There are so many herb plants to choose from, it can be a bit daunting to the beginning herb gardener. A good source of information that you probably have is your cookbook, which often devotes a chapter or two to the uses of different herbs as flavorings and accents.

Planting a Basic Herb Garden

Get acquainted with herb gardening by growing herbs you think you’ll use, plus throw in one or two that sound interesting to you. Herb gardens can range in size from small containers to vast outdoor gardens.

To best learn herb gardening, start simple with a small, sunny plot, or use a clay pot filled with potting soil.

The Two Big Needs that herbs have are:

- lots of sun, and

- well-drained soil.

Most herbs have a preference of full or partial sun, and the seed package or nursery will have this information clearly stated. Most herbs will not do well in very wet soil, and watering about every 2-3 days is usually sufficient. Raised garden beds are a good fit for herb gardens. They have excellent drainage and can be easily arranged for proper sunlight.

When planting herb seeds, cover them lightly with soil, and don’t plant the seeds too deep. A good rule of thumb with herb gardening is “the smaller the seed, the shallower you sow.” If you are using young herb plants already started in growing trays, simply transplant them into your pots or garden bed. Sometimes the plants in the trays are dry; if so, water them first before planting them.

Finally, remember that annual herbs (herb plants which only grow for one season and then die) and perennial herbs (herb plants which will return the following year) do best when planted separately. This avoids disrupting the perennial plants’ roots when it is time to dig out the dead annuals. It also prevents leaving dead root pieces behind which can contribute to fungus growth.

Grow Fresh Herbs for Cooking

Cooking with fresh herbs from your garden is a wonderful experience. To get started, here are gardening tips for two well-known herbs that are great for beginning herb gardeners.

Sweet Basil — Sweet basil leaves are good in salads, and are a main flavoring ingredient in tomato dishes such as spaghetti and marinara sauce. In the northern climates, basil is usually grown as an annual plant. In milder climates, sweet basil will return each year on its own, and therefore is considered a perennial plant.

The sweet basil herb is a pleasure to grow because it thrives in average soil, and likes sun or partial shade. Sow the seeds after danger of frost is over, or start them indoors about eight weeks before growing season and then transplant them outside. You can also purchase ready-to-grow starter plants from nurseries and through catalogs.

It’s easy to promote the bushiness of the basil plant leaves by pinching and clipping the herb throughout the summer. Use the leaves fresh during the summer growth months, and in the fall, dry the leaves and store them for use during the winter.

Garlic — Garlic is full of minerals and nutrients, and is known to have great medicinal properties. It is a staple in every chef’s kitchen for cooking dishes from chicken and pasta to seafood and vegetables. We’ve all seen garlic bulbs at the grocery store… but did you know that one simple garlic bulb has enough cloves to begin a garden full of garlic plants? Here’s what you do:

When spring arrives and the weather has begun to turn warm, prepare a small garden bed in a sunny spot. Take the cloves and place them, pointy side up, in the soil. Plant them in clusters, or rows, and put a light layer of topsoil over them with some compost mixed in. When fall arrives, lift the garlic bulbs out of their bed.

Dry the garlic by slicing the bulbs into thin slices and placing them on a rack at room temperature. You can also store the bulbs by braiding the stalks and hanging the garlic in a dark, cool space. You may also freeze the entire garlic bulb!

Learn about herb gardening with these herbs, and then begin to branch out with more. In the meantime, you’ll add wonderful flavors to your recipes, and mouthwatering aromas in the kitchen!

Organic gardening involves growing healthy plants and having high quality produce without the use of chemicals whatsoever. There are a number of ways or techniques that you could use when going organic. The following are some general tips or guidelines that would help you begin and maintain an organic garden. Remember that you don’t need a big area of land to go organic.

The first tip for you is to develop a great organic soil. And the first way to do that is to give your soil some compost material. Compost one of the major components of an organic soil. Without it, your soil will not contain enough minerals for your plants to grow healthy.

