Garden Design World

Clematis

2009-01-23T04:59:00.000-08:00

Very Special Offer UK ONLY

Young Named Clematis Plants
Ready For Delivery From June

10 Named Large Flowered Hybrids (3 months Old)
£ 4.50 + £ 3.70 Postage & Packaging
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10 Named Montana & Species Types (3 months Old)
£ 4.00 + £ 3.70 Postage & packaging

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Don’t Lose Those Valuable Crops To Our Feathered Friends.

2008-11-20T23:29:00.000-08:00

If you grown fruit, the only way to make sure that you enjoy the crop rather than the birds is to erect a permanent fruit cage. Ideally, its best to consider the area to be planted, build the cage and then plant within its limits. But if you already have trees and bushes, it is possible to build round them, although it may not be as convenient.

Ideally, the structure should not only be high enough to accommodate the trees and bushes but also provide sufficient headroom for you to work inside it- around 7ft. high. You can buy ready made metal frames, but it is possible to build a structure using wooden posts and battens.

If birds are the only problem, the whole structure can be covered with plastic netting, but this doesn’t deter rabbits which nibble the bark during winter. The sides should be supplemented by sufficient wire netting which can be sunk into the ground for a few inches and bent outwards some 6-8 in. from the base so that rabbits can’t dig and burrow underneath it.

Each netting should be no larger than a 3-4in. mesh so that small birds can’t get through. The roof is best made from plastic mesh because if rain drops off metal on to the bushes it could contain toxic chemicals such as zinc which would contaminate the crops.

There are certain times of the year when the roof should be removed-during winter when heavy falls of snow are forecast, as the weight could damage it and to allow pollinating insects in, as they will avoid the mesh. In order to remove the netting easily, its best to attach it to the sides so it can be easily rolled up and removed as and when required.

If you only have one or two bushes, it is possible to erect a temporary structure with canes, wire and netting. But make sure if birds do land on it, they can’t reach the fruit by pecking through the mesh. It’s also important to peg the netting down round the bottom so that they can’t get underneath it.
Strawberries can be protected by using simple wire hoops, covering them with a net in much the same way as you would use polythene to make a tunnel cloche. One final tip is always protect your fruit before if ripens, because once the birds have tasted ripe fruit they will be far more determined to get a second bite at the cherry!

Trevor Dalley has been growing and preserving his own fruit for 40 year, most of the preserves are sold in his Organic Farm Shops in Herefordshire England. Did you find those tips on Organic Food a way of Life useful? You can find out more at NEW! Guide to Organic Cooking! - The Healthy Way of Living!

Poppies Worth Picking

2008-10-31T23:54:00.000-07:00

We’ve all seen the red glow of poppies in summer fields, but how much do we know about other varieties?
Our own native field poppy, or Papaver rhoeas to give It’s correct name, is a common plant. Occasionally one sees a cornfield adlaze with beilliant red poppies, although after roadworks the disturbed ground can present a lovely sight with poppies in all their glory.
The named varieties of this plant, Shirley Poppies are some of our most popular and colourful hardy annuals. The Rev W. Wilks made his first selections from Papaver rhoeas well over 100 years ago, after which this famous poppy strain was introduced.
Nowadays, we have many fine selections available. One of my favourites is the delightful Shirley Single Mixed, with a range of colours edged with vanilla. Look out also for Shirley Double Mixed with its fine colour selection.
The Shirley poppies grow to 24in. high, the flowers moving in the slightest breeze, appearing in early summer. Another variety of Papaver rhoeas, smaller in status, is Fairy Wings, often listed as Mother of Pearl. These grow to 10-14in.
One of the most eye catching of the annual poppies is P. commutatum Lady Bird, with single crimson blooms and a very pronounced black blotch. Even more distinctive is Danish Flag, producing large, blood-red flowers with a white cross in the centre, hence its name. The large blooms have a fringed edge.
Danish Flag poppies are undoubtedly one of the most spectacular annual poppies available, a group of these in full bloom really stands out in the front of a border. They withstand wind and rain well.
The huge fully double, deeply frilled blooms of Papaver laciniatum are available in five separate colours. My favourite is the crimson and the lovely Swansdown White are equally as attractive.
The larger peony-flowered poppies, seeds of which you’ll find on the cover this week, have been grown for a great many years and are still as popular as ever. The large, double blooms have exceptionally bueatiful crumpled petals and are available in a rich mixture of colours, including pinks, reds, salmon and white. Much loved by flower arrangers for its large, bulbous flat-topped seed heads is P somniferum, commonly known as Hen and Chickens. It produces distinctive pale gray foliage, which is smooth and deeply lobed, and flowers of purple, red, pink and white.
The brilliantly coloured Iceland Poppies, P. nudicaule, are often treated as a half-hardy annual. There are several strains of this poppy available, among them Iceland Dwarf Mixed, a rich mixture of colours reaching 24in.
Some new varieties are available from seed merchants, the best that we can recommend is Red Sails, the individual rich-red blooms of this variety can reach 5in. across and it is generally regarded as the largest Iceland poppy yet.
They are also suitable for cutting, and should be gathered when just showing colour: immediately after cutting seal the ends of the stems by dipping them in boiling water.
These flamboyant poppies are easily grown from seed. The true annual varieties are sown in mid-spring where they are to flower, in shallow drills or by broadcasting seed as thinly as possible. Thin the seedlings when large enough to handle.
The Shirley Poppies do not usually require supporting, but regular dead heading will prevent unwanted self seeding. Iceland poppies should be sown under glass in early spring. When seedlings are large enough to handle, prick them out into boxes 1in. apart. They should then be treated as half hardy annuals growing them on and hardening them off before planting them out into their flowering positions.
The true annual poppies can also be sown outdoors in September to flower earlier in the following year. There are many splendid types, not to mention the hardy perennial types, the orientals and new pizzicato mixture with their kaleidoscope of colours.
The f1 hybrid Summer Breeze is a perennial, but can also be treated as an annual, producing its graceful blooms in shades of orange, yellow and white for several weeks. The lovely, clear eye-catching flowers are held over deep cut feathery foliage.

Trevor Dalley has been growing and preserving his own fruit for 40 year, most of the preserves are sold in his Organic Farm Shops in Herefordshire England. Did you find those tips on Organic Food a way of Life useful? You can find out more at NEW! Guide to Organic Cooking! - The Healthy Way of Living!

Knowing your flowering Onions

2008-10-31T23:53:00.000-07:00

Knowing your flowering Onions
Onions are not just good for eating, they flower well too.
I like onions in any shape or form, not just the ones we eat, but also those that provide us with colour in the flower garden with their decorative heads.
I have several of these ornamental onions dotted around the borders, some of which can be eaten, although they don’t all have a pleasant flavour, so I prefer to leave them and enjoy the flower
However, I use chives in both ways, the green shoots to flavour salads and as a garnish, but latter they produce small, purplish flower heads which are quite attractive as well as being edible.
The first onion I planted in my garden was Allium albopilosum, which has had a name change and is now known as A. christophii. I planted them, along with all the other spring flowering bulbs, in the autumn, to a depth twice the diameter of the bulb, in the south-facing border.
My soil is very well drained so there was no need to add grit to improve the drainage, which would be necessary on heavier soils. I added a sprinkling of sterilized bone meal to the surrounding soil and forked it in.
In those days I used to open my garden to the paying public for charity on day a year and this was a plant that always attracted a lot of attention, as it was at its best then, the first week in July.
The large heads are made up of star-shaped flowers, which are a metallic, violet-pink and measure almost 10in. across on stout stems, just over 2ft. high.
At the end of the month they lose some of their colour and turn beige as they form seeds and stay like this right up to the end of the season, when the autumn winds usually blow them over.
Many of the seeds fall onto the soil and the following year I find hundreds of tiny, onion like seedlings coming up. I potted one or two up and nurtured them but it was five years before they were large enough to flower.
Since then have increased my alliums collection, the earliest and shortest growing of which is A. karataviense. The leaves start to appear in early April and even these are quite colourful. I’ve got two clumps, one in full sun and the other which is in the shade for most of the day and its these that are the most attractive.
The backs are purple and the tops are grey-green with purple stripes which are hardly visible on those out in the open, and the reverse is a paler shade of purple.
As each pair of leaves grow, the flower bud is visible down in the centre and the stem gradually grows until it reaches 6-8in. and produces a pinkie purple flower head over 3in. in diameter. Some years its in full flower at the end of April, but if we get a cold spring I have to wait until mid May.
The next one to open is A. Purple Sensation; the length of its stem varies from 30-36in. The reddish purple flowers are more tightly packed than christophii and they aren’t as large, just 4in. across. They keep their colour for about four weeks, starting in mid-May and then they start to run to seed.
A. Aflatunense looks very similar to ‘Purple Sensation’ until you get close to it and see that the 3in. rounded heads are made up of tiny 1in. flowers, which have six purple petals, but these also have protruding, green-tipped stamens.
The length of time they are in flower varies as to where they are planted; those in the tongue-shaped bed in full sun only last for six weeks, but the others that are shaded by shrubs flower for over nine weeks, starting the second weeks in May.
For a change, I’ve also got two white-flowered alliums. A. nigrum produces dome-shaped heads of white flowers, each with a green centre in June, but the petals of this one are more rounded than the others, and A. rosenbachianun ‘Album’ has star-shaped flowers of white.
Both these grow to 2ft. and flower the second half of May and into June. Two of the more unusual alliums in my garden are A. bulgaricum (now known as Nectaroscordum siculum bulgaricum) and A. schubertii. Bulgaricum reaches almost 3ft. in height and carries lots of bell-shaped flowers which are a dull pink with purplish blotch up the centre of each petal on the end of a thin, thin drooping stem.
The spidery flowers of schubertii are rosy red, some on short stems, and others on long. I grow this one in a pot, over wintering it in the greenhouse, and then burying the pot outdoors in spring, as its frost tender.

