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Integrating vegetables and herbs into decorative garden borders can add color and interest, as well as providing some fresh, home-grown produce for the dinner table. This works especially well in gardens that have limited space, or where the gardener does not wish to commit an entire garden plot to vegetables.
Planting more vegetables in garden spaces requires you to look at anywhere planting would even be possible. Plant more vegetables in garden spaces with help from a classically-trained chef with experience in both World class restaurants and private dining companies in this free video clip.
Making vegetable sprouts requires you to follow the guidelines of whatever it is that you're actually planting. Make vegetable sprouts with help from a classically-trained chef with experience in both World class restaurants and private dining companies in this free video clip.
Growing vegetable seedlings for market will require you to grow a larger quantity than you may be used to. Grow vegetable seedlings for market with help from a classically-trained chef with experience in both World class restaurants and private dining companies in this free video clip.
The topsoil that you should choose for gardening will vary based on exactly what it is that you're trying to grow. Find out about the types of topsoil for vegetable gardening with help from a classically-trained chef with experience in both World class restaurants and private dining companies in this free video clip.
To grow healthy vegetables, home gardeners need to establish strategies for effective control of plant diseases, as well as pests such as insects and weeds. Often, prevention is the best approach, achieved by practicing certain environmental and cultural methods and using biological controls. If these tactics prove unsuccessful, however, organic and chemical options are available and can effectively manage vegetable pests.
Garden-fresh vegetables are one of the true delights of the summer and fall seasons -- but there's no point in growing a vegetable garden if you can't enjoy the vegetables you harvest. Sometimes certain crops have a bad year and there's little you can do to salvage them, but for the most part, there are steps you can take to ensure flavorful vegetables. In fact, each step in the gardening process, from choosing plants to harvesting them, has an impact on flavor.
Testing the soil in your vegetable garden allows you to assess the soil pH and available nutrients. Inexpensive kits from the hardware store or garden center allow you to make a quick assessment of your soil, but are typically limited to testing the pH level and the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in your soil. Soil tests done by soil-testing facilities may also include an assessment of trace minerals, such as calcium, magnesium and zinc. They often include detailed instructions for amending the soil to balance nutrients and adjust the pH to achieve maximum growth in your vegetable garden.
A simple sheet of black plastic can thwart invasive weeds, keep garden soil moist, and even allow you to plant earlier. Yet black plastic isn't always the best mulch choice, especially if you grow perennial vegetables. Understanding both the pros and the cons of the material helps you determine whether it's the best mulch for your vegetable garden, as well as how to maintain it properly.
Home gardeners can plant vegetables from spring through fall to extend the season and grow a wider variety of crops. Cool weather crops perform better during the spring and fall, while warm weather crops need the warmth the summer months provide to flourish. Make sure you have access to the right crops during the right planting season by starting your vegetables from seeds indoors under grow lights, then hardening them off before transplanting them into the garden.
A leach field consists of a series of buried trenches or perforated pipes that release the waste from the septic system to filter through the soil and decompose. Small residential lots with septic systems may have little free space that isn't part of the leach field. However, there are many good reasons not to use this waste processing field as the site for your new vegetable garden.
Most of what you will need for a flower garden vegetable arrangement can be bought right down at the local farmer's market. Learn about flower garden vegetable arrangements with help from an experienced professional gardener in this free video clip.
Making an irrigating system is a great way to make sure that your vegetable garden grows as healthily as possible. Make an irrigating system for a vegetable garden with help from the owner of Healing Grounds Nursery in this free video clip.
Preen is always something you should use before planting a vegetable garden. Use preen before planting a vegetable garden with help from the owner of Healing Grounds Nursery in this free video clip.
Planting a movable organic vegetable container garden requires you to follow just a few basic, easy to manage steps. Plant a movable organic vegetable container garden with help from the owner of Healing Grounds Nursery in this free video clip.
You can protect vegetable gardens from cats in a number of basic ways depending on your needs. Protect vegetable gardens from cats with help from the owner of Healing Grounds Nursery in this free video clip.
One great tool to use to cover a vegetable garden is regular straw. Use straw to cover a vegetable garden with help from the owner of Healing Grounds Nursery in this free video clip.
