Best For The Garden

Fall Gardening Tips

Fall is a great time to be outdoors in the garden, the temperatures are perfect and the colors can be amazing. If you’re looking for projects which will extend the gardening season and give you a reason to be outside, fear not, there’s still plenty to do.

As the season moves along, perennials and annuals should be deadheaded, even right though the early fall months. Further along, towards late fall, these plants need to be cut back to the ground as they begin to die back. Though this can wait until spring I like to do it in the late fall, there are too many other projects to worry about in the spring. Late fall is the ideal time to cut back your perennial garden as some perennials, though finished blooming, have great fall colors. Let them stand until the end of the season. Some, such as Balloon Flower and Astilbe turn beautiful shades of yellow and gold. Others retain their striking form and develop interesting seed heads, such as black eyed Susan and Sedum “Autumn Joy”.

As the annuals die or begin to look a bit spent, remove them and add them to your compost pile. There a few fall blooming plants that you can replace them with . Aster and chrysanthemum are the most common. They can add vibrant color to your garden up until late November.

Avoid pruning shrubs too late into the season, this can often encourage new growth which may be susceptible to winter kill if it did not have tine harden off. After deciduous shrubs become dormant in the winter pruning is fine for general shaping.

Examine your garden, are there any shrubs which are outgrowing their allotted space? Fall is a great time for transplanting shrubs. The cooler weather results in less stress for a newly transplanted shrub. There’s generally more rain in the fall as well which also helps reduce stress. Plant new shrubs during the fall for the same reasons. Especially since you may be able to find great deals during late season sales at your local nursery. Be sure to stake new trees and shrubs which may vulnerable during winter snows.

Plant bulbs before the ground freezes, they’re are a great way to add early spring color to the garden. Bulbs are also great way to naturalize your landscape. Daffodils, scilla, and bluebells are wonderful when planted beneath a large shade tree. Tulips and hyacinths are better suited to for formal settings such as a perennial border.

After the ground is frozen, cover plants which require winter protection with hay or evergreen branches, especially in areas that are cold but have little snow. Perennials will benefit from winter protection.

Though things seem to be winding down as the winter approaches, a quick walk through the garden will reveal a number of project still to be done.

Tim Hallinan
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/fall-gardening-tips-73437.html

Find Out What The Best Land Iguana Habitat Is!

What is the best land iguana habitat? If you have just purchased a new land iguana then the first thing you will need to do is to create a sustainable and appropriate habitat for it to live in. Their habitat is a little different then most other iguana habitats. To find out what the best land iguana habitat is, we first need to learn about where land iguanas come from.

There are two different types of land iguanas and they both come from the archipelago of the Galapagos Islands. Darwin was of course the first person to have seen these amazing creatures in their natural habitat. The land iguana habitat on the Galapagos Islands was mostly made from rock and soil. There is of course barely any vegetation on the Islands bar half dead grass and shrubs.

Land Iguanas like all iguanas are vegetarians and eat mostly fruit and vegetables, therefore it is a good idea to make your habitat easily assessable for cleaning purposes. One of the most important things to have in your iguana’s habitat is an area where water can be situated. They are in fact very good swimmers and therefore enjoy the water a lot. If you have the capacity, it’s a great idea to insert a small shallow pond. If you don’t wish to keep your land iguana in an enclosure then make sure you always have somewhere for your iguana to swim and bath.

The last and probably most important thing for your land iguana habitat is to have an area in your enclosure that is full of plenty of soil. Land iguanas in their natural habitat dig their own burrows in order to escape from predators. If you don’t have any soil for your iguana to dig in, then it will find some place else to dig, perhaps your carpet for one!

Another great idea for your land iguana habitat is to insert a few shrubs. This will give your enclosure a fantastic look and feel that will help your iguana feel more like an iguana instead of just a normal pet. This also makes your enclosure look a little less bare and much more interesting for people to look at. Make sure the shrubs aren’t too green as this will limit your iguana’s potential to camouflage itself.

If you use all the information in this article, you will be sure to create a great land iguana habitat that will have your iguana feeling happy and secure.

Dane Stanton
http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/find-out-what-the-best-land-iguana-habitat-is-99647.html

Gardening Plants - Plant Your Way To Bliss!