Trevor Dalley has been growing and preserving his own fruit for 40 year, most of the preserves are sold in his Organic Farm Shops in Herefordshire England. Did you find those tips on Organic Food a way of Life useful? You can find out more at NEW! Guide to Organic Cooking! - The Healthy Way of Living!

Daffs in Demand, Make Sure you get Yours in time

2008-10-31T23:50:00.000-07:00

Garden centres and shops have been caught in an upward spiral of daffodil prices following a surge in worldwide demand. This in turn means, of course, that retail prices this autumn will be correspondingly higher. Tulips, too, are affected, but to a lesser extent.
Trade prices of even the most common varieties of daffodil have taken off, and there are signs that ‘you aint seen nothing yet’; specialist wholesale growers predict that it could take a couple of years for things to settle down.
A combination of factors has brought the situation about. Worldwide retail bulb sales last autumn shot up by over 30%, putting tremendous pressure on home growers who were also confronted by an unprecedented demand from abroad, specially the east coast growers.
Where many small scale daffodil growers have gone to the wall, and the daffodil acreage has declined by about a third. This is not good for our export trade – indeed I gather Britain is now the international daffodil market leader, but the availablility of sufficient supplies to please everyone has taken a further downturn because unfortunate weather conditions have adversely affected our bulb harvest two years running.
Leading suppliers to the garden centre trade, tell me that retail prices of bread and butter varieties can be expected to have risen by 50% when they go on sale this autumn; top grade, less common varieties will cost only 15% more because they would have been selling at premium anyway. So the overall daffodil price pattern may appear to have levelled out.
The worlds biggest daffodil supplier, Winchester Bulb Growers, who farm 600 acres in Cornwall, UK, predict that growers in the UK and abroad will now be encouraged to expand their production acreage, but this will mean taking off the market bulbs that would have gone on retail sale and using them instead for multiplication.
This will in turn compound the problem still further! To cap all that, comes news of a possible breakthrough in the treatment of Alzheimers –the degenerative disease that destroys the mental faculties of millions of sufferers – involving the use of a substance found in the bulbs of snowdrops and yes, daffodils.
According to New Scientist, galanthamine, an alkaloid taken from these bulbs, has helped to stabalise patients for up to a year in early trails of a new treatment. The report recalls that galanthamine was used during the 1950s in the treatment of patients undergoing surgery, and at that time supplies were taken from species of Caucasian snowdrop.
Now the British pharmaceutical company planning clinical trials on 600 patients, has found a strain of daffodils growing in East Anglia UK. The mind boggles at the effect this would have on the market if the trials prove successful.
A flash warning
Some people suggest to me that the electrical and magnetic influences of a violent thunderstorm have the capacity to temporarily stimulate an otherwise flagging garden – as well as affect the mental and physical state of human beings.
I think there is likely to be some truth in both theories, but what I do know for certain is that we are now in the thunderstorm season – and for gardeners, park keepers and agricultural workers in particular, its perhaps a good time to reflect upon the dangers of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
We should all recognise by now that sheltering under tree in a thunderstorm is not a good idea. Its equally important not to be caught out in the middle of a field or other open spaces. If you happen to find yourself totally exposed, then crouch down with your head between your knees and wait for the storm to pass. Ideally, get back to the total safety of your car as soon as possible.

Trevor Dalley has been growing and preserving his own fruit for 40 year, most of the preserves are sold in his Organic Farm Shops in Herefordshire England. Did you find those tips on Organic Food a way of Life useful? You can find out more at NEW! Guide to Organic Cooking! - The Healthy Way of Living!

Hellebores from Seed a Delightful Winter Flowering Plant

2008-10-31T23:49:00.001-07:00

Hellebores are high fashion, specially the newer, better coloured H. orientalis hybrids. This means that the demand for plants of good forms is heavy, in fact out-stripping supply – as these hellebores have proved not amenenable to modern methods for mass production.
Propagation
Tissue culture methods have proven very disappointing to date and growers have been forced back to old fashioned division of plants. Whilst this is fine for gardeners who perhaps really only want to split one plant into three or four, the nurseryman begins to feel frustrated.
However we can all sow seeds, and this is a rewarding experience as many of the best forms will give equally good seedlings with the chance of some really outstanding ones. (once harvested, hellebore seed should be sown as soon as possible).
Now is the time to sow seed of hellebores – they are best sown as soon as possible after harvesting. Summer and Autumn is not the time when seed sowing is necessarily at the front of our minds but if you want good results from hellebore seeds sow as soon as possible.
They can be sown in pots of seed compost, covered with half an inch of compost and then placed outside, perhaps even sunk into the ground to keep moist. Nothing will appear until the end of the year, perhaps just into the new year, when the seedlings will poke through and unfurl their first leaves; a pair of oval, rich-green cotyledons.
At this stage I like to take my pots into the cool greenhouse. They are hardy and will resist the frost but the protection will encourage the seedlings to grow that bit faster. As soon as they begin to produce their first true leaf the pot can be taken out and each seedling carefully extracted; they are best potted up individually.
Most books and other sources suggest that it takes two or three years to get H. orientalis hybrids to flowering size. This is altogether too pessimistic; I expect 85% or more to bloom the first winter after germination. To do this it is best to pot individually early, to repot into 4in. pots when the seedlings are in danger of getting pot boundand then to plant out into permanent quarters in late spring.
Keeping the plants to long in pots is no help, but once planted out they will not want to be moved again unless you want to split them in another two or three years time. Young plants can be given some potash-rich fertiliser, such as Tomato feed. With such favoured treatment it will normally be only the odd plant that does not reach flowering maturity by the first winter.

Trevor Dalley has been growing and preserving his own fruit for 40 year, most of the preserves are sold in his Organic Farm Shops in Herefordshire England. Did you find those tips on Organic Food a way of Life useful? You can find out more at NEW! Guide to Organic Cooking! - The Healthy Way of Living!

Gourmet Collection serves up a selection of favourite kitchen House Plants

2008-10-31T23:47:00.000-07:00

Many hours are spent cooking, eating, washing dishes or chatting and drinking coffee, so it’s vital that your kitchen is a bright, cheerful and welcoming place. What better than houseplants to soften the clinical appearance of stainless steel sinks and ceramic tiles or to blend with the warming colour of wood veneer?
As space on work surfaces is usually limited, choose small or compact, bushy plants displayed on windowsills, shelves, in wall containers or on tables, leaving larger specimens to stand on the floor in corners if space is available.
Don’t put plants where they will obstruct walkways between work areas, as you will be likely to trip or knock them over. If you have a small kitchen, why not have a hanging basket above the sink to take advantage of the humidity created when washing up?
Plants like tradescanthias, asparagus fern, chlorophytum comosum and creeping fig (ficus pumila) will thrive. Growing conditions can vary, specially in a large kitchen where light, temperature and humidity change as a result of the days activities above the sink or near the cooker and kettle, steam makes the air warm and humid like in a rain forest.
The oven, toaster or grill, its like the hot, dry air of a desert but open an outside door or window to let out the steam and the draught is like the wind over the tundra! Because conditions are far from ideal, grow tough, tolerant plants which are cheap and easy to replace, rather than risk delicate exotics.
Ivies and tradescanthias provide all-year-round foliage interest but avoid putting trailing plants on the top of cabinets where they interfere with the cupboard doors. A range of impatiens, pelargoniums, hibiscus rosa-sinensis or cyclamen can by introduced for a temporary splash of colour and if there is enough space, variegated specimen plants like weeping fig (Ficus benjamina).
Chinese evergreen or devil’s ivy brighten up darken corners. Fortunately for us, when grown as a houseplant, devil’s ivy is less exuberant; we only see it in its juvenile condition, at the most 9ft. tall, with small-variegated leaves.
In the kitchen, it should be trained up a moss pole for best effect. The kitchen window is the perfect place for any sickly plant which requires emergency attention. When chemicals are being used to treat those with pests and disease, any spraying should take place elsewhere because of the presence of food.
Kitchen space can also be used to grow your own herbs. Frost tender basil given plenty of light but cool conditions will thrive. Mint, chives, parsley and thyme will grow but will need replacing regularly as they dislike the constant and rapid changes of temperature in the kitchen environment.

Trevor Dalley has been growing and preserving his own fruit for 40 year, most of the preserves are sold in his Organic Farm Shops in Herefordshire England. Did you find those tips on Organic Food a way of Life useful? You can find out more at NEW! Guide to Organic Cooking! - The Healthy Way of Living!