Aside from composts, you can add other organic materials into the soil to make it more suitable for your plants. If composts are not readily available, organic growers usually add different kinds of animal manures into the soil. This will act as your organic fertilizers to add to the useful soil nutrients that your plants will need.

The second tip would be to plant the right kinds of plants for the right kinds of soil. Also, take into consideration how much sunshine your garden receives and even the temperature in your area when choosing the plants you will have in your organic garden. It would be to your advantage to choose well-adapted plants in your organic garden.

Also, by choosing your plants wisely you would be able to plan how big, the layout, and the number the different kinds of plants you will have in your garden. We know for a fact that each vegetable, for example, requires different growing space than others.

Another useful tip would be positioning your garden so that it will fall under a shade. Or you can create a makeshift canopy to shade your garden. Shaded gardens are low maintenance, that’s the main advantage. Under the shade, your garden will grow fewer weeds and definitely will not require more water than when it is constantly under the sun. We’re not saying that a good garden is only a shaded one. We’re merely citing the advantages and the benefits of growing your organic garden under shades.

For pest control, the best tip we could give you is to go down and get dirty. The organic way of pest management involves identifying which ones are pests and picking them off by hand. Yes, you read it right. You need to find the insects and pick them off your plants. However, if you don’t feel like it, you can apply a number of organic solutions that you can easily make from common household ingredients. You can also introduce their natural predators to your garden to help maintain the pests into a minimum.

The key for both pest management and weed control is to act quickly. Once you have noticed that there are weeds growing or your plants are being damaged by insects, you should start pulling off the weeds or picking off the insects.

There you go. A few general organic gardening tips to get you started. With the right attitude, the right approach, and armed with the right techniques, you will be able to grow a healthy organic garden and you will be able to harvest all its benefits in the end.

Tomato is considered to be a summer crop. Select the tomato variety from the wide variety which is easily available. Always check with your neighbors, nursery professionals and other online sources to find the most dependable and disease resistant variety of tomatoes.

The soil is to be prepared well before starting off with the tomato growing process. It should be mixed well with compost and well rotten manure if you are using sandy soil. Super phosphates are recognized to be the best nourishment for appropriate growth. Another balanced fertilizer would be 6:3:2 which should be mixed well with the soil before the process. It is considered as the perfect alternative in case of any short supply of manure.

It is highly advisable to sow the seeds as early as possible because tomatoes take more than four months to start with the bearing process. In places where winters are cold, make sure to sow the seed in seed boxes which are sheltered during the later winter season. In frost-free place, start out with the sowing process during the late autumn or summer season. Within six weeks, the seedlings attain the height of 15centimeters and can be easily transplanted before the passing of frost. Always be very particular in the transplantation process to choose only the strongest seedlings. They should be planted during the coolest climate in the afternoon. Sprinkler can be used and spraying should be done early in the morning much the sun rises up. It is highly recommended to dust the crops with fungicides so as to prevent the formation of any kind of diseases. Appropriate fertilizers should be used to stimulate the growth of the plants. Day long sun is what the tomato plant requires for healthy growth and perfect yield. For vertical growth, always ensure to plant the crops in cages or stakes.

The fruits shall be hand picked when the color changes to red. It can be then ripened by placing on any sunny windowsill so as to prevent them from being eaten by any bird or rotting on the vine. The taste of these fruits are enhanced if they are ripened in the vine, therefore a perfect balance is to be maintained between the taste as well as the ripening process.

Part of the summer squash family, zucchini is an excellent source of manganese and vitamin C, a very good source of magnesium, vitamin A, potassium, calcium, iron, folate, copper, riboflavin, niacin, and phosphorous. Many of the nutrients have been shown to be helpful for the prevention of atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease. Summer squash’s magnesium has been shown to be helpful for reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke. Together with the potassium in summer squash, magnesium is also helpful for reducing high blood pressure. All summer squash are perfect diet foods – low in calories, sodium, fat-free, and provide a source of fiber. All parts of the zucchini are edible.

How To Grow

Zucchini is probably the best known of the summer squashes. It is a type of narrow squash that resembles a cucumber in size and shape. It has smooth, thin skin that is either yellow or green in colour and can be striped or speckled. Its tender flesh is creamy white in colour and features numerous seeds. Its edible flowers are often used in French and Italian cooking.

Zucchini can be planted by direct seeding or by transplanting young plants that have been started indoors. Seed directly into the ground as soon as the soil reaches temperatures of 60°F/16°C. for vines. Fill the holes with compost and mound slightly. Plant seeds 1in/2.5cm deep.

Zucchini is a member of the Cucurbitaceae family that includes cucumbers, melons, gourds, and squash, all particularly sensitive to frost. Select a sheltered spot, and prepare holes about 12in/30cm in diameter and 12in/30cm deep. Measuring from the centre, space the holes 36in/90cm apart for bush types, 6ft/1.8m apart for vines. To conserve space, squash can be trained over a sturdy trellis, in which case 2ft/60cm between plants is enough.

Zucchini grows best when exposed to 6-8 hours of direct sunlight each day. Regular watering is essential for summer squash. Feed the plants with a high-potassium organic liquid feed to produce a higher yield. Thick mulch added after planting will preserve moisture and keep the fruits from touching the ground where they will become soiled and be exposed to insects and diseases.

Harvesting

The flavor of zucchini is best when it is less than six inches long. They should be firm, but not hard. Zucchini are prolific producers and regular harvesting will promote continued yield throughout the growing season. Harvest by cutting the stems from the plants gently with a paring knife. As they are composed mainly of water, summer squashes dehydrate rapidly. Harvest just before cooking and keep in the refrigerator in a perforated plastic bag until cooking. Don’t forget that squash blossoms are delicious to eat.

Small summer squashes are used skin and all. Larger squash need their skin and seeds removed: slice lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Wash summer squash under cool running water and then cut off both ends. You can then proceed to cut it into the desired size and shape for the particular recipe.

In the kitchen, zucchini can be steamed, sautéed, boiled, baked, fried, grilled, and stuffed. Some ideas include: serve raw as an appetiser with a vegetable dip or salad dressing, grate and sauté with thinly sliced garlic, add to breads, muffins, cakes, stews, casseroles, soups, sprinkle grated zucchini or other summer squash on salads or sandwiches. It can be preserved by canning, freezing, and drying.

In the garden, some gardeners let the squashes ramble through the corn patch, where their sandpapery leaves deter raccoons. Good companion plants for zucchini are: corn, marjoram, and nasturtium.

You have to have a good amount of natural light in your apartment in order to successfully grow vegetables. If the sunlight shifts from room to room seasonally then your vegetable and fruit garden will have to move with the sun if its going to thrive. It is also recommended that you do your research on the type of fruit and vegetable that you want to grow. You want to make sure that the environment of your home can support the type of vegetable or fruit you are interested in. Keep in mind that most plants grow in stages. Each stage requires specific conditions so it can continue to grow and remain healthy. This includes the type and size of container you use for your plant. You have to take into consideration the size of your plant and allow for growth of that plant. All containers for plants must have at least one drain hole at the bottom to allow for excess water to flow out of the container. The top of the container should not be narrow because it makes it difficult when you have to repot the plant.

The type of soil makes a difference for indoor vegetable and fruit gardening as well. Its not recommended to use any type of soil for indoor plants in general. Its better to use a good potting soil or soil less potting mixture. Also because the plant is not growing in the ground it is crucial that you fertilize a vegetable or fruit plant a little more frequently than other plants. An easy type of fertilizer to use is one that is liquid and can be added to water. This way you are watering and fertilizing the plant at the same time. It is also suggested that you practice indoor pollination. Indoor pollination uses a good camel hair paintbrush to jiggle the plant to release the fruit or fruiting vegetable antler from the stigma.

