plants.) You will want to be able to put some sort of sauce or catch basin under your container for this reason. You can use those foam packing peanuts to put in the bottom of your container to insure good drainage, or small rocks, pieces of broken clay post or just something to keep your container grown plants from soaking in the water. The foam packing peanuts (some are biodegradable) and they make a lightweight base for your planter, where rocks, twigs, or broken clay pots can become heavy to move.

You will want a good indoor potting mix to use for the soil in your plants. Miracle Grow™ is one I highly recommend because it also has timed release fertilizer included, but there are other good ones. Ace Hardware has a brand of their own that is quite good as well. Your budget and your preference are your only considerations. Never use soil from your garden to pot indoor or container plants even outside. The soil is just too heavy, even when filled with organic mulch, to allow for good drainage and root penetration. It often becomes hard packed and not conducive to good root formation. Potted or container grown plants need indoor formulated soil for nutrients and fertilizer compatible to the growing method.

Your seed packet will tell you how deep your seeds need to be planted. A good rule of thumb is the seed should be covered three times the depth of the seed diameter. Tiny herb seeds need the barest of soil covering them. Dampen the soil thoroughly before you sprinkle the seeds on the surface. Then sprinkle dry soil over the top of them. Pat the surface gently to insure good contact with the soil. Cover with clear plastic wrap to retain moisture and place them near a light source. If you don't have a sunny window spot, a grow light designed especially for plants will do the trick.

Once the seeds are up remove the plastic and mist the plants daily until the growth is steady. Start snipping to use when the plants reach a couple of inches in height to encourage bushy compact growth.

If you have a cat, grow her a container of catnip and she'll leave your plants alone.

Drying, using, freezing herbs for use is another topic we will look into in another article. Once you get started, you will see you can grow more than herbs in small winter spaces all year round.

Sources for more information:

Organic Gardening Magazines

Gurney Seed and Nursery catalogues - reading all about the seeds and their growing needs, the various tips and tricks in gardening catalogs is a valuable and free source of information.

Organic Food Gardening A Beginner's Manual, by Julie Turner

The Edible Balcony by Alex Michell

Billie A Williams, http://www.eatingcheapandhealthy.com/ began gardening as a youngster under the tutelage of her grandfather on his farm where she spent her summers. Visit the website to sign up for her newsletter.

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Can a family be totally self-sustaining by using between 1 and 2 acres to grow, eat, and sell food? Yes! As a matter of fact, families in many countries are doing it, and they often have gardens much smaller than 1 acre. However, you should consider carefully what you are getting into. I'll paint a picture of the problems first, then show you how blessed you are to be using the best possible growing methods for a family garden, and finally I'll give you some ideas as to what and how to grow your market garden.

I. Considerations Before Beginning

Your income depends on what you choose to grow, and how well you follow through in the growing process. It also depends on how well you learn the financial and marketing aspects of the job. Growing corn is easy, but doesn't produce much for the amount of space used, or pay well, unless you like to eat corn stalks. And someone has to sell the produce and pay the bills, which take substantial time and effort by themselves!

"Self-sustaining" requires very different amounts of food and money, depending on the family size, the standard of living expected, and the debt load you expect the garden to carry. Debt of $3,000-5,000 per month requires a much greater effort to cover than a debt-free situation.

Location is also a factor. People in warm climates can often grow into or even right through the winter, while colder climates have a shorter season. Both locations can improve your production by using the Foundation's methods. Warm climates may require lots of water and even a little shade at the hottest times, while cold climates often require more greenhouse seedling production and covering garden crops in spring and fall to extend the season.

Before getting seriously into gardening you need to understand the commitment involved, and be willing to do it right. Our grandparents grew gardens, and also often owned animals. They understood the necessity of working every day to feed, water, and care for their animals and plants. Regrettably, we've forgotten this requirement, as 99% of us have chosen other ways to make a living, and become dependent on the 1% who are highly competent farmers to feed all of us.

You must understand and accept that there is very little respite for vacations, etc. during the growing season. A good garden requires your attention on a daily basis!

On the other hand you, and especially your children, will benefit greatly by having a fixed and important responsibility that requires daily commitment and real effort to accomplish. Think of it as a paper route without the 2:30 A.M hours, the driving, the danger, barking dogs, etc.

And one last consideration: A hundred years ago, everyone used manure and compost, and it was a fairly level playing field between the family gardener and the market farmer. Not so today! Your competition includes hydroponic growers who have invested over a million dollars per acre in buildings and equipment, as well as dozens of employees doing the work. And by feeding and watering their plants accurately many times each day, they're growing 330 TONS of tomatoes per acre each year!

II. You have a big advantage over others

Is all of this daunting? Have you decided to just give up and forget about growing your own food? I certainly hope NOT, because it's important for you and your family to grow a garden for many very valid reasons, which we can't address in this article.

Understand this. You can produce much more in less space, using the Foundation's methods, than other small market growers are doing, and GO FOR IT!

The Foundation's books, CD's and videos will teach you the gardening principles and procedures by which you will grow your successful market garden. In studying these things, remember that this unique gardening method has been proven highly effective in thousands of situations, in dozens of countries all around the world. It's a recipe! It WILL work to give you a great garden - in any soil and in virtually any climate. But you MUST follow the recipe.

III. Creating Your Own Successful Market Garden

How do you prepare?

1. START SMALL! Don't plant more than you can care for properly, and sell, share or use.

2. Determine the market or markets you will sell to: a) Wholesalers, b) small grocery stores, c) restaurants, d) farmers' market, e) roadside stand, or f) home delivery.

3. Learn what vegetables you should grow by determining those that: a) sell well, b) at a good price, c) that you can grow readily.

4. Build proper facilities including a) a seedling greenhouse with tables, b) T-Frames and c) a good watering system. These are essential for success at this level.

