14 Organic Vegetable Gardening Tips

Gardening is one of those pastimes that is more than a hobby - it's personal! And to complicate it, Mother Nature doesn't always help you out. How, then, do you succeed with your vegetable garden? It's never a sure thing, but these gardening tips and bits of advice might help.

1. Keep a journal. Record when you plant, how much you planted, how much you harvested, any bug or disease issues and what you think you might do differently next year. Then next year, refer back to what you wrote. You'll be surprised by how much you can forget in a year if you don't write it down.

Raised bed of lettuce, tomatoes, 6 different types of basil, marigolds, zinnias, garlic chives, zucchini. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

2. Keep a positive attitude. That total fail with your tomatoes this year? It will make a good discussion piece with other gardeners. And next year can only be better. Hopefully.

3. Tis better to cover your tender plants before the heavy rain and hail starts, not during. Keep your eye to the sky and take weather forecasts seriously.

4. Every year is different. Don't ever think you've got this thing in the bag, because if you do, you're jinxing your next crop.

5. Plan for moderation. When planning out your garden during the winter, reduce the size and number of plantings you think you want. Looking at those seed catalogs makes you go overboard - I know from experience!

6. It starts and ends with your soil. (I would double-bold that if I could.) The health of your soil is more important than you might realize. Healthy soil makes healthy disease-resistant plants that give a good yield.

Also, it's soil, not dirt.  :-)

7. Kitchen gardens are placed near the kitchen for a reason. Gardeners who break their backs digging, hoeing and weeding, don't want to walk too far to pick a few things to go in the dinner.

8. When seed packs say not to plant outside before the first frost date, they mean it.  But sometimes you can get away with starting before the approved planting date by using row covers, cold frames, or Wall O' Waters. It's up to you if you want to take your chances.

9. If you're planting a seedling, peat pot and all, tear off the bottom of the pot. The pots are supposed to decompose but that can take a while and you don't want your seedlings to become root-bound.

10. Pole beans aren't the only thing that can climb a trellis; so can cucumbers, melons and squash. Think vertical - especially when you're space-challenged.

11. If you have raised beds, you can use an old window or door screen to cover small seedlings so they're protected from birds, bunnies and bugs.

Powdery Mildew on a tomato plant. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

12. Worms in your garden are a good sign. Slugs are not.

13. Your tomatoes will never taste exactly the same from year to year; it's going to depend on the weather and water conditions.

14. Water your vegetables in the early mornings. Midday watering can mean evaporation in the hot sun, and can sometimes burn the leaves if they get wet, and nighttime watering might give your plants powdery mildew problems from being moist all night.

These vegetable gardening tips should give you a leg up, but they're only the beginning. For more, get yourself a gardening app for your phone or iPad, read gardening books and magazines, talk to experienced old-timers, and get out there and experience it firsthand. There's nothing more rewarding than growing a successful garden!

How to Plant a Vegetable Garden in Four Easy Steps

If you love to cook, growing your own vegetable garden is one of the most rewarding things you can do. When you grow your own garden, you can harvest fresh seasonal fruits, veggies and herbs as you need them instead of having to drive miles to the nearest grocery store. It just doesn't get any fresher - or healthier - than that!

Here's How to Plant a Vegetable Garden in 4 Easy Steps:

Step #1. Decide What You Want to Plant.

Cover of a Burpee Seed-Sense catalog (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is the fun part. Start by making a list of all the recipes you frequently make. Note which vegetables and herbs you use over and over again, because this will tell you not only what you should plant, but also in what quantity. 

Don’t forget to jot down other items your family enjoys, even if you aren't using them in your cooking currently. Growing your own vegetable garden is a great way to expand your culinary horizons.

This planning phase is a great time to get your children interested in gardening, too. Ask what they might like to grow or make fun suggestions if they are too young to come up with ideas on their own. Pumpkins, ornamental gourds and sunflowers (for their beauty and seeds) are popular choices with kids of all ages. Fast growing plants, such as lettuce and beans, are also great choices for children because they produce noticeable results quickly.

Once you've made a list of plants you want to grow, collect mail order catalogs, search online or stop by your favorite garden center to find seeds and transplants. You can learn a lot about what grows well in your area by tapping into these resources, as well. This is a really fun way to pass the time in late winter before it's warm enough to get outside and start planting!

Step #2:  Pick a Location for Your Vegetable Garden

Just like in real estate, planting a successful vegetable garden is all about location, location, location. If you want your plants to thrive, there are a few non-negotiable items you will need to provide:

1. Sunshine. Pick a sunny location with at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day.

2. Water.  Make sure the location you choose has easy access to water. You will need to water your plants whenever Mother Nature refuses to cooperate, so make sure you have a convenient source of water nearby.

3. Accessibility. Gardens need care, so position your vegetable garden in an area that is convenient to get to with the tools you need to work in it. If you place it too far from the house or garden shed where you keep your tools or in an area difficult to reach with a wheelbarrow, you may find yourself tempted to neglect it.

Make your life easier and plant your garden in the most convenient sunny location you can find.

4. Good Drainage. You may have to do some work for this one, especially if you live in an area with heavy clay or compacted soil. If you find the area you want to plant tends to collect standing water, you will want to build your beds up to protect your plants from overly wet feet.

Step #3: Create Your Garden Beds

Once you’ve identified where you want your garden, you will need to decide where you want the individual beds within it. As you are doing so, keep in mind the orientation of the sun throughout the day because taller plants or those growing on trellises can cast shadows and stunt the growth of nearby plants if they aren’t positioned correctly.

To create the individual beds, many old school gardeners swear by the traditional practice of removing heavy layers of sod, then tilling and amending the soil beneath it before planting your vegetable plants. 

Although this method will certainly work, you simply don’t have to work that hard.   Instead, you can use one of my favorite methods - the Lasagna Gardening method - of building your beds UP instead of digging down to create them. This methods works equally well with raised garden beds or directly on the ground.

To get started, add flattened cardboard or a thick stack of newspapers on top of the ground and then add alternate layers of peat, topsoil, aged manure or barn litter, organic mulch, yard clippings and/or compost. 

You can either prepare these beds months in advance or right before you plant. Either way, the layers will meld together into a beautiful, rich soil for your plants.

For more details on this no-dig gardening method, check out Lasagna Gardening: A New Layering System for Bountiful Gardens.

Step #4: Start Planting!

Once your beds are ready, it’s time to start planting!

Before you start digging, you have some choices to make: you can sow seeds directly into the soil, start seeds indoors then harden them off outdoors before adding them to your garden, or plant established transplants you’ve purchased directly into your prepared beds.

Some plants require direct sowing, while others need to be started indoors several weeks before the frost-free date in your area in order to perform well. While you are creating your list of plants you want to grow, make a note of the growing requirements for each so you can give your plants the best chance of survival. 

If you decide to follow these four easy steps to planting a vegetable garden, you will be rewarded all season long with an abundant supply of fresh and healthy produce. Plus, you’ll have the added satisfaction of knowing you did it with your own two hands!

Also Check Out These Helpful Resources for Planting a Vegetable Garden:
   

Top Tips For Fruit Gardening

When it comes to gardening, the basic concepts are easy to grasp. Make sure that you keep your plants well taken care of, keep them watered, make sure they're getting enough light, keep them free of pests, etc. A lot of it is common sense, but it never hurts to have a few extra tips on hand for taking care of your fruit garden. Whether you're a seasoned gardening pro or a greenhorn green thumb beginner, here's a few ideas for your fruit garden that you should keep in mind as you plant, maintain, and harvest the literal fruits of your labor.

Patience is key, especially if you're growing fruit trees; it's not uncommon for fruit trees to take several years before you have success with them. Very much unlike regular seasonal fruit plants, you should prepare for a long term care investment because it will pay off in the long run when you can enjoy the fresh fruit of your choice on a hot summer's day.

Peach tree. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

On top of not bearing fruit right away, some trees will have “off” years and not bear fruit at all. Keep track of how often these fruitless years occur and plan accordingly.I know you've probably heard enough about waiting for your fruit, but you should also remember not to pick too early. If your fruit seems too firm, leave it on the branch or vine a little longer to ripen up. Not only do ripened fruits taste better and have a fuller flavor, they're also better for you! Ripened fruits have more natural fruit sugars (which results in that mouth watering sweet flavor) and are also rich in antioxidants as well. Waiting to pick helps you feel as good as it tastes! On the flip side, make sure not to wait too long to pick your fruits or they could end up overripe and, eventually, inedible.

Finally, make sure to check your fruits regularly to avoid disease or infestation. The last thing you want after you've worked so hard on your garden is to have someone or something else feasting on the rewards! Be sure to check for common signs of insect or animal damage and be sure to make a note of signs that something may be wrong with your plants, like discoloration of the leaves, or a lack of proper growth. A healthy garden is a happy garden. If your plants get sick, aren't receiving proper nutrients, or are attacked by wildlife or insects then you could end up with nothing to show for all of the effort you put into your fruit garden.

Gardening of any kind is a time consuming effort, but successful fruit growers will tell you it's worth it. You'll know from the first time that you sink your teeth into a fresh, juicy strawberry or crisp apple that it was totally worth the days and weeks you spent making sure that your garden turned out perfect!

The 5 Best Fruits for Beginner Gardeners

The delicious taste of fresh fruit on a warm spring or hot summer's day can be one of the best things in the world, but let's face it, not everyone knows how to grow it well. In fact for many of us who don't have a background in farming or gardening, it can seem like a difficult task to grow even the simplest of crops even with a basic or easy to tend garden - let alone tackling tricky fruits. The good news, however, is that there are plenty of fruits out there that are easy to grow, giving even beginner gardeners a great place to start and get used to gardening even if they don't have much or any experience with t to begin with.

Here's a list of the five best fruits to start with as a beginner gardener - or anyone new to growing fruit:

1. Strawberries – Good on shortcake but even better ripe and sweetly warm from the sunshine fresh from the garden. Strawberries are easy to plant and just as easy to maintain, making them a top choice for gardeners who are just getting started. You don't have to be a pro to grow and enjoy these delicious berries in a garden bed or balcony planter.

2. 

   Summer berries. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

   Raspberries/Blackberries – A summertime staple, raspberries and blackberries are delicious straight from the vine, baked into a pie, or turned into a jelly or jam with your morning toast. These berries in particular are hardy and easy to grow, but may take some special maintenance or you run the risk of the thorny vines overtaking more than their allotted space. Make sure to pick up a pair or clippers or trimmers and a good pair of gloves and you should be fine.

3. Tomatoes – Is it a fruit or a vegetable? Science says fruit and gardeners say easy! These delicious, juicy red fruits are great in a salad or stewed into a tasty tomato sauce for Italian cooking. With the wide range of available gardening accessories you can grow tomatoes even if you don't have a lot of space by using hanging planters.

4. Blueberries - If you want a fruit you can enjoy near the end of summer then blueberries have your back! All you need is some acidic soil to grow them in (it's what they like best and you can get organic acidifying agents at your local home improvement or gardening center) and you've got delicious blueberries for all of your tasty fruit pies and jams!

5. Goji Berries – You may have heard of them before, as they are often considered a “superfood” with all kinds of natural, healthy properties. Goji berries are incredibly hardy, growing even in harsher hot or cold climates, which makes them easy to grow even if you live a little north or south of ideal growing conditions for other kinds of fruit and even in windy, coastal areas. Just make sure they have a spot they can enjoy the sun in and you're good to grow!

If you find yourself having trouble getting a handle on more difficult fruits, give these a try and you're sure to be enjoying delicious, fresh fruit in no time!

