Gardening Services Guide

Archive for the ‘General Gardening Tips’ Category

A gardening tip! Vegetable gardening is a very satisfying activity. But your chances of success will improve if you plan your garden carefully before you even put a seed in the ground. First, you must consider the climactic factors of where you live. This is an important gardening tip. Vegetable gardens in one area won’t support the same plants as those in another area. Some vegetables, such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbage thrive better in cool areas. Eggplants, tomatoes and peppers do better in hot, sunny weather.

Here is another gardening tip. Vegetable gardens where lettuce has been planted need at least half a day of full sunlight, but benefit from midday shade. Keep that in mind when planning your garden. Other vegetables that do well with partial shade are cucumbers, spinach, Swiss chard, beets, carrots, cauliflower and radishes.

Do you live in an area where the growing season is short or long? This is another good gardening tip. Vegetable gardens in short growing season areas should be planted with turnips, arugula, beans (bush), scallions, beets, radishes, early cabbage, peas, carrots, onions (from sets), mustard greens and lettuce. In long growing season areas vegetable gardens can be planted with artichokes, asparagus, tomatoes, rhubarb, beans (dry, lima and soy), potatoes, celery, eggplant, peppers, kale, leeks and onions.

The next important gardening tip. Vegetable gardening, like any type of gardening, has plants that are easy to grow and vegetables that present more of a challenge. If you are a beginner at vegetable gardening, you might want to start with the easy ones like tomatoes, beans (green and dry), beets, lettuce, radishes, potatoes, salad greens, squash (summer and winter), Swiss chard, sunflowers and almost any of the root crops.

More experienced vegetable gardeners can try their hand at growing cantaloupe, cauliflower, celery, Chinese cabbage, watermelon, peas, parsnips, corn and leeks.

When laying out your garden, keep in mind that different vegetables require different amounts of growing space. The vegetables that are the least space consuming are beans (bush and pole), beets, carrots, Chinese cabbage, turnips, tomatoes, Swiss chard, eggplant, leeks, lettuce, sunflowers, radishes, peppers, mustard greens, onions and parsnips. Vegetables that are most space consuming are winter squash, artichokes (globe), broccoli, cauliflower, corn, cucumbers, melons, peas, potatoes and sweet potatoes. Also remember to allow yourself room to move around in your garden.

Try to avoid using chemical pesticides and herbicides. There are non-chemical ways of controlling weeds and insects. In fact, pesticides will kill not only the harmful bugs, but also the ones that are beneficial to your garden. A good natural mulch will help you keep your garden weed free.

This article will discuss researching a gardening landscape idea. It will
consider the different reference sources available for determining if an
idea is feasible.

Gardening Landscape Idea: Wouldn’t That Look Beautiful!

Sometimes we get an idea and don’t know if the idea is workable without
investigating options. A gardening landscape idea is always full of
possibilities. In your mind’s eye, the yard is weed free, the gardens
artistically arranged and there are never any leaves on the walkways. You
have the perfect idea for an unused corner of the yard, for the entranceway
to the drive or for your office building patio area. Getting from idea to
reality requires research and planning.

Sounds Expensive…

A brick walkway leading to a flower edged pond fed by a sparkling waterfall
sounds heavenly. You picture yourself coming home from work, strolling the
paths while enjoying the flowers, and relaxing to the sounds of running
water. You know paradise can be recreated in your own backyard. Then
reality takes a firm hold. This plan could be very expensive, and unlike
the pond you imagine, the budget definitely has a limit.

Transformation

Any gardening landscape idea must be researched to transform it from idea to
reality within a budget. The good news is that there are unlimited ways to
landscape and your original idea may only require minor adjustments. To
evaluate an idea, spend time researching the options. There are numerous
ways to research a gardening landscape idea project.

* There are thousands of books on landscaping with color pictures and design
maps.

* Search the Internet for an excellent way to investigate the feasibility of
your gardening landscape idea. You have the added benefit of being able to
research some of the costs online.

* Purchase magazines with articles on landscaping in your area.

* Drive around your neighborhood and see if anyone has utilized any part of
your idea in his or her yard. This has the benefit of visual context.

* Visit your local gardening store and discuss your idea with professionals.

Planted and Growing

After doing your research, the landscape gardening idea will either be left
intact or will be amended. Scaling back a project is always a better
alternative to dropping the project. If you decide that the idea is worth
pursuing, the next consideration is total cost. Though we would like to
operate with unlimited funds, a landscaping idea can easily grow larger than
available funds permit. The next research step is determining the
alternatives available to achieve the same affect. Perhaps instead of
installing a cement pond, the black liner pond will be just as effective at
a portion of the cost. The brick sidewalk might have to be eliminated, but
a decorative gravel path can be substituted. You could do some of the work
you planned on contracting. The options are unlimited. The landscape
gardening idea is planted and growing!

It Is Possible

A landscape gardening idea is always worth pursuing. Researching the idea,
adjusting the plans to fit your budget and being open to alternatives can
result in that backyard paradise.