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Gardening With TLC
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Welcome to Gardening with TLC
Gardens are meant to be places of great beauty and tranquility.
If you're looking for inspiration, ideas, and to become better gardeners, with more satisfying gardens, this site is for you.
You don't have to be a landscape designer to create a beautiful garden, all it takes is the desire, a little perspiration equity , a modest budget, the ability to read and ask for help from professionals.
It's a miracle to that we can take a tiny seed, nurture it, and watch it grow into a beautiful flower or delicious food for your table.
If you have a very small yard and would like a simple but well-maintained garden, you only need two things - determination and know-how. Here are some tips on how to keep your garden by the yard looking spruced up and glamorous.
Gardening gloves: Gardening gloves are an excellent addition to a garden tool kit especially when you want your budding green thumb to avoid forming cuts or blisters while working like digging, hoeing your garden.
De-heading: Keep your border free from wilted flowers and dried leaves. De-heading or removing dead flower heads will farther the plants to produce more blooms for longer. Many perennials such as geraniums and dahlias, and some annuals benefit from having exhausted blooms removed.
Pinch out tops: Certain plants - especially foliage plants like Coleus - respond with a spurt of growth when their tops are pinched out. Pinching out makes the plant much bushier and so more blooms are produced. Fuchsias are prone to decent tall-growing unless they are pinched out.
Fertilize lightly: A minimal amount of fertilizer will further boost the growth of your vegetation. If you water your yard frequently, you have to feed it more regularly because of nutrient depletion. A fortnightly application of liquid plant food is sometimes more beneficial than granules as it is more readily absorbed by the leaves. Container plants will be considerably healthier with a half-strength solution of liquid plant food applied regularly.
Weed out: This is one of the best ways to maintain the beauty of your garden by the yard. Remember, weeds compete with your plants for both nutrients and moisture. If the Weeds are not close to seeding, leave them on the bed to rot down for mulch. If you must use a weedicide, try and get a wick applicator, rather than a spray. This will protect you plants from spray-drift.
Water them well: One good tip when it comes to watering your garden by the yard is to give it a thorough soaking once a week, making sure there is no run-off to cause erosion. Deep watering will encourage the growth of deeper roots that will be able to withstand dry spells weather wise
Say no to chemicals: Chemicals are dangerous to mankind and often kill the natural predators of the pest in your garden, so avoid them if possible. There are many organic alternatives that work nearly as well.
With these simple tips, your garden by the yard will soon be the envy of your neighbors.
We've taken time to compile articles that answer the top questions folks are asking about gardening these days.
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Chemical Agents Are Designed To Wipe Out Insect Populations.
Natrual Pest Control Alternatives For Your Organic Garden.
There are many different things that can affect your enjoyment of growing a garden in a negative way. As natural gardeners, we all have to deal with problems with the elements, weeds and other situations that may come up without warning. One of the most difficult things for gardener to deal with, however, is a problem with pests.Unfortunately, far too many people try to deal with bugs with pesticides and other chemical agents designed to wipe out insect populations. Because chemical controls can dramatically reduce pest populations as a short term solution, yet by unavoidably killing the natural predator insects and birds, cause an increase in the pest population for the long term. Repeated use of insecticides, herbicides and other pesticides encourages rapid natural selection of resistant insects, plants and other organisms, necessitating increased use, or requiring new, more powerful doesages. Chemical lables tell us the chemicals we use are safe if used according to directions, but research shows that even small amounts of toxins absorbed through the skin may cause such things as cancer, especially in children.
What can be done to get rid of these unwanted invaders while still showing TLC to your garden?
Nature is a wonderful thing and for almost every pest that can invade your garden, there is a natural enemy that is available. Most of these enemies come in the form of a little bit of elbow grease but, how much is your family's health worth? Here are some simple steps that can be taken to reduce the pest population in your garden without the use of unhealthy chemicals.
Taking care of your garden properly will do a lot to reduce the amount of insects that can be found there. Plants can survive a few holes in their leaves, but you must find the cause of the damage. It is best to check plants at different times of day and night to find the culprit. If you have a weak plant, it may be infested by insects so make sure that you pull it out. You should also work on some natural composting in order to make sure that your soil is both organic and healthy. Rotating crops, disinfecting plants before they are planted and reducing any habitat that the insects may hide in will also go a long way in producing a natural, chemical free garden.
Finally, you may also want to add some beneficial insects to your garden in order to get rid of the harmful ones. Ladybugs eat an enormous amount of harmful insects without doing any damage to your garden, whatsoever. You can purchase these through catalogs and release them in your garden. The praying Mantis is also a very beneficial insect that typically comes in egg form. Put these eggs in your garden and you will soon have a crop of insect eating machines.
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The Practice of TLC Gardening
By Observing Nature
Having a practice of tlc gardening work efforts will create an ideal organic plant environment for you, resulting in better yields with less labor. Whether natural gardening is just something of enjoyment or your livelihood, organic gardening is essential across the generations. Also this is a way grandparents can enjoy gardening with there young grandchildren and at the same time showing them tlc's beauty.Of course gardening is not just about digging in the soil. It's more about preserving and fully understanding the different types of plants - the care - other factors needed in order to strive such as the amount of water, and sunlight.
Let's look at a very important matter to observe in growing garden-plants, and that is watering them. The gardener should know just when to water, and to give it where it will do the most good. Novice gardeners often exhibit poor judgment in watering. It is the habit of some to keep the soil around their plants constantly soaked with water, while wondering why they are not thriving or healthy. These novice do not stop to consider that such treatment is unnatural, and will have an effect contrary to what is desired. There are those who resort to the opposite extreme, and keep their plants all the time in a perishing condition of dryness, which is even worse than if they were watered to death. If we will observe how judiciously Nature distributes the sunshine and shadow, the periodical rains, and the refreshing dews, we will learn an important lesson. A pot, or other receptacle in which plants are grown, should be porous; glazed, or painted pots, should never to be used, where plain, unglazed pots can be obtained; all non-porous pots of tin and similar material, should be discarded. Plants growing in them can never compare in health with those that have the advantage of plain porous pots. There should be a hole of sufficient size in the bottom of each pot, to allow the water to drain off, and to pass away as soon as possible. Placing a few pieces of broken tile, or charcoal, in the bottom of the pots will facilitate a rapid drainage, as good drainage is essential to the growth of strong, and healthy plants. When plants require water, it will be indicated by a light, dry appearance of the top of the soil, and if watered when in this condition, it will do the most good. Give water only when in this condition, and then copiously, giving them all they will soak up at the time, then withhold water until the same indication of their want of it again appears, then apply it freely. Unless plants are in a very dry atmosphere, as in a warm parlor in winter, they will seldom require watering. In summer they should be closely watched, and if exposed to sun and wind, they will require daily watering, to keep them in a flourishing state. When plants are suffering from drout, it will be indicated by the drooping of the leaves, and they will frequently turn yellow, and drop off prematurely; this can be avoided by timely attention each day.
In summer, watering in the cool of the evening will be followed by the best results, for it will give the plants time to take up and assimilate the moisture necessary to their life, and being completely charged with water, they will be prepared for the hot sun and drying winds of the following day. Your garden is a source of healthy living for all those you care about and you just need to have a little TLC for your organic plants. In turn, you'll reap the benefits.
Your time and effort in reading this article is much appreciated. Please continue to browse through my Gardening with TLC website and read some of the other articles I have online
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PREPAIRING FOR ORGANIC GARDENING ARTICLE
We are now ready to choose just the right location for the garden. Things you should consider and the reason why. The greatest determining factor is the sun. The north corner of your home isn't the best area. North corners will do for ferns, it's not good for certain wild flowers, and begonias.
If possible, choose the ideal spot with a southern exposure. Here the sun lies warm all day long. When the garden is located the rows of vegetables and flowers should run north and south. The plants will receive the sun's rays all morning on the eastern side, and all afternoon on the western side. One ought not to have any lopsided plants with such an arrangement.
Let's say the garden faces southeast. In this case the western sun is not going to shine on the plants evenly. In order to get the best distribution of sunlight run the rows northwest and southeast.
