Community gardens accounts for a huge environmental benefit

July 28, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Whether in the backyard of a school or in the middle of a city, community gardens are crucial to playing an important role in regulating the production of breathable air and cooling the surrounding areas. We can find these type of gardens in urban, suburban or rural green spaces which grows vegetables, fruits, flowers, and herbs. The making of a community garden is one of the best things peoples can do to the society. It builds up team work and emotional bond among the inhabitants who lives close to the place. The gardens are a good place to relax and to spend the leisure time. Children  find it a good place to play and make fun around, while the adults can find it comfortable place to jog or to sit and have a good conversation. To make a community garden, it is very essential for volunteers to keep together the people and the resources effectively. In the modern world where each and every bit of space in the city are used up by buildings it is very nice to see some greenery if there is a garden there. The garden also makes home to thousands of bird species and small animals. Watching a groups of sparrows flying around and making sounds is really very pleasurable experience.

Community gardens can be built easily if it is undertaken voluntarily by Colleges, Universities, Hospitals etc. The staff and students in this institutions can work organized and it will not be a difficult task to achieve. Lots and lots of medicinal plants and herbs can be grown in these gardens and can help producing plenty of good seeds which can further extend the idea of gardening in home. The undertaking will also become successful in bringing the educational green programs beyond the classroom. If the project is undertaken by government or the promoters can find enough funding the all idea can turn in to a good job opportunity for the job less and the gardens can produce healthy products, fruits etc for local food market. Also the garden can offer quality food items free from pesticides and chemicals.

Success stories of a single community garden can trigger similar outbreak in the neighboring communities and this can eventually bring up the widespread of community gardens in the entire territory. Organizers can make positive competitions between communities to promote their work and spread the idea. Some community gardens annual plant sale to outcome the gardens operating cost. In some places the homeowners lend their backyard for gardening and the outcomes are mutually shared in the community.

Read more …..

Related article: Sesonal products guide

Ethan

Web: www.greenilo.com

Environmentalist and Web engineer

Filed Under: Organic vegetable gardening Tagged With: accounts, Benefit, Community, Environmental, Gardens, huge

Real Estate Tidbits Gardens More Than a Labor of Love

July 6, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Green Happiness

“He who plants a garden, plants happiness” is an old saying. However, things have changed a lot nowadays. Today, the proverb could be thought of as “He who plants a garden, plants money!” When it comes to selling a house, landscaping is an important factor that determines the value of the property. Real estate gurus believe that gardens around a house can contribute more than 10% to the total value of the property. Moreover, the houses with attractive gardens, particularly mature trees, are easily saleable when compared to the other houses with limited or underdeveloped landscaping. Investing a little time in tending your garden can really pay dividends when it comes to selling your home.

Enjoying Green

Houses with gardens around them are excellent choices for those who wish to enjoy time outside, while not travelling far to do so. It is always refreshing to open the door and go out into the garden and smell the flowers, plants, and trees. Most of us spend less time enjoying the greenery in public parks and sanctuaries since they are becoming more scarce and because of urban sprawl are often far away. Since most of us will never have a chance to visit the tropical rain forests of Central America why not invest a few dollars and house and have your own piece of nature right outside your door?

Green can be healthy

Plants not only contribute value to the property, but gardens also have great health benefits. The health benefits of gardening are impressive. According to medical experts, gardening is a great exercise for legs, shoulders, arms and neck. Gardening also helps to strengthen the joints in our body. Recent researches indicate that gardening lowers blood pressure, reduces cholesterol levels and also prevents diabetes and heart diseases. Gardening is also an ideal physical exercise for people who want to reduce their weight. Gardening helps to burn fat and as an added bonus, creates some healthy, organic fruits and vegetables for your entire family to eat.

Green in real estate

Based on a recent survey or property owners, it was noted that 95% of residential homeowners and 86% of commercial property owners believe that good landscaping adds more value to their properties. Also real estate brokers around Austin think that merely having a garden is enough to attract the buyers. Moreover, gardening has lots of benefits like offering a healthy body, fresh air, a fresh mind, fresh food, bringing birds, attracting butterflies, sustaining beneficial insects and added value to your property. Finally, gardening and makes your property look its best. So plant gardens around your home and grab the sure ticket to quick and valuable resale!

