There are many advantages to gardening in pots. Container gardens fit just about anywhere. The gardener can make many plant combinations and color as well as change plants with the season in the container. Container gardens may be portable. You can let them follow the sun or fill in an empty space in your garden. Perennial plants may be moved to an indoor window for winter months. Even an urban gardener with little or no yard space can grown fresh produce on a patio or in a sunny window.
The following list of perennial herbs can be grown in pots or find a secluded spot in your garden to be used year after year.
Sage -- a perennial plant, loves lots of sun in soil that drains well.
Rosemary --craves attention, the sun and lime-rich soil.
Chives --Moist, rich soil and plenty of sun and trimmings will result in healthy chives.
Basil -- Many types of this thirsty, tender, tropical annual exist, but most varieties grow quickly and easily in warm soil. This herb is a must for Italian cooking!
Thyme -- a perennial herb adds great flavor to meat dishes and soups, doesn’t mind being neglected a little bit, since it thrives in light, warm and fairly dry soil.
Chamomile (Roman Chamomile) -- choose the perennial to enhance the growth of any nearby plants. This herb also loves full or partial shade or sun and moist, well drained earth.
Mint -- perennial with lots of varieties that prefer moist soil and shade with little sun.
Oregano -- count on this perennial to enhance the flavor of your beans in your gardenand repel insects that bother your broccoli.
Lemon Balm -- a hardy perennial that likes just about anything: full sun or lots of shade and can be grown from seeds, cuttings or divisions.
Lavender -- There are several varieties of this semi-hardy perennial but all dislike frost. Lavender makes a nice edging or hedge, prefers plenty of sun and loose, fast-draining soil.
Catnip -- This perennial plant has almost become a weed in many parts of the USA and prefers sun or partial shade, but if you grow your catnip in full sun, the plants will be sturdier and shorter.
French Tarragon--enhances the growth of surrounding vegetables and prefers sandy loam and full or partial shade.
Fennel (Sweet Florence) -- this perennial herb resembles dill but does not grow as tall as common fennel This variety likes plenty of sunlight and well-drained, fertilized soil.
Sweet Marjoram -- this perennial can be propagated easily from seed or cuttings indoors or outdoors.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Raised Bed Gardening
Raised Bed Gardening
High-yield container gardening can help reduce the use of chemical fertilizers/herbicides/pesticides for healthier and more naturally grown vegetables, herbs, and flowers. A raised bed can help extend the growing season, make outstanding starter beds for larger scale gardeners, and can also be used in greenhouses.
Why Raised Bed Gardening?
1. More production per square foot - The traditional home garden yields about .6 pounds per square foot of vegetables while research at Dawes Arboretum near Newark, OH found an average yield of 1.24 pounds of vegetables per square foot.
2. Improved soil conditions - Tractors, tillers, or human feet compress the soil and make it more difficult for water, air, and roots to move in a flat garden space.. In a raised bed. saturated soils get a dose of lime every spring via percolation. Acidity can be maintained in the 5.8 to 6.8 range that vegetables prefer because percolation is reduced by gravity in a raised bed..
3. Use less fertilizer - Fertilize the growing area and not garden paths.
4. Use less water - The gardener waters plants where water is needed avoiding waste on paths or to the side of the beds.
5. Pest control - The bottom of the bed can be lined with poultry wire or hardware cloth to stop burrowing rodents.
6. Less weeds - Lining the bottom of the bed with plastic, mulch or cloth stops the weeds. It is easy to remove weeds from the loose soil in a raised bed.
7. Extend the growing season - The soil warms faster and cools slower so beds can be planted earlier in the spring and will produce later in the fall.
High-yield container gardening can help reduce the use of chemical fertilizers/herbicides/pesticides for healthier and more naturally grown vegetables, herbs, and flowers. A raised bed can help extend the growing season, make outstanding starter beds for larger scale gardeners, and can also be used in greenhouses.
Why Raised Bed Gardening?
1. More production per square foot - The traditional home garden yields about .6 pounds per square foot of vegetables while research at Dawes Arboretum near Newark, OH found an average yield of 1.24 pounds of vegetables per square foot.
2. Improved soil conditions - Tractors, tillers, or human feet compress the soil and make it more difficult for water, air, and roots to move in a flat garden space.. In a raised bed. saturated soils get a dose of lime every spring via percolation. Acidity can be maintained in the 5.8 to 6.8 range that vegetables prefer because percolation is reduced by gravity in a raised bed..
3. Use less fertilizer - Fertilize the growing area and not garden paths.
4. Use less water - The gardener waters plants where water is needed avoiding waste on paths or to the side of the beds.
5. Pest control - The bottom of the bed can be lined with poultry wire or hardware cloth to stop burrowing rodents.
6. Less weeds - Lining the bottom of the bed with plastic, mulch or cloth stops the weeds. It is easy to remove weeds from the loose soil in a raised bed.
7. Extend the growing season - The soil warms faster and cools slower so beds can be planted earlier in the spring and will produce later in the fall.
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