The idea is to get the most sunlight as evenly distributed as possible for the longest period of time. From the lopsided growth of window plants it is easy enough to see the effect on plants of poorly distributed light. So if you use a little diagram remembering that you wish the sun to shine part of the day on one side of the plants and part on the other, you can juggle out any situation. The southern exposure gives the ideal case because the sun gives half time nearly to each side. A northern exposure may mean an almost entire cut-off from sunlight; while northeastern and southwestern places always get uneven distribution of sun's rays, no matter how carefully this is planned.
New garden spots are likely to be found in two conditions: they are covered either with turf or with rubbish. In large garden areas the ground is ploughed and the sod turned under. As for small gardens remove the sod and till the area. Stake and line off the garden spot. The line gives an accurate and straight course to follow. Cut the edges with the spade all along the line. If the area is a small one, say four feet by eighteen or twenty, this is an easy matter.
Such a narrow strip may be marked off like a checkerboard, the sod cut through with the spade, and easily removed. This could be done in two long strips cut lengthwise of the strip. When the turf is cut through, roll it right up like a roll of carpet.
Then divide this up into strips a foot wide and take off the sod as before. What shall be done with the sod? Do not throw it away for it is full of richness, although not quite in available form. So pack the sod grass side down one square on another. Leave it to rot and to weather. When rotted it makes a fine organic gardening fertilizer. Such a pile of rotting vegetable matter is called a compost pile. All through the summer add any old green vegetable matter to this. In the fall put the autumn leaves on. A fine organic gardening compost is being fixed up for another season.
After tilling the soil there still may be some large clumps, I would pick out the largest pieces of sod, shake them well and put them in the compost heap. Ground must be very fine indeed to plant in, because seeds can get very close to fine particles of soil. But the large lumps leave large spaces which no tiny root hair can penetrate. A seed can be stranded and wasted when planted in chunks of soil.
With your TLC at heart and the plan on paper you now are ready to stake and line off your garden rows. Remember the line gives an accurate and straight course to follow.
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- Welcome to Gardening with TLC
- No Work Gardening Craze!
- Chemical Agents Are Designed To Wipe Out Insect Populations.
- The Practice of TLC Gardening
- TLC Gardening Tips To Consider
- Your Plants and Your Wallet will Love Rainwater
- Garden Composting with TLC
- More on Organic Gardening Compost
- TLC Gardening Module
- Great Stuff on Amazon
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TLC Gardening Tips To Consider
By C. Thomas Wetherald
Thank you for choosing to read this article, it was written specifically to be helpful for you and your gardening experience.
Gardening is an ancient art with a great heritage, and gardeners do not use machines like farmers do. Gardeners still tend to each plant one by one. Gardening can be a lot of work, but when you stand back and take a look at what you have constructed with your own hands, the feel of accomplishment is great. Gardening is a way of showing that you believe in tomorrow. Because gardening is not just about digging. One of the most important factors in gardening is to fully understand the different types of plants - in this case flowers in particular - and the amount of water, sunlight and other factors that they need in order to strive. The key to getting started in this form of gardening is to start small, for instance with a small flower bed.
Some people worry a lot when it comes to caring for their plants. When talking about house plants, there is no need to worry. Here are just a few things for you to consider.
Over watering kills most house plants. Looks can be deceptive, so to see if your dirt is dry enough to water, try the finger test. Put in your index finger up to the first joint into the soil. If the dirt is damp, don't water it.
Feeding Foliage plants commonly have high nitrogen needs, while flowering plants, K2O is needed. Slow release 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.
Lighting Plants like Sanseveria and Aspidistra elatio elatio require no sun. They can be placed out from a window. Spider plants need semi-shade. You can put plants like these near a window that does or does not get sunlight. Check the label to see what your plant needs.
Temperature House plants can live in cool or warm temperatures, but drastic fluctuations of temperature may not be good for them. One thing that most plants cannot survive is gas heating. If you have a plant that likes warm conditions, don't put it near an air conditioner in the summer.
Some houseplants require a humid environment. One tip 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 they will benefit from. If you want, you can spray them with water once or twice a day depending on the temperature.
Some plants require re-potting for optimal growth but there are others that resent having their roots disturbed. Or 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. If roots are all you see, then re-pot. Sometimes the roots will come out of the pot. You should either cut them off or re-pot the plant.
You just need to have a little TLC for your plants and in turn, you'll reap the benefits. Indoor plantsnot only add to the beauty of your décor, but also give much delight to the indoor gardener.