Joe Cline is a professional real estate broker, investor, and REALTOR with RE/MAX Capital City, Austin, Texas. Joe believes in providing world-class service to his clients through educating and coaching them through their real estate transactions.

Joe’s commitment to education and service is reinforced by his achievement and participation in the Austin Board of Realtors, Council of Residential Specialists, Accredited Buyer’s Representative’s Council, Texas Association of Realtors, and National Association of Realtors.

Joe holds his Broker’s license, the Accredited Buyer’s Representative designation, the Certified Residential Specialist designation, the Certified Home Marketing Specialist designation, Cendant Mobility Marketing Specialist designation and the Cendant Mobility Referral Specialist designation.

Find out more about Austin real estate and new homes in Steiner Ranch .

Filed Under: Organic vegetable gardening Tagged With: Estate, Gardens, Labor, More, Real, Than, Tidbits

Real Estate Tidbits Gardens More Than a Labor of Love

July 6, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Green Happiness

“He who plants a garden, plants happiness” is an old saying. However, things have changed a lot nowadays. Today, the proverb could be thought of as “He who plants a garden, plants money!” When it comes to selling a house, landscaping is an important factor that determines the value of the property. Real estate gurus believe that gardens around a house can contribute more than 10% to the total value of the property. Moreover, the houses with attractive gardens, particularly mature trees, are easily saleable when compared to the other houses with limited or underdeveloped landscaping. Investing a little time in tending your garden can really pay dividends when it comes to selling your home.

Enjoying Green

Houses with gardens around them are excellent choices for those who wish to enjoy time outside, while not travelling far to do so. It is always refreshing to open the door and go out into the garden and smell the flowers, plants, and trees. Most of us spend less time enjoying the greenery in public parks and sanctuaries since they are becoming more scarce and because of urban sprawl are often far away. Since most of us will never have a chance to visit the tropical rain forests of Central America why not invest a few dollars and house and have your own piece of nature right outside your door?

Green can be healthy

Plants not only contribute value to the property, but gardens also have great health benefits. The health benefits of gardening are impressive. According to medical experts, gardening is a great exercise for legs, shoulders, arms and neck. Gardening also helps to strengthen the joints in our body. Recent researches indicate that gardening lowers blood pressure, reduces cholesterol levels and also prevents diabetes and heart diseases. Gardening is also an ideal physical exercise for people who want to reduce their weight. Gardening helps to burn fat and as an added bonus, creates some healthy, organic fruits and vegetables for your entire family to eat.

Green in real estate

Based on a recent survey or property owners, it was noted that 95% of residential homeowners and 86% of commercial property owners believe that good landscaping adds more value to their properties. Also real estate brokers around Austin think that merely having a garden is enough to attract the buyers. Moreover, gardening has lots of benefits like offering a healthy body, fresh air, a fresh mind, fresh food, bringing birds, attracting butterflies, sustaining beneficial insects and added value to your property. Finally, gardening and makes your property look its best. So plant gardens around your home and grab the sure ticket to quick and valuable resale!

About the Author:
The author writes articles on Austin Texas Real Estate Blog. For more information about Round Rock Texas Homes and Cat Mountain Real Estate visit our site at http://www.affinityproperties.com.

Filed Under: Organic vegetable gardening Tagged With: Estate, Gardens, Labor, More, Real, Than, Tidbits

Kadoorie Farm and Botanical Gardens the Beauty of Hong Kong’s BioDiversity

July 3, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Located on one of Hong Kong’s highest vantage points atop the Lam Tsuen Valley, Kadoorie Farm and Botanical Gardens is an important centre for the protection of Southern China’s Biodiversity and the development of sustainable agriculture. The farm was initiated in 1951 by Lord Lawrence Kadoorie and his brother Sir Horace Kadoorie as an agricultural aid association that empowered local and migrant farmers providing training and interest free loans. Over the years, in addition to its agrarian and life stock research and guidance projects the farm built up a considerable botanical and zoological collection while restoring the natural vegetation of the mountainous terrain. At present, Kadoorie Farm and Botanical Gardens has become an important venue for eco-tourists and nature lovers who wish to see the abundance of the region’s biodiversity.