The Cost of Growing Your Own Veggies - Part 2

We've already covered some of the costs involved in starting a vegetable garden and now we're going to discuss a few more. That way you’re going into this endeavor with your eyes wide open.

If you're going to be a gardener, you need some tools to tend the garden. You don't have to have every gizmo out there, just the ones you'll really use. Research some of the tools and pick what will work best for you and your situation. Tools are something you buy once, although garden gloves are a different story.

How to save: Look for sales on the tools you need, especially when it's off season. You'll get better deals at the end of summer rather than in the spring. One place to get spectacular bargains are at estate sales. Once you have the tools, you should take good care of them. Make sure you put them away somewhere where they are protected and store them clean. At the end of the season give them a good cleaning and add a coat of protective oil as directed. (Check the gardening section of our website for good prices on some recommended tools.)

Every year you need plants to stick into the ground, right? Not necessarily; some plants will over-winter so you don't have to start totally over. Other than that, yes, plants are needed.

Runner bean seeds (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

How to save: It depends on where you live but take note of many herbs like rosemary and oregano that will come back the next season. Others might be mint, onion, garlic. 

How to save: Save your seed at the end of the season. Using your own seed is much cheaper than buying new plants. You'll find the seeds in the heads of the dried flowers. Store them in marked envelopes or bags for future use. You won't ever again have to buy onions, lettuce, cilantro, carrots and more. (Note: If you grew plants from hybrid seeds or seedlings, you won't always get good results if you save their seeds. Grow open-pollinated or heirloom varieties if you want to save seeds.) If you don't have seeds to save, buy packets of seeds and start them yourself rather than seedlings as this is certainly less expensive.

Watering your veggies can really cause your water bill to go up in the summer.

How to save: Water by hand, if possible, and not with a forget-about-it sprinkler that also waters your fence, sidewalk, and part of the house. Water in the early morning or evening (depending on where you live) so that you don't lose the water to evaporation from the sun. You could also set up a drip irrigation system, which feeds a small amount of water directly to the roots of the plants, and minimizes evaporation.

Also, consider planting things a little closer together so the leaves of the plants help shade the ground in the plot. This, and using a mulch to cover the bare ground can help conserve water by keeping the moisture in the ground longer. Of note - if you live in a dry, arid place, raised beds might not be the best solution for you as beds above ground tend to dry out faster.

Having your own vegetable garden is rewarding in so many ways. To help keep the costs down and make it worth your money to grow your own, consider the above tips.

Using Coffee Grounds for Organic Gardening

While some people would declare coffee to be the staff of life and will enjoy several cups of their favorite brew throughout the day, there really is more to coffee than just drinking it. It turns out coffee can actually play a part in organic gardening. So not only can you drink it, but you can use the coffee grounds to make your garden soil and plants happy.

Brewed coffee is acidic, but the grounds produced from the brew are not. The brewing process removes the acid and they become neutral and nitrogen-rich. This is good news and lends itself to practical applications in your garden.

Coffee grounds. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Probably the easiest thing to do with your coffee grounds is to add them to your compost pile. They are considered a "green" material just like vegetable peelings and grass clippings. Being rich in nitrogen means they will help heat up your compost and aid in a faster decomposing time. As with any composting, brown materials such as dry leaves should be included in your bin as well.

Another way to use your grounds is to work them well into the soil before you plant your garden. Or consider lightly sprinkling them around your garden before a good watering as if they were a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer.

Consider making a compost tea with the remains. Try grounds and water for a weak mix and let it heat up. Strain it and spray on the plant leaves. You might want to do a test run first to make sure it's not too strong. Otherwise, you can make a full-blown tea with other compost material too and aerate the mixture with a pump and bubblers before straining and spraying it.

Some people like to spread coffee grounds around their acid-loving plants, but since the coffee's acid was depleted in the brewing process, it may not really give extra help to these plants. There are those who swear by it though.

If crawling pests are a problem, try spreading grounds and crushed egg shells around plants in an effort to deter pests such as slugs.

