ISFMA the Blog

When it comes to garden décor, the options are endless. You have the realistic, the impractical, the pretty, the gaudy, the cute, and even the funny ways to decorate your lawn and garden. Sometimes nosy passer-bys can even spot memorial tributes that are blended in amongst the décor. It is not a farfetched theory that you can guess a couple’s personality just a little bit, based upon their means of lawn ornamentations. For example, if a couple has religious garden ornamentations with Bible verses on it, it is logical to conclude them to be of Christian faith.

Down in the great sunshine state of Florida, there are countless retirement facilities where eldery people go to retire and enjoy the remainder of their days. In their yards, they take great pride in their garden ornamentation. Not only will you see gorgeous plant and flower arrangements, but you will also see various other items as well. Perhaps you will see a ceramic Mother goose in a wonderful raincoat followed by a trail of her children, also donning raincoats. If you’re an avid traveler who goes RVing from state to state, then you have most likely seen fellow travelers putting out ornamentation surrounding their homes in RV camp grounds. An American past time favorite is of course, the infamous pink flamingo lawn decoration.

Let’s look at the suburbs of everyday America. In these overly cared for yards, one will most likely see a subtle plethora of décor. Maybe it is a simple pink dogwood tree in the corner of the yard with a bench underneath place could quite possibly be a memorial tribute for a dearly departed loved one. memorial tributes are a way for people to honor and remember family members whom they’ve lost. It’s a way to feel connected, in that quiet sanctuary in your yard.

For the environmentally conscious garden designer, there are many routes to take in giving your lawn and garden its personality. Inexpensive solar garden lights are a very realistic, environmentally sound way to light up your yard art. Be it illuminating a pebble stoned walkway, a cute rosy cheeked garden gnome, or a strong bird feeder along the bushes, it serves its purpose in an all natural way by harvesting its energy from the biggest ball of energy of all…the sun. When it comes to solar yard lights, the person whose aim is to ‘go green’ will be very pleased with all the benefits this offers. Extra security in knowing that even in the far most corners of your yard are well lit, it can give you peace of mind. And that is what everybody wants in the long run. Going green gives peace of mind all the way around.

The gardener in me really appreciates urban gardening because this is the area that I feel urban gardening began.

For centuries the inhabitants of Mediterranian have used the art of window box planting, hanging clay planters as they managed to garden and add beauty to their small personal spaces.

These people even knew how to compost in a small space by using containers in their homes where they added organic scrapes from their daily foods such as peelings, leftover vegetables and fruits and then adding a few worms. When the compost was ready, they drew out the worms, set them aside and added the fresh composts to their pots and flowerboxes.

Many gardeners in our cities are starting to have this European mindset. We are now seeing roof top gardens. Though most cities will not allow hanging planters and window boxes we are seeing these things on condo patios.

Community gardens are now becoming part of the urban gardening scene.

We are seeing more and more self watering containers for use on patios and hanging planters. This is a great boon for the urban gardener. In these you can plant flowers that will feed the soul and you can also plant vegetables to feed your body.

A good self watering container cuts down on the attention you need to give it. However, basically any container that has about 5 holes drilled into the bottom of it will create a good reservoir for your plantings. These types of containers will need a water catching dish or container base under them. For large, heavy containers you will do well to put some roller bases under them for easy moving around because most things you plant will need about 4 hours of sun a day.

Remember to use good organic soil. Get help and advice from your local organic nursery. The easiest plant to start with is the old stand by, the tomato! It is usually easier to buy a plant or two then to buy a pack of seeds. Cherry and grape tomatoes are wonderful in containers, especially hanging ones. Whatever kind you buy will probably need to be staked if you do not use a hanging pot.

Lettuce is always an easy urban gardening vegetable to grown. A few large pots filled with good organic soil will give you basically all you need for salads. I like to mix the salad greens or you can even buy packets of mixed greens today. Just sprinkle a few on the top of your soil and gently cover with another light layer of soil, then gently water and keep it watered. About a week or so later create another pot and do the same thing. I like my pots to be about 12 to 18 inches in diameter for this type of salad garden.

Believe it our not, one can even do cucumbers in hanging pots or basically any kind of pot. I like to grow the small pickling cucumber because they grow quickly and are delicious without peeling. Just make sure you wash them well because even though, as an organic gardener, you will not use pesticides, there are a lot of “things” in the urban air from soot to acid rain and you need to wash all you veggies before you eat them.

For the resources with heirloom organic seeds and organic gardening tip into please visit heirloom organic seeds web site.

