Gardening on Raised Beds
Hello again! Today I’ve decided to talk a little on Raised Bed Gardening. You know there’s so many ways to do gardening that work really well, consequently the decisions about gardening and the how to becomes a bit confusing. Some of us rather not bother with it, because of lack of space, or maybe we’re lazy. Maybe our jobs take all of our time and there’s no time for anything else. Either you have the gardening bug or you don’t.
I can understand if it’s a lack of space, because a real garden takes up a good amount of space, depending on what you want to grow, and how much. But maybe we want just enough garden to keep us busy helping things grow. This is where a raised bed garden can shine. There’s a couple reasons a person would want a raised bed garden. # 1 we already mentioned, Lack of space, 2. poor soil 3. using your space more efficiently.
To begin with you can grow a lot more in a raised bed garden then you can in a traditional garden. Of course you need to decide if you want a long narrow raised bed, or a square raised bed and etc. you get the idea. You can plant things closer together in a raised bed garden because you don’t need isle ways, unless you have one big square garden. Then it would be like a traditional garden. If you have a couple of these raised beds spaced a mowing width in between them you should be good to go.
Another thing would be to do a broad leaf application on your lawn closest to your raised bed garden, as that will cut down on the potential weeds that tend to make their home in the garden. When you plant your veggies in your raised bed garden there are different planting patterns you can use to maximize all of your space. You pretty much can grow everything side by side with no spaces. I recommend the book “The best of Organic Gardening” edited by Mike McGrath. This book has been compiled from many of the best organic gardening magazines and edited by Mike.
There’s a couple chapters written in this book by a couple authors that talk extensively about raised bed gardening. They each give some real good advice on this subject. Now I realize this book may not be in print as it is a older book. There are many organic gardening books out there that are in circulation that would give helpful advice along these lines. Back to the poor soil situation, once you’ve figured out the size of your plots, take out the sod and at least 6 inches of the soil. Next you want go to your local developer or nursery to get your clean topsoil. You may want to check out the nurseries compost additive to put with your topsoil for best results
Pile up your mix at least a good 10-14 inches in your bed. Make sure the edges are slanted up at a good angle and tamped down as to keep erosion from happening as quick. Once you’ve gotten that done you will want to find some type of mulch to go on top of your soil. What that does, it keeps the weeds down and holds the moisture in longer. I would use straw, hay, leaves, grass clippings, anything that can break down fairly quickly to form a mat like substance. Then as time moves on it builds up the humus in the soil making it even more fertile.
Of course don’t just rely on the rain to water your raised bed garden. You need to check it every day during hot weather and water and fertilize it at least once a week with organic fertilizers, such as fish fertilizer or liquid seaweed will give your raised bed garden the nutrients it needs to produce.
So there you go I hope it was beneficial to you, and with that keep on plowing ahead and do something successful in your life!
Best regards,
Willis L Miller
Greenhouse Gardening in Any Backyard
Greenhouse Gardening can be a very, rewarding hobby. Many think that a person has to be an expert to enjoy greenhouse gardening, or at least have a lot of money to even entertain the thought. The fact is that anyone can start with only a bit of basic knowledge, and that same basic knowledge can be used in any greenhouse, no matter what the size. And as your greenhouse grows your knowledge will as well.
There are many resources available for anyone that is seeking to learn more.
For people who would like to spend more time gardening but live in a climate that has a short growing season, a greenhouse is a great thing. Greenhouses essentially turn gardening into a year round activity.
The trick is to choose the right greenhouse . The greenhouse should accommodate your gardening needs, as well as the amount you have in your budget.
Greenhouse Environment:
Year-round gardening depends on your geographic location, the site of your greenhouse, and if there are any alternative heat sources available. Although year round gardening can be achieved year round if you are wanting to grow your own vegetables, through proper timing and plant selection, and a few other techniques like using thermal mass and the right location for your greenhouse.
There are a number of uses for a greenhouse, hardy annuals can be sown for early spring flowering and color, delicate plants can be over-wintered and kept safe from winds and frost, or seedlings can be started to be planted in an outdoor garden (all three without heat).
A greenhouse is basically a controlled micro climate of your outdoor growing conditions. Greenhouse Gardening is ideal because the environment can be kept perfect for the plants or vegetables that are being grown.
Build a Greenhouse:
Gardeners have been building greenhouses for years from many types of materials. There are many options when it comes to greenhouse gardening. There are many greenhouse kits available, making it pretty easy and cheap to get into it. It’s a great hobby; there are free greenhouse plans and how to build information available and these plans are a great place to start when deciding which type will be right for you and your needs.
Greenhouses as a business:
Greenhouses are also a great way to make some extra money. A simple greenhouse can be set up and plants can be grown for free from cuttings or other ways of prorogation. Start a backyard greenhouse nursery , and sell plants to your community or at your local Farmer’s Market.
Solar Greenhouses:
Your greenhouse is designed to collect and store solar heat. When the topic of Solar Greenhouses comes up it is a little funny, because, all Greenhouses work by trapping the sun’s heat. A true Solar Greenhouse makes use of as many opportunities to run without artificial heat as possible.
Temperature:
If the temperature inside your greenhouse gets too hot, your plants will wilt and die. To monitor the temperature of a greenhouse, a Max Min thermometer can be set up inside, in the shade at the level of your plants. This will tell the highest and lowest temperatures that are reached in the greenhouse. Usually at the peak of day when the greenhouse is receiving the most sunlight, and the coldest temperatures coming at night time.
A thermostat is also a great tool that can be used with a greenhouse heater. But, a thermostat should never be the sole tool used to automate the temperature of a greenhouse. It is always a good thing to be used with manual monitoring of a Max-Min Thermometer, although most Max-min thermometers will record this info automatically throughout the day.
Automatic Vent openers are also a great low tech alternative, that do not need to be plugged in or used with a timer or thermostat. They use oil in a cylinder, that expands when a certain temperature is reached which will then open the window, or vent.
Routine:
It is important to establish a regular daily routine when greenhouse gardening. A routine will save your plants. Over time, the routine can also be automated as much as possible – watering systems, temperature controls, automatic ventilation, and fans are some of the tools for automation.
Do your green thumb a favor and explore Greenhouse Gardening. Why only garden for a few short months in a year? With the changes in our weather, it is great to be able to control your own growing environment. Plants receive more growing time, more fruits and vegetables are produced, and gardeners get to spend even more time doing what they love. Or even make some money doing it.
There are a lot of options on the market so taking the time in selecting the right one is key.
Learning Perennial Gardening
Learning the art of perennial gardening is much like learning to do anything else. A certain amount of knowledge and skill is required to create a perennial garden but only by doing research into the types of perennial plants and actually making the attempt will this skill and knowledge grow blossom into that flower garden you always dreamed of. Learning the ins and outs of perennial gardening will take time but once you have the basics down your imagination is your only limit to creating a beautiful garden that blooms every year with a minimum amount of work.
The first thing to do before you even begin to dig in the dirt is do some research on perennial plants and gardening practices. Go to your local library or gardening center to find books related to this subject. You can also find a wealth of information on the internet about this type of gardening.
When it comes time to start selecting the plants for your garden the idea is to take the vision that you have in you head and transfer that to an actual living garden. By doing your research up front and selecting the flowers and plants that fit your vision you will see that vision come to life much quicker and easier. As such it is important that you make a list of those plants that you find most desirable during your research. This will help you not only arrange your perennial garden in a design that is most pleasing to you but it will also make it easy to find and purchase them at your local garden store.
Once you have done your research and have your design and the plants to go with it picked out it’s time to start moving some dirt. First make sure you have the proper tools to do the job. A shovel, rake, hoe, and a set of sharp garden shears will do the job. Lay out your garden using either a garden hose or you can outline the area using spray paint.
Be sure to remove any and all weeds in your planting area. This will allow your new perennials to grow and thrive without competing against weeds which will overtake any newly planted area. You will also want to have a water supply close at hand to thoroughly water in your new plants.
When choosing your perennials you can purchase them in three main forms. As seeds, bulbs, or already started in pots. If you are patient and want to save some money then seeds or bulbs are the way to go. It will take longer to see the outcome of your work but it will be well worth it. If you are more of the instant gratification type then potted plants will let you see results much quicker, but at a slightly higher price. One of the nice things about potted plants is you can set them out and see how your design will look before planting, giving you the option of changing things before committing your plant to the soil.
When you begin planting your new plants be sure to follow the recommended guidelines for proper plant spacing and depth of hole. If you overcrowd your perennials chances are they will not grow to their full brilliance and will make your garden look overgrown. Once they are planted give them a good watering and before long you will have a beautiful garden of perennial plants and flowers.