A handful of healthy worms in coffee compost (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Feed the worms, they like coffee too! If you have a worm bin you can feed it to them in small doses mixed in with your other kitchen scraps. If you don't have a worm bin, working them into your compost pile or directly into your soil will benefit the wrigglers who will, in turn, benefit your soil.

You can keep a container in the kitchen for your grounds after you brew your coffee and then dump them all into your compost bin at the end of the week. Alternatively, you can get larger quantities by visiting your local coffee shops and asking for their grounds. Consider making arrangements to pick up their waste on a specific day each week and they'll keep you "grounded".  Do watch your ratio though, as it should not be more than 20-25% of your total compost material.

The next time you have coffee, save the remains for the benefit of your garden. Put them in your compost pile, feed the worms, work into the soil, or use in a tea, and watch your plants thrive!

4 Common Composting Mistakes

It's summer and my compost is in full-swing! Is yours? Organic gardeners know that compost is good for your garden because it adds vital nutrients to the soil, thus helping build disease-resistant soil and plants that thrive. However, instead of buying bags of pre-made compost every year at the gardening store, you might want to make your own. It's much more economical, and helps your garden be more sustainable - the waste from last year's garden can feed this year's.

Making your own compost is not hard, especially if you know ahead of time what the common composting mistakes are and avoid them.

1.  Adding the wrong thing.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There are lots of things you can add to your bin that will break down into wonderful "black gold", but there are some you should avoid for a variety of reasons. Some will attract critters or won't decompose at a decent speed. Large tree branches or chunks of wood are better left out of the pile. The same goes for treated wood. You should also avoid adding meat, bones, animal remains, animal feces, fatty foods from your table, pernicious weeds or weeds with seed heads.

2. Not having an appropriate mix ratio.

Creating your compost pile doesn't have to be an exact science, but you should have your green waste and brown waste ratios in the ballpark. A good rule of thumb is layering brown, then soil, green, then soil, and repeat. If you'd like to do it in a casual manner - whenever you take out a load of vegetable scraps, throw some of your shredded paper or dead leaves on top and then a shovel-full of dirt.

3. Failing to break up big items or dead leaves.

Your compost pile needs to breathe. When you add dead leaves, they tend to mat down making for a dense pile that's especially hard to turn. Mulch them with your lawnmower or with your weed eater first and then add. Also, the bigger the item, the longer it takes for it to decompose. Clip your big stuff down to size. This also makes it easier to turn everything.

(Photo credit: normanack)

4. Not managing your compost.

Of course you can throw the ingredients into the bin and do nothing. Eventually it will break down into some semblance of what you want, but it will take a lot longer. Make a point of watering the mix when it's dry, to the point of just barely damp, and turn it often. The more you turn it, the faster it heats up and the faster it decomposes.

Making your own compost is not hard once you get started. Start collecting your acceptable kitchen scraps, rake up and shred your dead leaves lawn clippings, and start layering. Manage your compost by keeping it damp and turning it often and you'll be amazed at what you end up with! Plus your garden will thank you - and so will your pocketbook.

Compost Tumblers Make It Easy to Manage Your Compost:
     

How to Build Raised Vegetable Garden Beds

There are many benefits to using raised vegetable garden beds in your garden.

For starters, elevated garden beds are easier on your back and knees because they require less bending, kneeling and crawling than regular beds.  In addition, raised garden beds offer better drainage, which means your plants aren’t stuck sitting in excess water every time it rains. Plus, it is much easier to build your soil UP than it is to work amendments into the ground.  

Fortunately, building raised vegetable beds is a super easy do-it-yourself project. All you need are some readily available tools and materials, and an extra pair of hands.

How to Build Raised Vegetable Garden Beds

(Photo credit: angela n.)

