Video - 3 Fruit Trees for Container Gardens

If you don't have enough land to have a real orchard, it can be a lot of fun and very rewarding to grow fruits, nuts, and berries in pots.This short video explains a few tips and three great varieties for growing in a "container orchard". By using dwarf varieties and grafting, you can grow your own fruit even in a small space. Some nuts will do fine in pots as well, figs are also great, and blueberries can work well as potted plants, although you will want to grow several as they will need to cross-pollinate with each other. You can also move the pots indoors in the winter if you live in a cold climate and are growing less hardy varieties.

3 fruit trees for small space yards and patios
You can grow a variety of fruit trees in your small yard if you buy the right kind of trees and plant them in containers! Garden expert Shirley Bovshow intro...


Dwarf Fruit Trees for Container Gardens:
   

Adding Large Potted Plants to Your Garden

Big pots can make an impressive statement in any garden, particularly if they have big healthy plants in them. Many small trees and shrubs will grow well in big pots provided they have sufficient room for their roots.

The bigger the pot you buy the better - within reason for the size of the plant you intend having in the pot and also provided your budget can stretch that far. This will ensure your plant won't outgrow the pot too soon or sometimes even at all.

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you will need to remove and re-pot the plant/tree as it grows bigger, you should take special care in selecting a pot that is shaped in such a manner that the contents will be able to be removed without having to break the pot. Tapered pots will make this easier whereas pots that are wider in the middle than the top can present problems if the roots have spread out.

Don't fill the pot to the top with potting mix, as this won't leave any room for effective watering.

To ensure their good health you should always buy the best quality outdoor potting mix. You should also feed your potted plant or tree with some slow release organic fertilizer two or three times a year to ensure it is getting good nutrition.

Plants in pots can easily dry out and not get enough moisture so it is also a wise move to give them some water storage crystals or incorporate some other water-holding organic elements into the soil. This will help to maintain the moisture content in the soil. Regardless, if the pot is in the sun it will need more water, depending on the type of plant you have in the pot.

Darker colored pots will also attract more heat and this can affect the growth of your plant so you need to consider where the pot will be to ensure there is sufficient sunlight and also enough easy access to water for it to survive.

Video: Container Gardening with Succulents

This short video offers some great tips for choosing and planting succulents in containers. From selecting the correct pot based on your climate, to choosing succulents that will grow outdoors or indoors, Tricia shares some helpful ways to have success with your succulent container garden.

The books that she recommends are listed below the video for your convenience.

Growing Succulents
Learn how to grow succulents in containers, indoors or outdoors. More info in our blog post http://groworganic.com/organic-gardening/articles/make-your-own-s...


Recommended Resources for Growing Succulents:
   

Tips for Growing Succulents

Succulents can be a visually interesting addition to your garden, and they are especially great as borders or for walkways. There are many different varieties, with different foliage colors and shapes, and many varieties are very low maintenance and easy to grow. They can also do well in container gardens and indoor pots, so they are a very versatile addition no matter what kind of garden you have.

They are fairly maintenance free and can add color to pots where you are growing larger trees. They also make a nice looking ground cover that may reduce the amount of weeds depending on the type of succulent you choose.

Pink flowers of a succulent plant growing in Orange County, CA. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Placed in multi colored pots, succulents can look quite impressive with contrasting colors in designer gardens and courtyards. They are excellent for smaller pots where they can add color and life to patios and decks provided they get sufficient sunlight.

They also make an ideal plant for the busy apartment dweller where there is only minimal outdoor area and not enough room for larger plants.

They can also withstand winds that might damage other plants grown in these conditions. They are the ideal plant to have in window boxes and come in many different varieties, colors, shapes and sizes.

To ensure that your succulents get the very best in growing conditions, particularly if you are growing them in pots, you will need to buy good quality specially formulated succulent mix. This is generally the same type mix that you would also use for growing cacti.

Slow release fertilizer will help them to remain healthier by supplying them with necessary nutrients throughout the year, and the best time to give them this fertilizer is in spring.

They will grow better when exposed to the full sun as they don't like frosts. Over the summer months you will need to give them sufficient water and that will generally be once or twice a week.

Over the winter months if planted outdoors they should get enough water to only need watering once a month. Obviously you will need to adjust this depending on the climate they are growing in but that is a general guideline to follow. When you water your succulents you should avoid wetting their foliage if possible.

