General Article

Organic Fertilizer – Mother Nature’s Best

Organic fertilizer is a far superior alternative to the synthetic chemicals that are in widespread use today. An organic fertilizer is one that occurs naturally as opposed to being created in a laboratory. The scientific meaning of organic is a substance that contains carbon, which is an essential element in every living thing on Earth. Whether plant or animal, carbon is part of it’s composition. The plants in your garden need nitrogen and other nutrients as well, and these can all be found in organic fertilizers despite the narrow technical definition of the word. Nature provides the perfect balance of these elements and nutrients that your garden needs for vigorous growth.

There are definite benefits to using organic fertilizers over their more ubiquitous commercial counterparts. Mother nature’s plant food does not harm the environment; there is no toxic run-off from chemicals and therefore, does not poison wildlife or foul the rivers and streams. Also the soil is not depleted of it’s necessary nutrients as quickly and the ground remains better aerated, because worms and other micro-organisms are able to better survive in the non-toxic environment. Perhaps the most important benefit is the healthier produce resulting from the use of mother nature’s best ingredients.

There are many sources of organic fertilizer. Probably the most obvious is decaying vegetation where the plant recycles itself into the ground to feed the next years crop. This decaying vegetation contains a lot of nitrogen when it is green and more carbon as it turns brown. Manure from birds and animals is also a nutrient- rich organic supplement. This manure would occur automatically in nature as the wildlife feeds on the plants and the cycle of life continues. The richest organic fertilizer in the world is deposited in your garden without even being seen; worms eat the dirt and produce worm castings. This worm manure is the essential component of the humus, containing the proper balance of nitrogen, carbon, and other nutrients that plants require for energetic growth. The absorption of these nutrients is also facilitated by the worm’s burrows, which allow the oxygen and important elements to more easily reach the plant’s roots. There are other substances in nature such as seaweed that make a prefect addition to your organic garden.

Pest control is a concern for the farmer as well as the weekend gardener. The owner of your local hardware store will gladly offer you a huge variety of chemical sprays and powders to remedy your problem; but, these have no place in your organic garden. Mother nature prefers letting certain beneficial creatures such as ladybugs, spiders and birds take care of your insect infestation instead.…

Making The Pond Garden A Family Affair

It may seem a little strange to utilize something as simple as a pond garden to entertain and intrigue the children. It can actually be used as a wonderful learning tool in respect to nature, the eco system, and teaching the kids a little responsibility as well.

To begin with it all starts in the planning stage. First you need to capture the interest of the kids. That’s half the battle. You can begin this process by asking their opinion. Start by getting them to look at some pictures and magazines with you, asking which type of pond they would think would look good in your backyard. Now don’t be surprised if they pick out the most exotic gardens in the book. You can bring them back to reality quick enough, but be sure to not put them down about their choices. You can simply tell them that it’s a great choice, but perhaps a little too big and hard to care for in your backyard.

Try to limit the pictures to those that are practical. Next, ask your kids to help you design a pond by drawing a picture of one. If you happen to get something that is workable it would be a great start for your formal designing. Imagine the pride the young person is going to feel with his or her contribution.

The next step is to be sure to tell them how much you need and would appreciate their help in picking out the products needed for the water garden. Then of course there is their much needed help for the actual installation process.

You may find that through some of the boring stages that the children’s enthusiasm fades away a bit. When this happens though try to get them back on track by talking and planning for some of the good stuff. This would include the fountain, waterfalls and of course the fish. You may even want to consider a fogger as this is sure to catch their interest.

Be sure to let them help with the situating of the various items. They may end up not exactly where you had planned, but it is important that each family member add their personal touch to the family pond.

Once the pond is complete assign every family a pond maintenance chore. Here is where the learning begins as you can teach them how algae grows and what it is all about. You can educate them on the feeding of pond fish. You can also include how the pond may be beneficial for the environment and even touch on some health issues.

Finally allow your youngsters to entertain their friends by perhaps having a pond party. You can be most assured that your child will act responsibly when they have had such an involvement with the pond right from the planning stage. They are sure to be excited and proud to show off the intriguing effects of the fogger.…

Container Gardening For Every Season

Last year, at the end of the season and the spent plants had been removed, I decided not to empty the pots, but to re-use them and the potting mix in them. There were spring bulbs on sale everywhere and perennials were being marked down at the end of the season. Since most of our pots are pretty large, it seemed like a good idea to take advantage of the plants and bulbs on sale. Not only would I not have to empty those big pots, but I would have something to look forward to next spring and summer.