Tools and Materials: 
 (makes two 8’ x 4’ x 6” high beds)

• (6) 1” x 6” x 8’ cedar boards* – 2 boards cut into 4’ sections
• Wood screws and/or 8 metal corner brackets 
• Power drill

Important Note: Cedar is naturally insect and moisture resistant, so it tends to hold up well in outdoor environments. Avoid using pressure treated lumber for your food growing areas because the chemicals used to create them can leach into your soil.

*Cedar boards come in a variety of lengths and widths. Obviously, using 6” wide boards will give you more shallow beds than 10” boards. Choose whichever length and width combination you prefer. If you find 4’ beds are too wide, simply reduce the length of each shorter section to 3’ – 3.5’.

Instructions:

To assemble your raised vegetable garden beds, line the ends of an 8’ foot section and a 4’ sections up so they form an “L” shape. While your helper holds the boards in place, secure the two boards together with wood screws or with the metal corner brackets. 

Repeat this process with the remaining cedar boards until you create 2 wooden rectangles, each measuring 8’ in length by 4’ in width.

Once your beds are assembled, carry them a sunny spot in your garden and place them where you want your raised beds before you begin filling them.

Raised bed of lettuce, tomatoes, 6 different types of basil, marigolds, zinnias, garlic chives, zucchini. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Filling Your Vegetable Garden Beds

Of course, you can fill each bed with pre-packaged gardening mix, but you may find that gets a bit pricey. You can also create your own more cost-effective planting medium very easily.

Start by adding a thick layer of newspaper or flattened cardboard across the bottom of your raised garden box. This will help prevent weeds and grass from growing up into your planter. Then, add alternating layers of peat moss, compost, aged manure or barn litter, and topsoil.

You can add additional amendments, such as bone meal or a slow-release organic fertilizer, once you decide which plants you want to grow in each bed and you’ve conducted soil tests to determine what nutrients your soil needs to accommodate those plants.

If you prepare and fill your raised beds in the fall, simply cover them with dark plastic to “cook down” all winter.  You will be rewarded with beautiful rich soil in the spring, but it will be quite a bit lower than you remember – so be extra generous when filling the beds.

If you assemble your raised vegetable garden beds in the spring, you can plant right into the layered mixture. Over time, the layers will break down to form a rich soil. In the near term, your plants will do just fine in it as long as you don’t use fresh compost, manure or barn litter, all of which can “burn” your plants.

As you can see, learning how to build raised vegetable garden beds isn’t difficult. If you follow these easy instructions, you can look forward to years of more rewarding and efficient gardening!

Note: If you don't want to build your own, you can also buy raised-bed gardening kits:
     

How to Decide When to Plant Vegetables in Your Area

Figuring out when to plant vegetables in your area requires a little detective work. In addition to your geographic location, you’ll need to consider a few other variables, as well. For example, the type of vegetables you plan to grow and how you intend to plant them (seedlings, transplants or seeds) will factor into when you should get your crops in the ground, as well.

If you live in an area with distinct seasons, your vegetable growing season will fall loosely between your anticipated frost-free date in the spring and the first hard frost in the fall. Unless you have a crystal ball, it is next to impossible to predict these dates with absolute certainty. 

Fortunately, there are some valuable online resources you can check for general guidelines. A quick online search for “frost-free date” + your geographic area should give you a good idea of when it might be safe to plant in your region.

Starting seeds indoors for an earlier start. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Of course, the published frost-free date for your area doesn’t take into account unexpected late season snow storms or unseasonably cold temperatures. However, if you wait until after the expected frost-free date for your area AND for the daytime soil temperature to reach 65 degrees or warmer, you should be in good shape. If you want to warm up your soil faster, you can cover your planting beds with dark plastic sheets for several weeks prior to planting.

As you develop your garden planting timeline, think of these two important dates as virtual “bookends” around your prime vegetable growing season. However, if you start seeds indoors or protect your plants from cold temperatures with mulch, cold frames, row covers or mini-hoop houses, you can extend your growing season even further. 

