The Yard Farmer

Tomatoes aren’t hard to grow. In fact, by employing the proper steps and tips, you can promote the growth of healthy and luscious tomato plants in your garden. When planting tomatoes, there are certain common practices that can be cultivated especially if you are a novice.

Tomatoes are one of the most popular types of fruit and are commonly used for many dishes from gravy to pasta to curry and definitely in salads. There are so many varieties of tomato dishes making tomatoes one of the most sought after fruit. It not only provides wonderful taste, it also brings the dish to life with its vibrant and fiery color red.

Pre-Planting Preparation

Once of your essential preparations for tomato growing should be working the soil to be perfect for tomatoes. Normally, in soil preparation you should break up large clumps of dirt, remove debris and add light soil together with a little peat moss in to prep up and condition the soil.

Light is essential in growing tomatoes, as with any other plant so even if you are growing your tomatoes indoors, making sure there is enough sunlight. Either place your tomato garden near a sunny location on your yard or facing a window if it is indoors.

Planting

Tomato growing can be started once the frost has passed. You can start by planting the seeds or the plants and a highly organic and well drained soil with a Ph level of between 6 or 7 is essential. Raised beds are perfect for a tomato garden to achieve a well drained tomato garden. This raised bed should at least be 6 inches high.

You can also use tomato cages and you should space the plant anywhere from 2 to 4 feet apart. Once your tomato is planted, water the plants slowly and deeply as this promotes a strong root system which will result in healthy and tasty fruits.

Cages are pretty popular among gardeners due to its simplicity. The cage allows the tomato to grow in its natural manner but all the while keeping the fruit and leaves of the ground.

Caring for your Tomatoes

Once you have planted the tomato seeds, you need to give them proper care and nutrition so that you can yield a successful harvest. Of course, you would also need good mulch to go with the care and in most cases; organic compost can be used around the base of the plant within 2 to 3 inches. This will prevent water loss to the soil and it also aids in weed prevention. As always, keeping your plant properly hydrated is essential in the cycle of growing tomatoes.

When the fruit begins to develop, you can lightly work into the soil fertilizer and water thoroughly which is usually completed several inches away from the base of the plant itself.

Once this is done, with continuous light work done on the soil, adequate watering and checking the tomatoes, it will be right for harvesting in no time.

If you live in a high rise apartment or condominium, chances are that you do not have adequate space for gardening. That’s actually fine if you aren’t a garden enthusiast but what if you are? How can you channel that green passion in the comforts of your home? Well, there’s always indoor gardening that not only helps you channel all that green finger talent but it also gives you a new source for fresh produce. If you are the kind that loves the fresh smell of basil and other herbs, a good way to grow gardens indoors would be to grow your own herb garden.

All you would need is a nice window garden setting that gets at least 4 to 5 hours of sunlight daily. Some of the items that you could grow in your herb garden would be mint, rosemary, bay leaf, savory, oregano, chervil, and thyme. These are the easiest as well as commonly used herbs in pesto sauces, and roasting.

In order to grow gardens indoors, you must play by the rule of vegetative light cycle which is to have at least 18 hours of light- with 8 hours of natural light and the remaining to be artificial light. Different herbs require a little bit more light than others such as cilantro and basil. So to be on the safe side, an adequate of 8 to 10 hours of light daily will get you fresh cilantro for your mushroom soup or sprinkle oregano to spice up your fresh pesto.

Apart from proper lighting, you also need a good soil selection. With good soil, it is guaranteed that your herbs will have a stronger flavor. Good soil with the right amount of fertilizer will ensure that your plants also grow at a healthy rate. With the right amount of soil, and the right kind of soil, your plants will definitely get the nutrition needed. This also reduces the need for fertilizers to be used, so when you go shopping for soil, get the right kind for herbs.