The centre is devoted to accomplishing the mammoth mission of “increasing awareness of our relationship with the environment and bring about positive change in the world through conservation and education”. Its reforested and cultivated land area spans over 148 hectares preserving and exhibiting the local flora and fauna. The centre also conducts rescue and rehabilitation programs for wild animals aiming to conserve the natural bounty of Hong Kong for posterity while encouraging durable agriculture through organic techniques. The serene beauty and the perfect natural equilibrium of the farm are magnetic attractions to many animals as well as visitors. A tour of Kadoorie Farm and Zoological Gardens provides an educational experience of a harmonious existence with nature that leaves an indelible mark helping visitors to become responsible “green” citizens.

The region’s multifaceted attractions can be conveniently enjoyed by lodging at a hotel in Hong Kong. Centrally located in the Western district with a magnificent view of the Victoria harbor and majestic mountain tops, Hotel Jen offers visitors the convenience of easy access to Hong Kong’s major attractions coupled with warm, luxurious hospitality at an affordable price.

Pushpitha Wijesinghe is an experienced independent freelance writer. He specializes in providing a wide variety of content and articles related to the travel hospitality industry.

Filed Under: Organic vegetable gardening Tagged With: Beauty, Botanical, Farm, Gardens, Kadoorie

Community Gardens Fertilizing and Pest Control Part 4

June 22, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

If you have been following this series on Community Gardens, you have thus far read about what community garden is, how to organize one in your community garden, what types of rules and concepts need to be decided upon before putting your organization together and how to choose your gardening site. You also have read about the amount of chores required to prepare a garden site and maintain it.

This article will focus on how to keep your garden site fertilized correctly as well as protect it from pests.

To start, one must understand some basics of gardening. If you are creating a community garden, it is most likely you already understand this. For those who are reading this article and are interested in participating in a community garden, who have never gardened before –this information is for you.

When it comes to growing healthy plants and food, you must have healthy soil. Soil requires a certain blend of nutrients to feed your plants. One way to maintain healthy nutrients in the soil is to not plant the same plants over and over in the same place. Why? Certain plants require a lot of one type of nutrient from the soil and can deplete the soil before long, if not rotated out.  For example, corn requires a lot of nitrogen. Planting corn over and over again, without feeding the soil, could deplete it of the nitrogen it could need the next growing season.

Your garden soil must maintain the three major nutrients, which are nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potassium (K). Adding fertilizer can help sustain these nutrients and replenish them year after year. There are four basic types of fertilizers used for this, they include composts, animal manures, natural or organic fertilizers, and chemical fertilizers.

How do you know what your garden soil needs? You can take a soil test and the results will show you what you may be lacking. These tests can be very effective when conducted in the Fall.  If you add your fertilizer or needed nutrients before winter, they will have plenty of time to be absorbed before the spring planting. Manure, in particular, which has not been composted, should never be applied when vegetable or fruit plants are mature, because it can infect plants with bacteria that could make you sick if you consume them.

Chemical or artificial fertilizers should be avoided if at all possible, because the regular use of them can actually impede the soil’s ability to hold nutrients. Overuse of chemical fertilizers in conventional agricultural practices and turf grass management has also been proven to have negative effects on soil and water resources. For healthy plants and people, ditch the chemicals!

Now for pest control.  While there are many beneficial insects that your plants rely on to keep them healthy and productive, there are also some insects and animals that will harm your garden by attacking the leaves, fruits, or roots of your plants. Each state and region is different in regards to the pest problems they might face, so check with your local gardening associations, or agricultural agencies to find out what garden pests are most common.

Once you discover what you are facing, there are only a few methods you will use to protect your plants. These include physical control, cultural control, biological control and chemical control.

Physical control means that you have to physically keep pests out of your garden with barriers and traps. You can also remove pests by hand on a one-by-one basis.

For large pests such as deer and rabbits, you can install fencing or mesh and wire barriers. The mesh and wire will also help protect your seedlings from birds.

