Gardening Essentials: Gardening Tools and Accessories for Comfortable Gardening

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Home gardening and farming isn’t about creating the perfect garden, it’s also about enjoyment and relaxation. In order to enjoy your gardening and lawn maintenance undertakings, you need to be as comfortable as possible in the tasks you perform. If you’re forced into awkward, aching positions, then you will surely not enjoy the activity. Tools and supplies can also be quite heavy when carrying out larger projects. Heavy lifting, and extraneous work can lead to injury if not careful. In these cases, certain tools and accessories are available to make your gardening experience as smooth as possible. Below is a list of some necessary items to help protect and comfort you throughout your gardening experience.

Hat and Sunblock

Although this may seem like a minute detail, hats will protect your face from sunburns and skin damage. The American Skin Cancer Foundation suggests wearing a hat and sunblock every time exposed to sunlight for prolonged periods of time. Make sure to find a hat with proper coverage, that covers the entire head instead of just a portion of it. On blazing hot days when the sun is most potent, a hat will also protect your head from heating up, which can increase the risk of heat stroke.

Kneeling Pad

A kneeling pad will protect your knees after hours of gardening. If you are tending to a smaller gardening bed, a kneeling pad is a perfect way of providing comfort during a sometimes back-breaking task. Some kneeling pads can even convert into garden chairs, in case you choose to prune your plants without putting too much stress on your back.

Gloves

Gardening gloves exist to protect a gardener’s hands from gardening hazards. If you’re working with tools, gardening gloves can prevent blisters and calluses from forming. Of course, gloves will also protect gardeners dealing with thorny rose bushes and plants.

Wheelbarrow

Wheelbarrows will help you move soil and heavier object around your yard without too much hassle. If you’ve ever pot planted, you know how difficult moving filled pots can become. Wheelbarrows will help you avoid a great deal of trouble when undertaking larger projects.

Cloches

Cloches are round or cylindrical clear instruments that protect and insulate young plants. According to Lee Reich of Gardening, gardeners and farmers often use cloches to extend vegetation as long as possible before farming season officially ends. They are either made of glass or clear plastic, allowing plants to absorb sunlight from within. The cloche also allows plants to retain humidity and moisture during warm summer days. This creates an optimal growing environment for your plant.
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Not Raving About Compost? Well, You Should Be

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By definition, composting is the use of decayed organic material as plant and tree fertilizer. It involves a recycling process where dead organic materials are turned into nutrient rich soil. Compost has the ability to make plants healthier, as well as the ability to increase their flowering and fruiting potential. Overall, using compost is a great organic alternative to using fertilizers that are sometimes laced in inorganic chemicals and growth hormones. Of course, composting stirs positive environmental habits, such as recycling and soil enrichment. It is also a wonderful way to introduce kids to the beauties of recycling, and the life cycle. Below is a more in-depth explanation on why you should use compost in your yard using articles from plowhearth.com and recycle.org.

Using organic soils like compost means using soils your plants and garden will love. Why? To start, compost contains all the major plant nutrients, including potassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen. Additionally, it also contains billions of bacteria, fungi, and yeasts that help further break down organic matter, supplying a long-term, steady nutrient feed to plants and soils. Compost texture also greatly improves the tilth, or soil structure of gardens it is used in. Its loose fluffy-like texture allows for increased drainage of clay soils, as well as the binding of sandy soils. These reactions allow for enhanced moisture retention properties throughout your garden.

Composting is a cost efficient process, as well as an environmentally friendly one. In fact, according to recycle.org, yard and food waste makeup about 30% of the waste stream. As an environmentally friendly practice, composting helps reduce some of the accumulated waste from landfills, waterways, and even water treatment facilities. In terms of cost efficiency, composting is also a very effective practice. For someone who avidly tends to their garden, composting replaces expensive soil conditioners and fertilizers. Instead you now have large, fresh piles of nutrient rich soil ready to fertilize your yard for practically free!

Composting is not a difficult process either.  When thought of in a simpler sense, composting is just glamorized, useful rotting of waste. In fact, by just piling your kitchen scraps, cut grass, and autumn leaves into a giant pile, you can have a healthy amount of compost in your backyard in just one year’s time. That’s because composting is a natural process. Controlled composting involves speeding the natural process. This involves moistening, turning, and adding to the mixed properties from time to time. Adding worms to your compost pile/bin is probably the most intricate part of your composting process. Worms and worm castings add extra soil nutrients into your soil.