You need plenty of natural light for fruit and vegetable plants. If you don’t get lots of bright light there are things like mushrooms that tolerate moderate low light conditions for you to consider growing. Another rule to follow is that root fruits and vegetables and leafy vegetable plants tolerate partial shade. Vegetables that are grown for their fruit and fruit plants need a minimum of 5 hours of direct sunlight daily. Optimum light levels for this type of plant are for 8 to 10 hours of direct sunlight a day. Herbal gardens are also an indoor garden possibility for you to consider. They are the easiest type of food gardens to grown. In any case if you have good sunlight and a little space you can grow fresh vegetables, fruits and herbs in the comfort of your apartment.

Just like what they say in the movies, it’s all about location, location and location. The same goes with vegetable gardening. When choosing a place to plant your vegetables it would be advantageous to your crops to be planted in well-drained soil and if possible near a good water source. You may also want to invest on a perimeter fence for your garden. You never know, some animals might be prowling about or some mischievous kids. Both can easily decimate a garden that you’ve been laboring for months.

After choosing a location, you should also by now have a general idea on how to plant your crops. How many rows of vegetables on which plot and the series of crops to be planted are often involve when we talk about designs of your vegetable garden.

Composting is an important aspect of any organic garden. This is a good reason as any to create your own compost pile. Ideally a compost pile should occupy an area of about 10 square feet. Don’t allow the compost to pile up that high. It would be to your convenience to maintain the pile between 3 to 5 feet high. Make sure that you leave the top flat with a small catch basin on the middle for adding water or rain into the compost pile.

To add the compost into the soil, you can either work it into the soil or use it as a mulch and spread it on the surface. The first method would provide sustenance to your vegetables plus a good, mature compost will lessen weed problems. As a mulch, the nutrients will eventually be integrated into the soil providing nutrients along the way.

In any gardens, especially in organic ones, disease control and pest management are always issues. At times, the problems might be too much that you see yourself inching towards the chemical insecticide or weed killer in your shed. You better throw that can of chemical stuff away, you’re not supposed to have that in the first place if you’re going organic. There are natural and safe ways for you to solve weed and pest problems so relax.

To avoid diseases it would be great to check the seeds from the start. Get vegetables from resistant variety strains or seeds from disease-free plants. While other organic farmers resort to sprays or solutions which are 100% of natural and friendly to the environment other would fight fire with fire or in this case, insects with insects. Organic growers usually practice introducing natural predators into their gardens to help control pests.

If you still find these ineffective, try using the low tech but very effective method: use your hands. You can pick off the pests in your vegetable garden. You only have a problem if you have a big garden.

Organic vegetable gardening brings a lot of satisfaction. The fresh air, the sunshine, and the experience alone are really worthwhile. And this does not include the fresh vegetables you can get from your harvest.

Urban gardens and gardening is a way to bring nature to big urban cities. It gives us the feeling of over coming the concrete and buildings that limit the space and city environment. Today many people have found creative ways to incorporate plants in their city  spaces. You can look up and see flowers and plants on windowsills; as well as way up on the top of buildings a tree thats part of a roof top garden.

In the urban environments you can find many people are taking to container gardening as a way of bringing nature into their apartments. Folks like myself even make little gardens on their terraces during the spring and summer. In short gardening reconnects us to a natural environment in a non natural setting.

As more and more high risers go up we find Urban gardening and agriculture becoming quite a normal thing. With Urbanization world wide there is less and less fertile land to cultivate gardens. As a result even societies beyond the Cities world wide are starting to use the idea of Urban gardening to make more food sources available. It give impoverished areas a change to grow fruits and vegetables as a means to help feed the hungry.   Recent studies have been done to show that this idea is spreading to those countries where they are plagued with urban poverty.

Besides the aesthetics that urban gardening brings it is another partial help for the world hunger problem. Many vacant lots are now becoming community gardens with fruits, vegetables and flowers to help feed the hungry.

Because of limited space many times we find Urban gardens vary in their sizes, shapes and locations. The temperature range of any particular city seasonally   will largely determine the type of plants, flowers, fruits and vegetables one can grow in an urban setting. Considering where the city is located some people can have gardens all year long. It is also within reason that one can have a garden indoors all year long in their apartment too.