Companion planting is another natural way to practice pest control. This is one of the oldest and most well known types of control. For example, you can plant marigolds to ward off flying pests and nematodes, but many other plants can do the job as well. Chives, coriander, and nasturtium can help ward off aphids; rosemary and sage keep carrot flies at bay; hyssop, mint, oregano, rosemary, sage, and thyme keep cabbage moths out of your garden.

Last is chemical. Chemical controls should only be relied on as a last resort, because they can harm the soil and the beneficial insects that you need in your garden. Chemicals are also expensive, and will be washed off of your garden when it rains where they can pollute groundwater and waterways like streams and rivers. Use chemicals only if you can find no other way to cope with the pests in your garden, and then do so sparingly. Insect-specific chemical treatments, like slug pellets or Japanese beetle traps, will have little or no impact on the beneficial insects in your garden, but these can still have negative environmental consequences. Always make sure to read instructions carefully, and use only the minimum amounts recommended.

Gardening takes time and care, but it can be done easily with a little information and some practice. Keeping a journal of your gardening experiments, noting what works and doesn’t work can also be beneficial as you progress with your community garden.

About the Author: Pamela Ravenwood is a freelance writer, journalist, and writing coach who lives in the desert. In addition to spending her days writing, she also loves to tend to her organic garden where she grows as much of her own food as possible. In this, she counts on her cord reel to keep her hoses from drying out from the desert heat.

Filed Under: Organic vegetable gardening Tagged With: Community, Control, Fertilizing, Gardens, Part, Pest

Community Gardens Fertilizing and Pest Control

June 22, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

If you have been following this series on Community Gardens, you have thus far read about what community garden is, how to organize one in your community garden, what types of rules and concepts need to be decided upon before putting your organization together and how to choose your gardening site. You also have read about the amount of chores required to prepare a garden site and maintain it.

This article will focus on how to keep your garden site fertilized correctly as well as protect it from pests.

To start, one must understand some basics of gardening. If you are creating a community garden, it is most likely you already understand this. For those who are reading this article and are interested in participating in a community garden, who have never gardened before –this information is for you.

When it comes to growing healthy plants and food, you must have healthy soil. Soil requires a certain blend of nutrients to feed your plants. One way to maintain healthy nutrients in the soil is to not plant the same plants over and over in the same place. Why? Certain plants require a lot of one type of nutrient from the soil and can deplete the soil before long, if not rotated out.  For example, corn requires a lot of nitrogen. Planting corn over and over again, without feeding the soil, could deplete it of the nitrogen it could need the next growing season.

Your garden soil must maintain the three major nutrients, which are nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potassium (K). Adding fertilizer can help sustain these nutrients and replenish them year after year. There are four basic types of fertilizers used for this, they include composts, animal manures, natural or organic fertilizers, and chemical fertilizers.

How do you know what your garden soil needs? You can take a soil test and the results will show you what you may be lacking. These tests can be very effective when conducted in the Fall.  If you add your fertilizer or needed nutrients before winter, they will have plenty of time to be absorbed before the spring planting. Manure, in particular, which has not been composted, should never be applied when vegetable or fruit plants are mature, because it can infect plants with bacteria that could make you sick if you consume them.

Chemical or artificial fertilizers should be avoided if at all possible, because the regular use of them can actually impede the soil’s ability to hold nutrients. Overuse of chemical fertilizers in conventional agricultural practices and turf grass management has also been proven to have negative effects on soil and water resources. For healthy plants and people, ditch the chemicals!

Now for pest control.  While there are many beneficial insects that your plants rely on to keep them healthy and productive, there are also some insects and animals that will harm your garden by attacking the leaves, fruits, or roots of your plants. Each state and region is different in regards to the pest problems they might face, so check with your local gardening associations, or agricultural agencies to find out what garden pests are most common.

Once you discover what you are facing, there are only a few methods you will use to protect your plants. These include physical control, cultural control, biological control and chemical control.

Physical control means that you have to physically keep pests out of your garden with barriers and traps. You can also remove pests by hand on a one-by-one basis.

