Gardening Safety

Gardening Safety
By Jason Albright

When you learn the art of gardening, there are few safety considerations that you need to address. No matter what type of gardening project you are undertaking, be it a bloom of flowers, a bounty of vegetables or an entire backyard landscape, you will encounter many common safety issues.

One of the most common risks in gardening is exposing yourself to pollen, and activating pollen allergies. Most people suffer from some type of allergy, and when pollen is in the air and plants and flowers are blooming, it can be hard to spend any length of time gardening. If you know for a fact that you have pollen allergies, you need to consider them when you start gardening. People with particularly severe pollen allergies should probably avoid gardening all together.

Another allergy, although not as common, is an allergy to bee stings. Many people are so allergic to bee stings that they require medication to relieve the swelling and allergic reaction. If you are gardening during the late summer and early autumn, bees are especially prevalent outdoors. If you are gardening during this time, and are allergic to bees, limit your gardening time and take necessary precautions.

Sunburn is a very common risk while gardening. To protect yourself from sun damage, wear lightweight long sleeved shirts and long pants, if weather permits. Wearing long sleeved clothes will also prevent mosquito bites. Make sure to apply sunscreen on all areas that will be exposed during your gardening time. Don’t forget to cover the back of your neck and ears.

To avoid the heat when you are gardening, try to get most of your tasks done in the early morning. Keep in mind that the hottest part of the day is between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm, so plan your gardening activity accordingly. Although it may not seem like it, gardening is a terrific form of exercise. Knowing this, you should always include a bottle of water nearby while you are gardening so you can remain hydrated.

© Cookgroup Marketing LLC – All Rights Reserved. This article brought to you by http://Grow-Your-Garden.com/gardeningtips. You may freely reprint this article on your website or in your newsletter provided this courtesy notice, author name, and URL remain intact.

Jason Albright is a contributing editor at Cookgroup Marketing LLC. His background is with lifestyle topics including: Gardening, Outdoor Living, Home Decor, Travel Destinations and Food and Wine.

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National Home Gardening Club

National Home Gardening Club
By Bill McRea

Do you want to know more about Garden Clubs? Let's see if we can fill in some of the gaps with the latest info from Gardening Club experts.

What's in Store for National Home Gardening Club Members?

The National Home Gardening Club offer many benefits to its members.

It is said to be the largest home gardening organization with paid membership. For a nominal fee, various benefits are available.

If you choose to become a member the National Home Gardening club, you will be entitled to the following perks.

1. Members can enter competitions to win free gardening products such as gardening accessories, tools, and other gardening supplies.

2. A coupon will be given to members to claim a free gardening shears.

3. Members can also access a free trial subscription of the Gardening How-To Magazine.

4. They may be eligible to test and keep gardening tools such as pruning shears. These are some of the products tested by members in the past two issues of the Gardening How-To magazine:

- Honda Harmony Lawn Mower
- Miracle-Gro Garden Weed Preventer
- Sunflower Garden
- Cobra Head Precision Weeder and Cultivator
- Preen 'n Green

See how much you can learn about Gardening Club when you take a little time to read a well-researched article? Don't miss out on the rest of this great information.

5. Members can enjoy a free directory of public gardens, which contains information about lush gardens, arboretums, and conservatories throughout the US.

6. They can interact and talk about tips, ideas and methods with other members.

7. Members can obtain gardening and landscaping tips and plans for the completion of various gardening projects.

8. They have access to the members-only gardening website.

9. Members can also preview gardening books, gardening videos, etc.

Indeed, the for-members-only benefits are that grandiose. They are all for the gardening enthusiasts to grab.

After the 30-day trial, you can continue your membership for only $1 per month.

Many garden-lovers think this is a small price to pay for all these privileges.

That's the latest from the Gardening Club authorities. Once you're familiar with these ideas, you'll be ready to move to the next level.

Bill McRea is the publisher of Garden Facts also Garden Decor and Landscape Trees Landscaping and Gardening with information and products.

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Home Depot Gardening

Home Depot Gardening
By Ricky Lim

The home depot gardening section offers a wide variety of gardening products that will meet the needs of any home gardening enthusiast. Home depot carries a wide inventory of gardening equipment such as mowers, clippers, cultivators and tillers.

There are also a wide range of home depot gardening supplies such as seeds, pest control products and fertilizers available. For the landscape gardening enthusiasts, there are many landscape gardening tools available as well such as water equipment, greenhouses and garden decorations.

Home depot gardening also provides home gardening tips to help you maximize the gardening products that you purchased at home depot.

For example, one home gardening tip recommended by home depot is not to plant on a warm, sunny day. Instead plant it on a dark, overcast day when it is expected to rain. The reason being a new plant needs plenty of showers when it is young.

You also will want to choose your new plants carefully. Choose only short and sturdy plants with only a few flowers. Look at the leaves of the plant to determine it’s condition. If it is discolored and wilted, then don’t buy it.

The flower bed is also equally important. Try to put at least one inch of compost or organic matter on the flower bed once a year. You should also loosen the soil to about 12 inches depth for annuals and about 18 inches depth for perennial plants. Try to use a ground rake to loosen and smoothen the soil.

There are also home depot gardening tips as well such as how to start a new lawn, more tips on planting trees etc. Why not drop by home depot the next time and explore.

Ricky Lim is the online editor of a home gardening site. Visit his website today for more info on national home gardening club as well as home remedies from the garden.

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Hydroponic Gardening Systems

Hydroponic Gardening Systems
By Eric Hartwell

What is an indoor hydroponic gardening system? Indoor hydroponic gardening systems are methods by which plants can be groomed without the need for soil. Instead of using soil, indoor hydroponic gardening systems use nutrient solutions instead. This nutrient system is fed to the plants directly and avoids the need for other plants to compete with the scarce nutrients in soil.

Hydroponic gardening systems can be a great way to grow plants. They take up relatively little space and can be used in a clean environmentally friendly way. With most hydroponic gardening systems, your plants will grow quicker and be more healthy. They take the nutrients directly from the solution. Moreover, hydroponic gardening systems can be used throughout the whole year; there is no seasonal variation. You can use your gardening system almost anywhere in the house; there is little restriction. It will not cause much dirt or mess and it is quite environmentally friendly. The way hydroponic gardening systems work mean that the plants are able to get a hold of their nutrients directly without relying on the growth of other plants nearby. You can even use hydroponic gardening systems in areas where there is very little useful soil.

In fact, hydroponic gardening systems can make you the envy of your neighbor. In door hydroponic gardening systems require very little work or input. They are usually relatively clean and most indoor hydroponic gardening systems can be used with very little light and in small places such as cupboards and other small areas. I would certainly recommend indoor hydroponic gardening systems for those who do not wish to get hot, sticky, dirty, and wet outside and you wish to avoid the manual labor associated with normal gardening.

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Gardening With Containers

Gardening With Containers
By Gina Reay

Gardening is the practice of growing flowering plants, vegetables, and fruits. Gardening is an excellent means of diverting the mind from work, family conflicts, or other issues, hence relieving stress and providing mental relaxation. Gardening is a relaxing activity, great for unwinding after a difficult day at work, especially when gardening on a small, personal scale. Gardening is fun, even sounds fun doesn't it. Gardening is good for the soul too.

Gardening

Gardening is as good for you or better than traditional exercises. Gardening is now a multi-billion-dollar industry, and what the industry creates and sells is products, ninety percent of which you don't need. Gardening is more difficult than surfing and scuba diving, and ranks about even with fly-fishing. Gardening involves a number of different kinds of exercises, including stretching, weightlifting, and a moderate cardiovascular workout. Gardening therapy, as vocational horticulture curriculum, can be a tool to improve social bonding in addition to developing improved attitudes about personal success and a new awareness of personal job preparedness.

Container

Container gardening is usually used in atriums and on balconies, patios, and roof tops. Container gardening is a great way to garden, no matter how much space you have. Containers that are used for container gardening can be anything from gallon milk jugs with the tops cut off to terracotta pots, plastic window boxes to half barrels. Containers can be custom-made for an individual, giving everyone an opportunity to exercise their green thumb.

Gardening is a great way to get kids outside, active, and interested in the natural world, no matter whether your garden is a few deck planters or a backyard or community plot. In respect to its food producing purpose, gardening is distinguished from farming chiefly by scale and intent. One of the most attractive features of container gardening is the versatility. The key to container gardening is in knowing the characteristics of the container.

Gina has been writing articles for some time now. She writes on many different topics. Be sure to View her most current articles:
Container Gardening
The Importance of Good Nutrition At Any Age

http://www.gardening-infosheet.com/gardening

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Lawn Care - It's All About That Green Green Grass

Lawn Care - It's All About That Green Green Grass
By Martin Haworth

Lawn watering is something that is very basic when it comes to lawn care. If you are not watering the grass on a consistent basis then you might be wasting any other efforts you have been making.

Do you want this to happen to you? If you want to keep your lawn healthy then you have to keep watering it. Even though many types of grass are very hardy, there is no way where it can survive and look good without water.

Water Your Lawn With Care

Yet, when it comes to lawn watering, you should not also over-water your lawn. There is such a thing called drowning. You can also drown the grass shoots in your lawn if you water it too much. You should only water lawn with the right amount of water or else you are going to end up with a dead lawn.

If you think that lawn watering is simple then you may be right and you may be wrong. There are several factors to consider when you are lawn watering. First, you have to make sure that you have a good watering system in the first place.

You have to buy one of those very effective sprinklers and make sure that it works properly. If you want your lawn watering to be hassle free then you have to make sure that you get the right equipment for the job.