I think people just don't know how fantastic gardening is. You can relieve stress and frustrations while you do your gardening work. Anyway, I feel we should all be telling our neighbors that gardening is great. I want to help people take some of the idle spaces and turn them into very productive, beautiful spaces that can be appreciated season after season.
Your time and effort in reading this article is much appreciated. Please continue to browse through my Gardening with TLC website and read some of the many other articles I have online.
Be sure you pick up your copy of the Free Report Container Gardening.
Your Plants and Your Wallet will Love Rainwater
Gardening Information
(ARA) - Avid gardeners spend a good part of the winter planning what they will plant in the spring. Even casual gardeners invest plenty of time and money in their plants. Regular watering is one key to a successful garden. So what's a gardener to do when faced with lack of rainfall combined with water restrictions in the middle of a hot summer?More and more gardeners are turning to rain barrels to keep their gardens happy and healthy. Saving rainwater to use during dry periods is an ancient practice that is once again becoming popular. This low-tech but ingenious solution is simple and inexpensive, and provides chemical-free water that plants thrive on.
The plastic rain barrels come in a range of sizes, with 50 to 60 gallons being most common. Simply place the barrel under a downspout in an unobtrusive part of your yard and wait for rain. Instead of letting rainwater flow down your driveway and into a storm drain, it will collect in the barrel for later use.
You can harvest a surprisingly large amount of rainwater from your gutters. Just a small amount of rain -- less than half an inch -- can easily fill a 50 gallon rain barrel, so you can quickly start to collect enough to keep your flower beds, garden or houseplants well watered. "It won't be enough o water your lawn, but it will be plenty for vegetable gardens, flowers and shrubbery," says Lars Hundley, owner of Dallas-based CleanAirGardening.com, an online company that specializes in environmentally friendly lawn and garden supplies. To collect more water, you can connect several barrels with a pip or hose, or you can put barrels under more than one gutter downspout.
Once your rain barrel is full, you can hook a hose up to the rain barrel to water your garden (rain barrels are perfect to use with soaker hoses), or you can simply dip a watering can into the barrel. Rainwater is naturally soft and free of minerals, chlorine, fluoride and other chemicals.
"Trees and plants rely on fungus, bacteria and nematodes to help them absorb the minerals and nutrients they need," explains Hundley. "Plants have an efficient immune system that allows them to fend off diseases and other invaders as long as they have a healthy soil environment and aren't stressed by other factors," he adds. Chemical fertilizers, fungicides, pesticides and drought disrupt the balance and harmony of the soil, weakening trees and plants and allowing disease to take over. "The chemicals and hard water from many municipal water systems also add to the imbalance of the soil. Watering with softer, natural rainwater is a nice treat for your plants," says Hundley.
In addition to being good for your plants, rain barrels can also save you money. Some experts estimate that lawn and garden watering make up almost 40 percent of total household water use during the summer; by utilizing collected rainwater, you can substantially reduce this amount. As an added benefit, collecting rainwater also helps control moisture levels around the foundation of your house.
Here are some tips to consider when shopping for a rain barrel:
* Make sure your barrel is child-proof. A safety grid at the top prevents children and animals from entering.
* All systems should use covered barrels that keep the water from accumulating leaves and other debris. They should also have some kind of filter to keep out silt and leaves; these can range from a funnel with mesh in the bottom that is covered by gravel to a rainwater washing apparatus that you can purchase.
* Keep mosquitoes from breeding in your barrel by keeping it tightly covered and using debris screens to filter water before it enters the barrel. Cleaning your gutters and downspouts frequently and using collected rainwater within a few days will also help control mosquito problems. You can place a nontoxic mosquito "dunk," in the barrel for additional protection.
Some cities have started programs to give residents easy access to affordable rain barrel systems. You may be able to find a limited selection of rain barrels at your local garden supply store; for more options, Visit here for Rain Barrells!
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Garden Composting with TLC
By C. Thomas WetheraldKeeping yourself informed is very important in today's gardens. You may do so by reading the following article regarding garden composting. I am glad you have found this page.