For large pests such as deer and rabbits, you can install fencing or mesh and wire barriers. The mesh and wire will also help protect your seedlings from birds.

Companion planting is another natural way to practice pest control. This is one of the oldest and most well known types of control. For example, you can plant marigolds to ward off flying pests and nematodes, but many other plants can do the job as well. Chives, coriander, and nasturtium can help ward off aphids; rosemary and sage keep carrot flies at bay; hyssop, mint, oregano, rosemary, sage, and thyme keep cabbage moths out of your garden.

Last is chemical. Chemical controls should only be relied on as a last resort, because they can harm the soil and the beneficial insects that you need in your garden. Chemicals are also expensive, and will be washed off of your garden when it rains where they can pollute groundwater and waterways like streams and rivers. Use chemicals only if you can find no other way to cope with the pests in your garden, and then do so sparingly. Insect-specific chemical treatments, like slug pellets or Japanese beetle traps, will have little or no impact on the beneficial insects in your garden, but these can still have negative environmental consequences. Always make sure to read instructions carefully, and use only the minimum amounts recommended.

Gardening takes time and care, but it can be done easily with a little information and some practice. Keeping a journal of your gardening experiments, noting what works and doesn’t work can also be beneficial as you progress with your community garden.

About the Author: Pamela Ravenwood is a freelance writer, journalist, and writing coach who lives in the desert. In addition to spending her days writing, she also loves to tend to her organic garden where she grows as much of her own food as possible. In this, she counts on her cord reel to keep her hoses from drying out from the desert heat.

Filed Under: Organic vegetable gardening Tagged With: Community, Control, Fertilizing, Gardens, Pest

Community Gardens – Watering and Weed Control In Your Garden

June 20, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

As we continue our Community Garden series, we will now discuss the importance of properly watering your garden as well as understanding the best way to weed it. One would think these two topics are quite self-explanatory, but, there are some methods to each one can consider.

When it comes to watering your garden, to get the best saturation in the ground, one should water early morning or late in the evening. Watering during the day could lead to a lot of water that just evaporates and doesn’t go into the ground. If you live in an area where water is costly or you are cautious of how much water you use do to its scarcity, you can also consider using a drip line (a hose or tape with holes in it). Using drip lines will help you minimize water loss and deliver the water exactly to where it is needed, at the roots.

Keeping the water on the ground, rather than spraying your plants, will help keep water off of leaves, fruits and flowers. This is important when it is hot as it will do little to benefit the plant and may lead to scorching.

Other water conservation tactics include:

•    Plant only plants that are well-adapted to your area and the average rainfall in your region
•    Place mulch over the soil. This will help hold in the ground’s moisture
•    Weed regularly, because weeds will pull moisture from your plants
•    Install a rain catchments system to make the most of rainfall
•    Use drip irrigation to minimize evaporation
•    Avoid planting or transplanting during dry spells
•    Enhance sandy soils with organic mater, to improve moisture retention

When it comes to watering, each type of plant has its own moisture needs. You can do some research and find out which plants require more or less amounts of water. It would be most efficient for you to give your garden a good soaking once a week, which will penetrate deep into the soil, rather than watering just a little bit each day.

Now for weed control, which will also help you conserve water.

Weeds are problematic for every gardener, not only do they rob the ground of water but also the surrounding plants of nutrients and sunlight. To keep your weeds at bay, try to remove this as soon as they come up, typically they begin in early spring and summer. This will keep them from going to seed and replanting themselves. You may want to make sure to remove the entire weed – including its root – because some plants are able to re-grow from just a small piece of root.

If possible, weed during hot, dry periods, because the weeds will be easy to remove and will wither on the surface. When using a hoe, try to dig as shallowly as possible, to avoid disturbing the roots of your garden plants.

If you are going to use weed killer or chemicals on your weeds, follow some basic rules such as apply weed killer in the spring, when it will kill newly emerging weeds and prevent re-growth of new ones for a few months; do not apply weed killer on a windy day, when chemicals can be carried onto other plants, or cover plants with plastic sheeting during application; if you apply weed killer in the vicinity of edibles, only eat fruits and vegetables once they have been thoroughly cleansed with a produce wash.