What Sort Of Grass Is It Anyway?

You have to understand the type of grass that makes up your lawn. You see, whilst all grasses need a certain amount of water and sunlight everyday some need additional help to look good. They may also need lawn fertilizer as part of the lawn care you give.

Understanding the type of grass that you have will determine the way you should be creating a lawn watering plan of action, incorporating the lawn treatments that are recommended for it. If you understand your grass and act accordingly, then lawn care should not be a problem at all.

Common Problems With Getting Lawn Watering Just Right

Why do a lot of people out there have a hard time with their lawn watering activities? First of all, people are so busy with their lives nowadays. In order to make ends meet, you might even have had to take on two jobs. Which, of course, means that you might have had to neglect time at home.

If you are having a hard time lawn watering then maybe you should hire a gardener to do your lawn care for you. Outsourcing is a very important aspect of daily life and it is one of the more important business models in the world today.

For example, if you had to take off three hours a week to care for your lawn, might it even be less expensive to hire someone to do it for you. It's all a calculation you might take into account.

Time To Get Outside Help With Your Lawn

If you want to have a healthy lawn then you might have to outsource the lawn watering to a gardener (or even a student, who could do the job just as well and be much less expensive). If you are having a hard time keeping your grass green then you could consider this option.

Outsourcing your lawn watering may be the best option that you are going to consider in today's times.

Whatever you decide, getting all of your lawn care activities sorted out will provide you with much pleasure as you sit and admire with a cooling drink in the evening. Lawn watering is a no-brainer activity that you can get sorted out right away!

(c) 2007 Lawn Care Guidelines. All you need to know to make the right decisions to get a great looking lawn. There's all the information you could ask for, at Martin Haworth's website, http://www.LawnCareGuidelines.com

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Rose Gardening - Tips on How to Grow Roses in Your Garden

Rose Gardening - Tips on How to Grow Roses in Your Garden
By Tracy Ballisager

The ancient Muslim poet, jurist, and theologian, Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi, may not have stumbled madly upon the very first rose back in 13th century Persia but he certainly immortalized it poignantly in his writing.

Roses are believed to have originated in ancient Persia but their cultivation quickly spread across the Northern Hemisphere, first from China to Europe and finally to North America. Rose enthusiasts throughout time and geography have helped to spread the cultivation and the adoration of this lovely flowers to the point that, today, there are more than 20,000 varieties available.

They run the gamut of the color spectrum. They come in every color, including the elusive blue and black ones that have dogged rose breeders for ages. Every shade of every color is represented, too, with many rose blossoms sporting multiple colors or shades. These enchanting plants have been bred to grow straight and tall or trail over slopes and fences. Some roses grow close to the ground while others become bushy. Many rosebushes bloom once in the spring or summer, others bloom again in the fall, and others still bloom from early spring until winter.

Diversity aside, a few rose gardening tips might improve your rose-growing success.

Planting is the first step to consider when compiling a list of rose gardening tips. Folklore tells us to plant flowering plants when the moon is in a waxing phase. Indeed all plants that produce their most desirable growth above ground are said to be best planted during the time the moon is growing into its biggest, most visible, phase. (In turn, plant carrots, potatoes, and other plants where underground action is most desirable when the moon is waning, or becoming less visible.)

Trim your hair, visit your barber, or comb your dog the day before planting your roses. This, another of folklore rose gardening tips, ensures you have a bit of hair to mix in with the soil in which you plant your roses. Decomposing hair is said to provide excellent fertilizer for thriving roses.

Sunshine is one of the most important rose gardening tips. Make sure to plant your roses, always during their dormant phase, in a spot where they can get at lease six hours of full sun every day. These tips include trees, too. Keep your roses away from tree roots, especially deciduous trees, or they will divert the nutrients of the soil from your hungry roses

Tracy Ballisager is stays at home mum, with 7years of gardening experiences. To read more about gardening tips and idea go to http://www.gardening-tips-idea.com

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Top Ten Hand Forged Stainless Steel Garden Tools

Top Ten Hand Forged Stainless Steel Garden Tools
By Eudora DeWynter

For the highest quality of garden tools, purchase hand forged stainless steel. Why? Because they are the most durable and they won't rust... One company here in the United States and many in the United Kingdom still make tools the old fashioned way, with a Blacksmith a forged fire and an anvil. Hand forging makes tools much more durable, lasting longer and of better quality. Here are my picks for the finest in my opinion of the best in hand forged garden stainless steel garden tools.

Red Pig: producer of hand forged garden implements for over fifteen years. Located in the state of Oregon in the United States it's the only blacksmith shop that specializes in hand forged garden tools for the home gardener, nurserymen, landscaper and farmer. All tools are made by hand on a forged fire and with a hammered anvil using the finest steel available. This company will also custom make tools in their blacksmith shop. Services also include repair, re - handling and sharpening of tools that are built stronger to last longer for a lifetime of service.

Corona: regarded by some as the cream of the crop, with its re - sharpen able forged steel alloy blades that are heat treated for strength giving them scissor cutting action with non- slip grips.

Radius: Ultra light and super strong, made with professional quality stainless steel the blades are heat tempered for strength and with an advanced ergonomic design they maximize power and minimize stress and strain on the wrist and hands.

Sneeboer Tools: Hand forged and crafted in Holland, they are the makers of a standard range of forged garden tools a will customized if needed. Blades are well made from the finest stainless steel and handles from the finest wood.

Rollins Bulldog: English makers of fine high quality garden tools for over 200 years that are hand forged fro strength.

Snow& Nealley: Makers of high quality garden tools since 1864. European designed and made of high quality carbon steel with Ash wood handles, the hand forging ensures durability.

Sheaths Gardening Tools: Made from hot rolled British Steel, each tool is lightweight and each blade has a unique cutting action, handles are made from German Beechwood and fitted to the blades with rivets and washers, providing excellent balance.

Rittenhouse: Over 85 years of providing high quality professional stainless steel tools and equipment.

Hortus Ornemeld: makers of fine hand made high quality garden tools and accessories, their antique designs give remembrance of by - gone eras.

Ryobi: exceptional tools and performance for the money

Eudora DeWynter offers her picks of the top ten hand forged stainless steel garden tools on her blog at www.gardentoolguru.com

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Fixing Bare Spots In Your Lawn

Fixing Bare Spots In Your Lawn
By Jay L Lotz

Fall is the ideal time to repair any bare spots in your otherwise perfect lawn. Bare spots in your lawn may be caused by heavy foot traffic (compaction), drought, disease, chemical burn and weed or insect infestation.

Your grass holds soil in place to prevent more damage. When bare spots occur where grass is not growing, your lawn becomes susceptible to ruts which may increase in size. If grass is not growing in a particular area, weeds probably will, since they easily adapt conditions causing the bare spots.

The important thing in repairing a lawn is to match the new grass with what you already have in place so it's a nice blend. For example, you live in the north and you have a blend of Kentucky bluegrass and you've got a few dead spots that didn't green up this year, you'll want to plant more Kentucky bluegrass blend. Don't put in tall turf type fescue because you heard it's really great (it is). They are two different types of grass that shouldn't be mixed.

If the spot is really small, say a foot or less in diameter, you can either ignore it and allow it to fill in over time, or you can go ahead and fix it now. If the spot is larger than that, you'll want to repair it. Here's how:

Step One: remove the old dead areas with a shovel. Trim up the sides of the area being removed so they're straight. Fill in the area with new top soil, so the new is level with the old. Now plant your seed (follow label directions). In the south, put in matching sprigs or plugs. For seeds, you can cover with some straw, which is good for areas that might be damaged by a heavy rain. Otherwise, just a little peat moss on top will work just fine.

When planting the seeds, don't bury them in the ground. Use just enough top soil to barely cover the seeds (no more than ¼", with less being preferable). After covering, press down on the dry soil with the back of a hoe, or use your shoe and lightly tamp it down, but don't stomp on it.

Options: There are some products out there that combine a few steps and make it a little easier. Scotts PatchMaster contains just about everything you need: seed at a predetermined rate, fertilizer, and mulch to help keep the seeds properly moist. This works great if you happen to have the same grass type as the package. If not, then don't use it.

Another option is if you can find sod that matches your lawn, you can quickly repair the damaged areas. Follow all of the directions up to the point of planting seed, except for the added top soil. Only add enough topsoil so that with the sod, it matches your existing level. Sod takes about 2 weeks to get established. Keep it watered and don't let it dry out during those first 2 weeks.

Step Two: Apply a light application of fertilizer over the area (follow label directions) that is designated as a "starter fertilizer."

Step Three: Cover the patch with a thin layer of straw. This will help hold in moisture until the seeds germinate. Keep the soil evenly moist using a fine mist setting. Avoid strong directional spraying as this will dislodge the seeds and cause an uneven growth pattern. For seeds, only the top surface needs to stay moist, but it can't be allowed to dry out completely, particularly in the last half of the first 2 weeks after planting.

Once seeds germinate, continue to keep the soil evenly moist and increase the amount of water, but cut back on the number of times you water. In other words, keep the soil moist at a deeper level. You want it moist, but not wet.

Step Four: In a few weeks things will start to pop. If possible, don't walk on the areas, and don't mow the areas until the grass is about 2-3″ tall, about 3 weeks after the seeds first germinate. Then you can forget about it and just treat it like the rest of the area. Don't use any weed controls on the new grass for a couple of months until it gets really established and hardened off.