After I thoroughly removed all parts of the dead or dying plants, including the roots, I rejuvenated the potting mix with a little compost, vermiculite and bone meal. I then planted the bulbs, (tulips and daffodils), about 6-8” deep, all over the surface of the pots. In some of the pots I planted perennials over the tulips, knowing that the tulips and daffodils would come up and bloom early and as they were finishing up, the perennials would wake up and begin to grow, hiding the spent tulip and daffodils leaves.

Some of the pots I left planted only with the bulbs, because I wanted to plant more annuals above them in the summer, as the daffodils and tulips were fading.

It all worked out really well, with a beautiful display of tulips and daffodils to brighten the chilly spring. The perennials slept until their pot-mates were dying back, and then they grew into beautiful plants, after putting down roots all winter. The annuals were planted and grew, with blossoms cascading down the sides of the pots, seemingly unaware of the colony of bulbs going to sleep beneath them.

I now realize that I’ll have to lift the bulbs in a couple of years, as they multiply and get too crowded. Also, as the perennials mature and the roots begin to need more space, it will probably get too crowded with the bulbs in there. That means the perennials will have to be disturbed as the bulbs are removed.

I’ve come to the conclusion, that the best arrangement is to only plant the bulbs into the pots where there will be annuals planted above them, since annuals come out at the end of the season anyway. The perennials will be in separate pots, so that they won’t have to be disturbed as they grow to full size.…

We often look at the optimal benefits of a good Wine cellar room. Not all of us are lucky enough to have that luxury at home or places of work. This is where a slim wine fridge comes into play.

Since its inception, it has been seen as an appliance rather than a room used to store wine collections, even though it is a regular addition to the family household. But this sought after unit comes in the form of a cabinet with proper shelves. When researching wine fridges of your choice, you will notice that they come in various sizes and heights.

This display from the front has a more visual impact than a dark cellar room. It has an LED light inside and a tempered glass door to prevent harmful UV rays. It is strongly advised that this appliance be kept in an area with no sunlight seeping through. A wine cellar room is no longer the only option to preserve and age the wine. All wine connoisseurs are thrilled.

Let us talk about the price.

The price of owning a wine cellar room versus the price of a tall slim wine fridge, indeed, is substantially different.  When looking at a wine cellar, the cost is much higher than a wine cooler. People who want to purchase wine coolers are the unlucky ones who do not have enough space to set up a wine cellar.  But this unit offers the same features needed to store in the right environment, such as a wine cellar.

Henceforth, when considering the type of wine lover, and their preference for different wines, it would become apparent if they are serious about preserving expensive wine collections. Let us first look at a wine cellar. These connoisseurs are serious about spending a lot of money on collecting many wine bottles. However, they also need to keep this cost in mind whilst considering the upkeep of a cellar.  One is the expense of buying sought after collections, and two is the optimal environment inside the wine cellar. And we are not even considering the cleaning procedure that needs to happen without compromising the perfect humidity and stable temperature.

Henceforth, the expenses of a wine cellar are much more than investing in a wine fridge. A wine cellar’s cost ranges from four thousand to fifty thousand dollars—much more than a wine fridge.

A wine fridge‘s expense is lower than a wine cellar’s. These units are great for wine enthusiasts who want to collect wine. A small wine fridge also saves on electricity costs. It’s is estimated to cost less than 100 dollars per year.

The conclusion

When taking all of the above into consideration. It all depends on the wine enthusiasts’ needs over expense. And what they desire to own.

James Thomson, ‘The Wine of Love’. This charming little poem is short enough to be quoted here in full:

The wine of Love is music,

And the feast of Love is song:

And when Love sits down to the banquet,

Love sits long:

…

Make Your Garden a Perfect Venue For Dining

It cannot be denied that urban living has demanded a lot of our time and this has led us to have very busy lifestyle. Like it or not, we are now facing stress more frequent than previous generations and these stress are often caused by our work and our busy lifestyle. And often, people do not have much time to relax.

This is really embarrassing and it’s quite unfortunate too. People should always have enough time to relax because if they don’t, they can accrue serious health issues which are not just expensive to cure but could still cause more stress than ever before.

Relaxing is actually a requirement. When you relax, you tend to have a more positive frame of mind. However, the right relaxation may not always be available because that will still depend on where you are relaxing or where you feel comfortable. Your colleague might consider hiking a relaxing activity but you don’t because of the physical demands of the activity. Maybe for you, what is relaxing is sitting beside the beach, listening to the sounds of the ocean while having a small picnic with your family.

There are also people who feel comfortable staying in their garden and they consider their backyard as their perfect retreat. It’s just very unfortunate that not everyone feels that it is so. A lot of people worry too much about their garden like the weeds and the need to do more work in the garden because plants need to be re-potted and more. When it comes to relaxing, these are not very ideal settings.

