Gardening Basics

Gardening is an enjoyable activity for many people. Not only does it allow you time to spend many enjoyable hours outdoors in the sunshine, it can provide fresh, healthy vegetables for your table....

Humming birds can be very charming, indeed. But how can you get them to visit your garden area more often? You could try simple things like adding a bird bath, or certain types of plants they...

Compost is an excellent organic material which can fertilize, condition and enhance the quality of your garden soil greatly. Often referred to as black gold by gardeners, compost is very dark in...

Rainwater gardens are excellent solutions to 2 common problems - you live in a watershed and are concerned about runoff carrying pollutants from fertilizers and pesticides into nearby lakes and...

Since the victory gardens of WWI and WWII, food gardeners have known that the time their garden requires is well worth the effort. Planting a garden at your private residence is a healthy,...

Every spring as the weather turns warm and the sun is shining bright in the sky you may decide that you need to landscape your yard. Before landscaping your yard you need to think about how to...

Clay soil holds water even when completely drained and is sticky. It is a heavy soil, containing minerals, clay, silt, sand, water and air. Clay soil is found throughout the US, but is most...

Vegetable gardening can be a rewarding hobby, with a payoff of fresh produce at the finish line. Gardening doesn't require a large financial investment, but you do need to consider what plants...

Epsom salt is one of the easiest and cheapest fertilizers to use for a garden. It is primarily made up of magnesium and sulfur, which are important for seed germination and chlorophyll production,...

One of the best gardening secrets has always been soil additives. Some gardeners have their own formulas for creating the best gardens using mulch, compost and fertilizers. However, there are some...

There is no better time to start planning a kitchen garden also known potage. It is a small herb and vegetable garden where you can grow to suit your cooking.

Healthy, nutrient-rich organic soil is the most important factor in growing a vigorous, prolific garden. Building up garden soil is a time-consuming process, sometimes taking several years until a...

Once believed to be a delicacy reserved for special occasions, asparagus has become as commonly grown throughout Australia as peas and carrots. Exports of Australian asparagus are sold in...

High water bills during the summer months are common due to lawn and garden watering. If you cringe when you see an envelope from the water company, a rain barrel might ease the blow to your...

Water softeners use either sodium chloride or potassium chloride to remove minerals from hard water. Because they leave very little trace of sodium or potassium behind, it's OK to water a garden...

Keeping a gardening journal is an excellent way to stay motivated in your garden throughout every season of the year.

When considering an area for your first garden it is important to remove the grass or sod that is already there. Rather than using chemicals or tilling up the soil and disturbing the natural eco...

When you've decided you'd like to start a garden there are certain steps to take to ensure your success. It's a good idea to draw a picture of your garden, making notes on where the sun shines all...

If you live near a busy street, you probably hear traffic noise. If you have children who like soccer, the sides of your house might be a little dented. Garden hedges can reduce the traffic noise...

One way to plan and visualize a garden before you go outside with your shovel is to use an online garden layout application. This is a way to experiment with different options and get a sense of...

Wood chips make an ideal mulch for use in planting beds, around trees, and in decorative gardens. They also aid in maintaining adequate soil moisture and preventing weed infiltration. The...

Raspberries are a delicious berry that are fun to grow. They grow from shhots and expand rapidly.

Starting a garden in your very backyard can be fun and rewarding. Treat your plants with care and you’ll see them grow. Garden vegetables generally taste better than the store vegetables since...

If you are planning to start your own personal garden, there are a few simple rules to follow so that your garden will thrive. Whether you plan to grow a vegetable garden or you want some sweet...

Fresh garlic shoots are a delicious and healthy part of many recipes. Garlic is an easy addition to any vegetable garden and is available in two varieties. Hard necked garlic is often...

Garden games provide friendly family fun outdoors. Two indicators of a good garden game are their outdoor playability and their ability to withstand to the elements. A good garden game will remain...

Shade gardens feature a wide variety of plants with tone-on-tone green, purple and red foliage. Often the textures are shiny and pleasing to the eye. Converting a sun garden into a shaded area for...

Cedar fencing is ideal for general garden use because it is more resistant to rot and the elements than many other kinds of wood. Its reddish color makes it visually appealing and it is not as...

Throw your garden into motion with a path of garden stepping stones. Not only does it serve a purpose of beauty but also gives direction to otherwise dull landscapes and muddy walkways. Lawn...

Any serious gardener knows how important it is to know how to identify weeds. Knowing what kind of weed is in your garden is the best way to know how to prevent it from coming back and affecting...

Topiaries are garden sculptures created from plants that are trimmed in a variety of shapes. Most popular topiaries are created using ivies or decorative shrubs. While topiary templates are...

Wild apple trees are different from commercial apple trees in that they are not hybrids and they are more easily grown from seed than popular apple trees often found in nurseries. If you live in a...

Honeysuckle, while pretty when growing in areas that don't need a structured appearance, can add a sloppy look to your hedges. These pushy weeds can virtually take over your hedges, stealing...

Flowering plum trees feature beautiful green leaves, a rounded shape, light pink flowers and decadently sweet fruits. They generally reach 20 or 30 feet in height, with trunks that are 6 to...

Raised garden beds vary from 5 1/2 inches all the way up to 3 feet in height. Trying to find the correct height can be baffling, but you should choose the right height for your needs.

A waterfall draws attention in any garden. Most people plan their garden landscape design around the structure of the waterfall. Garden waterfalls can range from small to large, offering...

Sometimes watering your garden can be the most difficult or time-consuming aspect of gardening. To simplify this process and make your garden run easier, find a nearby stream with a constant flow...

We have all heard about the benefits of eating organic foods. Fresh produce in particular is important to eat organically because the pesticides sprayed on conventionally grown vegetables can be...

Learn how to save money by living off the land.

Hydroponic gardening is gardening without soil. Instead, water and a rocky medium such as pebbles, sand or gravel are used. Hydroponic gardening is gaining popularity because it is cleaner and...

Hay is dried grass that comes from grasses like clover or alfalfa. Hay and straw are commonly confused. Straw is the stems left over after such things as oat and barley have been harvested and has...

Tired of pest that eat or weakening your desired plants and you don't want to use chemical fertilizers? Have you ever though of using plants to deter or stop bad insect? Yes there are many plants...

If your yard has a lot of shade or a mainly northern exposure, you do have limits on the type of plants that will thrive there. Fortunately, there are a number of plants that do well in a northern...

Using field stones to form garden walls creates an attractive terracing effect, because the beds are elevated above the grass areas. This makes the plants in the upper beds easier to view. In...

Crabgrass (also called Digitaria) is a large, rapidly growing weed found in most countries throughout the world. The most common varieties of crabgrass in the United States is Large Crabgrass....

A backyard garden can be a tasty source of fresh, nutritious fruits and vegetables. An insect pest infestation of aphids, beetles and other common bugs can wreak havoc in your garden, decimating...

This article is a follow-up to the previous article, "How to Start a Tomato Bucket Garden, Cheap and Easy". If you have planted your tomatoes, you have plenty of sunshine, and good...

Compost is the 'black gold' of the gardening world. If you use it in your garden, your flowers, vegetables, fruit, and herbs will thrive. The best thing is, it's easy to make in your own back yard!

How to harvest the most garden tomatoes as you can, and how to store the green immature garden tomatoes so they can mature without damage to it or its flavor when they would normally die maturing...

Wild rabbits can wreak havoc on your garden because they will eat just about anything. There are two ways you can fight back. There are steps you can do take by changing your existing garden,...