“Wow, what a beautiful garden!” How often have you expressed this view after observing the wonderful vista in front of you? Do you long to create the same magic in your own home garden so that you become the envy of your friends and neighbors? Well, here’s how:

(1) The basic mistake made by self-gardeners is not finding out correct details about the plants they purchase for their home garden. By this, I do not mean going into the botanical details about each and every shrub or tree! What I mean is inquiring about their growing habits. How tall will they be when fully grown? How far can the roots spread?

(2) People with large home gardens tend to forget that plants are also living things and grow up into tall shrubs and trees! Without a thought, they tend to put trees too close to the house or plant shrubs just under the windows. Can you imagine what will follow?

(3) Like growing children, these small shrubs and trees also grow year by year. Being too close to the house and having no place to spread, the roots of large trees may damage water as well as sewage lines by penetrating the foundation of the house. Your gardening expenses therefore go up, what with having paid for the plants themselves plus having to spend on costly repairs. The ultimate disaster is when you have to cut down the entire tree, despite having had it for so many years!

It is the same story with shrubs. Though their roots cannot destroy foundations, still the plants grow tall enough to prevent sunlight from entering the windows. You yourself will not be able to view your garden from within the house!!

(4) Timing is equally important. Yes, there is a proper season for planting young shrubs and trees in your home garden – it is late fall, when the roots are able to grow strong and healthy. Summer is a definite no-no where planting of new trees is concerned!

(5) “God, I am dying of thirst!” Well, shrubs and trees are also living things which require a certain quantity of water daily for their survival. They should not be under-watered nor over-watered, especially when young. In fact, a garden which has received more than sufficient water in the spring and summer, thrives during freezing winters too; much better than plants which have received less water.

(6) Do you trim your nails when they grow too long? What about hair and beard? They also undergo regular trimming to give a neat appearance. Well, plants also tend to grow wildly unless kept under control. Fall is the season for pruning vines and shrubs. This not only ensures proper growth, but also makes sure that there is good airflow. The result is better-looking plants in springtime.

The tips mentioned above may give the feeling that it is all too much work for one person alone! I agree. Creating a home garden is indeed tough work! But remember, working with your hands goes a long way in ridding you of everyday stresses and burdens. Even therapists agree that it is a wonderful way to do both, relax as well as exercise. No more daily trips to the gym! And what a great sense of achievement at the end of it all!

For the increasing number of Americans utilizing “home gardens” as a pastime and hobby today, the visual treat produced is more than enough reward for all their efforts!

Ups…great news, I got the great video about home gardening … enjoy it.

Learn how to start a container garden with this How-To video from The Home Depot. The video provides details for starting a container garden and offers expert tips for planting vegetables and herbs as well as container garden maintenance. For more information, visit www.homedepot.com

Anyway, here this several kinds of help that will answer your question about home gardening

If you’re like many other Americans who are pinching pennies and looking for ways to save, you may be considering planting a vegetable garden this summer.  But Americans, particularly those who live in urban or suburban areas, are constricted by space limitations.  For those living in city apartments or condos, you may be limited to a small balcony or terrace.  Townhome dwellers are likely to have only the space on their deck to work with.�� Those living in single family homes, while fortunate to have some ground to call their own, are usually also limited by small lots that are mostly taken up by the house and garage.  Add in a swing set and some basic landscaping like a few trees and shrubs, and you’re not left with much space for planting.

The good news is that you don’t have to have the space of a farmer’s field to produce a sizeable, healthy harvest that would make a farmer proud.  In this article, we’ll explain how small garden spaces can be maximized to yield bumper crops of vegetables.

For starters, consider the types of vegetables that grow well in containers.  In general, almost any vegetable that you can grow in the ground can also be cultivated in a container, provided that it has ample root space and receives adequate water.  Some examples of vegetables that can be grown in containers include tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, lettuce, peas, spinach, and bush beans.  Crops that are not well suited to container planting include squash and watermelon, because these vining plants become quite large and sprawling, and corn, because it needs to be planted in blocks at least 4 foot wide by 4 foot long for optimal cross pollination to occur.

When choosing containers, try to think outside the box.  You don’t need to go to the garden store and spend a lot of money on expensive pots and pretty ceramic planters.  When planting a vegetable garden, utility is the key, and this becomes even truer if you’re trying to save money by growing your own vegetables.  Consider planting in small waste paper cans, half barrels, and square blocks.  If you really want to get creative, other possibilities might include old tubs or water tanks, eave troughs, bushel baskets, seed sacks, and old car tires.  Your imagination really is the limit when it comes to planting containers.  After all, if it will hold the plant and provide ample growing space, why not make use of it?

When deciding what plants to grow in which containers, consider the size of each plant at maturity.  For medium to small sized vegetables such as leaf lettuce, you will need a soil depth of at least 8 inches.  For larger vegetables such as tomatoes, eggplants, or peppers, the optimum soil depth should be at least 18 inches.  Another consideration is how many plants you can fit into one container.  For peppers, spinach, head lettuce, and beans, 4 plants per square foot is the rule of thumb.  Tomatoes and potatoes will require one full square foot per plant.  For leaf lettuce, as many as 6 plants can be squeezed into one square foot.  When trained on trellises, peas can be planted as closely as 25 plants per square foot.