5. Set up a formal accounting system, including account names and numbers for every category of asset, liability, equity, income, and expense. Get help from your CPA.

6. Stock up on tools, seeds, and fertilizers, and be sure to include all those costs, as well as your labor, in figuring your market prices.

You'll have to meet or beat the competition to sell your produce at the beginning. However, by growing more, bigger, fresher, tastier, and healthier produce than others, you will develop a loyal customer base, and then you can adjust your prices as needed.

In choosing what to grow, consider a) the ease of growing, b) cost and risk of loss, and c) the value of the crop. Cabbage is quite easy to grow; it can be started in early spring when many other crops would die; and it only requires about 60 days to mature, so you may get 2 or even 3 crops in a year. However, it doesn't bring a very high price in the market, so you must decide if it's worth it or not.

Let's look at some scenarios of what could be grown and sold from one acre of ground, with good care and decent weather, and without losses from bugs and diseases (by strictly following the Mittleider Method you will minimize your crops' susceptibility to those things):

Soil-Bed Garden - 250 30'-long Beds (as if all planted to one crop)

Beans-pole - 120 plants per bed, 1.5# per plant, $.50 per pound - - - $22,500

Corn - 92 plants per bed, 1 ear per plant, $.10 per ear - - - - - - - - - 2,300

Cucumbers - 45 plants per bed, 8# per plant, $.25 per pound - - - - - 22,500

Potatoes - 92 plants per bed, 2.5# per plant, $.10 per pound - - - - - - 5,750

Tomatoes - 40 plants per bed, 10# per plant, $.50 per pound - - - - - 50,000

The above examples are estimates only, and the actual results could be - and have been - much higher or lower, depending on many factors, including experience & care, weather, direct retail marketing vs. wholesale sales, etc.

If you are growing for the retail market using a roadside stand or farmers' market booth, you will probably want a fairly wide variety of produce, to bring customers. While corn has low value in terms of yield for a given amount of space, it is VERY popular with customers when it's fresh, so you may well treat it as a "Loss Leader" and have it available. But don't try to plant too many vegetable varieties. Ten or twelve key types are far easier to handle than twenty to thirty. And three varieties of tomatoes are usually plenty. I would plant Big Beef, Italia Mia, and Grape tomatoes. One planting of Blue Lake pole beans will allow you to sell beans all season long, but bush varieties come on much sooner.

If your customers are restaurants, you will need to grow the specific things they use, such as specialty lettuces, tomatoes, Ichiban eggplant, small red potatoes, etc. And you may need to plant a few beds of the single-crop things every week, to have them maturing throughout the season.

If your primary market is the large grocery store or wholesale suppliers, they will usually want a large steady supply of a few things, so you may be able to plant everything to the "money" crops of beans, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes, or multiple plantings of lettuces and other quick-growing crops.

I recommend you consider this material seriously, because the day may come (and much sooner than any of us want) when your garden will be the only way you can feed your family.

Prepare NOW, and be successful no matter what the future brings.

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Gardeners everywhere have turned their favorite hobby into a family affair. Parents and children can come together to produce beautiful flowers, delicious vegetables, and delightful herbs. Because the needs of a garden change throughout the growing season, it's possible to get the whole family in on the fun.

Kids Love Gardens

Kids and gardens are a natural fit. Children love watching plants grow and change; getting to help the process along with their own hands is a source of wonder. However, parents are sometimes hesitant to involve their children in family gardening efforts because they're concerned that the work is too hard or that the results won't be seen very quickly. These are valid concerns, though with a little bit of planning, it's actually very easy to include your children in creating a family garden plot.

Involving Children in the Process

While it's true that gardening takes effort, there are tasks that even small children can take on. Weeding is a simple task that many children will steadily work at. Clearing pebbles and small rocks into a pile is a necessary part of starting a garden that little ones can easily accomplish. Filling holes and patting down soil require little skill and are completed in short order.

Older children can help out with watering and pruning. Flowers in particular need to be trimmed back from time to time in order to encourage blossom growth. It only takes a few minutes to show them where and how to prune a flower plant.

Perhaps the very easiest time to engage children in the gardening process is when it comes time to harvest your bounty; choosing plants that harvest at different times will help encourage their efforts. Ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, and squash are easy for small hands to pick. Apples, cherries, pears, apricots, and other tree fruit can be gathered by taller kids or those capable of standing on step ladders. Flowers and herbs are easy to pick and can be quickly gathered into lovely bundles for enjoyment inside the house.

The Best Part of All

At first, it can be hard for kids to visualize exactly what a garden is going to look like. A garden doesn't look very impressive when seeds are tucked under the soil and plants are first placed in the ground. Weeding and watering can feel endless during the height of the growing season, though this is also the time when the biggest changes are taking place. To show your kids what a difference their work has made, take a picture of the garden once a week and let them point out the many ways that it's changed in even a short period of time.

Pretty soon, your yard and garden will be filled with wonderful things to eat and look at. Involve your kids in arranging the flowers they've grown and cooking with the vegetables they helped to plant. This gives them the hands-on experience of seeing a garden through from beginning to end.

Children benefit from gardening in many ways. Some parents struggle to find ways to entice kids away from the television and computer and out into the world; giving your kids a place to dig and grow might be all it takes to give them a passion for the outdoors. Exercise, sunlight, and fresh delicious food are just a few of the things that a child can gain from growing a garden.

Rachael Lynndover enjoys writing and learning. Much of her free time is spent out in the garden during the summer months. Please visit http://www.thegrowers-exchange.com/ for your online herb and garden needs.

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This article will talk about different design concepts that are used in domestic landscape design. Landscape gardening is a beautiful mixture of art and industry. In this way it is not too dissimilar to the world of architecture. This is where artistic concepts and the practicality of industry join to create truly beautiful results. Domestic landscape gardening is a world of its own, and the design techniques used are really quite intelligent in what they aim to achieve.