Joint Pain - Simple Home Remedies

Effective Garden Planning

Garden planning is no small or insignificant task. Having a large number of blossoming tasks in your garden can certainly be a pleasant sight to watch but it requires a lot of hard work and wise decisions on your part for the plants to attain that stage. Proper research is required to make your garden look elegant and cost effective at the same time. If you don’t devote proper time and energy to its maintenance, you will have to incur a lot of expenditure to bring it up to shape again.

The first step in effective garden planning is to see which type of flower plants would grow well in the type of soil found in your area. This can be done by searching on the internet. Some websites give details of which plants are suitable for the soil in your area and also the time of the year during which these plants should be grown. There are also a number of books available which give details of the soil type, sun/shade and watering requirements of each type of plants. You can then divide different plants to want to grow into groups based on their seasons.

There are different types of plants available. These are divided into trees, shrubs, roses, perennials, annuals, bulbs and corms. You must think twice before planting trees because they have a tendency to grow out of control and also occupy a major proportion of your garden. Roses require a lot of care and work like regular spraying and removing of dead flowers. Bulbs and corms require separate amounts of efforts depending on their variety.

The best thing for you would be to divide your garden into separate blocks or bed. This helps you to devote time to manage each of these alternately. You must also know which plants should be grown in the sun and which grow well in the shade. The soil should be treated with lime and fertilizers before sowing the seeds. Treating with lime helping to neutralize the acidic nature of the soil and enhances the ability of the soil to transport nutrients. Fertilizers like natural manure or nitrogen fertilizers can be used depending on your financial capacity.

One thing to keep in mind when you are planting the seeds is to maintain room for moving around. This will help you to reach each plant and care for it properly. Having proper room around it also helps the plants to grow well.

Taisha Grant
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/effective-garden-planning-86328.html

Preparing A Vegetable Garden

When planning a vegetable garden the first step is alway finding the ideal spot. Most vegetables require lots of sun so choose a location with a southern exposure. Ideally the sunlight is distributed as evenly as possible for the longest period of time. Southern exposure is perfect since the sun shines evenly on each side. North facing shady gardens are fine for ferns and other woodland plants but they are generally not suitable for vegetables and some flowers.

Its always best to plan a garden on paper before planting. Each type of seed will have individual planting requirements, such as spacing and planting depth. If you know before hand the size of your garden you’ll be able to determine the number of seeds needed and can plan accordingly. Alternately, if you already have your seed and know the spacing requirements, you will be able calculate the appropriate size garden.

New garden area are likely to be covered with turf grasses. Large garden areas can be tilled and the sod turned under. In small gardens, however, you should remove the sod. To do this cut the edges of the garden with the spade. Then cut narrow strips approximately 1 or 2 feet wide. Sod cut in this way can easily be removed.

Don’t throw the sod away, rather sift through the newly tilled garden, pick out the pieces of sod, shake them well and add them to the compost pile. Compost is the ideal soil conditioner for a vegetable garden so throughout the growing season add your garden clippings to the pile. As you remove the sod, break up the big clumps of soil which are left behind. The garden must be tilled well in order to create suitable conditions for planting seed. A seed planted in chunks of soil will rarely survive. Use a grading rake to smooth out the soil once the ground is properly tilled. Once ground is level and smooth, the garden is ready to be planted.

Some spaces may be too rocky to be useful as a vegetable garden. In this case raised beds are necessary. Building raised beds can extend the growing season since the soil is able warm up sooner than the rest of the garden. They also offer better drainage and deep topsoil with little compaction. If you add compost to your garden each year a raised bed may occur naturally. Raised beds are easy to care for and they are protected from the encroaching grass and weeds of its surrounding environment.

In gardens which receive southern exposure vegetables and flowers should be planted in rows which run north and south so the plants are able to receive the sun’s rays during the morning on the eastern side, and during the afternoon on the western side. Planted this way, your vegetable will grow more evenly. In order to get the best distribution of sunlight in a garden facing southeast run the rows northwest and southeast. Thoughtful planning and proper planting techniques will result in a successful, productive vegetable garden as well as a very satisfying endeavor for the gardener.

anonymous
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/preparing-a-vegetable-garden-85365.html

What fruit/vegetables are best to eat everyday?

Hi, basically im overweight and i want to lose weight and get a six pack (every persons dream) except i really want to make this happen!

So tomorrow im going shopping and need to know what the best vegetables and fruits i should buy to eat everyday? As i want to lose weight and become healthy?

Also if you have any suggestions as to what i could eat for dinner?

P.S; Im a vegetarian..

Thanks people!

apples r healthy and good 4 ur teeth bonus!

What is the best way to dry seeds from squashes and other veggies ?

Can you tell me how the best way is to dry seeds from some of my own veggies? I harvested Banana squash, acorn squash, zuchini. Please help. I do not think I am doing right right now. Thanks.

I clean off the plant residue and lay mine out in a single layer and let air dry ,these are for planting next year,then store them in paper envelopes not plastic to prevent mold from setting in and store them in the refrigerator in the butter compartment.For eating i put them on a baking sheet and roast them with margarine and salt in a 200 degrees oven till dry.Hope this helps

What is the best website for buying heirloom tomato seeds?

What is the best website for buying heirloom tomato seeds? I don’t want to go with Henry Field’s or Gurney’s. I had terrible luck with them last year and I haven’t forgiven them yet. I want a site with a lot of options and a good reputation.

This will be my first year growing all Heirlooms. I ended up with a nice list of companies that sell Heirlooms. Let me list them for you……most of them have paper catalogs, some refuse to and have online ones only. My fav of all time so far is Fedco. The prices are amazing, the selections is also, and for me they are pretty local. So here is a list for you to shop at.

Fedco (my fav)
Botanical Interest Seeds
Amish Land Seeds
Johny’s Selected Seeds
Rene’s Garden Seed
Baker’s Creek
High Mowing Seeds (another one I ended up liking so far)
Seed Savers Exchange (a bit expensive, but worth it)
New Hope Seed Co
Territorial
Tomato Fest Seeds
Heriloom Seeds
Pine Tree Seeds

Just remember not to deal with any company who is run by Monsanto. Greedy money grubbing companies who want to control what we all eat…not a good thing.

Good luck with your garden this year, happy growing

Which perennial flower would grow best in a small space?

and which one is the easiest? i haven’t really grown anything from a seed before. i live in the bay area (near san jose and san francisco). which one would grow the best?

rhododendron
daylily
butterfly bush
lilac
yarrow
thanks in advance.

Daylily. 100% Daylily. I myself live in California, and i know, cause i grow these myself.

Here are a few things you should know about day lilies…
-Daylilies are sold in bulbs not in seeds so there is a fast approach, because they grow fast.
-Daylilies are available in a wide variety of colors and shapes, so express your self!
-Daylilies are cheap, reliable because they grow in poor soil, excellent soil (best of course) and they love to be grown in water. So they could be considered a bog plant as well.
-Daylilies are very quick growers and multiply very fast, so you will have many many more plants to come, if you divide them.
-Daylilies are deer resistant (Not that you have to worry about them)
-Daylilies are excellent in containers and container gardens
-Daylilies love sun. The more you give them sun, the more flowers they will give you.

-Yarrow
Yarrow is also nice, and is considered a weed in some places due to its fantastic ability to grow practically overnight, that is in hot climates. But in colder and more humid San Fransisco, this guy is not something you want to turn to.

-Lilac
A beautiful edition to any garden. But growing lilac from seed is labor intensive time consuming and the sees sprout in 2-6 months. If you buy potted lilac, boy are you in for a treat. If you can find a Yellow Hybrid variety, you want to get with that. It loves humidity, and dose exceptionally well in a colder climate. And on top of that i find they are more fragrant. And they attract the beautiful humming birds, and butterfly’s

-Butterfly Bush
Again this plant is a pain in the but to grow from seed. If you buy it potted it would be much better. But Butterfly bush will rarely bloom in San Fransisco, due to the cold climate. It likes scorching sun, and hot climates. So i would stay away from them unless you really like there form and the foliage.

-Rhododendron
Again a time consuming plant to grow from seed. But it is also available in tuberous in a few verities. In San Francisco it is too cold to grow this plant. It is considered a tropical plant, and even then, it isn’t the easiest to grow. You could grow this indoors, a-lot of motivation though.