This article about the Landscaping for your front yard, is written with the do-it-yourself in mind, with simple principles and basic elements for accomplishing the best results.
After many years of experience in the Nursery and Landscaping field, you get to the point, maybe by intuition, when you are called out to give an estimate, you pretty much could tell how much is it going to cost, just by looking at the house. It becomes such a routine, but still, each and every house has it's own characteristics, and I would adventure to say, personality.
This might be because of the color and the position of the house on the rough landscape, and many other factors.
Now, that was not always the case. When I'm thinking of my first projects, many years ago, I remember struggling a lot to do my utmost best to create and design the best landscaping plan possible to get the job and to build my reputation as a landscaper. That was not an easy task. There are several principles and elements in the landscaping design, that you have to keep in mind.
The element of form, the shape of the "line", the size of the landscape relative to the size of the property, and many other principles and elements that you need to keep account of when designing a landscape project.
The purpose of this article is not really to give any definition of the landscaping, but rather to help the home owners to create their own project, in this case, intended mostly for the front of the house.
Concentrating on the very front of the house, is essential to pay attention to every little detail, since that is the part of your landscape that will decide the character of your real estate, and the first impression for the visitors. Just think of a painting, where the front yard is your canvas, you are the artist, and you must decide the "colors". That's another important element for your landscape project in order to be a success! The colors!
Another important element in designing a landscaping project, is the "lines" in the shaping of the planting surfaces. I believe that for a nice aesthetic design, the lines play a significant role.
I personally, never liked to use too many straight lines when designing the planting space right next to the front of the house. Only if I did not have a choice, like when there was a walkway from the front door and turning to the left or to the right of the house at 90 degrees in a straight line, not too far from the wall of the house. It was always working better when the walkway was straight from the front door towards the street, to the Mail Box.
It always worked and looked much better when I was using curved lines, starting from the side of the house, where usually there is an AC unit, at the left side or the right side of the house. It doesn't really matter. I hope that you can envision the design as we go along in describing the shape of the planting space.
Drawing a curve line in such a way as to hide the AC unit with a few taller shrubs, coming with a fine curved line to the corner of the house, and expanding the line in a loop shape, to give you the chance to plant a little tree to kind of frame the house with some accent planting, on both extreme corners of the house.
Then from that loop line at the corner, I have drawed a curve line allowing room for other shrubs and blooming perennials, bedding plants and some ornamental grasses, as accent planting, going towards the front door to the walkway. Right here, next to the walkway, on both sides of it, I planted another little tree, a topiary or any other tall shrub, for the purpose of framing the landscape, to give it some character and again, accent. The right front side of the house will perfectly mirror the left front side.
Now in between the two corners and the taller trees or topiary plants next to the walkway, you can plant some low maintenance shrubs, about 16 to 24 inches from the wall, and about 2 to 3 feet apart, as foundation planting. These can be Compacta Hollies, Korean Boxwood, Indian Hawthorne, or any other low maintenance shrubs that you like.
Right in front of this row of shrubs that is called the "foundation planting", you can plant in a staggered fashion, so that the back row next to the wall should be visible, some other low growing shrubs, like Yaupons, Helleri, Soft Touch, or any other shrubs that you like. Right in front of the second row of shrubs, as a border, plant some ornamental grass like green or variegated Liriope, Aztec grass, etc. for some nice color variations.
For some nice colors, plant a few bedding plants of your choice, and as they are seasonal, you can always change the colors as you please. This should create a nice unique character to your home.
But wait, I've got ahead of myself, jumping too fast to the planting faze! Assuming that you draw all this on a sheet of paper, you pretty much have the lay out of how your finish project is going to look like. At least you have a pretty good idea.
Now let's mark our project on the ground, and see how is it going to work out. First let's start with the side of the house, where the AC unit is located, be it on the left or right side of the house. Or if the unit is on the back side, then you don't have to worry about it, for now. Only if, and when you will start working on your back yard landscaping.
So, we going to take a flexible water hose, and lay it down in a nice curve line, from the back corner of the house coming towards the front corner, and forming the loop we were talking about. Make it large enough so the loop will accommodate one tree, and three low growing shrubs for a group planting right in front of the tree. I hope you get the picture.
Continue to go with the hose, in a nice curve (again) expanding the line just a little away from the house, to have room to accommodate the shrubs and the rest of the plants described above. Go all the way to the walkway, and end the line a little towards the street, to make room for your next accent tree or topiary.
Look at the lay out of this side of the house, from different angles, and adjust the line until you like what you see. It's not really much to see, yet, but you'll have a pretty good idea. Once you are satisfied with the lay out, mark the line with a landscape spray can, that you can find at the hardware store, and do exactly the same thing on the other side of the house.
Now is the time to measure and see how many plants you going to need. Keep account of the distance you will need between the plants, and then figure out how many can you accommodate, not to make it too crowded, nor too bare. It should be a nice balance, pleasant to the beholder. Remember, this is your work of art, and it should make you very proud!
The hardest part is over! Now let's get our hands dirty, and let the fun begin!
So, the beautiful lay out of our plan is done, let's clean the ground of any rocks and debris and if necessary, let's add some amendments, like cow manure, several bags, some good fertilizer, and spread it on the top, and till it in the dirt. Rake it nicely, and now you can buy the plants, from your preferred Garden Center.
Water the plants until you have time to start planting. The fun part is just about to start!
Lay the plants in their position, and look at the entire picture once again, from different angles. Move the plants as many times as you like, while they are still in pots, until you are fully satisfied as how your landscape is going to look.
Once you have them all in place, leave them right there, and just pull away just one at a time, and dig the hole, and plant your trees and shrubs one by one. Dig the hole large enough so that the roots have room to expand.
Note: Under no circumstance should you put any fertilizer in contact with the roots at planting time! This is very important! Sometimes in our eagerness to make the plants grow faster then they should, we put fertilizer to the roots, and that will burn the roots, and the plants will surely die! Best way to fertilize with, is what we call "top dress" with slow release fertilizers. Let mother nature do the job, and we should not force anything on it.
Once you planted all the plants, is time to apply the mulch, about 2 to 3 inches deep, and this should ad a phenomenal beauty and neatness to your landscape project!