For many landscape designers they see the garden as an external room or outdoor living space. The gardens designed are often functional as well as providing aesthetic stimulation. This therefore often makes modern landscape gardening interactive and practical.

One feature that is being integrated to a lot of gardens now is the outdoor kitchen. This provides cooking facilities and sometimes storage for drinks cooling as well. This turns the garden into what is essentially a second dining space. With this integration the space works seamlessly as a hosting area. Where as usually being dependent on an internal kitchen breaks up the flow and enjoyment of the garden. Garden hosting is becoming more popular once again and so the face of landscaping is becoming increasingly practical.

Although more expensive and less common swimming pools are a desirable landscaping feature to include. They really are a status symbol inclusion and allow owners to have top class entertainment and hosting facilities integrated to their landscaping design. One thing that has to be kept in mind when pondering this idea is the maintenance costs. Having a pool in your landscape design comes with ongoing costs and upkeep measures.

As well as hosting, gardens are also used for relaxing and clearing one's head. This is another important factor that has to be integrated into a designer's plans. Many people include features such as fish ponds and meditating spots to give gardens a tranquil and peaceful feel. Water features are largely ornamental but definitely add to the relaxation and energy flow of a garden. There is something deeply relaxing about flowing water and that is why so many landscapers use it in their designs.

Landscapers also like to separate the outdoor areas by their function. This creates a clear focus on the function of each area of the garden. Many people do this with the use of shrubs and plants to create divides amongst areas. By creating separate areas you can have an area for relaxing, hosting, and children playing etc which gives your garden much more purpose.

There is so much thought and creativity that goes into landscape garden design. Each project is different and will be tailored to the client's needs and preferences. For something special make sure you work closely with the designer for best results.

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Gardening is one of the many small pleasures many people, especially those who live in the suburbs, can indulge in. Gardens not only beautify the environment but also help people in so many different ways. Having a garden of you own is a great thing to have in any home. It gives you a space to relax and ease your mind while at the same time provide a space to simulate your senses.

There are many benefits of gardening that one can get out of this simple task or hobby. Mentally and physically - both can benefit well from gardening. Here are some of the benefits people can get out of gardening.

It Helps Fight Depression

Gardens have that special vibe that uplifts the mood of any person. It has actually been a prescribed activity of many psychologists and psychiatrists to many patients to help them overcome depression, anxiety and stress. Gardens have the healing effect on people and with constant exposure to such, people feel less stressed and actually feel better. This is one of the many benefits of gardening that people can get. If you are fighting some form of depression - mild or severe - do some gardening stuff and you'll be surprised at how much better and happier you'll feel over time.

It can be a form of Exercise

Exercise is also one of the many benefits of gardening. The positive effects of exercise to our bodies are undeniable. But many of us hardly have the motivation to do so because of the muscle fatigue and the feeling of soreness after some time of working out. Other people get bored with exercising because it is not something that they want to do but they have to do in order to stay fit and healthy. If you find yourself bored and undetermined to exercise, try gardening instead. The constant motion and activity to plant, arrange and dig earth are all forms of physical activity that can be considered as exercise. It has less monotonous movements and more appealing than other forms of exercise as you see results in not just your body but in your garden as well.

Reducing Stress

One of the many undeniable benefits of gardening is reducing stress. It has been common knowledge ever since that some form of greenery can uplift the spirit and reduce any stress. It helps ease your mind and provide a sense of tranquility you won't get elsewhere. In gardening, you engage yourself in an activity that can take your mind off your stressors and give you something more beguiling to focus on. And when you see great results after, it gives a sense of fulfillment that can reduce stress levels as well.

Heals the Mind

Aside from fighting depression and reducing stress, one of the many benefits of gardening is to heal the mind. The different sensory stimulants found in a garden stimulate people with all sorts of mental illnesses. It helps them heal their mind.

The benefits of gardening are irrefutable. It is an activity that anyone can engage in - not just the elderly. You can find peace and serenity with gardening.

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The Green Revolution led many people to care more about saving the environment. People have been more conscious and more aware of their actions towards the environment. This growing awareness for the environment has also led many people to become more involved with gardening. Gardening was once thought to be an elderly pastime. But nowadays, even the younger generation was getting into the "green" bandwagon and gardens occasionally. This made an opportunity for gardening TV shows to become a huge hit. One popular gardening show on TV was gardening by the yard. It has lasted so many years before it was officially out of air. Nevertheless, it has helped millions of viewers with their garden problems and has beguiled many viewers to start gardening in their own yards, too.

Gardening by the yard is an American TV show shown every week on HGTV. It is hosted by a renowned master gardener, Paul James and started airing since 1996. The show lasted for many decades until 2009 when it was officially cut off. Up until midway of 2010, reruns of the show was still aired every weekday morning. In January of 2012, it has officially been out of air. But fans and visitors can still view and get helpful tips from this how through the official website of HGTV where you can watch past episodes there.

According to HGTV, gardening by the yard was made for people who want their yards to look beautiful but could hardly find the opportunity to do so. This is also why the TV show was aired on weekends to make sure that people are on their resting and relaxing day when they get to watch it. This is also why the host, Paul James, talks about topics about gardening that are not too heavy to understand and just very light. He also practices organic gardening which he shows to the viewers to not only help them make their yards beautiful but also teach them the better way to garden. Most topics touched by the show are gardening basics such as composting, plant zones in the yard, correct way of watering the plants, vegetable gardening, how to plant endemic plants and many others.

