Choosing Proper Gardening Gloves

Your first contact with the garden are your hands, unless of course you have invested wisely in garden tools, but even with tools there is no getting around the fact that you are going to need to get your hands dirty, and along with that you can expect the scratches, cuts and bruises that are inevitable.

You should consider investing in some good garden gloves to protect your hands against damage.

There are several different types of garden gloves on the market and they all have their benefits and downsides.

The cheapest of these gloves are the cotton work type gloves that are comfortable but not quite as durable as other gloves.

They will wear out faster than the more expensive gloves and can become heavy when wet, which can make your hands quite cold in the colder weather. They also don't offer much protection against thorns and other sharp objects that you might encounter.

Alternatives to these are a combination of cotton/canvas and leather, as the leather portion of the glove will offer more protection against cuts, and can be more durable. These gloves can still get water logged and have a limited lifespan. Since they have leather portions, you should try not to let them get too wet or they will get very hard and stiff when dried. But if kept reasonably dry, the better ones can last quite a long time.

The composite spandex/lycra gloves that are available can be a better option as they will last longer and they won't get water logged like the cotton gloves. They are also very comfortable to wear, but might not provide as much protection as they aren't very rugged.

If you are working in wet conditions a lot of the time you may want to consider getting some rubber gloves. Rubber gloves will ensure that your hands stay dry all the time.

And, if you work with roses quite often there are gloves that cover your hands arms right up to your elbow. These will allow you to work in comfort and safety while protecting your skin against damage.

And finally there are many people who don't like wearing gloves at all but need some form of protection. For these, there is an interesting option called spray-on gloves. These are a silicon spray that will seal your hands from grime and possible infection and will make cleaning your hands after you have finished gardening a breeze. While these 'gloves' won't offer you any protection from scratches and cuts, they will help to keep your hands clean and that is a bonus.

Gardening Gloves: 
   

Taking Care of Your Knees While Gardening

While gardening can be good for your health, both in body and mind, there are many occasions when your knees might not think the same way. This time of year, we're often on our knees digging and planting and mulching, and the older we get, the more of a toll it can take.

It often seems a lot easier to kneel down when working on low areas of the garden, but in doing so on a regular basis you can damage the delicate area of the knees causing swelling and ongoing pain from permanent damage.

If there is no other alternative in your garden than to get down on your knees to work, then it might be time to look the benefits of getting some suitable gardeners knee pads.

These knee pads can be worn comfortably on your knees while working in the garden and the padded materials in them reduce much of the impact and stress caused by kneeling.

Alternatively you can buy a kneeling platform that you can carry around and place on the ground when you need to kneel down.

Gardening supply manufacturers have realized the demand for products to help in this area and there are new products coming on the market on a regular basis.

A kneeling pad, used in the garden (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Even if you are unaffected by problems with kneeling in the garden, it is the long-term damage that you need to be concerned about as it can take years to surface.

It might even be necessary to look at the gardening equipment you are using to see whether you can use longer handled implements that will allow you to do the same work from a standing position.

The more you care for your health and well-being while working in the garden, the longer you will be able to devote to gardening as you age.

Quality gardening tools and implements can be a wise investment as they can make your life in the garden a whole lot easier and more enjoyable.

Gardener's Knee & Kneeling Pads: 
   

Mulching Your Organic Garden

Mulch is great for your garden and for the environment, simply because you are turning something that would normally be thrown out as waste into a food supply and a very effective one at that.

Mulch will help to maintain moisture in the soil and reduce the weeds in the garden too.

Mulch.  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Generally you should mulch in damp weather so the plants will have sufficient moisture in the soil. If you are using mulch in dry conditions make sure you water the soil first to retain some moisture as it will be harder for any water to get to the roots of your plants through the covering of mulch. Mulch keeps the soil moist but it can also stop the soil getting moist if the water can't penetrate.

If you are using lawn clippings for mulch make sure you haven't used any chemicals on the lawn prior to cutting, that could have a detrimental affect on your plants. If you leave the clippings to rot first this will often reduce any side effects that these chemicals might have on your plants.

