Many individuals view their garden as being a retreat – a way to escape from the anxiety and stress that life may load onto us every day. For many people, time spent in their garden is time for relaxing and feeling the strains of the day disappear. This could even be possible in cold or frosty weather conditions! Whether time spent in your garden is used for simply sitting and appreciating the beautiful effect of nature or whether it’s spent making a garden look beautiful, there isn’t any doubt that a bit of time outside, surrounded by nature is really a terrific way to help one relax and help you put life’s priorities in order.

It’s sad to think there are people who desire a stunning garden however are not able to achieve those results . What’s the reason? Because they can’t get their beautiful garden to grow. This might be for a number of reasons. It may be that the conditions are limiting the growth of the flowers and plants you are attempting to nurture. One of the most common causes however is the quality of the soil that’s naturally found in most gardens, the soil is usually lacking the essential nutrients to promote plant growth. This does not need to continue to be a problem! Topsoil can help a garden that is having problems reaching its full potential to flourish and appear beautiful!

What is topsoil and how will it benefit a garden? Topsoil is a mixture of minerals, water, nutrients, air, living organisms and organic matter. The mineral present in topsoil will either be clay, sand or silt. An essential element within topsoil will be the organic matter . The existence of organic matter is vital to really encourage plants to thrive. Organic matter increases the volume of water that soil can hold, and therefore the quantity of water that’s available to plants to feed on. Organic matter also holds the nutrients the plants need. One of these nutrients is phosphorous. This nutrient is essential for root growth, giving the tree, plant or shrub good grounding and thus helping it to grow. Within organic matter you will additionally find nitrogen, another nutrient that plants require. This will assist the plant to develop a healthy leaf and stem.

Without a doubt, topsoil can improve the growth of any plants within any garden or location, thus helping all those who would like an attractive garden to relax in achieve their dream. Topsoil can help revitalise gardens that don’t have enough nutrients in the soil make it possible for plants to develop successfully. There are numerous different types of topsoil that can be invested in for gardens, which range from topsoil designed especially for flower beds to topsoil designed specifically for helping vegetables to grow and fruit bushes to flourish. Additionally you’ll find topsoil that promotes the healthy growth of lawns, so the grass in your garden can appear thick,healthy and green in colour. Topsoil will help turn a garden into a stunning haven filled with thriving plants, where you can go and feel your worries lift!

This post was written on behalf of Boughton Loam and Turf Management, experts in topsoil. For more info on topsoil please visit Garden TopSoil Direct.

Many individuals spend much of their spare time inside their gardens, whether it is to unwind in a tranquil setting or where they gather with their friends and family, whichever you prefer, you’ll no doubt be interested in some of the ways mentioned below, that could turn your garden into an extra special place.

The summer months, together with the warmer weather makes the perfect setting to prepare, cook and savour the tastes of home cooked food, in the great outdoors. The technique of preparing food through smoking has existed for many years, but new technology is encouraging lots more people to reintroduce this within their lifestyles. If you love the flavour of smoked fish why not choose a fish smoker to boost your alfresco dining? The Bradley Smoker is a superb up to date version of the traditional smoker that will help you to prepare your own Deli style smoked fish and meats in the home. With a Bradley Smoker you’ve got complete control of the process, helping you to do everything from cold smoking through to roasting and barbecuing.

If you have an interest in nature, now you can observe it, within your own garden?

Bird boxes can be a popular and reasonably priced way to help you to watch nature in your garden. People have found that by introducing some bird boxes they don’t just provide much needed nesting for the fascinating feathered friends but they add a wonderful new dimension for the enjoyment of their own environment. A bird box camera installed inside your bird box will assist you to observe the inhabitants far more closely, but without the risk of causing any distress. Modern bird box cameras are simple to install and plug into a computer or TV in order to view the images. The images supplied from the bird box camera are a delight to behold, children particularly will like to see their very own nature watch unfolding inside the garden.

You don’t have to be a professional in the catering industry in order to create beautiful mouth watering smoked foods, food smokers in the marketplace mean anyone can now do this. Food smokers were once expensive and even hand made affairs but an increasing number of companies are producing affordable user friendly food smokers that will produce fantastic results your friends and family will adore.