Jay Lotz is a blogger at http://www.drinkmowgrill.com

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Jay L Lotz - EzineArticles Expert Author

How To Maintain A Compost Heap

How To Maintain A Compost Heap
By Warren Peters

There's so much waste that is generated in gardens every day. You'll find leaves, dead plants, twigs and grass clippings. It takes too long and probably involves a lot to take it to a landfill so what do you do?

The simplest solution is to start a compost heap saving a lot of time and money, not only yours but others as well if you were thinking of paying the garbage disposal people and getting them to take it away. Especially when all this waste can be converted into excellent food for your plants.

Food that's better as far as your plants go than any fertilizer you can buy. The great thing is that every bit of all that stuff that you consider waste can be turned into nutritional and beneficial food. You get the best fertilizer going without having to buy it paying so much for it.

Unfortunately, compost usually means rotting heaps and awful odors to most peoples minds. This need not be the case if you mange your compost heap well. You need to maintain it so that it gives you great compost without smelling to high heaven.

What you need to make sure of is to see that the heap gets enough oxygen. For this, you will have to turn it over periodically. If you don't, you'll probably have the neighbors banging on your door or worse still, you could have the authorities coming to check what you're up to.

When you start off with your compost heap, try and make sure the area you allot for it is shallow and covering a larger area that a deep and smaller area. This is because there are more chances that the deeper it is, the less likely that the bottom portions will be turned out so that they get exposed to the air.

The best thing would be if you had some kind of a flat surface like the roof over your shed to spread it out on. This way, you get it spread over a large area.

Now, what goes into the compost heap? Any kind of organic waste from your kitchen or garden. So you could put in your vegetable peels, leftovers, leaves, grass, twigs and even newspaper ? but remember not too much of newspaper, just one-fifth of the total volume or it will take longer to compost. This is the easy part ? getting everything together. Now you need to get the compost going and that?s a little tricky till you get the hang of it.

Once you have piled up a whole lot of stuff in your compost pile or bin, you should wet it. It?s easier for the material to get moist if they have all been broken up or ripped up into small pieces. Soon, you'll find this moist mass beginning to meld together.

You need to prod it along by turning it over once in a while with a shovel and making sure it stays wet. You could also use one of those aeration tools you get and poke it into the mass, making holes in it. This is to get the oxygen into the pile as that makes for quicker decomposing.

Interested? Then start off by deciding where in your garden you would like your compost heap to be. It shouldn't be a source of intrusion or take away from the beauty of your garden in any way. Find a place where it is tucked out of sight and you are ready to begin.

Warren has put together a very informative site detailing the concise elements of worm farming for personal use and or your own business. Detailing benefits of home composting and many other aspects of worm composting.

More information: Worms Composting

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Grass Compost - Natures Secret For A Flourishing Garden

Grass Compost - Natures Secret For A Flourishing Garden
By Warren Peters

The best organic fertilizer comes from your garden. Don't throw out the grass. If managed properly, grass can be the answer to your composting problems. With a little effort and care, you can keep the grass from rotting. All you have to do is take a few precautionary measures to succeed in your goal of making the perfect compost heap.

When you trim your lawn, allow the blades of grass to fall on the lawn. Your lawn mower can do it for you if you make a slight alteration. Detach the grass catcher and mow your lawn as you usually do. The grass automatically falls out wherever it's been cut. Ensure that the mower blade is sharp and the grass is absolutely dry before you begin your operation, else the lawn mower will get clogged.

You now have your own natural fertilizer. This process is known as grasscycling. It is economical and saves you the time and bother of clearing the grass or putting the blades of grass into bags. However, this strategy may not be viable if you have toddlers and pets.

If you wish to do things in a more conservative way rather than resort to grasscycling, here's how you go about making an effective grass compost heap. Fresh mown grass contains moisture and is rich in nitrogen. There is a tendency for the moist grass to stick together, thus preventing the oxygen from penetrating.

If you simply pile up the grass, it will turn slimy and rot. The smell is offensive, to say the least. The best way to prevent the grass from caking up is to layer it with materials that have high carbon content. These browns comprise leaves, twigs or wood chips. These are placed in between the layers of grass and give the heap a looseness that allows the oxygen to penetrate.

In order to help the oxygen circulate, it would be wise to aerate the pile by turning the contents over, frequently. You don't want the heap to turn into a slimy, putrid mass!

If you have more grass than other materials, you should avoid stacking up the grass to form one huge unmanageable pile that could go bad simply because of the abundance of grass. You could have many piles that are easier to manage. When you regularly turn each over through the summer, you will notice them turn into compost at which time you could lessen the number of piles by combining them.

If space is your constraint and you find it difficult to manage a number of heaps at once, dry the newly cut grass in the sun. Spread the grass anywhere in your yard and allow it to sun-bake the whole day. Once the moisture and the sourness go out of it, you can start your compost heap.

The one thing to avoid is to have chemically treated grass on your compost heap. In case you have used pesticides or herbicides to promote grass growth on your lawn, don't cut the grass for fertilizer, unless a good shower of rain has washed the residue out.

Adding lime to the heap of grass for compost is a good idea to hasten the breaking down process. This is also the surest way to prevent mold formation, which is responsible for the foul smell.

With these tips, you could make your own fertilizer out of grass clippings. Not only is the method economical but it also gives you a sense of achievement when you see your garden flourish.

Warren has put together a very informative site detailing the concise elements of worm farming for personal use and or your own business. Detailing benefits of home composting and many other aspects of worm composting.

Worms Composting

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Growing Vines In A Dry Climate Garden

Growing Vines In A Dry Climate Garden
By Jonathan Ya'akobi

Plants commonly known as climbers are vine like in their habit, growing by virtue of long, thin and generally flexible branches. They often grow naturally in forests and woods, where their "aim" is to reach out of the darkness of the forest's floor towards the sufficient light levels found at the trees' canopy. The various growth habits typical of different climbing plants, have developed over time in response to the need to grow on trees and large shrubs, as a means to reach upwards. Growing vines, provides the gardener with a variety of solutions for a number of situations. The question is, which plants are suitable, and for which circumstances?

Self-clinging climbers: These are plants that have organs allowing them to cling on to relatively smooth surfaces such as walls. In gardening terms they are virtually maintenance-free but over time can cause damage to windows and other parts of a building. Another problem is when trying to remove them from a wall, the attempt often resulting in extensive and expensive repair work being required. Examples are Ivy, the deciduous Boston Ivy, (Parthenossisus sp) Ficus pumila, and trumpet vine. (Campsis radicans) These plants though can be an excellent choice for free- standing and retaining walls. The mature foliage of both Ivy and Ficus differs from, and is much less attractive than the often delicate and interesting juvenile foliage. Pruning and clipping encourages new growth, and therefore the re-appearance of the young leaf shapes.

Twining climbers: These are the ones that can really create havoc, especially in small gardens. They should not be planted closely behind other plants like roses and other ornamental bushes, or herbaceous perennials. Maintenance simply becomes unmanageable as the twines encroach upon and wind themselves around the neighboring plants. Rampant twiners are best reserved to cover unsightly objects like garden sheds or wire fences, on condition that other plants are some distance apart. Common examples are Passion fruit, the phenomenal flame vine, (Pyrostegia venusta) and Podranea. I seriously recommend not planting species like Thunbergia grandiflora, it's stunning floral display notwithstanding. In small spaces it becomes a dreadful mess and tangle. There are twining plants that are a bit less aggressive and should be considered like honeysuckle, star jasmine, (Trachelospermum jasminoides) the delightfully fragrant Quisqualis indica and various species of jasmine itself.

Climbers requiring support: Plants in this category obviously demand work, care and attention, by way of training, tying and pruning, but ultimately, allow for a more controlled maintenance regime, and for a neater garden. Climbing roses and Bougainvillea are but two examples common to Mediterranean and dry climate gardens. Bougainvillea should not really be considered as a bush or shrub. It is a very poor choice indeed as a free standing shrub, particularly in small spaces, and ought to be trained on a wall or some other supporting structure, or dwarfed in a pot.

To read recent and related articles on these topics, click on the link below and then by clicking on the "Articles" page you can find the following articles:

* What Type of Plant is Best To Grow On A Wire Fence

* Beware! Climbing Plants Could Lower The Value of Your Property

About the author - Jonathan Ya'akobi.

I've been gardening in a professional capacity since 1984. I am the former head gardener of the Jerusalem Botanical Garden, but now concentrate on building gardens for private home owners. I also teach horticulture to students on training courses. I'd love to share my knowledge and experience with you.

So you're welcome to visit me on http://www.dryclimategardening.com

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Benefits of Ergonomic Garden Tools

Benefits of Ergonomic Garden Tools
By Eudora DeWynter

To be able to get a full understanding of ergonomic garden tools, its best to know what the word ergonomic means. The word itself is Greek, Ergo means Work, Nomos means Natural Laws, therefore: Ergo + Nomos = The Natural Laws of a Working Design, also known as the re-designing of a product optimizing its use by Humans or Human factored engineering with the body proportions, weight and height in mind.

Any type of work activity should permit a worker to have several different safe, healthy postures for different tasks. For instance, when muscle force is needed the largest muscle group should be utilized. Work tasks requiring the head, trunk and upper limbs should use joints at the mid joint of their movement.

With these facts in mind choosing proper gardening tools will guarantee you a successful garden. Always make sure that your tools have the right size grip, larger grip tools are easier to hold on to. Depressions in the handles for your thumb or ridge grips will also help keep your hands in proper alignment. Whenever possible use tools with extra long handles so there is less of a need to bend over, ands always keep your tools sharp and in good working condition and please avoid slippery surfaces.

Gardening is to soothing and relaxing to be troubled with joint stiffness and pain, so try changing your tools and making an extremely worth while investment in a pair of Bionic Gardening Gloves. These gloves were designed by a hand surgeon with the palm, finger, thumb and the high points of their bones in mind.

When friction from prolonged use of tools presses them, these bones can cause hand fatigue along with blisters and calluses. Pads placed in the exact anatomic locations and at specific points reduces pressure and friction caused by gripping tools and giving your hands extra improved comfort without interfering with the natural design of your hand.

These gloves come in variety of sizes and colors for both men and women and they are hand washable or machine washable (I prefer hand washing). Washing will only enhance the durability and help maintain the softness of the leather. Please Air Dry

Women's sizes are 61/4 to 81/4 (S to XL) and Men's 73/4 to 91/2 plus (S to XXXL)

Bionic Gloves have received the Arthritis Foundation's Ease of Use Commendation, for more information or to shop for Bionic Gloves, and Ergonomic Garden Tools go to:

Radius Garden Tool

OxO garden Tools

Yard Butler Store

Clean Air

Hand Helpers

Eudora DeWynter gives advice on Ergonomic Garden Tools and offers basic gardening tips on her blog at www.gardentoolguru.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eudora_DeWynter

How to Take Care for Indoor Bamboo Plants

How to Take Care for Indoor Bamboo Plants
By Jason Hobbs

Care for indoor bamboo plants ensures in healthy growth of bamboo plant. It includes proper fertilization, nourishment and sapping. These in reality are wild long grass that grows in the tropical region amidst the warm climate. Due to its easiness and ornamental look they are usually grown indoors. Alphonse Kerr and Japonica are some of the fabulous plants that are usually grown at home. Since these are sturdy plants various steps have to be implemented to ensure their growth. Caring of these plants becomes easier as an individual gets familiar to it.

Maintaining tips:

1. Care for indoor bamboo plants can be done by embedding the them in a pot with soil containing mix of fragmented rocks, pebbles and clay. This helps in proper drainage. Otherwise water gets saturated resulting into rotting of roots.

2. Watering needs to be done keeping in mind the climatic conditions of the area. Normally, soil speedily dries out when kept indoors. Coiling of leaves shows that it is not getting water properly whereas, sagging signifies over watering.

3. Place the plant in area where it can get adequate sunlight and enough shade.

4. Care for them also depends upon regular organic feeding of chicken manure, N: 10, P: 6 and K: 5 done in small quantities.

5. Misting is another important step. It is spraying spurt of water on plant. It is used to imitate the damp conditions that bamboo is habitat to. Use of Vaporizer can be done for misting.

6. Bamboos are usually resistant to pests but sometimes they might get infected by fungus, insects and microbes that cause spots on it. So, pesticides have to be sprayed.

7. Care for indoor bamboo plants hugely depends on the time of its planting.If it is planted in winter season then dense protection is required so that soil remains loose deep down even in frigid neighboring.

Caring of Taller Plants:

If an individual wants to grow tall bamboo plants, then routine trimming and tapering has to be done, so that its branches don't over spread. Discard away the shrunken stems of the plant by cutting it at the soil bed level. Care for them also includes restricting its height. It can be controlled by cutting it above nodes. Bamboo sometimes extends till ceiling of house in such case, cut out the stalk off the uppermost branch. If lower stems have less or no branches, then cut it from its lower third and reduce the branches till second node of every branch. This encourages growing of new, tender branches. An individual can also surround the pot with barricade, to accentuate the spreading of plant. Soil near the barrier has to be hard without any air pockets.

If you would like to learn more about Indoor Plants and receive a FREE Newsletter on the subject visit the authors site http://www.indoorplantsadvice.com

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Origination of Orchid

Origination of Orchid
By Jason Hobbs

Orchid is one of the most assorted genes of plants. Basically, it derives its expression from the term Greek Orchis testicle through its emergence from the pseudobulbs in certain worldly genus. By far, around 30,000 genus of this plant have been discovered, and around 60,000 additional types are on the verge of discovery through various horticulturalists. Normally, they are referred as monocotlydons, with blossoms compiled of a total of 6 petals, in which one is customized into a "lip". Majorities of Orchid derive the moisture and nutrients directly from the sunlight and grow on other plants without parasitic residuals on those plants.

The attractiveness, the dimensions and classiness of this particular species has fascinated humans through centuries. Certain kinds of this diversified species also feed on earth quite frequently under specified sheltered atmosphere. Approximately, every kind of this species closely depends on mycorhizal connections, along with a variety of crumbled fungi adjoined to it releasing water-soluble nutrient contents. The seeds of Orchid are exceptionally very minute, without any food storages and are not tend to nurture, until all these connections provide it the necessary nutrients under a suitable natural environment.

Varieties:

Now-a-days, several methods have been formulated by mankind to successively sprout the seeds in a coagulated nutrient liquid, for eradicating the need of essential fungi. This technique significantly assists the breeding of this exceptional and scarce genus. The credit for the glowing feature of Orchid goes to their regenerative routines. One of finest variety of this species is the Paphiopedilums, possessing a profound sack that firmly attracts the spectator's attention with only one outlet that escorts it for pollination.

A Large numbers of male bees are appealingly attracted towards a Eurasian kind of this species, because of its flowers that somewhat resembles the female bumble bees. A typical form of this species in Australia never gives a glimpse to the sunlight. However, it fools the ants to protect itself from pollinating by the ants. Another kind of Orchid known as the Masdevalia that smells similar to a decayed Carcas, and the woodland flies are drawn towards it greatly helps in its reproduction process. One of the amazing kinds of this species is the Darwin, which opens its pollen bags with provocative strength, when it is pressed.

Availability:

In Malaysia, a unique kind of this species can be found known as Phalaenopsis that utilizes fine climatic conditions for harmonizing bunches of flowers. The Orchid comes in large varieties of both subtropical as well as tropical forms and these also are the most usual available form of this species. Hence, they are frequently available in various societies of orchids and garden center across the entire globe. Certain varieties of this species are capable to blossom in severe freezing climatic atmosphere, though there availability in the market is quite rare.

If you would like to learn more about Growing Orchid and receive a FREE Newsletter on the subject visit the authors site http://www.growingorchidhelp.com

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Grow Lights Guide

Grow Lights Guide
By Susan Slobac

If you are starting out with indoor gardening, there is a lot to learn. One of the important environmental factors that you will need to provide for your plants is appropriate light. Plants need light for photosynthesis. Plants have the amazing ability to change light energy through photosynthesis into glucose and oxygen, which they need to thrive and grow. You will want to consider the grow lights you use in your indoor growing area very carefully, because it is a major aspect that will affect the success of your gardening venture. There are several new grow lights, and very popular ones include HID lights, HPS grow lights, LED grow lights, and MH grow lights. These are all hydroponic gardening grow lights, and all can be used with plants grown in soil as well.

HID lights go by the full name of high-intensity discharge lights. MH grow lights and HPS grow lights are also high-intensity discharge lamps. HID lights produce a great deal of light that more closely resembles sunlight than the light produced by either incandescent or fluorescent light bulbs, which is better for plant growth and reproduction. The way light is produced by HID lamps is when you turn the electricity on, the current runs through a ballast, which regulates the electrical flow to the electrodes, which are inside an arc tube, along with various gases and metals. When an electrical arc is produced, the gas in the tube helps start the light bulb, and the metals, once they reach the appropriate temperature, evaporate and produce the light that you see.

HPS grow lights make excellent hydroponic lights. HPS stands for high-pressure sodium, and these are used by professional growers to produce vegetables and flowers indoors commercially. HPS lamps use mercury in the arc tube, as well as sodium, and this makes for good color rendering, or colors showing up accurately when lit by the bulb. The spectrum color that a bulb gives off is important, because plants thrive under different colors depending on their stage of maturity. If you are trying to grow lettuce, for example, you will want to use the blue light spectrum under which it thrives. If you have mature tomato plants that you want to produce fruit and flowers, then you will want to use a red/orange spectrum to induce the plant to behave appropriately.

LED grow lights are called this due to a light-emitting diode that allows the lamp to produce light. These lights are handy because they come in an array of colors used in growing plants, and they produce a lot of light that is easily focused where you need it. They have a very long life as well.

MH grow lights are metal halide lamps. The arc tubes of these compact and efficient bulbs contain argon gas, mercury and a mix of metal halides. Like other HID lights, these lights require the use of a ballast in order to function properly.

Susan Slobac works at a Hydroponics supply store and is knowledgeable about grow lights. She has been taught by industry professionals about the details of hydroponic lights and shares her insights on the many varieties of grow lights for indoor gardening.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Susan_Slobac

Do It Naturally - Control Pest and Garden Insects Organically

Do It Naturally - Control Pest and Garden Insects Organically
By Kent Higgins

If there are flowers and vegetables in your garden, you can be sure that there are pests as well. Especially if you will be eating vegetables from the garden, you won't want to use chemicals to kill the pests. Luckily, for every pest, you can use a natural means of repellent. Natural pest control is not only healthier for you, your family, your plants, and the environment - it is cheaper too.

Approximately 136 million pounds of pesticides are used every year in the home lawn and gardens of North Americans. This is just for individuals, not even for farmers (who actually use 1/3 of the amount as the homeowners). Most contamination and poisonings that occur originate from single family homes. It is very important to use methods of pest control that are healthy to surrounding life and the environment in general.