Remember, limited gardening space doesn’t have to be a disadvantage.  Particularly in the case of vegetable gardening in containers, it can actually work to your advantage.  Vegetables grown in the reflected heat of concrete from sidewalks, patios, or driveways will grow larger and faster, and may produce heavier yields.  Even those of us with the smallest gardening spaces can find ways to squeeze in a tomato plant here and a pepper plant there for maximum yields in minimum space.

Ups…great news, I got the great video about vegetable gardening … enjoy it.

Learn the basics of raised bed gardening in thisfree online video guide to vegetable gardening. Expert: Scott Reil Contact: www.safelawns.org Bio: Scott Reil is an accredited nurseryman and longtime horticulturalist with over two decades of experience in the field. Scott is now working for www.safelawns.org. Filmmaker: Christian Munoz-Donoso

Anyway, here this several kinds of help that will answer your question about vegetable gardening

The word “mulch” comes from the old English word “melsc” – meaning rotten hay. In today’s language it has come to mean any material that covers the soil to preserve moisture content, prevent soil erosion and inhibit weed growth. For organic gardening I choose materials that will break down over time, feeding my plants and contributing to the amount of humus in the soil.

Many materials are suitable to use as mulch, such as: leaves, straw / hay, sawdust, gravel / rocks, paper / cardboard, grass clippings, carpet underfelt and even plastic. Each one has its own benefits and disadvantages.

Dark mulches warm the soil, whereas light coloured mulches will keep the soul cooler. In a cool climate a light straw mulch will hold back the development of many hot season vegetables – so take care with your choice of mulch and the time of year you apply it.

I’ve heard it said that mulches can be a refuge for problem garden pests, but nature balances this with enough predators to consume any rise in pest numbers.

Leaves are the most natural mulch of all. However most of the nutritional content has been taken from the tree before the leaf falls to the ground. Many leaves contain tannins and some have growth suppressants (eucalypts & pine needles for example), so it’s better to either add them to your compost heap or place them in a wire container and allow them to decompose for a year or so and become leaf mould, them use as mulch.

Straw / Hay is my preferred method of mulching in my organic food garden. The main advantage over many mulches is that it slowly releases nutrients to feed the plants it surrounds. One disadvantage is that hay may contain weed seeds, but they are usually easy to pull. That is why I prefer pea straw – usually the only weeds are peas and they add nitrogen to the soil. Another problem can be that it may become water repellent. But this is not a problem if you trickle or flood irrigate your food plots.

Sawdust is probably best used by composting it before laying as a mulch as it may rob the soil of nitrogen if your soil is poor to begin with. Also, it can become water repellent. However if you have a good supply it makes an excellent soft, natural looking covering for pathways.

Gravel / Rocks are best used outside of your veggie garden unless you live in a cool climate area and use them around warm climate plants, such as pumpkins and tomatoes. Rocks store heat from the sun during the day and slowly release it through the night.

They can also be used in arid areas around larger plants and trees. Water condenses on the underside of the rocks as they cool during the night helping to keep plants moist.

The disadvantage with rocks is that weeds will grow around them.

Paper / Cardboard are both quite useful as mulches. I often use thick layers of newspaper (which I wet before laying) underneath pea-straw or pine bark. The layers need to overlap about 15cm to prevent weeds from coming through. Don’t use pages with coloured ink as they may contain heavy metals.

Cardboard can make a great mulch under young trees. You can secure it with rocks in a decorative way in addition to straw or bark. Using cardboard beneath sawdust for your garden paths will prevent most weeds.

Grass clippings can be utilised as a thin mulch under trees and shrubs that will feed your plants as it breaks down. Take care not to pile on too thickly though as you will end up with a water repelling, smelly blob!

Carpet underfelt makes an excellent mulch in your organic garden. It won’t blow away, it’s easy to cut to insert your seedlings, it allows air to penetrate and it holds moisture very well. You must make sure that it is the older underfelt though, not the modern foam type.

Black plastic has the advantage of being cheap, easy to install and a great weed suppressor, but its disadvantages are many. It doesn’t feed the soil, it deteriorates with direct sunlight and doesn’t allow the natural gas exchanges between the air and soil.

Whatever your choice of mulch, your organic garden will be more productive and well balanced if you choose a feeding kind of mulch. Remember too that mulches should not come into contact with the stems of you plants as this may cause them to rot.

Ups…great news, I got the great video about organic gardening vegetables … enjoy it.

Learn how to prepare the ground or bed for a home vegetable garden in this free organicgardening video. Get beginner gardening tips & ideas. Expert: Jose Zuniga Bio: Jose Zuniga learned all the basics of landscaping from his Grandpa, including planting flowers according to season, and how to grow different types of vegetables. Filmmaker: Grady Johnson

Anyway, here this several kinds of help that will answer your question about organic gardening vegetables

Show them how much you enjoy gardening. Spend time in your garden. It is especially easy to stimulate a child’s interests when they see you having fun.

Make gardening easy. Don’t expect a perfect garden. Allow your family to work at their own pace and within their attention spans and age range, especially children.

Dig it! Kids love to dig. This is a great way to teach the basics while letting them play and just have fun. 

<p>Let them play an active role in planning. Take your children to the local nursery and let them pick seeds or transplants to start their garden. Take your time and let them browse and enjoy all of the beautiful plants.

Grow a theme garden. This is a great way to let your children use their imagination and express their creativity. The sky is the limit. Some great ideas are gardens that coincide with the holidays, alphabet gardens, a garden themed in their favorite colors, a sensory garden where you can experience different smells, tastes, textures and sights, or a “Freedom Garden”.

Give children their own “kid sized” tools. They don’t have to be expensive. You can go with an old spoon and a bucket that you have around the house or you can venture down to the garden center and purchase garden tools made for children’s hands.

Give them a space to call their own. It doesn’t have to be big. This will teach them ownership and responsibility, and your children will be able to take credit for their own little space.

Get crafty! Press or dry flowers to make a beautiful arrangement, make potpourri, or make a pomander ball. Children love making things and will be amazed at the crafts and gifts that they can make from the garden.

Grow a vegetable garden. Your children will be amazed that they can grow their own food. Be sure to use organic pesticides.

Use gardening to brush up your children’s math and science skills. Let them count the seeds they are planting, or teach them how plants are living things. Not only will you capture their attention, you will be polishing their skills as you go.

Have a contest. Kids love to be rewarded. Be sure to give each child a reward; the biggest tomato, the prettiest flower, or perhaps the best tasting herbs (a little Spray-N-Grow will help!)

Don’t try to do it all! Pick a few of these tips that you know are best for your family and have fun with them. After all, gardening is meant to be fun and easy. And with a little help, something the whole family can enjoy.

Original Article

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Visit with The Invisible Gardener organicdatabank.info

Help answer the question about organic gardening

When you’re learning about something new, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of relevant information available. This informative article should help you focus on the central points.

Organic gardening is one of the fastest growing facets of gardening, and more and more people are discovering that it is possible to enjoy a beautiful, thriving garden while still keeping the use of chemicals and pesticides to a minimum.

One reason to avoid the use of chemicals and pesticides is that long term use of such chemicals can deplete the soil and leave it unable to sustain further growth. In many cases beds of perennials suddenly stop blooming for no apparent reason, and the culprit is often found to be the overuse of chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides.

Concern for the health of the gardener’s family members, pets and the environment as a whole is another reason many people choose organic gardening methods. Runoff from many commercial pesticides and chemical fertilizer can leach into ground water, damage wells, and cause problems with fish ponds and other parts of the landscape.

In addition, a well planted and well landscaped home interior has been shown to improve the value of the home, and when that garden is an organic one its value is further enhanced. A beautiful organic garden can be a great way to provide a cost effective enhancement to any landscape.

Pest control is one of the places where organic gardening can actually be superior to chemical methods. Instead of using harsh pesticides to get rid of garden pests, it is often better and more effective to use beneficial insects to get rid of harmful ones. Harmful insects are often unable to compete once more beneficial insects have been brought in to the organic garden.

One of the most common pests encountered by gardeners, and one of the biggest reasons they use chemical pesticides, is aphids. These common garden pests can be organically controlled by spraying the infested stems, leaves and buds with a diluted mixture of soapy water, then an application of fresh, clear water. This technique has been used by organic gardeners for many years, and it is effective even against heavy infections of aphids.

If you find yourself confused by what you’ve read to this point, don’t despair. Everything should be crystal clear by the time you finish.

Selecting the right plants is also important to success as an organic gardener. Choosing the right fertilizer is an important consideration as well, since there are organic equivalents for just about every type of chemical fertilizer. When choosing plants and fertilizers, be sure to research the best plants and organic fertilizers for your own area. If you have an organic gardening club in your area, you may want to join in order to swap tips about the best types of plants and fertilizers.

One great element of any organic garden landscape is a good ground cover. Planting ground covering plants in areas where grass has a hard time taking hold not only enhances the beauty of your home, but it provides better soil drainage and water retention as well. Many homeowners have discovered the power of using native species as natural ground cover.

Flowering vines are another popular centerpiece of many organic gardens. Flowering vines are great for enhancing the beauty of fences, walls, sheds and other structures, since they can easily be trained to grow along these structures.

These any many other plants and flowers can enhance any organic garden and make it the showcase of the community. Growing an organic garden is a great way to protect your home, your family and even the environment.

The day will come when you can use something you read about here to have a beneficial impact. Then you’ll be glad you took the time to learn more about organic gardening.

Watch the video related to organic gardening

A small and very funny animation of a parody of star wars, made to alert people about some of the serious problems of producing and eating food using dangerous synthetic chemicals, Genetically Modified Organisms, allowing big corporation interests control the food chain, and other problems that helps to destroy nature and the health of people. As this animation shows, producing and buying organic food on smaller and more ethical stores is the best solution for many of these problems. BUY …

Help answer the question about organic gardening

For effective gardening of vegetables in your organic gardening, you must first think about fertilization. This is almost always attributable to mulching. But there are other things to consider as well, such as the introduction of fertilizers that are available to you both naturally or commercially. To simply define this, it means to place materials, wether they be inorganic or organic in your garden around your plants.

