It is devastating to put all the work and care into tending a plant only to discover that some other bacteria or disease has also been giving it a lot of attention. Thankfully, with a little bit of investigation, the cause of your plants' distress can usually be determined and fixed. Wilted or Dead Seedlings The culprit here is insidious and cruel. Cutworms like young seedlings and as the name suggests, they cut them at ground level, often girdling or killing the plant. They prefer tomatoes, kale, cabbage, and broccoli but aren't really that picky and will go...
The mental and physical benefits of gardening have long been known by those who spend time outside nurturing and tending their vegetable plants. The opportunity to get your hands dirty and watch plants go from seed to maturity touches many elements in our nature that need nurturing themselves. Gardening for Physical Health It can be a struggle to find time to exercise for the sake of exercising. After all, we have chores to do, errands to run, kids to run after, work to attend to, and a whole host of other claims on our time. Gardening, however, is...
Butterflies, bees, and bugs need your garden and your garden needs all these beneficial insects too. Creating an environment that is appealing to these insects will greatly enhance the success of your garden. There are many places insects can make their home and so the key is to make your space the most attractive option. Why Do We Need Beneficial Insects? The main reason is for pollination. When bees fly from one flower to another, they are passing on pollen and this pollen is what causes a plant to mature and grow fruit. Sure, you could do a...
Gardening takes time but not all vegetables need a lot of time to grow. There is a large variance in maturity rates between different types of vegetables. Planting types that mature quickly mean the sooner you get to enjoy the rewards of your hard work. Additionally, the vegetables in this list are all easy to grow which make them great options for beginning gardeners. Lettuce Ready in as little as 30 days, lettuce should be planted early and often. It can be planted all season long with successive plantings. There are many types of lettuce to choose from...
Now that you have your plants all set up in their new homes, it is time to tend them and help them thrive. Fertilizers are a necessary part of container gardening because the plants don't have access to the minerals and nutrients found in soil. Potting soil provides nutrients in the beginning but over time it depletes. The plants need supplements to ensure that they grow and flourish. Types of Fertilizer Slow-release, or timed-release, fertilizers contain a water soluble fertilizer that is sheathed in a ball of permeable resin coating. Nutrients are released in small amounts when the...
