EZ Gardening For Beginners

Container gardening is a very easy way of growing flowers, herbs and vegetables. While tilling, weeding and planting plants in a big backyard patch can consume many hours and even days, container gardening is much faster.

All you need is essentially a good size container, a bag of good potting soil and the plant that you want to grow. There is no tilling, no weeding and no digging holes to plant the plants. Just add some soil about half way up the container, set your plant in and then fill around the plant with more soil. Container gardening is fast and easy and can even be achieved by busy people.

If you think you are too busy to have a garden and a healthy crop of vegetables, think again. There are many vegetables that do not need much attention. After planting, besides the quick watering, there are only a few other smaller things that need to be done to a container garden.

As we just found out, planting a container garden can be done in a very short amount of time. After you planted your chosen vegetables or herbs, the plant needs to be watered on regular bases, as well as fertilized. If you want to make your regular fertilizing efficient and fast to safe you time, just buy one of the liquid or powder fertilizers that can be added to the watering can and therefore combine the two steps into one.

Considering that you most likely will not have to weed a container garden, you save a lot of time. If you used proper gardening or potting soil bought at your local garden center you will have controlled soil in your container that should not grow any weeds.

During the growing season you might have to get some supports to help your plants support the vegetables. This task is also fairly fast done. At the time you buy your containers, soil and plants, just go ahead and buy some plant stakes that you later than just insert into the soil close to the plant and then attach the plant with some string or gardening wire to the stake. This should not take you more than a few minutes per plant and your crop is secured.

When getting ready for your container garden, make a list where you write down the essentials that you will need during the growing season. If you are able to get everything that is necessary to grow your plants right away before you start you will be able to safe a lot of time. You will have any and all accessories on hand and get your maintenance tasks done within minutes. This way having a container garden and getting a great crop at the end of the growing season is even possible for busy people. Whether you run from appointment to appointment or you work long hours, a container garden will need a few minutes of care at the end of the day from you, a few minutes that are surely possible in even the busiest schedule.

Some of these tasks can even be done by other family members if necessary. If you prepare the watering can the night before, your kids or other household members will be able to water your plants on the days that you might not be home because you are on business trip or similar. Even your neighbor might be able to help out on those days that you are out of town since it is so fast and easy to take care of a container garden. So go ahead and start one now, you will love the result and be proud of yourself when you harvest the first vegetables that you planted.

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.

Composting is fast becoming the preferred fertilizer and soil conditioner for all gardeners in the know. Indeed, there is probably nothing that is better for your garden than homegrown compost. There are many natural advantages to creating your own compost, including increased fertility, cost and efficiency. Here are some uncomplicated compost ideas for your little garden.

What is Compost?

But maybe you are new to the world of compost, or need a little refresher. There is good reason why so many experienced gardeners swear by compost. Straight compost can easily take care of all your garden’s fertilizing needs, including fertilizing your lawn, flowers, shrubs, fruit trees and vegetables. Essentially, compost is what is created when organic material breaks down and decomposes in an enclosed area. For instance, in a composting bin, organic matter breaks down with help from the moisture in that enclosed area. Many chemical reactions take place that allow for the decomposition of the material. The combination of heat and moisture create a dark, earthy material called hummus. In essence, compost is nature’s way of recycling used organic material into rich new earth.

Why Your Garden Needs Compost

All good, healthy gardens need the ingredients that are contained in compost. Most notably, compost is composed of nitrogen, along with more than a dozen of other essential nutrients and micronutrients. Compost imbues soil with the micro biotic activity that it needs in order to begin producing. Thus, soil that has been mixed with compost will become more hospitable to plants, feeding the roots of all kinds of plants and creating the kind of environment that will allow your plants to thrive.

How to Make Your Very Own Compost

Start your own compost pile today and you will have good compost in about six months time. Here is an easy recipe for making your own compost. First, choose a spot for your compost. Ideally, you would like to have a bin, but a cleared off corner will do. In general, you want your compost to be composed of 40% browns, 40% greens and 20% steer manure or chicken. Browns refer to organic material that is naturally brown, including sawdust, dry leaves, twigs, straw and paper, including shredded newspaper and junk mail. Greens include such organic materials as overripe fruit, grass clippings, vegetables, landscape trimmings, spent blossoms and blooms, flower stems and others.

Easy Tips for Maintaining Your Compost Pile

Here are some easy tips for maintaining your compost pile. You will want to blend manure into your green and brown material. Try to layer your greens and browns in your composing area. Don’t let your compost pile go dry. Add water periodically and use a pitchfork to turn your pile on a regular basis. Ideally, you want your compost pile to be moist, but not too moist. Aim for it to be about as moist as a wrung out sponge. Every week, use your pitchfork to turn your pile. When you add new organic material to your compost pile, try to layer the browns over the greens.

No Fuss, No Muss Composting for Your Little Garden

There are a lot of easy way to compost with no fuss and no muss. If you don’t have enough room in your yard for a full-scale compost bin in your yard, you can start small. Keep a compost kitchen pail by your sink so that you have somewhere to throw out food scraps. Once the compost kitchen pail is full, you can empty outside in your garden. Let nature take over and do its work. The organic material will eventually break down and enrich your soil, creating food for your garden.