How to Start and Maintain an Indoor Herb Garden

January 7th, 2009

“How to Start and Maintain an Indoor Herb Garden”

If you are craving good comfort foods, you will find that fresh herbs add to the taste of a delicious home-cooked meal. It is satisfying to be able to just pick a few herbs and add them to all your family dishes from your own indoor herb garden. What do you need to get started? All it takes are a few properly prepared containers and some sunlight. Some helpful tips on growing and maintaining herbs follow.

The first thing to know is that you should grow the herbs that you and your family like best. Some suggestions include parsley, rosemary, oregano, dill, and sage. If you have an outside area, you can add basil and fennel or you can purchase these fresh from the herb section of your grocery store. If you purchase plants from the local nursery, you will save yourself a lot of time over growing seeds. You do not have to choose the largest plants, simply look for the ones that are most healthy and show the most rounded growth.

Most garden centers will be able to point you in the right direction on the proper containers and soil to use. One rule to consider is that the container must have the proper drainage as herbs do best in dry soil. You may want to use a water container under the pots to catch water run off and a little gravel in the bottom of the pot will help keep the soil from washing away. Most herb growers recommend that you do not have the richest mixture of soil as this makes a lot of foliage but produces very little flavor. What is most recommended is two parts potting soil to one part coarse sand. Perlite is often used as well. This will guarantee the plants will provide plenty of taste in your cooking.

Herbs will like a south or west facing window that receives at least six hours of sunlight each day. If you do not have the sunlight, you can use artificial light, but that seems to take away from the naturalness of the process for many gardeners. You will need to water weekly or twice weekly, but do not over water. Fertilizer should be used and should be a slow timed release type such as pellets or sticks and are available at any garden store.

You can take and use the leaves of the herbs daily or you can dry them and store them to use later. If you want to encourage new growth, be sure to cut off whole stems and not just the leaves. Do not butcher the plant down, though, as it will not live if you take off more than one-third of the total plant at one time.

To dry the herbs, just take and hang them upside down. This encourages the oils to flow back into the leaves. This process takes from two to four weeks. Once dry, store the herbs in a cool and dark place.

As you can tell from the above, herbs are simple to grow and add a freshness to your foods that cannot be purchased. You will have the satisfaction of providing for yourself and your family by growing herbs on your window sill. You can have pungent and tasty herbs 365 days a year with just a very little effort.

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How to Get Started Birdwatching

December 20th, 2008

“How to Get Started Birdwatching”

Bird watching may be both one of the world’s easiest
and most difficult hobbies. This seemingly
contradictory statement can be explained because bird
watching may be pursued at many different levels, from
the most simple to the most complicated.

At its simplest level, one can be a bird watcher –
also known as a birder — simply by looking out a
window and observing the various winged creatures that
may be passing by or hopping past. On the opposite end
of the scale, one may purchase the most costly,
high-powered telescope and portable tripod and traipse
across the globe in search of some of nature’s most
marvelous and colorful creatures.

Although, for most bird watchers, the purpose for their
hobby is to gain knowledge about nature, some people
have used the observation of avian creatures as the
starting point for very serious scientific research.
Probably the most famous example of this is Charles
Darwin. He was a naturalist aboard a sailing ship,
traveling to such far-away locations as Ecuador’s
Galapagos Island. It was Darwin’s observation of
different variety of finches that led to the
development of his theory of natural selection.

It is likely that the two most important tools for a
would-be bird watcher are an identification reference
guides and visual aids. A trip to a local public
library is a good way to borrow a reference guide. Some
of the most popular and widely used books for birders
are those published by the Audubon Society.

Binoculars and telescopes are the two choices
for making it easier to see far-away birds.
Binoculars offer the advantages of being less
costly, more portable and more compact in size,
but a telescope is the first choice for the very
serious bird watcher, as their magnification is usually
superior, and, when mounted on a secure tripod, the
image is less shaky and easier to see.

One excellent way to learn about birds is to go on an
outing with an experienced naturalist. At a Migratory
Bird Sanctuary in Delta, British Columbia, Canada,
where over 280 different bird species have been
sighted, such an opportunity is offered every Sunday
morning.

For no extra charge other than the basic
admission fee, people can walk along the paths with a
veteran birder. He will point out the various resident
and migratory birds that he observes, often pointing
his telescope at an owl, snow goose, chickadee, or
whatever feathered feature catches his fancy.

Although birds are easiest to see in the winter and
early spring when there are no leaves on the trees,
birding is usually more pleasant during warmer months.
For this reason, it is equally important to be able to
identify birds by sound as it is by sight.

