Raised Beds Save Backs

Creating a Raised Bed

If your current planting goals involve plants that require good water drainage, I am sure you know how frustrating it is to have a yard that just won’t cooperate. Some plants can handle the excess water that comes about from being in an area that doesn’t drain properly. In fact, it might just cause them to bloom more lushly. However, other plants don’t cope as well, and it will cause them to die a gruesome, bloated death. You should always find out about the drainage required for every plant you buy, and make sure that it won’t conflict with any of the areas you are considering planting it in.




In order to test how much water your designated patch of soil will retain, dig a hole approximately ten inches deep. Fill it with water, and come back in a day when all the water had disappeared. Fill it back up again. If the 2nd hole full of water isn’t gone in 10 hours, your soil has a low saturation point. This means that when water soaks into it, it will stick around for a long time before dissipating. This is unacceptable for almost any plant, and you are going to have to do something to remedy it if you want your plants to survive.

The usual method for improving drainage in your garden is to create a raised bed. This involves creating a border for a small bed, and adding enough soil and compost to it to raise it above the rest of the yard by at least 5 inches. You’ll be amazed at how much your water drainage will be improved by this small modification. If you’re planning to build a raised bed, your prospective area is either on grass or on dirt. For each of these situations, you should build it slightly differently.

If you want to start a raised garden in a non grassy area, you won’t have much trouble. Just find some sort of border to retain the dirt you will be adding. I’ve found that there is nothing that works quite as well as a few two by fours. After you’ve created the wall, you must put in the proper amount soil and steer manure. Depending on how long you plan to wait before planting, you will want to adjust the ratio to allow for any deteriorating that may occur.

If you’re trying to install a raised bed where sod already exists, you will have a slightly more difficult time. You will need to cut the sod around the perimeter of the garden, and flip it over. This may sound simple, but you will need something with a very sharp edge to slice the edges of the sod and get under it. Once you have turned it all upside down, it is best to add a layer of straw to discourage the grass from growing back up. After the layer of straw, simply add all the soil and steer manure that a normal garden would need.

Planting your plants in your new area shouldn’t pose much difficulty. It is essentially the same process as your usual planting session. Just be sure that the roots don’t extent too far into the original ground level. The whole point of creating the raised bed is to keep the roots out of the soil which saturates easily. Having long roots that extend that far completely destroys the point.

Once you have plants in your new bed, you’ll notice an almost immediate improvement. The added soil facilitates better root development. At the same time, evaporation is prevented and decomposition is discouraged. All of these things added together makes for an ideal environment for almost any plant to grow in. So don’t be intimidated by the thought of adjusting the very topography of your yard. It is a simple process as I’m sure you’ve realized, and the long term results are worth every bit of work.

Raised beds can rejeuvanate the excitement of gardening. For plans on how to .....Click Here!

Good Luck - Save The Back
Larry,
http://www.squidoo.com/vegetablegardening-101.


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Consider Herbs

HERB GARDENING

Herbs have been around since time immemorial and served different kinds of purposes. They have been used to treat illness and flavour cooking; they were even believed to have magical powers. Do you want to have your own herb garden? Here are a few ideas on how to establish an herb garden.

Plan your garden.

Consider the herbs you want to plant. Think about their types. Would you like annuals, biennials or perennials?

How much space will they occupy in your garden? If you want, you can purchase a book that can give you the right information on what specific plants you are planning to grow.

List or draw your garden on paper first. Separate the annuals from the perennials so when the time comes that you have to pull out the annuals, you won't be disturbing the perennials. Perennials can be planted on the edge of your garden so when it is time to till your garden they won't be in danger of getting dug up.

Another thing to remember is that you have to plant the tall ones at the back and the shorter ones in front. Also, provide your plants with enough space to grow. Proper position shall help you in this area.

If you would rather keep herbs out of your garden (and some are quite invasive) you could have herb pots. These are large containers with three or more outlets for the herbs. Fill the pot up to the first outlet and plant it before continuing on with the filling and planting process. Usually, the herb that requires the most water is planted in the bottom hole, while the variety that requires the least, goes in the highest hole.

Some Design Ideas

You can consider having a square herb bed. You can have your square bed divided into four by two paths crossing at mid point measuring 3 feet. You can border it with stone or brick. A wooden ladder may also do the trick. You can lay it down on your garden and plant your herbs between its rungs. You can also choose to have a wagon wheel bed. Planting here is like planting with the wooden ladders. Plant your herbs in between the wagon wheel's wedges.

Get Your Plants Growing

Of course, different plants have different needs, but many of them require alkaline soil. This is the reason why you have to determine the herbs you want to plant in the planning stage. This can more or less help you find out how you should care for your plants. If you germinate your herbs from seeds, remember to follow the directions on the packet for soil, watering and temperature.