Most of the episodes of gardening by the yard were shot on location in James' yard in his home in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He shows every bit of flaw and problem he has with his garden to make the show seem more "real." The show also occasionally invites guests over to talk about specific gardening tips and techniques such as growing fruit trees and growing plants in containers or container gardening. Sometimes, the show would even feature local gardens by local people and some nurseries found across the country where people can buy plants. The good thing about gardening by the yard is that it not only provides helpful information about gardening but also teaches you some troubleshooting methods to resolve garden issues such as pests and lighting.

Gardening by the yard would not last for more than 10 years if it was not a success. Even if it has stopped airing, people can go to the official HGTV website to watch episodes and get helpful tips on how to make their yards look better.

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With a lot of people moving back into urban areas, apartments and condominiums, space for gardening has become a top notch commodity. Many people living in the afore mentioned places may only have a small balcony, patio or if really lucky a small patch of yard in which to use to design a garden space. It can be done and can look quite nice too. Sprucing up a small drab area into something vibrant and colorful.

One of the easiest and least expensive ideas are flower boxes. They come in a variety of sizes and forms or if you are handy with a hammer you can build your own to the specifications you desire. With flower boxes you can plant flowers, of course, along with vegetables if you so desire. They are extremely versatile because you can hang them from a window sill, a balcony railing, set them on the ground or put them on an outdoor table top. There are many beautiful flowers you can plant in boxes such as pansies, zinnias, petunias, marigolds and the list is almost endless. There are a wide variety of vegetables you can plant in boxes as well. They include but are not limited to tomatoes, arugula, spinach and lettuce to name a few. All most any herb can be grown successfully in a box as well. Nothing like picking off a sprig of your favorite herb while cooking.

When living in an area where your outdoor space is limited, another route to go is with a vertical garden. These type of gardens are very attractive, especially if you have hanging plants in them. They are relatively inexpensive to build or can be bought at your local home improvement store. You can get/make them in various heights and usually only take up about 2-3 feet of ground space. I have found that ferns and strawberries work well in these types of gardens.

Another place to plant a garden in a limited space is a parkway garden. You know that strip between the sidewalk and the street that no one ever knows what to do with. You can make this type of garden very low maintenance. Plants that would thrive here are unthirsty, not picky about soil conditions, somewhat hearty and have varied bloom times. You can fill this space with wild flowers perhaps and give your yard that free and easy feel.

No matter how big or small your area is that you would like to plant a garden, all you basically need are desire, some dirt, a few seeds, a little water and a whole lot of TLC. A garden can make any area of your yard or patio look so much more inviting. One of the great things about a small garden is you can reap the benefits of flowers, fruits or vegetables with very little effort or invest of time and money. Go sow some seeds and enjoy!

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More and more gardeners are making their own earth-friendly fertilizer and soil additive. Yet not all organic items are good for your compost heap or garden. Here are thirteen organic items that should not be added to your pile.

1. Bread and dairy - Although quick to mold, keep the scraps to a minimum as they invite rodents and roaches. Rotten cake and cheese also leave an unwanted smell.

2. Cooking Oil - Used oil, even if it is virgin olive, should not be part of the compost heap. They will coat moisture out. Use them to soak old newspapers that can be used as the bottom layer of mulch instead.

3. Human waste and hygiene products - Gross thoughts aside, these leave a bad smell, pose a health risk, and are just plain disgusting to have in the compost.

4. Meat, fish and bones - Not only do they attract unwanted animals into your compost heap, these meal leftovers take forever to decompose. They also stink during putrefaction.

5. Pet waste - Another smelly substance, never include kitty litter or dog poo as it could contain disease and bad bacteria. Dung from herbivores like cows and horses, however, are okay.

6. Processed food - First of all, the preservatives used to extend their shelf life will delay their decomposition. Second, the chemicals and artificial flavors could mess up the Nitrogen, Phosphate and Potassium content you're hoping for.

7. Processed paper - High-gloss paper has chemicals that could contaminate your compost with toxins. The same goes for the inks in colored paper. Stay away from colored cardboard boxes as well.

8. Treated grass - The grass clippings from the first two mowing trips should not be included in your compost. They contain the chemicals applied to the lawn.

9. Treated wood - The pest-deterrent chemicals in the wood will also deter the good bugs in your compost. Not only that, remember that the treatment was put in place to prevent decay.

10. Weeds - The bane of every gardener's existence, weeds are hard to kill. Leave them off because you would only be putting in either weed-killer or weed seeds into the compost.

11. Wood ash and sawdust - Both can adversely affect the decomposition processes. Burnt wood is a type of agent that is best placed in the soil. Sawdust is still treated wood, but in smaller particles.

To summarize, anything that has added chemicals or preservatives should be avoided. Anything that will attract pests is highly discouraged. Anything that stinks should not be in the list as well.

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Vegetable gardening in containers provides gardeners who have limited space the chance to benefit from fresh vegetables. All you need is a sunny patio to grow your favorite veggies. When it comes to the most suitable types of vegetables for container gardening, your choice depends on the zone of your location. You can easily purchase seeds online or from your garden center and nursery in your area.

Aside from determining the best types of vegetables to grow, it is also essential to know the basics about planting vegetables in containers.

Containers. Any type of pot or container will do for your little garden but it is important that the container is lightweight because you have to move it around. You can add wheels to your container or just place them on a cart with wheels to make the moving easier especially if an unanticipated spring frost is predicted or if a severe weather is coming.

Soil. You can purchase bagged soil at your local nursery. Make sure to go for a lightweight soil mixture that can sustain mature plants and provide nutrients to your vegetables.

Sunlight. Your vegetables require full sunlight (6 or more hours everyday). There are some vegetable varieties such as radishes, lettuce and chard that require less sunlight but it is recommended to put the containers in direct sunlight.