Putting chemicals on your weeds should be your last resort as it can be harmful to your vegetables and the groundwater.

Between watering your garden properly and weeding it by the suggestions outlined above, your garden should be quite healthy and resilient whereupon you will produce large yummy vegetables to eat.

About the Author: Pamela Ravenwood is a freelance writer, journalist, and writing coach who lives in the desert. In addition to spending her days writing, she also loves to tend to her organic garden where she grows as much of her own food as possible. In this, she counts on her cord reel to keep her hoses from drying out from the desert heat.

Filed Under: Organic vegetable gardening Tagged With: Community, Control, Gardens, Watering, Weed

Open Gardens in Essex

June 17, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Essex is a county in size of over 1,500 square miles, so it’s no surprise to find that it is packed full of areas of outstanding natural beauty which, luckily for us, are cared for by some of the best organisations and gardeners in the country. The variety of Open Gardens in Essex available to be viewed and enjoyed by the public is vast and varies from Elizabethan knot gardens to woodland and gravel gardens.

Within easy reach of Colchester, about 6 miles to the east near the town of Elmstead Market, is The Beth Chatto Gardens. These ecological gardens were created by famous author, garden designer and plants woman, Beth Chatto OBE. Beth was awarded this honour in 2002. The gardens were built on the site of her husbands disused fruit farm in the early 1960’s which bordered the family home.

The whole area was considered unsuitable for farming and left to grow wild into an overgrown wasteland covered with willow and brambles. Today the gardens comprise of around five acres of land separated into a variety of different planting sites including dry, sun baked gravel, water and marginal planting, woodland, shady, heavy clay and alpine areas. Beth Chatto OBE continues to work within the gardens and writes for national and international press.

Exhibits by The Beth Chatto Gardens can be seen at The Tendring Hundred Show in Essex. The gardens have won many gold medals for exhibits at the Chelsea Flower Show. All this expertise helps to make The Beth Chatto Gardens one of the most spectacular Open Gardens in Essex to visit.

Just a short journey south of Colchester, down the A12 and situated at Rettendon near Chelmsford, is Hyde Hall Garden. Owned by the United Kingdoms leading garden charity, The Royal Horticultural Society, Hyde Hall is around twenty acres in size and is a delightful hilltop garden with an extensive variety of flowering and ornamental trees, shrubs, and coloured-themed herbaceous borders.

A huge visitor attraction at Hyde Hall is the Farmhouse Garden with two ornamental ponds which contain a wide selection of water lilies, bog plants and fish. Formed in September 1982 is the National Collections of viburnums, this genus offers all year round interest, with flowers and scent from winter through to early summer, followed by bright berries from late summer through to winter, as well as colourful leaves in autumn.

Follow the A130 north from Rettendon and you will come to the historic market town of Great Dunmow. Situated here are the Gardens of Easton Lodge. The Gardens are one of the most important gardens by the Edwardian architect and garden designer, Harold Anisworth Peto, who was commissioned to redesign them in 1902.

The Gardens are noted for there Italian garden, glade, Peto Pavilion and courtyard with fountain. Also contained within the gardens are an extra ordinary collection of artworks from various contemporary artists from Essex, such as Anne Schwegmann-Fielding and Elaine Tribley.

At the very edge of the county of Essex, at its most northwestern point, bordering Cambridgeshire is the house and gardens of Audley End House. This is a garden not to be missed when visiting the county. The site is owned and restored by English Heritage and the house is one of the finest Jacobean examples in England.

In 1762 the then owner of Audley End House, Sir John Griffin, commissioned “England’s greatest gardener”, landscape architect, Capability Brown, to redesign and landscape the parkland surrounding the house. The gardens are a fine example of Brown’s English style; they contain a circular temple, mock-classical monuments and several ornate bridges which cross the River Cam that divides the grounds.

Walled within the grounds is a restored Victorian Kitchen Garden. This was restored in 1999 by the leading organic growing charity, Garden Organic, and is now a fine example of a kitchen garden full of a large selection of herbs, fruits, vegetables and flowers.

