Once the New Year rolls around and the holiday season is over, it is a good time to look ahead to your garden experience for the coming season.  This is a great time to be a garden planner and get ready to enjoy a productive garden season.

One of the first things to consider is which vegetables you want to grow and what varieties to select.   You will want to plant what you will eat, and while that may sound like an obvious statement, people do have different tastes.  What you will use from your garden may be entirely different from what your neighbor enjoys from their garden.   As you consider this question, remember that you will want to eat all that you grow.  While production varies somewhat from year to year, it will average out to be quite consistent each season.  You will become aware of how much each vegetable produces as you go from season to season.  Most people find that cucumbers planted will yield a large harvest.  You will want to adjust how many plants of each vegetable you want to plant.

It’s a great idea to try somethoing new in your garden each year.  A good place to get small garden ideas of something new is from your seed catalogues.  Many times new vegetable ideas come from foreign countries such as Europe, Japan, and Africa.  You may also want to look for unusual kinds of common vegetables.  While you will not want to try every new vegetable available,  trying one or two new ones each year is a good idea.   If you like what you grew, you will probably want to plant it next season as well.

If you’re a relatively new gardener, you will first want to find out what the early season vegetables are.  Each vegetable has its own preferred soil temperature.
Some, such as radishes, lettuce, and onions, will grow and thrive almost as soon as you can plant them in the soil.  Other plants, such as tomatoes and peppers,  will only do well and survive after the last frost and the soil temperature is quite warm.  Each year you will become a better garden planner, and your enjoyment and rewards will increase.

The most important component of your gardening efforts is obviously the soil. It is your number one priority to see that the soil is healthy, full of the right nutrients, and in the best condition possible. The components of soil are sand, silt, and clay. All soil comes from small, ground up rock particles. The size of the particles determines if it is sand, silt, or clay. Soil also contains organic matter, water, and air. The quality of the soil is determined by the proportion of these components and the accompanying activity of microorganisms, earthworms, and fungus.

The presence of earthworms in the soil garden will prove very advantageous to the gardener. The earthworms loosen up and aerate the soil by their activity in the soil. Earthworm castings enrich the soil It is a good idea to ensure that your soil is a welcome home for the earthworms. The earthworms first of all need food. The decaying plant matter in the soil is necessary for earthworms. How you do your cultivating of the soil may be helpful or harmful to the earthworms. Rototilling the garden is somewhat harmful to the earthworm in that it chops many of them up, and will lessen the population of earthworms in your garden. While spading is more work, it is more helpful to the earthworm population.

Sandy soil often lacks vital nutrients. Sandy soil needs to be watered more because it doesn’t hold the water well. Use shorter, more frequent waterings. It also often lacks the necessary component of organic matter. You can improve this condition by planting green manure (a fast growing plant such as oats, rye, or buckwheat), let it grow for several months, then till it into the soil. You could also add a layer of clay to the soil and mix it in the top several inches.

A characteristic of garden soil is its acidity or alkalinity, which is measured by the pH scale. The scale runs from 0 (pure acid) to 14 (pure alkaline). Neurtal soil has a pH of 7. You can test the soil by purchasing a testing kit or using litmus paper and checking the color of the litmus paper. It is important to know the pH factor because each vegetable that you plant thrives best in a certain pH.

A rich soil contains the 13 nutrients that plants need for growth, including the trace elements. A lean soil is low in fertility and lacks some or many of the necessary nutrients.

These tips give you a place to begin in understanding the garden soil, and some ways you may want to consider to have a soil that will maximize your gardening efforts.

Once you’ve decided to take the next step and grow your vegetables in raised beds, the next thing is deciding how and where to build them. As you make this decision, remember to consider the important factors in garden location. The three most important things to consider in vegetable growing location are sunlight, drainage, and air movement. In northern climates a gentle southern slope will warm more quickly in the spring.

There is one other thing to consider, and that is what you want from your garden. This question is important in determining how big to make it. If you want only to provide food for your table, as many of us do, remember that with raised beds a smaller area will produce more vegetables than in a regular row garden. In raised bed gardens you can plant many vegetables closer together because you need not allow space or rows to tend the plants. Keep your garden enjoyable by making it the right size so that is manageable and will not be burdensome, taking away the joy of growing your own vegetables.

Raised beds can be almost any shape or size that you choose. They don’t need to be rectangular, although that is the usual shape. A variety of shapes could add uniqueness and charm to your backyard. Triangular and circular shaped beds would work well for raised beds.

If you will be building your raised beds in an area that is already used for gardening, you can use the soil from the pathways to place on the raised areas. I prefer to make the pathways at least eighteen inches wide to allow room for walking. In some cases, this amount of soil may be sufficient. In other cases you may need to get additional soil material from another area or bring in additional soil. This would be a time when you can improve the fertility of the soil by making sure you have a rich, balanced soil suitable for the vegetables which you will grow.

While some people get by very well by simply piling the soil deeper, others choose to make a wooden frame to contain the raised beds. Any materials that are available could be used to build the structure.. You will need to determine how deep to build the bed. It could be anywhere from six inches deep to eighteen inches in depth. Remember the deeper the soil the more productive the garden will be.

If this is your first experience using raised beds, remember to start with what is manageable and enjoyable. It doesn’t take a large bed to grow a significant amount of vegetables. You can start with a small area and add more the next growing season if you desire. HAPPY GARDENING!

Many people today realize the advantages of having a healthy diet.   More and more  writers and nutritionists are reminding us of the part a healthy diet plays in our overall general health.   What better way to improve our quality and longevity of life than by upgrading our sources for the food we place on the table.  With the wealth of knowledge available to us today and the modern technology at hand giving us ways to promote a healthy diet, people are taking advantage of the one thing almost everyone can do to promote better health.  That one thing is to rely heavily on cooking with organic foods..  With a little thought and creativity most of us can find a way to improve our diet by either buying organic foods or growing a good portion of the food we eat through organic gardening.

Organic foods foods are produced by using safe and natural methods.  Given the choice, most people would prefer to use foods that are grown without the use of  toxic and unnatural chemicals.   There are many reasons that foods are grown with the use of these chemicals.  Growers save labor and money by using herbicides, insecticides,  and chemical fertilizers.   While it helps the bottom line of many growers, it comes at the expense of the health of the consumer.   Medical personnel tell us that factors in our environment play a role in our overall health.

We are all aware that the price of food is on an upward spiral.  The price of organic foods as a rule is generally considerably more expensive than conventional foods.  While most people feel it is well worth the extra money, some find that the extra cost stretches the food budget.  Many people are finding the answer may be found in growing their own vegetables by organic gardening.   A greenhouse can be used to extend the season of growing our own foods.  In this way each of us can monitor the quality of the vegetables we use in preparing foods.

In almost every situation we can produce some healthy and delicious vegetables for use in preparing meals.  There are a wide variety of places a greenhouse or a similar methods can be used, depending on the space available.  There are very small lean-to greenhouses that can be placed on a deck to help in producing
healthy foods.  With more space available a larger greenhouse can be put into good use.

When a greenhouse is used along with a garden,  we control the growing environment of the plants.  Using compost or other natural fertilizers helps us to grow quality foods at a reasonable price.  The benefits of growing our own
vegetables are not only having safe and nutritious produce available at a reasonable price, but the process of growing them allows to enjoy the outdoors while getting beneficial excercise by doing organic gardening.

Cheap Greenhouses for Sale

Greenhouses are used in many ways by the consumer.   One common use would be to grow plants and flowers as a commercial business.   Another use may be to store items to keep them out of the weather.   Many people who are interested in gardening choose the use of a greenhouse to get an early start with the vegetables they want to grow.  Any or all of these users often start by looking for cheap greenhouses for sale.

Given the climate of today’s economy, it makes sense to keep the inputs down when we begin a project.    Whether we are a commercial grower or simply an individual with a desire to enhance the flavor and nutritional value of the food we put on our table, the cost or overhead becomes a significant item.  We have learned that today the bottom line is very important to all of us.

The internet becomes a very viable and important source for finding cheap greenhouses for sale.    There are many excellent choices when choosing to shop on-line.  The first choice we make would be to decide how we want to use the greenhouse, and what are our expectations for the functions it will perform.