By doing this you will also provide fertilization, it also helps to protect your soil as well. If you garden receives a lot of heavy rain, or is susceptible to high weed growth causing it to be a weed trap, then mulches will provide some much protection from this and much needed supplementation that will aid the natural growth process of your organic garden vegetables.

Beside this, you will also find it will help to regulate the temperature of your soil. Also the added bonus of gardening this way is the aesthetic look this lends to your garden and the improved ground texture. By spreading the mulch to areas not planted will also help to keep any weeds under control.

If you do decide to establish mulches in your garden, you will find that you need to water less often. This is because it help your plants retain water. Also your plants will have far better growth levels because of this added water retention. It will also help you with your weed control, but it will never stop them completely stop them.

You should always test your soil, this way you can maximise your fertilization efforts. Never buy your fertilizer in bulk before doing a test on your soil, this way you make sure you get the correct fertilizer suited for your soil type. Just what could be a worse experience, than having not tested and then having bought in bulk to find that it is of no use to you.

When you do apply your fertilizer, it is recommended that you should maintain it. Always go for a high quality fertilizer, this in an absolute must do for any gardener, especially if you are a beginner. There are also many fertilizers available to you, that are tailored solely to the beginning of your planting experience. These will require no extra maintenance through your gardening activities. In any rate, make sure that you are getting your money’s worth and have thoroughly proven for yourself that the given fertilizer you are putting on your garden has been tried and tested on your soil type.

Organic material is always the best source of fertilization for your plants, this is because it adheres closely to natures natural growth process. Always try to avoid introducing any chemicals in to your soil, this is so that your plants will get used to growing and maximizing there potential via natural means. Going organic has many added health benefits for you and your family and by growing green you are doing your bit to help the environment. So why not go ahead now and grow organic?

Watch the video related to organic gardening

Im planting an organic garden while giving some basic tips about organic gardening and a little history on victory gardens

Help answer the question about organic gardening

There are many types of organic gardening, from organic vegetable gardening to organic flower gardening. Many people have no idea what organic gardening really is. Organic Gardening refers to growing plants, vegetables, etc. without using pesticides or other harmful chemicals.

Many people believe that organic gardening offers many health benefits and that organically grown food is much better for the human body than food grown with pesticides and chemicals. With such health concerns in place, it only makes sense to grow your fruits and vegetables organically in your very own organic home garden.

If you would like to learn how to have your own organic garden but are unsure of where to start, you are in luck. I have compiled a few easy organic gardening tips for you to follow to get you started off on the right foot.

Collect Your Own Rainwater

This seems like a weird thing to do, but it is actually one of the best tips for organic gardening. For this procedure you will need to purchase a couple barrels from your local hardware store. These barrels will be used to collect rainwater. By collecting rainwater you are conserving water resources instead of wasting it. Some organic gardening growers hook up elaborate system of piping and hose to their rain collection barrels and the system then waters the organic garden automatically. You can probably find a variety of instructions for these types of systems by searching Google. If you don want to get that elaborate you can easily use a small bucket to scoop the water from the barrels or better yet, get a barrel with a spout on it, to water your organic garden by hand.

All Natural Fertilizer

Fertilizer is the place where most organic gardening growers go wrong. You must choose your fertilizer carefully. Many brands of fertilizer produced today contain some type of chemical. Be sure to read the label for the list of ingredients. True organic gardening must use an all natural fertilizer. Even if it says All Natural on the bag, make sure you read the label for the ingredients.

Another source of great natural fertilizer for organic gardening can come from using compost. Compost will help improve the structure of your soil and at the same time help increase the soils water retaining abilities. The best part about using compost for organic gardening is that it is free if you have your own compost pile or box. If not, you can always start one by beginning to collect grass clipping, leaves, etc.
Mulch for Organic Gardening

A simple yet often overlooked tip for organic gardening is to use mulch. By using organic material to mulch around your flower beds and trees you will conserve water, add humus and nutrients, and discourage weeds. This is one of the easiest organic gardening tips there is. Just be certain to locate a suitable natural organic mulch to do the job. You should be able to find one at your local home store or at a large nursery.

There are really no downsides to organic gardening. It is simply a matter of you putting in the time and consideration to make the switch from regular gardening to organic gardening. Not only will you be producing more healthy and nutritious plants and food but you will also be doing your part for the environment by not using chemicals or pesticides that do damage to it. Everything is going Green these days, so you might as well jump on the band wagon and help save the environment and a simple way to start is through organic gardening.

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To view the next video in this series click: www.monkeysee.com

Help answer the question about organic gardening

It can be a scary exercise to sit down and work out exactly what is spent every year, on the average home gardens and lawns.

Try adding up the costs of plants, weedicides, pesticides, fungicides, fertilisers, petrol, mower and trimmer maintenance, weed eater cord, garden mulch and even water costs. Even the time and effort we go to in order to maintain a good-looking environment for our families and ourselves can amount to a substantial price.

So it is no wonder that many people are looking at ways to save money for more important causes.

One of the first things that you can do to save money, is to make use of as much of that organic matter that many people throw in the bin or wash down the sink.

