Spring Gardening

When you learn the art of gardening, there are few safety considerations that you need to address. No matter what type of gardening project you are undertaking, be it a bloom of flowers, a bounty of vegetables or an entire backyard landscape, you will encounter many common safety issues.

One of the most common risks in gardening is exposing yourself to pollen, and activating pollen allergies. Most people suffer from some type of allergy, and when pollen is in the air and plants and flowers are blooming, it can be hard to spend any length of time gardening. If you know for a fact that you have pollen allergies, you need to consider them when you start gardening. People with particularly severe pollen allergies should probably avoid gardening all together.

Another allergy, although not as common, is an allergy to bee stings. Many people are so allergic to bee stings that they require medication to relieve the swelling and allergic reaction. If you are gardening during the late summer and early autumn, bees are especially prevalent outdoors. If you are gardening during this time, and are allergic to bees, limit your gardening time and take necessary precautions.

Sunburn is a very common risk while gardening. To protect yourself from sun damage, wear lightweight long sleeved shirts and long pants, if weather permits. Wearing long sleeved clothes will also prevent mosquito bites. Make sure to apply sunscreen on all areas that will be exposed during your gardening time. Don’t forget to cover the back of your neck and ears.

To avoid the heat when you are gardening, try to get most of your tasks done in the early morning. Keep in mind that the hottest part of the day is between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm, so plan your gardening activity accordingly. Although it may not seem like it, gardening is a terrific form of exercise. Knowing this, you should always include a bottle of water nearby while you are gardening so you can remain hydrated.

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Jason Albright is a contributing editor at Cookgroup Marketing LLC. His background is with lifestyle topics including: Gardening, Outdoor Living, Home Decor, Travel Destinations and Food and Wine.

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It’s April, the sun is shining, and there is this sudden feeling of panic in your body, its gardening season once again. Many people feel overwhelmed when gardening season hits, and they aren’t sure how best to get things going. Gardens are such complex, intricate plant and flower groups that it becomes a challenge to find the right way to start your spring garden off right. A few tips are below to help the average stressed out part time gardener be ready for the spring season. So take a deep breath, put down the miracle grow, and read on for insight into the wonderful world of gardening.

Make a plan that actually won’t require a greenhouse for this year. Some of us gardeners have a tendency to go over the top with our gardening plans. If you’re garden is to include trees, exotic plants, or science experiments you may want to reconsider. The hardest part of gardening is dedicating the time to plant, nourish, and tend to your garden on a daily basis. By making realistic plans you will save yourself hours of stress. For those over achievers that can’t help themselves, try over simplifying your garden plans for insured success.

Search magazines, and the internet for inspiration. Don’t be afraid to get ideas from others when it comes to gardening. There are many credible sources available online, and in books and magazines that offer many innovative ideas for gardens. Be sure to take advantage of such resources before planting your mixed garden of whatever you could find on sale at the local hardware store.

When in doubt, create a theme for your garden. There are many popular themes for gardens these days, including Asian, desert, and rock themes. Give your garden some personality and come up with a theme. Once a theme is chosen it should become much more clear as to what, and where, and how to plant certain things in your garden.

Plant something you can eat for instant gratification. Don’t be afraid to do it. Plant some mint, grow it, and put it in your ice tea. You’ll feel like a true American living off the land. If you’re daring, try planting some pepper seeds, those never tasted as fresh then from your own garden. When you put them in your kid’s fajita’s they’ll look at you with great admiration, if they don’t just tell them if they don’t save their lunch money everything is coming from the garden.

It’s now spring and gardeners are out of their burrows to plant, and watch their seeds grow. Be sure to follow these tips to allow for a pleasant gardening experience

Clark Covington is a professional writer who provides information on gardening for Home Decor 101 and also contributes to A1 Gourmet.

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Flower gardening need not be restricted to just summertime. Planning carefully and planting ahead of time, will have the garden filled with an array of flowers for all of the year round.

Let’s plan the seasons, then for spring flowers, the best thing would be to plant bulbs. Any nursery will supply them, and if you’re more disposed towards the exotic, and rare flower bulbs, there’s a good chance that they will need to be ordered specially.

The most popular amongst bulb lovers are early springtime Crocuses, and cheerful Snowdrops. Tulips though, have shown to be the most famous of bulbs in demand by flower gardeners, and are available in a variety of colors, including a black-colored one, which is really more of a dark maroon.

Remember that all spring flowering bulbs should be planted in mid autumn, as this is the best time for them. Come any closer to winter and you’re in danger of losing your whole crop of bulbs completely.

Moving through to summer, perennials are the firm favorite for flower gardening as they bare blooms almost continuously throughout the summer season, and on occasion longer. With a little luck and care, the perennials will last through to next year, and the following year. It’s also found that as the years and the seasons roll on, your perennials will become fuller, and generally will become more abundant than the first year you planted them.

As autumn approaches most flower gardens are left with only few small hardy plants to choose from. For those more dedicated to flower gardening, that need not be the case. Hardy, drought resistant plants like Asters number among the many types of fall flowers available, and will look stunning in late summer/early fall, Generally, autumn plants will grow to a good 3-4 feet in height, and have vivid colors, as well as the more genteel pastel colors to choose from. Ornamental grasses are another favorite and will nicely complement your fall flowers.

So, take heart, take plenty of notes, plan, and buy to your heart’s content. By the end of it all you truly will have a flower for every season, and your flower gardening efforts will be rewarded most bountifully

Ron is the webmaster and owner of http://www.gardeningmoments.com and would like to share his passion and ideas for creating a fantastic garden. Flower Gardening is not restricted to certain times of the year have flowers bursting with color all year round.

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Spring is in my opinion the most wonderful time of year for the gardener. You can shake of that winter weariness and get ready for a new gardening season.

The most difficult part of spring gardening is trying to manage your impatience. Don’t start digging around too early. The soil must be dry enough to have it fall apart when you pick it up. When it still sticks together like glue that’s definitely not the case.

Early spring is the best time of year to change (parts of) your garden design. You can transplant existing shrubs and perennial plants before they begin to leaf out. This also is the time to prune your trees and shrubs. Cut back the remaining dead foliage from last season and remove dead, damaged or diseased branches of trees and shrubs.

And then flowers! That’s really what spring is about isn’t it! There are many that are suitable for cool spring weather. Think of sweet alyssum, some snapdragons, stock and sweat peas. You can also start some perennials like hostas and daylilies.

Start some Violets, Marigolds, Carnations, Geraniums and Impatiens inside to transplant to your flower beds in early spring. Or if you have some space left in your garden you can set up a “Cold Frame”. Ready-made cold frames are available in different sizes. A cold frame “captures” the spring sunlight and warms the soil it surrounds. That way it is ideal to “harden off” houseplants and transplants for your summer garden. You can use the cold frame for direct seeding as well.

If you have unplanted areas in your garden a great spring project is to lay out landscape cloth on that unplanted area. Landscape cloth is an excellent weed barrier. It comes in different weights, heights and fabric choices. This cloth can then also serve as a great map to precisely plant your transplants.

Weeds start to grow very early but still have shallow roots in spring so get them out when you spot them. Getting on top of the weeds now means a lot less work in summer, and I’m sure that digging out weeds in the burning sun in not your favorite pastime.

These two measures will definitely intimidate your perennial weeds to the extent that they will prefer your neighbor’s garden over yours.

And most of all enjoy your spring garden, watch it grow and blossom into summer!

Linda is one of the authors of http://www.gardening-guides.com and http://www.lawnmower-guide.com/

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Use this handy spring garden guide to get started. Now that spring is officially (on the calendar, at least), it’s time to think about how to turn your garden from ordinary to extraordinary.

Early spring is the best time of year to change your garden design. Grass growth is heavy in the early spring garden, so edge your flower beds with a sharp trench between them and the grass to keep it in bounds.

When choosing bulbs or vegetables for a spring garden, consider both when they need to be planted as well as when you want them to appear. If you have unplanted areas in your garden a great spring project is to lay out landscape cloth on that unplanted area. Take a good look at your garden now and think about areas you need to fill in.

If your space is limited you can always use different sized containers to plant various different vegetables or flowers, these are particularly effective in an urban setting, especially in a courtyard or on a patio. By using varying sizes and shapes of containers and mixing various textures and colours together, you can create stunning effects without having to have a large amount of space.

Here are some tips for the perfect container vegetable garden. By following these simple vegetable gardening tips, your no dig garden will be off to a flying start. Different plants have different requirements so take that into consideration when doing your vegetable garden planning.

If you order plants and vegetable seeds from a reputable supplier they usually ship at the proper time for planting in your gardening zone. When you are ready to plant your bulbs or vegetables follow the directions carefully for the depth and spacing requirements and be certain to loosen the soil beneath the depth of planting. Once the initial preparing and planting are finished, you can sit back and relax, letting your sprinklers do the rest of the work.

With such wonderful options as tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, squash and a whole array of fresh herbs your work will be rewarded in the spring with the finest of culinary pleasures. There is nothing better than grilling peppers and onions beside your steak on the grill.

Tim Tanis is an independent web publisher, and works full time as a chef. For more spring garden tips http://www.springgardentip.articlesforyou.biz

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Spring is the best time to rejuvenate your lawn. Come gardening time, we usually hear of a spring care lawn tip that we can’t wait to use on our own laws when this season comes around.

A spring care lawn tip or two works wonders for any lawn that needs to be kept healthy and well-manicured at all times. There are new techniques on gardening discovered every year, and as such, you should always be aware of every new spring care lawn tip that comes out. Prepare a schedule for lawn care and include in it the regular maintenance work you need to perform.

Below are a few useful tips for your spring gardening venture:

What Spring Care Lawn Tip Would Work Best For Your Lawn?

Spring Care Lawn Tip 1: Keep your runoff free of lawn care products.

-Always follow the directions on the product label. This will keep you informed of the proper handling of the lawn care products plus any safety tips on its application and disposal.

-Each state has specific laws which deal with restrictions on chemicals used for lawn care. Make sure that you’re not adding any more chemicals to an already saturated lawn, which might be an issue with environmental authorities.

-A practical spring lawn care tip is to wait for the proper timing for the application of lawn care chemicals. Grass has to reach a certain height before it could ideally be cut.

-Reuse any products that have spilled onto your driveway or any area other than your lawn.

Spring Care Lawn Tip 2: Maintain cleanliness in your spring runoff.

-Water that’s pouring from your downspouts should be directed onto your lawn and not the driveway or any area where people frequently walk on.

-Dispose of trash in the garbage bins at all times. Remove fallen leaves, large debris, pet wastes and other trash from the sidewalks and from your driveway.

-Have your gutters cleaned regularly. Collect leaves and place them in a compost pile for future use.

Spring Care Lawn Tip 3: Keep your lawn looking healthy and vibrant at all times.

-Always check the phosphorus level of your yard soil and see to it that your applications don’t go beyond the allowed levels. This is of special concern especially if you are residing in a thickly populated area.

-A spring care lawn tip that’s easy to do is to keep your lawn free from any trimmings or debris that accumulate in the area over time. Dispose of these in the trash or put them in a compost pile.

-Bare spots in your lawn can be an eyesore. You can remedy this by reseeding them and and putting straw on top of them. Use the type of grass which is tolerant of salt if this patchiness is caused by salt. Don’t forget to water regularly.

-A great spring care lawn tip you should bear in mind is to keep your soil covered with mulch. This organic material, made of residues such as leaves, bark, sawdust, hay, cardboard, wood chips, and other substances, retains moisture, enriches the soil, and prevents erosion.

You can also find more info on Lawn Care and Garden Lawn Care. Lawncare-help.com is a comprehensive resource to know about Lawn Care.

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Due to their fears of early winter frosts, a lot of gardeners do not think about fall gardening. If you’re one of them maybe a few tips can make you change your mind. You should, because fall gardening produces some first-rate vegetables long after spring planted plants are finished. Autumn garden vegetables are can be sweeter and milder than those grown in summer and present a different taste to the same old veggies.

What are the best plants to grow during the fall, of course, depends on space available, your climate zone, and what you like to eat, just like spring planting. Even heat-loving crops, like tomatoes, sweet potatoes and peppers, will produce until frosts hit, which can be fairly late in the year in southern zones.

Then there are other plants that will give up as early as the end of summer, such as cucumbers, snap-beans and summer squash. Still, they can be harvested up until the first frosts also if planted mid-summer. Hardy vegetables – potatoes, carrots and other root and tubers will keep growing until the temperature is as low as 20 degrees, but those that aren’t as strong can only grow through light frosts.

When planning for fall gardening, look on seed packages for the words “early season”, or seeds sporting the least days to maturity. Choosing the vegetables with the shortest growing season helps ensure they can be fully grown and harvested prior to the appearance of frost. You may want to shopping for fall gardening seeds in spring or early summer when the stores are still completely stocked. Seeds stored in a cool and dry location will keep until time to plant.

Speaking of time to plant, you need to know when the first hard frost will usually hit your area in order to know exactly when the best time to plant for fall gardening is. I recommend looking this up in a Farmer’s Almanac. They are rarely wrong and will give you specific dates. You also need to know just how long your plants are going to take to mature. Then you will be able to match up the plants with the right growing times to your area.

Prepping your soil for fall gardening starts with getting rid of any leftover spring-summer crops and debris. These leftovers may spread bacteria and disease to your new plants if left in your garden. Increase the nutrients in the soil by spreading a couple inches of compost or mulch over the garden area. If summer plants were fertilized heavily it may not need much, however, if any. Turn over the soil’s top layer, moisten it, and let set for 12-24 hours. Congratulations, you’re ready to start planting.

Many gardeners shun fall gardening in order not to deal with frosts, but if robust, hardy vegetables are planted properly they can survive a few frosts and provide some wonderful tasting fresh food.

Carlo Morelli writes for http://www.OnlineTips.org, where you can find tips on installing fiberglass insulation, how to replace an entry door and many other home and garden projects.

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