Gardening is a great way of spending some quality time during which you get to exercise your mind and body.  The only thing that detracts from the pleasure of gardening has to afford paying for costly gardening tools.  There is a lot of truth in the saying ‘horticulture is a job done for love and not money.’  This saying has however made many a gardener go out and buy cheap gardening tools because they believed (quite erroneously of course) that the saying ‘the cheaper the better’ held true even when it concerned shopping for gardening tools.  Don’t do it!

This tendency to buy cheap has held a lot of attraction for many gardeners though today things have changed.  Gardeners today are far more averse to the idea that buying cheap gardening tools is sound practice, so more gardeners are going out and purchasing the best tools that they can afford.  The quality of tools will justify the expense for years to come.

To purchase quality garden tools, sacrifice in other areas
As a gardener you need to be very committed to doing the best that you can and if it means foregoing your beers in order to afford a good quality gardening tool, then so be it.  It is just not a good idea to buy a cheap gardening tool because the darned thing just will not last – even if you are considering using items such as secateurs and shovels as well as picks shears and loppers.

Without a doubt, the main reason why you should not buy a cheap gardening tool is that it will not last and will in most probability be hard to sharpen and rarely will it cut in a clean and efficient manner.  The worst that can happen to a person that buys a cheap gardening tool is that when using it they might need to use more force than they should and this excessive force when applied can lead to injuries.

People that have made the mistake of buying a cheap gardening tool have often had to spend more time replacing parts than actually putting the gardening tool to good use. What’s even more disturbing about using a cheap gardening tool is that the cost in terms of impact on the environment is also astounding because you will be discarding far too many cheap gardening tools and this will lead unwanted and detrimental effects on the environment. So, if you can, then go out and pay a little extra and use only good quality gardening tools.

Buying a garden tool carrier is a good idea. You can use such a carrier for your personal needs or you can gift it to someone that loves gardening and if you pick the right product it will also you for many years and be of immense help in helping you to keep all your tools safely.

Thе rising cost оf living, depleting energy resources, аnd а concern fоr thе health оf оur planet, hаѕ mаnу people lооkіng fоr а wау tо bесоmе self-sufficient whіlе аlѕо protecting thе earth fоr future generations.  Many of these back-yard farmers are utilizing organic gardening principles in their approach.

Families аrе bесоmіng mоrе conscientious оut оf а desire tо create а bеttеr quality оf life fоr thеmѕеlvеѕ аnd thеіr children, аnd tо build а world wіth healthier food, cleaner air, uncontaminated water, аnd аn equitable аnd efficient uѕе оf resources.

Permaculture, derived frоm permanent agriculture, wаѕ fіrѕt introduced bу Australians Bill Mollison аnd David Holmgren, аnd іѕ based оn thе premise thаt individuals ѕhоuld bе trained tо design thеіr оwn environments аnd create а sustainable form оf agriculture thаt reduces thе uѕе оf resources аnd protects local ecosystems. Thе goal іѕ fоr individuals tо bе аblе tо provide thеіr оwn food, energy, аnd shelter wіthоut damaging thе environment thrоugh poisonous chemicals оr industrial pollution.  Permaculture aims tо create а society whоѕе people аrе аblе tо survive, аnd еvеn thrive, thrоugh аnу climate сhаngеѕ оr economic difficulties thаt arise.

Althоugh permaculture focuses оn building healthy societies аnd communities, individuals саn apply thе ѕаmе basic principles tо thеіr оwn homes, bringing ecologically balanced environments аnd sustainable living tо thеіr оwn backyards.   Permaculture gardens аrе designed tо produce fruits аnd vegetables, edible plants, аnd herbs fоr cooking аnd medicinal uses. In addition, thеу аrе аlѕо meant tо attract аnd shelter wildlife ѕuсh аѕ birds, small animals, аnd beneficial insects.  Flowering аnd aromatic plants contribute tо а beautiful аnd appealing environment conducive tо meditation аnd relaxation. And ѕіnсе nature functions thе wау іt wаѕ intended, thеrе іѕ nо nееd fоr chemicals ѕuсh аѕ pesticides оr herbicides.