Lawn clippings can also generate a lot of heat so spread them around lightly in thin layers and don't smother your plants with it - they are a green form of compost materials, and they do heat up a lot while decomposing.

There are many different things that can be used for mulch, from lawn clippings and plant cuttings to straw, hay and bark.

All those autumn leaves that are blowing around your property can make good mulch but they really need to be left to rot before being used, as they can be too acidic if used too soon.

If in doubt with anything you are using for mulch, leave it to rot first, or compost it, and you can be sure it will be better for your garden.

Moon Gardening In Your Organic Garden

Moon gardening is a modern take on what is believed to be an ancient gardening method. There is really nothing new or different about it. You do exactly the same things that you are doing in your organic garden already - you just do them at particular times according to the phases of the moon.

It is well known that the gravitational pull of the moon has an effect on natural phenomena such as tides. Moon gardening simply takes the ancient belief that the moon also has an effect on the plants and animals living on the earth, and translates that into principles that you can apply in your garden.

The waxing gibbous Moon as observed from Earth (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The principles of moon gardening governed farming as well as hobby gardening for centuries, if not for millennia. It was only in the 20th century, when modern farming methods and chemical fertilizers were introduced to make intensive farming possible, that farmers and gardeners abandoned the old ways.

The best known principle of moon gardening divides the moon cycle into four periods. The first and second periods are when the moon is waxing or getting bigger, with the first period ending when you can see the first quarter of the moon (a half moon shape). The third and fourth periods are when the moon is waning or getting smaller. The fourth period includes the dark day(s) until the new moon begins the cycle again. A full moon cycle is approximately 29 days, so each quarter lasts for around one week.

In the first quarter of the cycle, you can plant leafy crops. In the second period, you can plant fruit crops. In the third period, plant root crops and perennials.

In the last period, you do not plant anything. At this time, according to the principles moon gardening, the tidal pull means that the water table is receding and there is less water available for your plants. So this is not a good time for seeds to be planted or for seedlings to be planted out.

During this final period, you can do other things in the garden such as pruning. The main thrust of deadheading roses, dahlias etc should also be undertaken during the last quarter of the moon's cycle. The plant will then put out more flowers while the moon is waxing. If you deadhead earlier in the moon cycle, the flowers that grow back will be fewer and weaker.

To take moon gardening a step further, there are also guidelines on what to plant according to where the moon is in the sky. Leaf crops are best planted when the moon is in Cancer, Scorpio or Pisces; root crops when it is in Taurus, Virgo or Capricorn; flowers when it is in Gemini, Libra or Aquarius; and fruit when it is in Aries, Leo or Sagittarius.

Phases of the moon. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So if you are about to plant a fruit tree, for example, according to moon gardening, you would wait until the week when the moon is in its second period (between the first quarter and the full moon). Then, during that period, choose a day when the moon is in the astrological houses of Aries, Leo or Sagittarius.

Note that this goes by where the MOON is in the sky, not the sun. It is sun signs that tell us that, for example, Aries runs from mid-March to mid-April. This has nothing to do with where the moon is. The moon moves through the houses more quickly, and only stays in each house for 1-2 days.

To find out which house the moon is in, you will need to consult a lunar calendar. You can find these online, but keep in mind that it varies in different parts of the world. Look for one that relates to your own country, state or region.

Some people are skeptical about the idea of planting and gardening according to the phases and position of the moon, but why not give it a try? You do not have anything to lose, and you may find that your organic garden thrives on moon gardening.

Creating Raised Beds In Your Organic Garden

Raised garden beds have a ton of advantages over traditional ground-level gardening. In addition, they can look very attractive and give a unique appearance to your garden. They suit any style of home, and can help keep your garden organized and well maintained. Let's look at some of the advantages and the practical steps to setting up raised garden beds in your organic garden.

