EZ Gardening For Beginners

If you have children, then you know that they either want to help with everything you do or at least they will be there when you are doing it or using it, whatever it might be. In the case of a garden for example, whether it is a vegetable garden, a backyard area or the landscaping of your front yard, make sure that you properly include your kids. There are many reasons why you should include your children in your gardening plans. For one it is important that you make plans for a garden that does not include any poisonous or dangerous plants in the case of younger children. Everything in your garden should be easily accessible and there should b no contraptions or areas were children could get hurt.

There are essentially two major ways of including children in your gardening plans. First of all, when designing a garden, it is important to think of your children. Are they going to have a play area, is there space for them to run and play games and is the garden safe for younger children?

When younger children are members of your household, you might want to stay away from fountains and other water features since they can be an easy danger and drowning spot. Areas that are of different height, such as decks, walls and stairs need to be safe for children of any age. Including spaces for children in the garden does not mean giving up a beautiful and stylish garden. Children’s gardens can be hidden within you garden or be divided from the rest of the garden optically and not take a way from the beauty of your design.

A second way to include your children into your gardening plans is by letting them help. Whether you are planting vegetables, shrubs, trees or flowers, there is always a way that children can help. Children especially of younger age love to help with whatever task is on hand, therefore there are many ways you can give them work and there are many ways you can make them feel important and proud of what they did. Planning children into the gardening activities also means being able to built in some valuable educational time about the garden, tasks in the garden and the plants itself. You should start have your children help with the preparation of the soil to explain to them what is necessary for plants to grow, what has to be added or removed and where do the plants have to be planted.

For younger children it might be enough to explain a few of these steps and let them play with a shovel, a bucket and some soil. But do not stop there to include your children, maybe as a next step, make a layout design, draw it on paper with you children and then gather all the necessary tools to get started and make a list of what you have to buy. The list should include plants as well as any other items such as fertilizer and plant stakes. Take your children to the store; let them help you find the plants and all the items. While you are there, you also have a chance to look at other plants and maybe point out differences between the different varieties. For many of gardeners, the next step is almost the most fun, planting the plants. Watering is also fun for some of the younger children. Children always love a chance to get soaked. Older children can help with the daily watering and other maintenance tasks.

Therefore when gardening, do not forget about your children, include them into your gardening plans, maybe even give them a piece of garden of their own to take care of.

Are you living the city life, but sometimes wish you had room for a good old-fashioned vegetable garden? Take heart – there are many city dweller who appreciate the work and bounty of vegetable gardening. Who said that apartment living should automatically exclude you from the pleasures of vegetable gardening? Here are a few ideas for successful and easy vegetable garden growing for condo or apartment living.

Container Gardening – Discover the Joys of Growing Your Own Vegetables

Container gardening has opened up a new world of vegetable gardening. No matter what kind of space you are living in, chances are that you can grow your own vegetables. Begin by scouting out the perfect location in your apartment or condo for a vegetable garden. Do you have a sunny patio? How about a roomy (or not so roomy) deck? These are prime locations for your vegetable garden. Other viable locations include a sunny spot near a window, a front porch, a rooftop and a fire escape. The location you choose should get several hours of sun each day, and you should ideally have enough room to move around the perimeter of the garden. That is, you don’t want to plant where you won’t have easy access to all of the vegetables. Make it easy on yourself and choose a spot that makes for easy watering. If you choose a difficult to reach location and it becomes a pain or inconvenience to water the garden, there is a greater chance that you will abandon the project. The easier it is for you to garden, the more likely that you will have fun doing it and that you will lend your garden with enough attention to succeed even in the most trying environment.