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Create a Better Garden with these Expert Tips for Beginners

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Considering gardening as a hobby? Gardening can be an absolutely wonderful way of relieving stress during a busy work-filled week. It is also a great way to exercise your creativity and imagination. The creativity involved in building your own garden involves coordinating different colors, textures, and sizes of plants. Most importantly, it involves a great deal of skill and patience.

While creativity may inspire beauty in a garden, nothing will come to fruition without a green thumb, or at least, some semblance of skill in the garden. Therefore, it is important to learn some gardening tips before you put your hoe into the dirt. Using an article from Reader’s Digest, here are a few expert tips on gardening for beginners and future gardening enthusiasts.

First off, you want to build a gardener’s portfolio. Many gardeners spend hours collecting data on model gardens in magazines and tv shows. This portfolio  is meant for you to keep track of your own plants in your garden. These plants, along with their recommended treatments, would be cataloged into your book along with any other relevant information on each individual plant.

If you’re looking to add more pot plants into your garden, make sure you pack them lightly. Packing large pots with loads of soil is not only a waste of soil, but also a major future problem for your back. Heavy lifting over prolonged periods of time can develop into serious back strains that are difficult to recuperate from. Don’t hurt your back while working in your garden, instead pack your pots lightly with a small hack. Fill between one-third and one-half of your pot with foam packing nuts. Before adding potting soil, make sure to place a piece of landscape fabric inside the pot.

Restrict aggressive plants when planting them into your garden. Do your due diligence beforehand, and find out which of your plants is aggressive. Once you decide on planting them anyway, plant them into the ground inside of a plastic container. Cut the bottom of your container with a knife. This will force the plant’s roots to grow straight downward.

When planting roses, keep in mind that pruning is important. Your roses’ future health depends on proper pruning techniques. Pruning ensures that the center of the flower is open in order to retain as much sunshine as possible. This practice also keeps moisture out, preventing black spots and other abnormalities away from your roses.

If you liked some of these tips and tips and would like to read more on gardening, check out our blog for more information. If you’re interested in buying some plants, check out our main site. Thanks for reading!

Great Low-Maintenance Trees to Plant in Any Yard

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To create a perfectly serene and harmonious landscape design in your own yard is not an easy task to accomplish. To ensure your property and garden withhold that sense of peace and tranquility, there are certain factors you should seriously take into consideration. You want to design a yard that is both aesthetically pleasing as well as practical. When selecting trees and shrubs to plant, upkeep and maintenance of are important factors to consider during the selection process. Certain plants and shrubbery upkeep costs can be surprisingly staggering, and the failure to maintain said upkeep may result in the death of your plants and the collapse of your garden. We compiled a list of some of the best low-maintenance trees to plant in your yard this coming spring.

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Crape Myrtle: Lagerstroemia

Crape Myrtles add excellent aesthetic value to any property. These trees are true survivors, capable of surviving harsh sunlight, and even drought. They grow to be anywhere between 15-25 feet high, and 6-15 feet wide. One of their wonderful defining characteristics is their ability to bloom in the summer months, long after blooming season finishes for most other trees. Crape Myrtles bloom in purples, reds, pinks, and whites, offering an extensive selection of color for the perfect garden.

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Japanese Maple: Acer Palmatum

A deciduous shrub, or a small tree, Japanese Maples only grow to a height of 15-30 feet, but spread to 20 feet at maturity.  Widely used in Japanese and East Asian gardens, this tree adds just the right amount of grace and elegance to any yard. It’s attractive deep reddish, purplish foliage make it a great ornamental tree, creating visual interest to the entirety of its surrounding landscape. It is likely to thrive in most temperatures, except in climates where sunlight is potent and lengthy. Moist soil is ideal for a Japanese Maple to grow full and strong and offers some drought resistant qualities.

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Northern Red Oak: Quercus Rubra

Northern Red Oaks are solid trees that can rise up to heights of 300 feet and taller. Unfortunately if you plant it, you might never get to see the Red Oak fully mature, as it takes about 150 years – or more than a few generations. These trees are most revered for their shading abilities, and their beautiful red hue in the autumn months. Northern Red Oaks require little maintenance, and are true survivors through the test of time. You might not live long enough to enjoy their complete maturity, but they add true value to any garden at whatever stage.