High raised beds. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Raised garden beds allow you to design your garden however you want. If you have a difficult shape to your yard, poor soil or limited access, you can change everything by raising the beds. You may have back pain or other problems that prevent you from kneeling and bending to regular ground level beds. Even somebody in a wheelchair can work with raised garden beds, provided they are high enough and there are good paths to navigate the chair around them.

For an organic garden, raised beds have the added advantage of making it much easier for you to see weeds and pests and deal with them in a way that avoids using sprays. Indeed, some pests such as slugs are less likely to bother your raised bed plants because they won't climb all the way up there, especially if you have brick walls on your beds.

When you get to building raised garden beds, you will soon discover that brick or natural stone is the best material to use. Of course, wood is also possible, but it has several disadvantages.

Raised beds with wood edging. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One of the problems with wooden edging to your raised beds is that it is likely to deteriorate. You would need wood that had been treated with preservatives, which is not the best thing in an organic garden. Those chemicals will leak into your soil as the wood slowly breaks down. After a few years, it is likely to sag. Eventually it will not support the weight of the soil any more. Compare that with brick and stone, which can be used for retaining walls that last a hundred years or more, and you can see the advantages of using more solid materials.

It is important not to make your raised garden beds too wide. You will need to be able to reach the middle easily. This is especially important for beds that can only be accessed from one side. The main paths through the garden will need to be wide enough for a wheelbarrow or wheeled trug so that you can bring in heavy items and dispose of waste.

When you are building raised garden beds you have the choice of what type of soil you want to fill them with. You could use soil dug from your own yard or you could buy something else, or you can take the lasagna gardening route. Take into account the acidity of the soil as well as the clay/sand mix, because these will affect the plants that you can grow.

You can grow anything in raised garden beds that you would grow in regular ground level beds, but you are likely to want lower-growing plants so that you can get to the tops of them. Keep taller plants to the middle of your raised garden beds and toward the back of the garden.

Organic Gardening Supplies for Beginners

If you’re a beginning organic gardener, you’ll want to know which supplies you’ll need to invest in to get the most from your garden. Organic gardens aren’t too different from other types of gardens, except that organic gardening supplies such as fertilizers and preventative measures should be chemical and synthetics-free.

Online organic gardening sites contain a plethora of information and all the supplies you’ll need to become an enthusiastic and successful organic gardener. Here are some examples of supplies you might want to look for:

Container gardening. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Soil conditioners – Preparing the soil for organic gardening is the most important task you can do to ensure a beautiful and prolific organic garden. Products such as biostimulants can boost the soil and increase flower, vegetable, herb and fruit production. They’ll also reduce the stress that can harm some plants during planting.

Propagation supplies – These organic gardening supplies are necessary if you plan to start your own seeds. You can find flats, domes, rooting gels and powders, plant labels and other supplies that will make your organic gardening experience a positive one.

Tools and accessories – Gardening tools necessary to any type of garden include soil testing, weed control, pruning tools, stakes, ties and plant supports and soaker hoses. You might already have some of these items on hand.

Container gardening supplies – Many begin their organic gardening adventure by starting out with several “organic” containers for planting. That’s a great way to start if you’re not sure about the process and don’t want to invest a lot of money at first. You can find hydroponic supplies, organic potting mix and more online.

Pest and Disease Control – For organic gardeners, your pest and disease control supplies are especially important to reap a successful garden. Items such as organic insect sprays, repellents, traps and disease control products can help set your mind at ease about your garden being safe from pests.

Composters – True organic gardening requires compost material, and it’s much easier if you have the proper equipment. A compost crock that sits in your kitchen and holds food waste can be purchased online for under $25. Larger, compost tumblers cost more, but if you decide you’re really serious about organic gardening, it’s a clean and convenient way to recycle.

You can find all the organic gardening supplies you’ll need online – from greenhouses and hydroponic growing materials to organic sprays and fertilizers. Your efforts to maintain an organic garden can help create a sustainable environment that will help keep both you and the planet healthy.

For more on organic and sustainable gardening, including supplies and educational resources, visit http://www.newholisticliving.com/sustainablegardening.html.