Wildlife feed оn pests, harmful insects аrе controlled bу beneficial ones, аnd earthworms work soil.  Humans аnd nature work іn harmony tо create аn environment thаt іѕ bоth productive аnd sustainable.   A typical permaculture garden wіll follow а basic keyhole design, meaning thаt а majority оf thе beds аrе horseshoe shaped аnd easily accessible frоm thе center.  All аvаіlаblе space іѕ used, wіth а focus оn vertical gardening аnd raised beds thаt саn bе reached frоm аll sides. Sometimes, creative patterns аrе employed, but thеrе іѕ аlwауѕ аn emphasis оn efficient uѕе оf space аnd lіttlе waste.  Anу garden waste produced іѕ recycled, аnd natural kitchen compost іѕ uѕеd аѕ fertilizer tо nourish аnd build uр thе soil.  And, ѕіnсе permaculture gardens аrе generally nоt vеrу large, thеу саn еvеn bе implemented оn smaller urban properties.

Permaculture gardening works tо create а design thаt wіll bе thе mоѕt productive whіlе requiring thе lеаѕt amount оf input. Bу reducing thе uѕе оf natural resources аnd building аn environment thаt nееdѕ lіttlе time, money, energy, оr water, families саn bесоmе self-sufficient wіthоut causing harm tо thеmѕеlvеѕ оr thе world аrоund them. In uncertain times, permaculture gardening рrоvіdеѕ fоr а secure future bу nоt оnlу meeting аn individual’s nееdѕ but аlѕо renewing оr enriching thе environment fоr thе nеxt generation.

If you have not been in a grocery store lately, then you are missing a huge trend.  You would have to be living under a rock to have not heard about the organic movement.  Even the USDA has gotten into the organic farming trend and is pushing for more farmers to try this sensible and sensitive approach to gardening.

The benefits are far more than the vegetables that reach your table.  You might be surprised to learn how beneficial gardening organically can be to the environment and your health.

Commercial and organic gardening differ.  The first is in the use of pesticides. Agricultural research has led to heartier crops but has also led to the use of pesticides that may not be healthy for people in the long run.  Even the animals raised commercially are often pumped full of chemicals to make them grow faster and develop more muscle and fat.  Organic farmers do not use these methods, instead opting to grow plants and animals naturally without hormones or pesticides.

The ban on genetically altered crops is fairly recent.  The other ban on pesticides and chemicals goes back to the 1930s.  Even then some researchers were discovering links to illness through the overwhelming use of sprays and chemicals.  Many small growers stopped using these chemicals.  It was not only beneficial to the people eating the crops but it was also beneficial to the environment.  Chemical run off is a huge problem with fields.  The chemicals are sprayed onto the crops and then the chemicals seep into the soil and are washed away.  The polluted water makes its way into streams and lakes where it can affect millions of people.  Local farmers who have chosen to grow their crops organically may lose a certain percentage of their crops to pests but they are saving the environment around them in a huge way.

There is a lot of information on the internet and in your local library about organic gardening.  You may never pick up a hoe in your life but you can still read all you can about this healthy lifestyle.  And it really is a lifestyle because you have to reexamine your life and eating habits completely. It is a way of life dedicated to helping people live longer and healthier without the use of chemicals or hormones in their food.

Regular members of the National Home Gardening Club receive the Gardening How To Magazine, the ability to test new (free) gardening products, full access to the club website, a chance to win club giveaways, gardening tips from other members, professional answers to your gardening questions, free gifts, newsletters, books and videos. Life members of the gardening club receive all the same things as regular members, but with lifetime access. They’ll also get a Life Member ID card, key-ring, gardening mat, gloves and gifts valued at $165. Premier Life Members receive all the benefits of regular life members, plus get a $45 gift certificate to www.createmycookbook.com, discounts from retailers, a free hotline with answers from a gardening expert, discounts on club seminars and garden events, free online vegetable/herb garden planning service for one year and travel discounts.

Some members love the National Home Gardening Club for its members-only garden contests. For instance, their Photo Contest asked members to send in three of their best garden photo shots (plant portraits, borders, beds, garden structures and scenes). Winners could receive a pair of Swift 825 Eaglet Binoculars from Swift Sport Optics (valued at $530), The AeroGarden (valued at $209), a $100 gift card from Lee Valley Tools, or Terra Cycle fertilizers, wild bird seed, deer repellent and flower pots (valued at $75). The “Pruned to Perfection” contest asked members to send in their best pruning photos and stories. Three winners won a $289 Fiskers prize package that included a Power Gear Bypass Pruner, Power Gear Hedge Shears, Telescoping Pruning Stick, Power Gear Bypass Lopper, Gardening Multi Tool, Power-Pivot Grass Shears, Garden Knife, 10 Gallon Kangaroo and a 3-piece Scratch Tool set.