To avoid adding more harmful chemicals to our soil, you can take the following natural pest control measures.

First, to keep insects from damaging your garden, you should check to see if your garden is healthy in the first place. Is the soil well prepared? Is the pH correctly adjusted? Is there adequate drainage? Is the soil getting proper nutrients from adding compost?

You should remove any weak plants as your garden matures. Dispose of them, any weeds, and compost away from the garden to help keep pests away that would otherwise be attracted to the decaying matter.

Keeping mulch and compost on the top of the garden beds will help plants to grow healthily.

A natural and healthy way to promote quick plant growth is to spray the plants with seaweed fertilizer spray. The spray contains iron, zinc, barium, calcium, sulfur, and magnesium--all which strengthen the soil and aid growth.

You need to keep your garden clean and clear of any debris or objects that can become a breeding ground for pests. Using clean mulch is important as well.

To kill insects that attack specific plants, you should interplant and rotate crops. This will keep insects from spreading and re-infesting the same area again.

Watering the garden early in the morning will give the plants plenty of time to dry. If the foliage is too wet for too long, insects and fungi will take over.

If a plant is infected with a fungus or disease, you should promptly remove the plant. Also, the problem is likely contagious, so you should disinfect your gardening tools before you use them on other plants.

Not all insects are pests. Some of them, like Brachonids, Chalcids, Ichneumon Wasps, Ladybugs, Lacewings, Praying Mantises, and Hover flies, are beneficial to your garden. They can be attracted to your garden or bought in a store and brought to your garden. They help to fight against the insects that are pests.

By using natural organic pest control, it is easy to keep your garden healthy through the whole year while keeping the environment healthy at the same time. Search the internet or ask for more information at your local organic gardening store for information specific to your garden.

Many plant lovers take advantage of organic pest control solutions to battle the bugs in their gardens and landscape. Learn of a safe natural plant pest control option at http://www.plant-care.com/pest-control-without-pesticides.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kent_Higgins

Information on Orchid Greenhouse

Information on Orchid Greenhouse
By Jason Hobbs

An individual, who desires to nurture the orchids indoors in the orchid greenhouse, just requires trying initially a simple and petite greenhouse indoors. In which the nurturers can nurture a small variety of the species, along with tiny palms and ferns in a humid and damp environment surroundings. The ideal dimension for a greenhouse indoor is that it needs to be one foot wide, two foot lengthy and again one foot tall. The nurturer can decide the dimension of the orchid greenhouse on its own depending upon ones requirements.

The Creation:

Firstly, the nurturer is required to create a frame of slim sticks of wood attached or spiked with each other, or other alternative is to create frame with the use of potential cords, a streaked cord used for hanging clothes will work. The frame needs to cover the peak completely with protected base, powerful coat, sides, apparent plastic coating. Fix the coating to the frame with a powerful sultry tape. The facet of the orchid greenhouse needs to be open with a dimension of around 3/8 inches over the plastic coating to permit the air for admitting into the greenhouse. Further, the nurturer needs to crux the lid to the rear with tape for creating an access for watering it and its leaves. They are also capable to nurture in the absence of a greenhouse, as they can be simply nourished with filtered sunlight, a well sapped vessel utilizing frayed bark or a special mixture that is accessible in certain garden hoards of them. The lady slipper is one of the simplest species that is nurtured under orchid greenhouse, similarly the vanilla variety also possess a sugary scent of vanilla.

Other Techniques:

They are quite demandable with valuable price cost as their bloom survives for about three to four months. Hence, it is a good option by certain novice to study about the nurturing of them through the greenhouse process. There are three amazingly scripted books pertained to the orchid greenhouse that are: "A Passion for Orchids" written by Jack Cramer, "Orchid Fever - A Horticultural Tale of Love, Lust and Lunacy" and "The Orchid Thief" scripted by Susan Orlean, that glistens with the wisdom of orchid with worthy scientific actuality of the greenhouse. An individual may think a lot prior to trying an orchid ice cream, but it can be formulated with small orchid greenhouse of ones own. There are certain greenhouse nurturers that implants the seeds of the plants on wet, hygienic agar, sugar-enriched, or they incise the development of bunches of the cells of the plant, which is later on consigned on the agar.

If you would like to learn more about Growing Orchid and receive a FREE Newsletter on the subject visit the authors site http://www.growingorchidhelp.com

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Hay! That's a Garden

Hay! That's a Garden
By Cassaundra Flores

Do you know someone who has always loved gardening but has physical restrictions? Why not throw a couple of bales of straw their way! Hay or straw bale gardening is gaining in popularity because there is no tilling or digging. What's more, the garden is off the ground, so there is no bending. (Is that the sound of your sore muscles thanking you?) If you've got soil on your property that doesn't want to grow anything, or you have limited space, this type of gardening might be your answer. This type of gardening is so fun and easy. You can have your bale garden ready to grow in just ten days. Here's how:

Days 1 through 3 Pick hay or straw that has been tightly baled. Decide where you want your bales to go and place them with the twine off the ground. They'll be too heavy to move after you've soaked them. Soaker hoses are really handy with this type of garden because you want to get your straw bales good and soggy. Getting the straw all wet is what wakes up the microscopic life that is living in the straw. Once they are awake, they'll be hungry and will start working their way up looking for bacteria to munch on. The waste that results from all this is what provides your garden with nourishment. Nature provides the hay bale garden with fertilizer. All you have to do is to maintain the moisture. Days 4 to 7 You can add compost to the tops of your hay bale garden. This will give the paramecia food. If you want to add humus to the top of your garden, it will speed along the whole fertilizing process. Of course, you'll be keeping the bales nice and soggy. Don't worry about over-watering. This type of gardening is so foolproof, excess water will drain out.

Days 8 to 10 (if needed) are planting days. Here is where the ease and fun of this type of gardening really begins! You can seed your garden into your humus covering or take whole plants, add a bit of soil and plant them right into the bales. To transplant tomato plants, cut a slit in the bale and put your plant in, tightly, planting up to the first leaf. Two tomato plants per bale are recommended. Don't forget to add stakes, and make them high- tomatoes seem to love growing in bales. Bumper crops have been reported.

Hay bales usually last for two years. After that, they make a wonderful compost spread. Many people plant flowers around the outer corners to make the bales more attractive. All types of flowers grow well in bale gardens as well as a host of vegetables and herbs. Best of all, physical restrictions don't have to get in the way of your love of gardening.

Article written by Cassaundra Flores, owner of http://www.skyfireproducts.com.

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Care Of Orchids - Five Ways To Get Started Caring For Orchids At Home

Care Of Orchids - Five Ways To Get Started Caring For Orchids At Home
By Suzanne Atkinson

Are you intimidated by the thought of buying your first orchid? Are you afraid that you will be unable to take care of your orchid once you bring it home? There are plenty of online resources and articles about orchids care. But sometimes you need more than words on a page to get you started. Try these five simple steps to get started with your very first orchid.

1) Visit a local plant store

Small local shops offer personal service and expertise that you won't find in the big box stores. In addition, the orchids in stock are usually grown at a nearby local greenhouse, rather than a large commercial orchid greenhouse that services the large retail distributors. The last time I went into a local flower shop, I was greeted immediately with a smile and an offer to help answer any questions I had about the plants. It's unlikely that you'll get this kind of personal attention in a Home Supplies store.

The owner of the shop will know all about the orchid varieties in the store and can give you individualized recommendations regarding the orchid care once you get the plant into your home or apartment. While much of this information is available online, you'll save yourself hours of searching by going directly to the expert from the beginning. Buy purchasing from your local grower, you support local small business and have a built in orchid growing consultant just about any time you need one.

2) Go to an orchid show

Orchid shows are going on all the time throughout the country, just do an internet search for "orchid show" and add your city name to the end of the search string. At a local orchid show , you will meet dozens of hobby growers and orchid enthusiasts who were all beginners at one point, just like you. Ask a few questions about their orchid collection and you'll have a new orchid buddy for life! By talking with people at the show you'll learn just how easy it is to get started growing orchids at home.

Almost all orchid shows also have orchids for sale, potting mediums, pots and hanging baskets along with orchid watering supplies, misters and humidity trays. Many shows even have a pest and disease specialist who can help diagnose your orchid problems. Do you have an orchid that is in need of re-potting? Check the schedule for the show and see if there is a potting class. You may just be able to re-pot your orchid while learning from experts in the field.

3) Subscribe to an Orchid Magazine

...like the one published by the American Orchid Society. Not only will you be inspired by seeing colorful photos of orchids in bloom, but you'll have regular excellent articles on caring for orchids delivered right to your mailbox. there is nothing like a great magazine and a cup of Earl Grey at a sunny breakfast nook to start off your day. You'll have visions of orchids in your head all day and be ready to go shopping for your own before the weekend is over!

4) Join your local orchid club

Local orchid shows are frequently hosted by your local orchid club. If you can't find an upcoming show, try the nearest greenhouse or conservatory; they should have contact information for any nearby orchid societies. if you live in a rural area that is far from any nurseries, greenhouses or conservatories, check in the nearest major city. If the club meets once a month, plan to attend the next meeting. You'll meet a number of new friends that will all be more than happy to help you get started.

5) Talk to other orchid growers

If you've done steps 1 through 4, you will have met many people in your community that are growing orchids and taking care of orchids in their own home. All of them are most likely very interested in seeing you succeed with your first orchid experience.

If you've followed these five tips on becoming an orchid owner, you'll have discovered that orchids are surprisingly easy to care for by meeting just a few basic needs of the plants. You'll probably discover that orchids are the easiest houseplant you own! Learning to take care of orchids and buing your first plant is a simple matter of staring with baby steps and meeting a few people who share your passion. Soon you will be the expert that others are calling!

Suzanne Atkinson, called GuruOrchid by her friends, has been growing orchids at home for over 10 years. She got her start by visiting local plant stores and talking orchid growers with experience. Suzanne write a blog that contains orchid care tips for beginners at http://takingcareoforchids.blogsome.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Suzanne_Atkinson

Tips for Growing Orchids at Home

Tips for Growing Orchids at Home
By Jason Hobbs

Orchids are increasingly becoming more famous as plants of home, owing to its enhanced cultivars as well as affordability. Growing orchids at home was once associated with the hobby of rich and elite people, but not anymore. Orchids are more reasonable now due to the latest progression in the propagation strategies. Growing Orchids at home was first witnessed in the middle of 1700 century, since then this task is accompanied with the reputation of being extremely difficult. Although, there are numerous orchids available that are very simple to grow in home. The orchid hails from the most assorted family of the plants ever known to human beings. In all, there are more than 880 varieties, 28000 species, as well as more than 30,000 recorded cultivars at present. These impressive figures indicate the successful chronicles of present day orchids.

Useful Suggestions:

Orchids are evidenced to be the most fastly modifying plant groups existing on earth, whose increased number of newer species are discovered at a meteoric speed. They are the most adaptable group of plants surviving in the world. The three fundamental requirements for growing orchids at home are temperature, light and humidity. Even if 2 of these criterions are fulfilled ideally, the plant will bloom and flourish. The two simplest kinds of orchids that can be grown in the vicinity of home are Phalaenopsis, and Dendrobium hybrids. These orchid plants typically bloom well, only if good care of them is undertaken. Both these kinds of orchids are available in several ranges of colors, however the common ones are pink, purple, white and lavender. These plants are quiet inexpensive and can be purchased by any novice fancier for growing orchids at home.

Light is considered to be the most crucial reason behind failure of orchid blooming. The orchid plant may appear to be in the pink of health, but due to inadequate light it will perhaps not flower. For growing orchids at home, the best place to position the plant is near the window sill. A window facing south ward direction will be ideal to generate most favorable results. East facing is the next option followed by north face window. Artificial light help can be taken, if window sill is not able to provide sufficient amount of light.

Points to Remember:

For growing orchids at home, it is very crucial to remember to clean the windows very often in order to generate proper transmission of light. The progress of orchid plant itself indicates the appropriate levels of light. Temperature is the next criteria, according to temperature the orchids are segregated into 4 categories: warm, immediate growing, cool growing and hardy. As far as watering is concerned, it is suggested to insert the finger in soil for nearly 1 inch. If soil is dry, then plant requires water.

If you would like to learn more about Growing Orchid and receive a FREE Newsletter on the subject visit the authors site http://www.growingorchidhelp.com

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Types of Cactus Species

Types of Cactus Species
By Jason Hobbs

Cacti for plural use and Cactus for general are the specific plants of the Cactaceae family. The Cactaceae are the biggest existing family of the tender cactus plants. There are around 2000 recognized types of cactus species in the world, especially in the regions of Central, South, and North America. A huge amount of cactuses, but not entire, are fine habitant to the desert climatic conditions, utilizing their trunks for accumulation of water during long durational dry seasons. Several various cactus species of the barrel cacti shares the bodily attributes of a bony layered barrel shaped trunk. In terms of comparison, several types of the cactus species of barrel are of average length of about 4-10 feet. This physical feature makes the barrel cacti tinier than the huge columnar cactus and bigger than the pincushion cactus species. The barrel cacti mostly stand as a lone trunk cacti rather than huddled in factions, with blooms on the top. The barrel cactus species are one of the most admired countryside species of the cactus family.

Major Species:

One of the major distinctive cactus species is the Claret Cup cactus with attractive reddish and cup shaped flowers. This particular cactus species illustrates the tale behind the actual name of the cactus family. The shades and the surface between the stream and the remaining plant, makes it a popular snappy cactus species for several people residing in its habitant, mostly in the southern regions of the deserts in the extreme Southwest extending from California to Texas. Certain landscapers and garden keepers also admire utilizing it as a hummingbird cactus. This is because a wide range of hummingbird species such as the Magnificent, Black-chinned hummingbird, and the Broad-tailed hummingbird nourishes on the Claret cup cactus flower nectar and assists it in pollination process. Basically, the Claret cup cactus species is a small and spiny cactus that most often nurtures in groups of trunks. Another most admired cactus species is the Organ pipe cactus that are big grooved cactus that nurtures frequently in groups representing the organ pipes. The organ pipe cactus is inhabitant of the Sonoran Desert area of the Southern Arizona and Northern Mexico. One unique features of this cactus species is that they are nighttime bloomers and are mostly pollinated by bats.

Other Secondary Species:

The name of Pincushion is provided to loads of cactus species existing in the world. The Pincushion cactus is a tiny circular plant with small thorns. It appears as if someone has fussed pins in a cushion. The Pincushion cacti are quite adjustable types of cactus nurturing in an array of habitations. In the year of 1986, Arizona, the Pincushion cactus was declared as one of the endangered species of the cactus family.

If you would like to learn more about Indoor Plants and receive a FREE Newsletter on the subject visit the authors site http://www.indoorplantsadvice.com

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Chinch Bugs

Chinch Bugs
By Chad P Kimball

Adult Chinch Bugs usually appear in your lawn in March, but their life cycle in the turf begins long before that as larvae. They have black bodies and legs, white wings with a black triangular spot on each wing. Also known as Blissus leucopterus leucopterus, and B. insularis, Lygaeidae, a Chinch Bug is a beetle that the size of a grain of rice, and the larvae can be as small as the head of a pin. But don't let their small size fool you, the power of an infestation to destroy your lawn should not be underestimated, especially if your grass is currently experiencing a drought or consistently dry conditions year round. These pests live deep in the thatch throughout the fall and winter and steadily eat away the root system of your grass and other plants.

But it gets worse. Much worse.

Chinch Bugs don't just eat your grass, they actually inject poison into the plant as they eat, causing your grass to turn yellow and die in large patches. These patches are usually circular, with the center looking much worse than the outer perimeter.

You can test your lawn for Chinch Bugs by simply going to the center of one of the circular yellow patches of grass and look for small red and black beetles, or their red larvae. If you need another confirmation, take a large aluminum can and cut off both ends. Push one end of the can down into the turf, and then fill the can with water. In around 15 minutes the water will kill any of them inside and they will float to the surface where you can see them clearly.

How to get rid of Chinch Bugs:

-Water your lawn regularly. They thrive in dry, sunny lawns, or drought conditions, so regular watering can greatly reduce your infestation.

-Encourage your lawn to develop a deep root system by applying appropriate doses of fertilizer, and watering regularly (do not over water, this can actually produce a shallow root system).

-Do not cut your grass too low. Taller blades of grass produce deeper roots.

-Have a lawn care company apply the proper pesticides. It is crucial that you have a professional evaluate your lawn and determine what plan of attack is best.

The disadvantage of chemical controls is that they can be a danger to pets, humans, other bugs, birds, and the environment in general. Ask your lawn care company if they can choose organic, non-toxic controls instead of chemicals. Some lawn care companies will broadly apply harmful pesticides without properly informing you of the risks to your family, pets, and surrounding wildlife.

If you are in southeastern Michigan, please contact Natural Way Lawn Care to have your Chinch Bug problem evaluated by one of our professionals. We can apply the correct tactics for Chinch Bug control, depending on your specific situation. Our methods are effective, and most of all, safe for your family and the environment!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chad_P_Kimball

Using Crop Rotation In Your Organic Garden - For Healthy Plants & Higher Yields

Using Crop Rotation In Your Organic Garden - For Healthy Plants & Higher Yields
By Julie Williams

Crop rotation is the age old practice of rotating plants to different growing areas in your vegetable garden. Plants that belong to the same family are rotated or moved each season. This aids plants with their nutrient needs and helps avoid pest and disease problems.

Giving a little extra thought at your planning stage by including a crop rotation system will save you time, money and effort. You will need to spend less on organic fertilizers if you incorporate soil-building cover crops along with nitrogen fixing plants. By using crop rotation you will prevent many pest and disease issues that you would have needed to find solutions for.

Say you decide to grow potatoes in the same plot each season. As you lovingly water your potatoes (or it rains) the nutrients are slowly leached from the soil. Your potatoes have specific nutrient requirements. Once they have used all available nutrients you will start to notice problems such as poor yields or pest infestation.

Each season, as you grow your potatoes in the same plot, they will have less disease resistance and will be inferior quality and yield.

This is why there was a potato famine in Ireland many years ago. A single variety of potato was grown year in - year out and eventually grew weaker and prone to disease.

When you use a well thought out crop rotation system you will enjoy heavier yields and healthier plants and soil.

Below is an example of a good crop rotation:-

* Year 1 - Grow legumes (peas, beans - broad, runner or French) or a cover crop ex. rye
* Year 2 - grow brassicas (cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, swede, turnip, brussels sprouts)
* Year 3 - grow tomatoes
* Year 4 - grow alliums (onions, leeks, spring onions, bunching onions, chives, garlic)
* Year 5 - grow root vegetables (carrots, parsnip, potatoes, beetroot)

Then you can start your crop rotation system again. Of course you can interplant with other vegetables that haven't been mentioned here to further improve on your system.

