Since there’s so much life in a garden, people may think it’s a safe place to be in. Unfortunately that’s not always the case, particularly if you use pesticides in your garden. Knowing what pesticides do to the insects and animals in the garden, it may give you cause to think. Outdoor pesticides and kids – is it really worth the risk? [Read more...]

One of the unlucky factors of rose garden care is dealing with rose diseases. Here is a list of common rose diseases and possible solutions.

1. Black Spots on Leaves

This disease is commonly known as black spot. Black spots appear as circular with fringed edges on leaves. They cause the leaves to yellow. Remove the infected foliage and pick up any fallen leaves around the rose. Artificial sprays may be used to prevent or treat this kind of rose disease.

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2. Stunted or malformed young canes

Known as powdery mildew, this is a fungal disease that covers leaves, stems and buds with wind spread white powder. It makes the leaves curl and turn purple. Spray with Funginex or Benomyl to treat this fungal disease.

3. Blistered underside of leaves

Known as rust, this disease is characterized by orange-red blisters that turn black in fall. It can survive the winter and will then attack new sprouts in the spring. Collect and discard leaves that are infected in fall. a Benomyl or Funginex spray every 7-10 days may help.

4. Malformed or stunted leaves and flowers

This is caused by spider mites. They are tiny yellow, red or green spiders found on the underside of leaves where they suck juices. The application of Orthene or Isotox may help in treating this infestation.

5. Weak and mottled leaves with tiny white webs under them

This is caused by aphids. They are small soft-bodied insects that usually brown, green or red. Often clustered under leaves and flower buds, they suck plant juices from tender buds. Malathion or diazinon spray may help roses to survive these bugs.

6. Flowers that don’t open or are deformed when they open.

Thrips could be the reason behind this problem. They are slender, brown-yellow bugs with fringed wings that also suck juices from flower buds. Cut and discard the infested flowers. Orthene and malathion may also treat this problem.

Remember that roses are hungry feeders that require much fertilizer to become healthy bushes.

An overabundance of fruits and vegetables from your garden means you may have a problem. What do you do with all the extras? Some of it you will want to eat right away, some you may want to share with others but some you will probably want to store. Do you know how to choose which fruits and veggies to store and which are best used in another way?

No matter if you’re talking about fruits or vegetables, you want to purchase produce at the end of your grocery shopping trip. Choose the food at the peak of ripeness. Look for fruits that are firm and not mushy.

Set fruit with bruises aside. You won’t want to use these for storage whether you’re considering freezing, canning or dehydrating Using bruised fruits increases the chance that the food will be less than its best and could even lead to the food spoiling and all that hard work going to waste.

* Cherries – Great for canning, freezing and dehydrating. For the best results, pit the cherry first to make them easier to use. They should be uniform in color and firm.

* Blackberries – Consider freezing or canning. They don’t dehydrate well at all. Lie in a single layer on cookie sheets and then freeze them. Once frozen you can move them to a freezer bag.

* Blueberries – Can be made into jelly and canned, frozen or dehydrated. Choose fruit that is plump and not shriveled with a deep blue color.

* Grapes – Red, green and black – These are best stored after being frozen. The fruit should be firm and plump with green stems.

* Peaches and nectarines – Nothing beats homemade peach jam so take advantage of any surplus to can. You can also freeze both fruits relatively well if sliced thin enough.

* Strawberries – These should have a smooth, shiny and even color. They shouldn’t be bruised, slimy or have excessive yellow coloring. Lay them out on a cookie sheet in a thin layer to freeze them. You can also make strawberry preserves.

Not all vegetables are good for long-term storage due to the amount of water in them. Water expands when frozen and breaks down the cell walls. When the produce is thawed, you will notice the texture being much softer than original. For this reason, it is helpful to cook the vegetables before freezing them.

When you do freeze fruit, it will retain its quality for 8 to 12 months. After that the quality begins to degrade. Fruit packed in sugar or sugar syrups will keep longer than unsweetened fruit that is frozen.

Frozen vegetables will also remain good for 12 to 18 months. It is best to use the frozen vegetables before the next season’s crop comes in and is ready to freeze. Don’t forget that when freezing vegetables, you will want to blanch them first, drain them and then put them in the freezer. You can also pressure can and dehydrate vegetables. Be sure to read the instruction manuals for tips on which vegetables can be used in each machine.

What better way to beautify your garden than to fill it with birds?  Birds add color and life to any garden.  If you’re wondering how to attract birds to your garden, follow these tips and you’ll have a feather filled garden in no time. [Read more...]

Children love to go outside and explore. They love to hear the sounds of birds tweeting and crickets chirruping. They love to pick dandelions and blow the fluff into the wind as it whips across their face. If you create a sensory garden, your children will be thrilled as they explore everything. [Read more...]

Moon phase gardening.  You’re kidding me, right?  Planting a garden and harvesting according to what phase the moon is in?  Why would anyone want to do that?

Gardening by the light of the moon, or moon phase gardening, has been around as long as people have been gardening, and many swear that it works very well.  Let’s go over the key elements of moon phase gardening and then you can decide whether to give it a try or not.

Before you think it’s total hogwash, consider that the moon already has a big influence on our planet earth.  It’s the gravitational pull of the moon that causes our ocean’s tides to go in and out.  It may not be so far-fetched to consider that the moon might have some influence on the earth’s plants.

First off, you will need to know your area’s first and last frost dates as well as the moon cycles.  Those are easy enough to look up online or in a gardening book.  It’s also helpful to find a forum or blog where knowledgeable people talk about when they plant what. These forum people can also answer any questions you might have.

Here’s the guide to planting your seeds or seedlings by the moon phases:

New Moon to 1st Quarter Moon
Plant your leafy crops like spinach, lettuce, bok choy, herbs, broccoli, grains, and annuals.

1st Quarter Moon to Full Moon
Plant flowering crops such as beans, squash, eggplant, tomatoes, melons, peas, and zucchini.

Full Moon to Last Quarter Moon
Plant your crops that produce below the ground – carrots, onions, radishes, and potatoes.

Last Quarter to New Moon
Don’t plant anything at this time.  Take care of all your other garden chores.  In moon phase gardening, this is considered the best time to cultivate, harvest, and prune your plants.

Planting by the moon can possibly produce a healthier and more productive garden for you.  There aren’t a lot of complicated rules, but you do need to create a workable plan ahead of time.  Planning it out will help you to plant your seeds or seedlings on schedule, rather than when the mood strikes you.  Why not give it a try?  It certainly can’t hurt to give your seedlings all the help you can early on so that come late summer they can give up their wonderful produce!

Thinking of growing your own vegetables from seedlings, but lacking space? A mini greenhouse might be the right answer for you. The great thing about this 4 Tier Greenhouse is that it can be used indoors as well as outdoors. If you have a corner in your house that is sunny and warm, maybe right in front of a big window or sliding doors, then you can use this greenhouse to grow seeds even during the colder months.

I think that this greenhouse would look quite nice with its dark green steel and plastic frame, even inside your home. It has a vinyl covering with a zippered door and comes with four adjustable shelves. There is definitely enough space on the shelves to get your seedlings started or your flowers to grow and bloom.

Overall, if you are looking to invest in a sturdy but compact greenhouse, I am sure the 4 Tier Indoor/Outdoor Growing Rack would be perfect for your immediate gardening needs. It comes at a good price as well.

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4 Tier Indoor / Outdoor Juliana Plant Growing Rack – A Small Greenhouse to Grow Plants, Flowers, Seedlings

• Attractive dark green plastic and steel frame
• Vinyl slip-on covering with zippered door
• Adjustable shelving

Your gardening greenhouse! Our greenhouse is ideal for inside or outside your home. Their small size allow them to be placed on decks, patios, or indoors next to a window. Each Greenhouse comes with a UV protected, clear, vinyl cover which holds in humidity reducing watering needs. Easy access and ventilation is provided by the zippered door panel in the covering. Racks also include a powder coated steel frame and multiple shelves which are perfect for maximum growing in a small space. Assem

Price: $ 56.39

If you keep a garden, then you know how much “waste” you end up with by the time autumn rolls around.  There are the little plants you’ve thinned out, the pruning of your pumpkin plants that ran amuck, and the remains of the plants themselves after your successful harvest.  Then there are the grass clippings and tree prunings that belong somewhere other than the garbage can. 

It’s time to start composting all of your yard and garden waste as well as your kitchen scraps.  Composting means the waste stays out of the landfills and provides you with an excellent source of “black gold” for very little money or effort on your part.

First you need a compost bin.  There are many commercial varieties on the market and you don’t have to look any farther than your favorite garden store.  You can also set up an area with some posts and fencing.  Another alternative is to make your own bin from any of the plans you can find in gardening magazines or on the internet.  One preferred (lazy) method is a plastic garbage can with holes drilled all over the sides and bottom for aeration and drainage.

A non-smelly compost pile is made up of three components; green, brown, and soil plus manure.  Green refers to grass clippings, vegetable scraps from the kitchen, coffee grounds, crushed egg shells, tea bags, and the garden refuse.  The brown ingredients are dead leaves, small twigs and other small prunings.  Don’t add meat scraps and bones as these will attract wildlife.

The easiest way to compost is to just add roughly equal parts of the green, brown, and dirt plus manure.  When you add additional items to the pile; like your banana peels, strawberry tops and potato peelings, throw some more leaves and dirt on top.  This keeps it from smelling.  You can just leave the pile pretty much to itself and you will eventually end up with your highly desired compost.  This easy method does take the longest to turn the waste into finished compost.

If you want to speed things up, make sure everything you put in your pile has been cut small or been shredded, especially leaves and straw.  Turn your pile regularly with a pitch fork to speed things up.  Turning will also add air holes to help aerate and will also help with water penetration.  Your pile should be damp and may require watering occasionally. 

I would recommend that you have two compost bins going; one that’s almost done and the other that’s being currently added to.  Otherwise, you won’t ever have a finished product.

You will know your compost is ready when it smells good and it’s a rich dark color.  There should not be any clumps of partially decayed old vegetables in it.

It is truly amazing how all your scraps like grass clippings, carrot peelings, leaves, and green garden refuse can turn into nutrient-rich dark brown compost that’s perfect food for your plants.  Not only will you have a way to dispose of your waste, you will be creating healthier soil and hopefully growing wonderful plants and vegetables. 

 

Basic Composting is easy to do. Create a Free Compost Box or Compost Bin with 3 easy steps

It’s amazing how much children can learn if given the proper guidance. You want your children to eat foods that are healthy for them, but they may balk at trying some vegetables and fruits because they’re new to them. One way to get them to at least try new things is to use these nine easy-to-grow plants for children to encourage them to try what they’ve grown.

Your children may not like the canned veggies they’re given during meals, but they’re more likely to eat them if they’ve had a hand in growing them. Starting a small garden, even if you only include these ten items, can get your children on the road to eating healthier.

1. Carrots generally sprout quickly so your child can see the plant growing. Since they are sweet when fresh from the garden, your child may want more than just one when they’re ready to be harvested.

2. Radishes are another quick germinating vegetable. Young children don’t like to wait for things so they will be quickly rewarded when the radishes sprout in only a few days.

3. Lettuce is another reliable and quick vegetable to let your children grow. You may also encourage them to eat more of their salad when they’ve helped grow and pick the lettuce leaves. Choose a couple of varieties for a healthy mix.

4. Green beans are one vegetable that most children seem not to like. While they may take longer to sprout, the size of the sprout is considerably larger than either a carrot or radish. Children also have fun picking green beans, so that’s an added incentive to try them.

5. Pumpkins might take up a lot of room in a garden, but children love to watch the pumpkins grow to maturity. They take longer to mature, but your children will look forward to carving their own pumpkin in the fall.

6. Strawberries usually take up a large amount of a garden; however, you can also plant them in strawberry planters. What child wouldn’t love going outside to pick fresh strawberries to add to their cereal or a fruit smoothie?

7. Cherry tomatoes are a wonderful plant to encourage children to eat tomatoes. They can pick the tomatoes right off the vines and pop them in their mouth for a juicy treat. Of course, once they realize how good they are, your children may not be able to wait for the tomatoes to ripen.

8. Green onions are easy-to-grow but your children may not want to eat them. Of course, you might be surprised once they realize the onions are ready to picked.

9. Snow peas are other vegetables children don’t often like. However, children may be impressed by how quickly they come up and can be eaten right off the vine. The pod is edible and they are a small enough plant to grow without support.

Choosing any of these nine easy-to-grown plants for your child’s garden may be all your child needs to encourage them to eat more of their veggies. You might also start your child down the road to becoming a gardener in the future. Who knows, after a few years of successful gardening, your children may decide to take over the gardening altogether.