Is Herb Gardening For You?

Herbs have been around a long time and served different kinds of purposes. They have been used to treat illness and give flavor to cooking; they were even believed to have magical powers. Do you want to have your own herb garden? Here are a few ideas on how to begin an herb garden.

Plan your garden.

Consider the herbs you want to plant. Think about their types. Would you like annuals, biennials or perennials?

How much space will they take up in your garden? If you want, you can buy a book that can give you the right information on what specific plants you are planning to produce.

List or draw your garden on paper first. Separate the annuals from the perennials so when the time comes that you have to pull out the annuals, you won't be disturbing the perennials. Perennials can be planted on the edge of your garden so when it is time to till your garden they won't be in danger of getting dug up.

Another thing to remember is that you have to plant the tall ones at the back and the shorter ones in front. Also, provide your plants with enough space to grow. Proper position shall help you in this area.

If you would rather keep herbs out of your garden (and some are quite invasive) you could have herb pots. These are large containers with three or more outlets for the herbs. Fill the pot up to the first outlet and plant it before continuing on with the filling and planting process. Usually, the herb that requires the most water is planted in the bottom hole, while the variety that requires the least, goes in the highest hole.

Some Design Ideas

You can consider having a square herb bed. You can have your square bed divided into four by two paths crossing at mid point measuring 3 feet. You can border it with stone or brick. A wooden ladder may also do the trick. You can lay it down on your garden and plant your herbs between its rungs. You can also choose to have a wagon wheel bed. Planting here is like planting with the wooden ladders. Plant your herbs in between the wagon wheel's wedges.

Get Your Plants Growing

Of course, different plants have different needs, but many of them need alkaline soil. This is the reason why you have to settle on the herbs you want to plant in the planning stage. This can more or less help you find out how you should care for your plants. If you germinate your herbs from seeds, remember to follow the directions on the packet for soil, watering and temperature.

Herbs are some of the easiest plants to grow. You just have to provide them with an effective drainage, sunlight, enough humidity or moisture and rich soil. Even with just minimally meeting these needs they will be bound produce an excellent crop.

Is Organic Gardening For You

Organic gardening is a way of growing vegetables and fruits with the use of things only found in nature. You do not use any chemicals or fertilizers.

Why would one want try organic gardening?

1.One can simply make compost from garden and kitchen waste. Though this is a bit more time-consuming than buying prepared chemical pesticides and fertilizers, it unquestionably helps to put waste to good use and helps save the environment.

2. Organic farming does not use chemicals that may have an unwanted affect on your health. This is particularly important when growing vegetables. Chemical companies tell us that the chemicals we use are safe if used according to direction, but studies shows that even tiny amounts of poisons absorbed through the skin can cause such things as cancer, especially in children.

On the average, a child ingests four to five times more cancer-causing pesticides from foods than an adult. This can lead to a variety of diseases later on in the child's life. With organic gardening, these incidents are lessened.


3. Less harm to the environment. Poisons are often washed into our waterways, causing death to the local fish and polluting their environment.

4.Organic farming practices help prevent the loss of topsoil through erosion.
The Soil Conservation Service says that an estimated 30 - 32 billion tons of soil erodes from United States farmlands each year.

4. Cost savings. One does not need to buy costly chemical fertilizers and pesticides with organic gardening. Many organic recipes for the control of pest and disease come straight from the kitchen cupboard. Sometimes other plants can be grown as companions to the main crop. An example of this is the marigold, which helps to repel aphids from vegetables.

Mixing 1 tablespoon of liquid dishwashing soap and 1 cup of cooking oil can make a cheap garden pest spray. Put 3 tablespoons of this mixture in 1 quart of water and spray on plants.

5.A simple mulch of pine needles will help to suppress the growth of weeds as well as keeping the moisture in.

6. Organic gardening practices can help to keep the environment safe for future generations.

Online Gardening Catalogues

Are you looking for gardening catalogues? What kind of gardening and plants do you prefer to read about? There is an ample choice available online. Here are a few websites that offer gardening catalogues. Check out the URL to see if they are free or not.

1. www.jacksonsnurseries.co.uk
Along with nursery services, Jackson Nurseries offer landscape designing, ground designing and wholesale plants at wholesale prices.

2. www.mzbulb.com

If you are looking for flower bulbs, McClure and Zimmerman have each and every variety. They have a no fuss website navigation that allows interested clients to easily order gardening catalogs.

3. www.gardennursery.com
In business for over 50 years, Nichols Garden Nursery has an online catalogue unit offering seeds and plants. Their 76 page free gardening catalogue can be ordered by filling out their catalogue request form online.

4. www.gurneys.com
Gurneys offer great deals like buying one, getting one free. They also have a no-risk guarantee and a scheduled shipping of orders according to categories of plants, i.e., roses, herbs, shrubs, and trees, tender annuals, and all other plants and bulbs.

5. www.homeharvest.com
Home Harvest Garden Supply offers alternative gardening products, i.e., organic fertilizers, hydroponics, natural insect controls, container, hobby greenhouse, propagation and irrigation supplies, indoor plant grow lights and other rare gardening supplies. They offer an online catalogue for every gardening enthusiast.

6. www.jacksonandperkins.com
Jackson and Perkins are known to be one of the best American gardening experts. They are reaching out to other gardening aficionados through their website, offering gardening products through their catalogue. They sell a wide range of plants - from new award-winning roses and easy to grow perennials, to special outdoor decor. Flowering gifts may also be sent directly to your friends by ordering from their site.


7. www.thegardenwindow.com
This site offers an online catalogue that specializes in imported Chinese tree peonies (from Mainland, China).

There are many more sites to check out. While free online catalogues may be good source of gardening supply information, you may also be overrun with a flood of advertising about other products. May your garden grow!

Gardening For The Small Yard Tips

If you have a small yard and would like a simple but well-maintained garden, you only need two things - determination and knowledge. Here are some tips on how to keep your garden by the yard looking spruced up and stunning.

1. Deadheading
Keep your edge free from sagging flowers and dried leaves. Deadheading or removing dead flower heads will push the plants to produce more blooms for longer. Many perennials such as geraniums and dahlias, and some annuals benefit from having spent blooms removed

3. Pinch out tops.
Certain plants - especially foliage plants like Coleus - react 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 becoming leggy unless they are pinched out.

4. Fertilize lightly.
A small amount of fertilizer will promote the growth of your vegetation. If you water your yard frequently, you have to fertilize it more frequently because of nutrient depletion. A bimonthly application of liquid fertilizer is sometimes more useful than granules as it is more readily absorbed by the leaves. Container plants will be considerably healthier with a half-strength solution of liquid fertilizer applied on a regular basis.

5. Weed out.
This is one of the best ways to preserve 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 decompose down for mulch. If you must use a weed killer, try and get a wick applicator, rather than a spray. This will protect you plants from spray-drift.

6. 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 support the growth of deeper roots that will be able to endure dry spells.

7. Say no to chemicals
Chemicals are hazardous to humans and often kill the natural predators of the pest in your garden, so keep away from them if possible. There are many organic alternatives that could work as well.

With these simple tips, your garden will soon be the envy of your neighbors. You can have the garden of your dreams with just a little effort.