Gardening News & Tips

When you plan your garden, there's more to think about than just what you want to plant. Consideration should be made for how much produce you can use, the equipment you have available to cultivate, what
dates you will be planting, and even the size of your mature plants. Not to mention attention to sun and shade, and how close your garden is to your water source and tool shed.

Planning with these things in mind will result in a more productive and rewarding gardening experience.
Knowing this, let's look closer at some of these points.

Yield

Having a realistic picture of what you expect from your garden is an essential factor in preparing for a garden. Do you have a large family and want enough produce for eating fresh through the growing season as well as enough to can or freeze? Or do you want to have vegetables for the table in small quantities from time to time? Now is the time to decide how big your garden should be.

If you are a beginning gardener, start slowly. If you plant too large a garden, or plan very intricate succession plantings, you may become discouraged by too large a workload or when your plans are hampered by adverse weather or other unforeseen misfortunes. Give yourself time to grow as a gardener.

Cultivation

Keeping weeds out of your garden requires cultivation. How will you do this in your garden?

If you have a small garden plot and will be using hand tools, then you can plan for closer plant spacing. You could plant in beds or rows. If you will be using a rototiller, you will want to plant in rows with ample space for your particular rototiller.

Don't crowd your garden if you are planting in rows. It's a temptation to plant too close to allow enough room for a rototiller, especially when the plants are so small. Leaving adequate space will allow for efficient cultivation, less damage to full grown plants and cleaner vegetables.

While we're on the subject, if you have limited space, consider planting in beds. Planting in beds allows for more yield, less weeds because mature plants block sun from getting to the soil. The visual impact is very rewarding, as well.

Planting Dates

Think about when you will plant your vegetables and place them in the plan accordingly. Doing this will
allow you to care for just the planted section of your garden and leave the unplanted area alone until needed.

Also, remember that corn is much taller than tomatoes. When planting a taller crop, place it to the north of the shorter one so as not to shade the shorter plants.

While the work involved in gardening can be rewarding by itself, it's certainly worth planning your labor expenditures. Working smart and hard will provide the fullest gardening enjoyment.

Gardening is work, but it's fun, too. It's not often you can reap such a reward in such a short time. If you are a beginner and would like to learn more, visit my website http://vegetable-garden-design.ricksdigest.com/ . You'll find more info to help you as you grow into a great gardener. You'll also find other material on living more self sufficiently and spending less while living better. So, take a minute and visit Rick's Information & Product Digest.
Thank you so kindly.

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My relationship with growing vegetables is a bit varied to say the least. My first attempt at an allotment wasn't bad albeit I was 11 years old and way too focussed on potatoes but the second attempt failed when in clearing the ground we found a small motor boat buried on the plot and I just didn't have the energy to pursue my vision of Eden in Merton Park.

But I've got the bug again and, unfortunately for me, so has everyone else. Indeed a combination of higher food prices, a demand for organic produce and an aim to reduce food miles have all combined to make allotments hugely in demand. Some local authorities have closed their waiting lists whereas in cities like Edinburgh you have a 10 year wait and I'm told that in one London Borough it's a 40 year wait. The National Trust have just announced that they are making space available for 1000 community allotments at its historic gardens and there are schemes where budding gardeners can link up with people with too much garden and not enough time to garden.

But what do you do if you can't get onto an allotment waiting list, live way to far away from a National Trust garden or just don't want to take on a large allotment? If you desire just to be able to supplement your fruit and veg with some home-grown produce what's the quickest way to get up and running this year? Here are my top tips.

Find a space

The first decision to make is to find a space in your garden, on your balcony, on your windowsill. Wherever you choose just make sure your plot has some good light and sun through the day. You really can grow in the smallest of areas but you need to make the plants accessible. One of the best ways is to create some raised beds, even some walls made from planks will help because it contains all that great soil and makes for a tidier patch that will keep you interested. I've often used old apple crates as planters but find that wooden boxes that once contained wine bottles will only last one season. There are also some great potato planters available at garden centres and even regular planters help contain herbs so that you can adjust their location according to the season.

Get the soil right

Having raised beds means it easier to get the soil right. A good loamy soil is what you are aiming for and in my experience most London gardens have this to start with. Add plenty of good compost and feed your plants regularly (just check the seed packet for advice). Get a compost heap started so that next year you're recycling all that goodness back into your veg.

Get the kids involved

We constantly hear about children not eating healthily, well growing food is one of the best ways of getting them to have their five a day. If they are actively involved in growing easy things like carrots and lettuce then they are more likely to eat them. Add a few sunflowers for the seeds and plant marigolds and nasturtium that also grow fast and can be added to salads.

Prioritise your planting

If what concerns you most is the price of veg then concentrate on growing the more expensive food items that you like. Just a few large pots for growing your own herbs and a patch to grow things like aubergines, courgettes, cherry tomatoes and salad leaves. You'll save a fortune! Added to this have you noticed where all your veg comes from? If you plan wisely you can grow your own food and save on all those food miles.

