Reference GardenDesigner.com - Garden care, climate map, plant database, resources and garden links GardenDesigner.com Reference Garden & Landscape Reference Section Search for Plants in the USDA Plant Database Use the USDA search engine to look up the right plant for sun or shade, large or small or find new plants materials to use in your garden landscape. U.S. Look up your climate zone for average minimum temperatures in your region of the country to check the minimum plant temperatures before you plant. Garden Care & Maintenance Make taking care of your garden can be easy with these garden maintenance tips. Garden Links and Resources Browse our resoures and links section to find more great ideas for landscape and garden design solutions. Recommended Garden Books Check out our selection of garden books that include everything from garden design, to how the maintain garden beds, to garden construction.
How to start a vegetable garden Spring has sprung, and even if you have a black thumb, you may be feeling inspired to dig in the dirt. How about starting a vegetable garden? Though the process involves more than picking a random spot, making holes and planting seeds, taking these simple steps can help ensure a successful growing season. Plan your plot. Test the soil. Purchase the right tools. Prep the soil. Choose the right seeds. Plant your seeds. Keep it up. Have other ideas on how to start a vegetable garden? See also: MNN homepage photo: tboard/Flickr
Organic Lawn Care For the Cheap and Lazy Lawn care in a nutshell: Must do: Set your mower as high as it will go (3 to 4 inches). Water only when your grass shows signs of drought stress and then water deeply (put a cup in your sprinkler zone and make sure it gets at least an inch of water). Optional: Fertilize with an organic fertilizer in the fall and spring. I recommend the Ringer brand. Now for the verbose details on lawn care: A little knowledge makes it so damn near anything can qualify for the "cheap and lazy" label. The key to the lawn care game is competition. lawn care must do: mow high There is a fight for sun. MYTH: "If I mow short, it will be longer until I have to mow again." If you have a serious weed infestation, consider mowing twice as frequently as you normally do. Finally, when mowing, be sure to leave the clippings on the lawn. Mowing higher gives the following perks: Check out this pic. lawn mower My lawn care mower of choice? Update! There has been a lot of discussion about this in our forum.
Growing Your Own Garlic - Planting Growing Harvesting and Storing Garlic As far as I'm concerned, garlic gets the blue ribbon for growing your own. It's absurdly easy to plant and care for; it tastes great; it looks beautiful and it takes up so little ground that even those with very small gardens can raise enough to be self-sufficient in garlic for a good part of the year. All you have to do is choose the right varieties; plant at the right time, in the right soil; then harvest when just right and store correctly. 1. Choosing Types of Garlic If you look in a specialist catalog like the one at Gourmet Garlic Gardens, you'll find dozens of varieties of garlic listed. You see where this is going – and you can see a lot more types of garlic on either of those websites, but for general purposes the most important difference is the one between softneck and hardneck. Softnecks are so called because the whole green plant dies down to pliancy, leaving nothing but the bulb and flexible stems that are easy to braid. Gardeners in most of the U.S. can try some of both. 2.
How to Plant an Avocado Tree: 16 Steps Some growers find that placing the seed in water to sprout it risks producing a long, leggy tree that fails to fruit. In this case, it is better to place the seed in the ground without soaking first. 1Obtain a good quality avocado fruit. Cut the fruit flesh away from the seed. It is easiest to cut it the long way around. 2Twist the seed to remove it. You Grow Girl | Gardening for the People. Building a Two-Can Bioreactor Purpose Two-can bioreactors are designed to be used as small-scall indoor composting units for families, and for composting as an educational tool in the classroom. Materials 32-gallon plastic garbage can 20-gallon plastic garbage can drill brick spigot (optional) duct tape (optional) insulation (optional) Construction Using a drill, make 15 to 20 holes (0.5" to 1" diameter) through the bottom of the 20-gallon can. Note: A system of 10-gallon plastic garbage cans that can fit inside 20-gallon cans can be substituted if space is a problem. The composting process in the cans will take from three to five weeks. Credits
Vegetable Garden Guide: Vegetable Seed Guide - Martha Stewart Depending on when you order your seeds, you will have less or more time to start seedlings or plant them directly into the ground. Here's a quick reference for what can be planted when. Early Seeds: The following seeds can be planted directly into the ground (direct sow), even before the danger of frost has passed: Asian greens, beets, carrots, lettuce, peas, radishes, spinach, turnips. Post-Frost Seeds: The following should be planted outside after all danger of frost has passed: beans, corn, cucumbers, pumpkins, squashes, Swiss chard. Indoor Seeds: In warm climates, even tomatoes can be sown directly into the garden. Eggplants and Tomatoes: 6 to 8 weeks before last frost Artichokes: 8 weeks before last frost Peppers: 8 to 10 weeks before last frost Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, and Cauliflower: 4 to 6 weeks before transplanting out Leeks and Onions: 6 to 8 weeks before transplanting out
How To Save Tomato Seeds {Plus Tips When saving seeds from this year’s harvest for next year’s, you’ll find best results with heirloom tomatoes rather than hybrids (hybrids are typically the ones you purchase in grocery stores and regular greenhouse seedlings). Once you make your initial purchase of heirlooms, you’ll be able to do this year after year. Farmers markets are a great place to find them. Here’s how you do it: Cut tomatoes in half then squeeze out the pulp into a clear glass container (wide mouth mason jar or small bowl for example).Add a couple tablespoons of water (double the amount if there isn’t much juice) then cover jar or container with a piece of cheesecloth (a coffee filter will work well too), secure in place with an elastic band.Leave the container to sit at room temperature for about 4 or 5 days until you notice a layer of white scum/mold form on the top (this process is fermenting).Skim off the white scum then pour into a large bowl, fill with cool water and let sit for a minute or two. A few tips: