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How to Grow Your Own Vegetable Garden
In: Planting
2 Sep 2011Most of us, at one time or another, have considered growing vegetables and now, with rising food prices and a new emphasis on local, organic produce, public interest is at an all-time high. And while growing your own veg is too complex a topic to cover in a few hundred words, here’s a bit of advice to consider as you get started.
Where Shall I Plant?
No matter where you are, you can grow something! If you’re fortunate enough to have your own garden, you can start there, tilling the ground directly, or building raised beds, which lend themselves to a neater appearance and, most importantly, better drainage. If you live in a city, you may have access to an allotment, where you can rent your own beds for cultivation (for a short list of where to find urban allotments, see the end of this article). Finally, container gardens are appropriate for all but the largest vine-producing plants. Place your containers on your balcony or patio for plenty of sunlight and be sure to add adequate water and fertiliser when required.
What Shall I Plant?
The first answer is, “Whatever you like!” After all, if you truly dislike aubergines, you won’t want to grow them, even if they are a gorgeous colour. The second, more practical, answer is, “it depends on the ‘where.’” If you’re using your garden or an allotment, you should have plenty of room for most types of veg, including those with long vines and large fruits, such as pumpkin and other squash, or tall veg such as sweet corn. Container-friendly plants include tomatoes, beans, and herbs of all kinds, lettuces, beets, and peppers. You can also find container-friendly carrots and climbing courgettes. Many plant varieties require that your start them indoors, when the weather is still cold, then gradually acclimate, or “harden” them to outdoor life. If you do not have the space for this, consider purchasing small, hardy, hybrids for greater success.
What Tools Do I Need?
To begin planting in your garden or allotment, you’ll most likely need access to a tiller (buy one with friends to share the expense), to make short work of plowing. You’ll need a spade for digging large holes, a trowel for the smaller ones, and for container gardening. A hoe helps you chop up dirt clumps and is good for weeding in large patches; while a hand fork helps you remove those nasty weeds by the root. Always wear gloves, particularly when weeding; skin can be sensitive to plant juices. A water hose will help you keep your veg watered in dry spells; for container gardens, a simple watering can suffices. A good fertiliser, such as potash, and compost will help nourish your plants. You can purchase compost, or make your own, for which you’ll need a good compost bin. If you don’t wish to build your own raised beds, you can purchase these also, as well as containers that are decorative as well as serviceable. If you’re growing on an allotment or in your own garden, consider a polytunnel, which allows you to give sensitive plants the right amount of humidity.
Some people seem to take naturally to gardening; their thumbs are green – and so are a few fingers! Most of us, however, have to learn quite a bit as we go. For more information on video gardening courses and online tutorials, MyGardenSchool.com will give you the information you need to keep gardening enjoyable and productive, helping you avoid discouraging (and sometimes costly!) errors along the way. Check out our many course offerings and make your gardening dreams reality!
List of Urban Allotment Websites:
Aberdeen: www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/parks/pos/pos_allotments.asp
Bath: www.bathnes.gov.uk/environmentandplanning/parksandopenspaces/Pages/Allotment%20Sites.aspx
Belfast: www.belfastcity.gov.uk/parksandopenspaces/allotments.asp
Birmingham: www.birmingham.gov.uk/allotments
Cardiff: www.cardiff.gov.uk/content.asp?nav=2%2C2868%2C4407%2C4408
Edinburgh: /www.fedaga.org.uk
Glasgow: www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/Residents/Parks_Outdoors/Gardening/Allotments
Leeds: www.leeds.gov.uk/Environment_and_planning/Parks_and_open_spaces/allotments.aspx
Don’t see your city listed? Then go to www.allotment.org.uk for a complete list of local links and other helpful information!
An Overview of Orchids
7 Jun 2011
Orchids are some of the most prized flowers, often given on joyous occasions. Originally associated with wealth and luxury, they now have many different uses and symbolisms, being found in wedding bouquets, flowerbeds, and in gifted floral arrangements. If you are hoping to send orchids to someone you care about, the following guide can provide a quick overview of some of the types of orchids available.
