Natural Companions: The Garden Lover's Guide to Plant Combinations by Ken Druse. Synopses & Reviews In Natural Companions, acclaimed garden writer Ken Druse presents recipes for perfect plant pairings using diverse species that look great together and bloom at the same time. Organized by theme within seasons, topics include color, fragrance, foliage, grasses, edible flowers and much more, all presented in photographs of gardens that show planted combinations from a wide variety of climates and conditions.
Natural Companions also features more than one hundred special botanical images of amazing depth and color created in collaboration with artist Ellen Hoverkamp using modern digital technology. Filled with an incredible amount of horticultural guidance, useful plant recommendations, and gardening lore — all written in Druse's charming, witty style — this book is a must-have for gardeners and lovers of plants and flowers. Review: "Provides seasonal tips on planting flowers that bloom (and look lovely) together. "Foodies have bread and chocolate. Synopsis: 5 Secrets to a ‘No-work’ Garden | Eartheasy Blog - StumbleUpon.
It took over 20 years of gardening to realize that I didn’t have to work so hard to achieve a fruitful harvest. As the limitless energy of my youth gradually gave way to the physical realities of mid-life, the slow accretion of experience eventually led to an awareness that less work can result in greater crop yields. Inspired in part by Masanobu Fukuoka’s book, One Straw Revolution, my family experimented with gardening methods which could increase yields with less effort. Fukuoka spent over three decades perfecting his so-called “do-nothing” technique: commonsense, sustainable practices that all but eliminate the use of pesticides, fertilizer, tillage, and perhaps most significantly, wasteful effort.
Here are the strategies we used which enabled us to greatly increase our garden yield, while requiring less time and less work. 1. With ‘no-till’ gardening, weeding is largely eliminated. 2. Gardeners are always on the lookout for free sources of clean organic mulch to add to their garden. Www.gardeningknowhow.com/vegetable/how-to-grow-parsnips.htm. By Kathee Mierzejewski When you are planning your garden, you might want to include planting parsnips among your carrots and other root vegetables. Parsnips (Pastinaca sativa) are related to the carrot, which is another root vegetable. The top of the parsnip resembles broadleaf parsley. Parsnips will grow to three feet tall and their roots can get as long as 20 inches. So now you might ask, “How do I grow parsnips?” How to Grow Parsnips It takes from 120 to 180 days for a parsnip to go from seeds to roots.
Growing parsnips takes 18 days for germination. Be sure to water the parsnips well when growing parsnips or the roots will be flavorless and really tough. Fertilization of the soil is also helpful, and you can fertilize your growing parsnips the same way you would your carrots. When to Harvest Parsnips After 120 to 180 days, you will know when to harvest parsnips because the leafy tops reach to three feet tall. You can also leave some of the parsnips in the ground until spring. Home Remedies for the Garden « Central Coast Gardening. Whatever you’re paying for high-priced garden solutions, it is far too much! Many concoctions can be made with ingredients you have in your pantry.
Here are a few recipes I’ve found to be effective and can be made at home by any frugal gardener. ROSE SPRAY-helps prevent diseases such as rust, blackspot, and powdery mildew. Mix together: 1-tablespoon baking soda1-teaspoon mild dishwashing detergent1-tablespoon vegetable oil1 dissolved aspirin Add: 1-gallon water Mix together and pour into a spray bottles. DEER REPELLENT-will keep deer from nibbling plants for up to two weeks. Blend and put through cheesecloth to remove lumps: 1 raw egg Add and mix: 1-tablespoon Tabasco sauce1-tablespoon fish emulsion Some have said to put this in the sun for a few days but I’ve found it to be stinky and very effective straight from the kitchen.
MOLE REPELLENT-will send moles to another garden. Blend together: 1-tablespoon castor oil1-tablespoon dishwashing soap1-tablespoon water. Gardening Know How - Gardening Is Easy! Let us Show You How. How do you make homemade Fish/Seaweed Emulsion? - Www.GardenTalk.com. Why I Use Epsom Salt in the Garden. *Why I Use Epsom Salt in the Garden*By: LL4e14 June 2004 I wanted to show everyone what a difference it makes with and without with only water being added all of these plants was planted on the same day and time. I am showing you ones I am growing with the sq. ft. method. All of these photo's were just taken today.
I do have several baby tomatoes now. However now the non Epsom salt plants will be fed it also this was only to show those what a difference it makes. I'd highly suggest putting some away it has many other uses for a survival and daily living. It is actually a mineral and not a salt it is like giving your plants a mega vit. shot. In the Garden House Plants Mix one teaspoon per gallon of water and feed to the plants every two to four weeks. Garden startup Sprinkle approximately one cup per 100 square feet. (10’x10’) and mix into soil before planting. Tomatoes Apply one tablespoon per foot of height for each plant every two weeks.
Q: Why is Epsom Salt good for plants?