Whenever we grow a garden, particularly the type that we grow on a yearly basis, something needs to be added back into the soil from time to time. Although we can make sure that the soil remains healthy by rotating the crops, a little bit of garden composting is a great idea. Doing this helps to add some nutrients back into the ground and helps us to yield great crops, year after year. Not only is this good for us and our crops, it is good for the Earth if we use natural methods instead of commercial fertilizers.
The concept behind garden composting is not too difficult to understand. There are many different things, however, that we might add to this compost which will help to make it more organic and beneficial to our gardens. As we reap the harvest of our vegetables, there are often leftover materials that some people simply run through the garbage disposal. Those materials are some of the best fuel for our natural garden composting pile. You may also want to add such things as lawn clippings, wood ashes and even coffee. Having a good mixture of green components and brown components will give us the balance that we need between carbon rich and nitrogen rich materials.
Finding a suitable spot for our composting pile takes some consideration as well. For example, we would want to make sure that the soil underneath the compost pile is well-drained and that it is not so far away from our home that it becomes inconvenient.
When it is cold outside, shelter the piles somewhat but when it is warm outside, make sure that it is shaded. This will help the decomposition of the materials to be steady so that you have access to more of this composting material on a regular basis.
As you continue to make compost, you will no doubt learn much more about it. Thing's such as turning it on a scheduled basis, making sure that the interior temperature is correct and finding out the balance that you need between green and brown materials. Once you get the hang of it, this material becomes an organic soup that you can add to your garden. Not only will you be able to tell the difference in the vegetables that you grow, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you're giving back to the earth something that you borrowed from it.
Thanks for reviewing this article, I hope you found the garden compost information useful and to of great use for you. You can find more information by browsing through our other articles here @ Gardening with TLC.
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More on Organic Gardening Compost
By C. Thomas WetheraldMany backyard gardeners are turning to organic methods as they realize how easy and what a very rewarding experience it can be. Garden compost is useful during planting by enriching the soil. Organic gardening compost is a combination of natural wastes and other decaying materials. It can leave us with a chemical free fertilizer.
This natural compost fertilizer is perfect to put on your garden in addition to reducing waste that is put into the local landfill. Any organic matter can be composted, and there are many ways it can be done while turning waste into a nutrient rich soil supplement for your garden.
I can think of three ways you could organically compost your garden and flower beds. Natural wastes and decaying materials is a way to fertilize with no chemicals. Utilizing animal waste is another way. Unwanted grass and leaf waste, natural waste, is a third way of composting without chemicals.
Here's an example of how to start composting, simply collecting enough natural wastes and other decaying material to establish a pile measuring one-cubic yard. Build a compost bin or pile by first spreading some sheets of plastic on the ground to avoid having unwanted weeds growing up into your compost. Use a layer of leaves and a layer of fresh lawn grass clippings alternately with coffee grounds, tea bags, vegetable scraps, ect,.
Manure is one of the best fertilizers, but be careful not to use too much. It can burn your plants. If you do not like the smell of manure, fish emulsion is another great choice. Manure should be well composted or sterilized before making manure tea. You make it the same way you make compost tea; by dissolving the manure in water and straining out the solid material.
Nature will recycle its nutrients. Fallen leaves carry somewhere around 50-80 percent of the nutrients that the tree extracts from the soil and air, including carbon, potassium, phosphorus and other natural elements. Plants need certain nutrients to grow and we often think fertilizer is our only solution. By grass recycling, artificial fertilizers can be significantly reduced. Compost or woodchip mulching is a way of mimicking the falling leaves in a more controlled environment.
Organic gardening compost mulch helps smother out weeds while feeding your plants. Weed control is a must do, and a lot of time will be spent eliminating weeds. You can pull them out by hand, also known as cultivation or can be sprayed with organic weed killers.
Start when you can, you'll soon have your own organic garden. Soil temperatures will be 50 degrees F soon, and there is plenty of time to plant. Working with the soil and nature; by recycling and collecting any organic matter you may have around your home and garden make a big difference in how you consider natural healthy food.
I hope you have been able to gain something from this article, thanks for reading. Good luck using this information from Gardening with TLC and please keep browsing my site to find out more interesting information on organic gardening compost
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The Lens looks great! I'm excited to be working with you! Gardening information is always needed!
Posted May 07, 2008
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