Drainage. The containers must have holes in order to let excess water to drain. You can find a lot of lovely resin or plastic planters at your local garden center or nursery that don't have holes in them. Using a drill, just add 3 or 4 holes at the bottom of the planters. Before putting the soil mixture, it is recommended to add a level of pebbles at the base to help with the drainage.

Fertilizer. Expect the fertilizer to be drained quickly every time you water your containers. If you use lighter mixes, you need to fertilize more frequently. It is recommended to employ a thinned liquid fertilizer or liquid seaweed or liquid fish emulsion. However, it is important to note that your plants require different types of nutrients so check the descriptions on the fertilizer to ensure that they have a balanced and complete solution including trace elements.

Watering. A lot of vegetables require a lot of moisture throughout the whole growing season. In addition, if the container plants are placed in exposed areas, they tend to lose moisture rapidly so make sure to water them more often.

Vegetable varieties. When choosing the types of vegetables for the vegetable garden in your patio, it is important to consider what your family loves to eat. In addition, choose those that can grow suitably in a restricted space. There are a lot of gardeners who benefit from growing tomatoes because of the fact that home-produced tomatoes taste a lot better than those bought at the supermarket. You can try the following vegetables for your container gardening:

• Carrots
• Eggplants
• Cucumbers
• Lettuce
• Peppers
• Radishes
• Melons
• Tomatoes
• Herbs
• Green beans
• Green onions
• Broccoli
• Spinach
• Garlic
• Squash

Even if you live in a small apartment, you can still engage in gardening and enjoy fresh vegetables anytime. By using your balcony or your sunny deck, growing different varieties of vegetables will be as easy as A, B, C.

Gardening is great for relaxation and spending time with the family. To find out more and learn how to grow a vegetable garden visit http://foopages.com/

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The construction of a box garden can be a rewarding task for keeping your mind occupied, get some exercise, and mental satisfaction. It can also be created for next to nothing (around $60 for a 4 X 6 foot box). I thought I would replace the little hot box in our back yard that allowed only 4 tomato plants with a larger plot that was both inexpensive but produced more vegetables with the least amount of work out in the hot sun here in southern Virginia.

I began with a sketch and went to the local home supply store with the firm conviction that I would leave with all the supplies necessary for the task. An hour or so later, this task was complete. The list consists of a 50 ft. roll or 3 ft. wide fencing. You know, the wire fence with the 2" X 3" openings. Then I bought 8 of those 6 ft. stockade fence boards in the rough cut lumber section ($2 each) along with 4 cheap 1 X 4's, also 6 ft. long. Can you see it? Two of the 6 ft. fence boards stacked horizontally and two of the 6 ft. 1 X 4's nailed vertically at each end. That's one side of the box complete. Do it again and 2 sides are complete. Then cut 2 ft. off the remaining 4 fence boards and the box is nearly complete. Take them outside and nail 2 of the boards to the edges of the 6 ft. boards. You now have a 1 ft. deep box, 4ft. X 6ft. with 4 vertical corner posts.

The wire is then cut in 6 ft. and 4 ft. lengths with wire cutters. By now you can see that there is enough wire to span the entire 20 ft. to wrap around the box perimeter. Each wire fence section can later be folded down for easy access to the plants inside the box. But since the vertical 1 X 4's are 6 ft. high, the wire fencing needs to cover the remaining upper 3 ft. of the box height. So, cut more fencing to cover the upper 20 ft. of the box perimeter. The remainder of the 50 ft. fence will cover the top of the box.

The means of connect the fence sections to each other can be tie tags, twist ties, or those cotter pins that can be easily removed and reinstalled when done weeding or picking vegetables. I used cotter pins for ease of removal. Pin all the fence sections together at the four corners of each section and maybe a couple more along the horizontal lengths.

The remaining task is to locate the box in the optimum sunny location and fill it with some garden quality soil. Then wait until the end of the last frost in March to begin shopping for the tomato plants, peppers, and onions. The only question mark in my mind resides with those "pesky" squirrels. I just know they'll find a way to sneak through that fencing. Maybe the fencing needs to have smaller openings. Tying them together will also be a challenge to eliminate any gaps. Is it legal to shoot squirrels with a BB gun? I hear they're pretty good eating. Taste like chicken. Just kidding.

If enough weekend gardeners do this, we could overflow the farmers' markets all next summer with enough extra to give to our homeless neighbors. And all for less than $75 per household.

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Children have a natural curiosity about the outdoors so encouraging their interest in gardening is not difficult. Gardening has all the attributes that capture a child's imagination, nature, colour, smell, touch and above all else mud! Getting children interested in gardening is also a great way to encourage them to care for wildlife and the countryside around them. A good starting premise I always think is - keep it simple and make it fun. Just make sure you are sensible about basic safety in a garden environment. Here are a few tips that will give your budding little gardeners a helping hand.

If you are a little precious about your garden, give your children a piece of ground of their own and let them fill it with simple plants that are easy to look after. Getting children to grow their own vegetables provides them with a great introduction to gardening. Most vegetables are easy to grow and there is nothing quite like getting them to pick the vegetables they have grown and see them placed on the table for eating. Potatoes are an obvious choice. Get children to grow them in containers where its easy to see emerging shoots and watch them grow. Salad leaves are another easy choice and have the added benefit of being quick to grow from seed to picking.

Get your children to appreciate the wildlife that lives in the garden by encouraging them to feed garden birds. Children love bugs, so set traps to catch all manner of insects from woodlice to snails, spiders to butterflies and allow the children to observe them at close hand. Supervised maintenance of a pond is also guaranteed to capture their interest. From frogs and toads to magical dragonflies and water boatmen. Getting children to help set up a wormery is also a good way of getting them to interact with nature, helping them to understand the complex relationship between the earth and wildlife in creating compost.

