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Ben Evert.com

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Archive for the ‘Gardening’ Category

Author: Clint Sidney

Vegetable gardening can be very stimulating. If you are just
planning to have you own organic garden, here is a vegetable
gardening guide to help you along with the new pastime and get
you started. First you need a space at your disposal, if you are
an apprentice it is advisable not to start with a big space. You
must begin with a single raised bed of 9'x12'. Then as you learn
all about organic gardening, you can add number of beds to dwell
upon.

Prepare the bed early in the season then it is time to sow, you
can first plant the kind of vegetable which your family needs.
This doesn't mean you have to supply vegetable for your family
for the whole year. Be contented with small achievement that you
can little by little increase. You can search the internet, read
gardening books and catalogues to assist you in deciding on what
kind of vegetable to grow in certain time of the year or season.

The next significant step you must do after planting is
uprooting the weeds surrounding your crop. Weeds are obstacle in
making your vegetables grow healthy. You have to hoe on a
regular basis even if you do not see weeds among the plants.
Avoid walking on the beds. Another method to exterminate weeds
is by mulching. Organic mulches like pine needles, grass and
straw are advisable to use, you just apply it when the soil is
wet. You can preserve the dampness of the soil as well as
enhance the temperature through mulching.

Another important aspect in vegetable gardening is watering the
plants. Frequent watering supports root formation, steadiness of
the plants and revival of nutrients. It is best to put in
sprinkles or drip irrigation. It is essential and a must for
seeds and transplants to be watered every day. Water the plants
before it withered.

The last thing to deal with is the problem with pest and
diseases. You should never use pesticides for the basic reason
that they terminate bugs that are useful too along with the
damaging ones. The common strategy to overcome this trouble is
to grow other plants along with your main crop. You can plant
onions and garlic together with carrots. Grow flowering plants
around the beds because it draws beneficial insects.

Hope this vegetable gardening guide will be of great help in
creating your own organic vegetable garden. You can also learn
more from browsing the internet, by reading books on gardening
or talking about it with neighbors. Have fun on building your
own garden.

About the author:
Clint Sidney is a gardening enthusiast and enjoys giving
information about Vegetable Gardening Guide. You can learn more about
gardening at GreatGardener.eHelpsho
me.com
.

Planting Garlic

Posted by ben On May - 16 - 20101 COMMENT
Garlic can be planted from fall to early spring, although hardneck varieties prefer to be in the ground during a cold winter.

Garlic grows best in deep, fertile well-drained soil. To plant, separate the cloves from each bulb and place pointy end up 1-2 inches below the surface of the soil and about 3-4 inches apart. Mulch the area and keep the garlic moist.

Garlic will be ready to harvest in summer when the flower stalks of hardneck garlic stand up straight or when the leaves of softneck garlic begin to turn yellow. Allow garlic to dry for several weeks before storing or using in your cooking.

Read More: Celebrate National Garlic Month - Vegetable Gardener

Spring Garden Vegetables

Posted by ben On May - 9 - 20102 COMMENTS
n addition to the four new vegetables being added to the White House garden, there’s a nice variety of spring greens, onions and peas.

* Red Romaine lettuce
* Geen Oak Leaf lettuce
* Spinach
* Sugar Snap Pea
* Butterhead lettuce
* Fennel
* Red Oak Leaf lettuce
* Radishes
* Shallot
* Shell peas
* Broccoli
* Onion
* Chard
* Kale
* Collards
* Carrots
* Rhubarb

Read More: Hail to the Peas - Vegetable Gardener


How To Grow Lemon Balm

Posted by ben On May - 2 - 20101 COMMENT
Lemon balm is easy to grow from seed, rooted cuttings, or by root division. It prefers light soil, but will adapt if some amendments are worked into heavier clay soils; soil should also be fairly fertile and well balanced. Balm thrives in full sun but can be grown in partially shaded areas. (The cultivars ‘All Gold’ and ‘Aurea’ have variegated and yellow foliage, and need some shade since the full hot sun tends to burn them.)

A member of the mint family, balm looks and grows much like mint, though it does not send runners. It will compete for space and is best planted next to other vigorous perennials that will hold their own against this sweet, yet invasive herb. Balm grows from 2 to 2-1/2 feet tall, bushing out laterally, so give each plant 2 feet all around.

Trim plants to help maintain their handsome bushy appearance. The hardy root system will survive the coldest winters if the plants are well mulched.

Read More: Herbal Harbingers of Spring: Lemon Balm - Vegetable Gardener


Not much. Truthfully, it depends on the types of veggies you want to grow and how many. But you'll want to know what you have to work with before you choose your vegetable seeds or seedlings. For example, if your kids really want to grow giant pumpkins, a good-sized part of the yard or a large raised bed could easily be devoted to pumpkins. But, one thing is for sure, you absolutely do not need what is referred to to as "land" to plant a vegetable garden. Not even close.


Read More At: Vegetable Gardener


Starting Rosemary From A Clipping

Posted by ben On April - 16 - 2010ADD COMMENTS


Rosemary is usually propagated by cuttings. Seeds can be difficult to germinate and often don't grow true to their parent. It's much faster to start with a cutting and you will be sure of what type of plant you will get. It's possible to root rosemary in a glass of water, but a bit more effort will give more dependable results.


Snip about a 2 inch cutting from the soft, new growth of an established plant.


Remove the leaves from the bottom inch and dip that tip into a rooting hormone. Rooting hormones can be found in any garden center.


Carefully place the dipped end into a container of dampened, sterile seed starting mix. Choose a mix that says it is well draining, like something containing peat moss and vermiculite or perlite.


Place the container in a warm spot with indirect sunlight.


Mist the cuttings daily and make sure the soil does not dry out.


In about 2-3 weeks, test for root growth by very gently tugging on the cuttings.


Once your cuttings have roots, transplant into individual pots about 3-4 inches in diameter.
Pinch off the very top of the cutting to encourage it to develop branches.


Begin caring for your cutting as a rosemary plant.


Source: About.com


5 Spring Vegetables That Like Cool Weather

Posted by ben On April - 9 - 2010ADD COMMENTS
Asparagus
Lettuce
Peas
Rhubarb
Spinach

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