One of the most hazardous things that can happen to your plants is extreme weather. Many a garden has been demolished overnight because of this phenomenon. And seemingly, there is nothing we can do to prevent it. Of course, if weather didn’t exist at all then we wouldn’t have those lovely sunny days that are beneficial to the growth of our plants. But then again, we wouldn’t have the tragic hailstorms that tear down everything we’ve worked so hard to grow.

When rain begins to fall, normally the first reaction in a gardener is purejoy. After all, this means you don’t have to worry about going out and watering it manually. The natural rain fall can’t be anything but good forall your thirsty plants, can it? Well, once that same gardener begins to see the gorgeous rain drops turn into small globules of ice, generally a complete emotional breakdown is in order. I know this from experience, because when I was a blooming gardener I had my garden completely demolished by about 10 minutes of severe hail.

When I first learned my lesson on the damage hail can do, I quickly devised a method of coping. I began to keep large clay pots within 10 feet of my garden, so that at any sign of hail I could run outside and have the plants sheltered in a matter of seconds. This saved me from being forced to watch my plants be ripped to pieces on multiple occasions. I’ve never dealt with hail more than an inch in diameter, but I’m guessing that if there had been any baseball sized chunks then those pots would have been quickly demolished.

But, as the number of fragile plants in my garden grew, it became slightly impractical to have a pot for each plant, and run outside to place each one before significant damage had already occurred. After much thought, I ended up building a horizontal, retractable screen mechanism made out of a strong but flexible wire mesh. At any sign of rain I could pull the screen out over my entire garden and have instant protection. Not only did it let the rain through, but the collected hail provided a steady drip of water for as much as a day afterwards. This project cost me several hundred dollars, and more blood, sweat, and tears than can be measured with earth dollars. Therefore I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone.

If it’s too late for you, and you’ve recently lost your precious plants to those wicked balls of ice, then you’re probably looking for some way to help the plants recover. Unfortunately there aren’t many choices for you. The best thing you can do is give them the tender care they deserve, and attempt to nurse them back to health over a long period of time. The several weeks after being severely damaged by hail are vital to whether the plant survives or not. If you expect more rain or wind, you should keep the plant covered. In this brittle stage, even raindrops or a strong breeze could cause more damage.

So if you live in an area that experiences frequent hail, you should definitely have some emergency plan for protecting your plants. Sitting by and watching them be torn to shreds should never be an option!

Other articles
pergola kits
Build a pergola
Pergola plans
Having a pergola in the backyard creates not only a focal point but it is a great place to relax or entertain friends and family. And they don’t have to cost thousands of even many hundreds of dollars. And of course you are adding value to your home.

The original square foot unit is 4×4ft, 16 sq ft, which can supply one person with vegetables and salads.

When I made mine I made raised beds and made them 36 “wide and since there were 6 of us I had to make two 3 ft. wide by 24 ft. long with a 20” path between them. Now if I had to do it over again I would make them 24” wide and do the math for the length. At this writing we are down to only two of us and one of them is not a gardener.

When I put the first square foot gardens in we removed the lawn and tilled the ground which is mostly red clay where we live so we had to modify that with top soil that we had hauled in and organic matter.

Then I read that about putting down old carpet between the beds.

I suggest plain mulch. Even today’s cardboards and especially newspapers have a lot of chemicals in them and on them. We could get wood chip mulch for free from out local lumber mill at that time.

If you are starting from scratch you will need a good layer of top soil and organic compost and we put about 10-12 inches in our raised beds. Here again we used the “double digging” method for our beds.

At this point our beds became pretty high and with the sloping down of the sides we were reducing our growing area, so we made wooden sides for our beds and that allowed us to put up trellises or growing hoops where needed.

Do not use pressure treated lumber. We were able to get some good boards from our local Amish lumber mill. Plus because we were also building a house and stuff was being delivered on pallets we were able to salvage the wood from the pallets.

We had a good crop that summer. However, in the following spring we noticed our raised beds had settled and we had to add another 5-6 inches of dirt to them. We also used seaweed emulsion as an additive.

The years have flown by and it is now almost 9 years later. We no longer need all those beds as I said there are just 2 of us now.

The container method is good for the urban gardener who wants to do square foot gardening.

For the info about heirloom organic seeds and organic gardening tip - read the heirloom organic seeds blog.