However, most life members of the National Home Gardening Club will tell you they joined for the friendships. “Honestly, it is the people that make the site,” one member writes. Some avid gardeners talk about sharing their gardening experiences with people they met on the site over ten years ago. There are many active members from around the country on the club’s website, especially in places like Florida, Kentucky, Michigan, New York, Oklahoma and Texas, which have from 137 to 646 topics each. The “Seed Swap” section in the forum is pretty hopping too, with over 2,009 topics. Whether you’re looking for orange cosmos, cotton, red yucca, tropical hibiscus, cacti, sweet pea, peter peppers, pink columbine or roses, you will find them here for free! Just send some of your extra seeds in return! This club has its rewards if you are interested in these activities.

There are numerous types and kinds of gardening that gardeners typically use.  A couple are:

• Ecological gardening is a novel technique of gardening and allows the gardener to truly bond with Mother Nature.

• Container gardening is a good way to lighten and reinforce your place and your out-of-doors area.  Plant boxes like clay urns, metal pans, terra cotta pots, wine tubs, wood boxes, bath tubs, glass bowls, wire baskets, sisal rope planters, cement hollows and so on, are often used for growing.

Ecological gardening needs much more attention and involvement in the entire process.  When you grow the plants organically, you don’t want to add any synthetic or chemicals to the soil to avoid their detrimental health effects. Natural compost springs from plant, fruit or kitchen waste and doesn’t contain any harmful chemical insecticides in it.

After you choose what kind of gardening you need to do, prepare your garden spot and soil for planting. You will need to extract all weeds, grass, stones, etc using numerous gardening supplies or herbicides. When this is finished, you can plow the planting area and add nutriments like dung, compost, peat or sand to the soil. If your soil is too sandy, you ‘ll need to add compost to give it the mandatory nutriments it requires.

Gardening supplies are necessary for good gardening.
They make gardening simple, and there are particular gardening supplies that gardeners find essential, including gloves, spade, scissors, pruners, levelers and so on. Make efforts to buy top quality gardening materials for simple use such as gardening gloves made from top quality leather, and gardening spades or pruners made from chrome steel. Getting cheap equipment or supplies may save you money in the short term, but will ultimately cost you extra money in replacement costs, or additional effort.

If you want a healthy lush garden, you need to implement a natural composting program.  Putting chemicals into the soil will only harm your garden in the long-run.

Many people have difficulties with growing healthy plants or trees.  They following correct instructions in watering and planting, but just can’t seem to get things to improve.  We may have some suggestions that can help.

First of all, if you are frustrated with your landscape because you seem to be in a never-ending battle of weeds, insects or sicknesses, the problem may not be what you think.   When battling difficulties with plants, many gardeners have been “programmed” to run to the local farm store and purchase chemicals to flood their plants. They purchase weed and pest killers to spray on their plants, not considering the potential harm this will ultimately cause their garden and their health.

Many times, the plant problem is not due to insects or illnesses, but rather, the poor soil the plants are growing in. With the poor soil comes feeble and unhealthy plants that are likely to get insect or illness issues. Adding additional chemical based fertilizers, weed killers, and insect sprays, will only complicate the problem for years to come.

Our approach is to first look at natural solutions to resolving the problems. If we determine our soil is the difficulty, we suggest a treatment of adding a healthy compost mix.

Anytime is a wonderful time to add compost.

Compost is made from rich organic material, which is vital to growing healthy and successful plants. It is the result of a natural activity of rot and recycling of materials such as leaves and twigs. All over the planet, in each meadow, forest and wetland, composting is happening to improve plant growth and production.

Composting is nature-generated process and function, but can be a direct result of human intervention for the purposes of increased yield and soil improvements.

Some of the benefits of composting include:

• The major advantage of composting is that it ties water and nutrient elements in reserve, freeing them when plants need it the most.

• Utilizing compost is a cheap way to improve the soil.
• Compost cuts the necessity to fertilize since it’s loaded in plant nutrient elements and slowly discharges them over a period of time, and by not being forced to replace plants each year and the expenses connected with plants that die due to poor soils.