By combining companion planting with crop rotation you are going to see even greater results in your organic food garden and greatly reducing pest and disease problems.

Different crops have different soil and nutrient requirements. By changing your crops from year to year, you minimise any deficiencies and allow the soil to replenish. Also, when you alternate between deep-rooted plants and fibrous-rooted plants you improve soil structure.

Hi, I am an avid organic gardener and am known by my friends as the recycling queen. I live on a small country property in South Australia. It is my mission to encourage as many people as possible to start organic gardening. This will improve both our individual lives and the wellbeing of our personal and global environments. Beginners to Organic Gardening take a look here. For more organic gardening info click here.

Happy gardening, healthy living...
Julie Williams
http://www.1stoporganicgardening.com

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Earthworms - The Gardener's Best Friend

Earthworms - The Gardener's Best Friend
By Warren Peters

When we see a garden at its best, it means the earthworms are at work making the soil rich in nutrients. The organic substances in the soil are broken down by these creatures and changed into nutrients that the plants absorb easily.

As the earthworms burrow into the ground, they loosen the earth helping the roots penetrate, making for a healthy plant. The loose earth absorbs the water and retains it while allowing it to permeate. In addition, the air has room to circulate. The earthworms movements churn up life-supporting nutrients which are deep down in the earth. They are brought to the top soil where the plants have better access to them.

Besides what they do for plants, earthworms serve as food for birds. Early in spring, when the garden is filled with the chirruping of birds, it's the worms they are after, since there are no fruit or seeds to be had at that part of the year. If earthworms are put into a container where no light penetrates, they can be preserved alive for a fortnight provided they have damp peat moss to sustain them.

Earthworms are myriad. They are categorized according to their features and location. They may be classified as rain worms, red wrigglers, field worms, red worms, night crawlers and red hybrid. One garden may be home to many different species.

Earthworms come in varied hues and sizes. Gray or black, red or maroon, earthworms come in all these colors and different shades of these. Their length could run from a couple of inches to almost a foot and in some cases an unbelievable twelve feet like a few species found in Australia. Damp soil rich in organic nutrients are ideal conditions for worms.

Earthworms live off insects, parts of rotting animals, manure, lettuce and the rind of the watermelon. In the main, they avoid extremely alkaline or acidic substances. However, their food preference depends on what species they are. Night crawlers, as the name suggests, collect food from the surface after dark.

Blades of grass and organic substances form their diet. On locating their food, they simply drag their spoil into the burrow from the surface by hanging on to their fare with their mouth. This, combined with the soil, is what they relish. Many earthworms like the red wrigglers, come to the surface for a meal.

Gardeners can help earthworms multiply by constantly adding organic substances to the soil. When the organic content in the soil goes down, the earthworms go in search of soil that is more sustaining or they will die. The proteins from their dead bodies that are converted into nitrogen help nourish the plants. However, the benefit is short lived. The death of earthworms means the end to a healthy garden, so important are they in nourishing the soil.

The food consumed by the earthworm is ground in the gizzard and passed to the intestine. Here the digestive process takes place with the help of enzymes. Some of the nourishment provides energy and helps in the growth of the worms. The remainder is excreted as granules. The soluble nutrients in these granular droppings are more nutritious than what the worms fed on in the first place. The deposits are rich in calcium, magnesium, phosphorous and nitrogen.

In winter, earthworms are dormant. Since frost kills them within minutes of their exposure to it, they burrow deeper where the frost can't reach them. With spring, when the temperatures reach a comfortable level and the earth is soaked with spring showers, the earthworm is at its active best. This is the mating season.

They multiply quickly producing offspring by the hundred, annually. In summer, they are not as active. Food is scarce and the soil bereft of moisture can cause many to die. Autumn sees the earthworms stir into activity again. Reproduction takes place again until winter sets in.

Earthworms have a comparatively long life span. Some live for a decade if they can survive predators like birds and moles. Other threats to their life come from pesticides, used so freely today. Some fall prey to extreme heat or cold. Others succumb when the soil is parched and when food is deficient. These conditions shorten the lives of earthworms, which otherwise prove to be the gardeners best friend.

Warren has put together a very informative site detailing the concise elements of worm farming for personal use and or your own business. Detailing benefits of home composting and many other aspects of worm composting.

More interesting stuff can be found here: Worms Composting

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Warren_Peters

The Making Of Compost Is Easy Enough

The Making Of Compost Is Easy Enough
By Warren Peters

Compost is basically organic matter. It is garden debris that is allowed to decay with time and is then put back into the soil as it has a lot of nutrient value and helps in the growth of plants. This process may take months to a year. If you want to be an organic gardener who is successful then you must learn the benefits of compost. Compost is very useful as it helps in improving the texture and fertility of soil and planting beds and it is a very essential constituent of potting soils and greenhouse. It nutritive value is mainly dependent on the nutrient-containing materials and fertilizers that are added to the piles in the process of decomposition.

The value of compost to the average gardener is difficult to ascertain as an amateur gardener too will in some form or another, use compost. Compost helps plants grow better and keeps them healthy and green. Compost that is nutritive is generally used in the form of rotten manure and compost that is not enriched is humus.

One of the best quality soil used by gardeners contains one-third humus. Humus makes the soil light, airy and spongy, retentive of moisture. In sandy soils that do not have humus, the rainfall washes all the nutritive ingredients and clay soil in the absence of humus will become very hard and impervious to water.

Any materials that are organic and left to the elements will decompose. Grass clippings, old hay, straw, leaves, plant tops and sod are materials that could be use for making compost. A lot of gardeners add humus, that is raw organic materials like weeds to the soil around plantings without composting them.

Adding of raw organic material to the soil speeds the activities of the bacteria and this takes away nitrogen from the soil and causes the leaves of the plants to become yellow. Hence it is not advisable to add raw organic materials to the soil directly.

It is better if weeds are added to the compost pile and then put back into the soil when they have decomposed. Without composting, peat moss and leaf mold can be added directly to the soil, as they are composted already.

There are various methods that are used in the building of a compost pile. The size of your pile will depend on the area that is available to you. An ordinary leaf pile or a number of them may be located at different convenient points in your garden and may be covered with show fencing wire made into a circle. In two years? time, depending on the climatic conditions, the leaves will become compost with not much effort from your side.

This is the easiest method to compost leaves. This leaf compost is an excellent source of supplements for the soil and potting humus. But it is not very rich in nutrients. Oak and beech leaves are acid. They are very good humus that can be placed around wide leaved evergreens that love acid.

Warren has put together a very informative site detailing the concise elements of worm farming for personal use and or your own business. Detailing benefits of home composting and many other aspects of worm composting. More interesting stuff can be found here.

Worms Composting

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Warren_Peters

Worms Compost - Simple, Fun And Ecologically Sane

Worms Compost - Simple, Fun And Ecologically Sane
By Warren Peters

The easiest way to get started on your own backyard worm farm is to buy a ready made plastic worm farm. Setup is very easy. Just a few steps to follow. The most important step in setting up a worm farm is selecting the right bedding material.

The very first step is to gather all of your materials.

A light spray of fresh water when the farm is first constructed will generally provide sufficient moisture for the farm.

Place it in a shady location. Make sure to have plenty of drainage. If you notice ordinary flies buzzing around, it usually means too much water.

Make sure that the worm farm is covered so that it doesn't get too wet in the rain.

Up to half of all household waste is compostable, so starting your own worm compost is a great way to reduce waste to landfill.

Worms compost is a fantastic way to help reduce the amount of waste that accumalates in your kitchen.

Using the worm farm is a fun and educational exercise the whole family can participate in.

Rubbish will generate it's own heat if piled too high, so make sure the layer put into your worm farm is a thin, manageable one.

The ideal size for a worm farm is 60cm [24 in.] wide by 90cm [35 in.] long by 30cm. [about 12 in.] If your worm farm is on legs, place each leg in a container of water to stop pests from getting in.

Ensuring that the temperature of your compost is around 24 degrees celcius [75 degrees] will also improve the overall performance of your system.

You will have a continual supply of free fertilizer once your farm is working properly. If the worm farm is covered to reduce moisture loss then the worms can be left up to three weeks.

The farm should be divided into two areas, the worm bed/waste receival area and the vermicast storage/ post processing area.

If it is too dry and has ants, then add vegetable matter that rots down and some water to ensure it isn't too dry.

A worm farm is odourless, requires very little maintenance and produces a rich fertilizer for your potted plants or balcony garden. If things start getting smelly, there may be too much food.

Maintenance is simple, but needs to be done regularly to keep your worms fed and happy. The only smell associated with a well maintained wormery is a pleasant earthy smell.

This is a great way to recycle your kitchen scraps and create rich, organic fertilizer for your garden.

If your worm farm is maintained correctly you should not have any problems, however occasionally things can go wrong. Too wet, too dry. One farm is enough to compost the kitchen scraps of an average sized family. Your worm farm is a very eco-friendly way of using up the vegetable scraps but what do you get - dirt. The best dirt you can get. Have fun.

Warren has put together a very informative site detailing the concise elements of worm farming for personal use and or your own business. Detailing benefits of home composting and many other aspects of worm composting.

More information:
Worms Composting

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Warren_Peters

How To Do Vermicomposting

How To Do Vermicomposting
By Warren Peters

What is vermicomposting? Vermicomposting means using worms to make compost. This is very easy to do and needs just a little bit of garden space and you can even do it in your basement or your garage. This is one great way to use up your kitchen waste and not let it go to waste. Let's show you how easy it is. All you need to do is follow these very easy steps.