Throughout the rural county of Essex there are many smaller privately owned gardens that open their doors to the public, some on a regular basis and others for only a short amount of time, once or maybe twice a year.

Saling Hall Gardens, located between Great Dunmow and Braintree, is a 12 acre country garden most famous for its collection of rare trees. The Hall itself is not open to be viewed, but with six ponds, the Temple of Pisces and many other surprises, the garden itself is well worth the small entrance fee.

The small village estate garden, 60 Mill Lane, is open to the public from Tuesday 9th June until Sunday 12th July. It is situated at Cressing, approximately 15 miles west of Colchester and is a plantaholic’s paradise, very colourful with potted and hanging baskets.

A Quintessential English cottage garden, Newland Cottage, is a 1 acre garden designed and created by its owners. The garden contains a wealth of shrubs, trees and plants, a pond, vegetable patch, fruit trees and formal garden with rotunda. Newland Cottage is located at Wrabness near Manningtree and is part of the National Garden Scheme. The NGS is a registered charity which opens gardens of quality, character and interest to the public.

Please check the Events in Essex page for any Open Gardens in Essex holding special events or open days. The ‘related links’ section at the bottom this article will help you locate further information on the NGS and their open gardens.

Filed Under: Organic vegetable gardening Tagged With: Essex, Gardens, Open

Herb Gardens Are A Delightful Addition To Any Garden

June 10, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Herbs have been in use since centuries for various medicinal, culinary and aromatic purposes. Herbs are used even in many of the modern medicines, cosmetics etc. Having your own herb garden can be very useful. Planning it is definitely great fun!

Herbs can be grown in a number of ways. With a proper planning a herb garden can be an essential part of your home. You can choose to have it either indoors or outdoors. In case of limited outdoor space, you can opt for planting herbs on a windowsill or in a window box.

Planning

The first step to cultivating a herb garden is selecting the herbs you want to plant. There are different kinds of herbs for different purposes. Hence you need to first decide the main purpose of having a herb garden. Some herbs like thyme grow low and spreading while others like parsley grow in clumps. Some herbs are perennials and some are annuals.

First plan on paper. Decide the exact size you wish your garden to be. This helps in selecting the right type of herbs. Also, you can determine the amount of space per herb as per your requirements.

Requirements

Firstly, do note that herbs require well-drained soil. Before staring to plant your herbs, test if the soil is alkaline. Herbs need alkaline soil to grow. You can add lime to your soil to keep it alkaline.

Sunlight is a very important factor for herbs to grow well. Herbs need at least six hours of sunlight. In case you can not find a suitable sunny spot, you can plant the herbs in a garden container so that it can be moved around in sunlight. Keep enough space for the herbs to grow. The herbs need adequate air circulation to prevent molds.

Familiarize yourself with the herbs you will be planting. Read about the requirements and conditions of growing them. This will help you take proper care of them.

Planting the herbs

You can begin planting either with seeds or small plants from the garden center. It is better to have small plants rather than seeds as you will have a higher success rate.

When using seeds to plants, it is better to plan them ahead since the seeds require several months to grow. Keep your herb garden close to your home. This will help you to take care and check for the problems.

You can plant your herbs either in straight lines or in geometrical shapes. You can even have square beds divided into four paths. Plants even in the shape of flowing, curved beds and walkways look amazing. Some flowers and shrubs can add to the beauty of your herb garden.

You can refer to various magazines and books to know what type of garden best suits your needs. You can even seek professional help if required. They are easy to maintain and simple to grow. With enough drainage, sunlight, water and nutrient rich and organic soil, your herb garden can thrive for years.

Get all of the latest in herb garden know how from the one and only true gardening resource at http://www.gardeningtoolsadvice.com/ Be sure to check out our herb garden pages on our web site.

Filed Under: Organic Gardening Tagged With: Addition, Delightful, Gardens, Herb

History Of The Early Gardens

June 10, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

In the beginning there was a garden with natural water fountains. Creation’s garden. And life was good. All plants were natives. Food was pure and abundant. Predators and prey were in balance (which is not to say they were equal).