For instance do you throw out your lawn clippings? Do you dutifully wrap up and throw out those old veggie scraps?

Are you one of those people who regularly get the trailer out and make trips down to the landfill with a pile of branch prunings?

What about those pile of leaves you threw in the bin last autumn?

Do you realise that all of those things can be turned into a wonderful form of plant food, as well as being used as a barrier to prevent the soil from loosing moisture and therefore increasing the amount of time between watering your garden. An organic mulch will also improve the soil structure, increase the good animals like worms while assisting in decreasing the nasty pests living in the soil.

By keeping these sorts of things within your own garden you are also assisting in reducing the effects that city living is having on the environment in landfill problems and costs.

There are a number of different ways that you can recycle these piles of organic matter within your own yard. One is to apply the bulk organic matter directly to your garden beds, ensuring that you don’t pile the material directly up against the trunks or main stems of the plants. A second idea to get a worm farm and recycle your kitchen waste that way; the worms provide you with a very strong and nutritious fertilising liquid for the garden as a bonus. This liquid is so strong it has to be diluted 10-1.

Don’t, by the way, put meat products, citrus peels or onion and garlic in with the worms. A third way is to purchase or construct your own compost pile/bin/tumbler and recycle the material that way.

So just by composting your old leaves, soft cuttings, veggie and fruit scraps, chipped branches, lawn clippings etc., you can do a lot to reduce your costs that you would have spent on such things as garden mulch and fertilisers as well as assisting your plants to last much longer between watering periods. So as you can see there are a number of reasons for not throwing away all that organic material.

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A lot of yards are quite shady, and this can become a problem for gardeners. In our next episode, Mark Viette shows us how we can work with the shade to keep our gardens lasting for several years. More at www.vafb.com.

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CONTAINER GARDENING FOR VEGETABLES 

Vegetable production is not only applicable in the countryside or in the  gardens but can be grown now within the heart of the city or just in your home even with only a limited space. 

If your home has an area with ample sunlight – a requirement for growing vegetables, you can grow them successfully. What are the locations that can be used for container gardening ? You can use your patio, balcony, terrace, rooftop, deck, window sill, pathways, etc. 

Be aware of the sunlight requirement for each kind of crop. For leafy vegetables, the required sunlight should be about four hours  the whole day, for fruit vegetables, at least 7-8 hours sunlight is needed daily, and root vegetables requires around 6 hours of sunlight a day. 

And besides of producing your own vegetables in a safer way, the attack of common pests and diseases can be greatly minimized. You can also improve the soil conditions  by adding some soil amendments; like manure, compost, and other essential food nutrients needed by the plants. 

Everything in your home that are considered as garbage can be utilized to the maximum by making them into compost. Even your household waste water can be used to irrigate your plants. 

In other words, container gardening is considered to be the practice that makes use of useless things. 

What Containers Are Ideal For Container Gardening? 

Growing vegetables can be executed in any type of containers such as;   cans, plastics, pails, split vehicle tires, cement bags, feed bags, bottle water plastics, gallon cans, cylinder blocks, milk container, bamboo cuts or any containers that have been thrown away. Even coco shells, banana bracts, leaves of coconut is ideal as potting materials especially for short season vegetables, like,  pechay, lettuce, mustard, etc. 

Good growing containers should possess the three important characteristics as suggested by Relf (1996); 

1. They must be large enough to support fully grown plants. 
2. They must have adequate drainage. 
3. They must not have held products that are toxic to plants and persons. 

Containers that drain poorly can affect the success of a container garden. It is therefore vital to have your containers above ground or any support that would raise the containers such as; slats, hollow blocks or anything to provide space below them to allow excess water to drain freely. 

For bigger plants, you should use big containers and for small containers use small plants. 

Small containers (1-2 gallons) are suited for lettuce, spinach, mustard, pepper, radish, green onions, carrots, beans, and dwarf tomatoes. Medium size containers (3-10 gallons) are best for eggplants while for larger ones (bigger than 10 gallons) are good for cabbage, cucumbers and tomatoes. 

 For most plants, containers should be at least 15 cm deep minimum especially for shot season vegetables. 

Recommended Container size and type/crop 

5 gal. window box – Bush beans, Lima beans

1 plant/5gal.pot, 3plants/15 gal. pot –Cabbage, Chinese cabbage

5 gal. window box at least 30 cm deep – carrot

1 plant/gal. pot – cucumber

5 gal. pot – Eggplant, tomato, okra

5 gal. window pot – Lettuce

1 plant/2gal. pot; 5 plants/15 gal. pot – Onion

5 gal. window box – Pepper, spinach

Plants grown in containers will depend on the kind of soil mixture to provide a maximum growth development. It is a must that you should provide the best soil media composition to give the possible return of your toil. Failure to give the plants with the necessary food nutrients in their growing period would results to  poor growth, lanky, and stunted plants that will results to your failure. 

The ideal soil mixture for container-grown vegetables crops are as follows: 

1. It should be light in weight and porous. 
2. It should easily drain excess water. 
3. It should have high water holding capacity. 
4. It should be free from soil borne disease, nematodes and insect pests. 
5. It should supply the right and balance amount of nutrients for the plants. 