Make a nice little flower bed around your mail box, mulch it as well, and plant strategically for even greater accent some nice ornamental trees, in the rest of your front yard.
Once planting is done, water well and make sure that you water slowly so that the water penetrates down to the roots. Just a sprinkle on the top of the soil is not going to be enough. Remember, your new plants just moved in, and they need time to accommodate in their new location. So, please, make them feel right at Home!
If you like this article, and it has helped you in any way, please leave a comment, and help me to improve my service, to you, the readers. Your following me on this blog, is highly appreciated!
http://borlovans-nursery.blogspot.com/
Until next time, Happy Gardening!
Mike Borlovan
Monday, August 9, 2010
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Discover How To Grow Plants In Containers
Discover how to grow plants in containers, is something you might want to think about, if you want to save some good money.
Growing plants in containers is a lot of fun. It is not complicated at all, and by following a few common sense rules, satisfaction is absolutely guaranteed. For a small starter plant, be it a shrub or any ornamental plant, a small container of 3 or 4 inches wide is sufficient, at first. Of course, until these little babies grow bigger, then you will need to step them up in a larger container, like 1 gallon size for example.
First you need the little plants, but how to get them? Now that's a real kicker, isn't it! Well, you can start some of them from seeds, or rooted cuttings. Or you can purchase the little plants, called liners or plugs, from your local Garden Center, or you can root them yourself.
It is not really that complicated, and it is not hard at all. In fact it is amazing how easy it can be, buy taking it step by step.
Let's assume that you need some shrubs for a foundation planting in front and on the sides of your house, something that does not grow too tall, and you will be able to control by pruning. Let's start with a Compacta Holly, a nice evergreen that is easy to grow, and as they grow you can shape them any way you like. They are used also for topiary, and hedges, borders, etc.
Now you are going to need a mature shrub as a source to make your cuttings. If you don't have any already on your property, see if your neighbour or a friend might have some, and ask for permission to take a few cuttings. Another solution would be to buy just one Compacta Holly (or it could be any shrub for that matter), that is bushy enough, and that has some semi-tender new growth on it. The cuttings from these woody shrubs, should not be too mature nor too tender. Just cut bellow the portion that is brown turning to green upward. Cut them about 4 to 6 inches long.
Get some good quality peat-moss blend potting soil with micro-nutrients blended in it, and some cell packs. The 6 cell jumbo packs works good. Fill up the cells with the potting soil and wet it with a fine sprinkle of water. With a sharp knife (do not use scissors) cut the lower end of the cutting in a slanted cut, and trim the tips with a scissors, this time, to encourage growth. Now stick the cuttings in the soil, one in each cell, and press the soil around it.
Once you put them all in, set the cells in a shady place, and with a hand held bottle spray mist the cuttings every now and then, to keep the leaves wet. Remember, these plants do not have roots yet, so they feed through the leaves. Make sure that the soil itself stays wet, to encourage the cutting to reach down for water, thus growing the roots.
Once you see some roots sticking out the holes on the bottom of the cell pack, it is a good sign that they are growing roots. Just wait a little while longer, until you get a root ball, before you transplant them in a 4 inch container. This should take about 6 to 8 weeks, if all goes well.
These Compacta Hollies on the left, are planted in 4 inch containers, and they had their first "haircut" already. These shrubs are pretty fast growing, and soon they'll need to be stepped up in 1 or even 2 gallon size pots.
This rooting procedures from cuttings can be applied to almost any woody shrubs like Boxwood, Youpon, Helleri, Soft Touch, Azaleas, Ligustrum, Loropetalum, Pittosporum, and many others.
The Compacta Hollies can be planted in a straight line, staggered, as accent planting, group planting, hedges, etc. You just use your imagination, or get inspired from a specialty landscaping magazine. Just figure out how many you need for your own project, and root as many as you need.
In this picture above are some Youpon shrubs in the front, and some Compactas behind them, that can be shaped round, oval, or any shape you want. All these shrubs are low maintenance, unlike other blooming perennials.
If you don't want to root your own cuttings, or you don't have the time and the means to do it, you can purchase some starter plants for any of your landscape or gardening projects, from my eBay store, there is a great variety and there are a lot available: http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Borlovans-Nursery
Helping the gardening enthusiasts with practical ideas and information, periodically with new and fresh articles related to the gardening field. These articles are written in simple down to earth wording, easy to understand, and with the clear intention to help and benefit the novice or even the more experienced who might want to venture in something they never tried before. Gardening and Landscaping is a wonderful way to blend in with the nature, and enjoy to the fullest extent possible all the good things it can offer.
If you do not have a garden yet, you can start any time. Get involved by taking small steps to implement your desired plans, try and experiment, make it your hobby and sooner or later you will become passionate about it, and you will be glad you did. Nature has unlimited resources to offer, why not take advantage of it?
Come on, let's get our hands dirty, will you?
http://borlovans-nursery.blogspot.com/
I really do appreciate you visiting my blog! Leaving a comment and following me in this blog, is highly appreciated!
Until next time, happy Gardening! And get your hands dirty, it's good for you!
Grand-pa Mike
Growing plants in containers is a lot of fun. It is not complicated at all, and by following a few common sense rules, satisfaction is absolutely guaranteed. For a small starter plant, be it a shrub or any ornamental plant, a small container of 3 or 4 inches wide is sufficient, at first. Of course, until these little babies grow bigger, then you will need to step them up in a larger container, like 1 gallon size for example.
First you need the little plants, but how to get them? Now that's a real kicker, isn't it! Well, you can start some of them from seeds, or rooted cuttings. Or you can purchase the little plants, called liners or plugs, from your local Garden Center, or you can root them yourself.
It is not really that complicated, and it is not hard at all. In fact it is amazing how easy it can be, buy taking it step by step.
Let's assume that you need some shrubs for a foundation planting in front and on the sides of your house, something that does not grow too tall, and you will be able to control by pruning. Let's start with a Compacta Holly, a nice evergreen that is easy to grow, and as they grow you can shape them any way you like. They are used also for topiary, and hedges, borders, etc.