A useful greenhouse needs to be one that has several features.  The first choice which needs to be considered is the size of the greenhouse.  The greenhouse needs to  fit comfortably in the space that is available.   A greenhouse needs to be easily entered and with a door where little heat escapes.  One of the necessary features of any greenhouse is ventilation.   Ventilation controls temperature, and proper temperature becomes very important for the plants which we are growing.

Whether we are using the greenhouse for a hobby, as a means of enriching and providing healthy, nourishing, and delicious food for our table, or whether we are planning on using our greenhouse on a larger scale, it makes sense to start in the very beginning looking for cheap greenhouses for sale.   The choices we make initially will affect not only our wallet, but also our attitude as we begin the interesting and very beneficial project of using a greenhouse.

The pH of soil directly affects the availability of nutrients to the plants which you are growing in your garden. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14, with 7 considered as neutral. If your soil tests less than 7, it is considered an acidic soil, while a greater than 7 test indicates soil alkalinity.

All plants have different pH preferences in which they thrive and grow best. The pH level of the soil affects soil life and the availability of essential nutrients for the plant. Soil life refers to the living organisms that live in the soil and break down organic materials into simpler forms. Soil bacteria, the microscopic soil occupant which is responsible for decomposiong organic material into nutrient forms that become the plant food, do best at 6.3-6.8 pH. Fungi, mold, and anaerobic bacteria like a more acidic soil, making it more prone to diseases which affect the garden plants.

While fertilizing your soil is important, the pH of soil determines the availability of the nutrients to the plant. Therefore, it is important to determine the pH of the soil where your plants will be grown.

Soil testing kits are available at your local garden stores. Prices will vary according to the sophistication of the testing instrument.

For gardening purposes, after you determine where your plants will be located, do the research and find out the best pH necessary for optimum growth and performance of that plant. There are ways to change the pH of the soil, which would be the next step.

To make less acidic soils, the most common method is to apply a material that contains some form of lime. You may purchase ground agricultural lime from farm supply stores. Soils low in clay require less lime than those high in clay content.  The limestone should be applied several months before planting so it has time to neutralize the acidity of the soils.

Wood ashes can be used to raise the level of pH in the soil. Spread a thin layer in the winter and mix it in with the soil as you get ready to plant in the spring.

Soil pH can be lowered by using aluminum sulfate and sulphur. These can be found at garden supply centers.

Ask a gardener what vegetable is their favorite to grow and harvest in America and many, if not most, will tell you that the tomato is the one they like best. Tomatoes are very versatile in ways they can be used to provide delicious food for the table.  Cherry tomatoes will enhance many salads.  Tomato juice is widely used to make a variety of foods taste better. Not the least of the favorites is the BLT sandwich, a favorite of our family.

Tomato growing, however,  is not without it’s challenges.  They are an imported plant from Mexico, and the biggest problem for the gardener is blight   If you had tomato blight this year, the chances are very good that you will have it next year, also.   Blight is caused by several kinds of fungi.  It starts in the soil and spreads to the leaves. soon the leaves will turn brown and dry up, later they will fall off the plant. When that happens the tomato fruit suffers and doesn’t develop.

There are ways to minimize the spread of this disease.    The first rule is to choose a different spot in your garden each year to grow tomatoes. If that is not always an option, there are other ways that will help.

When purchasing seeds, always check the package carefully to see which varieties are resistant to the various kinds of blight and diseases. The package will tell you which hybrid is bred to resist the growth of various kinds of wilt and blight.

Be sure to clean the area where the new tomatoes will grow.  Debris from the previous year’s plants will infect the new plants.

Another idea is to be sure to give your plants room to grow.   Tomato plants need good air circulation, because too much moisture will increase the probability of the spread and growth of blight.

Since the blight starts in the soil, use mulch around the base of the plant.  Then when the plant is being watered, the soild will not splash up on the plant, thus allowing the fungi to get to the plant.  Water early in the day, so by the time the coolness of the evening comes the plants have a tendency to be dry.  Moisture encourages the growth of fungi.  Also, removing the suckers from the plants will allow for better cirulation of air through the plant.

Lastly, when leaves become infected, remove the infected leaves so that only healthy plant parts remain.

If you ask many gardeners what one vegetable is their favorite one to harvest from a garden and one they would not want to do without, most people will tell you that the tomato is their favorite.  Home grown tomatoes are usually rich in flavor and because they are harvested off the vine are tastier than those puchased at your local supermarket. Tomatoes are a favorite because they (1) are useful in so many ways in food preparation, (2) have excellent taste and color, and (3) are one of the most complete vegetables for health and energy. They are rich in vitamins A, B, C, and G.  They can be used either raw, cooked, canned, or as juice.

A well kept patch of tomatoes will probably give you more delicious and enriching food than any other vegetable that you can grow. That would explain the reason for the popularity of  growing tomatoes and the variety of ways to grow them as seen in the local nurseries.  Many people choose to grow the tomato as the only vegetable in their garden.  They can be grown in a small garden spot as well as in large pots on your deck, or any other place that provides an ample amount of sunlight.

Start by planting your own seeds indoors six weeks before the last  frost, usually on March first to the fifteenth.  Be sure to grow two or three varieties.  You may set the plants in the garden when all danger of frost is past.  It is important to set the tomatoes outdoors gradually.  At first leave them outdoors for a period of 1-2 hours, then gradually increase the length of time until after several days they are hardened.  You may use hotcaps on early tomato plantings.  Tomatoes like a mellow and fairly rich soil.   As tomatoes grow, plant food should be added.

Tomatoes should be planted 3-5 feet apart when not staked.  Staking or other means of support will be effort well rewarded.  The plantss should be set fairly deep as the stem will produce new roots which enhances the growth of the plant and it’s fruit producing ability.

Tomato plants should be pruned for the biggest benefit of producing to it’s capabilities. Spray the first blossoms with blossom set , a hormone which promotes earlier, meatier tomatoes.

Given the tightening of food budgets and the desire to do more gardening, many people are choosing to start their own garden seeds at home.  Seed starting can be helpful to the budget in that it is a cost-effective way to start a family-sized garden.  Seeds themselves are generally inexpensive, and given the quantity of seeds in each packet, it allows the gardener to have many more plants for less initial cost of planting the garden.

Seed starting is not difficult, but carefully following a few instructions is very helpful.  While there are many kits available to purchase, you can do quite well with some of the things you may discard or recycle from home usage. Such things as empty egg cartons or milk jugs which are cut down to a few inches in height work well.  This article is especially useful if you want to grow tomatoes from seeds.

You will need to start with a germinating soil mix. It is most helpful to also having a water mister to carefully moisten the soil.  The zone in which you live will determine when you start the seeds.  If you are attempting to grow tomatoes from seeds, start them six weeks before the frost free date for your area.  Using the directions on the package will help to determine when you should plant the seeds.  If you are planning to use a greenhouse to grow the plants, adjust the times accordingly to shorten the time needed before planting in the garden.

After you have chosen an adequate seed starting soil mix, plant the seeds to a depth recommended on the package for that particular seed. Using a pencil, make a small hole for each seed.  Smaller seeds are planted very close to the surface, while larger seeds are planted a bit deeper.  Be sure to label each seed variety. Usually there are no light requirements for germination.  Be sure to moisten with the water mister after planting.

The seed containers should be placed in a warm place.  Since heat rises, usually the top of the refrigerator is one of the warmest spots in the room, and is most often quite adequate in temperature for germination of seeds. Make sure the soil remains moist.   You will need to check this daily.

Once the plants have emerged and you see two true leaves on the plant, it is ready to be transplanted into individual containers for growing.  Place the plants where they get at least 8-10 hours of light each day.  Turn the plants often enough so that they grow straight as opposed to leaning toward the light.   Turning the containers daily will correct this problem.

Early garden plants such as radishes , lettuce, and onions can be set in the garden as soon as the soil is ready to make a good seedbed.  Other plants, such as tomatoes, will have to wait until the frost free date for you area has been reached.  Those plants will need to be placed outdoors for a few hours each day to allow them to harden before planting in your garden.

You are well on your way to having a productive and inexpensive gardening experience.