As nesting sites are on the decrease the number of owl species that are endangered are on the increase. An owl box in your garden can offer a secure nesting place, thus enticing them into your garden. Because of the size and shape of owls you are going to need to buy a specific owl box these are made to ensure the best possible atmosphere for the owl to reside and hopefully raise it’s family. By having an owl box you’ll be able to do your bit for conservation, by protecting the owl species as well as satisfy your curiosity about the spectacular birds.

To be able to have the full use of a garden you will usually require various items of equipment for example, garden furniture, lawn mower and tools, when these aren’t getting used you need to store them somewhere. Not everyone has a garage and perhaps if they do it quite quickly becomes full. The perfect solution would be a shed, but you will need to ensure you give your shed base due consideration. There have been some good developments in shed bases that have made the standard shed base a thing of the past. Plastic shed bases offer a great alternative, if you don’t have time to spend building the more traditional variety, they’re incredibly easy for just one person to lay.

Grow Light Reflectors

Often neglected as to their importance, grow light reflectors play a major role in a good indoor hydroponic garden system. Light plays a great role or the most important role in photosynthesis. The use of grow light reflectors in your garden enhances light distribution and ensures uniform distribution. Discounts on quality grow light reflectors are easily available and a super cost effective way of improving your personal garden productivity and efficiency. With effective planning, the use of the right lighting system together with grow light reflectors greatly expands your garden area.

Size and shape are important factors when considering the right grow light reflector. Grow lights and their configuration and personal preference for the amount of light needed to grow your plants are taken into consideration. Horizontal placement of the lights and reflectors are effective ways of mounting this system. Garden size also determines what shape and size of grow light reflector to be used. Smaller grow light reflectors produce higher intensity light beams because of their shorter travel distance.

 Air-Cooled Reflectors

 For additional ventilation and heat control, air-cooled reflectors are used. Indispensable for those gardens cramped in small spaces because of the amount of heat generated by grow lights. It maybe difficult or close to impossible to maintain proper ventilation in such enclosed garden by the use of external fans. Usual setup for indoor hydroponic gardens includes grow lights with air-cooled reflective hoods covered by glass heat shields. This allows the light source to be placed closer to the plant canopy ensuring better light penetration. Gardens with no special cooling requirements also gains to benefit from its installation. This is the ideal setup of an indoor hydroponic garden system; investing a little more provides maximum garden performance and enjoyment for gardeners and hobbyists.

How to grow beautiful culinary herbs

You don’t have to be a chef or have a green thumb to grow an herb garden. Culinary herbs are extremely easy to grow. Once they get going, they add fragrance, texture and color to just about any garden or space. Harvest your culinary herbs to make everything from herbal teas, vinegars and flavorful recipes.

Herbs don’t require much space to grow. You can plant them in beds in a garden or you can grow them in a small container. Combining herbs can create a beautiful effect. Your bed or container is your canvas – and what you plant there can grow into a beautiful masterpiece.

Plenty of sun
Herbs love plenty of sunlight. When choosing a location for your herbs, look for an outdoor area or window that gets 5-7 hours of direct sunlight each day.

Well-drained soil
Whether you are planting your herbs in containers or a garden, start by testing your soil for nutrients and pH. It may be necessary to adjust your soil pH to the near-neutral pH of 6-7 that herbs grow best in. You will also want to add a layer of organic compost and minerals to the soil prior to planting.

Adequate water
Herbs like well-drained soil, but well drained soil needs to be watered more frequently. Don’t just water on a whim. Stick your finger down into your soil approximately 1″ to 1-1/2″. There is no need to water unless your soil feels almost dry to the touch.

Three rules of thumb for fertilizing your herbs
Fertilizer is often referred to as “plant food.” The most important thing to remember when feeding your herbs – use products that are organic. Remember, you are going to be consuming what you grow. If you don’t want to consume chemicals, don’t use them on your herbs.