The main thing about gardening in a city is your environmental factors have to meet those requirements of the plants you choose to grow. If you live in a colder environment as opposed to a tropical one for example it may be better for you to grow broccoli instead of oranges. The amount of light you have in your apartment is also a consideration. Light and temperature are a large determining factor as to what type of Urban garden you can have in your apartment. If you have low light you get low light plants. In order to be successful with urban gardening you have to work around all your environmental factors including things like climate. Once you understand what conditions working you are working with within your environment you will be able to grow and maintain the garden you desire.

Simple things like the translucent, fleecy, floating row covers used to protect plants from detrimental insects also can avoid frost damage. Row covers trap the heat that radiates up from the land similar to the method that a cloud cover keeps temperature and helps prevent frost from forming. Row covers give a few degrees of defense, keeping tender annuals safe from light frost. Makes use of the thicker grade covers for increased benefits.

The late summer is the ideal time for you to plant cold tolerant veggies that can thrive during the fall and tolerate the cold weather with no complaint. Types of hardy veggies for autumn season gardening include: kale, spinach, collards, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts, kohlrabi, turnips, cabbages, oriental greens, rutabagas, plus some kinds of lettuce.

Once freezing weather show up, even cold hardy crops will value some defense if they remain in the garden. Cardboard containers and fruit baskets provides shelter to individual plants, while old bed sheets, comforters, and hefty plastic tarpaulin will protect entire rows or beds of vegetation. Apply the coverings in the evening when freezes are predicted and take them off the next morning after the sun warms the air.

An additional valuable resolution is to apply a commercial variety of cloche, or to build a mobile cold frame over the garden bed. Cloches include the heavy glass, bell shaped jars, or variously styled and fashioned stiff plastic devices.

One particular style of cold frame consists of a tubular frame covered by a woven polythene substance with flaps for ventilation. You can even attain more durable cold frames constructed of aluminum framing and double wall polycarbonate screens that lift up for air flow. Regardless of type of protection utilized to protect your vegetation you must remove it or supply ventilation during the day as temperatures go up.

Inspiring home gardeners can use a few dumped window panes and bales of straw to create a straightforward make shift cold frame. Just arrange the straw bales right into a square shape around the garden bed and lay the windows across the top to make an enclosed and insulated growing area. This setup will work well to hold a bed of leafy vegetables growing farther into the wintry weather.

Strangely enough, water can guard and insulate plants from cold. Commercial orchards in fact apply water and mist onto their trees to stop frost damage.

In the home garden you can employ plastic gallon jugs filled up with water to provide protection. Place the storage containers around plants, under floating row covers or tarps, and inside of your cold frames.

Water will take in and store heat in the daytime and release it at night to provide warmth for your plants. You’ll acquire the best benefits by painting the jugs black to ensure that they’ll absorb more energy from the sun during the day. Incredibly, even if the water within the bottle freezes, it is going to continue to release an important quantity of heat energy in the surrounding area.

Certain veggies will survive on their own in the garden through bitterly cold weather. Leeks, kale, and collards frequently withstand harsh winters without protection. Fall planted garlic and shallots will establish strong root systems in the fall, spend the wintertime underground, and then spring up with the earliest signs of the arrival of early spring.

Many root crops which includes beets, carrots, turnips, rutabagas, and parsnips may be left in the garden protected by having a thick layer of shredded leaves or straw. You can then continue harvesting when needed, providing the ground doesn’t freeze and prevent digging. Complete your harvesting before the spring arrives though, since quality will lower when the roots resume growing and swap into seed production mode.

With correct planning and a little bit more care it is possible to easily grow and harvest veggies beyond the normal summer and spring seasons. Simply carry out a few of the ideas presented in this post . and you’ll soon enjoy your home grown, fresh produce considerably longer than normal, possibly even year-round.

This allows you to grow tomatos from heirloom varieties and to be completely self sufficient with your own tomato seeds – although saving tomato seeds isnt for everyone it is a very useful way of extending your seed supply and saving a little bit of money.