Orchids can be visually striking flowers as the petals and the centre of the flower are often contrasted in colour. For example, many orchids are a light pink colour on the outside, and a deep purple toward the centre. There are several different subgroups of orchids, including cymbidium, vanda, and cattleya. Among these subgroups is a wide variety of colours, shapes, and textures that make orchids one of the most versatile and sought-after flowers.
• Cattleya: The cattleya orchid features a bell-shaped centre with broader petals going outward, sometimes overlapping one another, or separate so that the flower has somewhat of a star shape to it.
• Cymbidium: Cymbidium orchids, also known as boat orchids, are evergreen orchids which can be grown in the winter, making them a popular choice for a houseplant. Though they can resemble the cattleya in appearance, they are sturdier due to the waxy texture of the petals.
• Vanda: These orchids, which are found throughout Asia, have rounder petals than the cattleya and cymbidium orchids. The variety of available colours makes Vanda orchids popular for creating hybrids to be used in cut flower arrangements.
Sending floral arrangements long-distance has never been easier; for example, if you wish to send gifts to India from the U.K., you can easily do so thanks to the convenience of an online service, aryan florist for example. When you do select an arrangement, keep in mind that orchids are one of the most diverse flowers, and their variety makes them a highly popular choice for an array of floral arrangements.
From a Seed to an Apple Tree
15 Mar 2011
Growing plants is a wonderful garden activity for both grownups and children. In this article we’ll tell you how you can grow an apple tree from a simple seed.
- Save some seeds whenever you eat an apple , or just buy some from the store or ask your neighbor
- When you have about 10 seeds, take your seeds and lay them out to dry for a few days until there is no moisture on the outside shell.
- Once the seeds are dry, cover them with a damp paper towel and place them in the fridge. Check every so often to make sure the towel’s damp. Once the seeds have been in the fridge for about a month, the seeds should have sprouted.
- Put the seeds in a small cup of potting soil and remember to water them every day (or else the soil gets dried out and crumbly). Now just wait for some growth!
- Once you have a small apple seedling, transplant it to a larger pot and keep watering daily. If you want ‘all-natural apples’ do not add storebought fertilizer (you can use leaf mulch or compost).
- Pick a location for your tree. Choose a planting site that gets full sun, is convenient and has a big enough space to grow (in other words, no rotten apples in the neighbor’s yard). With pruning, expect the tree to eventually reach a height of 20 ft or so).
- Transplant. Once your little sapling has gotten big enough that no one will step on it or think it is a weed, carefully transplant it without cutting off any roots. Best time of year to plant depends on location – in Zone 8 or so and warmer fall planting can work well, otherwise plant in spring, once the threat of hard frost has passed. Dig the planting hole much wider than the roots to allow them to grow easily. Water the tree in well to eliminate air pockets, then spread a mulch of hardwood chips or hay a few inches thick, in a 3 ft circle around the tree. This will help retain moisture and keep grass from growing and out-competing your young tree’s roots for water and nutrients. Speaking of which, do not add any nitrogen sources (fertilizer, un-aged compost) when planting. Wait a month or two before considering adding a slow-release nitrogen source.
- Let nature take care of the rest. After the first year, you can stop watering it, unless you live in an extremely dry area, in which case you should continue to water, at least during the dry season. The equivalent of an inch or two of water a week is ideal for the first year – make sure you give it a good soaking, and not a sprinkle.
- Prune as little as possible the first few years, so you don’t delay fruit bearing. An apple tree wants to build a lot of growth before it decides to create fruit – it’s way of reproducing – so let it grow till it starts to bear.
- Eventually (hopefully!) the tree will bear fruit. Apples are normally propagated by grafting because they do not reproduce true from seed, so your seedling tree is an experiment! It may produce fruit that tastes wonderful, or not…but either way the fruit is unlikely to resemble the apple the seed came from.
- Growing fruit will take pruning, thinning, and keeping insects and disease at bay, among other things. There are many good books and resources to guide you. A great place to start is your state school extension, they may have helpful summary bulletins. Remember that your apple is what’s called a seedling, standard, or full-size tree; follow the recommendations for this type. Good apples can be a challenge to grow, depending on your area, so read up on the pests and diseases in your locale.
We hope you have fun !
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