Container Gardening for the New Gardener

Have you ever wished you could bring a luxurious blooming azalea into your living room, or enjoy the fragrance of a blooming Meyer lemon when the temperature outside is still below freezing? You can turn these wishes into daily enjoyment if the plants are grown in handsome containers that can be moved wherever you like.

Whether you choose to bring a plant indoors or simply give it a prominent place on the patio or deck, container gardening allows you to move a plant when you want to, regardless of the season or transplanting conditions. And because you can create the proper soil condition (see directions below) and protect a plant from extreme temperatures, you can grow it wherever you like.

CAREFUL WATERING AND FEEDING ARE ESSENTIAL - Plants in containers require more attention to watering and soil condition than plants in the ground. You should water a container plant whenever the top inch or so of soil feels dry (in hot weather, some containers may require watering twice a day). Be sure to water enough so that the water begins to run out of the drainage holes. And if you're planning to be away from home for a few days, tightly group your container plants in a sheltered area; the plants will protect each other from the beat, cutting down moisture loss.
Unless the water in your area has a very low mineral content, salts will build up in containers, occasionally burning leaves or even killing some plants, To prevent this from happening, periodically flush out the soil by allowing water to trickle slowly into the container until it is saturated; or fill the pot several times in succession, allowing it to drain thoroughly. If leaf edges still show signs of burning (the edges turn brown and become brittle), submerge the pot in a tub filled with water.
The frequent watering which is necessary to maintain container plants, unfortunately flushes away any added fertilizer. The best way to keep a plant fertilized is to feed it every week using one-fourth the recommended strength.

TRANSPLANTING TECHNIQUES - Because feeder roots of container plants tend to mass next to the container wall, most plants should be transplanted to slightly larger pots from time to time or they will become pot bound and stop growing. Choose a new container that allows for two or three inches of new soil around the root ball. Guard against putting your plant into a much larger container-the unused soil may become soggy and sour and kill the plant before it has time to send out enough root growth. A day before transplanting, water the plant well. Then, remove the plant from its container, lightly scrape the root ball to stimulate the feeder roots, and set it in the larger pot on a bed of new soil mix. Then gradually add soil until the pot is filled, tamping the surface gently to avoid air pockets.

WHICH POTTING MIX? - A good planting mix is probably the most important element in container gardening. If you want to make up your own potting mix, use the ingredients listed for one of the three different mixes in the chart below. The basic mix is good for growing most plants; the exceptions are acid-loving plants which require the acid mix. The lightweight mix is best used for house plants or for container plants that require frequent moving.

Guard against substituting a raw wood product for one of the ingredients because it will quickly use up any fertilizer you add, leaving the plant without the proper nourishment.

The amount of ingredients listed for a small quantity of basic mix will fill about 18 pots, 12 inches in diameter. The larger quantity of basic mix will give you a cubic yard. Whether you make the small or large quantity, the basic mix will require additional frequent feedings of nitrogen, since it will not retain fertilizer very well (use a quarter-strength fertilizer weekly).

If you prefer to use your own formula for making a soil mix, make sure it doesn't include dense clay. Clay soil retains water, often drowning container plants.

Before putting plants in containers, make sure the mix is damp but not wet (if you're using new clay pots, soak them before planting so they will not rob moisture from the soil mix). Cover the container drain hole with small pieces of broken clay pots. Then check the consistency of the mix-it must be the same throughout the container to allow capillary action to draw water down to the roots, Fill the pot with soil mix to within 1/2 inch of the top. Water slowly to give the mix a chance to settle, adding more if needed.

BASIC MIX (For a Large Quantity)

(Suitable for all but ericaceous plants such azalea, heather, rhododendron.)