Containers also play an important role for indoor grow garden purposes. Growing gardens in containers slightly differs from the actual land-I’m sure you already know that. That is why fertilizers are generally used in potted gardens compared to land. The sole reason being potted plants have less resource for food and when what’s in the pots run out; there isn’t anywhere else their roots can go looking for nutrients. Fertilizer helps keep the plant’s growth in check. Make sure to ask your botanist what is the right amount of fertilizer and soil that is perfect for your herb garden. Generally, coconut fiber with vermiculite and plant hormones are a great addition to the soil.

Aside from watering your plants at the right moment and feeding them the proper nutrients, you would so do good if you have additional boost in the form of 10ml of thrive alive B1 and liquid seaweed in every drop of water for your plants. This will, over time help in the healthy production of essential oils to your plants.

As soon as your herbs have grown enough leaves to be pinched out, which is about 4 to 6 weeks, it is all ready to be harvested. Essential oils come up at the end of the dark period, that is without 24 hours of light.

Finally, here is a method of growing food that is reliable (and I mean bomb proof). It also produces an abundance of food and is easy to understand. This package includes a fully illustrated step by step manual and over 60 minutes of video.

Planning a garden isn’t tough. For gardening beginners, planning a garden is the first step to a successful harvest. Actually, planning anything doesn’t take too much of effort as long as you have the required knowledge and a step to step guide. Here are steps in gardening plant for your garden.

Step 1: You would need to know what your desired type of garden is. It’s like planning a party- you definitely need a theme before anything else. Same with the garden. There are three typical garden options for gardening plant which are flower, herd and vegetable plots. Each of these types require different soil composition, fertilizers and treatments,

Step 2: Once you’ve determined the type of garden you want, now it’s time to check your local climate. When gardening plant, you need to consider factors such as temperature, rainfall, local animals as well as sunlight. Planting plants that do not agree to the local climate run the risk of the plants dying.

Step 3: What gardening plant types are you planning to plant? If your area has an extended growing season, then you might want to consider plants that will bloom for longer durations. Blooming plants maximize the season. Also, the climate will help you decide on the type of plants as well. If you have rain and sunshine continuously all year round, then flowers are a good deal but in places where rain is scares, then perhaps cactuses work great.

Step 4: How big should your garden be? Well, look at the overall angle of your yard. The direction of your yard should be taken into account as it will help in proper irrigation of water and avoid any potential flooding root rot. You can even out the yard to enhance proper water distribution or you can even add in soil fillers such as sand and mulch to provide foundation. Nutrient rich topsoil can also be use when necessary.

Step 5: Soil testing should be done before any planting. This is to test the deficiencies of the soil and treat it accordingly before planting. Sometimes you can find that the soil is low in potassium and so, some gardening potassium powder can fix the problem. Soil testing also prevents you from planting plants that use potassium in growing. Other nutrients can also be mixed into the soil to enhance the soils’ quality.

Step 6: Charting the growing process of the anticipated garden can help. You should take into account the overall growing space and the required area for each plant as this will avoid overcrowding and unsatisfactory blooms and harvests. Your roots will also get the right and adequate nourishment.

Step 7: Layout of the garden is also important. Determine where you will be planting beds, where would edging be done, what trails will be placed and what other features you will be including. Also, if you are using brick and stone, where will it be placed for easy access and viewing. A path of bricks and stones between the plant plots is essential to avoid the moving of beds as well as to prevent people from stepping on the plants.

What better way to show of your garden produce than by presenting them through gift ideas? Herbs from your herbs garden are an excellent choice to be turned into thoughtful gifts to give your loved ones and the best part is, they are a lot cheaper and do not take that much effort at all. Here are some quick and easy gift ideas straight from the garden:

Herbal Sugars

Herbal sugars can be made using dried herbs, flowers and foliage from the garden. These herbal sugars add just the right amount of nature and fragrance to spice up any holiday season. Make herbal sugars one of your gift ideas.

Herb Imprinted candles

Candle making is fun and if you actually present a homemade candle as a gift, it is more personalized than store bought ones. Instead of making a candle from scratch, buy or take a ready made candle and personalize it by melding the different types of herbs right into the wax. The result you get is a beautiful candle pretty decoration and smell.

Herbed & Scented Jellies and Jams

Forget strawberry jam and say hello to herbs jam right from your herbs garden. You can turn that rosemary or coriander into herbal jelly. This gift idea is great for your toast and do wonder’s on a cold winter’s day and excites the palette for your Christmas ham. You can make your own jelly or jam or you can get the ready made ones and infuse your jelly with herbs from your garden. You can also make homemade herbal jellies as a gift.

Keepsake Potpourri

Herbs together with dried flowers and petals are a great idea to make potpourri. You can start the potpourri mix with dried flowers, petals; herbs from your herbs garden and either package them in a pretty jar or bowl, or include them into little gauze bags tied together with a ribbon. This potpourri can not only become gift ideas but decoration items for weddings, baby showers, bridal showers and party favors.

Herb Infused Oils

Fresh herbs can be preserved in oil. They don’t last for an eternity but for at least 2 months. As time goes by, the herbs will blend in with the oil can be a perfect ingredient to spice up any recipe. Get decorative bottles to store in this herbal oil. You can make these bottles as gifts or become centerpieces for the dining room, patio or even the deck.

Flavored Vodka

If you are attending a party, then a homemade flavored vodka bottle is something that any hostess will welcome. You can make your very own lavender-rosemary infused vodka or any other beautiful concoctions. Use the many different herbs from basil which gives you a refreshing taste, thyme adds a savory sense and chili peppers of course adds that zest.

Homemade seasoning blends

What better way to have clean, fresh garden vegetables than to grow them on your own? With more and more pesticides and chemicals used in plant growing, it becomes a concern as to what we eat in our daily lives and is it really healthy. Gardening on your own can be fun, fulfilling and an engaging experience for you.

When doing your own gardening, you can either choose to plant flowers or vegetables from its seed stage or the seedling stage. Most professional gardeners would opt for the vegetable seeds stage as it is more economical. In the vegetable gardening process, choosing the right kind of seeds is crucial. Vegetables seeds can be obtained easily whether from your local farmer’s market or a nursery or even gardening store.

There are a few considerations to take into account when choosing your vegetable seeds as you cannot simply buy them without know what they are and how to plant and nurture there. Here are a few of them:

Primed or Pelleted

When choosing your seeds, it must either be primed or pelleted. These kinds of seeds are the ones that have been treated to protect it from certain diseases. Primed seeds are those that you treat it yourself whereas if you buy it from a store or garden center, and then it are pelleted. When wanting to prime seeds yourself, be fully aware that different types of seeds need different treatments. Carrots are best treated with valerian extract diluted in water. Radishes, cabbages, peas and beans are best treated with a chamomile solution. Pelleted seeds are individually coated making them easier to handle. Also, never buy old seeds as they may not germinate or may be short lived.

Choose Based on Variety

Buying seeds that are harvested at different times of the year is better than buying ones that need to be harvested at the same time or use the same nutrients. Buying a variety of seeds ensures that you harvest every season such as in the spring, summer, and even fall and winter vegetables can be harvested. Vegetables have their own growth cycle and harvest time so even if you plant them around the same time, you harvest it at different times because of their growth periods.

Learn Your Seeds

Seeds come packaged with important information on care, growth and nutrients. It will tell you when is the best time to plant, when can it be harvested, instructions for planting and so on. When reading this information, choose the types of vegetable seeds that harvest at different times.

Get Seeds from Different Places

Apart from garden centers and nurseries, you can also get seeds from the planter’s market or directly from farmers themselves. Local farmers are a great source for vegetable seeds as they know the area well and its weather conditions so you get the best seeds for your area. You can get these seeds from your local planter’s market or vegetable market.