The winter is the ideal season for checking out all the different components of your irrigation system. It may be stating the obvious, but from my over 20 year’s worth of experience as a professional gardener in a hot dry country, many people tend to forget about it during the rainy season, only to wake up in a panic at the first sign of hot weather in the spring. So make a commitment to go through the system 8 weeks or so before the onset of spring. Let’s see then what has to be done, section by section.

Underground lawn sprinklers

Firstly open the tap to see which sprinklers if any are not working properly. Underground or pop-up sprinklers can sometimes sink somewhat in the ground. Adjust the height of the whole housing if necessary, even if that involves some digging to do so. Modern sprinkler heads have small filters inserted in the housing. Clean out each one. Three minutes work per unit can save a lot of frustration later, as part of the grass browns off in the summer, due to poor water coverage.

Drip irrigation

Irrigation drippers tend to get blocked in time. Switch on to see which ones are not emitting water. If the drippers are pre-set in the pipe by the manufacturer, then insert a “button” dripper next to the blocked up units. To reduce blockages in the future, it is essential to flush out the lines at least once a year. After turning on the tap, simply open the end of the line and let the water flow for about 5 minutes or so. The life span of dripper lines is usually up to 10-15 years, as mineral deposits in the water eventually make the line inoperable. However, neglecting to periodically wash out the system will significantly reduce their operable life span. I’ve seen drippers block up after 3 or 4 years when this simple routine task is ignored.

The Irrigation head unit

A professional irrigation system will include a controller, or timer, filters and pressure regulators. Needless to say, wash out the filters thoroughly. A dirty filter reduces the water flow rate, resulting in reduced pressure to the sprinklers, and blockages in the dripper lines. The operating efficiency of the pressure regulators should also be checked. These are vital for ensuring that the drip system is operating at the prescribed dynamic pressure, which is something between 1-2 Bars for a home unit.

Finally, spray oil on all the metal parts of the unit. What a pain it is to try and unscrew a fitting attached to the wall, only to find the screws are totally rusted! As a very great comic actor and writer once said – “Silly little point but it does seem to matter!”

Read about heirloom organic seeds and organic gardening tip info on the heirloom organic seeds resource.

Everyone who wants to be green is into composting these days. But there are different ways of doing it besides a big bin in your backyard. There is more than one way to make natural fertilizer for your home.

Worm composting is a method of recycling food waste and organic materials into compost with the use of worms. This worm compost is called “vermicompost.” Worms feed off of scraps of food and leftovers, which turns into compost as it passes through the worm’s body. This compost can then be used as soil or fertilizer for growing your plants. The reason the vermicompost is so good for plants is because the worms have been eating vegetable and fruit scraps that are rich in nutrients. This is then turned into compost very high in nutrients. Isn’t gardening fun?

Starting your own worm bin in the garden is relatively easy. Many people choose to build their own worm bin for worm composting and gardening. The main three ingredients you’ll need are the worms, a box and moist strips of newspaper. In order for your worm bin and worm composting to be successful, you have to provide the worms with what they need, which is air, darkness, moisture, food, and warm temperature. Make sure the temperature is warm, but not hot. The purpose of the newspaper or also leaves is to provide them with moisture and the necessary air spaces. The most common worms for worm composting are red wigglers and red worms. If you order them on your own, the scientific names are Lumbricus rubellus and Eisenia foetida. Otherwise, you may choose to get them from a worm farm.

Worms have been working hard making compost for years, only doing it on their own. Starting a worm bin of your own is just completing the cycle and stimulating the worm to do what it normally does anyways. The only difference is that you’ll be feeding them specific foods that they require and are better for worm composting. Although they’ll eat any type of organic matter, there are certain foods that are better for the worms being used in a worm bin for worm composting.

The most recommended foods for the worms are raw fruit and vegetable scraps. There are myths that people believe stating that any kind of leftover scraps are good, but this is not true. Try to avoid giving them oily or buttery cooked foods as they may attract pests. Foods like dairy products, oils or meats should also be avoided as they also can attract pests and will take longer to break down. Also avoid citrus fruits because of their acidity and ability to attract fruit flies. Onions and broccoli have a strong odor and should be avoided. Use a wide variety of foods if possible, with vegetables being the best. The more vegetable matter you use, the better your worm bin will be.

A nice size worm bin for starting is 24 “x 18″ x 8″ and should be more shallow than deep. The red wigglers enjoy living on the top few inches of the soil. You can choose a glass, wooden or plastic container. Wooden bins should be lined with plastic and covered with a lid, that fits loosely and has holes to allow in air. The more time that goes by, the less lining you’ll have in your bin and the more compost you’ll have as these little worms will work tirelessly eating their bedding. Harvesting (removing) your compost from the bin can take place in about 5 months. You can remove the compost and store it until it’s ready to use or use it immediately and start a new compost bin with the worms you’ve left behind. For more information visit Texas lawn care services.

