The appeal of organic fruit and vegetables has probably never been as high as it currently is right now. The idea of plants being covered in chemicals or in some cases being genetically modified is something that people are turning against. You can easily play your part at your own home with growing your own tomato plants using organic tomato seeds.

Growing them right from seeds is the only way that you can be absolutely sure no chemicals have been used at any point in the process. If you buy plants that have already been started for you then you do not know if chemicals were used to help them germinate.

Getting tomato seeds to germinate is relatively straight forward and involves gentle watering without soaking them and allowing light and heat to get to them. If they are kept in a greenhouse at your house then it can be an idea to just cover them with even newspaper at night just to help keep that temperature up a bit. This does of course depend on where you live in the world.

The evergreens most commonly used for foundation planting around homes prefer fairly light, well drained soil in which has been incorporated peat moss or other well rotted organic matter. They are relatively shallow rooted and so deep beds need not be dug.

Spreading type evergreens should be planted at least 3 feet away from foundation or walks to give them plenty of growth space.

Frequent watering of both tops and soil is necessary, especially during hot, dry summers. Fertilize in the spring, using a balanced garden fertilizer. Do not overfeed. especially if slow growth is desired.

Dogs should be kept away from evergreens, by use of small fences.

By topping or pinching side growth, evergreens can be trained to desired shapes without too much trouble. Mugho Pine “candles” (the new growth) are commonly cut back to their length in the spring to produce a compact growth. When Pfitzers or other spreading type evergreens grow too long and “leggy”, they can be pruned in mid-summer by cutting off the long branches. Make the cut so that it is hidden behind a new, shorter stem and the pruning will not be noticeable.

Dog days are here the days when the heat closes in, when dogs and gardeners are supposed to be especially likely to go mad.

And reasons aplenty! Conditions are as near perfect as at any time during the year for the spreading of fungus diseases. Black spot, mildew, rust, brown patch, dollar spot and the various and sundry wilts all propagate and spread like a prairie fire unless the gardener is alert to their presence and acts quickly to combat them. Fortunately this danger period is relatively short. Many fungicides are readily available, easy and economical to use, Captan is favored by many gardeners Certain sucking insects, prey on shrubs at this time, namely spider mites (red spiders) and lace wing bugs. Both of these can be controlled by spraying with malathion.

Annuals and Perennials

Every gardener knows that keeping old faded blooms removed will stimulate more bloom. With petunias, alyssum, verbenas and snapdragons a severe pinching back will result in a very rewarding, new crop of flowers for the late garden. Short day annuals like zinnias, tithonias and marigolds can be planted from seed now to give satisfactory returns as late summer flowers.

A lot of people bring home house plants and flowers from a gardening center or nursery to display in their home, in their same containers. The issue with this point is that the flimsy plastic containers are not meant to be a permanent home. Plants need a special pot to call home and one in which they can expand and grow.

Terra Cotta Pots

The most common form of indoor pot is made from terra cotta, which means baked earth, because of its warm, orangish color. A terra cotta pot is made from porous clay that has been fired in an oven to make it harden into the common shape it is sold in today. For the most part, terra cotta pots have one drainage hole at the bottom of the pot so you need to get the saucer as well as the pot. An indoor terra cotta pot can also be hand painted or you can purchase one that has been fired with a color glaze on it.

Sturdy Ceramic Pots

Any plant that must be replaced every year and only has flowers one time, is an annual. Annuals are grown from seeds and the major advantage of an annual is the lower cost. Thousands of plants may be grown from just one seed packet.

Being decorative, annuals provide some very wonderful flowers for cutting.

The season for their bloom can be long, as well. The chief advantage is that the late day the bloom. If they are used alone or along a border, for a good part of the season will pass and you will still have color.

Annuals can also be used as a filler in between shrubbery and set some distance apart. This is so the shrubs can grow and not appear to stark.

To grow annuals, of course will be dependant upon which class they are a member of. The heartier flowers such as a larkspur or cornflower, can be planted in the late fall. The ground must be prepped just the same way it is in the spring time. Fall planting is advantageous because it gives you a leg up on spring planting. Certain other types of hearty annuals can also be sown in the spring time as soon as the ground thaws and warms up enough.

When you are living in the center of an Amazonian jungle, the last thing recommended would be to attempt to do indoor gardening. Why would you think of trying to compete with the beauty of mother nature and come out the loser. If like the majority of the population in the western world, you do not live at the basin of a rain forest, then something worth looking into is indoor gardening. As a substitute for your own personal jungle.

Why should one consider an indoor garden versus an outdoor one? The reasons are fairly simple, you do not need to get all dirty down on your hands and knees in the dirt. You will never have to brave the elements that will do its best to compete with you. It will improve the appearance of your home and make you feel better in turn. Ultimately, in the larger scheme of things it is great for you.

It may be hard to imagine how indoor gardening can be good for you. However, it does not have anything to actually do with the garden, but more with the plants. If you think back to your high school days and pressure from peers, you may remember distantly hearing something in science class about plants and a word called photo-something.

A spider plant is a great choice for a houseplant. It is attractive and easy to take care of. It is possible to over or under water, but they are much more resilient than other plants. They also have a long life span.

The plants have long leaves that are narrow and come in other variations such as dark green with yellow striping, variegated, speckled and more. A spider plant will grow fast and produce a lot of foliage, which means they are a great choice for decorating. When they grow, they also tolerate being root bound quite well.

The watering requirements of the plant require a very small effort, however do not over water because it can cause root rot. A consistently moist soil with occasional dry periods is best recommended. Spider plants can go for several days without being watered, especially during the fall and winter, when they are less active.

If you see the tips are growing brown or become spotted, you need to change the kind of water you are using. If you have been using tap water, then it is okay depending where you live. If in the city, the water supply may have a high chlorine concentration and possibly fluorine as well. These minerals can damage your plant, so try using rainwater or purified water free of minerals to see if the problem will be alleviated.

Planning your garden in advance helps produce maximum crops in minimum space. The less space you use, the less work you have to do. Also, you can improve the soil in a small plot much more rapidly than in a large area and at less expense. This sets up, within limitations, a chain reaction. The better the soil, the smaller the area required to produce a given quantity of peas or beans or corn, and, the smaller the area, the faster its soil may be improved.

The best time to plan your vegetable garden is right now in midwinter. Unless you are a draftsman, you will probably find it easiest to draw the plan on cross-section paper, which you can get at any office supply store. Use sheets which provide plenty of space for both the simple plan of our vegetable garden, and for additional notes to be made on the margins during the season to help plan a better layout for next year. You will also need a pencil and a ruler.

To start, you need to get a new pot for your plant. You need to prepare this pot properly, or your time spent repotting orchids will be a waste! If you are recycling an old or used pot, soak it in a little bleach and water mixture. Once it is thoroughly soaked, rinse it and give it a efw days to dry out. You want it totally dry before you proceed. If the pot is brand new, just soak it in water for a little while.

You aren’t quite done with the pot yet. You need to add some plastic foam peanuts or small pebbles at the bottom of the planter. This makes sure your newly repotted orchid gets enough moisture.

Once you are ready, unpot the orchid by turning the plant upside down and gently thumping the sides of the pot. It is common for the roots to stick to the pot in places, but you can use a butter knife to get them loose. Try to be careful, but it is not a huge deal if you accidentally damage the roots a little.

BY modern methods, the flowers for our winter bouquets may be dried throughout their growing periods. Not only will they provide out of season enjoyment, but they can vie at any season with fresh blooms and they will hold their own on the show table, too.

The processes by which the flowers are dried is not difficult, but patience and careful handling are required. The first step is to assemble the necessary materials and prepare a work area which is dry, yet well ventilated.

All of the flowers we will discuss will be dried in an old fashion mixture of 2/3 powdered borax and 1/3 dry, sifted sand. A practical quantity for the average drying box would be four pounds of borax, thoroughly mixed with 3 and 1/3 cups of sand. This mixture does not deteriorate and an occasional sifting will keep it usable year after year.

For some flowers, wires (available in 18-inch lengths from the florist) are used to substitute for the natural stems or to extend stems which are too short. When wrapped with green or brown corsage tape they are seldom obvious and their pliability is an advantage in making the arrangement. Twenty-three gauge wires are medium strength and will support most flowers.