Don’t Ignore “Days to Maturity” for Your Selected Plants

As you’re deciding when to plant vegetables in your garden, pay close attention the “days to maturity” information noted on the seed packages or plant markers for the vegetables you’ve selected. This number, which is often expressed as a range of days, tells you how long it will take until that plant is ready to harvest.

Lettuce in raised beds with hoops (Photo credit: Gardening in a Minute)

This is important to know because some vegetables reach maturity much faster than others. For example, radishes, lettuce and baby carrots may be ready for harvest just 30 days after they are sown as seeds. On the other hand, some pumpkin varieties can take a full 120 – 160 days before they reach maturity. 

The “days to maturity” for a particular vegetable variety gives you an idea of how early you need to get that plant into the ground if you want it to reach maturity before your first hard frost date. 

It also tells you how late in the season you can plant certain crops. For example, you can’t wait until late summer in northern climates to plant pumpkins seeds that require 160 days to mature. On the other hand, you can plant fast-growing lettuce varieties with confidence until 30 days or so before your expected last frost date.  

Learning when to plant vegetables in your area is worth the effort. Knowing when your prime growing season begins and ends – and how you can get the most out of it – will make you a much more successful food gardener. It will help you decide which vegetables to grow and how to help those varieties thrive in your garden.

We will be on vacation next week, so will not be posting, but be sure to check back the following week when we'll share 3 important tips that vegetable gardeners need to keep in mind for a successful organic gardening experience!  Have a Happy Memorial Day, and enjoy your beautiful early summer garden!

Planting A Wildflower Garden: Part 1 - Preparing Your Spot

A wild-flower garden has a most attractive sound. One thinks of long tramps in the woods, collecting material, and then of the fun in fixing up a real wild garden.

Many people say they have no luck at all with such a garden. However, it is not a question of luck, but a question of understanding, for wild flowers are like people and each has its personality. What a plant has been accustomed to in nature it desires always. In fact, when removed from its own sort of living conditions, it sickens and dies. That is enough to tell us that we should copy Nature herself.

When you are hunting wild flowers, as you choose certain flowers from the woods, notice the soil they are in, the place, conditions, the surroundings, and the neighbours.

Wildflowers. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Suppose you find dog-tooth violets and wind-flowers growing near together. Then place them so in your own new garden. Suppose you find a certain violet enjoying an open area - then it should have the same in your garden. If you wish wild flowers to grow in a tame garden, you must make them feel at home - and that means you need to trick them into almost believing that they are still in their native haunts.

Wild flowers ought to be transplanted after blossoming is over. Take a trowel and a basket into the woods with you. As you take up a few, a columbine, or a hepatica, be sure to take with the roots some of the plant's own soil, which must be packed about it when replanted.

The bed into which these plants are to go should be prepared carefully before you obtain your plants. It is not a good idea to bring those plants back and let them sit over a day or night before planting. They should go into their new quarters at once. The bed needs soil from the woods, deep and rich and full of leaf mold. The drainage system should be excellent. Some people think that all wood plants should have a soil saturated with water. But the woods themselves are not water-logged. If you have heavy, wet soil, you may need to put in some extra work, and dig your garden up very deeply and put some stone in the bottom. Then replace the soil. And on top, where the top soil once was, put a new layer of the rich soil you brought from the woods.

Before planting, water the soil well. Then as you make places for the plants, put into each hole some of the soil which belongs to the plant which is to be put there.

Once your bed is prepared, you are ready to collect plants to fill it, and build your beautiful new wildflower garden!

Be sure to check back next week when we will share some ideas and suggestions for what flowers to plant, and how to choose the right ones for your wildflower garden.

Controlling Your Garden Environment

Plants are a lot cleverer than we might think. If you are aware of the changes that occur with the plants in the garden, you can sometimes predict everything from the coming weather to the changing of the seasons without ever having to consult the weather forecast!

The weather can, however trick plants into 'thinking' there has been a change in the weather or even the season.

Halloween Poppies: The unseasonal weather of 2007 fooled some wild plants into thinking that spring started in August! (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This can be seen when there is unseasonal hot weather after a cold snap in winter. Plants can 'assume' that it is the start of Spring and bulbs will start flowering.