Making your own raised beds isn't nearly as difficult as some people might assume. Learn about do it yourself raised beds with help from the owner of Eden Condensed, small space garden design in Los Angeles, California, in this free video clip.
When making dehydrated vegetables, you're always going to want to keep a few key things in mind. Make dehydrated vegetables with help from the owner of a raw foods restaurant in this free video clip.
Making vegetable pho requires four cups of vegetable broth and a few other key ingredients. Find out how to make vegetable pho soup with help from a food host and private chef in this free video clip.
How you'll plant peppers in a vegetable garden depends largely on what region of the world you actually live in. Plant peppers in a vegetable garden with help from a classically-trained chef with experience in both world class restaurants and private dining companies in this free video clip.
How you organize a vegetable garden will depend entirely on what specific types of vegetables you're trying to grow. Organize a vegetable garden with help from a classically-trained chef with experience in both world class restaurants and private dining companies in this free video clip.
Once you plant your vegetable seeds you need to immediately begin taking steps to properly care for your garden. Protect your vegetable garden after planting seeds with help from a classically-trained chef with experience in both world class restaurants and private dining companies in this free video clip.
Making vegetable lasagna with spinach is an easy enough process, so long as you keep a few tips in mind. Make vegetable lasagna with spinach with help from a longtime personal chef in this free video clip.
You can intercrop in a vegetable garden in a very particular way to actually free up a lot of space for bigger and better veggies. Intercrop in a vegetable garden with help from a longtime gardener and blogger in this free video clip.
Making the proper soil for a raised-bed vegetable garden will help make sure your veggies grow as well as possible. Make soil for a raised-bed vegetable garden with help from the owner of a nursery in this free video clip.
You can plant vegetables in a garden in a few different ways depending on your preferences. Learn about methods of planting vegetables with help from the owner of a nursery in this free video clip.
Sun shade covers are a very important element for certain types of vegetables commonly found in gardens. Make sun shade covers for vegetable gardens with help from the owner of a nursery in this free video clip.
Flat soaker hoses are a great tool to use when irrigating vegetable gardens. Find out how to irrigate vegetable gardens using flat soaker hoses with help from the owner of a nursery in this free video clip.
Not all methods for supporting cucumber plants are going to pay off in the long run. Find out about the best way to support cucumber plants with help from a board member of the Ocean View Farms Organic Community Garden in this free video clip.
You can make a vegetable smoothie creamy in a few different ways depending on your preferences. Learn how to make a vegetable smoothie creamy with help from Celebrity Eco Chef Bryan Au in this free video clip.
A wide variety of different fruit toppings go great with pancake breakfasts. Prepare fruit toppings for pancakes with help from a longtime kitchen employee in this free video clip.
Aeroponics is a method of growing plants without using any soil or growth medium for the roots. Instead, the plants are supported in pots or by other means, and their roots are suspended in the air. A nutrient mist is applied frequently so that the roots never dry out and they receive constant nourishment. There are many complicated and expensive aeroponic systems you can use, but you can also build a simple one that will let you plant and grow vegetables quickly and easily.
Push plows are not as common today as they were the past. But push plows are still available on the market, along with replacement parts. You can save money by making your own plow from pieces of bicycles. The only plow piece you will need to purchase is the blade. You may be able to purchase the blade used, or you can buy a new blade from a garden supply store.
A loader is a bucket on the front of a garden tractor that allows you to pick up and move materials around, including dirt and cement. This allows you to transport heavy materials when working on a garden without having to carry them. Many garden tractors, however, do not come with loaders. You can attach an aftermarket loader to your garden tractor to make gardening and landscaping easier.
Galvanized metal is a type of coated steel designed to hold up to the elements. It does not rust or deteriorate as quickly as untreated metal. This makes it ideal for outdoor purposes, such as vegetable beds. The metal also keeps the soil warm so it is ideal for cooler climates. Galvanized metal beds may heat too much in hot climates, unless they are used for winter gardens.