For this reason, it is always advised to keep your garden minimal. Keep it neat and simple. Try to put your mind on setting up an outdoor space that does not require a very high maintenance, which might also allow you to do things that you actually enjoy. More and more people are learning to eat organic food and a lot of people are realizing that they can actually grow these in their garden than having to purchase them in the store.

It is very easy to dine in your garden. You don’t a very huge space, if this is what you want. All you need is a space where you can put up a picnic table, a couple of chairs to sit you and your guests, and a lovely meal in a very lovely surrounding. Sometimes, the most relaxing experiences are those that brings very simple pleasures in life.

However, if you still feel that you can’t relax, then you should think of the things that get in the way. It’s always a possibility that you are simply thinking of too many things. Why don’t you spend an hour or two in your garden? Trim down your shrubs and start getting your garden into shape. This may just be the activity that your mind is looking for. There’s no reason for you not to relax. Everyone needs to re-charge every once in a while.…

Green Living In Your Backyard

If we were to think for a single minute about how much we hurt this planet by our invasive way of life we would feel extremely guilty. We produce too much garbage, we burn too much fuel from the natural reserves, we pollute the air every second with our cars, plants and domestic animals. If we want to keep living on this friendly planet despite our increasing numbers we need to start doing the small things which can make a difference.

These are already out there so we don’t have to work our minds to discover how to help the environment. People have discovered the benefits of wind turbines and they are using them, but not on a scale large enough to reduce visibly the fuel consumption. Solar panels show us how to use a source of energy which is very cheap and practical. Geothermal energy is also used and it is one of the most efficient sources which can be used successfully both during summer and winter.

Green living is not only about what we do but also about how we do it. If you have fallen in love with the idea of having a garden office you need to turn it into something consistent with the surroundings. You can choose a form and a color which will look very much suitable for the surroundings.

A small chalet-like building with windows large enough to allow natural light in most of the time is the perfect option. All you need is for the space to allow you to install the equipment necessary for working. Natural light will help you work in the healthiest way possible without any energy wasted. You can choose to paint the building in green or simply leave it in the natural color of the wood to make it friendly for the landscape. For the energy you need to use in it you can install a few solar panels on its roof.

The other ecological way s of producing energy are suitable for larger spaces like an entire home or a block of flats. Recycle the paper you don’t need, be very careful at what you choose to print and install double or triple hung glass windows to keep the heat in or out according to the season.…

Herbs Containers – Flavorsome Freshness At Its Best

Growing a herb garden is a fascinating hobby for a chef. Having the availability of picking some of the freshest herbs just in time for those final touches to a dish can be a chef’s dream come true! Have you ever watched the Jamie Oliver shows where he visits his garden then comes back to his kitchen and cooks up a storm with his fresh herbs and fresh vegetables?

Herb growing has become one of the most popular hobbies worldwide giving every homemaker an opportunity to indulge in some of the best set of fresh herbs while cooking. Growing herbs in containers has become quite easy with the different containers that are available and the best part is that most varieties can be grown in herbs containers. This really suits the person who does not have an outdoor garden, or has an outdoor garden but it is too cold to grow herbs out there.

Herb containers can be placed anywhere around your house, on your windowsill, balcony or even patio. Having a portable herb garden can not only give you great herbs but also make some of the most decorative artifacts for your home.

Alternatively you might find that it is a pleasure to step out of your door and pluck your favorite herbs from your beautiful herbs garden containers and not grow indoor herbs at all.

It is very easy to grow herbs in your container gardens, but here are some tips that you will find useful:

Water drainage: you can choose any type of herb containers as long as they have a good drainage system. This is highly important to make sure that your herbs do not rot in accumulated water. Always put about 2 inches of course gravel or similar in the bottom of your large pots to prevent root rot and less in smaller pots.

Size: most herbs do not have a large root system so you can use small containers for these type. Just ask at your nursery. This way you can not only save a lot of space but can also make space for other types.

Self watering containers: some herbs need a constant level of moisture in them and these herbs can be grown in self watering containers so that they can grow to their maximum potential. Herbs like parsley, mint and chives do well this way.

Number of herbs: some people like to have bountiful crowded herbs containers, but it must be remembered that there are some plants like basil, which does not like overcrowding and need a very good air circulation. Hence, it totally depends upon the type of plants and their growing requirements which helps you decide on which containers to use.

Design: do not shy away from showing some of the most decorative elements that are hidden beneath these herbs containers. They look fantastic if you can arrange them around your house and can be mixed with perennials and annuals.

Herbs containers are available in a variety of designs and textures, so it is totally up to you to choose your containers according to your garden design. However, it must be remembered that you should only grow what you think is essential and looks beautiful. Keep in mind that terracotta and unglazed ceramics pots do absorb water so in hot climates these are not always a good option as a herbs container.…