Choosing the What to Grow in Your Container Vegetable Garden

One of the most difficult things about starting a container vegetable garden is that it can be confusing to decide what you will be growing. There are so many different varieties of fruits and vegetables, including an ever-growing assortment of tempting and charming-sounding heirloom seeds that it can send even the most determined gardener into a dizzy spell. First, decide what it is that you like to eat. Don’t grow tomatoes just because you’ve heard it’s easy. Grow tomatoes because you love to eat tomatoes and you can use them in a variety of dishes. Basically, you want to grow something that you want to eat, not what you think you should be growing. With care and determination, chances are that you will be able to grow whatever you truly enjoy eating. Also, of course, you want to keep in mind your climate and region. What grows best in your area? If you are not sure, visit your local nursery and ask about vegetables that thrive in containers. Pick a vegetable that is known to thrive in your conditions. If you know that your container will probably receive excessive sun, or perhaps less than average sun, keep these things in mind when you are choosing what to grow.

Start Small and Grow from There

Many first-time gardeners will tend to get overwhelmed by the selection and gardening accessories that are featured at local nurseries, and they tend to go overboard. Your best bet in establishing a successful apartment or condo container garden is to start small. Choose one or two favorite vegetables and start from there. If your initial enthusiasm for a homegrown apartment garden does not wane and you seem to be achieving good results in your location, add more vegetables to your growing repertoire. Also, only grow as much as you can eat. If you do end up with a bounty, give extra fruits and vegetables to friends, family and neighbors.

Even if you do not have a big back yard and space for a big vegetable garden you can still grow vegetables such as tomatoes. Tomatoes are a great first vegetable to try in a container garden. Container gardens can be cultivated on balconies, patios, outdoor window sills, along the driveway or even on a roof top. There are a few essential tips to container gardening that you should keep in mind.

First of all, when starting your container garden, whether it is from seed or from a young plant from your local garden center, the soil is essential. Many plants are very sensitive to the soil they are planted in. Unlike weeds, fruit and vegetable bearing plants do not grow everywhere and even if they grow on some minor soils, they might not bring they crop they would on a good soil. So get your pots clean and ready with a good soil recommended for gardening. Also keep in mind, that the container needs to be at least 5 gallons or more to properly support the growth of the plant.

Your second important choice is the plant itself. Tomatoes come in a great variety of sizes, colors and tastes. From cherry and olive tomatoes over plum tomatoes to big size sandwich tomatoes (such as fat boy), it is all available. Besides the size and taste of the tomato the size of the plant falls within this size. Some tomato plant get to a full grown height of only a few feet while others might grow up to 5 feet tall. If your space or height is limited where you are planning to cultivate your container garden, make sure that you pick one of the smaller varieties. A friendly employee at your local garden center should be able to direct you to a good variety such as the bushy types for container gardening.

Even in a container garden it is important to support tomatoes properly. The tomato fruit actually is very heavy for the weak branches of the plant; therefore it is necessary to attach the tomato plant to some kind of a support such as planting stakes, tomatoes cages or small trellises.

Tomatoes generally need 5-6 hours minimum of sun so pick your spot for the container garden appropriately. Do not pick the shade side of the house, too little sun will not ripen your tomatoes in time and also minimizes the chance of a good crop. The more sun the better will your tomato plants grow and most likely the more tomatoes you will harvest.

Tomatoes need to be watered on a daily bases in hot or dry climates. Generally it is better for tomatoes if they are not watered from above, but rather from below. This should be easier achievable in a container garden, since you will generally water fewer plants than in a big backyard vegetable garden. Also keep in mind containers, planting pots and hanging baskets dry out much faster than regular soil in a big garden.

Very important for container gardens besides the regular watering is fertilizing. Container gardens have a small amount of soil compared to the big surrounding of a vegetable garden in the back yard and therefore the amount of food for the plants contained within the container is much smaller. Regular fertilizing is necessary to provide the tomato plant with the essential nutrients to support a big crop and grow properly.

Tomato container gardening is a very possible undertaking for many different occasions. Tomatoes are such a versatile ingredient and can be used in salads, as snack, in soups, salsas, chili’s and much more.