"Starting A Garden"
 The first and probably the most important question to ask yourself is... One way to uncover your wants that are appropriate to the size of your garden, is to take a while to contemplate... Sit outside and allow the environment to take over your thoughts. Ideas will turn up unexpectedly, especially if you really are serious about starting a garden. There are many garden ideas you can use to brainstorm and come up with the right ideas for your space, and what would suit you and your family. Starting a garden should be fun :-) Veggie patch: Are you longing to grow fruit, vegetables and herbs to ensure the best possible diet for everyone? Containers: Are you facing a concrete yard and can't face the building work involved? Containers may be the answer. Flowers: Are you a rose enthusiast? Or how about edible flowers to jazz up the family dinners? Themes: Your whole outside space could be a theme to enhance your home, an attractive outdoor art form, or even a wildlife sanctuary. If you have the space to explore a few different ideas, go for it! While you are in the process of starting a garden, the sky's the limit! The next best thing to do, while still relaxing in your garden of course, is grab a notepad and roughly draw out a plan of the garden and start playing with design. It doesn't have to be to scale, although it has to be realistic. When you start getting down to work, the plans, no doubt, will be adjusted! NB: Allow space for fun and relaxation - especially relaxation. Sitting in your garden will encourage more ideas and will also melt away stress. Before starting a garden, there will be a few tools to acquire. Not necessarily that many, but you will need a few bits and pieces. Get the tools first; it's so frustrating when you are on a roll and you have to stop because you haven't the right tool for the job. Scroll down for more about tools and the ideas you can get started with straight away... If you've decided to grow fruit, flowers, herbs or vegetables in open ground, the main tools you will need are a spade, fork, rake and probably a dutch hoe. Buy good quality tools that feel comfortable and not too heavy to use. Smaller tools, such as a trowel and watering can are also important and are needed if you are container growing. For wildlife gardens, you may simply need a sharp pair of shears to cut down any invasive plants from time to time. Wear heavy shoes or boots in the garden when you are digging or using any larger tools. And protect your hands with decent gardening gloves. If you're facing a bramble patch before starting a garden, make sure the gloves are bionic! Gardening Gloves
Seed trays, pots and a few pot markers are the basics if you're intending to sow seeds or start off young plants. This is a good moment to recycle and get some free pots! Collect cardboard tubes from toilet rolls or wash, dry and save yoghurt pots with a few drainage holes punched in the bottom. Cardboard tubes are ideal as they only last for a while and can be planted in the garden without having to disturb the roots of small plants. Larger containers should also be bought, or acquired, for container gardening ideas. Remember you can buy specially designed potato barrels and strawberry planters nowadays and you can grow many herbs, fruit and veg in large pots and containers. Starting a garden can be as decorative and artistic as you like. This potato barrel from Crocus (UK) is ideal.
 Containers: Containers can be very useful as well as practical. Grow herbs in containers on the patio so they are available to add directly to your 'al fresco' summer meals. Pots of herbs can be grown on windowsills and other bright spots indoors. Many vegetables can be grown in large containers so there's no excuse if you have a couple of pots lying around! Look for old and interesting containers in markets or car boot sales. If they don't have drainage, put a well-drained pot inside and plant into this pot. All plants need good drainage. Water-logging will rot the roots very quickly. Container Herb Gardening
There are so many incredible flowers that can be grown at home that you can get lost for days in a seed catalogue! Go for the ones you like, or if you have no idea, consider a few points before you start:
Again flowers and colour could be themes to stick with, or there are other possibilities..How about a butterfly garden, or encourage ladybirds to your garden to deal with the greenfly on your roses. A herb garden can take over the whole space if you so wish and many herbs will grow well in containers. Starting a garden from scratch or even with a residue of someone else's past efforts, is probably one of the most creative experiences to enjoy, with many practical bonuses - fresh organic food, sweet smelling flowers in the house, a little physical exercise and a general feeling of well-being. And it's never too late to start. Many plants will survive and stay green right through the winter as well as the summer months. Have a browse through the greenery here at Flower and Garden Tips and if there's a garden issue you want to talk about, get in touch here ...Email Me Happy Gardening! Grow Your Own Winter Food: A good diet incorporating plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables is a must if you want to stay fit and healthy and keep the bugs at bay during the cold winter months. Growing your own winter food is just one way of ensuring you get the freshest, tastiest produce packed with goodness straight from the garden to the kitchen table. This easy-to-follow self-sufficiency book shows you how to grow your own fruit and vegetables for winter use and includes facts on each fruit, vegetable or herb as well as nutritional value, recipe ideas and storage suggestions. ("This is a great book if you're starting a garden for winter crops!")  Grow Your Own Winter Food is perfect for those with limited gardening experience, with gardens big or small who are looking to become more self-sufficient. Order it now direct from the publisher... Grow Your Own Winter Food Grow It, Cook It!: Many crops, including herbs, can be produced in a relatively small space with a little pre-planning and organizing: in containers, on a balcony, and indoors. Herbs are perfect for enhancing the flavour of cooking, treating minor ailments, and preventing colds and flu. Your own back garden will not only produce the best food on the planet for you and your loved ones, it is also economical, environmentally friendly and more fun than shopping. Gardening is more than a hobby; it's a way of life. .  This book provides all the information you need to keep your family and friends healthy, fit and enjoying life to the full. Order it now direct from the publisher... Grow It, Cook It! Grow Your Own Pharmacy: If, like me, you want to be able to eat the best food on the planet, grow your own!  • Clear instructions on planning, planting, growing and harvesting the fruits, vegetables and herbs required for a healthy vitamin intake. • Recipes and menus to help incorporate the fruit and vegetables into your daily diet. Grow Your Own Pharmacy Herbs and Spices: Some herbs grow vigorously, some are tender and need special growing conditions, some are annuals, some perennials, some you can grow indoors, all can be grown in pots or directly into the ground. There are also certain spices, such as chillies, that can be grown in temperate climates.  This clear and concise directory of herbs and spices provides all the essential information to help you grow a selection of these flavour-enhancing foods in small or large spaces. Ideas for which herbs and spices go best with which foods also accompany each description, so that you can really enliven your repertoire of recipes. Order it now direct from the publisher... Herbs and Spices Granny's Book Of Good Old Fashioned Common Sense is packed full of great ideas and tips. Granny brings traditional home-making up to date with cooking, gardening, needlecrafts and even games to play with the kids...Click on the link below to order your copy.  Cooking doesn’t have to be a chore and preparing nourishing home cooked meals for the family will certainly keep them away from the goodie shelf. Gardening encourages physical exercise and a good healthy dollop of fresh air. And you can get the kids involved too. Before the days of computer games and electronic pets, children used to have fun without rummaging about in the fridge every five minutes. Enjoy a few rainy-day games and crafts of yesteryear with today’s kids. They’ll love it and so will you! Granny's Book Of Good Old Fashioned Common Sense Back To Gardening Back to Flower and Garden Tips Homepage Click here to subscribe to "Creative Gardening" - your FREE monthly ezine! http://www.flower-and-garden-tips.com/startingagarden.html |
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