Video: Late Summer Garden Maintenance Tips

This quick video gives a few simple tips for keeping your summer garden looking its best into the fall months. This time of year, as things start to die down, hot sun and dry conditions can hasten the decline of your garden. Keeping things green and growing isn't hard though - you've just got to keep an eye on your garden and give it what it needs. Now is also a great time to clean out any dead plants and apply mulch or green manure for the fall and winter months.

End of Summer Garden Maintenance
Horticulturist Mitch Baker provides a few tips for keeping lawns and gardens looking fresh and green in the late weeks of summer.To View How-To Videos on Alm...

Organic Gardening Tips For Late Summer And Fall

This article on organic gardening tips for the late summer and fall season will give you a checklist that you can use to make sure you are doing all that you need to do at this busy time of year. It's a crucial time in the vegetable garden in particular, because many crops are ready to harvest and need last minute attention to get the best from them. On the other hand, it is a time when most people have a lot of other activity in their lives - vacations, barbecues, sporting events, kids going off to school - and the garden is easily forgotten.

So what are the organic gardening tasks that we should be concentrating on at this time of year?

 (Watering can) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

First and most important, watering. In the fall you can begin to use less water on the garden, but in the dry weather of late summer, even if you only have a little time to spend on the garden, make sure that the watering is covered. This is something that is best done in the morning or evening rather than in the heat of the day, so it can be easily fitted in before or after your other activities.

If you are away on vacation, set up a timed sprinkler or ask neighbors to water for you. You could do the same for your neighbor another time, or consider hiring a local school or college student to do this, especially if you have containers or narrow raised beds, which dry out fast.

Second, if you have flowers such as roses or dahlias, keep on deadheading them by cutting off those that are past their prime. This will prolong their flowering season.

Harvest fruits and vegetables. This may seem so obvious that you don't even think about it, but sometimes we forget some plants until it is too late. If you have too much of something, freeze it, preserve it or give it away. Don't waste your summer's bounty!

You can also collect seeds from favorite plants and dry them, ready for planting later. Don't forget to label them!

This time of year is a good time to start thinking of next year too. It's not too early to feed the soil with green manures. In fact, this is a great time to do it, when the plants' demands on the soil are at their height.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In the fall you can plant bulbs for spring flowers. You can also plant spring lettuce, cabbage and other early vegetable crops that may be able to winter over and produce a welcome early crop next spring. You can begin to cut back perennials that have finished flowering, including pruning flowering trees and climbing roses. You may want to divide some perennials to produce more flowers next year.

If you have a lawn, be sure to keep it free of leaves. Any covering of leaves reduces light to the grass. If the leaves are left too long, that will weaken and even kill the grass. Finally, if you have a pond in your garden, put a net over it now to catch the falling leaves - and you can use them in your compost.

Video - D.I.Y. Tips - Installing Garden Lighting

This short video gives you a good idea of the various types of outdoor garden lighting that are available, and provides some helpful tips for what types of lighting to use, and how to determine placement. This will make it easy to choose what lights you need, and how to figure out where to put them. He also gives some tips on what other equipment and tools you will need, and how to install your new lighting solution.

How to Install Outdoor Lighting for Gardens, Patios and Paths
Make your yard beautiful during the day and by night from dusk to dawn with landscape lighting. Adding spotlights or flood lights to your landscape can make ...


Garden Lighting Options:
   

Choosing Lighting Accents for Your Garden

Strategically placed garden lighting is a great way to make use of your garden at night and to add an impressive display to your outdoor living areas. Most garden lighting options are very affordable these days and many of the products that are on the market can be installed quite easily by the home gardener.

Cover of Garden Lighting

You can light areas where you will be sitting, or outdoor dining areas, or you might just want the lighting for effect where you can shine the light on feature trees or plants in the garden.

Garden lighting can also add a degree of safety to your property by lighting steps and walking areas. You can use this lighting to assist people to find entrances to your house and even use it for security purposes where the lights can come on automatically if there are intruders on the property.

The range of lighting equipment that is available these days will allow you to create almost any effect that you desire in your garden.

Before buying any lighting for your garden it is best to decide what the purpose of your lights will be. You will need to create a plan that will determine which areas need lighting for safety and where you want lights for dramatic effect such as up lights on a specimen tree.

Once you have a plan for the lights you will be ready to choose and decide on what style suits the style of your house and garden.

You can get professional help or install the lighting yourself as most garden lighting runs on low voltage for safety and there are kits that make installation very easy. Many garden lighting solutions now come in solar-powered options, so you don't even need an outlet and won't affect your electricity bills.

If you want the lighting for ponds and pools then additional care will be needed as safety is a concern with water and electricity and in these situations it is wise to get a professional to do the installation.

Garden Lighting Suggestions: