Planting a Woodland Garden

Some of us are lucky enough to have a few mature native trees as part of our garden. It can be a challenge knowing what to grow around and under trees and what will thrive in soil deprived of moisture and light for most of the year. Gardens don't always have to be manicured and laid out to a rigid plan. In those areas where you have a number of trees growing, why not do a bit of research and create a semi wild woodland area. Our native woodland plants can be both beautiful and delicate, and left to their own devises will quickly colonise an area so that all you really have to do is enjoy it. Here are some of my favourites.

Spring woodland plants

Spring in a woodland setting is probably the most stunning time of the year, when the trees are just beginning to bud but haven't yet blocked out the sunlight with their leaves. Dappled light hits a woodland floor to reveal carpets of spring flowers. Perhaps the earliest bulbs to appear in a woodland setting are Galanthus nivalis or the snowdrop. These delicate bell shaped white flowers appear in January to February and are little jewels in an otherwise winter landscape. Plant clumps of snowdrops in the green for best results the following year. Also flowering at this time of year are winter aconites which carpet the ground with their bright yellow chalice-shaped flowers. Another yellow gem to be found at this time of year is the lesser celandine or Ranunculus ficaria. It has dark green heart-shaped leaves and glossy yellow flowers.

The delicate blue of Anemone Blanda appears in March and will flower over a number of weeks. These are followed in March to May by the pretty nodding white flowers of the wood anemone. Perhaps the one bulb which heralds the start of spring in our woodlands is the bluebell. There are many different cultivars of the bluebell, but you can make sure that you have the native English variety or Hyacinthoides non-scripta by looking for a bent stem with flowers borne only on one side of the stem.

Daffodils are often naturalised into grassy areas but they are just as at home in a woodland setting. Try and get hold of the wild daffodil or Narcissus pseudonarcissus which is slightly smaller than most garden daffodils but no less spectacular.

Summer woodland plants

Although we associate spring as perhaps the most colourful time in the woodland, the summer months don't have to be a mass of green. There are many summer flowering plants you can naturalise around trees for all year round interest. Snakeshead fritillary is a beautiful little flower with nodding speckled blooms coloured from purple to creamy white. Lily of the valley, or Convallaria majalis are a must. Flowering between May and June, their bell shaped white flowers emit a lovely scent. Combine these with clumps of wild cyclamen with their delicate pale pink flowers of upturned petals which flower between August and September. Aconitum or Monkshood has dark blue flowers on tall stems. Beware though, as this plant can be poisonous.

Other plants you might like to consider for a shady wooded area are hellebores, aquilegia or 'grannies bonnet', ferns and for those who want something a little unusual, Arisaema, which has a single leaf with a number of other leaflets and a purple spathe striped white. There is also no reason why you shouldn't dot a few garden planters around the area, as long as they are planted with compatible plants such as primulas or daffodils.

Planting tips

Once you have planted you woodland area, make sure you water all the plants in well. It is then essential that you cover the area with a thick layer of bark chippings, well rotted manure or compost to conserve moisture and keep down the weeds. Then all you have to do is sit back and enjoy what I am sure will become a very tranquil retreat away from the rest of your garden.

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Nothing Beats Organic Gardening Vegetables

Are you tired of the taste of grocery store tomatoes? Nothing beats organic gardening vegetables... nothing. And, taste is not the only plus to eating organic, test after test show that organically grown vegetables are more nutritious for your family than chemically raised produce.

It has always seems strange to me that people will spend all, or more than, they can afford for a home, and their car has to be the best on the block. But, they buy the cheapest food they can find to put in their bodies.

Your conventional groceries you buy at the local grocery are trucked in from who knows where and are grown with chemicals. When I say they use chemicals I mean they use chemicals for everything.

The ground is prepared with a chemical fertilizer made from natural gas. There many minerals present on this earth and each plant needs it's own combination to grow properly. Over time we have pulled these minerals out of the soil without replenishing all of them. Today many of our soils are deficient in certain minerals. This was even noted in congress of the US many years ago.

Then, there are pesticides and herbicides. Pesticides are used to keep your produce bug free and without blemish. We have been conditioned to look for produce and fruit without any bad spots. When, in reality, the food is just as good with a blemish on it as one without, and tons, maybe millions of tons, are thrown out every year because of some bump on the surface.