In recent years many areas throughout the world have experienced unseasonal weather and extremes of weather and this has caused many problems for people growing crops.

Creating sheltered areas on your property can help you to control your plants and ensure that you get the flowers or fruits when you expect them to be ready. Another benefit is that this will also help you to reduce damage that might occur from extreme weather conditions such as hail or heavy rain.

Shading plants can also create a false reduction in daylight hours, which will affect the plants growth patterns as they measure the seasons by the amount of daylight.

Hothouses can also create a false environment and this can be beneficial if you want to produce plants throughout the year for flowers or fruit.

Temperature in a hothouse can be adjusted to control plant growth, and to a lesser extent this can also be done outside the hothouse by the placement of your plants in various different positions on your property depending on their exposure to sunlight, wind, cold and rain.

Designing your garden by taking into account all these factors will help you to keep your plants "thinking" as you do, allowing you to get what you want, when you want, from your garden.

It will also allow you to better plan the progression of plants from one season to the next.

Garden Planning: Choosing the Right Plants for Your Garden

One of the most important rules of creating a garden is to ensure that you have the right plants for the right place.

There are many plants that will suffer if they aren't growing in conditions that are suited to them, and by planting in these conditions you will always be fighting a battle to have them looking their best simply because they will always be struggling to survive.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you have a specific theme that you would like to follow when planning your garden and that theme doesn't suit the growing conditions you only have two alternatives: You can change the plants you intend using to something more suitable but still in keeping with your overall theme, OR you can try to change the conditions that the plants will be growing in.

While it is not possible to change the climate, you can make changes to the layout of the garden and surrounding area to create your own 'micro-climate' with other plants or trees offering shading or shelter.

You can plant windbreaks or construct them to reduce the effect that the wind might have on some of the more fragile plants.

If you are looking for a specific color in your garden but the plants you prefer would suffer in the conditions your garden presents, then look for alternative plants that can offer the same color but are more suited to those conditions.

By using native plants that are more suited to the conditions, they will thrive better and require a lot less maintenance while still giving you the 'look' you desire.

It's all about getting your planning right before you even buy the first plants. If the plan is well executed the garden will look better, be easier to maintain, and you will enjoy ownership more than a garden that is a constant struggle.

Time To Plan Your 2014 Garden!

It may still feel like winter all too often around here, but the days are getting longer, the sun is getting brighter, and spring "officially" starts this week! So what are you growing this year?

It's time to get planning - and in some areas - planting! Starting seeds indoors can be a great way to kickstart your garden in colder climates. Typically you want to start seeds about 6 weeks before planting out, which means mid-to-late March here in Ohio. Now is the time!

Growing radish plants (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Garden plants which typically do well when started indoors include tomatoes, peppers, broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables, lettuce, and some flowers. Things you will want to wait and direct-seed when it warms up a bit include peas, beans, and corn. Things that you may be able to direct-seed outdoors right now or within the next couple of weeks (depending on your location) are potatoes, radishes, and some lettuces or salad greens.

I, myself, am in a bit of a quandary this year, as my fiance and I are planning on moving to a new house in the summer, so I don't want to start a big garden and have to leave it behind! By the time we move, it may be too late to start much of a garden at the new place, and I'm not sure I can make it through the summer without ANY gardening!  So I will likely have to grow some short, cool-weather crops this spring, and make do with that. I have been over-ambitious and purchased tons of seeds (hoping to be in the new house by garden season), but I do have radish seeds, salad mix, and some flowers that I can probably plant here in the next few weeks. Radishes are a springtime favorite of mine, and I'm not sure why I don't grow them that often! They are amazing in salads, and add a zesty crunch to sandwiches. I know you can also pickle them, but I've never tried that.... Perhaps if I get a big crop....

It's 50 degrees today, and my green thumb is itching! What about you?

Spring Gardening/Seed Starting Supplies: