Organicgardening. The Best Garden Bed Edging Tips: The Family Handyman. Metal: A nearly invisible border 1 of 5 Metal borders A metal strip subtly separates the lawn from the garden. 2 of 5 Photo 1: Dig the trench Cut a narrow, 4-in. deep trench with one vertical side along the lawn edge. 3 of 5 Photo 2: Place the edging in the trench Snap together the 8-ft. border sections, drop the edging into the trench and lay it against the vertical edge. 4 of 5 Photo 3: Support the edging with stakes Drive stakes to set the depth at about 1/2 in. above the soil level of the lawn. 5 of 5 Photo 4: Backfill along the edging Backfill with soil from the garden bed and compress it firmly.
The simplest and most subtle borders that effectively separate your lawn from a garden are 4-in.deep strips of steel, aluminum or plastic. Although aluminum and steel cost about the same, we chose aluminum because it was much lighter. Plan to set the border with the top edge about 1/2 in. above the soil level to maintain the lawn/garden separation and keep roots from crossing over the top. Caution! Ergonomic Tools That Prune Away Gardening Pains. A decade ago, my wife and I built an absurdly ambitious garden that involved homemade fencing, a bamboo-and-string trellis for the beans and, for me, about 10 backbreaking hours behind a tiller. As we planted, a neighbor strolled by, grinning. “Growing some deer food?” Hilarious! Weeks later, our little farm verging on a big harvest, we awoke to find the fence trampled, the trellises flattened and the vegetables gone. It was farmageddon. Or armagardden. I have since avoided gardening, and not just because of the deer.
In recent years, though, I heard enough about the virtues of ergonomic gardening tools that I thought it might be worth another shot. My question: Is the buzz surrounding ergonomic gardening tools just noise, or have there been legitimate innovations lately? “When I started gardening 30 years ago,” Ms. And much of that improvement, my panelists and others said, has come in recent years, as manufacturers and retailers moved away from the one-size-strains-all approach. Ms. Mr. Savor snack-tastic sunflower seeds once the radiant blooms have faded — if the birds have saved you any, that is. 5 Secrets to a ‘No-work’ Garden. 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. Use the ‘no-till’ method of gardening With ‘no-till’ gardening, weeding is largely eliminated. 2. Once mulch is in place, it doesn’t need to be disturbed. 3. 4. Plants That Stop — Even Eat — Mosquitoes. While I’m still gathering feedback on DEET -free repellents I thought you’d appreciate some information on plants that may help keep mosquitoes where they belong–far, far away from you. (Note: the leaves of the following must be crushed to release the aroma. Otherwise mosquitoes can’t smell them): Photo: NellsWiki Horsemint has a scent similar to citronella and grows wild in most of the Eastern United States, from Mexico, Texas up to Minnesota to Vermont.
It is partial to sandy soils and will grow in USDA Zones 5-10. Marigold is a sun-loving annual used by organic gardeners to keep aphids away. Photo: D. If you’re a gardener who disrupts swarms of mosquitoes every time you step foot into your garden, try incorporating some of these plants/herbs: • Citronella • Rosemary (crush this and rub on your skin for protection outside of the garden, too) • Lemongrass • Lemon Thyme • Lavender (questionable) • Basil • Thyme • Penny royal garlic • Rue Photo: Michal Rubeš Have a water garden? Digg. What to Plant Now: Central-Midwest Gardening Region. Tips for Controlling Weeds in Your Yard | Danny Lipford. Tips for Controlling Weeds in Your Yard By: Danny Lipford Weeds are a problem in every yard. The best way to prevent weeds is to make sure you have a healthy lawn by: Planting grass that’s suitable for your climate and yard.Providing good topsoil with the right pH and nutrients.Making sure your lawn receives the correct amount of water.Mowing your lawn to the proper height for your type of grass.
The type of weeds you have can give clues as to what you need to do to improve your lawn. For example clover usually indicates low nitrogen levels in the soil, while dollar weed tends to grow in lawns that are too wet or have poor drainage. When pulling weeds, try to get all the roots so the weeds can’t grow back. Watch this video to find out more. Further Information Please Leave a Comment We want to hear from you! Danny Lipford: Now, I’ll tell you my friend has some challenges here. Julie Day-Jones: That’s right. What your weeds can tell you about your soil. What do you do when you see a weed in the garden? Jump in and frantically hack away with a hoe? Throw up your hands in despair? Learn something?
Yes, learn something! Those weeds are excellent indicators of soil conditions. In fact, experts known as geochemical botanists often look for specific weeds to help them locate minerals in the soil and to pinpoint geological features. You can apply this science in your own backyard in two ways: to plant garden crops that will thrive in the same conditions as those weeds or to amend your soil so that the conditions are less inviting to the weeds you find there. Here are the most reliable weedy indicators and what they reveal about your soil. Photo: (cc) Howard Dickins/Flickr. The Basics of Planning Your Vegetable Garden — A Cultivated Nest. Gardening 101 Pt. 1 – Planning Your Garden Before we get into planning your vegetable garden, I’m sure some of you are asking why should I even bother to grow my own vegetables? There are many many MANY reasons to have a vegetable garden but here are my top 3. source: Nantucket Mermaid My Top 3 Reasons For Growing Your Own Vegetables: Safety – You know exactly what you’re getting.
You know what soil was used and what was or wasn’t sprayed on it.Freshness – You’ll be able to pick your veggies at their peak flavor vs commercial growers that have to pick and ship. The flavor of homegrown can’t be matched by a grocery store! Where to begin? Step 1 in planning – Where are you going to put your garden? Source: velvet & linen Site location is SUPER important. All vegetables need some sun to grow. *Choosing a sunny site is a major factor in success.
You may have to think about removing trees or at least removing lower limbs to let in more light. Source: Country Living source: earthshare.org. Best Shade-Tolerant Vegetables - Organic Gardening. Even in shady conditions, you can bask in great garden harvests if you choose the right crops and make a few easy adjustments. By Colleen Vanderlinden When considering which crops to grow in shady areas, think of them in terms of leaves and roots.
Crops we grow for their leaves (kale, lettuce, spinach) and those we grow for their roots (beets, carrots, turnips) will do fairly well in partially shady conditions. (The crops we grow for their fruits — such as eggplants, peppers and tomatoes — really do need at least six hours of full sun per day.) To learn more about how to grow crops in shady gardens, check out Best Vegetables to Grow in the Shade. The estimates in this chart are based on the experiences of the author and the experts mentioned in Best Vegetables to Grow in the Shade.