Your Home Garden Greenhouses Advantages

If you are an avid gardener you would most likely already have a greenhouse or frequently find yourself wishing you did. Especially for those gardeners who live in colder climates with short growing seasons, a greenhouse is an extremely handy structure to have in the backyard. Home garden greenhouses are the perfect solution for year round gardening.

The advantages of having home garden greenhouses are numerous... just ask any greenhouse gardener. They will likely tell you all about how they can start their outdoor garden plants early. They can propagate new starts of outdoor flowers and other plants for the next season, winter over cold sensitive outdoor plants inside the greenhouse and even grow fresh cut flowers for the house year-round.

Outdoor and indoor gardening are very similar with a couple of exceptions. Outdoor garden plants are exposed to weather conditions whereas plants grown inside a greenhouse live in a controlled environment. In a greenhouse the temperature is controlled with heating and cooling systems. Outdoor gardens are exposed and therefore able to receive rain. Outdoor gardens also are exposed to negative weather effects such as hail, wind and pelting rains. Plants inside a greenhouse are protected from the negative effects of weather but receive no beneficial rains. For plants to flourish in a greenhouse they must receive proper water through a water system or manual watering.

One of the unsung advantages of home garden greenhouses is the effect that gardening has on stress; it is proven that gardening is a stress reliever. A greenhouse extends that relief to year round rather than seasonal.

Home garden greenhouses are a great way to not only protect plants from the weather but they are the best way to provide safe, delicious produce for the table. A greenhouse provides food, relaxation and beautiful blossoms for the greenhouse gardener.

Your Home Garden Enthusiasts Love Healthy Foods

For numerous people planting a home garden to get terrific quality, fresh foods to be cooked, also so they can be preserved by way of freezing and canning, is an ever increasing popular activity. One of the primary motivations for people growing their own fruits as well as vegetables is that there is increasing evidence that the produce that is available at the supermarkets is seriously deficient in nutritional value because of present day mass-growing techniques.

In addition, numerous people creating and cultivating a home garden for the so that they can get nutritious foods for the table is an enjoyable enterprise. For numerous people around the world gardening has been a popular hobby, however when you throw in the extra incentive of being able to obtain for your family nutrient-rich vegetables and fruits that have not been contaminated with different pesticides and chemicals, it is relatively easy to realize why the popularity of the garden has grown as much as it has.

Right at Your Finger Tips

Apart from the problems of quality and safety that come up with the produce that you will find at your local supermarket, people also are happy being able to go out to their home garden and pick their food directly from the vine at just the right time of ripeness. Compare that added ability to pluck a tomato straight from the vine at it's absolute peak of ripeness with a tomato that you end up finding at the store. In the case of the store bought tomato which was picked far in advance of it being ripe, then packed, at times also gassed to decrease it's natural ripening process, then transported and finally unpacked at your local grocery store.

In that type of case, which is more common of the vast majority of produce that is sold in your local grocery store nowadays, the tomato has been detached from it's life-giving parent plant for many days and in some cases weeks. However, with a vegetable garden right outside your kitchen door, you can pick your tomatoes when they are at their peak of ripeness and be able to have the freshest tomatoes you ever had on your salad or for your famous tomato sauce.

The majority of the popular and common vegetables that are readily available in the produce sections of your local grocery stores can be grown in home gardens. Some of the most popular assortments of potatoes, carrots, green beans, peas, broccoli, beets, cabbage as well as numerous other varieties of squash, just to name a few of them can be grown at home.

Also let us not be remiss and remember all of the excellent berries that can be home grown as well. Technically speaking being a fruit, tomatoes are one of the most well liked foods that many people enjoy which includes the type in their home gardens. They are simple to grow and just plain delicious picked off the vine.

Herbs, Fresh Flavor, Convenience

Produce that comes from a vegetable garden can be used right away or it may be canned or frozen for use at a later time, and numerous individuals incorporate herbs in their gardens also. As a matter of fact, herbs can be even more convenient as they can even be grown indoors, which will make your gardening efforts even more of a simple and easy task. Also, just as those fresh vegetables taste much better and are also better for you, you will likewise find that fresh herbs from the garden are superb in taste and flavor as compared to the packaged and dried varieties.

Even with all the added benefits to take into consideration of actually having a home garden to provide you with savory herbs and fresh produce for your table, some people do it simply because of the fact that they enjoy the hobby of gardening so much. For numerous individuals, the gratification that they get from nurturing and planting the garden is all the reward that they require. Also, when merged with the ability to partake in a meal with their friends that includes fresh as well as tasty foods, for numerous individuals that is the perfect way to get the most from their love of planting and sowing.

Your Home Garden Tomato Plant Tips

There are few things as exciting to a gardener as a fresh, juicy tomato from their very own garden. Unfortunately there is nothing as discouraging, especially after the hard work, time and money you invest in your home tomato garden, than finding out the plants are being eaten by pests or they have contracted a disease.

The good news is that many common tomato plant problems can be prevented through good practices in your garden. These tips will help you grow bigger, healthier tomatoes and could possibly save you money on sprays and other corrective measures.