Like any hobby, the more one learns about a topic, the
more interesting and fascinating it becomes. After a
few walks through nearby parks and other birding areas,
one may be motivated to purchase or construct a feeding
station and bring the birds to you.

That is the easiest kind of birding, when the birds come to you,
rather than you having to go out and look for them.

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The Myths Behind the Holiday Evergreen Wreath

December 1st, 2008

“The Myths Behind the Holiday Evergreen Wreath”

Today’s holiday celebrations are connected to ancient
ways by the season and by the beauty and symbology of
the evergreen tree. Celts, Romans, early Christians,
and civilizations around the world lived close to
nature and the outdoors. They worshipped within groves
of ancient trees. Early pagans would honor the largest
tree by placing presents beneath it, and many cultures
tied items to tree branches as symbols of prayers or
thanks.

Trees and other plants that stayed green the year round
were considered to have power. The evergreen tree
symbolized power over darkness and death, and
represented the never-ending cycle of the natural
world. Life continues its cycle even in the coldest and
darkest of days of the year.

Wreaths are an ancient symbol of victory. In the case
of the holiday wreath, this can be imagined as victory
over darkness, winter, or death. The circular shape
represents eternal rebirth, while evergreens symbolize
eternal life. Laurel has been used since the Roman
Empire as a symbol for victory; cedar suggests strength
and healing; and holly, pine and yew represent
immortality.

Even cultures that celebrated outdoors began bringing
evergreens indoors as reminders that the sun would
return. Some of the other natural items used to
decorate wreaths also had ancient significance. For
example, Holly is also an evergreen tree, which in
Celtic times was recognized as growing hidden among the
oaks for much of the year, but asserting itself over
its brother the Oak. As winter approached the Oak lost
its leaves and, symbolically, its power.

The Romans celebrated Saturnalia, and the holly tree
was considered sacred to Saturn. In spite of protests
from the Christian church, many Christians adopted both
holly and other evergreens into their Christmas
celebrations. Holly’s prickly leaves have come to
symbolize Jesus’ crown of thorns, and the red berries
represent drops of his bloodshed to save mankind.

On the other hand, Druids believed that holly warded
off witches and lightning, and many brought holly into
their homes during the winter months to provide shelter
for fairies during the storms.

As we weave our holiday garlands and wreaths, we can
remember these ancient stories of faith and hope, and
weave some of these images into our decorations as
well. But the holiday season is a time of generosity
and festivity whether you believe these ancient stories
or not. No knowledge or belief is necessary to
appreciate a wreath’s beauty and welcoming spirit.

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Bird Watching Through Children’s Eyes

November 18th, 2008

“Bird Watching Through Children’s Eyes”

What child hasn’t been delighted to see his first bird up close? Maybe it was a humble sparrow or a squawking seagull – whatever they are, birds are a natural delight to watch and can be seen anywhere in the world.

If you are looking for an activity that you can enjoy with your children, whether they’re five or 15, you might want to consider the popular hobby of bird watching. It is one of the fastest growing outdoor activities in America – and a great way for families to enjoy time together.

“What IS Bird Watching?”

Bird watching is more than just observing birds. It is an interest in the actual birds – their names, markings, activities, songs and habitats. Not only does it encourage a child (or an adult) to learn about birds, but gets them outside and builds an appreciation of local wildlife and nature.

Bird watching doesn’t require a strong knowledge of birds; you can learn with your children as you begin to locate and identify local wild birds. You can keep a list of the birds you’ve spotted and help one another identify what you’ve seen by making notes of the color, size and markings on the bird. You may even start to learn their calls and can challenge yourself to identify the birds by their songs.

“Where Can We Go to Bird Watch?”

Bird watching can be as simple an activity as setting up a bird feeder in your backyard and watching the local wild birds that come to you. However, your children will no doubt appreciate time spent outdoors, properly geared up for an outing of bird watching with you.

You will soon learn about the specific habitats that birds live in around your home. As you become familiar with local birds you may even want to take trips to areas that will feature different species than you have locally. Watch as your children eagerly try to identify these new birds before you do!

“What Do We Need?”

Bird watching is a very inexpensive hobby. If you are going to be outside you will want everyone to have proper attire – including an extra pair of socks and a hat.

Other than that you will need at least one pair of binoculars, although it is more fun if everyone has their own pair so nobody misses out on a sighting. A bird book (called a field guide) will help you to identify the birds you see. You should find one that features birds in your area since it will also give you suggestions about where to find them.

If your children are older, or you catch the bird watching bug, you should also take a notepad and camera. Take notes on birds you can’t identify and look them up at home with your children to determine what you saw. You might also develop a list of local birds and check them off as you see them. This is great for kids who thrive on challenge!

Bird watching is a fantastic hobby that the whole family can enjoy. Try it one afternoon and see for yourself how your family bonds while enjoying the fresh air and local scenery!

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Attracting Wild Birds to Feeding in Your Garden

October 27th, 2008

“Attracting Wild Birds to Feeding in Your Garden”

If you want to attract as many wild birds to your garden as possible, it is up to you to provide for all their needs. Fortunately it does not take too much work to attract a variety of beautiful guests to your outdoor ‘hotel’- as long as you know what they’re looking for.

PROVIDING THE RIGHT FOOD

What you want more than anything is to become known as a reliable feeding spot. Wild birds will find several feeding areas that they will visit regularly, by offering a good supply you will make it onto their feeding route. Be patient, however, as they become familiar with your offerings. Some birds may only start feeding in your yard when other sources have become scarce, but if they like it they’ll be sure to return.

Different species prefer different foods so provide a variety of seeds, berries and natural sources of nourishment to attract the greatest variety of birds. You might start with black sunflower seeds, white millet or safflower seeds. Try various seeds to determine what offerings are preferred by the birds in your area.

Provide the food from several sources since each species has a different preference. The ground is an easy place to scatter seeds and will attract small birds like sparrows. Safflower is unappealing to squirrels so putting it on a raised platform that is attached to a pole, your windowsill or a porch railing, will discourage them from stealing it from birds that prefer to eat above the ground.

Other birds prefer a hanging feeder. Place it in a tree or on your home where you can view it easily from inside.

Planting shrubs and trees that provide a natural source of seeds or berries will be a big draw for your yard. Dogwoods have a sweet fruit many birds like and holly will provide nourishment in the winter when the more favored berries are hard to find or already eaten.

OFFERING FRESH WATER

Birds love a fresh supply of water. You can make your offer of water as humble as a large bowl on a tree stump or as elaborate as a pond – your birds won’t care. Moving water will prevent mosquitos from breeding but you can also take care to empty and refill a bird bath to prevent breeding as well.

Winter makes it difficult for birds to find unfrozen water so be sure to use a bird bath with a heater or replace the water as necessary.

NESTING AND PROTECTION FROM THE ELEMENTS

Thick trees like evergreens make a good home, offering protection from predators and harsh elements. Thick grasses and shrubs also provide protection and nesting areas.

Choose plants that can be left to seed and you will be offering both home and food to your little guests – ensuring they will find your yard the perfect home for them and their little ones year after year.

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Planting Rhubarb

October 16th, 2008

“Planting Rhubarb”

A vegetable that many families will find interesting and fun to grow, not to mention quite tasteful when mixed with strawberries for a wonderfully baked pie, is your rhubarb plant.

A pie made from tender stalks of rhubarb in early spring has all the deliciousness of an apple pie, and a flavor that the apple pie seldom has without the addition of spices.

You can make use of rhubarb in so many ways that you will not willingly be without it after having found out what can be done with rhubarb. You will consider it one of the garden standbys.

Rhubarb will, like asparagus, grow almost anywhere, and under all conditions, but, to get best results it must be given a deep, rich, mellow soil, and the soil must be kept rich, year after year.

Plant the rhubarb in rows about four feet apart, and two or more feet apart in the row. Three feet would be better, if you are not worried about having enough space in your garden, since old plants make a very strong growth, and cover a large amount of surface.

Rhubarb is a heavy feeder,and quickly exhausts the soil in which it is planted, therefore manure must be used in very liberal quantities, or there will soon be a falling off in the size and quality of the plant. To be tender and delicate in flavor, it must make a rapid growth in the spring.

Cover the roots with mulch in the fall, and work this into the soil in the spring, adding a generous amount of well rotted cow manure, at the same time. Do this as soon as the frost is out of the ground.

Be sure to keep all flowering stalks cut off. If it is allowed to develop seed, the plant will throw all its energy into producing seed, and next season you will likely have a rhubarb plant that has been greatly weakened as a natural consequence.

You can have rhubarb very early in the season by setting a headless barrel over a plant as soon as the frost is out of the ground, and by piling horse manure up around the barrel.

This will help heat up the soil inside the barrel around the rhubarb plant. The young stalks, from such forcing, will be extremely delicate in texture, and provide great flavor and lack the acidity which characterizes the later growth.

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How to Plant and Grow Asparagus

August 28th, 2008

“How to plant and grow Asparagus”

ASPARAGUS, one of the most delicious of all vegetables, is doubly prized because it can be had so early in the season.
From old, well established plantings, it can be cut for at least two months, or until other vegetables come in to take its place. Asparagus is a plant anyone can grow, and it will grow almost anywhere.

Even though asparagus is a plant that will grow in almost any soil, this does not mean asparagus will take care of itself. True, it will live on and on, and I do not know if it would ever die out, though utterly neglected, but, in order to get a fine harvest, it is necessary that the plant should be maintained and taking care of like any other vegetable in your garden.

There is no vegetable that you grow that will better repay good treatment. Asparagus seems to do best in rather sandy soils, but, it has been said, it will grow in all gardens, and do well if thoroughly manured, without much regard to the nature of the soil.

Heavy soils can be improved by working sand into them, until they take on a friable quality. Plenty of food is the secret of successful culture, with the beginner backyard gardener.

Asparagus can be grown from seed, or from roots, which nurseries, garden shops or mail order catalogs furnish in one, two, and three year old sizes. I would advise planting roots, as you will get plants of cutting size a year or two sooner than you will from seedlings, and they will require less attention.

Two year old roots are best. Conover’s Colossal is one of the standard varieties for planting in the north. The Mammoth is very fine flavored, tender, and prolific. There are several other kinds listed in the catalogs, but there is very little difference between them. Most kinds are good. There is not much difference in quality as there is in the size.

As a general rule of thumb, the larger type of asparagus are coarser than those of medium habit, but good cultivation will make almost any kind tender and fine flavored.

Plant the roots in rows four feet apart, and two and a half feet apart in the row. The crowns of the plants should be at least six inches below the surface. In order to get them deep enough, dig trenches to receive them, allowing for extra depth required for the roots.

Shallow planting is never satisfactory. Make the soil very rich by working into it liberal quantities of well decomposed manure. Cow manure is better than anything else, in the line of fertilizers.

Keep the ground free from weeds. Cover the rows of asparagus with coarse manure in the fall. In spring, fork this covering well into the soil, and add more manure. Keep the ground around the asparagus plants well cultivated throughout the season. If the growth is strong, some may be cut the second season.

You will find that a bed of asparagus will be one of the most appreciable features of the home garden and, it will remain good for a life time, growing better with age if the soil is thoroughly enriched each year, and weeds and grass are prevented from crowding it.

Whatever manure you use it should be well worked into the soil on each side of the row not simply spread on the surface. Get it down where the roots can get at it.

Happy Gardening!

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Planning a Vegetable Garden

August 26th, 2008

“Essential steps for planning a vegetable garden”

Setting up a home vegetable garden isn’t as simple as picking up your tools, digging and planting some seeds. It entails careful planning before you start growing vegetables. This ensures that you will have a harvest at the end of the season. Planning for setting-up a home vegetable garden consists of many steps: selecting a site; and planning the vegetable garden.

A beginner might think that, when planting a vegetable garden a lot of space is necessary for that garden. What they don’t know is that a 25 foot square area is adequate enough to grow vegetables for the entire family.

No matter what the size of your vegetable garden, plan on five essential factors when picking a garden site. First, there should be a source of energy for plants to grow. Hence, your planned vegetable garden site should be exposed to at least six to eight hours of sunlight per day. So, you have to cross out areas near buildings, trees or shrubs from the list of potential garden sites.

Another garden essential on planning is its proximity to the house. When the garden is close to the house, you are more likely to pay your garden more visits to keep up with jobs like weeding, watering, and controlling pests.

Soil is another essential to planning your vegetable garden. Having ideally natural rich soil isn’t always the case. However, the soil that you use should have the required nutrients and the right texture. In cases where you have heavy clay or sandy soil, you can improve the soil by using organic matter.

Water is another essential for a plants survival. The garden should receive at least an inch of water every week. Thus, the site should be placed near a water source.

The fifth essential to planning a vegetable garden is good air drainage. Locating the garden in a low spot like the base will only bring about the formation of frost since it is impossible for cold air to drain away. So, do away with these low spots and opt to locate the garden on high ground.

As mentioned earlier, the essentials to planning your vegetable garden is a major step in setting up the home vegetable garden. This major step is divided into two.

The first involves the selection of the vegetables to be grown in the vegetable garden. In selecting the vegetables, you should consider space limitations, climate and other factors that may inhibit the growth of the vegetables you want to include in your garden.

It is always best to look up which vegetables will grow well in your vegetable garden environment before including them in your garden. This saves you the time and the frustration of having nothing to harvest.

The last and final step in planning your vegetable garden, makes use of your artistic skills. This step requires you to make a diagram containing the kinds of vegetables to be planted, the distance
between plots and the time of planting. You can also put in the dates to remind you of the necessary tasks.

Vegetable gardening may save you a fortune in buying these products from the nearest supermarket. However, it isn’t an easy task. It requires at least the five essential steps for planning a vegetable garden as mentioned above to yield a harvest at the end of the planting season.

As the saying goes, you only reap what you sow.

Have a great time planting!

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Planting a Fall Vegetable Garden

August 17th, 2008

“Planting a Fall vegetable garden”

Many have tried vegetable gardening during the fall season. A lot of those supports have failed due to lack of thoughtful planning and poor cultural practices.

Planning the maturity cycle of fall vegetables should be a top priority when it comes to fall vegetable gardening. The early days of August are usually the best time for seeding in the fall.

However, seeding shorter-season vegetables like turnips and leafy greens are planted a month after.

Soil preparation should be done after you decide on what to do with your previous spring garden. It may be a simple decision but before you destroy everything, save the ones that you need for the fall like your tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and your okra.

A fall vegetable garden should have a perfect seedbed. To make this possible, your soil should have a depth of 6 to 8 inches. Tilling your soil one to two weeks before you plant your vegetable garden is important. This makes the soil perfect for seeding because time allows the crop residue to decompose.

If you lack healthy soil for seeding, you can always add dehydrated cow manure or compost before tilling your fall vegetable garden.

During the spring and summer seasons, seeds are planted shallow however, in a fall season, in order to plant successfully, seeding should be at least one to two times deeper than the usual because the soils moisture level is lower than the spring and summer planting seasons.

As all gardening, water is one of the most important ingredients in providing healthy growth for your fall vegetable garden. Make sure that your garden receives at least one inch of water per week.

If you fail to provide a sufficient amount of moisture for your fall vegetables, it can create poor growth for your vegetable plants, to the point were you could lose your fall vegetable crop.

A fall vegetable garden can be complicated to the uninformed, but with reading and proper planning you’ll find it as easy as 1, 2, and 3.

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Winter Protection for Raspberries and Blackberries

August 10th, 2008

“Winter Protection for Raspberries and Blackberries”

Both raspberries and blackberries should have protection in winter, especially in the North East.

My method for preparing my raspberry and blackberry plants for the winter, begins by starting at the end of the row, where I gather all the canes from a hill, form them into a bunch, and bend the blackberry and raspberry canes down to the ground as flatly as possible, working them slowly.

By working the canes down to the ground slowly and carefully, I avoid breaking or cracking the stalks at their junction with the roots.

It is a good idea to have another person help you when this work is being done. Not using another person to help you would make this task difficult to accomplish.

Have one person bend the blackberry and raspberry plants over and that person hold the raspberry and blackberry plants down, while the other person puts a spadeful of soil on the plants to keep them in place.

Once this has been done, take the blackberry or raspberry plant from the next hill and bend them down so that its top overlaps the crown of the hill that was first treated. Continue doing this until all the plants in a row are flat, and in a line from one end of the line to the other end.

Once all the blackberry or raspberry plants have been laid down, walk along the rows and with a spade throw soil up against the plants. After this has been completed, cover the rest of the plants with a mulch such as straw or hay eliminating the remainder of the blackberry plant from being exposed to the elements.

You cover your blackberry and raspberry plants with soil and mulch, not to keep out frost as many might expect, but to prevent exposure to sun shine which extracts frost.

During the night the plant freezes again, and the frequent alternations of freezing and thawing result in a rupture of plant cells. The covering of soil and mulch keep out the sun, and the canes remain frozen, which is precisely what we want for our blackberry and raspberry plants.

In spring, after the frost has thawed out of the ground, remove the covering of mulch, and walk along the rows with a pitchfork, inserting its tines under the blackberry and raspberry canes lifting them carefully out from under the soil and mulch that was thrown over them in fall.

At first your blackberry plants will have anything but an upright look, but as the sap begins to circulate in them they will resume their old position.

Once the soil has been leveled down around your raspberry plants, apply some spring manure, such as: cow manure or chicken manure, either one will work fine, then your blackberry and raspberry plants can be tied to the wires attached to your stakes in the garden.

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