Organic Superfoods can Help Your Children Grow Healthy and Strong

2008-10-18T01:53:00.000-07:00

In an ideal world, children should eat a balanced daily diet of fresh fruit, vegetables, bread, salad, lean meat and fish. Unfortunately, however, children are always in a hurry, so they may miss main meals and snack on unhealthy foods – which, in turn, curbs their appetite for proper meals. Fussy eating, fads, diets, the growing trend for vegetarianism these too can lead to poor nutrition and a damaging effect on young, growing bodies.

For children, their early years are a source of delight as they explore the world around them, discovering its wonders and secrets. And as their minds and personalities grow, their bodies grow too, experiencing remarkable changes in a comparatively short period of time.

These changes make huge demands on young bodies, and, given the vast amount of energy children also use in play, work and activity, its no wonder that they need a constant supply of good Organic food, as well as all the vitamins and minerals needed to ensure healthy growth.

Start them young; it is much easier if you get your children used to and interested in eating good, wholesome food from an early age. By introducing them to a wide variety of healthy Organic food and involving them in their food choices they are more likely to want to eat foods that you want them to.

4-7 year olds Presentation is everything, so use colours, textures, fun shapes and novelty lunchboxes to make food more tempting. Do not overwhelm with large portions-keep them small.

7-11 year olds Are increasingly aware of peer pressure and the need to confirm, so get together with other parents. If you all provide the same types of healthy food, your child will not feel the odd one out.

11-18 year olds Will appreciate being involved in choosing and preparing foods for their lunchbox and they may well be more interested in its nutritional content than you would expect. Keep presentation plain and simple as they could be embarrassed by over-fussy gestures.

Lunchbox Essentials.

Essential Fats: include nuts and seeds in the lunchbox regularly. As well as being a good source of essential fats, they are high in zinc, iron and magnesium. Low iron can lead to poor energy levels and anaemia, while zinc is essential for energy, growth and a strong immune system.

Carbohydrate.

Organic wholegrain bread is best. Children particularly enjoy those with nutty grains and seeds rather than plain wholemeal. Cut sandwiches into fun shapes (with biscuit cutters) for young ones. Ring the changes with alternative carbohydrate sources such as brown rice, cold new potatoes in their skins or whole-wheat pasta which you can put in a mini thermos flask with sauce in cold weather. Remember you can get lots of wheat-free options from your local Health Store if your child has an intolerance.

Protein.

Use Organic peanut butter or hummus as a sandwich filling or try serving marinated tofu, a hard boiled egg chopped into quarters, or tinned wild salmon with salad in wholemeal pitta (salmon is high in vitamin D for bones and omega-3 oils which boost brain function). Vegan children need to have a variety of proteins from different sources to make sure they get the right balance of amino acids in their diet.

Fruit and Vegetables.

Do not just stick with the obvious choices such as an apple or banana. Try to include a range of brightly coloured fruits and vegetables such as carrot batons, cherry tomatoes, kiwi fruit and mango, which are higher in antioxidants. To make them easier to eat, peel oranges or satsumas before you put them in your childs lunchbox, or chop other fruits into finger size chunks. Kids may have lower tolerance of pesticide residues than adults, so choose Organic produce whenever you can.

Treats.

Do not deprive your child of their sweet or savoury treats-there are nany healthy treats that children can enjoy. Try wrapping up a few plain crisps (either potato or other vegetable and preferably unsalted) in some foil. Any of the wide range of healthier snacks available in your local Health Store would also be ideal. Look for yogurt-coated raisins, dried fruit, banana chips and fruit and nut bars. A few squares of fair-trade, Organic chocolate bar, or go for a chocolate coated sesame seed bar. Natural licorice bars also make a good healthy treat too.

Fortified Organic Soya.

Always choose Organic fruit yogurt or fromage frais as it does not have the same artificial flavourings, modified starch or other additives you get in most supermarket types. Other calcium-rich options are a chocolate or strawberry Organic Soya shake or simple carton of Organic semi-skimmed milk. Cheese doubles up as a protein and dairy serving, but do not serve it every day as it is high in saturated fats that can raise cholesterol levels.

Many more nourishing Organic Recipes at our website at NEW! Guide to Organic Cooking! - The Healthy Way of Living!

Trevor Dalley has been growing and preserving his own fruit for 40 year, most of the preserves are sold in his Organic Farm Shops in Herefordshire England. Did you find those tips on Organic Food a way of Life useful? You can find out more at NEW! Guide to Organic Cooking! - The Healthy Way of Living!

All about Organic Foods

2008-10-06T02:06:00.000-07:00

Compost is not just decayed organic matter.

Composting is applied microbiology at its most complex, involving the interactions of thousands upon thousands of different species of micro organisms in a highly complex ecosystem.

What is Organic fertilizers?

When it's time to choose a fertilizer for your organic garden - organic or inorganic - know what's in the bag, and more importantly, what's best for your organic vegetable garden. We have always recommended if possible to make your own.Making organic fertilizer is not difficult we have over the past 20 year found that a bucket with old tea bags rain water and nettles makes the best liquid fertilizer.

If you want to try your hand at growing your own organic vegetables but have no garden, don't worry. Many people grow organic vegetables successfully using a container. You can keep the container wherever is convenient or move it around if you need to.There are disadvantages to using organic fertilizers in containers. These materials may be difficult to apply in comparison to inorganic fertilizers, depending on the source material used.

Organic fertilizers tend to have lower nutrient content compared to inorganic fertilizers, so more material has to be applied in order to get the same nutrient amount. In addition, the slow-release properties can actually have a detrimental effect on the container plants. If the nutrients from organic fertilizers are not released in time, the plants will not receive them for use in their growth cycle. Making compost from garden and household waste is one of the best things any gardener can do. Its easy and costs very little in time or effort.

Making compost will help you reduce pollution and cut down that landfill! Your plants will grow healthier and look happier for it and it will save you money on fertilisers too. Our local council in Herefordshire has now given us bins for us to add leaves, grass and other compost matter into, which is then emptied every two weeks once it has reduced to less than half its size.

Depending on the size of your chosen container, you can grow whatever you like in it. As long as the pot is big enough, you can choose from herbs, tomatoes, cress, courgettes, lettuce and many other vegetables. Organic seeds and plants should be used for organic gardening to produce a true organic product, but as long as you don't plan to sell the product, it is up to you. It can be fun to experiment! What are Pests in Organic GardeningActually, less than one percent of insect species are pests, and only a few hundred of these are consistently a problem.

Any single pesticide does not usually kill all pests and repeat applications are usually necessary. I always had an organic vegetable garden, and I have tried getting rid of these nasty pests with organic spray but it didn't work. Today, we are encouraging people to use another way to control pests. Here are some that entomologists are working with: Natural predators: introducing the types of animals that will naturally gobble up pests. Natural parasites: introducing bacteria, viruses, and insect parasites that will kill pests but won't harm other types of animals.

If you are having a problem with pests in your garden, you probably have an imbalance of fauna or an imbalance of soil nutrients. Pest control is much easier in organic container vegetable gardening than in regular gardening. You can see the whole plant and pick off bugs such as caterpillars. You can bring it to a tap to wash the leaves and stem when the plant is in a pot instead of in the garden.

You probably won't see cutworms if you are using containers but you might find slugs. Simply sprinkle eggshells on the soil around your produce to get deter them, they hate eggshells. One last word of warning about the use of farmyard manure! Always source the farmyard manure from organic farms, never use unselected organic farms. Most animals for food production undergo many drug treatments to make the meat ,safe for us to Eat, these drugs will leach into their bedding material from urine and manure.

Farmyard manure is a mixture of the droppings of horses, pigs or cows, including their urine and the litter used for their bedding. Cow manures are wetter, colder and lower in nutrients than horse manure, and decompose more slowly in the soil, which makes them more suitable for sandy soils. Likewise, pig manure is slow acting but long lasting, as it is slow to ferment, this too is a cold manure and therefore unsuitable for the making of hot-beds.

Trevor Dalley has been growing and preserving his own fruit for 40 year, most of the preserves are sold in his Organic Farm Shops in Herefordshire England. Did you find those tips on How to Preserve, useful? You can find out more at NEW! Guide to Organic Cooking! - The Healthy Way of Living!

The Basics of Houseplant Care

2008-10-05T01:38:00.000-07:00

When it comes to caring for plants, many people claim they "don't have a green thumb" and therefore cannot seem to grow lush, healthy houseplants. Yet everyone can be successful at growing beautiful indoor houseplants if they are sure to follow some very basic instructions for their care.
Watering Over watering is a common practice, but too much water kills most houseplants. Don't be fooled by a dry top layer of soil. To see if your soil is dry enough to water, try the finger test. Insert your index finger up to the first joint into the soil. If the soil is damp, don't water it.
Lighting Be sure you know the light requirement for the variety of plant you are growing. Check the label to see what your plant needs. There are some plants which require no sun,like Sanseveria and Aspidistra. They can be placed away from a window. Spider plants need semi-shade. You can put plants like these near a window that does or does not get sunlight.
Temperature Most houseplants can survive in cool or warm temperatures, but drastic fluctuations of temperature may not be good for them. Most plants cannot survive gas heating. If you have a plant that likes warm conditions, don't put it near an air conditioner in the summer.
Humidy Some houseplants require a humid environment. An easy way to maximize humidity is to put the pot inside a larger pot and fill in the gaps with stones or compost to keep in the moisture. Grouping plants together often creates a microclimate that helps keep humidity encased. You can also spray them with water once or twice a day, depending on the temperature.
Feeding Foliage plants will have high nitrogen needs. Flowering plants need K2O. Slow release N-P-K (nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium) fertilizers can be mixed with the compost. However, certain plants like cacti and orchids need special fertilizer. Feed plants during their most active growth period.
Re-potting Here is where many novice growers fall short. Some plants require re-potting for optimum growth but there are others that resent having their roots disturbed. Their roots system may be small enough that they don't require re-potting. One way to check if your plant needs re-potting is to turn it upside down. Tap the pot to release the plant and check its roots. Re-pots if roots are all that you see. Sometimes the roots will come out of the pot. You should either cut them off or re-pot the plant.
You can see that it doesn't take too much care to produce healthy, vibrant plants. Be sure to follow this advice at minimum to reap the benefits. Indoor plants not only add to the beauty of your décor, but also give lots of pleasure to the indoor gardener.