There are many plants children will just love to grow. Make sure you choose simple plants that are easy to grow from seed, grow quickly and do not take a lot of looking after. Sunflowers are a great favourite. Not only do they tick all the boxes, but they grow into real giants. Set up a competition to see who can grow the tallest sunflower! Summer annuals are also great for children to grow. Get them to create their own display of bright colours in garden planters that can be placed on a patio for all the family to enjoy.

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Gardening for shade has traditionally been a bit disappointing if you're looking for eye-popping color. However, there are many shade-loving plants that boast subtle to dramatic colors. You can also add excitement to your shady landscape with non-plant features.

Shade gardening can be a challenge if you want to grow colorful plants. Classic shade plants life hostas and ferns are, indeed, lovely, but sometimes it's visually appealing to incorporate other colors to achieve a singular landscape with balanced coloration. There are some shade plants that boast colorful hues as well as various shades of green. Some green plants offer spectacular color changes in fall. You can also incorporate color into your shade garden with non-plant elements that might provide that wow factor you're looking for.

Serene Setting

There are a surprising number of shade plants that boast a purplish or lavender hue. The combination of green and purple creates a tranquil atmosphere while adding colorful flair to your setting. You can create a bold purple look for your garden by sticking to this single color. When planted together, the following purple plants will add a dramatic splash to your green palette. Consider planting Japanese painted fern, Persian shield.

Fields of Gold

Yellow and gold plants add life to a shade garden. Their vibrancy will wake up any tired space. When you want a cheerier landscape, consider the following yellow and gold plantings: autumn fern (turns golden bronze in fall), lady's mantle, All Gold Japanese forest grass, Big Top Gold coral bells, Paul's Glory hosta, and large yellow lady's slipper. You can complement these plantings by adding gold-colored mulch.

Drama Statement

By working with a loud color palette, you can add lots of drama to your shade garden and landscape. High impact red blooms like Red Racer helleborus and the dazzling fuchsia to hot pink of Younique Carmine astilbe are a great way to add some fireworks to your space. Other highly colorful plant.

Back in Black

Dark plantings will provide a striking balance with the green plants of your shade garden. Elegant and enchanting, dark plants like Black Beauty autumn snakeroot and Night Coaster helleborous add a touch of other-worldliness to your landscape. Handspen blue hostas and heuchera dark chocolate cora bells will also complement a dark palette.

Classic White

If you are looking for a formal color scheme, white plantings are always elegant and provide a clean contrast with other plantings. Gorgeous Vision in White astilbe makes for a high-impact planting while lily-of-the-valley provides vigor and sweetness to your space. Alba bleeding hearts or sweet woodruff, and white hydrangeas.

Cristopher K. Abbott is an garden lawn care expert. For more great information on best organic gardening, visit his site featuring all types of herb gardening for beginners.

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This article is a relaxed, but informative introduction to people who are quite new to gardening and are looking to start growing vegetables. It provides step-by-step instructions for beginners which guide the reader through selecting a suitable growing space to choosing plants. It also provides some general and specific tips for vegetable growing and highlights some of its benefits in terms of saving money and improved relaxation.

Now you know what vegetables you want to grow you need to buy some seeds. There are many places that stock theme, anywhere from garden centers to news agents. Typical vegetable seeds are quite cheap, usually under two or three pounds. However, the number of seeds that come in a packet varies significantly based on the type of vegetable. For example, a packet of carrot seeds may contain about a hundred seeds whereas a packet of bean seeds may only contain about twenty. This variation is usually proportional to the seed's rate of germination, in effect far fewer carrot seeds germinate than bean seeds.

Once you have the seeds you would like to grow the next step are to plant them. This is usually the most labor intensive part of the process. The majority of seed packets will have basic instructions for sowing, maintaining and harvesting the crop you will hopefully produce. If you don't have any instructions to hand then there is plenty of useful information on the Internet and your local library is also a good resource. There are many different types of vegetables and the growing requirements and difficulties associated with each of them could fill several books, so rather than addressing all of these the rest of this article is going to focus on general growing tips.

One of the most fundamental elements of a plant's success in its environment is the soil that it's grown in. Identifying your soil type and making sure that it's compatible with your plants can make a real difference to their growth. Your soil type is not completely fixed though, adding some fertilizer from a garden center can alter its properties and make a noticeable difference in a plants health. This subject goes hand-in-hand with feeding plants as they grow. It's important to keep a careful eye on the plant feed that is being given to vegetables that you plan to eat, what you put on the roses may not be quite so good when eaten! There are several special, organic feeds out there for vegetable plants that are very good. An interesting experiment is to buy a few and try them out on a couple of the same plants to see the differences in performance.

One of the biggest difficulties with growing vegetables is other animals eating them before you do. There are two main ways to prevent this: growing your vegetables in your house, or growing them inside a greenhouse. Growing vegetables in your house is possible, especially if you have a conservatory, and can be a nice project to do with young children. However, the soil and dead leaves that inevitably make their way onto the carpet and throughout the house discourage most people from doing this on any scale. Greenhouses are an excellent alternative as they allow you to protect your plants from almost any pest, however they are expensive and not always a viable solution.

Cristopher K. Abbott is an avid organic gardening advocacy and photographer. To learn more about gardening, visit his website at: best organic gardening

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You can save a lot of money by recycling items you would otherwise throw away and using them in your garden. Instead of paying $10-20 or more for a large pot, throw down an old tire and fill it with soil. This article lists seven things you can recycle for use in your flower or vegetable garden.

Don't throw away that old tote bag! You can use it in your garden. Save the earth and a whole bunch of money too by recycling common household items to use in your garden. From milk jugs to old tires to 2 liter soda bottles, here are seven things you can recycle to use in your garden.

Milk Jugs: Plastic milk jugs have many uses in the garden. You can cut the tops off to use them as planters for small plants such as herbs or cut the bottoms off to make miniature greenhouses that you can place over plants when there is danger of frost. You can even cut them up to make plastic plant labels to identify your plants.