Herbicides kill weeds. You can tell a conventional crop field because it looks like plants growing on pavement, nothing growing in the field, but beans, corn or whatever. But, that is against nature. Everything has a purpose in nature and the chemicals have been shown to be a factor in all sorts of health problems.

Organic vegetables are just better for you. You do not have the chemicals to worry about and you are improving your nutrition. In one test organically grown cornmeal was shown to have significantly higher nutrition levels that conventionally grown cornmeal. For instance, the conventional cornmeal had 7.3 grams of protein, but the organic cornmeal contained 11.9 grams, quite a difference.

The best way to make sure you are getting the best nutrition for your family is to raise your own organic vegetables and fruit. You may think that sounds like a lot of work, but if you know how, gardening can be fun and rewarding. Plus, it can give you that exercise you have been planning to start.

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Not All Designs for Sheds Are Permanent!

Sheds are generally very useful for homes of all size, not just larger ones - you can benefit a lot from the ability to store all your tools and extra items in a separate place, especially if you have a habit of tweaking with these things a lot of time. A shed is the perfect solution to this situation, allowing you to easily organize all your tools and similar items in a neat manner, and without taking up too much space. One common misconception some people tend to have about sheds is that building a shed is a permanent change to your household - even though that's true if you need a fully-fledged large-sized shed, there are also plenty of compact, smaller solutions that can work just as well without requiring you to treat them like permanent modifications.

Portable sheds are also quite cheap in most cases, even though they can offer you all the features of a standard shed. That's understandable when you consider their overall lower production costs and that a large part of the work is offloaded to you - the setup and installation. When you buy a portable shed, you get it in a deconstructed condition, and it's up to you to set it up following the instruction manual. You can make various alterations to the basic design too, so you don't generally have to comply to any particular design, as long as you can adjust everything to the materials you're given by the manufacturer.

Even if you don't feel up to the task of setting up your own shed after buying it, you still have the option of calling the manufacturer for that purpose and asking them for assistance with this part of your purchase. It will often not cost you too much to do it this way, and in some cases you might even be able to have the price of the installation included in the base purchase, though this varies strongly between different sellers.

Just because the cheaper sheds are made of lighter materials like metal frames and fabric covers, this still doesn't make them less appropriate in terms of durability and overall performance - quite on the contrary, you can get a lot of longevity and long-term performance as long as you make sure that you're buying sheds from renowned manufacturers that have established themselves on the market.

Shopping from the better brands of manufacturers of sheds also gives you other benefits, not just the base construction quality of the shed - you'll likely also get better long-term support and more flexible options when you decide to buy something else from the same company, and if you ever choose to buy something more expensive and complex from the same company, they might give you a free evaluation or something similar to aid you in your purchase. Most of the good manufacturers of sheds actually have very nice customer care plans, so ask to see what they can offer you in this regard if you're interested in working with them for a long term.

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The Hydroponics Gardening Method - What Is It?

Hydroponics is a method of growing terrestrial plants without the use of soil. Using water, nutrients, and a light source, plants can be grown in a mineral nutrient solution. Scientists have found that plants obtain nutrients by absorbing them from the soil, but the soil itself is not necessary for plant growth or survival. However, there are many methods of hydroponics gardening. Plants can be placed directly into a mineral rich water solution, or into an inert growing medium. Some growing mediums include: oasis cubes, coconut fiber, rockwool, gravel, saw dust, and lava rock.

We live in a changing world. Food shortage is a reality for many poorer countries that struggle with unpredictable weather, civil conflict, corrupt or inefficient governments, or lack of resources. Traditional farming methods may no longer be a viable option for these countries. Other reasons that the hydroponics growing method is becoming a global viable food production source are the following reasons:

- Seasonal crops can be grown year round
- Water can be continually reused, since it stays within the system
- No nutrition pollution is released into the environment
- Pests and diseases are easily eradicated
- Higher yields are possible
- Crops can be grown in regions where this would not be possible, such as Antarctica or desert regions

The hydroponics method can also be used in small spaces. Grow tents are a great option for small harvests, and for those who have limited space, inside or outside, their homes. Some made of Mylar and plastic, and built around a metal frame, grow tents are an encapsulated space that must be equipped with everything necessary to cultivate vegetation, such as ventilation, water, lighting, and CO2 systems. Grow tents are carefully controlled environments that allow plants maximum yield, as all these various systems can be easily monitored, and nutrients are easily supplied to the plant.