Now you are going to need a mature shrub as a source to make your cuttings. If you don't have any already on your property, see if your neighbour or a friend might have some, and ask for permission to take a few cuttings. Another solution would be to buy just one Compacta Holly (or it could be any shrub for that matter), that is bushy enough, and that has some semi-tender new growth on it. The cuttings from these woody shrubs, should not be too mature nor too tender. Just cut bellow the portion that is brown turning to green upward. Cut them about 4 to 6 inches long.
Get some good quality peat-moss blend potting soil with micro-nutrients blended in it, and some cell packs. The 6 cell jumbo packs works good. Fill up the cells with the potting soil and wet it with a fine sprinkle of water. With a sharp knife (do not use scissors) cut the lower end of the cutting in a slanted cut, and trim the tips with a scissors, this time, to encourage growth. Now stick the cuttings in the soil, one in each cell, and press the soil around it.
Once you put them all in, set the cells in a shady place, and with a hand held bottle spray mist the cuttings every now and then, to keep the leaves wet. Remember, these plants do not have roots yet, so they feed through the leaves. Make sure that the soil itself stays wet, to encourage the cutting to reach down for water, thus growing the roots.
Once you see some roots sticking out the holes on the bottom of the cell pack, it is a good sign that they are growing roots. Just wait a little while longer, until you get a root ball, before you transplant them in a 4 inch container. This should take about 6 to 8 weeks, if all goes well.
This rooting procedures from cuttings can be applied to almost any woody shrubs like Boxwood, Youpon, Helleri, Soft Touch, Azaleas, Ligustrum, Loropetalum, Pittosporum, and many others.
The Compacta Hollies can be planted in a straight line, staggered, as accent planting, group planting, hedges, etc. You just use your imagination, or get inspired from a specialty landscaping magazine. Just figure out how many you need for your own project, and root as many as you need.
In this picture you can see a mature Compacta Holly planted as a hedge, and on the left is a Loropetalum. This hedge is about 5 years old, but they were trimmed many times, to keep them low. Very easy to grow. You can have yours and be happy to watch them grow. Sit on your bench, in the company of birds, butterflies and the busy bees, sip your cup of coffee, in the tranquility of your little heaven!
If you don't want to root your own cuttings, or you don't have the time and the means to do it, you can purchase some starter plants for any of your landscape or gardening projects, from my eBay store, there is a great variety and there are a lot available: http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Borlovans-Nursery
Helping the gardening enthusiasts with practical ideas and information, periodically with new and fresh articles related to the gardening field. These articles are written in simple down to earth wording, easy to understand, and with the clear intention to help and benefit the novice or even the more experienced who might want to venture in something they never tried before. Gardening and Landscaping is a wonderful way to blend in with the nature, and enjoy to the fullest extent possible all the good things it can offer.
If you do not have a garden yet, you can start any time. Get involved by taking small steps to implement your desired plans, try and experiment, make it your hobby and sooner or later you will become passionate about it, and you will be glad you did. Nature has unlimited resources to offer, why not take advantage of it?
Come on, let's get our hands dirty, will you?
http://borlovans-nursery.blogspot.com/
I really do appreciate you visiting my blog! Leaving a comment and following me in this blog, is highly appreciated!
Until next time, happy Gardening! And get your hands dirty, it's good for you!
Grand-pa Mike
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
How To Make Raised Beds The Easy Way
How to make a raised bed garden, if your space is limited, or you just want to garden on a smaller scale.
In a raised bed you can plant the vegetables that you like the most. Make it so convenient, that when you are cooking or preparing your salads, just step out of your kitchen and take a few vegetables or pinch off a few leaves of this and that and go back in and get ready to eat the freshest vegetables possible. They can't get any fresher than that!
If you love herbs, build you a separate little Herb raised bed garden, and enjoy the best and freshest aroma and flavour you can imagine. Spice up your cooking and your salads and enjoy the good living!
Making the raised beds is not complicated and it should not be expensive. You probably have some lumber and other materials laying around in your yard or barn, or somewhere along the fence in your back yard.
A few 2x6x8 or 10 or 12, it depends on how much space you have and how long you want to make the raised beds.
The ideal width would be no larger than 4 feet, so you can reach easily from all sides. That's when you build the beds rectangular shape. You can make them in circles or triangles if you want to.
Here is an example of a raised bed that I made from some scrap lumber, and I did not want to cut, just adapted the bed to the size of the material. Sometimes it works like that, and sometimes you cut it to the desired size.
Just select a nice sunny spot, (a little partial shade is not going to hurt) the sunnier the better. Nail the boards together in the corners, like a frame. If you place the bed directly on a grassy spot, and you don't want to remove the sod, place some cardboard or news papers on top of the grass, to keep any weeds to grow up through the dirt.
Now it is time to put the soil in the bed. If you have some good rich top soil, that's good. If you don't have any top soil or the means to transport it from the garden supply place, like a solid trailer for example, you can use ground pine bark. It is much lighter and it works just as well if not better.
That's what I use in my raised beds as well as in all my container planting, and in my propagation by rooted cuttings, which I'll talk about in an other article.
On a bed of the size of 4x10 mix into the pine bark about 4 bags of 50 lb well composted cow manure, and a few handfuls of organic fertilizer. Mix it well and level the soil. Now you are ready to plant.
Consider on what side of your property is the sun rising, and plant accordingly, so that the taller growing plants are not going to cast a shade on the lower growing ones. Like the tomatoes that are growing taller, should be planted towards the west side of the bed, and the lettuce and spinach on the east size.
When choosing the location of the raised beds, make sure they are close to a water spigot, to make it easy to water.
As for the choosing of the vegetables is a matter of what you like the most. Here are some ideas: tomatoes, bell peppers, sweet banana peppers, hot peppers, (just make sure not to plant the hot peppers close to the sweet ones to avoid cross pollination and make them all hot), cucumbers, lettuce, spinach, radish, squash, etc.
For the cucumbers, if you'll notice on the left bed in the picture, I nailed two thin boards on the ends of the bed, and tied a fence wire mesh, for the cucumbers to climb on. This will save a lot of space.
If you like herbs, to spice up your cooking and your salads, make a separate herb bed. You can plant parsley, dill, basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, cilantro, garlic chives, onion chives, sage, peppermint, etc.