First of all, you need to get yourself a storage bin, a plastic one is best. If yours is a family of six, you need a size that's around 1' x 2' x 3.5'. At the bottom of the bin, drill around 10 holes, each one to facilitate drainage and place a tray underneath the bin to hold the drainage.

Now put in some nylon mesh at the bottom of the bin so the worms don't escape through these holes. Now you need some bedding and for this, you will require some newspaper. Shred them and wet them well. You should make sure they stay moist and don't get dry.

Now add the worms to the bin, preferably red worms which are thought to be the best as far as composting is concerned. These are the most common worms you are likely to find in most gardens and lawns so you can just collect them from your garden or order them from a gardening store.

Make sure the bedding and the worms are on one side of the bin and put in vegetable peels and other kitchen waste, taking care not to put in any meat or fat products. Don't put in too much or you'll find that the stuff tends to rot. Now keep the bin in a cool, dark place.

It should take around 3 months for the worms to turn the waste and the bedding into compost. Now put in the bedding and more waste on the other side of the bin. The worms tend to migrate to the new food supply. Put the bin out in the sun and the worms will go right into the bedding and you can take out your compost from one side of the bin. You can put it for your plants or save it for later.

Now how do you use this compost that you have made? Compost is organic matter that is really great for your plants. You can add it to your lawn, your plants in the garden or your potted plants. You'll find the soil improving with better aeration and moisture-holding properties.

This is where your plants will get their nutrients from and thrive. You can also use it as mulch, spreading it on top of the soil after mixing it with a bit of topsoil. You'll find compost helps prevent many diseases.

You'll find in your garden that all the organic matter does decompose eventually. However, vermicomposting hastens the process and gives you garden soil that is fertile, moist and rich in nutrients. So your plants grow better, look better and survive better. All it takes for organic matter to decompose are ideal conditions in which earthworms, bacteria, fungi and bugs can work.

They need moisture, oxygen, carbon and nitrogen. So if you were to mix in nitrogen-rich substances like grass clippings or manure from livestock, you'll find decomposing happening quicker. Carbon can be had from leaves and twigs. Or you could fling in a handful of lawn fertilizer which will provide the carbon-nitrogen needs.

Do remember to water it a bit in case it doesn't rain and the mix gets dry. A bit of turning around once in a while gives it the oxygen it needs. Just a little bit of care and you are well on your way to great compost!

Warren has put together a very informative site detailing the concise elements of worm farming for personal use and or your own business. Detailing benefits of home composting and many other aspects of worm composting.

More information:

Worms Composting

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Warren_Peters

Italian Garden Design - The Dahlia's Relationship With Italy

Italian Garden Design - The Dahlia's Relationship With Italy
By Jonathan Radford

THE DAHLIA AND IT'S UNIQUE RELATIONSHIP WITH ITALY

A Floral Symbol of a New World

The Dahlia has been used in Italian gardens as a fine cut flower from the Renaissance onwards, however, it is also as strong a symbol of the discovery of the Americas as is the tomato, potato or the pineapple.

A plant from the family Composite and with stunning flowers, ranging from 2" (5.08cm) diameter to 1' (30.48cm) the Dahlia provides the cut-flower garden with virtually every colour in the colour range and in the very last season of the year- late autumn. In this dull season, with it's absence of strong flower colour, the Dahlia can provide the garden with striking, almost black flowers, shocking red and electric yellow blooms and even charming, delicate pastels.

During the Renaissance period (15th to 17th Centuries) in Italy the Dahlia flower was used as a cut flower in the houses of the aristocracy and symbolised somewhat the discovery of the New World.

Italian born Christopher Columbus not only brought back tomatoes and potatoes but also interesting new flower varieties with him on his return from the Americas in the late 1400's.

The primary aim of Columbus's voyage was to discover new crop varieties and, of course, gold, silver and coffee/cacao for the Spanish sovereignty. The Dahlia was brought back for the new Renaissance interest in garden design, like the garden of Lorenzo de Medici at Careggi, owing to the flower's obvious beauty and originality.

However the tubers of the Dahlia were also considered to be a possible, edible substitute for the potato with it's large tubers, which do resemble potato tubers. A letter, dated just 60 years after Columbus' return, stated that the Aztecs used the dahlia as a cure for epilepsy and various other ailments. Indeed to this day extracts from the Dahlia are used to establish the functioning of the liver and kidneys.

A challenging and demanding plant to cultivate, the Dahlia requires a free draining, fertile soil and full sun to thrive. The flower stems require pinching out when they reach 1' (30.48) tall, in order to encourage bushy growth and the taller varieties then need staking to support their heavy blooms. The most awkward part of their cultivation is the removing from the soil that the Dahlia tubers need in order to over winter them in a dry, frost-free environment.

The tubers should be dug up gently with a digging fork when the foliage shows the first signs of frost damage, washed, left to dry and placed in sawdust, peat or vermiculite etc and placed in a cool shed for the winter. In spring they can be re-planted, watered and fed and the application of an organic mulch will retain moisture, without water logging the tubers.

There are very few plants that flower in the latter stages of the year and the Dahlia can provide our gardens with a range of colour and sensual flower form that is unrivalled by any other cut flower. Lasting up to a week as a cut flower the Dahlia also one of the most durable of the flowers from the cut-flower garden and is well worth the investment and, after all, from hard work to trans-Atlantic voyages, beauty has always come at a high price in the Italian garden!

By Jonathan Radford www.ecologicagardens.com
See some wonderfully original abstract images of the glorious Dahlia flower at www.italmacro.com

Jonathan Radford is an English landscape designer, dedicated to creating ecological, Italian-style gardens from his base in Siena, Tuscany.

Contact him at info@web-ecologica.com

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Top Vegetable Gardening Tips For Tomato Growing

Top Vegetable Gardening Tips For Tomato Growing
By Alison Stevens

Vegetable gardening tips for tomato growing are readily available. Most gardeners are happy to share their tomato growing tips and even non-gardeners who attempt to grow tomatoes every spring will offer advice. The difficulty for the novice tomato grower comes in trying so sort the valuable vegetable gardening tips for tomato growing from the old wives' tales.

One of the best sources for vegetable gardening help is a local nursery. Buying plants at a supermarket or a chain store with garden center may allow you to purchase plants at a cheaper price, but it is unlikely that the staff in these stores know a great deal about gardening. For reliable vegetable gardening help, visit a local nursery. Many nurseries carry plants that they themselves have grown from seed, and they will be knowledgeable about each variety of plant and can advise on local conditions.

Local Garden Club

Most towns have a local garden club and meeting together with other gardeners is a great way to obtain vegetable gardening help and improve your knowledge. Other gardeners from your locality will have abundant information about the requirements of vegetables in your zone. When you enlist the aid of gardeners that are local to your area, you will get vegetable gardening help that you can use because these gardeners understand the unique needs of your particular zone.

Local garden clubs often run workshops or classes on topics ranging from composting, to growing a particular variety of heirloom vegetable, to pest control in the garden. Many often sponsor projects such as community gardens which can provide gardening space to those who live in apartments and have no garden space of their own. and taking part in an altruistic endeavor with your fellow garden club members is a fantastic way to learn all sorts of gardening secrets and tips.

Even if you don't join a garden club taking part in some workshops will provide you with an opportunity to meet fellow gardeners and form friendships with people with a common interest.

The County Extension Office

Another top resource for vegetable gardening advice is your local county extension office. They specialize in solving the gardening problems unique to your local environment. They can perform soil tests, identify plants and diseases and sometimes supply free seeds or plants

Once you've gained some gardening knowledge it's time to get your hands dirty.

Tomatoes and other vegetables are easy to grow if you start with good soil. Before you plant your garden, till the soil to about a depth of ten inches and dig in some well rotted compost or other organic material. Complete this step several weeks before you want to plant your tomatoes.

For a larger garden, you can rent a tiller, but for a small garden space you can use a gardening fork to dig in the compost.

When risk of frost has passed, drive a ¾ inch stake into your prepared garden bed. Dig a hole a little deeper and wider than the size of the tomato plant's pot next to the stake, gently place the plant into the hole and firm it in. A trellis or tomato cage can also be used for support in lieu of a stake. These are readily available at nurseries and hardware stores. Use soft twine or tomato ties to tie the plant's stem loosely to the stake or trellis. As the tomato plant grows, check the ties regularly and loosen them occasionally to prevent stem damage. The tomato seedlings should be planted 18 inches apart to allow the sun to reach the ripening fruit.

Feed Your Tomato Plants

Feed your tomato plants regularly using a potassium-based plant food or you can create your own organic fertilizer mix. Planting basil adjacent to your tomato plants will assist in keeping pests at bay.

Watering is as important as feeding. Water your tomatoes regularly with a hand-held hose. Direct the water at the base of the plant and avoid wetting the leaves which can lead to rot.

Never let your tomatoes dry out to the point that they wilt. Although you can usually save the wilted plant by watering it, the dry period will take its toll on the plant and affect the quality of the fruit. Extended dry spells may cause your tomatoes to crack.

Regularly nip out by hand any side shoots that develop between the leaf and the stem. This will help to channel the plant's energy into its fruit. When your tomatoes have ripened, pick them by bending back the fruit at the notch on the stem. Ripe tomatoes can be stored in the fridge for up to a week. Continue to water and feed the plant to help the remaining tomatoes to ripen and mature.

Alison Stevens is an online author and maintains Grow Great Tomatoes website to assist anyone who wants to get started growing tomatoes and other vegetables.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alison_Stevens