The best mixture of soil media should compose the following; synthetic mix of horticultural-grade vermiculite, peat moss, limestone, superphosphate and complete fertilizer. 

Compost can also serve as an excellent growing medium. 

In your  country where the above media are not available, you can make your own potting media by mixing 1 part loam soil or compost manure,  1 part fine river sand, and coconut coir dust. 

If your country is producing rice you can replace coconut coir dust with the rice hull charcoal (carbonized). But this should be thoroughly sterilized to kill some deadly microbes that are detrimental to the plants. 

Sawdust is another medium that could be used in preparing your growing medium in the absence of coco coir dust and should also be sterilized. 

Sowing Seed and Transplanting 

Before going into the sowing procedure, give your utmost attention to the selection of seed you’ll use as planting materials. Good quality seeds should be your first concern. 

Good quality seeds possesses the following characteristics:  

1. damage free  
2. free from other mixture with other varieties
3. free from seed borne diseases 
4. and with good vigor and germinating capacity. 

To get a quality and reliable seeds, you should buy from certified seed producers or seed suppliers. 

All vegetables that undergoes transplanting are excellent for container gardening. Transplants can be purchased from local nurseries or other successful gardeners in your locality. 

Before transplanting, fill plastic or germinating tray with the growing media preparation using the following ratio: 60% rice hull charcoal(carbonized), 30 % coconut coir dust, 10% chicken manure (60-30-10 ratio). 

In the absence of the above materials in your country, you can use the old soil media preparation – 1 part sand, 1 part compost, and 1 part garden soil (1-1-1 ratio). Make sure to sterilize them before the seed are sown. This is to kill some microorganisms that may cause damage to the seedlings. 

You can also purchase a prepared growell medium sold in local agriculture stores in your respective country. Inquire from your agriculture experts available in your area. 

Once the growing media is ready, fill the holes of the germinating or potting containers. Press  the soil medium lightly with your fingers in every hole filled with the medium. Then follows the sowing of seeds. 

In sowing seeds some techniques should be followed to insure germination: 

I Watermelon (Seeded) (Citrulis lunatus).  Soak seed 30 min.- 1hour in top water. Incubate by using moist cotton cloth. Spread the seeds and cover. Place in an improvised cartoon for 24-36 hours. After this period, sow the seeds at I seed per hill. Seed must be level in the soil guided by a finger or stick at 1 cm deep. For the seedless type the procedure is the same as the seeded but the tip near the embryo should be cut with the use of a nail cutter before inserting to the soil. Cutting the end portion of the seed hastens germination.

l  Bitter Gourd/Ampalaya  (Momordica charantia). Soak seeds for 30 min.-1 hour. Cut the tip near the embryo and sow  with the seed deep of ¾ of the soil at 1 seed per hole. 

l  Upo (  Lagenaria siceraria   ) and Patola ( Luffa cylindrica ). Cut the tip covering only near the embryo and sow seed at 1 seed per hole. 

l  Squash (Cucurbita spp). Soak seeds 30 min.-1 hour. Then pinch the tip near the embryo and sow seed at 1 seed per hole. 

l  Pepper (Capsicum annum L.), Eggplant (Solanum melongena), and Tomato (Lycopersicum  esculentum). Sow the seed directly to the germinating tray at 1-2 seeds per hole. 

l  Pechai /Pechay (Brassica pechai), Lettuce (Lactuca sativa), Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis ), and Broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. Italica ). Sow seed directly to the germinating at 1-2 seeds per hole. 

l  Cucumber (Cucumis sativus), Honey Dew / Muskmelon (Cucumis melo). Sow the seed directly to the germinating tray at 1 seed per hole. 

l  Carrot (Daucus carota) and Raddish (Rafanus sativus).  Directly sow the seed to the field at 2-3 seeds per hill. 

l  Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis ) and Beans (Phaseolus limensis ). Sow the seed directly to the field at 1 seed per hill. 

l  Corn (zea mays). Sow the seed directly to the field at 1 seed per hill. 

l  Papaya (Carica papaya). Soak the seeds for 30 min.-1 hour then sow to the germinating tray at 1 seed per hole. 

l  Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus  ). Directly sow the seed in the field at 1-2 seeds per hill. 

Container size for specific crops. 

• Medium – Beans, lettuce, carrots, cabbage, broccoli 
• Large – Cuccumber, eggplant, tomato, pepper, okra, squash, papaya 
• Small – Onions, parsley, radish 

Light Requirements 

• Sun – Beans, cucumber, eggplant, tomato, pepper, carrots, okra, squash, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, broccoli papaya 
• Partial shade – Lettuce, onions, parsley, radish 

 Fertilizer Requirements 

To get the right amount of fertilizer for your vegetables, you should analyze your soil media mixture. And if you can do it, organic or inorganic fertilizer should be used. 

Fertilizer combination of organic and inorganic would be much better with the correct proportion depending on the plant requirement. 

When using inorganic fertilizer you should prepare a base nutrient solution by dissolving 2 cups of complete fertilizer in 1 gallon of warm water. 

A growing solution is prepared by diluting 2 tablespoons of the base solution in 1 gallon of water. 