Time-saving fruit trees

If you're always busy and don't see much hope of being able to tend a vegetable plot every few days then maybe you should consider putting in some fruit trees and fruit bushes. The smallest garden can benefit from an apple tree and as well as your standard tree there are options for espaliers that grow against a wall and ballerina trees that do not spread their branches widely. There are a few rules when buying apples about fertilisation so ask when you visit the nursery or buy a self-fertile variety. Don't forget you can also plant those fruit trees that cost a lot in the supermarket such as pears, cherries and even peaches and apricots for really sunny walls. How about a fig tree or set yourself up with a small fruit cage and plant raspberries and gooseberries?

It really is pretty easy to get started growing your own and you'll get an immense feeling of achievement from your first crop of tomatoes or the first humble leek next winter.

Andrew Fisher Tomlin designs gardens across London. For more information about what he can do for your London garden click here

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Just dropping in for a quick list of successful tomato tips.

1. DETERMINATE tomato plants produce a heavier yield at one time and are best for canning.
2. INDETERMINATE tomatoes bear fruit throughout the summer and tend to sprawl. Best for continual eating enjoyment.
3. Transplant tomatoes when all danger of frost is past. Put in well drained soil, and mix in some humus or compost if needed.
4. Putting plastic jugs over the plants creates a greenhouse effect and can help them grow faster. Just keep an eye on daytime temperatures.
5. Transplant on a cool evening to prevent wilt and transplant shock. Space plants two feet apart in rows three feet apart.
6. Snip off bottom leaves and plant DEEP. Leave about 4-6 inches of crown above the ground with the leaves on. The plant shoots roots from the entire stem underground, developing a better system.
7. "Mud in" your new tomatoes. Dig the hole three times larger than the root ball, place the plant in, and fill halfway up with water. Then carefully pack dirt around the plant.
8. Always "side dress" your new tomatoes. Make a ring around the plant about one foot away, sprinkle 10-10-10 garden fertilizer in the ring, and water well. READ THE DIRECTIONS on all fertilizers so you don't burn your plants.
9. Keep the plants watered according to weather conditions. Don't overwater, as this results in poor aeration and stem rot. Mulch if desired.
10. Keep the area weed free, but don't hoe too close to the plant. This breaks off the roots that supply water to the fruit.
11. Before they start setting fruit, dust the plants about every ten days with a good combination insecticide and fungicide. Do this before they show symptoms, because it's difficult to stop blight once it's started. If blight does infest your plants, DO NOT plant tomatoes in the same area the next year.
12. Two common problems with tomato plants are "leaf roll" and "white shoulders." Leaf roll is caused by too much fertilizer or herbicide spray. White shoulders appear on the tomatoes and are caused by extremely high temperatures.
13. Plants may be allowed to sprawl over the ground, but they produce better fruit if tied to stakes at least four feet tall. All indeterminate plants should be staked.
14. Before first frost, pull up your tomatoes and hang them upside down in a protected place. Many of the green tomatoes will ripen. Keep dry or mold will occur.

These tips will keep your tomato plants happy, and you happy, all summer long.

Use your summer bounty to its best advantage by canning plain tomatoes and seasoning them when you actually cook them in the winter. Try the Savory Herb and Spice Adventure which features Oregano, Basil, Rosemary, Fennel, Caraway and Tarragon, or choose the Beyond Basil Herb and Spice Adventure which features Thyme, Sage, Dill, Marjoram, Rosemary, and Bay. If you reap more than you thought you would, try both of these culinary adventures!

Evelyn Fielding is your personal tour guide on the Herb and Spice Adventure of a lifetime. Evelyn offers a unique delivery program to help you learn about great cooking: receive a select group of herbs and spices by mail order, complete with easy and delicious recipes starring that month's herb or spice, and all at a comfortable pace. No long term commitments, no surprises. Subscribe to an Herb and Spice Adventures Series and elevate your food from good to truly superb. Book a culinary adventure now at http://www.10000seeds.com

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Tomato cages are a unique and simple method of stabilizing your tomato plants along with other plants. They allow for better air flow around and through the plant, better plant exposure to sunlight, support fruit from having direct contact to the grown and allow for easy access for weeding, mulching or watering of plants. This all provides for a healthier plant, that in return will produce a bigger and better crop.

There are many types of cages that are on the market and can be purchased at most local garden centers or you can simply make your own. There are many different ways that cages can be made and with many different type of standard building material like wood, pvc, or wire that can be purchased at your local lumber yard, hardware store, or home center.

To build your own cages with wood products you can simply place four stakes around the plant and wrap twine around the stakes or you can fasten wood lath across the stakes like a ladder.

Pvc tubing can also be a good product to use to build cages. One way is to use ridged pvc and fittings to create a box type structure with cross pieces like a ladder for the plants to be supported on as they grow or you can use coiled pvc tubing, fasten one end to the ground, stretch the tubing to the desired height and fasten the top to a stake.

Concrete wire mesh or fencing wire are two other products that are commonly used to build plant cages. You can purchase rolls of wire mesh at most home centers, lumber yards or hardware stores. Simply cut the mesh to a desired length, then fasten the two ends together with snap ties creating a tube shape. Stand the tube over the plant and fasten to the ground.

Cages can be used for more than just your tomato plants. They are a great way to support tall flowers or used to support vine type plants like morning glories or string beans. They are a great benefit for any size and type of garden.

A environment friendly and healthy way of gardening. Organic Gardening is away of gardening in harmony with nature. Growing a healthy and productive crop in a way that is healthier for both you and the environment.

John Yazo

http://www.organicheirloomgardening.com

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