Watering the garden plants by means of drip irrigation is unquestionably more effective than by sprinklers and more efficient in terms of water management. Roughly speaking, drip irrigation, if installed and applied correctly, can save at least 20% of the water that is lost in run-off, especially where trees and shrubs are concerned.

Working at the correct pressure

Drip irrigation should operate at as low a pressure as possible. In small, private gardens, a pressure of about 1.5 bars is appropriate. For this purpose, a pressure regulator ought to be installed at the system’s head unit.

Very often, the drippers at the end of the line barely emit water. The reason is usually that the dripper line itself is too long and not because of insufficient pressure to begin with. A common mistake is to snake a line or two around the plants, instead of the correct method, which is to connect several shorter lines to a feeder or supply other.

The aim is to apply water at a rate at which it can be absorbed by the soil, while supplying an even cover of moisture for the plants’ roots. For this reason, it is important to know the flow rate of the individual drippers. It is best to choose those with the lowest flow rate available (flow rate is the volume of water emitted per unit of time) especially in heavy, clay soils and on slopes. For flowers, where complete coverage is usually necessary, it is wise to use micro-drippers, where the flow rate of each unit is 1 liter per hour.

Care and maintenance

Blockages are the main problem associated with drippers. Firstly, a filter designed for drip irrigation should always be installed. Secondly, it is wise to flush the lines once or twice a year. This from my experience can extend the lifespan of the system to some 10-15 years, whereas failure to carry out this simple procedure is liable to result in blockages after 2-3 years. Ultimately, the drippers will block up from the mineral deposits that accumulate over time.

Read this heirloom organic seeds and organic gardening tip resource for the heirloom organic seeds information that is a real hit in demand today.

Chemical weed killers or herbicides should be used as sparingly as possible in gardens as a whole, but especially in private ones. Excessive use of them is bad for the ecological balance in the garden itself.

Nonetheless, it is not easy to desist entirely from their application, although highly committed organic gardeners insist on doing so. As a devil’s advocate at least, one can outline the circumstances in which the use of herbicides is the most effective way of managing particularly troublesome weeds.

For example, virulent perennial weeds like Convolvulus, Cyperus, and Oxalis can totally ruin an herbaceous border, or a carpet of ground covers, unless eradicated prior to planting. Sometimes, the only way of getting on top of the perennial lawn grass that has crept into the flowerbed is to spray it with a selective, anti-grass weed killer.

Yet whether you use herbicides with extreme reticence or otherwise, there are two types of weed killer that should be avoided altogether in small, private gardens. One is the pre-emergent category, that are sprayed or spread in granular form on the ground to deal with weed seeds that are about to germinate, while the other type is a group of herbicides that selectively kill broad leaved plants, without damaging grasses and other monocots. Other than environmental considerations, the application of either group often inflicts serious damage to garden plants in the vicinity, including those in neighboring gardens.

The problem with the pre-emergent weed killers is that they contain residual properties, remaining active in the soil’s top layer for a certain period of time. If the amount applied is excessive relative to the area treated, then either the soil or neighboring plants may suffer.

They are actually less dangerous when used in large open spaces, because at least the application rate can be easily calibrated. On the other hand, the granular forms that are generally recommended for spreading over small spaces, are far more difficult to calibrate accurately. For herbaceous beds in private gardens, it is preferable from every point of view, to reduce weed germination by means of an organic mulch.

The selective herbicides that are applied to eliminate broadleaved plants, are derivatives of the dreaded 2-4 D. They operate by disrupting the hormonal balance of the plant. They are dangerous because they evaporate very rapidly, resulting in vapors containing the poison landing on garden plants.

They are used primarily, to treat non-grass weeds such as dandelions, growing in lawns. Make every effort to avoid applying them, even if you have to hand weed every few days or so. Otherwise, make sure that only a qualified and experienced operator carries out the spraying. Needless to say, the hormonal herbicides must never be used in hot, dry, weather, let alone in even slightly windy conditions.

Unfortunately, some noxious perennials like Convolvulus, (Bindweed) are partially resistant to Glyphosate preparations (like Roundup) and can only be eradicated by use of some weed killers that belong to the latter category. Due to the danger involved though, it is better not to apply such weed killers in private gardens.

Access organic gardening tip publications and what heirloom organic seeds are about. Info about heirloom organic seeds is a hit today.

If you have a tiny yard and would like a simple but well-maintained garden, you only need two things - determination and know-how. Here are some tips on how to keep your yard gardening looking spruced up and glamorous.

1. Deadheading
Keep your border free from wilted flowers and dried leaves. Deadheading or removing dead flower heads will encourage the plants to produce more blooms for longer. Many perennials such as geraniums and dahlias, and some annuals benefit from having spent blooms removed

3. Pinch out tops.
Certain plants - especially foliage plants like Coleus - respond with a spurt of growth when their tops are pinched out. Pinching out makes the plant much bushier and so more blooms are produced. Fuchsias are prone to becoming leggy unless they are pinched out.

4. Fertilize lightly.
A minimal amount of fertilizer will further boost the growth of your vegetation. If you water your yard frequently, you have to fertilize it more regularly because of nutrient depletion. A fortnightly application of liquid fertilizer is sometimes more beneficial than granules as it is more readily absorbed by the leaves. Container plants will be considerably healthier with a half-strength solution of liquid fertilizer applied regularly.

5. Weed out.
This is one of the best ways to preserve the beauty of your yard gardening. Remember, weeds compete with your plants for both nutrients and moisture. If the weeds are not close to seeding, leave them on the bed to rot down for mulch. If you must use a weedicide, try and get a wick applicator, rather than a spray. This will protect you plants from spray-drift.

6. Water them well
One good tip when it comes to watering your garden by the yard is to give it a thorough soaking once a week, making sure there is no run-off to cause erosion. Deep watering will encourage the growth of deeper roots that will be able to withstand dry spells weatherwise

7. Say no to chemicals
Chemicals are dangerous to humans and often kill the natural predators of the pest in your garden, so avoid them if possible. There are many organic alternatives that work almost as well.

8)Fertilization

Just like watering, fertilizing depends on the type of plant. If you have managed to supply your garden with the right amount of light, water and humidity, fertilization may not need much attention. A good fertilizer can be bought from most home depot or hardware stores. Orchids need the special fertilizer available.

With these simple tips, your yard gardening will soon be the envy of your neighbors.

Most home owners would likely tell you that they want their property to look as good as possible. Landscaping is a great way to add to the visual appeal and also the functionality of your yard or garden. There are unlimited possibilities you can do with even a small backyard. No matter what style or size your project is, eventually you’re going to have to select landscaping plants. The species of plants that you select will depend on a number of factors. This is often the most difficult part of planning your landscaping design. Here are some of the things you’ll need to think about when picking landscaping plants.

Climate And Soil Conditions
Naturally, one of your first concerns is going to be discovering which plants will grow best in your area. Different plants will thrive in different climates. There are hundreds of beautiful plants out there, but the last thing you want to do is get one planted only to learn that it won’t survive in your area. Unfortunately, many garden centers and nurseries will sell plants and flowers that aren’t particularly suitable for that growing zone.

The same thing is true with soil conditions. Even in your own backyard, there may be several different types of soil. Some landscaping plants may not be hardy enough to do well in certain types of soil. For example, if the ground has a high clay content, some plants will not be able to survive as well as others.

Size And Shape And Color
The shape and size of the landscaping plants is another concern, especially the size they will reach when they’re full grown. If you’re landscaping in a small area, you need your plants to be sized accordingly. If the plants grow too big and crowd each other, not only will it not look right, but it will be unhealthy for the plants as well. The shape and color of the landscaping plants is also important. Usually you will have at least a couple of different types of plants in any given area. They should compliment or contrast each other in a way that enhances the look of the entire scene.

Personal Preference
One of the most important factors when selecting landscaping plants is to pick something that you’re going to enjoy looking at. If you’re going to put all of this effort into something, you’re going to want to enjoy it. That leads to the next point. Different plants require different amounts of looking after to keep them attractive and healthy. This means you should also take into consideration how much work you are willing to put into your garden after it’s planted, and select your landscaping plants accordingly. Some people don’t have the time or desire to put in the amount of effort required by some plants.

It’s also important to pick landscaping plants that are not going to attract pests or insects. Some plants are naturally pest resistant, and you should be able to find some that fit into your design. Taking some time to do a little research before you jump into your project will save you a lot of money and effort later on.

Other articles
how to build a pergola
pergola plans
Build a pergola
these articles are packed with practical advice on building a pergola in your backyard. Not only is a pergola a great place for relaxation but it can be a great spot for some climbing plants. Why not consider including a pergola in your landscaping plans.