Old tires: You can use old tires as raised beds for flower or vegetable gardening. For plants that require deep soil, such as carrots, try stacking two tires on top of each other. Tires are great for growing potatoes because you can throw another tire on top as the potato plants grow and fill it up with more soil. This makes it easier to harvest the potatoes in the fall because the potatoes will be in the tires, not in the ground. Just remove the tires to get to the potatoes.

Tote Bags: Old tote bags and cheap reusable shopping bags can be used as hanging planters to make use of wall space. This is great for people who don't have a lot of land. You can fill the bags with potting soil and hang them on a fence or wall. Since they hold quite a bit of soil, they can even be used with larger plants, such as tomatoes.

Cement Blocks: Discarded cement blocks can be used to build raised beds, create an attractive vertical garden, or keep your compost contained. Even new, you can often get concrete blocks for around $1 each or a little more. However, if you watch Craigslist, you can sometimes pick up used blocks for free.

Bricks: Sometimes you can find people giving away old bricks too. These are great for creating borders around the edges of your flower or vegetable plots. You can also use them to pave your garden paths. Paved paths keep weeds and grass from growing between beds, eliminating the need for mowing.

Tin Cans: Remove both the tops and bottoms of tin cans, set them on a try, and fill them up with potting soil. Use them to start your seedlings indoors. You can fill the trays with water to water the plants from the bottom. When you're ready to transplant, you can plant the entire can or gently tap the can to knock the dirt loose and slide the plant out.

Foam Meat Trays: Save the foam trays you get from the supermarket when you buy chicken, beef or pork. Wash them up and use them as trays underneath the tin cans you start your seeds in.

Use Your Imagination

There are a lot more ways to recycle everyday things to use in your garden. Before you throw something in the trash, think about how you might be able to use it. Would it make a good pot? Could you use it to stake your plants? Could it be composted or used to make a garden bed? Use your imagination to think of creative ways to recycle the things you would normally throw away.

If you are looking for some more information on this container gardening ideas check out best organic gardening and see if it's right for your gardening needs!

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Gardening has been the favorite pastime of many people ever since. It has provided them with peace of mind, tranquility and helped reduce stress. Traditionally, gardening can be very tedious because of all the work that one has to do. But nowadays, gardening is a task or a hobby that has become simpler, less tedious and convenient. All thanks to the many modern gardening equipment one can utilize to make gardening easier. Here are some of the essential equipments that you should have for your garden.

Garden Shredders

This has become essential modern gardening equipment as it helps clean up faster. It can cut and shred leaves, twigs, branches or any other garbage or dried foliage for easier cleanup and raking. Then, you can easily move such cuts and shredded material easier in a bag for disposal. It can also cut some wood chips which you can use as a path or mulch in your garden. If you have a vegetable garden that includes growing cabbage and tomatoes, you can shred the tough stems in the garden shredder so they decompose quicker than normal. This is multifunctional equipment that you can use in many different ways which makes your investment in one definitely worth it.

Hedge Trimmer

This is important modern gardening equipment that you need to have to maintain the beauty and structure of your small trees. Decorative gardening, wherein shrubs and small trees are cut creatively in different shapes, needs constant trimming to retain its beauty. A hedge trimmer, also known as bush trimmer, is needed to maintain the fine shape and details of decorative plants. Just remember though to keep the blades of the trimmer sharp for precise cutting of plants.

Cultivators

If you are growing a vegetable garden or berries, a cultivator is an essential modern gardening equipment to have. This helps till the land better. This machine has a set of teeth that pierce through the soil and drags the soil as it moves to create a lineage. As it moves it pulverizes the soil to aerate them and distribute nutrients accordingly to help your crops grow better. This machine works on the surface of the soil to control weed from forming so your crops are protected.

Lawn Mowers

This modern gardening equipment helps keep your garden smooth and better looking. This controls the height of the weeds that you grow on your garden as it carefully trims them. Using this, you won't have to use your hedge trimmer to trim down the grass and bow your head as you trim. Such form can give you lower back aches over time. Using this, you can just roar it to life and drag it across your lawn and it will instantly trim the lawn. No more backaches for you then.

These modern gardening equipments can help you to not only make your gardening life easier but to help improve your work as well. Now you can get precise and sharp cuts using your hedge trimmer to shape your bushes and plants and cleaning up will also be easier using the garden shredders. Rest assured, everything will be worth the investment.

Are you looking for more information regarding modern gardening? Visit http://lifestylesecretreview.com/ today!

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Gardening is a fun task that you can do during your idle time. Not only will it give you beautiful results after your hard work but give you a solitary space where you can unwind when you need to. But gardening is not really a very easy task. It requires some physical strength and knowledge on how to grow the perfect garden. Fortunately, you don't have to spend a ton of money buying books and going to seminars to get the dibs on gardening. There is some gardening websites you can visit that can help you get around your garden. Here are some of the best websites about gardening that you can read.

Kitchen Gardens International

This website is more than just a gardening website. It is unlike many of the gardening websites that exists. This is an online community of people who share the same passion for food, kitchen gardening for self reliance as well as developing sustainable food systems. People here exchange online and in person information, knowledge and strategies. Even tools and goods they can use for their gardening and for promoting self-reliance in terms of food. They also coordinate events to help them spread the word about their community and eventually attract more people to join them in their cause.

Chiot's Run

If you are looking for a great gardening websites complete with pictures and articles dedicated to gardening, Chiot's Run is the website to go to. It is actually named after the family dog of the author who lives in eastern Ohio. The author made this website a journal of his small organic garden as he transforms this space from a land of devastation to a fruitful one. After years of abuse and pesticides and chemicals were heavily sprayed, they are slowly turning this piece of earth to something life can grow on. Now they dig up worms every time and see insects occasionally, which are good signs for a healthy soil and blooming garden.

Royal Horticultural Society

While this website is located in the UK, there is a handful of information stored in the website which gardeners from all over the world can take advantage of. The name of the website is actually taken from the name of the leading gardening charity in the UK whose purpose is to promote the horticultural industry in the country and gardening as well. There are some blogs, articles and forums you can found in this website which you can use to help grow your garden.

You Grow Girl

Even before the advent of many gardening websites, this website has already made its mark in the World Wide Web. The author, Gayla Trail, has since then blogged about her gardening musings and pursuits. Here you will find a handful of articles, gardening tips even recipes to utilize your crops and beautiful pictures of her garden.

These are some of the many gardening websites that you must visit if you are interested in gardening. These gardening websites can provide you with useful information and tips to help build and beautify your garden.

Are you looking for more information regarding gardening websites? Visit http://lifestylesecretreview.com/ today!

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This summer has been absolutely brutal on gardens and lawns. Over 40,000 individual heat records were shattered throughout the country, before July alone. Landscape design barely recovered from the blistering initial weeks. Grey patches and withering are abound and widespread drought has crippled the most delicate gardens.

The good news is that the worst is behind us. If your home garden has survived this long, chances are you've taken the proper precautions to handle the worst of what the summer can do to your garden design. However, if your garden landscape is still barely holding on, the following are some of our best drought precautions and treatments to maintain a healthy home garden during extreme conditions, for now and for future summers.

Nutrients
The first thing to consider when planting a fresh garden landscape, or bringing your garden back to life, is to pack the soil with nutrients. Nutrient padding will hold water and aid your fragile plants in making the best out of the water that they are given. Mix up the soil with some well-rotted manure or compost for the most nutrient efficient garden possible.

Young Plants
Planting younger flora is more so a tip for starting a fresh garden, but it will pay off during these harsh conditions. So many home gardens are comprised of pre-grown, potted plants that are transplanted into the soil. These plants are adapted only to nursery and greenhouse conditions, not the harsher conditions that natural plants learn to survive in. It's like trying to release a domesticated animal into the wild; it won't last on its own. Only plant younger plants during harsher conditions, and as the plants grow they will learn to adapt better to drought because they grew accustomed to the weather at a young age; their biology made it work.

Mulch
Mulching is a safe bet for water conservation. Mulch will hold water in the soil, protect the water and roots from evaporation, and discourage the growth of nutrient and water stealing weeds. Generally, a 3-6 inch layer (depending on the need) of mulch will be most effective, and make sure to maintain the layer as the mulch decomposes. However, avoid over-mulching as it could lead to overstressing the roots and may provide a nice little bed for rodents to call home.

Water
Optimize each drop of water during conditions when your plants need it more. Especially for more mountainous terrain, watering is difficult during drought because the brittle nature of the ground can cause sprinkler water to simply run-off the impenetrable soil. If you don't have a functional irrigation system, utilizing a soaker hose will provide the slow, deep soak that will permeate the soil and get to the roots more efficiently.

Plant Choice
Once again, a tip for planning drought resistant garden design, plant choice can make the difference in home garden survivability. Some plants are more resistant to heat, and conserve water more efficiently, while still maintaining the beautiful colors and aesthetics of more delicate flora. Rather than stumble through a specific list of drought resistant plants, here are a few characteristics to look for when selecting young plants:

- fleshy or thick leaves, holds moisture better
- aromatic leaves, indicates compounds that cool the plant as they evaporate
- hairy or narrow leaves, sheds warmth without sacrificing water
- spikes or spines, these act as efficient vents for releasing heat

Jean Brooks Landscapes in Boston, MA specializes in garden maintenance. Go to http://www.jeanbrookslandscapes.com/ for more information!

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A lot of gardeners wonder how they can care for their more delicate plants throughout the winter months. Keeping your plants in good health over the winter requires a special set of skills. Your gardening practices must change with the seasons for optimal results.

In general plants are fairly well adapted in protecting themselves against the weather changes that come with the seasons. However as a gardener you can undergo certain actions to help out your plants with seasonal changes. This article will outline some of these actions and give you advice on how to keep your garden ticking in winter.

One thing is for certain; your garden is not going to keep its summer beauty throughout winter. Trying to retain this is a futile task and a waste of your time. However it can still be slightly and appealing to the eye. You just need to be smart with how you maintain the garden over the colder months.

Actions you should follow:

• Continue planting throughout winter with appropriate plants. However do not force plants into an unnatural habitat. In other words only plant when the ground is soft enough to dig up naturally.

• Add some mulch from your autumn decay to the soil. This will help protect roots from the colder weather.

• Add a small amount of compost so that nutrients are not lost over the winter months

• If there is an anticipated big freeze then water your plants before this happens. What this will do is provide the plants with water before all accessible water in the ground is frozen. It will also give the roots some extra protection against frost damage.

• Protect your potted plants with heat retaining material. You can purchase special material to place over the base of potted plants to help them retain heat. Doing this in conjunction to moving the plants closer to your house should help their winter health.

Actions you should avoid:

• Avoid using fertilizer during the winter months as this will confuse plants. Fertilizer encourages flowering and new growth. However during winter plants want to be in a dormant state and just survive through the cold.

• Don't over water your plants. Keeping plants with a healthy amount of water is fine, but plants generally require a lot less over winter.

Overall winter gardening is mainly common sense, following the advice in this article will see your garden come through winter in top condition. For keen gardeners who want to see their garden thrive in all seasons attentive care is necessary.

If you are looking for winter maintenance equipment such as salt spreaders or grit salt then check out SGM who are leading suppliers of year round groundcare equipment.

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