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Japanese Flowering Cherry (Blossom): Prunus x Yedoensis

Another popular tree in Japanese and East Asian Gardens, Japanese Flowering Cherry Trees have become famous all throughout the world for their characteristically beautiful white-pink flowers. These trees are not very tall, but they can spread from 25-40 feet fully mature. Although these trees prefer moist and well-draining soil, they can tolerate and endure in less than ideal climates and soil conditions. Bugs like caterpillars and aphids are their biggest enemies, so try to keep their surroundings as pest free as possible. Their delicate, beautiful, stunning colors add aesthetic appeal to any garden.

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Eastern Red Cedar: Juniperus Virginiana

These trees can easily grow to heights of 40-50 feet, spreading between 8-20 feet. Perhaps the most resilient and adaptable tree, they are able to grow in just about any soil-type. Gardens often use the Eastern Red Cedar as a windbreaker, or screen against sun and wind. These trees love sunlight, so be sure to plant them in an area where they can absorb a lot of rays. Birds love the Red Cedar’s berries and foliage, making them a great dwelling space for all types of Aves. This beautiful tree can fit well in just about any garden.

If you liked this post, check out our site for more information on the trees we offer and tips on landscaping! Thanks for reading!

Tips For Planting Trees And Shrubs

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Most trees and shrubs these days are grown in containers. This method of cultivation ensures that the roots do not get disturbed by anything in the ground or surrounding area, especially when selected for the planting process. While transferring from pot to ground isn’t too disruptive to the tree or shrub, they still require some help during the process.

Here are some of our best tips:

  1. Prepare the area: Your potential tree or shrub has been grown in a specific growing environment, optimized by the grower for the best results. You want the soil where you’re going to plant to be appealing to the tree. Churn up the soil in the entire area where your plant will sit at least as deep as the rootball of your tree, even deeper. Consider mixing in some compost or planting mixture to the soil in preparation.
  2. Water thoroughly BEFORE planting: Planting a tree or shrub with dry roots will make it more difficult to contain water in the future. Therefore, make sure the plant is thoroughly watered before placing it in the ground. If it is especially dry, water it until it is fully saturated and then plant.
  3. Dig a big enough hole: Always dig a hole bigger than your rootball ensuring that you have prepared the soil around the hole enough and when you pack the soil down around the roots, it wont get squashed or cramped in any way.
  4. To loosen or not to loosen: When removing your plant, you might consider loosening its roots but make sure you really take a look at the condition: is there a lot of soil between roots? If so, you might want to leave the rootball as is, so you disturb the roots as little as possible. However, if you take the rootball out and there are roots coiled around at the bottom or simply around the rootball, you can carefully spread the roots apart a bit so the roots grow out and away.

Planting Bulbs In Containers

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Container gardening can start with transferring your favorite plants into your choice of pot or container and maintaining it as necessary. OR, you can grow a plant by cultivating a bulb, growing your own flower, herb, fern, etc. from bulb to bloom – start to finish!

When considering planting bulbs, there are a few things to keep in mind: when, where, and how to plant the bulbs…

WHEN

Since you are planting indoors and in a container, you have ultimate flexibility when it comes to when you can plant and grow. Usually, when planting bulbs outdoors, you should be considering when those plants will be blooming. You do not have this concern with indoor growing, however, some bulbs do require chilling before planting in order to properly sprout and grow. Make sure you find out the necessary course of action with whatever bulb you plan on growing indoors.

WHERE

While planting bulbs in containers adds convenience to your gardening, there are still some stipulations you must adhere to. Some bulbs thrive in warm, sunny areas with great drainage; other bulbs may require cooler, more moist soil. So, while you can basically plant any time of the year with indoor container gardening, it is recommended to provide your plants with their ideal growing environment.

HOW

The majority of bulbs grow perfectly in containers, but there are some things you should keep in mind when cultivating your indoor garden.

  • Plant the bulbs deep enough (three times the bulb’s size) and one bulb (width) apart
  • Once your plant has grown, water it regularly (or as directed). Once the plant begins to wilt and enter dormant season, you can decrease watering (not entirely), but not enough to let it dry out completely.
  • Feed your bulbs with a liquid tomato feed (high-potassium) to ensure good blooms year after year, season after season.