Herbs can be planted by seeds directly in your raised garden or you can start them indoors in some 3 or 4 inch pots, then when the danger of late frost is over, take them out of the pots with the soil undisturbed, and plant them in the garden. This way you will have an early start.
Watering: The drip irrigation is a better solution, instead of over head sprinkling. If drip irrigation is not affordable, water around the plants to get the water to the roots.
Keep an eye on those pesky weeds, and pluck them out as soon as you see them. Other than that, there is not much to cultivate in a raised bed, just watch them growing and enjoy the fruits of your "easy" labour.
Another thing to watch is the caterpillars, that you can control by removing them by hand instead of using pesticides. You don't want to poison your body, do you?
So, as you can see, a raised bed gardening is not hard to make at all! If you love nature and you want to have some good quality preoccupation in the tranquility of your little paradise, go for it! You'll be glad you did!
If you enjoyed this post I invite you to come back soon, as I'm dedicated to post more information and related articles for the gardening enthuziasts, and anyone who is contemplating to garden, be it for a hobby, convenience, or just to forget about the troubles of the world. Nature can be one of your best friends.
And do you know what I like about growing plants? They never talk back!
Mike Borlovan
In a raised bed you can plant the vegetables that you like the most. Make it so convenient, that when you are cooking or preparing your salads, just step out of your kitchen and take a few vegetables or pinch off a few leaves of this and that and go back in and get ready to eat the freshest vegetables possible. They can't get any fresher than that!
If you love herbs, build you a separate little Herb raised bed garden, and enjoy the best and freshest aroma and flavour you can imagine. Spice up your cooking and your salads and enjoy the good living!
Making the raised beds is not complicated and it should not be expensive. You probably have some lumber and other materials laying around in your yard or barn, or somewhere along the fence in your back yard.
A few 2x6x8 or 10 or 12, it depends on how much space you have and how long you want to make the raised beds.
The ideal width would be no larger than 4 feet, so you can reach easily from all sides. That's when you build the beds rectangular shape. You can make them in circles or triangles if you want to.
Here is an example of a raised bed that I made from some scrap lumber, and I did not want to cut, just adapted the bed to the size of the material. Sometimes it works like that, and sometimes you cut it to the desired size.
Just select a nice sunny spot, (a little partial shade is not going to hurt) the sunnier the better. Nail the boards together in the corners, like a frame. If you place the bed directly on a grassy spot, and you don't want to remove the sod, place some cardboard or news papers on top of the grass, to keep any weeds to grow up through the dirt.
Now it is time to put the soil in the bed. If you have some good rich top soil, that's good. If you don't have any top soil or the means to transport it from the garden supply place, like a solid trailer for example, you can use ground pine bark. It is much lighter and it works just as well if not better.
That's what I use in my raised beds as well as in all my container planting, and in my propagation by rooted cuttings, which I'll talk about in an other article.
On a bed of the size of 4x10 mix into the pine bark about 4 bags of 50 lb well composted cow manure, and a few handfuls of organic fertilizer. Mix it well and level the soil. Now you are ready to plant.
Consider on what side of your property is the sun rising, and plant accordingly, so that the taller growing plants are not going to cast a shade on the lower growing ones. Like the tomatoes that are growing taller, should be planted towards the west side of the bed, and the lettuce and spinach on the east size.
When choosing the location of the raised beds, make sure they are close to a water spigot, to make it easy to water.
As for the choosing of the vegetables is a matter of what you like the most. Here are some ideas: tomatoes, bell peppers, sweet banana peppers, hot peppers, (just make sure not to plant the hot peppers close to the sweet ones to avoid cross pollination and make them all hot), cucumbers, lettuce, spinach, radish, squash, etc.
If you like herbs, to spice up your cooking and your salads, make a separate herb bed. You can plant parsley, dill, basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, cilantro, garlic chives, onion chives, sage, peppermint, etc.
Herbs can be planted by seeds directly in your raised garden or you can start them indoors in some 3 or 4 inch pots, then when the danger of late frost is over, take them out of the pots with the soil undisturbed, and plant them in the garden. This way you will have an early start.
Watering: The drip irrigation is a better solution, instead of over head sprinkling. If drip irrigation is not affordable, water around the plants to get the water to the roots.
Keep an eye on those pesky weeds, and pluck them out as soon as you see them. Other than that, there is not much to cultivate in a raised bed, just watch them growing and enjoy the fruits of your "easy" labour.
Another thing to watch is the caterpillars, that you can control by removing them by hand instead of using pesticides. You don't want to poison your body, do you?
So, as you can see, a raised bed gardening is not hard to make at all! If you love nature and you want to have some good quality preoccupation in the tranquility of your little paradise, go for it! You'll be glad you did!
If you enjoyed this post I invite you to come back soon, as I'm dedicated to post more information and related articles for the gardening enthuziasts, and anyone who is contemplating to garden, be it for a hobby, convenience, or just to forget about the troubles of the world. Nature can be one of your best friends.
And do you know what I like about growing plants? They never talk back!
Mike Borlovan
Friday, July 30, 2010
How To Plant Your Own Vegetable Garden
How To Plant Your Own Vegetable Garden
If you think about having your own vegetable garden where you can pluck them out with your own hand, fresh and full of vitamins and minerals, there is nothing really, to compare or even come close to it. They taste better and they are much more nutritious than the produce that is shipped and travels long distance.
For convenience, you probably used to go to the supermarket to buy your fruits and vegetables, but honestly, they just cannot compare with what you can grow and eat raw or cooked from your own garden.
If you never had the experience to create your garden yet, and all you have eaten was the produce from your local supermarket, or from the roadside fruit stand, than you are missing out, and you owe it to yourself to think very seriously to start your garden, if you really want to eat fresh and healthy. It is not really that hard, and it sure is not complicated at all. And once you have it, you will be glad you did.
Just think of the benefits to be outdoors, in nature, and work in the tranquility of your little paradise. Not withstanding the free exercise you are getting in the process. That's good for your body, mind, and soul.
And of course you want to do it right. So it is a pretty good idea to make a little plan, draw it on a sheet of paper and stick to it.
