Welcome to Gardening Guide
National Home Gardening Club Membership Article
. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for further reading, click here.
181-Home Gardening
from:Home Gardening is growing in popularity. One in three families does some type of home gardening, with the majority of gardens being in urban areas. To be a successful home gardener requires following a few basic rules and making practical decisions.
Many urban gardeners have little choice, but an area that is exposed to either full or almost full sunlight, with deep, well drained fertile soil is perfect. The location should be near a water outlet and free of competition from any existing shrubs or trees.
As a home gardener, one the first major decisions is deciding what to grow. Proper variety selection is an important key to successful home gardening. The wrong variety may not produce satisfactory yields regardless of subsequent care or attention. If your garden is not in an area that receives full or almost full sunlight, you can always try leafy crops such as leaf lettuce, mustard and parsley.
A gardener needs to plan for their home gardening just as an architect does for their building. Plants need to be grouped according their rate of maturity.
Many gardens do not have deep, well drained, fertile soil which is ideal for home gardening, so the soil needs to be altered to provide good drainage and aeration. Never work wet garden soil. To test is the soil is suitable for working, squeeze a small handful of soil together. If it sticks together in a ball and does not readily crumble under slight pressure by the thumb and finger, it is too wet for working.
Seeds germinate better in well-prepared soil than in coarse, lumpy soil. An ideal soil for planting with your home gardening is granular, and not powdery fine. Proper fertilization is another important factor-the amount of fertilizer needed will depend on soil type and crops. Once you have determined the proper amount of fertilizer for a pre-plant application, apply the fertilizer a few days before planting.
Plant your garden as early as possible in the spring and fall so the plants will grow and mature during ideal conditions. Gardens need plenty of watering so that the water can penetrate the soil to a depth of at least 6 inches. For the best production, most gardens will require a moisture supply equivalent to 1 inch of rain a week during the growing season.
A long-handled hoe is the best tool for the control of any undesirable plants, such as weeds. Mulching will increase the growth of your home gardening and it will conserve moisture, prevent weed growth and regulate soil temperature.
National Home Gardening Club Membership Specific links
National Home Gardening Club Membership News
Gardening events in the Philadelphia area
For gardeners and other plant-lovers, here’s a sampling of regional events: Blooming Bash! National Public Garden Celebration Outdoor reception w/refreshments & light fare. Swarthmore College - Scott Arboretum, 500 College Ave., Swarthmore; 610-328-8025. 5/11. 4-6 pm.
Read more...North Central Community Calendar — May 17-23
Send your North Central public event notices (including recreational sports) for free to Edmond Ortiz at eortiz@primetimenewspapers.com; by fax at 250-3350; or by mail to him in c/o North Central News, P.O. Box 2171, San Antonio, TX 78297-2171. Mental Health First Aid is a 12-hour training course designed to give members of the public important skills to help someone experiencing or developing ...
Read more...Parish Pump Uckfield - May 11, 2012
CHURCH SERVICES: Sunday, St John’s Bodle Street, 9.30am Family Rogation Service. The service begins with a procession to the lower churchyard to seek God’s blessing upon the crops in the nearby fields. Then up Prinkle Lane, to a field of animals, to ask for God’s blessing on them.
Read more...Broomfield Enterprise upcoming events -- May 10
Upcoming events
Read more...Clackamas County and Southwest Portland events roundup: festivals, farmers markets, carnival
Good morning Clackamas County. Welcome to a brand new week and my roundup of events in Happy Valley, Milwaukie, Lake Oswego, Oregon City, West Linn, Wilsonville, on Mount Hood, and in other locales in Clackamas County, as well as Southwest Portland.
Read more...