Then people got involved and introduced concrete fountains and many other things. They brought with them their urge for order and control, and a robust curiosity fed by experimentation. Soon, the earth was plowed into furrows and crops planted in rows. The best specimens were selected for breeding.

Yet even after farmers began growing food for whole communities, and pharmacists took responsibility for mass-producing medicine, people continued to tend gardens. For sustenance, yes, but also to create beauty, retain a connection to nature, and enjoy the simple pleasure of digging in dirt. Cast stone fountains were a way to carry water to the gardens. For a clearer picture of what a cast stone fountain looks like visit http://www.garden-fountains.com/Detail.bok?no=61.

For nearly… well…forever, gardeners and farmers grew plants using common sense, careful observation, and the resources nature provided. Today, we call that approach “organic.” But that term became necessary only to distinguish those time-tested tactics from the shortsighted chemical practices foisted on the public in the name of progress within the last century. The garden was, and always will be, our connection to the earth. The garden may be the true water fountain of youth.

7,000 B.C. Barley, millet, and lentils are cultivated in Thessaly, one of the Greek isles.

5,000 B.C. The staples of Native American cuisine, corn (maize) and common beans, are cultivated in the Western Hemisphere.

4,0000 B.C. Hello, variety: The people of the Indus Valley (what is now Pakistan and Afghanistan) are raising wheat, barley, peas, sesame seeds, mangoes, and dates on irrigated fields, as well as bananas, citrus, and grapes for wine in smaller plots.

3,000 B.C. Potatoes are cultivated and harvested in the Andes Mountains.

2,700 B.C. The Egyptians already know and grow 500 medicinal plants.

2,700 B.C. Olive trees are raised in Crete.

2,000 B. C. Watermelon is cultivated in Africa; figs are cultivated in Arabia; tea and bananas, in India; and apples, in the Indus Valley.

1,900 B.C. The Egyptian pharaoh Ramses III commissions more than 500 public gardens.

600 B.C. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, are built by King Nebuchadnezzar II (with help, no doubt, from a few thousand slaves). The gardens are laid out on a brick terrace about 400 feet square and 75 feet above the ground. Irrigation screws are designed to lift water from the Euphrates River to the gardens.

301 B.C. In the History of Plants and Theoretical Botany, Theophrastus (considered the Father of Botany) describes plant diseases, such as rusts and mildews, and explains how to hand-pollinate fig trees to maximize productivity.

149 B.C. Cato the Elder, in De Agriculture, urges farmers to plant grapes and olives (because they draw moisture and nutrients from the subsoil) instead of planting drought-susceptible grain.

900 A.D. Tofu becomes a dietary staple in China.

1305 Opus Ruralium Commodorum, by Bolognese agriculturist Petrus de Crescentiis, is the first book on agriculture to appear in Europe since the second century.

1354 The Alhambra, built by the Moors in Spain, is completed. The Islamic-style garden features enclosed courts surrounded by arcades, planted with trees and shrubs and enhanced with tile, fountains, and pools.

1510 Sunflowers from the Americas are introduced to Europe by the Spanish. In many countries they become a major oilseed crop. In others, they are bird food.

1528 Sweet potatoes, and haricot, cocoa, and vanilla beans, are introduced to Spain by Hernando Cortes, who presents some of the beans to Pope Clement VII. Until then, fava beans have been the only beans known to Europeans.

1540 A potato from South America reaches Pope Paul III via Spain. The pope gives the tuber to a Frenchman, who introduces it into France as an ornamental plant. Stay tuned for French fries.

Gardening continued to evolve with the addition of water wall fountains, new vegetables, fruits, flowers and bulbs from various parts of the world. For a distinctive water wall fountain idea visit http://www.garden-fountains.com/Detail.bok?no=66. Machinery and chemicals also evolved as the demand to feed the world increased. Today, we face the overuse of synthetic nitrogen by farmers that causes soil to age the equivalent of 5,000 years. The good news is that composting can replenish depleted soils in just one season.

Elizabeth Jean is an outdoor gardening writer and frequent contributor to Garden-Fountains.com, a popular internet destination for water fountains and garden statuary.
Filed Under: Organic Gardening Tagged With: Early, Gardens, History
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