First, choose a good sunny spot, where you don't get too much shade or no shade at all if possible, and the plot should be free of rocks or debris. But it should be close enough to the house to be able to water with a hose hooked to a spigot, when you need to water if and when it's not raining.
Prepare the soil. This is very important, and your success will very much depend on how well you prepare the site for your garden. If the soil is clay or sandy and lacks nutrients, it must be amended and enriched with composted material, like cow manure, organic fertilizer and minerals if needed. To make it even cheaper for next season, collect the leaves and other vegetation, kitchen leftovers, grass clippings, and make your own compost. The soil will need nutrients to replace those used and depleted by the vegetables as they feed from the soil.
The best thing is to spread the compost all over your garden site, and till it in the soil, in the fall, so it will have enough time to decay and blend in the garden. This way the ground is resting over the winter, and will be more nutritious in the spring for the planting time.
Now think of what vegetables would you like to grow, something you enjoy eating the most. So, buy the seeds for the vegetables you choose, and go from there. A few examples just to get an idea, would be; tomatoes, bell peppers, hot peppers, squash, radish, cucumbers, lettuce, onions (sets).
Maybe a few herbs to spice up your cooking with, like, dill, parsley, oregano, basil, arugula, rosemary, cilantro, etc. It all depends on how much space you have, and how large a garden you want to have. Herb plants don't take too much room, and they are fun to grow. Just think of that nice aroma, flavour and fragrance they so freely give, in exchange of just a little LTC. Loving Tender Care.
To have a good and early start with your garden, start your seeds indoors, and plant the transplants after the danger of late frost is past. It depends on where you live.
One of the best methods would be to start the seeds in little peat pots, like the Jiffy-pots, so that when you plant the little plants outside plant them with the Jiffy pots, thus not disturbing the tender roots of the transplants. If you prefer, you can plant the seeds directly in rows, according to the instructions on the seed packets.
Plant the plants according to their size, and group them together. The low growing ones, should be separate from the tall growing ones, as to not block the sun light from reaching evenly on all the plants.
Water well and keep the soil moist. Don't let the soil dry completely out between watering, nor keep it too soggy either.
Once they started to grow, you can water them good, and then leave them alone and give them a chance to drink and feed. Water again before the soil dries out completely. Just kind of feel the soil to see if it is still wet, by sticking your finger in the dirt about 2 inches, and if it is still moist, leave them alone for a while. Once you get familiar with your garden, sometimes the plants will let you know when it is time to water. They will start to wilt a little, and as soon as you water them, they perk right up. But do not let them wilt beyond hope!
Now sit and relax on a bench, somewhere in the shade, and watch how the little seeds sprout out of the soil. It is very rewarding to see, as the hard part of gardening is pretty much over, except that now and then watch for them pesky weeds to pluck them out, and don't let them invade your little paradise. Wait patiently for the time when you take out of your garden, with your own hand, and enjoy those healthy, juicy vegetables. It is simply wonderful.
Happy Gardening!
Mike Borlovan
If you think about having your own vegetable garden where you can pluck them out with your own hand, fresh and full of vitamins and minerals, there is nothing really, to compare or even come close to it. They taste better and they are much more nutritious than the produce that is shipped and travels long distance.
For convenience, you probably used to go to the supermarket to buy your fruits and vegetables, but honestly, they just cannot compare with what you can grow and eat raw or cooked from your own garden.
If you never had the experience to create your garden yet, and all you have eaten was the produce from your local supermarket, or from the roadside fruit stand, than you are missing out, and you owe it to yourself to think very seriously to start your garden, if you really want to eat fresh and healthy. It is not really that hard, and it sure is not complicated at all. And once you have it, you will be glad you did.
Just think of the benefits to be outdoors, in nature, and work in the tranquility of your little paradise. Not withstanding the free exercise you are getting in the process. That's good for your body, mind, and soul.
And of course you want to do it right. So it is a pretty good idea to make a little plan, draw it on a sheet of paper and stick to it.
First, choose a good sunny spot, where you don't get too much shade or no shade at all if possible, and the plot should be free of rocks or debris. But it should be close enough to the house to be able to water with a hose hooked to a spigot, when you need to water if and when it's not raining.
Prepare the soil. This is very important, and your success will very much depend on how well you prepare the site for your garden. If the soil is clay or sandy and lacks nutrients, it must be amended and enriched with composted material, like cow manure, organic fertilizer and minerals if needed. To make it even cheaper for next season, collect the leaves and other vegetation, kitchen leftovers, grass clippings, and make your own compost. The soil will need nutrients to replace those used and depleted by the vegetables as they feed from the soil.
The best thing is to spread the compost all over your garden site, and till it in the soil, in the fall, so it will have enough time to decay and blend in the garden. This way the ground is resting over the winter, and will be more nutritious in the spring for the planting time.
Now think of what vegetables would you like to grow, something you enjoy eating the most. So, buy the seeds for the vegetables you choose, and go from there. A few examples just to get an idea, would be; tomatoes, bell peppers, hot peppers, squash, radish, cucumbers, lettuce, onions (sets).
Maybe a few herbs to spice up your cooking with, like, dill, parsley, oregano, basil, arugula, rosemary, cilantro, etc. It all depends on how much space you have, and how large a garden you want to have. Herb plants don't take too much room, and they are fun to grow. Just think of that nice aroma, flavour and fragrance they so freely give, in exchange of just a little LTC. Loving Tender Care.
To have a good and early start with your garden, start your seeds indoors, and plant the transplants after the danger of late frost is past. It depends on where you live.
One of the best methods would be to start the seeds in little peat pots, like the Jiffy-pots, so that when you plant the little plants outside plant them with the Jiffy pots, thus not disturbing the tender roots of the transplants. If you prefer, you can plant the seeds directly in rows, according to the instructions on the seed packets.
Plant the plants according to their size, and group them together. The low growing ones, should be separate from the tall growing ones, as to not block the sun light from reaching evenly on all the plants.
Water well and keep the soil moist. Don't let the soil dry completely out between watering, nor keep it too soggy either.