Second rule of thumb – feed your herbs a balanced diet.
Fertilizer or “plant food” provides your herbs with the major elements they need to grow and thrive – nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Your plants also need minor elements called micronutrients, which contain the minor elements required by your plants to grow.

Finally.
Feed your plants through their leaves (foliar feeding). Foliar feeding is 100-500% more effective than root feeding and offers quicker results. Look for organic foliar fertilizers and micronutrients. Spray all the leaves of your herbs every 1-4 weeks.

Harvesting and storage
Once your herbs are established it is important to cut them back on a regular basis. Never harvest more than 1/3 of each individual herb plant. The best time to harvest your herbs is in the morning, when the oils are still readily available in their leaves. Harvest your herbs before they flower. This will prevent them from putting forth seed and will encourage more vigorous green growth.

You can use your herbs right away, refrigerate them or put them in a plastic freezer bag and freeze them up to 6 months.

Whatever you do, enjoy growing your culinary herbs.
You will feel like a gourmet, each time you wander into your garden to clip a few herbs for your culinary productions. Even if you don’t cook much, snip a bit of fresh mint from your herb garden to transform a simple glass of ice tea into the most delectable treat. Or garnish a fruit plate, fresh vegetables and salads with your fresh herbs. Using them is as easy as growing them.

Cloning, or taking cuttings of, your favourite plants is the very best way to perpetuate their existence. It’s also the best way to get them started for an indoor hydroponic garden.  For instance, I had a very successful Rosemary plant growing on my kitchen window-sill. However, it was in dirt and I really don’t like dirt in the house. I took cuttings from it and ended up with three new healthy clones that I planted in a LECA (small, clay pellets) medium in my indoor hydroponic garden.

With  an indoor hydroponic garden, you can keep it constantly fresh with new clones. You never need to be without a special herb, flower or vegetable you really like ever again. Here are a few lighting tips to get perfect clones for your indoor hydroponic garden.

Unlike when you start seedlings, clones need light from day one after rooting. It’s a good idea to start with lower and diffused light intensities from sources such as T-5 or T-8 fluorescent lighting. During the first few days, the cuttings will do best with just one or two 24 watt strips over the top of a standard 10″ x 20″ propagation tray in your indoor hydroponic garden. You can gradually increase the light intensity after a few days by lowering the light fixtures closer to the propagation dome. However, make certain the temperature doesn’t rise in your indoor hydroponic garden  above 85o F/29o C inside the dome after making this adjustment.

Once the roots develop, you can switch to HID lights that provide mostly red and blue growth stimulating spectrums. Metal halide grow lights should be used for the vegetative stage of plant growth in your indoor hydroponic garden. Metal halide grow lights will produce strong light in the blue and white spectrum which effectively mimics a typical summer day. High pressure sodium grow lights will produce strong light in the red spectrum which mimics the angle of the sun during fall. When your plants are ready to start flowering you should switch from your metal halide grow lights to your high pressure sodium grow lights in your indoor hydroponic garden.

Condition your plants to this more intense light in your indoor hydroponic garden by gradually decreasing the distance between the plants and light fixtures. After a couple of weeks, your plants should be able to handle very bright levels of light which will encourage healthy, robust and fast-growing plants in your indoor hydroponic garden.

An indoor hydroponic garden will be a source of great joy and wonderment once you’ve got it started and the fastest way is with clones or cuttings. As the summer comes to an end, take cuttings from the garden and start new plants for your indoor hydroponic garden. Show the children what you’re doing and they can share in the magic of starting new plants for your indoor hydroponic garden.

Hydroponic gardening, (from the Greek words hydro, water and ponos, labor) is a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions, in water, without soil. Terrestrial plants may be grown with their roots in the mineral nutrient solution only or in an inert medium, such as perlite, gravel, mineral wool, or coconut husk.

In the 19th century, researchers discovered that plants absorb essential mineral nutrients as inorganic ions in water. In natural conditions, soil acts as a mineral nutrient reservoir but the soil itself is not essential to plant growth. When the mineral nutrients in the soil dissolve in water, plant roots are able to absorb them. When the required mineral nutrients are introduced into a plant’s water supply artificially, soil is no longer required for the plant to thrive. Almost any terrestrial plant will grow with hydroponics. Hydroponic gardening is also a standard technique in biology research and teaching.