Application starts by pouring 2-3 tablespoons of the growing solution on the soil media around the plants at the time of transplanting. 

The frequency of application may vary from one crop to another, but one application per day is adequate. It is advisable to leach all unused fertilizer out of the soil mix once a week by watering tap water to cause free drainage through the holes in the bottom of the container. 

This practice will prevent buildup of injurious materials in the soil media. If you want to use organic fertilizer, you should use pure or 2/3 compost in the growing media. 

If both the organic and inorganic fertilizer will be used, at least one part of the growing media should be compost and one tablespoon of the growing solution applied at least once a day. 

If you’ll use synthetic mix growing medium, which is already enriched with superphosphate and complete fertilizer subsequent fertilization may not be necessary for early maturing crops. 

For late maturing crops, daily application of the growing solution is necessary until maturity or shortly before harvesting. 

Water Management  

Water is the life for container garden plant. It’s important that you should not neglect this requirement. Proper water management is vital for a successful container gardening. 

Basically, one watering a day is enough for container-grown crops. But for vegetables grown in small containers may require 2 times of watering a day. 

Plants grown in clay pots needs more frequent watering since pots are more porous and extra water is allowed to drain out from their sides. 

If the  growing medium appears to be excessively dry and as the plant shows signs of wilting, the containers should be grouped together so that the foliage creates a canopy to help shade the soil and keep it cool. 

Poor drainage of the growing media or container can lead to water-logged condition that may results to plant death due to lack of oxygen. 

To make sure you have a vigorous plants, always check the containers at least once a day and twice on hot, dry, or windy days and to feel the soil to determine whether it is dump. 

To reduce water evaporation for container plants, you should apply mulching materials such as plastic mulch or putting windbreaks. 

You can also install trickle or drip irrigation system to the plants base if you think you can’s attend to your plants daily. 

Pests and Diseases Control 

Control of pests and diseases in containers needs your careful assessment because wrong use of pesticides may cause damage to  the environment, especially children who may often come closer to your container plants. 

To be safe, you should implement the Integrated Pest Management (IPM). This approach is focused on the so called systematic pest management which means to prevent problems before the pests and diseases appears. 

How you can do this? 

It is done by monitoring pest population, identifying pests, and choosing a combination of control methods to keep pests population at a minimal level. These methods includes cultural, mechanical, biological, and chemical methods (which is the last resort to be applied  when serious condition is discernible). 

l  Select insect and disease-resistant varieties of vegetables. Avoid insect attracting plants in the garden or those that are susceptible to pests. Beans, peas, cucumbers, spinach, lettuce and squash are more resistant to insect pests. 

l  Water the plants adequately to keep them healthy. Fertilize and thin plants to reduce competition for moisture and nutrients. 

l  Remove weeds to conserve soil moisture and eliminate hiding places of pests. 

l  Encourage natural enemies of insect pests, such as predators and parasites. Attract beneficial insects like; Western Damsel Bug, Lady Beetle, Green Lace Wing, and Minute Pirate Bug into your garden by planting small flowered plants such as; daisies, cosmos, marigold, and clover. Be sure they are in flower bloom throughout the growing season. 

l  Avoid growing the same types of vegetables in the same spot year after year. A 4-year rotation cycle is recommended. 

l  Exclude pests from plants by using fiber materials, row cover, and other barriers such as plastic bottles and plant collars. 

l  Remove infested part of the plant right away. Remove all plant residues from the containers after harvesting all the crops. 

l  Use traps to disrupt mating cycles of insects. Yellow sticky boards catch winged aphids, whiteflies, and leafhoppers. 

l  Handpick pests or knock them off plants with a stream of water from a garden hose. Kill the insects by putting them a soapy water. 

l  If all other control methods fails, the least toxic insecticides includes botanical control such as neem and pyrethrin. Insecticidal soap, horticultural oil may also be used for insect control. Always identify the pests before choosing a pesticide and use according to label directions. 

Harvesting 

Harvesting varies with vegetables. Leafy vegetables may be harvested when the desired leaf size is required for every use they are intended. Others harvest leafy vegetables after the required age is meet. For fruit vegetables such as, Luffa, Cucumber, Eggplant, beans, Okra, and Upo they are harvested when their size are big but tender. For squash varieties, they are harvested either matured or big but tender depending on the preference of users. 

Cabbage, cauliflowers, and broccoli should be harvested when their heads are already compact. Peppers and tomatoes may be harvested when their fruits have started to ripen. 

If you’re growing container-grown vegetables just for home consumption, you can harvest only some part of the plant and retain the rest for future use. But if you think you have more than enough  for family use, you can harvest them all and sell or give them to your neighbors. 

Never allow your vegetables to bear flower before harvesting them except when your purpose is to collect the seeds for future planting.  