Once they started to grow, you can water them good, and then leave them alone and give them a chance to drink and feed. Water again before the soil dries out completely. Just kind of feel the soil to see if it is still wet, by sticking your finger in the dirt about 2 inches, and if it is still moist, leave them alone for a while. Once you get familiar with your garden, sometimes the plants will let you know when it is time to water. They will start to wilt a little, and as soon as you water them, they perk right up. But do not let them wilt beyond hope!
Now sit and relax on a bench, somewhere in the shade, and watch how the little seeds sprout out of the soil. It is very rewarding to see, as the hard part of gardening is pretty much over, except that now and then watch for them pesky weeds to pluck them out, and don't let them invade your little paradise. Wait patiently for the time when you take out of your garden, with your own hand, and enjoy those healthy, juicy vegetables. It is simply wonderful.
Happy Gardening!
Mike Borlovan
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Gardening Like a Pro, With Modest Means
Gardening like a professional with modest means.
It is easy and very possible, indeed.
You don't really have to be a professional gardener to grow quality, vibrant, healthy and full of life vegetables. You need a desire to learn, to experiment, and apply in practice what you've learned.
Mother nature is so rich, and so freely giving, that we could never exhaust her of the never ending resources she has. The only thing we need to learn is how to receive and take from her, as long as we do not try to destroy her.
And we need to give some of it back, too, by composting the leftovers, and helping the soil to get fertile again, through natural means.
Sometimes the plot we intend to grow our vegetables in, is depleted of the best nutrients it used to offer, or the soil clay, or too sandy, and it is not as we would like. The soil needs to be darker, with composted matter. The first impulse would be to apply some chemically based fertilizer, but that's obviously not the best solution.
Since the land is so over fertilized in the lands where the produce is grown, and we buy it from the supermarket shelf at the produce section, they are hardly safe to eat anymore. You don't know what kind and how much fertilizer and pesticides and fungicides was used to increase their bottom line for their productivity!
So what are we going to do? We have to eat fruits and vegetables, we've got to feed our families. But thank God there is an alternative to it: start your own Garden and grow your own fresh fruits and vegetables, if you don't have one already. That's the smart thing to do. Especially today, when most of our produce is coming from imports, traveling long distance and we don't have a clue how were they grown!
You don't know how old they are, if they have any nutrition value, as most of them are picked green and forced riped, to look good by the time they are delivered to the stores.
We certainly don't need to poison our bodies with chemical fertilizers and pesticides, that we don't even have any idea how much was there applied. And besides that we don't know how was the produce handled.
So the solution again, is to create and grow your own vegetable garden. Make it fertile, first, if it's not fertile already.
In my humble opinion, the best way to make the soil fertile is through natural means if we want to stay healthy. Let's think of the forest, where the trees have grown and survived for hundreds of years. They even survived fires, and revived again stronger then before. Why?
Because of it's ability to replenish the nutrients by its natural means, without the intervention of the humans. The trees are dropping the dead limbs, and the leaves that decompose, and turns back into the soil, with the help of rain, wind, sun, heat, earth worms, and our little invisible friends, the micro organisms that feed on them, and thus turn the decaying leaves into humus. That's exactly what the plants need to help them continue the cycle of life. Humus, fertile soil.
And that's exactly what we should do for the soil in our own garden. Collect the leaves from one year to another, have a pile in a corner of the garden, and give it time to decay. Just turn it now and then with a pitch fork, and you'll have the best natural fertilizer possible. For Free!
A lot of people are burning the leaves. Well, if they don't have a garden it's OK, I guess. But if they do have a garden, and they burn the leaves, and then they go to the supply store to buy that expensive chemical fertilizer, in my opinion that is a mistake. But, hey, who knows, maybe they have money to burn!
As for you folks, who are passionate about gardening and are willing to save the leaves, that's like money in your pocket, as well as prime quality fruits and vegetables, much safer to eat, than a lot of other people do, who maybe do not care.
If you have also access to some cow manure, that's perfect. But the leaves are the cheapest and smart way to make your own compost free.
Now there are a lot of ways to make your own compost, of course, food leftovers, sea grass, seaweeds, ground oyster shells, peanut hulls, grass clippings, etc. Absolutely, I don't doubt that. But what I'm saying is that the leaves are the cheapest and the most readily available for almost anyone.
Spread your compost on top of the soil in your selected sunny spot, till it in, and plan for your planting. Choose the vegetables that you like the most. A good time to prepare your garden is in the fall, so during the winter time, the compost will have extra time to decay, and make the soil fertile and ready for the spring planting.
Once you know what kind of vegetables you want to plant, search in your prefered seed Catalogs, and buy your seeds, start them indoors early enough to have the little plans ready to be planted in your garden, right after the danger of late frost is over.
Then it is time to get your hands dirty, but it is worth it! You will be glad you did.
Now relax and sit on a bench, watching the birds singing, and the little butterflies dancing happily in the air, and your vegies growing bigger and full of vitamins and minerals! Reap the benefits of an abundant crop of fresh, vibrant, healthy, and happy fruits and vegetables of your own garden.
Create your own paradise and live smart, healthy, and well.
Until next time,
Happy Gardening!
Mike Borlovan
It is easy and very possible, indeed.
You don't really have to be a professional gardener to grow quality, vibrant, healthy and full of life vegetables. You need a desire to learn, to experiment, and apply in practice what you've learned.
Mother nature is so rich, and so freely giving, that we could never exhaust her of the never ending resources she has. The only thing we need to learn is how to receive and take from her, as long as we do not try to destroy her.
And we need to give some of it back, too, by composting the leftovers, and helping the soil to get fertile again, through natural means.
Sometimes the plot we intend to grow our vegetables in, is depleted of the best nutrients it used to offer, or the soil clay, or too sandy, and it is not as we would like. The soil needs to be darker, with composted matter. The first impulse would be to apply some chemically based fertilizer, but that's obviously not the best solution.
Since the land is so over fertilized in the lands where the produce is grown, and we buy it from the supermarket shelf at the produce section, they are hardly safe to eat anymore. You don't know what kind and how much fertilizer and pesticides and fungicides was used to increase their bottom line for their productivity!
So what are we going to do? We have to eat fruits and vegetables, we've got to feed our families. But thank God there is an alternative to it: start your own Garden and grow your own fresh fruits and vegetables, if you don't have one already. That's the smart thing to do. Especially today, when most of our produce is coming from imports, traveling long distance and we don't have a clue how were they grown!