• 2/3 yard nitrogen stabilized bark, redwood sawdust, or otherorganic matter
• 1/3 yard sandy loam or uniform fine sand
• 6 pounds 0-10-10 or equivalent dry
• fertilizer
• 10 pounds dolomite limestone

BASIC MIX (For a Small Quantity)

• 16 gallons nitrogen stabilized bark, redwood sawdust, or other organic matter
• 8 gallons sandy loam or uniform fine sand
• 1-1/3 cups 0-10-10 or equivalent dry fertilizer
• 1-3/4 cups dolomite limestone

LIGHTWEIGHT MIX

(Ideal for indoor planters or outside container plants in sheltered areas. This mix may not provide sufficient support for taller plants in windy situations.)

• 2 parts basic mix (above)
• 1 part perlite

ACID MIX

(For azalea, heather, rhododendron, etc.)

• 4 or 5 parts coarse-textured peat moss
• 1 part composted oak leaf mold

Prepare soil mix by putting ingredients into large pile, tossing them into a second pile to mix, and then tossing again if the mix is not blended the first time.
Scatter fertilizer and limestone over the blended organic matter and loam or sand. If you want a lightweight mix, use this stage to spread perlite over basic ingredients. Toss again once or twice to blend in fertilizer (and perlite if you are using it). If you are only making a small quantity of soil mix, use your hands as mixing tools.

If you're starting a new garden or trying to learn some new gardening tricks, editor Tim Lundie invites you to visit NewGardener.com ( http://www.newgardener.com ) for helpful tips and gardening inspiration. NewGardener.com grows happy gardeners!
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'How-To' Gardening Tips for New Homeowners

Flowers, vegetables, herbs and landscaping are all beautiful and beneficial assets to your home. However, some of us may not have the first clue about how to achieve plants that are green, prosperous and beautiful. If you want a guide on 'how-to' gardening, you can obtain a few tips from various gardening books, online articles or even video tutorials.

When considering home gardening projects, we usually do not consider hiring a landscaping contractor or gardener to do it for us because it may be out of our price range. A landscape professional, however, can at least add beauty and curb side appeal to your residence and may be worth the money that you spend because not only do they plant items, but they also know which areas they best grow in and can also create brick perimeters, rock or mulch fillers and can teach you about how to manage pesky weed growth.

Consider first what your motives are here. Do you want to hide a tacky meter on the side of the house? Consider planting a large grass plant that will come up every year. The only maintenance is to trim it down occasionally. Maybe you want something that you can use to take on gardening by the horns and start it as a hobby. Best thing, perhaps is to learn more about how-to plant perennial or annuals. Keep in mind annuals, such as petunias, zinnias, and pansies require replacement each year. Consider if you want flowers, grasses, trees or shrubbery.

Additional 'how to' gardening tips include information about herb gardens. Each herb has specific attributes and is a good way to obtain herbs to use in your home for cooking or even home remedies. Vegetable gardens, on the other hand, are an excellent way to save money on produce. You can pretty much learn how to grow anything from green beans and tomatoes to squash and watermelons. Though it takes some maintenance and some nurturing, it is not impossible.

If gardening is new to you, the best tip is to start small, regardless if it is a flower, herb or vegetable garden. You will continue learning as you go and find out based on your climate what works best. For flower gardens, you may want to put some landscaping in your front yard so people who drive by can enjoy your prideful work of beauty and color. Otherwise, put the garden near a window so that you too can enjoy it from the inside or even from your porch or patio.

There are additional tips for irrigation, whether it be with rain, a garden hose or even alternative irrigation systems. You also need to keep fertilization options in mind to find the best way to create easy care and low maintenance healthy plants. You will find it to be a very rewarding hobby if you start slow at first. However, if you are an amateur and try to take on too much, you may get overwhelmed and throw the shovel down. Don't do that. Grab some how-to gardening tips from the Internet or the library, tackle it and enjoy it. The benefits of your creation are very rewarding.

Be sure to visit our How-To Gardening articles for further insight. Check out the Home and Garden 911 blog for those new homeowners and renters who have questions about how to maintain their homes and gardens.

Check it out today, if you can. While there, if you think the info presented is useful, hit the 'Like' button or 'Share' it with your friends. We do appreciate it. Thanks for stopping by.

All New Square Foot Gardening Review

This all new revision of a classic gardening book has been a gardening and horticulture best seller on Amazon for quite some time. It's got a 4.5 out of 5 stars rating and currently sells for just about $12 on Amazon, which isn't too terribly bad.

However, although the reviews of Mr. Bartholomew's square foot gardening plan are typically very positive, there are still a fair number of critical reviews, making the overall consensus a bit scattered. So, since many of my website visitors are very interested in gardening in the most efficient way possible, it seemed only reasonable to review the "All New Square Foot Gardening" book for those who might be considering purchasing it.

Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew

In his YouTube video promoting the book Mr. Bartholomew introduces his new book and intros some of the changes between the old version and this new edition. Quite frankly, although the "square foot gardening" method is a useful one, Mr. Bartholomew is not really the "inventor" of the method as he suggests in the video, since many people were using similar methods of gardening long before his first book came along.

So, What Do I Think of the Book?

Well, this book appears to be an attempt at "simplifying" the square foot gardening approach for less experienced gardeners. The previous book was more detailed and gave more background info. This newest book is less detailed and tries to simplify the explanation of the method for "newbies".
Either way, both books are useful and will definitely help you grow a lot of produce from a very small space compared to more traditional methods. However, before buying, there are probably a few things you should keep in mind:

New Square Foot Gardening Soil Mix

Since the square foot gardening method relies on "raised beds", you have to fill those beds will some sort of growing medium. In the previous book, the recommended square foot gardening soil mix was more complex than what Mr. Bartholomew currently recommends in the new book, but I'm not sure if I'm a firm believer that either soil mix was entirely what you should be looking for.

The current recommendation creates a soil that can easily become "too hot" for good plant growth, which is not a good thing. In addition, one of the three components that is recommended to blend this new growing medium can be pretty tough to find. Lastly, many readers have been frustrated by how costly it can be to create this "perfect soil" for their new square foot gardening beds.

In contrast, the previous soil mix recommendations were a somewhat better option but did not hold moisture very well. On the one hand, that "feature" helped to avoid over-watering of your plants. But, it also meant that you had to water very frequently to make sure plants did not become dehydrated.

I'll let you decide how big of a plus or minus that is.

Large Plants May Not Work Well

If you're going to be growing smaller plants and/or plants that don't typically "spread out" a lot (like Watermelon), the square foot gardening layout is great. However, for larger plants, you'll really want to "spread things out" a bit more to allow a little breathing room between plants.

Moreover, for "spreading" plants, using the square foot gardening plan can be a bit tedious, since you have to grow UP rather than OUT. In other words, trellises and such would likely be necessary for the plants/vines to "climb" and plants that grow larger produce (like watermelons) may have trouble with such a scenario, unless you choose hybrids that grow smaller fruit/veggies.
Despite Drawbacks Sq. Ft. Gardening Gets 4/5

I think the method is great, and Mel Bartholomew has put a lot of time and effort into helping people implement the method in a way that is efficient and productive. That being said, I can't give either book 5 stars simply because I don't believe that the recommended soil mixes are going to be your best or your most economical bet.

Learn More About a Better Soil Medium

This square foot gardening review can also be found on my blog, along with a short but VERY useful section related to how you can create the absolute best soil possible to put in your square foot gardening raised bed layout. Using this "mystery growing medium" is the absolute best way to get the most out of ANY garden, raised, square foot or otherwise.

Michael Kaufman is a 15 year veteran of the organic fertilizer, lawncare and gardening industries. His Guarding-Our-Earth.com website is dedicated to organic, sustainable methods of farming, gardening and lawncare.

Tons of high quality info and articles as well as a free download of " The Organic Lawncare Bible ". Stop by and have a look.

Geodesic Dome Greenhouse Gardening - 6 Problems New Gardeners May Face

Problems arise in any new project and geodesic dome greenhouse gardening is no exception. These can be minimized with proper education and c.
As a rule problems show up when you try something your greenhouse is not equipped for or when you do not follow instructions. So let's take a look at the most common problems encountered by new dome greenhouse gardeners so you can avoid them.

1. NEVER BUY PLANTS FROM A NURSERY. It is virtually impossible for a nursery to insure it's plants are pest and disease free. Bringing store bought seedlings into your greenhouse is to bring in an infestation. If you must purchase some plants be sure to quarantine them for a week or so. This will allow you to be sure they are no diseases or insects on them that can be spread to your other carefully tended plants. It's estimated that 80% of insect infestations faced by back yard greenhouse owners are due to purchased plants.


2. Be sure to have at least a three (3) foot clear zone around your greenhouse without any grass or plantings of any kind. This discourages insect migration to the easy life inside your dome.


3. Use the ring culture system to keep problems with disease to a minimum. And be sure humidity is not allowed to get too high.


4. When you try to grow crops at the wrong temperature things tend to go VERY WRONG! For example tomatoes require a minimum temperature of 58 degrees F and cucumbers prefer a minimum temperature to never get below 70 degrees F. This is why it's important to have a reliable temperature control system in your greenhouse.


5. Blossom-end rot on your tomatoes is a common problem with new greenhouse gardeners. This is caused by a lack of calcium or irregular irrigation. So be sure to use a fertilizer containing sufficient calcium and don't let your plants dry out between waterings.


6. 100% humidity in the early morning can also cause a lot of problems in your new dome greenhouse. If there is condensation dripping from the walls, roof and plants it means there's not enough fresh air. Ventilation is the answer here. Self opening vents, or vents on a timer along with a low speed fan should be enough to do the trick. Just be careful not to bring in too much outside air when the temperature is quite low outside. Freezing your plants would be worse than having too much humidity. Don't trade one evil for another.

By following these simple tips you'll be able to avoid 6 of the most common problems that beset the new geodesic dome greenhouse gardener. With planning and careful tending of your crops you'll soon be harvesting fresh organic veggies for your family all year long. For More Information Visit www.GeodesicDomeGreenhouse.org

The New Age of Gardening - Aquaponics

However, even with these hardships, you can still have a thriving garden, literally growing whatever you want, whenever you want, wherever you want.

What if I told you that after setting up a very simple system, you would not have to do a single thing while your plants grow until they are ready for harvest? What if I told you that at the same time you can raise your favorite kind of fish? What if I told you that kids, adults, and seniors will love taking part of this?

That's what you get with Aquaponics. Simply put, Aquaponics is growing a garden, raising fish, and feeding the garden with the water the fish live in. This makes a very full freezer, all year round, and tons of fun. Kids enjoy watching the fish and plants grow together, they enjoy feeding the fish, and they will definitely enjoy learning about the relationship involved.

You can do this anywhere, in any volume. We've had systems where we grew one plant with one fish, and we've also had systems where we've raised 300 fish and a thousand pots of lettuce. It is all up to you!

Here's a few reasons why Aquaponics is quickly becoming one of the leading trends, and why it is better then Hydroponics.

With Hydroponics, you have to give your plants all kinds of chemicals to simulate what they would gain from the soil and the sun. This makes them inorganic, not to mention taste different. Trust me, you can taste the difference. We recently did a study with 7 volunteers

Each one was given a cucumber, a pepper, a strawberry, and a handful of green beans - twice. One side was grown in a Hydroponics system, the other was grown in an Aquaponics system. All 7 volunteers agreed that, without knowing what was what, the produce grown in the Aquaponics system tasted better. All 7 also said that the produce grown in the Hydroponics system simply tasted watered down.

The reason Aquaponics is more beneficial is simple. The fish eat all kinds of things - sweet corn, lettuce, algae, bugs, worms, minnows - they then produce beneficial waste. This stays in the water, which is then pumped to the plants. That is why you will never see a "weak" looking Lilly pad!

The choice is simple. You and your family take your children to school, work full time jobs, have extra curricular activities - you don't always have the time to grow lettuce or strawberries indoors. Until now. With the Aquaponics system, you can literally set it, and forget it. Well, besides feeding the fish!

Would you like to learn how to build your own cheap and easy Aquaponics system? Check out the link below! Take a look at the rest of our site for free gifts, more gardening tips, and more fun!