Best Parents

You should be cognizant of the peak time for harvesting your vegetables. Each variety needs a slightly different amount of growing time to produce the most flavorful vegetable. Zucchini and baby peas, for example, have the best flavor when harvested early. Plant winter vegetables at the right time for a sweeter flavor. Simply educate yourself on what the best time is to harvest each of your garden vegetables. Use rainwater to keep your plants well hydrated, and feel confident that you are staying Read more [...]

In the cold winter months, you can salvage certain plants by bringing them into the house. Find out which plants will be able to thrive despite the transplanting and different indoor conditions. Cautiously avoid the roots while digging, and put your plant into a perfectly sized pot. During the hottest hours of each day, your vegetables become too soft, and even gentle harvesting will cause damage and bruising. Make sure to chop the vegetables off the vine, but be careful not to twist them. Twisting Read more [...]

The best gardens start with seeds, as opposed to plants. The most "green" way to create a new garden is starting from seeds. The planters used to hold nursery plants are generally not made from eco-friendly materials, and thus get thrown into landfills. Starting from seeds, or buying from one of the few nurseries that use biodegradable planters, prevents this. Before you start growing a garden, you should build a fence around it. Being able to keep pests and animals away minimize the factors that Read more [...]

Humidity and high carbon dioxide levels are essential to the healthy growth of some flowers and plants. You can create a humid environment by arranging a variety of plants in the same container. It is also possible to get more humidity by placing one plant in a larger pot, but surrounding it with stones or some compost materials to fill in the container. Another way to increase humidity for your houseplants is to spray them with a water mister one or two times per day. CO2 is essential for growth. Read more [...]

Bees are vital in gardening because they help aid in pollination. There are bees that can cause harm such as carpenter bees that consume wood in order to make their nests. Generally speaking, bees help your garden so it's best if you leave them alone. Though you can often place houseplants into new pots, some varieties will not do well if you disrupt the roots. To see if a plant should be re-potted, turn it upside down, tap the bottom of the container and see if it falls out. If the root structure Read more [...]

With root cuttings you can create new plants. Wait until winter when the roots are dormant before cutting them. Choose the thickest roots that have a good length and, using a sharp knife, remove them from the plant. Trim each root to a length of two inches. Fill up seed trays with a peat and grit mixture, then lay each root cutting on the soil's surface. Cover thinly with grit and peat. Leave in a cool place, and in about a month you will have new seedlings. Plant them individually in little pots Read more [...]

Some houseplants occasionally need to be re-potted, and others will react poorly if their roots are disturbed. To check which plants need to be re-potted, turn them upside down and tap on the pot until the plant falls out. If you see roots crowding the dirt the plant grows in, you will need to put the plant in a larger pot. If only a few roots are showing, or you don't see any, then the plant doesn't need a new pot. Healthy gardens cannot exist without water. Water is as essential for health and Read more [...]

Healthy gardens cannot exist without water. Plants can not survive without it. When it it hot outside, the soil in your garden can start to dry out, so it is very important that you are preventing this by watering your plants every day. By neither over or under-watering your garden, it will stay its healthiest. While caring for your garden in the fall, you will want to keep a lookout for stinkbugs. Fruits, peppers and tomatoes are among the foods they love to eat. If they go unnoticed, they can Read more [...]

Make sure that your deciduous shrubs are protected. If you've got tender shrubs which are potted, you need to protect them from cold weather. Tie the canes together, and drape a sheet or blanket over the top of the wigwam. People sometimes use plastic to wrap their plants, but plastic can cause the plants to rot because it impedes air circulation. Always keep your tools neatly stored away, especially if your neighborhood is prone to break-ins. It would be quite the nuisance to lose your expensive Read more [...]

There are many effective ways to use mulch in your gardening projects. Mulching your garden keeps soil moist longer by keeping water from evaporating so quickly. It also helps prevent weeds from growing. When gardening, try not to use broad-spectrum pesticides. Besides killing the insects you don't want, this type of pesticide will also kill beneficial insects. Useful insects are more sensitive to these pesticides than the pests, so by killing them, you could be growing your pest population. This Read more [...]