• Plant crops tests indicate that Humic Acid, even in low concentrations, produces healthy, lush plants.

There are a few paths to make good compost. Regardless of whether you purchase a compost can or build one from wood pallets or concrete blocks, here are some pointers that should help you get going:

1. A compost pile should be roughly three feet tall and three feet wide.
2. All items going into the compost pile should be wet. When the yard waste is dry when added, it’ll cut back the decomposition process.
3. Layers of the yard waste should be applied using different components of the yard waste. To give a well-balanced blend and create a strong compost, you will want to add diverse elements to your compost. For example, you will want to add a layer of grass clippings, then a layer of leaves, etc.
4. Keep your compost turned. To turn a compost pile isn’t necessarily a comprehensive task, unless you are in a major rush. By turning the compost pile it will accelerate the decomposition process.
5. The finalized product compost can be applied to a new or an established garden or landscape. If you’re still planning your project, be certain to add lots of compost onto your soil before you plant.
6. Compost, over the course of time, will integrate itself with your current soil. The stronger your composting program, the healthier your soil. There is usually no necessity to replace soil or add chemicals. Natural composting will improve your soil and add nutrients that are vital to plant growth.
7. It does not make any difference if your soil is sandy, clay, or rock, adding compost will improve it. To top-dress a longtime landscape, you are able to add a layer of compost directly to the top of the existing soil.
8. If you have established plants, add one – two inches of compost all round the plant. The plants will still get the advantages of the humic acid and other vital plant nutriments extravagantly found in compost. The plants and landscape will reward you with a lush, healthy expansion. In addition, it will help give your plants a stronger natural resistance to insects and diseases.

Those with little gardening experience will often opt to transplant annuals that have already been grown at a nursery. This is a quick-fix garden for the front yard if you’re hurrying to catch up with the neighbors. You may also try container gardening from seed as an experiment. Once the containers fill with blooms, you can bring them out to the front yard. Some people garden rather extensively with containers and place them all next to one another, so you see a full garden, rather than the individual pots. Petunias, marigolds, begonias, geraniums, impatiens, pansies, petunias and salvia are popular varieties. A good place to start is at www.backyardgardener.com/annual/index.html, where you can learn which annuals will endure in cold weather, endure in heat, grow in poor soil, have a short bloom season, can be sown in the fall and are best for your soil type.

If you’re up for more of a challenge when growing a garden, or if you just don’t want to deal with replanting every season, then you can try perennial flower gardening. A perennial flower typically lives for three to five seasons before needing to be replaced. Most perennials bloom for just one to three weeks once a year, so timing is everything when growing plants like these. Popular perennials include lilies, asters, chrysanthemums, daisies, columbine, coral bells, foxglove, gladioluses, hibiscuses, hostas, hyacinths, larkspurs, poppies, primroses, sunflowers, verbenas and violets. Longer blooming perennials can last two to four months, which include yarrow, bellflower,red valerian, gaillardia (blanket flowers), fringed bleeding hearts, blazing stars, black-eyed Susan, spiderworts, stonecrops and pin cushion flowers.

An important part of growing a garden successfully is also growing the right flowers in the right places. There are sun flowers, shade flowers and partial sun/shade flowers to consider. For a shade garden, consider begonias, hellebore, violets, hostas, bleeding hearts, columbine, impatiens, violas and torenias. For full sun, consider perennial salvias, threadleaf coreopsis, cosmos, dahlias, petunias, sweet peas, zinnias, geraniums and daylilies. For part-sun or part-shade, include pansies, sapphire flowers, creeping zinnias, lobelia, browallia, coleus or floss flowers. By understanding garden design, you should be able to put together a wonderful assortment of color and variety.

Correct planting is essential to help get your seeds bulbs and other plants growing. It is a good idea to place the plants on top of the ground first when planting new gardens or filling in gaps. This way you can see whether the plants fit into the area and with the other surrounding greenery and plants. This gives you a chance to change your mind and saves a lot of extra work!

Always make sure to check the labels for plant size and dimensions to ensure you have chosen a suitable spot. Visualize the plant at its size when fully grown, to determine whether it may obstruct other plants or create too much shade, which can restrict growth.

As a rule, you should dig a hole twice the width of the plant and slightly deeper than the length of the pot. After turning the plant upside down, gently tap it out of the pot. Place the planting in the center of the hole. Pack the hole with a good mix of compost or backfill it with soil. Water it well.

A long soaking of water is more beneficial to a new planting than a light watering, since a soak encourages the plant’s root system to find cooler temperatures in the ground water. A light sprinkling tends to cause the roots to stay on the surface of the soil. There are many excellent sprinklers on the market that help restrict the water to certain areas. In cooler months, water doesn’t evaporate as quickly, and you may find your garden does not require watering as often.

Weeds are probably one of a gardeners most disliked plants. Weeding is tedious and annoying, but remember that a small weed problem is likely to be twice as big a problem the following week, and therefore twice as much work. By keep your new planting beds well weeded, it will not only look better but your plants won’t be competing for food and water. Weeds tend to harbor many unwanted pests too, so if you use weed control chemicals, then ensure that they do not come in contact with your plants.

Some gardeners will assume it is a little late to be talking about composting.  The truth is, it is never too late to discuss the importance of composting and how to get started.  I met a family yesterday that have just moved to a new land and are looking to prepare for a fall garden.  They will be building their garden support system now.  For them, and countless others, let’s look at how to build a composting bin…

Composting is a method of recycling back the organic substance and nutrients into the soil and this is also an excellent way to cut down large collection of garbage.  Composting is normally done in two ways: indoor composting and outdoor composting and people with garden and backyards can go for outdoor composting.  For the outdoor composting, compost bin is very important and there are many cost effective way to create the bin.   The first important thing to consider is to find a suitable place to place the compost bin in the yard and it is highly recommended that compost bin should be placed close to the garden.

The required materials to make the compost bin are welded wire fencing, ties or nylon string, branches, twigs, organic waste such as food scraps, weeds, fresh grass clippings, dried leaves, shredded paper, and coffee grounds.  The welded wire fencing should be at least 36 inches height and the edge of the fences should be properly cut and filed to avoid the sharp edges, sometimes the edge can be duct taped.  Then, the fence can be rounded in the cylindrical form and should be kept in the place that is really convenient, level, shady, and has proper drainage facility.  Now, simple layer of twigs and branches should be arranged at the bottom of the bin with proper air flow inside the bin.

After this, 6 inches of shredded paper, dried leaves, or saw dust should be laid and above this the left over organic waste material should be laid.   After the organic waste layer, a layer of shredded paper or dried leaves should be laid and one should always remember that the kitchen waste should be completely buried under the dried leaves.  The layering of organic wastes and dried leaves should be continued until the bin becomes full and every time while adding these materials, air flow should be increased by fluffing.   If the added substances are very dry, then little water can be added to keep it damp and the care should be taken to avoid sogginess.

The composting time can be speed up by turning the pile upside down and this can also be repeated.  The composting can be completed in a year by turning the bin once in spring and once in fall.  The compost is ready to harvest when it becomes rich, brown color soil, and the harvest can be simply done by removing the fence.  The fence can be assembled again to start the process once again.

If you are wondering how organic farming differs from regular farming, then you should know that it is in two main areas. First, no chemical pesticides are used. Secondly, there is an agreement not to use genetically modified plants or animals. Agricultural research has advanced many different varieties of crops and has helped animals grow larger faster but not enough is known about whether or not there are lasting consequences associated with these advances.

The ban on genetically altered crops is fairly recent. The other ban on pesticides and chemicals goes back to the 1930s. Even then some researchers were discovering links to illness through the overwhelming use of sprays and chemicals. Many small growers stopped using these chemicals. It was not only beneficial to the people eating the crops but it was also beneficial to the environment. Chemical run off is a huge problem with fields. The chemicals are sprayed onto the crops and then the chemicals seep into the soil and are washed away. The polluted water makes its way into streams and lakes where it can affect millions of people. Local farmers who have chosen to grow their crops organically may lose a certain percentage of their crops to pests but they are saving the environment around them in a huge way.

If you are not quite convinced that organic farming is right for you as a farmer, then you may need to seek out additional information. The USDA can provide you with guidelines for growing organically and can let you know the strict criteria for labeling a crop as organic. It may just seem like a passing trend to you initially but eventually you will come to realize how vast the organic movement is and how passionate people are for produce and crops that they can consume without worry.  Making the switch will not be easy but it will be rewarding.

Take a look at our Organic Farming Guide