Maturity Indices of some Vegetables 

• White potato, onion, garlic – Tops begins to dry and topple down  
• Cowpea, sitao, snap beans, batao, sweet pea, winged bean – Well-filled pods that really snap  
• Okra – Full-sized fruits with the tips that can be snapped readily  
• Lima beans, pigeon pea – Well-filled pods that are starting to lose their greenness  
• Upo, luffa – Immature (if thumb nail can penetrate easily)  
• Tomato – Seeds slip when fruit is cut, or green color turning pink  
• Sweet pepper – Deep green color turning dull  
• Musk melon – Color of lower part turns creamy yellow, produces dull hallow sound when thumped  
• Cauliflower – Curd compact  (over mature if flower clusters elongates and begin to loosen)  
• Broccoli – Bud cluster compact (over mature if loose)  
• Cabbage – Heads compact s (over mature if heads cracks)  
• Sweet corn – Exudes milk sap when thumbnail penetrates kernel  
• Eggplant, ampalaya – Desirable size is reached out but still tender  
• Honey dew – White color cream with aroma  
• Squash – Big enough with dried leaves  
• Watermelon – Dull hollow sound when thumped and lower color part turns yellow  
• Water spinach – Leaves at their broadest and longest  

  Problems Encountered in Container Gardening

 In container gardening you’ll  meet some problems that may hinder your daily operations. This is sometimes discernible when you’ll not attend the plants due to negligence.

 However, you can prevent these problems if you’ll religiously observe your plants closely. Small pests and diseases can’t be seen visibly if you’ll not see the plant appearance  closely. You’ll only see the affected plants once you come closer and actually touch them.

 Some symptoms, causes, and corrective measures you should observe:

 l  Tall, spindly and not productive. The plants receives insufficient sunlight and excessive supply of Nitrogen. To correct them, you should transfer the containers to a place where there is sufficient sunlight.

l  Yellowing from bottom, poor color, and lack vigor.  The plants receives too much water and low fertility. To correct this, you have to reduce watering intervals and check the pots for good drainage.

l  Plants wilt even with sufficient  water. The plants has poor drainage and aeration. To correct, you should use a potting mix with high percentage of organic matter. Increase the number of holes of the container for good drainage.

 l  Burning or firing of the leaves. The soil medium is high in salt. To correct this problem, you have to leach the container with tap water at regular intervals.

 l  Stunted growth, sickly, and purplish color of leaves. The temperature is low and low phosphate. To correct, you should relocate the containers to a warmer area. Increase phosphate level in base solution.

 l  Holes in leaves and distorted in shape.  The plants are pests infested. To correct, you should use non-chemical insecticides or other biological control for insects.

 l  Spots on the leaves, dead dried areas or powdery or rust occurrence. The plants are affected with a disease. To correct them, you should remove the disease affected parts or the whole plant in serious condition. You can use non-chemical pesticides if the disease is in the early stage of infestation.

 ___________________

 Crisologo Ramasasa, Freelance writer, writes articles on home gardening and Internet marketing tips. Get a copy of his latest ebook FREE, titled; “How to get Started in Flower Gardening” and “Vegetable Gardening Made Easy” and Free articles, tools, tips and bonus  at: www.crisramasasa.com

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February 2007 – Urban eco-pioneer, Anais Dervaes, demonstrates an ancient & efficient method of irrigation using ollas (unglazed clay pots) which are gradually making a comeback in our water challenged world. The principle behind the olla is that unglazed terracotta is porous, and when buried in the ground will slowly seep moisture to the surrounding soil and spread via capillary action. Any plants nearby have access to a steady stream of water. Apparently ollas have been used by the Spanish …

Help answer the question about gardening plants

A planting zone map is something that is very important to have as you embark on the wonderful world of garden planting. Remember that although you are planting many different things separately, your garden should be something that functions well together and helps every type of fruit and vegetable that you have survive. Therefore, you want to have a planting zone map that will help you make sure all of your plants are in the right place, and your garden is spectacular.

Sun/Shade

The first thing to consider when you are looking at a planting zone map is the way that the sun and shade works with your garden. Remember that some plants need sun and some plants need shade, and therefore you must be certain to provide your fruits and vegetables with the right amounts of both. Take into consideration the place where you will be having your garden, and design your planting zone map to ensure that there are shady areas as well as areas that get sun all day long.

Then, after you have your seeds, take a look at what requires sun and what requires shade, and plan to plant them in the right areas. Remember that having a garden near a tree or fence can allow for some of it to be shady during the day. If you don’t have a garden that has shade, you might need to make some artificial shade so that the plants that need it can have it.

Watering

Your planting zone map should also take into account the parts of the garden that are dryer and wetter. Some vegetables and fruits as well as flowers need to have wetter areas and some need areas that will dry out sooner. Take into consideration your water source, and whether the grown is flat or not.

If the ground is not flat, plan to have plants in the lower sections that need more water, and those in the upper sections that do not. This will help you get the right type of planting zone map for your garden.

Lastly, be sure that your planting zone map takes into consideration plants that will take over areas. Some types of flowers and vegetables will take over areas where they are not planted. Be sure that you know this before you plant them, and that you provide for this. You do not want nay of your hard work to go to waste because your planting zone map did not include these areas.

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Flower bulb care and attention isdiscussed in this free educational video series. Expert: Yolanda Vanveen Contact: www.vanveenbulbs.com Bio: Yolanda Vanveen is a third-generation flower grower and sustainable gardener who lives in Kalama, Wash. Filmmaker: Daron Stetner

Help answer the question about gardening plants