You don't know how old they are, if they have any nutrition value, as most of them are picked green and forced riped, to look good by the time they are delivered to the stores.
We certainly don't need to poison our bodies with chemical fertilizers and pesticides, that we don't even have any idea how much was there applied. And besides that we don't know how was the produce handled.
So the solution again, is to create and grow your own vegetable garden. Make it fertile, first, if it's not fertile already.
In my humble opinion, the best way to make the soil fertile is through natural means if we want to stay healthy. Let's think of the forest, where the trees have grown and survived for hundreds of years. They even survived fires, and revived again stronger then before. Why?
Because of it's ability to replenish the nutrients by its natural means, without the intervention of the humans. The trees are dropping the dead limbs, and the leaves that decompose, and turns back into the soil, with the help of rain, wind, sun, heat, earth worms, and our little invisible friends, the micro organisms that feed on them, and thus turn the decaying leaves into humus. That's exactly what the plants need to help them continue the cycle of life. Humus, fertile soil.
And that's exactly what we should do for the soil in our own garden. Collect the leaves from one year to another, have a pile in a corner of the garden, and give it time to decay. Just turn it now and then with a pitch fork, and you'll have the best natural fertilizer possible. For Free!
A lot of people are burning the leaves. Well, if they don't have a garden it's OK, I guess. But if they do have a garden, and they burn the leaves, and then they go to the supply store to buy that expensive chemical fertilizer, in my opinion that is a mistake. But, hey, who knows, maybe they have money to burn!
As for you folks, who are passionate about gardening and are willing to save the leaves, that's like money in your pocket, as well as prime quality fruits and vegetables, much safer to eat, than a lot of other people do, who maybe do not care.
If you have also access to some cow manure, that's perfect. But the leaves are the cheapest and smart way to make your own compost free.
Now there are a lot of ways to make your own compost, of course, food leftovers, sea grass, seaweeds, ground oyster shells, peanut hulls, grass clippings, etc. Absolutely, I don't doubt that. But what I'm saying is that the leaves are the cheapest and the most readily available for almost anyone.
Spread your compost on top of the soil in your selected sunny spot, till it in, and plan for your planting. Choose the vegetables that you like the most. A good time to prepare your garden is in the fall, so during the winter time, the compost will have extra time to decay, and make the soil fertile and ready for the spring planting.
Once you know what kind of vegetables you want to plant, search in your prefered seed Catalogs, and buy your seeds, start them indoors early enough to have the little plans ready to be planted in your garden, right after the danger of late frost is over.
Then it is time to get your hands dirty, but it is worth it! You will be glad you did.
Now relax and sit on a bench, watching the birds singing, and the little butterflies dancing happily in the air, and your vegies growing bigger and full of vitamins and minerals! Reap the benefits of an abundant crop of fresh, vibrant, healthy, and happy fruits and vegetables of your own garden.
Create your own paradise and live smart, healthy, and well.
Until next time,
Happy Gardening!
Mike Borlovan
Friday, July 23, 2010
Create Your Little Garden Paradise
Create your little paradise, away from the problems of the world, right in your back yard.
If you have your little heaven, like your back yard or even front yard, with a little planing you are a step closer to a healthier, more self sufficient living!
My, my, my! What a potential that we many times neglect. With a little careful and thoughtful planing, you can create your own paradise, in no time. Take a look at your sunny spot, and make a simple plan on a sheet of paper, mark the spot to grow your vegetables.
Make a list of what would you like to grow. This could be endless, but you can limit it to what would you like best. Like, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, snap beans, peas, kohlrabi, lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, cantaloupes, etc. We could go on and on. These are just a few examples, but just use your imagination, and you'll find out how easy it is.
It all depends on how much space you have, how committed and passionate you are about gardening, and how much time you want to spend and dedicate to your garden. And remember, this is one of the best exercises you can get, without paying any fees and dues like at the fitness club.
Look at where is the sun coming up, and where is it going down. This is pretty important, to know how to plan your layout of your little paradise.
What are your preferred fruits? Think about it, and plan accordingly. How about some apple, peach, plum, cherry, apricot, and other fruit trees that you would like to have and pick them off the trees with your own hand? It can't be any fresher than that.
All these fresh fruits and vegetables have tremendous health benefits! And what kind of garden would that be, without some berry fruits as well? How about some blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, and more. Rich in vitamins and minerals and antioxidants, very beneficial for your well being.
And how about some Herbs? Parsley, dill, lemon balm, mint, oregano, cilantro, catnip, basil, rosemary, chives, lavender, sage, arugula, peppermint, etc.
As you can see, it is not hard at all to create your own little garden paradise.
To get some ideas about what seeds, berry plants and fruit trees to purchase, please visit one of my sources at: http://stores.shop.ebay.com/borlovansnursery
This is just the first article post in a series that will follow. Please visit us soon for more information and related articles.
To find more detailed information about any specific gardening ideas and resources, check the links on the right side of this blog. Just click away and see what you will find. There are loads of tremendous helpful hints about anything you can imagine in gardening.
Have fun, and check back soon for more useful tips.
Happy gardening!
Your following me on my blog is highly appreciated. Please leave your comments, so I can improve my service to you.
If you have your little heaven, like your back yard or even front yard, with a little planing you are a step closer to a healthier, more self sufficient living!
My, my, my! What a potential that we many times neglect. With a little careful and thoughtful planing, you can create your own paradise, in no time. Take a look at your sunny spot, and make a simple plan on a sheet of paper, mark the spot to grow your vegetables.
Make a list of what would you like to grow. This could be endless, but you can limit it to what would you like best. Like, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, snap beans, peas, kohlrabi, lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, cantaloupes, etc. We could go on and on. These are just a few examples, but just use your imagination, and you'll find out how easy it is.
It all depends on how much space you have, how committed and passionate you are about gardening, and how much time you want to spend and dedicate to your garden. And remember, this is one of the best exercises you can get, without paying any fees and dues like at the fitness club.
Look at where is the sun coming up, and where is it going down. This is pretty important, to know how to plan your layout of your little paradise.