Before the Growing Season - Garden Planning

Proper Drainage - Plant tomatoes in sunny, well-drained site. Use raised beds, if possible, to promote proper drainage.

Crop Rotation - To avoid soil-borne diseases, place your tomatoes on a three-year rotation schedule and rotate with unrelated crops such as corn, beans or lettuce. Make sure you don't plant your tomatoes in the same place that other members of the tomato family (peppers, eggplants, and potatoes) have grown in the past two years in order to keep them healthy.

Soil Preparation - Improve garden soil before planting by adding organic material such as compost.

Before Planting

Seedling Selection - If you're going to buy seedlings instead of planting seeds, always look for clean, dark green foliage. If the bottom leaves are yellow or brown, or if there are any flowers already showing, the plant is probably stressed and should be avoided. Look at the leaves and the underside of the leaves closely for any pests. If you see any chew marks or aphids, don't buy them.

Plant Spacing - When planting, space tomato seedlings a minimum of 18 inches apart to allow for maximum air circulation. If you purchase or grow tall, thin seedlings, planting them deeper in the ground, all the way up to the first set of leaves, will help strengthen the plant. Tomatoes are a unique plant and can grow roots out of any portion of the stem.

Tomato Varieties - Home gardeners have access to many excellent tomato varieties. When purchasing seeds or seedlings, consider their disease resistance as part of your selection process. Many hybrid tomato varieties have been bred with built-in resistance to wilt and other common genetic problems.

To tell what diseases a hybrid can resist, look at the letters after its name on the plant tag or seed packet. For example, the "Celebrity" tomato variety is labeled VFFNTA which means the plant is resistant to (V)erticillium wilt, (F)usarium races 1 and 2, root knot (N)ematodes, (T)obacco mosaic virus, and (A)lternaria stem canker. This would be a good choice if diseases have killed your tomatoes in the past.

During The Growing Season

Plant and Garden Maintenance - Eliminate competition for nutrients by keeping your garden weed-free. Mulch around the base of plants to retain soil moisture. Do not allow garden debris to build up at the base of the plants.

Pruning Tomato Plants - Some gardeners prune tomatoes by pinching "suckers", the leafy shoots that grow from the "V" between the central trunk (stem) and lateral branches.

If left on the plant, suckers will keep growing and usually produce fruit. It can be helpful sometimes to prune suckers out so the overall plant doesn't get top-heavy, or produce more fruit than the plant can mature in time for fall. Just keep in mind, if you prune them, you will get fewer, but larger fruit.

You can let some of the suckers stay on if you prefer. It's up to you how you want your tomatoes to grow. If you aren't sure, try experimenting with one plant and see how the fruit turns out.

Pest and Disease Control

Tomato plants are usually more vulnerable to insect and disease damage when they are younger or have been stressed by external factors such as weather or inconsistent watering. It is important to pay particular attention to your plants during these times so you can detect problems while they can still be controlled.

Plant Inspection - A good practice is to monitor for pests and diseases at least once a week by inspecting plants and the top and underside of leaves.

Garden Dust - A general-purpose garden dust can be very effective if your plants do develop problems, especially if detected earlier rather than later. Many dusts are considered safe for organic gardens, although you should always read the label carefully to make sure you understand the contents.

If you follow any or all of the tips in this article, you will surely be rewarded by your garden with the freshest tomatoes on the planet...a summertime delight that will bring you health and happiness.

Growing Wild Flowers in Your Home Garden

Native and wild flowers are a treat to the eyes and can be easily spotted in meadows and valleys amidst the mountains. The beauty of these flowers surpasses everything in the surrounding area and you cannot help but wonder how intricate yet amazing God's creation is...

You can indulge in the sheer pleasure of natural beauty by growing lovely wild flowers in your home garden. The native plants are not very demanding due to their adaptability to the climate and soil so you can grow them easily in your garden. A little care and maintenance will transform your garden into a lively and colorful abode.

If you have a large area to spare for the wild flowers or for that matter even a relatively small space then you can fill it with lovely wild flowers. The striking colors will add to the beauty of your garden and will also attract wildlife in the form of bees, butterflies and chirping birds.

Choose a site where the basic requirements for survival can be fulfilled. Wild flowers need plenty of sun to perform their best so select a spot that receives ample sunlight. Remove existing weeds and unwanted grass from the chosen patch so that they do not compete with your flowers for essential nutrients.

Most of the native flowers can be grown by seeds which are easily available in the market. You can select the ones of your choice for your home garden. There are instructions clearly mentioned on the purchased packets so you would not have worry about when to plant them. Some of the varieties can be planted in spring season and some can even be planted in fall. The zone where you live can also help you in determining whether to plant in spring or fall. Spring planting is generally for zone 1 to 6 and if you are in zone 7 to 11 then you should probably be planting in fall.

Most wild flower seeds germinate easily if they are planted in fall or early winter. However, due to seed dormancy you might have to opt for a pretreatment so that the germination occurs easily. Germination can be improved by the method of scarification or by soaking the seeds in water overnight. Once the seeds have been sown they will germinate naturally. Wild flowers do not need additional fertilizing so it is recommended not to use fertilizers.