The number of certified organic farms more than quadrupled from 1992 to 2008, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and organic gardening is a growing trend among consumers seeking to ensure that the food they eat is free of pesticides and other chemicals. Whether you are new to gardening in general or have experience with traditional gardening practices and want to make a transition to organic gardening, challenges await you. “Going organic takes some planning, but it can be done, and once you’ve done the preparation, it’s really no different than regular gardening,” said David Chambers, manager of Mr.…
A garden hoe is a great tool to have, especially during planting season. Find out how to use a garden hoe with help from an expert with over two decades of experience working in Garden Centers in this free video clip.
Keeping vegetables in the fridge requires a little bit of care to properly preserve freshness. Learn how to beset keep vegetables in the fridge with help from a registered and licensed dietitian in this free video clip.
Many people have made water conservation a key part of their overall mission to conserve natural resources and cut energy costs. Gardeners are experimenting with using gray sewage water to provide irrigation for plants. While gray water can be a valuable resource for the home gardener, it is important to understand how gray water conservation works in order to take advantage of the benefits without endangering your health.
If you have always wanted to transform that wet section of your yard into a beautiful garden, do not let the mud and puddles discourage you. Areas with poor water drainage can make garden planning a bit more difficult but certainly not impossible. Make the wet section of your landscape stand out like a rainforest paradise, rather than an eyesore by adding some tropical plants. With a little bit of ground care and a proper selection of water-loving plants, your garden will blossom and thrive.
Decorative gardens make any area of your home look beautiful, but if you live in a smaller space without a yard, it's difficult to experience the beauty of a garden on a regular basis. One solution is to create a tower garden consisting of vertical pots of flowers, herbs or other plants that can be displayed on a small balcony or patio. Make your own tower garden using inexpensive materials and tools purchased at a garden-supply store.
Pansies are colorful, cool-weather flowers that thrive best in mild temperatures most common to the fall, winter and spring. Though intolerant to freezing temperatures, pansies grow vigorously in cool temperatures ranging between 55 and 65 degrees F. These small blooms are fairly easy to maintain and can quickly fill their bed when grown in the right conditions.
Any furniture positioned in a garden is automatically more romantic. So when the furniture is a loveseat, the romance is heightened. Building a garden loveseat is a project that can be done entirely with two-by-fours and can be customized to be as fancy as desired beyond that. Using treated lumber is necessary when building outdoor furniture, and an all-weather stain is also helpful for ensuring the durability of the loveseat.
Whether you are growing fruit in your backyard or on a large farm, the type and quality of soil you use will directly affect the yield of your crop as well as the actual size of the fruit. Soil is a fine type of sediment that can vary in texture and pH level.
Catching fruit flies in plants is best accomplished in a very specific way. Learn about the best way to catch fruit flies in plants with help from the operator of a pest control business in this free video clip.
Cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers occur in the chaparral, and wildfires occur to cleanse the vegetation debris. Worldwide, the biome known as chaparral occurs naturally only in the coastal ranges, Central Valley and Southern California, extending into Mexico's northern Baja California. While a rather dry, rugged-looking landscape, the chaparral does sustain many plants with spectacular floral beauty. Creating a garden of this theme requires proper site selection and choosing plant material appropriate to your climate and soils.
Use a garden roller in early spring to smooth the soil after winter freezing and thawing cycles have disrupted it. Garden rollers break up clots and mounds of soil, making it simpler to plant, weed and harvest the garden. Build your garden roller using common tools. The necessary materials are readily available at most home improvement stores. You do not need construction experience to build the garden roller. While the project requires a full day of your complete attention, the garden roller lasts for many years, even when stored outside. This task is best accomplished with a helper.
More concerned about their food supply than ever before, Americans have developed an increasing interest in whether pesticides can be found in their vegetables, as well as in organic foods. The United States government strives to keep the food supply safe by setting limits on pesticide use on crops. Unfortunately, methods of testing vegetables for pesticides require cost-prohibitive and sophisticated laboratory equipment. However, you can minimize your exposure to pesticides in vegetables by choosing and preparing foods carefully.
Garden paths enhance the beauty of outdoor spaces and serve the utilitarian purpose of making your garden more accessible. There is no one right way to build a sloped garden path; however, stone steps safely accommodate areas with slopes up to about 40 degrees. Pick stones that accent the natural hues of your garden, especially when growing flowers or colorful veggies.