Hydroponics is currently being used by many industries as well. Since growing marijuana is illegal in the United States, many illicit growers use grow tents since they allow a clandestine means of harvesting their crop. NASA is exploring the possibility of using the hydroponics method to produce plants during space travel, and on planets such as Mars.

There are many reasons for growers, hobbyists, horticulturists, and organic foods consumers may be drawn to using the hydroponics growing method. Using a grow tent inside one's home may seem artificial or unnatural, however, the plants use minerals found in nature- but more refined and easily absorbed. Water is not wasted, as the hydroponics method uses 70-90% less water than conventional gardening. There is no possibility of runoff into lakes, streams, or rivers. All organic supplements and fertilizers can also be used. Used worldwide in areas that cannot grow vegetation, or certain crops, hydroponics is a widespread method for many different types of growers.

Hydroponics can also be organic. There are many fertilizers, nutrients, and supplements on the market today that do not contain synthetic additives. There are fertilizers that use fungi and bacteria to increase plant health, and to help the plant absorb nutrients through its roots. If you are using a grow tent, you can limit the use of harmful pesticides. The only drawback of using the hydroponics method is the immediate eyebrow raising response that is elicited from those who know you are gardening using this taboo growing method.

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How to Germinate Seeds in Your Hydroponic Growbox

You have your grow box set up and now it's to time to begin life; for your seeds that is. Germination is the process in which a plant begins growth. In the grow box environment the indoor gardener has complete control over temperature, water and oxygen which are the three most important environmental factors for successful germination. By following the steps in this article you should get your valuable seeds off to a great start in their wonderful life!

The first step in successful germination is finding seeds that are good quality and clean from a reputable nursery or seed bank. Just by doing a little research on the internet you can find reviews and recommendations about which seed banks and nurseries other indoor gardeners have used as their seed vendor of choice. The next step is to prepare your rockwool cubes for germination. Soak your cubes in a water solution with pH of 5.5. If you have a pH meter use the meter according to the directions included with the meter to attain the proper reading of your solution. If you have purchased a pH kit with pH Up and pH Down solution you will be able to adjust your ph down with the ph Down solution by adding a little at a time. Use the ph test indicator solution to effectively get your solution to the 5.5 color range on the chart. Most tap water ph is between ph 6.8 and 7.8 After you have soaked your rockwool cubes for at least an hour remove them and get them ready for the next step which is inserting your seed into your rockwool starter cubes into your grow box. Typically starter cubes are 1.5 inches and have a small hole in the top of the cube. You want to place your seed with the pointiest side down inside the starter cube about a ½ inch below the top of the surface. Either pinch the hole closed or put an extra piece of rockwool over the top of the hole to cover the seed. Now place the starter cube in an environment where the temperature is between 75-85 degrees and where the humidity is above 70%. An easy way to increase the humidity for an individual cube is to put the starter cube in a plastic Ziploc bag and open about a 2" hole or gap in the top of the bag. Wait between 4-14 days until you see the hypocotyl or "baby shoot" emerge from the top of the rockwool cube. DO NOT pour additional water on your cubes. You should not have to add more water. If notice that at least half of the cube or more has dried out then lightly mist the cubes with a spray bottle filled with water pH of 5.5.

If you are germinating more than a couple of seeds at a time, it is recommended that you use a seed germination/propagation kit. A germination/propagation kit can increase the success of your efforts to 80-90%. These kits contain a seedling dome, seedling tray, seedling heat mat, and seedling thermometer to regulate the temperature of the mat. Follow all the directions above except use your seed mat to keep the temperature between 80-85°. Place the dome over your prepared cubes to keep the humidity elevated in the germinating environment. When you see the hypocotyls or "baby shoot" appear remove the dome partially until all shoots have appeared on all the cubes. Expose these germinated sprouts to indirect light initially and then direct light for at least 18 hours a day. Once you introduce them to light the germination phase is complete and now your tiny plants move into the next phase. What a great feeling it is to start life in your hydroponic grow box!

erik@supercloset.com
http://www.supercloset.com/

SuperCloset takes the guesswork out of growing through manufacturing the most innovative and customer friendly hydroponic systems and turn-key grow box units. After 10 years and over 10,000 customers, SuperCloset continues to lead the horizontal and vertical growing industry with its commitment to excellent products and world-class customer service.

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