Simple DIY Backyard Greenhouse Plans & Ideas For Building a Small to Medium Size Greenhouse at Home…!

For people that don’t have a lot of land, like apartment dwellers, there is a way that you can still have a garden. The solution is container gardening. Everyone would like to have a little color in their homes and this is the way to achieve it.

Container gardening is more than just adding color and fresh oxygen to your rooms; it is convenient, portable and not very expensive. Use different size containers to add interest, just make sure they are roomy enough for the plants roots to grow. Container gardening is versatile. You can grow small plants in dish like containers or have a huge container for a tree by your entrance. Before you start planting you must come up with a plan. You need to do research on the plants you want to use in your container garden. To be successful you need to know the watering, light, and soil requirements of each plant. You must also consider the amount of room you have for your plants.

Another benefit of container gardening is that you can group the containers together with plants that have diverse needs. Like the moist loving herbs next to a cactus plant. In an outside in-ground garden this would be disastrous.

When starting your container garden, proportion is the key to your success. You wouldn’t want to put a small plant in a large container. Although is could live nicely there it would look sad and forlorn. The container must have plenty of room for the roots, with proper PH soil, very good drainage so the plants won’t get “wet feet”, air circulation and plenty of light. Differentiate between plants that need strong, direct light and those that prefer indirect light. If a plant that needs strong direct light does not get it, the plant will wither and die. On the flip side, if a plant does not like strong direct light and you situate it in that way its foliage will burn.

The backbone of your container garden is the soil that you use for planting. It is never a good idea to bring soil in from the yard. If it is clay it will be to dense in a container and if it is sandy it will drain much too quickly. For your small and medium containers, purchase potting soil from your nursery center. For very large containers you may consider mixing your own soil mix. Talk this over with your nursery center or investigate it on-line and make sure it is a mix each particular plant will thrive with in.

Watering a container garden is a little trickier than your gardens outside. If you tend to be a little neglectful in the watering department many plants can survive this. What plants cannot survive is over-watering. If you keep the plants too wet their roots will rot. If you are a novice at container gardening, invest in an inexpensive device called a water meter. It is a tool that measures moisture in the soil and is very useful for beginners.

Be diligent about checking for pests. Try not to use pesticides that can be harmful to pets and small children. If you find an infected container plant, isolate it immediately and treat it right away. Do not put it back into the grouping until you are sure it is pest free. Here is a very good natural recipe to keep pests at bay:

In a jar, combine 1 teaspoon dishwashing liquid and 1 cup vegetable oil. Shake vigorously. In an empty spray bottle, combine 2 teaspoons of this mixture and 1 cup water. Use at ten-day intervals (or more often if needed) to rid plants of whiteflies, mites, aphids, scales, and other pests.

Container Gardening is fun and can be as easy or complicated as you choose. Just be sure that you know the needs of your individual plants and then you will have years of enjoyment.

Happy Gardening!

Copyright © Mary Hanna, All Rights Reserved.

This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.

Mary Hanna is an aspiring herbalist who lives in Central Florida. This allows her to grow gardens inside and outside year round. She has published other articles on Cruising, Gardening and Cooking. Visit her websites at Gardening Landscaping Tips

I just recieved a huge truckload of wood chips from the city and I’m wondering if it is okay to use it as mulch in my organic garden. I was told that they may attract ants to my garden. Do ants eat your vegies? Are there any other reasons I shouldn’t use the wood chips in my garden? I have about 300 sq. ft. to cover, so I’m hoping the wood chips will work fine. Also I’m going to use wood chips to cover my back porch where the land is eroding from the cement. I would like to build up the soil about 6 inches and put the wood chips on top of that. Can I just throw down a bunch of organic materials and then throw down the wood chips?

Well I guess this is alot of questions, thanks for answering!

I’ve started some seeds in soil cups and they are just now sprouting (I live in CNY).

Is it too late to plant them in a ground? I’ve never started a garden so that’s why I’m thinking of doing containers.

The seeds I have sprouted
onions
cucumbers
tomatoes
pumpkins (i know these have to go into the ground)

Herbs have been in use since centuries for various medicinal, culinary and aromatic purposes. Herbs are used even in many of the modern medicines, cosmetics etc. Having your own herb garden can be very useful. Planning it is definitely great fun!

Herbs can be grown in a number of ways. With a proper planning a herb garden can be an essential part of your home. You can choose to have it either indoors or outdoors. In case of limited outdoor space, you can opt for planting herbs on a windowsill or in a window box.

Planning

The first step to cultivating a herb garden is selecting the herbs you want to plant. There are different kinds of herbs for different purposes. Hence you need to first decide the main purpose of having a herb garden. Some herbs like thyme grow low and spreading while others like parsley grow in clumps. Some herbs are perennials and some are annuals.

First plan on paper. Decide the exact size you wish your garden to be. This helps in selecting the right type of herbs. Also, you can determine the amount of space per herb as per your requirements.

Requirements

Firstly, do note that herbs require well-drained soil. Before staring to plant your herbs, test if the soil is alkaline. Herbs need alkaline soil to grow. You can add lime to your soil to keep it alkaline.

Sunlight is a very important factor for herbs to grow well. Herbs need at least six hours of sunlight. In case you can not find a suitable sunny spot, you can plant the herbs in a garden container so that it can be moved around in sunlight. Keep enough space for the herbs to grow. The herbs need adequate air circulation to prevent molds.

Familiarize yourself with the herbs you will be planting. Read about the requirements and conditions of growing them. This will help you take proper care of them.

Planting the herbs

You can begin planting either with seeds or small plants from the garden center. It is better to have small plants rather than seeds as you will have a higher success rate.

When using seeds to plants, it is better to plan them ahead since the seeds require several months to grow. Keep your herb garden close to your home. This will help you to take care and check for the problems.

You can plant your herbs either in straight lines or in geometrical shapes. You can even have square beds divided into four paths. Plants even in the shape of flowing, curved beds and walkways look amazing. Some flowers and shrubs can add to the beauty of your herb garden.

You can refer to various magazines and books to know what type of garden best suits your needs. You can even seek professional help if required. They are easy to maintain and simple to grow. With enough drainage, sunlight, water and nutrient rich and organic soil, your herb garden can thrive for years.

I am so confused. I would like to know which type of mulch to buy for my flower garden? I have used what is in my yard to the best of my ability but will need something more. Cypress, Pine, Red Bark…Nuggets? What is best? I have never had to buy it before where I used to live. I am in NW AR if that helps also. Thank you for any advice.
Thank you everyone for your help, I appreciate it and it looks like I’m leaning towards to the shredded cypress unless more suggestions change my mind. And actually I’m in beautiful Arkansas but Arizona is quite lovely as well.