The Joy of Gardening

[kittygrrl]

Originally Posted by homoe

Living in the Pacific Northwest, that won't be a problem......

Lucky h.....you really are

[homoe]

Pre-warm soil for heat-loving plants. Transplants that relish warm weather, including peppers and eggplants, are best planted into warm soil. In areas with long growing seasons, waiting to transplant until the soil warms up works just fine. If you want to get an early start, or if your growing season is short, you can give the soil a heat boost to help ease the transition to the garden. Two weeks or more before transplant time, prepare the soil and rake the site smooth. Water if soil is very dry. Spread black plastic over the site, stretching it tight and burying all the edges. Let the sun’s rays warm the soil for 2 weeks before transplanting. Plant directly into the plastic by cutting holes through it with a trowel or gardening knife. The plastic holds heat during the nighttime hours, which also benefits heat-loving crops.

[homoe]

[homoe]

Some plants are shade plants, others need sun, and yet even more plants are partial shade or sun! Don't overlook that part of your plant's description!

Hometalk member The Micro Gardener has a universal solution: Place your container garden on wheels or a trolley, so you can move it around in the event your selected spot doesn't get as much sunlight as you originally thought.

After reading this tip, I'm considering picking up a used wheelbarrow at a yard sale come spring!

[homoe]

Originally Posted by homoe

Some plants are shade plants, others need sun, and yet even more plants are partial shade or sun! Don't overlook that part of your plant's description!

Hometalk member The Micro Gardener has a universal solution: Place your container garden on wheels or a trolley, so you can move it around in the event your selected spot doesn't get as much sunlight as you originally thought.

After reading this tip, I'm considering picking up a used wheelbarrow at a yard sale come spring!

This idea could also solve a limited space problem which we will have. I'm thinking herbs such as chives, parsley, etc might work well in this instance.

[homoe]

Don't let limited outdoor space prevent you from trying out your green thumb. From tasty fruits and veggies to flowering plants, trees and shrubs, container gardening is the trick to growing it all in less space than you may think.



For many years, when we lived in Seattle, we had a balcony but always thought it was to small of a area for gardening. Wish I would of gotten this advice years earlier...

[homoe]

Build a gardener’s portfolio.

Keep tabs on your garden. Create a scrapbook using an inexpensive photo album and add your plant tags and sticks to it each season. Then, make it as detailed as you’d like by adding information as to where the plants were purchased and where the plant was located in your garden. Add your own artistic flair with sketches of your garden or photographs.

[Lyte]

There's a fun and informative series on Netflix called Big Dreams Small Spaces on that very topic … making the most of a small gardening area. It's set in the UK but most of what's in the show is applicable regardless of location.

Originally Posted by homoe

Don't let limited outdoor space prevent you from trying out your green thumb. From tasty fruits and veggies to flowering plants, trees and shrubs, container gardening is the trick to growing it all in less space than you may think.

For many years, when we lived in Seattle, we had a balcony but always thought it was to small of a area for gardening. Wish I would of gotten this advice years earlier...