About the Author
Paula, a gardening enthusiast, publishes articles on various aspects of gardening and landscaping. She manages a webstore for people wishing t find affordable garden decor and outdoor accessories online.

Strawberries - the overlooked Perennial

2008-09-19T11:37:00.000-07:00

It amazes me how few home gardeners actually grow strawberries. After all, how many people do you know who don't just love to eat them? Strawberries are one of the top favorite fruits of most people.

Perhaps it is because many think that the strawberry plant requires a lot of space, are very difficult to grow, or that they are not promoted that much locally. Actually, growing strawberries is not difficult once you learn a few vital tips. They are about as easy as growing tomatoes, not that you can't have problems, but that success is almost guaranteed if you follow general guidelines.

Strawberries are labeled as bare root, June-bearing or short-day cultivars, ever bearing and day-neutral. Strawberries are planted 18 to 30 inches apart in rows 3 to 4 feet apart. Strawberries want moist soil, but fast drainage, a tricky combination for some gardeners to achieve. Strawberry plants will not produce flower buds when night time temperatures remain above 60F.

So if you live in the South and have very high heat nights in the spring and early summer, then Strawberries won't work for you. Most other areas should be fine though. Unlike commercial growers, home gardeners do not get a wide variety of strawberry plants to choose from unless they order from a catalog or online. If you require a larger selection, the gardening section of Got Eatswill provide you with some great sources.

Plan to plant 20 to 25 plants for two people in your household. Planted two inches apart, you can squeeze 15 to 20 strawberry plants into one large 16-inch pot if space is a problem in your garden. Within a month or so, strawberry plants will start producing runners that produce the new daughter plants.

These new daughter plants are allowed to grow into a matted row up to about 2 feet wide. For the first season, remove flowers as they appear on strawberry plants. Thin out some of the smaller plants so that the remaining plants are at least 6 inches apart each way. When all the weeds and extra plants have been removed, spread a 1 inch layer of compost over the entire bed.

By picking the blooms the first year, one won't get any fruit, however it allows them to get stronger roots and greatly multiplies the new plants. The second year ones strawberry production will be huge! By the third year your plants will quadruple and you may be over run with strawberries.

Affected leaves or rotting fruit should be removed immediately to prevent spread of any disease or fungus. Slow-release fertilizers, such as Osmocote for fruits and vegetables, work well for strawberries because they provide a constant supply of food. Avoid high-nitrogen formulas, because they cause growth at the expense of fruit. Hanging baskets filled with strawberries not only look good, but allow the fruit to stay well clear of the ground. A mature strawberry plant will yield about one quart of fruit each season.

Soil for strawberry beds should be rich and well draining. When planting strawberries keep their crowns above the soil line otherwise they are susceptible to crown rot. Do not place crowns too high above the soil line, because they will dry out. Build a 5 inch high cone of soil and compost in the center of the hole.

Drape the roots over the cone and fill the hole in with soil. Take special care to set each plant so that its crown is just half covered with soil. Then give each plant a pint of compost tea to settle the soil and get growth off to a good start. To cultivate a whole strawberry patch, keep a few things in mind: a sloping spot often works best for perfect drainage, the soil should not be alkaline, and rich organic matter added to the soil gives rise to a plentiful crop.

Diseases that effect strawberries are botrytis, red stele, yellows, or verticillium wilt. To reduce the risk of strawberries acquiring diseases replant every few years. Red stele and verticillium wilt are major diseases caused by fungi which live in the soil. Spring bearing varieties with resistance to these diseases and featuring high quality fruit include Earliglow, Allstar, and Delmarvel.

The advantages of spring - summer plantings are that they are more tolerant of soil salinity and tend to have less leaf spot diseases than winter plantings. The biggest benefit of growing your own strawberries is allowing them to sun-ripen, so they are sweet and so much better tasting than store bought. If one merely plants strawberries and lets them grow, a fair amount of success will be seen.

On the other hand, if one follow the recommendations above the results will be fantastic. Growing strawberries is one of the more rewarding gardening endeavors, because not only are they easy to grow and harvest, they are wonderful to eat. Look at all those wonderful strawberry drinks and desserts that await you!

About the Author
Robert Schpok is an avid gardener who has used his gardening skills to greatly enhance his culinary techniques
and ability to create great new recipes. Gain valuable strawberry gardening insight and make cooking fun at his newest site Got-Eats.

The Benefits of Gardening the Hydroponic Way

2008-09-19T09:41:00.000-07:00

The Benefits of Gardening the Hydroponic Way

Gardening has been considered to be one of the most therapeutic rewards for North Americans. Gardening stimulates all of the senses, giving great satisfaction and pleasure. Hydroponics is the growing of plants without the use of soil.

A variety of hydroponic gardening techniques exist and just about any plant can be grown with hydroponics. Hydroponic gardening is considered to be quite easy and many teachers use this method of gardening with their students when working on science projects.

There are a variety of benefits associated with hydroponic gardening. When plants are grown using hydroponics, the roots do not need to search for required nutrients. The nutrient solution is provided directly to them, which results in plant growth, which is more abundant.

Incorporating hydroponics into an outdoor garden can help add interest and intrigue. The natural conditions available outdoors in the summer make it a perfect time to experiment with the various types of hydroponic cultivation. Annual flowers, fruit, herbs, and vegetables do exceptionally well with hydroponics.

With hydroponics, important growing factors such as light, temperature, and humidity can be controlled. Since there is no soil, there is less maintenance involved with hydroponics. There is no need for weeding and the worry of pests or soil borne diseases is drastically reduced.

Hydroponics is always a soil less culture, but not all soil less cultures are considered to be hydroponics. Many of these cultures do not use the nutrient solutions, which are required for hydroponics. There are two main types of hydroponics, which are solution culture and medium culture.

Solution culture uses a nutrient solution but does not use a solid growing medium for the roots. The medium culture has a solid growing medium for the roots such as gravel, sand or a perlite culture. Hydroponic plants are grown in a number of ways, each supplying nutrient solution to the plants one way or another.

Hydroponics can be used to grow plants anywhere, even in your own backyard. Using hydroponics can grow anything from garden crops to flowers. Hydroponic gardening is considered to be a clean and highly effective method for growing plants.

There is less mess and less maintenance. Hydroponic gardening helps to eliminate the need for weeding and helps to cut down on diseases and pests. This form of gardening is also easily adapted to indoor environments, which means it can be used throughout the year to grow a gardener's favorite plants. The greatest advantage to hydroponics is the overall outcome of the plants, which will be of better quality and are much healthier.

Gardeners can give nature a helping hand while enjoying the therapeutic benefits of their garden. Gardeners will be able to watch the spectacular improvements that growing hydroponically can bring to their garden.

Hydroponics has always been an ecologically sound gardening choice. It uses much less water than conventional gardening and does not erode the soil or add toxins to the environment. Soluble nutrient formulas are re-circulated and used by the plants' roots, which helps eliminate environmental waste. Plants tend to be healthier in a hydroponic system than those grown in soil, which makes them more pest resistant.

Biological control agents are used as preventative measures. Harmful herbicides are simply not required because there are no weeds in a hydroponic garden. As many gardeners today are choosing to grow organically, organic crop cultivation in hydroponics has become very popular. Organic gardening is the cultivation of plants without the use of synthetic chemicals or pesticides. Gardeners are willing to invest in the extras required by organic gardening because it ensures that no harmful pesticides or fungicides will be used. There are many organic nutrients and additives designed specifically for use in hydroponic gardens.

About the Author
creator of http://www.peterjonesweb/hydroponics

How To Care For Fruit Trees

2008-08-26T07:41:00.000-07:00

If you have just recently planted a new fruit tree, I think it is safe to assume you are not yet an expert on the subject. More fruit trees die in their beginning years due to poor care habits than any disease or pestilence. Therefore it is vital that you understand how to care for trees in a way that will ensure their immediate success as well as future good health.
During the first stages of the trees life, the roots, trunk, and branches have not yet fully developed to a self supporting strength. Therefore if your tree is growing fruits, occasionally the combined weight is enough to snap off an entire branch. If this is the case, you should provide external support for your branches and prop them up with boards, or tie them to something at a higher altitude. As long as you can provide your tree the support it needs in these early years, it should grow to be independent in no time at all.
Proper nutrition is not only necessary for the production of healthy fruits, but is also necessary for the tree to survive longer than one season. The exact specifications vary with the area, climate, and type of tree, but I have found that there is no better source than a nursery employee. Maybe they are just eager to sell you the right type of fertilizer, but in my experience they are almost never wrong. Just inform them about the conditions your tree is living in and how healthy it is looking, and they should be able to help you find something to improve the state of your tree.
Lots of people think that the only way to ensure a trees healthiness is to provide it insane amounts of water. This is not the case at all. As a matter of fact, giving too much water to a tree can be more harmful than making it go thirsty. At the best it will have a negative effect on the taste of the fruit. But at worst, your entire tree could die and prevent you from ever growing fruit in the future. So do not ever try to solve your problems by giving it lots of water! Solve your trees health problems at the root, so to speak. Go to where the problem originates from, and fix that.
If it is too late and you are already starting to see unhealthy branches that look either diseased or damaged, you should always remove them. If the tree is wasting nutrients by sending them out to the branch that cannot be saved, it is practically throwing away all the nutrients that it could use on the other, healthier branches. As soon as you start to see a branch that is deteriorating or becoming unhealthy, chop it off right away. At the very least, trim down the unhealthy part but leave all the segments that still look like they could continue growing.
Once your tree has started to enter the picking stage, never leave any of the fruit on the ground that is bound to fall. Also, be careful to get every piece off of the tree. Even if it is an ugly looking fruit that you dont want to keep, you should still pick it and throw it away. Once these fruits begin to rot, they provide a perfect home for unwanted insects or diseases that can transfer to the tree itself. So always remember to rake up these fallen fruits, and prevent yourself a lot of future grief.
Getting a fruit tree and caring for it throughout its life can be a daunting task. It may even seem impossible sometimes to keep track of all the factors that make a tree healthy. But if you just pay attention to the nutrients that your tree needs, you should be on a good path. In addition to nutrients, figure out the precise amount of watering that you should be doing to keep your trees thirst quenched without drowning it. Just do all these things, and you will have a great tree that produces delicious fruits.

About the Author
DM Web Directory Daniel Millions

Start Composting Today and Reduce Landfill Waste

2008-08-20T23:51:00.000-07:00

If you're looking for another way to make a positive impact on the planet, in addition to recycling, look no further than the wonderful world of composting. In basic terms, composting is the act of breaking down organic food and yard waste into a potent soil amendment called humus. But actually, composting is a bit more. It is about providing an environment where this process occurs quicker, usually in a compost bin or compost tumbler, and with the correct ratios of certain organic matter - you can't just go throwin' everything in and hope for the best.
Composting really is an art. Depending on your climate and time of year, your pile may need more or less of certain things to achieve the optimum carbon to nitrogen ratio for the organic matter to properly break down. Also, composting is not a free-for-all for your food scraps and waste. There are many things that are no-no's as far as the compost bin goes, including meat and bones, grease and oils, dairy products, fecal matter (that's right, no poo), diseased plants and weeds. Actually, it may be better to give a list of compostable items, so here goes:
From the yard: chemical-free grass clippings, dry leaves, shrub and tree waste, sawdust and wood chips from untreated wood, straw and hay, dead plants and flowers, potting soil, dead insects.
From the kitchen: coffee grounds and filters, tea bags (no staples) and leaves, fruit and veggie scraps, corn husks, crushed eggshells, hair from brushes, cereal (oatmeal for example), bread and flour, leftover pasta without oil or dairy-based sauces, rice, all-natural fibers like cotton, shredded black and white newspaper, paper towels.
All you need to get started is a compost bin of some sort, a suitable place to put it, and some basic information that can be found in any composting guide. If you're an apartment dweller without a yard, there are smaller indoor units that can be kept indoors or on a patio. And don't worry if you're not into gardening, if you produce rich, fertile humus, there will be no shortage of people vying to take it off your hands. So start composting today, its fun for the whole family and is great for the environment.

About the Author
For a huge selection of composting and gardening supplies including compost tumblers, chipper shredders, and lawn sweepers, visit our website

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How to Grow Turnips

2008-08-20T23:39:00.001-07:00

Growing Turnips
The Turnip is a member of the cabbage family and therefore in the 'Crop Rotation' scheme should be linked with the brassicas section. They are a splendid winter vegetable but to make sure that the roots mature quickly and therefore tender and tasty, they must be grown in soil that is rich in organic matter.
Soil Preparation
The soil must be fertile, loamy and retain moisture; it is pointless attempting to grow them on sandy soils. During the previous autumn, dig in plenty of well-rotted compost and manure at the rate of a bucketful to the sq. yd. In addition to this, apply fish manure with 6 per cent potash content at 3 to 4 oz. (90 - 120gm) to the sq. yd. give a surface dressing of lime unless the soil is limy or chalky, this should be at the rate of 7 oz. (210gm) to the sq. yd.
Sowing
Sow the first early turnips in drills, which are 9 in. (228mm) apart and ½ in. (12mm) deep in early March. When the seedlings are through, thin out to 4 in. (101mm) apart in the rows. The second sowing may be made early in April, in drills ½ in. (12mm) deep and in rows that are 1 ft. (30cm) apart. These should be thinned later to 6 in. (15cm) apart in the rows. Sow winter turnips in the middle of July, ½ in. (12mm) deep in drills that are 1 ½ ft. (45cm) apart. Later thin out the seedlings so that they are 1 ft (30cm) apart.
General Care
Turnips need plenty of water and in dry weather the plants will require watering to enable them to make good growth.
Harvesting
Lift the earlies when the roots are young and fresh. Winter turnips may be left in the ground until they are needed, alternatively they may be lifted in November and when the tops have been cut off, they can be stored in the same way as potatoes.

About the Author
Terry Blackburn. Internet Marketing Consultant, living in South Shields in the North-East of England. Author and Producer of blog http://www.lawnsurgeon.blogspot.com/ Author of "Your Perfect Lawn," a 90 Page eBook devoted to Lawn Preparation, Lawn Care and Maintenance. Find it at http://www.lawnsurgeon.com/
I would be very interested to have your comments on this Article.
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How to Grow Tomatoes 2

2008-08-20T23:36:00.002-07:00

Growing Tomatoes
Most of the tomatoes grown in Britain are grown in greenhouses yet there are several excellent varieties that are specifically for growing outside. The tomato plant requires a growing temperature of 60 F. In some of our cold, wet, summers especially the ones we frequently have in the North, the crops grown outside are often disappointing and can be attacked by potato blight disease. Without sunshine the fruits will not ripen but even without a greenhouse you can still grow beautiful, flavoursome tomatoes using one of the portable mini poly-houses.
This type is of simple construction, a tubular metal frame that can be easily fitted together and therefore can be just as easily dismantled when not in use. The plastic cover fits snugly over the frame and is ideal for giving a little warmth and protection when the weather is poor.
If you are handy you can construct a similar type of frame from timber and this with a plastic sheeting cover will work almost as well.
Tomato plants can be purchased during May or you can raise your own from seed under glass. This will give you the opportunity to experiment and try some of the newer or very-coloured tomatoes that the seed companies have on offer. Those, which you intend to grow outside, must be one of the outside growing varieties to be successful. Though seeds can be sown out-of-doors it is generally not a very satisfactory process unless they have shelter and warmth. If you purchase plants make sure that they are well-hardened, sturdy, dark green specimens.
Soil Preparation
Tomatoes do not mind if the soil is light or heavy but it must contain plenty of organic manure. If you are growing the tomatoes outside they must be in a warm, sheltered position in a sunny aspect. In April add plenty of well-rotted compost or manure to the soil.
Sowing in the Greenhouse
The seed can be sown anytime between February and May they should be 2 in. apart in trays of seed compost covered with a sheet of glass until germination. Give as much light as possible, after about 28 days, pot up into 3 in. pots in John Innes potting compost No.1.
Planting Out in the Greenhouse
In the greenhouse the plants may be grown in the border soil, or in pots of good compost. A popular method of growing these plants is to place pots that have had their bottoms removed onto 6 in. deep bed of ashes or coarse sand and shingle. The ashes or single will hold a large quantity of water so the plants do not suffer from drying out as they often do in ordinary pots. Add good compost such as John Innes No 3 potting compost, into the bottomless pots and plant in the young tomato seedlings. Liquid feeding is applied to the compost at 10- day intervals from the time the first truss has set. Plain water is applied only to the ash or shingle base.
Sowing in Frames
Sow the seeds in April in 3-in. (76mm) pots filled with John Innes seed compost. Put three seeds, ¼ in. apart and ¼ in. (6mm) deep in the centre of each pot, these can be thinned down to one per pot later. Tomato seeds germinate at temperatures between 59 to 68 deg F. (15 to 20 deg C.) Keep the pots in the frame until the end of May.
Planting Out in the Open
In readiness for planting out, level the ground raking in fish manure with 10 per cent potash content or a complete fertilizer at the rate of 4 or 5 oz. (120g - 150g) to the sq. yd. The main planting is done in late May in the south and early June in the north when the chance of frost has passed. Disturb the roots as little as possible when planting, make a hole with a trowel and plant the soil with the root ball carefully. Plant so that the top of the ball is about ½ in. below the level of the soil. Firm in the plants then push a strong 4-ft. (120cm) bamboo canes into the ground at the side of the plant.
Sowing in the Open
The seeds are sown in May, three seeds ½ in. (12mm) deep in their growing position then cover with a glass bell or a clear plastic, 5 litre mineral bottle using just the top 2/3rds of the bottle, after the bottom part has been removed. Each sowing must be 15 in. (381mm) apart in rows 2-½ ft. (75cm) apart. Later the seedlings can be thinned down to one plant per station if necessary.
General Care
As soon as the first truss of flowers have appeared, give a liquid feed that has a10 per cent potash content once a week throughout the season. Watering regularly will prevent the skins from splitting. Keep only a single stem on each plant by removing the side shoots, which appear at the point where the leaves join the main stem. Make sure that you only remove the side shoots, making sure that you do not damage the incipient flower truss. The shoots can be simply pinched out between finger and thumbnail, but I think less accidental damaged is caused if a knife is used to do the job. As the plants grow, tie the stems to the bamboo sticks with soft, green cotton twine or raffia. Make sure that the twine or raffia is not too tight so that it does not cut into the stem as it grows. The best method is to wrap the twine or raffia twice around the bamboo then put a loop around the stem and tie it to the stick with care. Remove the top inch of the growing point of each plant during the first week of August as the plants stop growing and cropping when the days draw shorter. When the top growth is removed, the sap will be then directed to swell the already formed fruits rather than to make any further growth. Continue to remove the side shoots. Do not remove the leaves until they turn yellow: they manufacture the elaborated sap that feeds the fruits helping it to mature.
Harvesting
Remove the fruits as they ripen. At the end of the season if you have green tomatoes still on the plants, they can be removed and ripened indoors on a windowsill or they can be made into delicious chutney to rival any that can be bought from a supermarket.
Green Tomato Chutney
2lb (0.9kg) green tomatoes 2lb (0.9kg) tart green apples 2 large onions 1 (0.47lt) pint of Cider vinegar 1lb (0.45kg) brown sugar ½ oz. (15g) salt ¼ oz. (7.5g) Szechwan pepper Juice of 2 lemons 2 crushed chillies
Method
Peel and core the apples, remove skins from tomatoes by dropping them into boiling water, chop all the ingredients and mix in sugar and spices. Add vinegar, and simmer gently with the lid on the pan until the ingredients have thickened. When cooled put into warm sterilized jars and seal.

About the Author
Terry Blackburn. Internet Marketing Consultant, living in South Shields in the North-East of England. Author and Producer of blog http://www.lawnsurgeon.blogspot.com/ Author of "Your Perfect Lawn," a 90 Page eBook devoted to Lawn Preparation, Lawn Care and Maintenance. Find it at http://www.lawnsurgeon.com/
I would be very interested to have your comments on this Article.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?exper

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How To Grow Tomatoes

2008-08-20T23:36:00.001-07:00

Learning how to grow tomatoes is not as difficult as you might think, provided you follow a few simple rules.
There are many different types of tomatoes - and hundreds of varieties. You need to decide which you want to grow.
Most tomatoes are grown for use in salads, but you can also grow them for cooking.
There are also varieties you can grow outdoors and others that will only perform well under glass.
Let's take a quick look at the different types:
1. Standard sized tomatoes 2. Cherry tomatoes 3. Beefsteak tomatoes 4. Plum tomatoes
There are also yellow tomatoes and even a variety called Black Cherry (which I'm growing for the first time this year) and is an extremely dark red - almost purple - according to the picture on the seed packet.
Then there are tomatoes that you grow as a cordon and others that are bush varieties. Confused? Don't worry - all will become clear.
Let's rule out one type straight away - yellow tomatoes. I've grown them and they DO look different in a salad, but that's about it. I find they just don't have as good a flavour as red varieties, so I don't grow them any more.
Whichever type - or types - you grow, sow the seed in February. Take a 3" pot, threequarters fill with a good seed compost, water it and then sow 9 or 10 seeds. Cover with a little more compost and place in a propagator.
When the young plants are about 2" high you can transplant them into two and a quarter inch square pots which will make fifteen to a standard-sized seed tray.
Now I don't grow 15 plants of any one variety - that would be far too many - I usually do 5 or 6 of each, but the seed tray makes for easy handling and moving about.
If you have more than one variety to a seed tray, you DO need to label very carefully, otherwise you will be up the proverbial creek without a paddle in very short order!
Grow the plants on under glass.
When the plants have reached about 6" high you can plant out, but do remember that you must have no risk of frost. Tomato plant + frost = dead tomato plant.
Greenhouse varieties you can, of course, plant out into the border early on. You need 5' - 6' canes set 1' into the ground and plant them 12" - 15" apart. As the plants grow you need to remove all sideshoots which start growing from the leaf axils very quickly. Many varieties also send up shoots from below ground and you need to pull these off also.
Tie the plants to the canes at 6" - 10" intervals.
Most gardeners recommend only letting four fruit trusses set, but I always let them go to five. I get more fruits from the same plant. When they reach the top of the cane, or when five trusses have set, then pinch out the growing tops.
When the first truss has set it is a good idea to water with a tomato fertiliser every couple of weeks or so.
Outdoor varieties are treated in exactly the same way, whether you are growing cherry tomatoes, standard-sized or beefsteak. I don't grow beefsteak, as, again, I find them not very full of flavour.
Bush varieties are treated differently. I grow a type called Roma VF which is a plum tomato and is recommended only for cooking. However, I find that this variety has as good, if not a better flavour in salads than many of the usual salad types!
These types do not require you to remove the sideshoots - you just let them go. However, be aware that when the fruits start getting heavy the plants can flop over on to the ground and get very dirty when it rains. You can either place straw under the plants (as you would with strawberries), or tie them in loosely to a cane, or both.
I freeze ALL my surplus tomatoes, of whatever type. It is recommended that you dunk them in boiling water for a minute or two and then remove all the skins, but I find this far too tedious.
I simply rinse them in a bowl, dry off on kitchen paper and place them into a freezer bag - about 14oz to a bag which is the same weight as you buy in cans.
When the recipe calls for a can of tomatoes, you just use a bag from the freezer instead. Best thawed before you add them to your recipe. You will find that they produce a surplus of water when they thaw which I just squeeze out of the bag before use.
Now you can see how to grow tomatoes and how easy it really is, you'll want to do so every season.

About the Author
Jack West is a garden writer who has been growing for over forty years. His main interests are growing food and flowers for the house. Very recently he has discovered an amazing new way of making garden compost which is far, far better for plants than traditional methods! This is truly groundbreaking (sorry) stuff! Get the red-hot info here:-
http://kmeister.turnwill2.hop.clickbank.net/

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How To Grow Sweetcorn 2

2008-08-20T23:34:00.000-07:00

Learning how to grow sweetcorn (corn on the cob) is really not very difficult, provided you follow a few simple rules.
Sweetcorn requires a good rich soil and plenty of moisture, so dig in all the compost, manure or whatever that you can.
Sweetcorn germinates very rapidly, so there is no great need to sow early, since it is also extremely frost-tender: sweetcorn + frost = dead sweetcorn. I tend to sow in the greenhouse about three weeks before I plan to plant out - after the last risk of any frost - which really means the end of April in my area.
The seed is quite big and germinates readily, so you need to sow in individual pots - two and a quarter inch square are quite big enough, which gives 15 pots to a standard seed tray for ease of handling.
However, I have some special seed-sowing trays made from jablite (expanded polystyrene) that I use which contain 20 holes to a unit and are bottomless. You simply stand the unit on a flat surface, fill the holes with seed compost, pop a seed in each one and cover.
The reason the compost doesn't fall out of the bottom is that the holes are shaped like a flowerpot, narrowing at the base. The jablite keeps the seeds warm and speeds growth.
I have to say that I've had several of these for many years, with different sized holes for different seeds and they really are very good indeed. However, the downside is that I don't know if you can buy them any more; I can't say I've seen them in garden centres recently.
Each plant will produce two or three cobs, so you can do your own calculations, remembering that the cobs also freeze extremely well for winter cooking.
Plant out when they are about 4" - 6" high. Do NOT plant in a row. Plant in blocks. The reason for this is that sweetcorn is wind-pollinated. The tassels, as they are called, pollinate each other by wind-blown pollen; if your plants are in a row, then pollination will be nowhere near as good as if they are in a block.
Keep the plants weed-free and very well-watered.
When the cobs have started to form, you want to know when they are ready for picking. This is fairly simple; then ends of the tassels poking out of the tip of the cob, which have been a light-cream colour, will turn black. Double-check by feeling the cob in your hand.
Pick the cobs by twisting them downwards off the plant.
To freeze, pull off all the leaves and end of the tassels, cut off the stalk and insert in boiling water for one minute. Cool rapidly in a bowl of cold water, bag up and freeze. To eat fresh, they take about 20 minutes boiling - serve with lots of butter. Delicious!
Now you know how to grow your own sweetcorn, you'll want to do it every season.

About the Author
Jack West is a garden writer who has been growing for over forty years. His main interests are growing food and flowers for the house. Very recently he has discovered an amazing new way of making garden compost which is far, far better for plants than traditional methods! This is truly groundbreaking (sorry) stuff! Get the red-hot info here:-
http://kmeister.turnwill2.hop.clickbank.net/

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How to Grow Sweet Peppers 2

2008-08-20T23:33:00.000-07:00

Growing Sweet Peppers
Sweet peppers are a member of the capsicum family. There are several types, shapes and flavours to choose from. Peppers are of tropical origin, so require warmth and a good deal of sun if they are to do well. They are not the easiest of vegetable to grow but home-grown ones have a much better flavour than those you can buy in the shops so are well worth the trouble. If you have a greenhouse or you live in the south with a sheltered, sunny spot on a patio, then they are an excellent crop to grow. They are delicious stuffed with minced lamb, grilled, fried, roasted, and raw in salads or used as a garnish. Their vibrant colours can improve any dish; they are wonderfully juicy and sweet. The fruits of sweet peppers can be picked and eaten whilst still green or they may be left to ripen before use.
Sowing
Sow the seeds in trays in John Innes seed compost in February to March at a temperature of 60 to 70 deg F. (16 to 21deg C.). After germination the temperature should be maintained the same. Prick out seedlings when they have developed several leaves into 3 in. pots containing John Innes No 1 potting compost, where they will grow on until they are ready to be transferred into larger pots. The February sowing should be ready to transfer in May and these will then go into 7 in. (177mm) pots containing John Innes No 2 potting compost; allow 18 in. (45cm) between each pot. You can use grow bags instead of pots if you wish but one bag can accommodate only two plants.
Planting Out
If the plants are to be transferred outside they will need to be hardened off first therefore the temperature should be gradually decreased. Wait until June before putting them outside, then all chances of frosts should have passed and the days should be warmer.
General Care
Keep the plants well watered; this is imperative during warm weather, as dry conditions especially around the roots encourage the development of blossom end rot. By the time they have reached 10 - 12 in. (25-30cm) tall, they will need to have the growing tip pinched out to make them send out side shoots. The plants should be given a weekly high-potash liquid feed. A suitable feed to use is one used for tomatoes though it must be given at half the strength. Mist them twice a day to encourage them to set fruit, it will also prevent attacks from red spider mite.
Harvesting
Peppers can be picked when they are full size but still green for they will change to red, however if they are allowed to remain and ripen on the plant they will be sweeter and have a higher vitamin content.
Always cut the fruit from the plants never attempt to pull or twist them off as this generally results in them tearing the stem and damaging the plant.
Best Varieties to Try
There are some fabulous varieties to try, some are exclusive to certain seed producers, one in particular is from Thompson & Morgan a very unusual sweet pepper, 'Sweet Chocolate', a gorgeous rounded pepper the colour of dark rich chocolate and which is tolerant to cold.
'Sweet Banana': is a large, juicy, sweet fruit, one of my favourites.
'Mohawk': Small, sweet, with orange fruits and one, which has been bred, to be grown in containers.
'Rainbow': Thick walled, sweet and juicy with fruits that come in a range of colours, including cream, yellow, orange, red and purple which look wonderful in salads, a visual treat.
'Pimiento Elite': Big and juicy full of flavour.
'Early Prolific': This one will perform fairly well outside being tolerant to cold.

About the Author
Terry Blackburn. Internet Marketing Consultant, living in South Shields in the North-East of England. Author and Producer of blog http://www.lawnsurgeon.blogspot.com/ Author of "Your Perfect Lawn," a 90 Page eBook devoted to Lawn Preparation, Lawn Care and Maintenance. Find it at http://www.lawnsurgeon.com/
I would be very interested to have your comments on this Article.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?exper

Monthly Newsletter at
http://wwwtrevor-dalley-online.blogspot.com

How To Grow Sweet Peppers

2008-08-20T23:31:00.000-07:00

Learning how to grow sweet peppers is not as difficult as you might think, provided you follow a few simple rules.
Sweet peppers need a lot of warmth and so are often grown under glass, although they will grow outdoors in warmer districts. I garden in a fairly warm area, but I still like to grow them under glass, certainly until the sun gets high in the sky.
Seed can be sown in a propagator in February, much as you would sow tomato seed. I take a 3" pot, fill threequarters full with a seed compost and give it a gentle soak.
Then sow the seeds about nine or ten to the pot. Cover with a little more compost, firm gently, give a little more water and place in the propagator. You could also place the pot on a kitchen windowsill, but bottom heat is preferable.
When the seeds have germinated and are about an inch or two high I transplant them into 3" pots (one to a pot) using a good compost such as John Innes No.2, although I prefer to use a 50/50 mix of John Innes No.3 and sedge peat or general purpose compost; this gives a more open mix.
Grow the plants on under glass. When they are about 5" - 6" high you can plant them out in the greenhouse border or a cold frame. Some gardeners pinch out the tops, but I don't. Water well.
When the first fruits have set, you can give a feed every two weeks or so using a standard tomato fertiliser.
If using a cold frame, you can remove the top light when the plants reach it, by which time the sun will be at full strength. Keep the plants well-watered and pick the fruits when they have reached the size you desire.
Peppers freeze very well (but only if you're going to use them for cooking, of course; they would be useless for a salad!).
Just cut off the stalk end, take out the core and all the seeds and cut into strips. Bag up and freeze. I usually find I have enough peppers in the freezer to last me the whole year.
Now you can see how to grow superb sweet peppers and how easy it really is, you'll want to do so every season.

About the Author
Jack West is a garden writer who has been growing for over forty years. His main interests are growing food and flowers for the house. Very recently he has discovered an amazing new way of making garden compost which is far, far better for plants than traditional methods! This is truly groundbreaking (sorry) stuff! Get the red-hot info here:-
http://kmeister.turnwill2.hop.clickbank.net/

Monthly Newsletter at
http://wwwtrevor-dalley-online.blogspot.com

How To Grow Sweet Peas

2008-08-20T23:30:00.002-07:00

Learning how to grow sweet peas is not really very difficult provided you follow a few simple rules.
I like to grow for the house, but I also grow for exhibition when I feel in the mood. On my very first occasion of exhibiting sweet peas in a local flower show many years ago I had two firsts, three seconds and a couple of also-rans up against gardeners who had been showing for years! You can do it too!
If you simply want to grow sweet peas for cutting for the house, or just as a show in the garden, then it's easy. Ideally you want to sow in pots in late autumn - November is good. I use special rooting packs which you can buy from many of the good seedsmen and give a long depth of root.
If you just want to grow for cutting, you can sow them in the early spring. They can also be sown direct into the soil into which they are to grow. Sweet peas can tolerate a temperature of down to -8 degrees C so will overwinter quite well in most places.
If you are growing for really good flowers for the house, or for showing, you need to sow in late autumn in pots, special containers (as I do) or whatever. November is good, as I said above. Don't sow too early, or the plants will become too soft and lanky.
Grow the plants on in a cold greenhouse or cold frame.
Sweet peas require a good soil, with a slow-release fertiliser incorporated, if possible.
From here onwards I am talking about growing for showing or for really first-class flowers for the house. You can grow them up netting or canes and just let them go, but you won't get as good blooms.
Dig a trench in the autumn and incorporate a slow-release fertiliser and some horse or farmyard manure, or your own home-made compost. (More on this later).
Insert 8' canes 6" apart for the length of the row you wish to grow. On my plot this gives me about 60 plants to the row.
Having inserted the canes, you now need to keep them the same distance apart (6") at the top of the canes. This you do by tying string (better still baler twine - as I do) around the canes at about 5' high. Just tie the twine on to the end cane, take to the next one, judge about 6" apart, twist around the cane and then on to the next. Simple really. When you get to the end of the row, tie off the twine and that's it.
Plant one sweet pea to each cane in early April to May, depending mainly on whether your area suffers from cold winds. Sweet peas do not like cold winds early in the growing season. While they will recover, they can suffer a severe check.
For the first three to four weeks they will appear to be doing nothing very much, but will still need a lot of attention. You are going to grow the plants as cordons - that is single-stemmed plants growing up the cane as you would tomatoes, for example.
You have to cut or snip off the tendrils that the plants normally use to climb and grab hold of whatever is to hand. They can throw out two or three of these in a week and start grabbing the plants on either side of them if you are not careful.
This now means that you have to manually tie the plants to the canes. Now you COULD use fillis or raffia, but you'd be there all day, so you need to buy plant rings, (wire, or even plastic) plant supports that you clip around the plant and the cane.
You will need to do this at least once a week as the plants grow, because once they get away they grow very quickly.
Furthermore, many sweet peas grow side-shoots near the base of the plant and these need snipping off also. (If you're growing them for a garden display, then leave the tendrils and side-shoots on). The ones that grow side-shoots will also grow a lot more side-shoots up the plant as it grows and you STILL have to keep snipping these out!
You also need to pinch out the flower stalks. Yes, I know this sounds ridiculous, but we are aiming for top quality flowers, are we not? So you pinch out the flower stalks until the plants have reached about four to four and a half feet up the cane.
Then, and only then, can you let them go. Now they will reward all your efforts with a stunning display of blooms - four or even five to a stem is not unusual, although some varieties will only produce three to a stem.
Now, CUT them! You MUST keep cutting them as you would, for example, runner beans, otherwise they will go to seed and stop flowering. This is the beauty of these little darlings - once they come into flower they just go on and on. My 60 or so plants provide me with cut flowers for the house for weeks on end. Absolutely special!
Now for the last bit.
Drop 'em!
Do WHAT?!
Drop 'em!
Somewhere in July you will find that your plants have reached the top of their canes and are STILL growing! So now what?
This takes about a couple of hours or so for 60 plants but is well worth it.
You take off ALL the plant rings that you have so carefully put on and gently lower the plants to the ground, laying them out behind you. Now you pick up each plant and take it to a cane about four feet to the left or right (it doesn't matter, as long as you do them all in the same direction) and clip it to this new cane.
So now you have about 4' of plant growing up the new cane although the plant is actually about 8' long! And it will continue to grow up its' new support until it reaches the top of that, still producing flowers by which time it will be autumn and the frost will have started to bite.
One little problem is that when you reach the end of your row of canes you will obviously have some plants left over, so what you have to do is insert another few canes into the ground at the end of the row (or coming back parallel to the row if you've reached the side of your plot - which I have - so really it's as if you are starting another row - in order to accommodate the last few plants.
Not too complicated all told, but you will have a MAGNIFICENT display of sweet peas in your house for weeks! Very well worth the time and effort, I promise you.
(Oh, and by the way, the scent of many varieties of sweet peas is out of this world!!!).
Now you can see how to grow superb sweet peas and how easy it is, you'll want to do so every season.

About the Author
Jack West is a garden writer who has been growing for over forty years. His main interests are growing food and flowers for the house. Very recently he has discovered an amazing new way of making garden compost which is far, far better for plants than traditional methods! This is truly groundbreaking (sorry) stuff! Get the red-hot info here:-
http://kmeister.turnwill2.hop.clickbank.net/

Monthly Newsletter at
http://wwwtrevor-dalley-online.blogspot.com

How to Grow Sweet Corn

2008-08-20T23:30:00.001-07:00

Growing Sweet Corn
Sweet corn is one vegetable that even children enjoy if they are troublesome about eating their greens; few kids reject the bright yellow cobs of sweet, juicy corn. To grow good sweet corn it requires plenty of space, to gain rapid growth, moisture and nutrients. Corn should not be planted into cold, wet soil as such conditions encourage fungi, which can rapidly rot the seeds.
Soil Preparation
Almost any soil suits sweet corn provided that it has been well manured. The soil should be dug to a spade's depth and add half a bucketful of compost and manure to the sq. yd. A couple of days before planting, rake into the top inch of soil some peat substitute to lighten up the soil a little adding fish manure at 4 oz. (120g) to the sq. yd.
Sowing
To get the corn off to a good start, sow the seeds into John Innes seed compost that is warm and moist during March. It helps germination if the seed is first soaked in water for about 4 hours prior to sowing. Sow two seeds in the centre of a 2-in (50mm) pot then thin down to one plant per pot if both seeds germinate. The pot should stand on staging in the greenhouse at a temperature of 55 deg F. (13 deg C.) water when necessary. Early May begin to harden off by putting the plants out into a cold frame. Plant out in late May or early June depending on your location. To aid pollination, plant in 2 by 1 ft. (30cm) rectangles rather than in rows.
If you do not have a greenhouse the seeds can be sown where they are to grow out in the open in 2 by 1 ft. (30cm) stations in late May. As before plant two seeds per station to begin with, later only one should be allowed to develop. To give a little protection cut down clear plastic mineral bottles can be placed over the top until the seedlings are about 3 in (76mm) high.
General Care
Earth up the plants when they are about 1 ft. (30cm) high so that they will produce stronger roots that will give them more support as they grow. Keep them well watered and give a mulch to retain moisture. Do not remove the tassels at the top of the plant; these constitute the male portion of the plant, which supplies the pollen. The fine, yellow dust is of course the pollen shed by the tassels and it will fall onto the silk of the cob, this is the female portion of the plant. If no pollen falls onto the silk, a kernel will not form. Choose early maturing varieties and ensure that if you are growing different varieties that they are kept apart as cross-pollination can occur if they are planted together. Unless of course their maturity dates have a difference of at least 7 days. In such circumstances, when one variety is shedding pollen, the others will not be receptive to pollen.
Harvesting
The cobs should be ready for harvesting about three weeks after flowering finishes. The tassels will turn brown and lose much of their silkiness. Pull back the protecting green sheath and press one or two of the grains with your thumb. If they are ready they will spurt out a thick creamy juice. As soon as the cobs are harvested, the sugars in the kernels quickly convert to starches and so they become less sweet. To ensure maximum sweetness, the cobs should be immersed in ice-cold water as soon as possible after picking and felt in the water until eaten.

About the Author
Terry Blackburn. Internet Marketing Consultant, living in South Shields in the North-East of England. Author and Producer of blog http://www.lawnsurgeon.blogspot.com/ Author of "Your Perfect Lawn," a 90 Page eBook devoted to Lawn Preparation, Lawn Care and Maintenance. Find it at http://www.lawnsurgeon.com/
I would be very interested to have your comments on this Article.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?exper

Monthly Newsletter at
http://wwwtrevor-dalley-online.blogspot.com

How to Grow Swedes

2008-08-20T23:28:00.000-07:00

Growing Swedes
Swedes are a hardy winter root vegetable. They contain more nutrients than turnips with a higher sugar content and take longer to mature but they also keep much better too.
Soil Preparation
Swedes will grow on most soils providing it is well cultivated. It does best in soils, which were well manured, for a previous crop; soil should not be manured just prior to this crop being sown. If the ground is not already alkaline it should be limed because Swedes are liable to club root disease. Club root disease thrives in wet acid soil so improving the drainage and adding lime to increase the pH will help to reduce the disease making conditions less favourable. If you have had problems, dispose of any infected plants but what ever you do with them do not put them on the compost heap. After forking over the soil lightly, tread the ground making it firm, and then add fish manure at 3 oz. (90g) to the sq. yd. If the soil is not limy, give carbonate of lime at 6 oz. (180g) to the sq. yd. as a top dressing.
Sowing
In May sow thinly in drills, which are 1 ½ ft. (45cm) apart, at a depth of 1 in. (25mm) Later thin out to allow the seedlings to be 1 ft (30cm) apart by the time they reach 1 in. (25mm) high.
General Care
Keep down the weeds by hoeing and make sure that they are kept well watered.
Harvesting
This vegetable is so hardy that it can remain in the ground over winter. They can be stored if the winter is expected to be hard with heavy frosts, making digging in the garden to collect some winter vegetables a particularly unpleasant task. Store a few in boxes in a dry shed in the same way as potatoes.

About the Author
Terry Blackburn. Internet Marketing Consultant, living in South Shields in the North-East of England. Author and Producer of blog http://www.lawnsurgeon.blogspot.com/ Author of "Your Perfect Lawn," a 90 Page eBook devoted to Lawn Preparation, Lawn Care and Maintenance. Find it at http://www.lawnsurgeon.com/
I would be very interested to have your comments on this Article.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?exper

Monthly Newsletter at
http://wwwtrevor-dalley-online.blogspot.com

How To Grow Summer Cabbage

2008-08-20T23:27:00.000-07:00

Learning how to grow summer cabbage is not as difficult as you might think, provided you follow a few simple rules.
I sow summer cabbage in the greenhouse in February. Take a 4" or 5" pot, ¾ fill with seed compost, water and then sow the little seeds as thinly as possible. They are like little balls and roll around a bit, but you want to get about 20 or so in the pot.
Cover with ½" of soil and leave. They don't generally need any heat. When the plants are a couple of inches high, transplant into two and a quarter inch square pots, 15 of which will fill a standard seed tray for ease of handling, using a good potting compost.
Grow on and harden off before planting out in April. Plant 15" apart in a well manured soil, but don't use too much nitrogenous fertiliser and make sure you plant very firmly, otherwise the plants will not heart up properly.
You will need to put cabbage collars around the stems in order to avoid the unwanted attentions of the cabbage root fly.
Another method is to put a different type of physical barrier all around the row of plants. This must be at least 9" high and deters the fly, as she swoops in very low to lay her eggs.
You could use glass, plastic, timber or anything, but to my mind cabbage collars are far simpler and do the job.
An excellent variety to grow this way, especially for a small family, is the variety Minicole. It has the great advantage that it is a really solid cabbage and also will stand for WEEKS without bolting.
Honestly, I've had this stand for as much as five months and it is now the only summer cabbage I grow.
However, you can also sow Greyhound up until mid-July and this will provide some good cabbages in October.
Bear in mind that you also need to protect young plants against attack by pigeons if they are a problem in your area. Normally they only attack young plants, but over the last two years we've had them stripping fully grown plants bare and have had to resort to building net cages 2' high and as wide in order to keep the perishers away!
Now you know how to grow superb summer cabbage, you'll want to do it every season.

About the Author
Jack West is a garden writer who has been growing for over forty years. His main interests are growing food and flowers for the house. Very recently he has discovered an amazing new way of making garden compost which is far, far better for plants than traditional methods! This is truly groundbreaking (sorry) stuff! Get the red-hot info here:-
http://kmeister.turnwill2.hop.clickbank.net/

Monthly Newsletter at
http://wwwtrevor-dalley-online.blogspot.com