Herbs are some of the easiest plants to grow. You just have to provide them with an effective drainage, sunlight, enough humidity or moisture and fertile soil. Even with just minimally meeting these requirements they will be bound produce a good harvest.

For more tips on herbs.....
Click Here!

Larry,
http://www.squidoo.com/vegetablegardening-101

Things To Consider

Growing Your Own Vegetables

There is a great sense of satisfaction knowing that you will be able to wander down to your own garden and pick the vegetables that you have been growing and then cook them and eat them for your dinner.

You will never be able to get vegetables as fresh as that from the shops and you certainly will be able to taste the difference in the extra freshness that you will get with every bite.

Many vegetables taste just as good, if not better, eaten fresh from the garden without even cooking them.

Peas, beans, tomatoes and the like are all ready to be eaten and enjoyed as they are picked.

What makes garden fresh vegetables even more appealing is the fact that you will know everything that has gone into the soil and every spray that has been used to assist in the growing of those vegetables.
And that is something that you would never know about the produce that you buy from the shops.

You will need to use sprays on your garden to ensure you have a healthy crop so it is wise to look at all the instructions and the contents of any sprays that you might need to use.

By using the best sprays you can be satisfied that not only will your crops have had the best nutrition but you will also be safe from some of the chemicals that many commercial growers use.

You can often keep pests off your crops, or reduce the incidence of the damage they can create by planting companion plants around your crops to keep them away.

You can reduce the chance of getting disease by selecting resistant varieties of plants that are less susceptible to disease and by giving them more room to grow by spacing them out a little more.

Specific Informaton can be found .....Click Here!

Larry,

Get The Kids Involved!

Getting Children into Gardening

If you have ever wondered how to keep children occupied for hours on end then it's time to introduce them to the joys gardening.

Children can really enjoy growing plants particularly if they have their own area of the garden where they can see the results of their own efforts growing there.

It will give them a sense of reward to see what they have been able to accomplish, whether it is from a flower garden or a vegetable garden.

It is also a very healthy pastime that will get them out of the house and into the fresh air.
It will do more for their health than sitting in front of a computer screen or playing on their PlayStation all day.

They will also be learning about gardening and as this is one of the most popular hobbies it will give them a knowledge base that they will benefit from for years to come.

Gardening can also help to relieve stress and fatigue and there are many more children suffering from that these days.

By getting your children to work alongside you in the garden, it will help to build better family relationships too and that is an investment in them that no amount of money could ever buy.

I have known many children who have used their gardening skills to make a few dollars of their own by selling the plants and vegetables that they have grown in their own garden to others during their school holidays.
Not only do they get a sense of accomplishment but they can also get monetary reward for their work.

If you have ever seen the delight on a child's face after they have sold something that they have grown themselves in their own garden then you will know exactly what I mean.

It is more exciting for many of them than opening their presents on Christmas Day. And, this doesn't mean you have to have an acre garden. Kids enjoy nurturing and seeing even a few tomato plants grow. And just think what they will be able to pass along to their kids.

Some excellent advice on beginning a tomato garden....Click Here!

Life Is Great, Don't Mess It Up!
Larry,

Have Fun Gardening

Gardening Can Improve Your Health

Gardening has many benefits one of which is it gets you off the sofa and out doors.

While we are attending to the health of our plants, we too are improving our health both physically and mentally.

Even the relatively light work of weeding the garden is good exercise and particularly with elderly people it is an opportunity to get outside, breath the fresh air and improve their well-being.

As we bend down to pull out weeds or pick up plants and pots we are exercising and stretching our muscles and keeping our joints active.

This helps to circulate the blood through the body and help maintain a healthy heart.
It is also good for the mind as gardening can relax the mind and reduce stress.

Working outside in the garden also exposes us to sunlight and that is essential for Vitamin D, which helps the body to absorb calcium, and this is particularly important for women.

Gardening is one of the most popular hobbies in the country and also ranks as one of the most popular forms of exercise for many people.

Along with any form of exercise precautions need to be taken. Lifting heavy pots and plants can also do damage to the lower back and knees so we need to be sensible when gardening to ensure we can continue to enjoy this wonderful pastime.

Like the lower back, our knees are susceptible to damage from gardening if we tend to kneel down while working but fortunately there are various gardeners' aids that can be worn or used to help protect our knees.

There are also belts that can be worn to support our back when lifting heavy items in the garden.

If you take a sensible approach to your gardening and don't over extend yourself you can reap the rewards of improved health and happiness while enjoying the fun of creating your own piece of paradise.

Landscaping and Grounds Maintenance has been my lifes career. I would not have traded it for any other job.

Some wonderful tips can be found here.Click Here!

Your friend,
Larry
http://www.squidoo.com/tailgateministries.