What are your preferred fruits? Think about it, and plan accordingly. How about some apple, peach, plum, cherry, apricot, and other fruit trees that you would like to have and pick them off the trees with your own hand? It can't be any fresher than that.
All these fresh fruits and vegetables have tremendous health benefits! And what kind of garden would that be, without some berry fruits as well? How about some blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, and more. Rich in vitamins and minerals and antioxidants, very beneficial for your well being.
And how about some Herbs? Parsley, dill, lemon balm, mint, oregano, cilantro, catnip, basil, rosemary, chives, lavender, sage, arugula, peppermint, etc.
As you can see, it is not hard at all to create your own little garden paradise.
To get some ideas about what seeds, berry plants and fruit trees to purchase, please visit one of my sources at: http://stores.shop.ebay.com/borlovansnursery
This is just the first article post in a series that will follow. Please visit us soon for more information and related articles.
To find more detailed information about any specific gardening ideas and resources, check the links on the right side of this blog. Just click away and see what you will find. There are loads of tremendous helpful hints about anything you can imagine in gardening.
Have fun, and check back soon for more useful tips.
Happy gardening!
Your following me on my blog is highly appreciated. Please leave your comments, so I can improve my service to you.
Monday, January 11, 2010
The State Of My Garden, After Several Harsh Cold Days
The state of my garden, after several harsh cold days of Winter, down here in Mobile, Alabama, where we don't get this kind of weather very often, is ok, to say the least.
My lemon and satsuma trees and the blueberry bushes fared pretty well considering what they had to go through. The shrubs have no problem in the cold weather at all. They are doing just fine! The Sago and Date Palms are doing great as well.
Nevertheless, this time around we've got more than we can handle at one time.
It lasted for several days with no end in sight! And I mean some bitter cold, especially at nights when the temperatures droped into the low 20's and sometimes in the 10's degrees.
The arctic cold front literally swept almost through all the regions of the US, with freezing temperatures all the way down to Miami, Florida, where this kind of weather is happening very seldom.
The Citrus and Strawberry producing farms had to take drastic measures to protect and save whatever they could of their crops. They had to sprinkle the trees and the fields with plenty water to freeze it over the fruits and leafs, thus protecting them from the harsh elements.
So much about climate warming! Did I say climate warming? What's that? Well, I guess I'll let the scientists and climate experts figure that out! I can't.
Finally, last night we had the coldest of all, in this last cold front spell, and the forecast for the next several days is looking pretty good. The temperatures are coming back to normal for this time of the year, and we can breath a sigh of relief for the promising sunny days ahead.
Now we can start planting some tomatoes and pepper seeds indoors, as well as other seeds that you have in plan, to get a head start on your growing season.
Readily available to transplant in your garden, as soon as the Spring will arrive. Have them ready, planted in cells or little jiffy pots, with a strong root system and a strong steam, for a good start.
I can't hardly wait to get my hands dirty, to build some new raised beds, (I prefer them, because I think that it's easier to control and have easy access all around them. It's easier to pull weeds too, if you don't build them too wide. I think that 4feet wide should be just fine, for easy reach from all sides.
If you have roses, now is a good time to prune them back while it is cold.
Spread your compost freely about two to three inches thick, before you start tilling the garden and bury them in for a good fertile soil for a nice rich crop.
After an absence of about two years of selling seedlings, shrubs, trees, blooming perennials, ferns, house plants and herbs, we'll be back strong with a new price list very soon. Our prices will be competitive and reasonable, so check back often on our blog, as well as on ebay where we had a strong presence, and served faithfully our clientele for many years.
We are working now on our new website, that was previously known and indexed in the search engines as BorlovansNursery.com with quality service and plant material second to none.
Your following and your comments on this blog is highly appreciated!
http://borlovans-nursery.blogspot.com
Until next time,
Mike Borlovan
My lemon and satsuma trees and the blueberry bushes fared pretty well considering what they had to go through. The shrubs have no problem in the cold weather at all. They are doing just fine! The Sago and Date Palms are doing great as well.
Nevertheless, this time around we've got more than we can handle at one time.
It lasted for several days with no end in sight! And I mean some bitter cold, especially at nights when the temperatures droped into the low 20's and sometimes in the 10's degrees.
The arctic cold front literally swept almost through all the regions of the US, with freezing temperatures all the way down to Miami, Florida, where this kind of weather is happening very seldom.
The Citrus and Strawberry producing farms had to take drastic measures to protect and save whatever they could of their crops. They had to sprinkle the trees and the fields with plenty water to freeze it over the fruits and leafs, thus protecting them from the harsh elements.
So much about climate warming! Did I say climate warming? What's that? Well, I guess I'll let the scientists and climate experts figure that out! I can't.
Finally, last night we had the coldest of all, in this last cold front spell, and the forecast for the next several days is looking pretty good. The temperatures are coming back to normal for this time of the year, and we can breath a sigh of relief for the promising sunny days ahead.
Now we can start planting some tomatoes and pepper seeds indoors, as well as other seeds that you have in plan, to get a head start on your growing season.
Readily available to transplant in your garden, as soon as the Spring will arrive. Have them ready, planted in cells or little jiffy pots, with a strong root system and a strong steam, for a good start.
I can't hardly wait to get my hands dirty, to build some new raised beds, (I prefer them, because I think that it's easier to control and have easy access all around them. It's easier to pull weeds too, if you don't build them too wide. I think that 4feet wide should be just fine, for easy reach from all sides.
If you have roses, now is a good time to prune them back while it is cold.
Spread your compost freely about two to three inches thick, before you start tilling the garden and bury them in for a good fertile soil for a nice rich crop.
After an absence of about two years of selling seedlings, shrubs, trees, blooming perennials, ferns, house plants and herbs, we'll be back strong with a new price list very soon. Our prices will be competitive and reasonable, so check back often on our blog, as well as on ebay where we had a strong presence, and served faithfully our clientele for many years.
We are working now on our new website, that was previously known and indexed in the search engines as BorlovansNursery.com with quality service and plant material second to none.
Your following and your comments on this blog is highly appreciated!
http://borlovans-nursery.blogspot.com
Until next time,
Mike Borlovan
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