Hydroponic gardening is often defined as “the cultivation of plants in water.” Research has since determined that many different aggregates or media will support plant growth; therefore, the definition of hydroponic gardening has been broadened to read “the cultivation of plants without soil.” Growers all over the world are using hydroponic gardening techniques due to the lack of a large water supply or fertile farmland. Home gardeners have used hydroponic gardening on a smaller scale to grow fresh vegetables year round and to grow plants in smaller spaces, such as an apartment or balcony.

Greenhouses and nurseries grow their plants in a soilless, peat or bark-based growing mix. The nutrients are then applied to the growing mix through the water supply. Therefore, this is also a type of hydroponic gardening. Soilless gardening offers many advantages to the home gardener. Since a sterile medium is used for hydroponic gardening, there are no weeds to remove, and soil-borne pests and diseases are minimized, if not eliminated completely.

Properly grown hydroponic plants also are healthier and more vigorous because all of the necessary growth elements are readily available. The plants can mature faster, yielding an earlier harvest of vegetable and flower crops. Hydroponic gardening uses less space since the roots do not have to spread out in search of food and water. This small space requirement makes hydroponic gardening ideal for home gardeners, and it makes better use of greenhouse space.

The big advantage to hydroponic gardening is the ability to automate the entire system with a timer. Automation reduces the actual time it takes to maintain plant growth requirements. Automation also provides flexibility to the gardener as one can be gone for long periods of time without having to worry about watering the plants.

Hydroponic gardening offers many advantages for commercial agriculture. Cultivating plants without soil eliminates the need for vast farmland and allows crops to be produced in greenhouses or even in the desert sands. Hydroponic gardening techniques also allow for precise water and nutrient application directly to the roots of each plant. Water is reused in these systems and less is lost through evaporation and run-off. Therefore, arid lands, such as deserts, can be transformed into productive lands using limited amounts of water.

Growing plants with hydroponic gardening is not difficult if one understands the basic principles. As long as plant growth requirements are met, there are numerous hydroponic systems that can be used.

Why go and spend a fortune at the nursery on new tools, when there is probably a wealth of unused stuff tucked away unused in your own kitchen, or someone you knows kitchen that will more than adequately do the exact job you want, without having to spend a cent.

Just make sure that anything taken from the kitchen really is not wanted there. As well as the fact that such stuff is on a one way permanent trip out to the garden shed.

Here are just a few suggestions of stuff that are useful kitchen refugees,

Old dinner knife for digging weeds out from between concrete sections or pavers.

Old kitchen fork for light weeding in around tight places or where you do not want to disturb root systems that are close to the surface.

Good sharp kitchen knife or a pair of kitchen scissors are great fro dividing up clumps of plants, or for taking cuttings off of a branch.

Kitchen tongs can be used to pick up thorny cuttings or to help you repotting thorny plants like cacti.

Serving tray or placemats to keep things organised or for carrying produce, cuttings or even weeds.

Potato Masher for pushing past a thorny plant or rose.

BBQ or Carving Forks for digging out stubborn rooted weeds and root vegies.

Kitchen funnels for pouring various liquids into containers or for accurate pouring around plants. or to get seed or even small screws & nails into storage packets or bottles.

Chopsticks make great little pot stakes (metal and wooden skewers work too), or construction sets even for some jobs.

I’ve seen bamboo placemats and chopsticks cut down to make scenery pieces for bonsai planters, along with old aquarium ornaments.

Set of measuring cups and measuring spoons are great as scoops for fertilizers and potting mixes.

Icecream or soup scoops for measuring and scooping potting mix in around new potplants.

Egg rings and biscuit cutters for shaping growing fruit just for fun, or as a simple handheld hoe for light weeding in around plants.

So theres a few things which can obtain a second life out in the gardenshed and garden, nstead of being stored for years in a drawer, or being thrown out or passed on to a charity store.

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