Backyard Garden Gifts

By: Allan Wilson

Carrots

Carrots grow well in well drained, sandy soil. Make sure the soil is nice and loose down to 12 inches or more to allow for good root development. Make sure your soil doesn't have any rocks and twigs.

Carrots don't require much space. It all depends on how big the roots are at harvest time. If you're growing baby carrots, spacing them between 3/4 of an inch and 2 inches. If you want bigger carrots, thinning to a final spacing of 2 inches-4 inches is about right.

Carrots need a good moisture supply to become well established and to produce good root development. Carrots need at least 1 inch of water each week during the growing season. Remember to soak the soil thoroughly when watering.

Carrots are very easy to harvest. Simply pull up the plant by the tops (the green leafy part). You can basically harvest them any time, depending on the size you want. For baby carrots, harvest them at 4 to 5 inches. For bigger carrots, harvest them at 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches.

Peas

Peas need nutrient rich soil produce a good crop. Peas planted in early spring do well in raised beds that have good drainage. They can be started as soon as the soil can be worked.

Peas need to be planted 1 to 1 1/2 inches apart in all directions. The rows should be 12 to 18 inches apart. If you are planting a large bed of peas, you can plant them in a zig-zag pattern with 12 to 18 inches between the plants.

Peas need lots of even moisture throughout the growing season. They like soil with good drainage and if they stay too wet, they will get root rot.

You know your peas are ready to harvest when their pods are plump but not bursting. Harvest them every 2-4 days to encourage them to keep growing.

Green Beans

Green beans are easy to grow, and will thrive in almost any soil. They need to have good drainage though, or the seeds will rot. To prepare the soil, break up large clods of dirt and rake the area smooth.

Plant your beans 1 to 1 1/2 inches deep, and 2 inches apart within rows. Space the rows about 24 to 36 inches. If you want lots of beans, plant beans every two weeks, until a good month and a half before first expected frost date.

Peas need lots of moisture during germination. Water them deeply once a week, making sure the soil drains well. Once your peas have started to sprout, you don't need to irrigate them as much.

Fresh beans are usually ready for harvest about 8 to 10 days after flowering. They will be pencil thin, and the beans will be bright green. The bean pods will snap easily when bent. Pinch or cut the beans off rather than pulling them.

Potatoes

Potatoes need well-drained soil. It's a good idea to mix compost into your bed to make sure there are plenty of nutrients in the soil.

Plant your potato seeds in early spring, about 3 weeks before the last frost. Space your potatoes between 6 and 12 inches apart, in shallow holes (about 3 inches deep). Make the rows between 30 and 36 inches.

Keep your potatoes evenly moist and water them deeply during dry spells. If you plant your potatoes in a hill, they will dry out quicker so watch the soil moisture carefully.

You'll know your potatoes are ready to harvest when their leaves die back. Some people prefer 'new potatoes.' These are immature potatoes that are picked several months after planting, but before the potato plants reach maturity. You can find these new potatoes when the potato plants blossom.

By: Jimmy Cox

Gardening in pots and other containers is apparently as old as civilization, for the practice can be traced to the very early use of medicinal and edible plants. In time, pot gardening developed to a high degree, and there are numerous records which reveal its importance in China, India, Egypt, Assyria, Greece, and Rome. Since ancient days, it has been particularly enjoyed in countries with hot, dry summers and low annual rainfall.

In tracing the history of pot gardening, we can go to paintings from the Middle Period in Egypt to see formal gardens with "beds marked out in squares like a chessboard." In one illustration of a garden at El-Bersheh, there is a long "row of pot plants, an early example of ornament that became common later on."

In Greece and Rome
In Greece, the so-called Adonis garden marked the beginning of pot gardening there. In midsummer, when Athenian women celebrated the Festival of Adonis, they placed around the statue of Adonis earthen pots filled with soil in which they sowed fennel and lettuce as well as wheat and barley. As time went on, the simple pagan custom became a children's game and boys who, "sowed quick-growing seeds in great pots," were delighted "when the green began to show." In the writings of Theophras-tus, too, there are references to pot gardening.

In Imperial Rome, the court of Domitian at the Palatine was "adorned with flowers just as the Assyrians plant them on the roofs in honour of Adonis" and Domi-tian's palace was decorated with tubs placed all around the roof of the pillared court, a practice adopted later in Pompeii. Boxes for growing plants were also placed on roofs.

Through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance
Though medicinal and edible plants were favored in the gardens of the Middle Ages, they were also ornamented with pot plants. Exotics were frequently planted in containers to make them "objects of beauty," and gardeners practiced "the curious custom of placing pots and growing flowers on beds already planted with flowers," particularly carnations, which were favorites.

During the Renaissance in Italy and later in France, England, and elsewhere, pot plants became common garden features. In Spain, in a sense, pot gardening came into its own in the gardens of Spain. Under the Moors, life in Spain was Oriental. The gardens, with their fountains and ornamental flower pots, were open living-rooms. Similar outdoor living areas developed in Portugal, which was also occupied by the Moors.

From the time of the Renaissance, when the Italian style of gardening was adopted in northern Europe, potted plants and decorative urns were important. When Versailles set the fashion for the rest of Europe, its fabulous gardens, with their tubbed orange trees and elegant urns, were also copied.

Through Germany and Holland
In Germany, there was a strong trend toward pot gardening. According to a sketch of the seventeenth-century garden of Christopher Peller in Nurenberg, urns and pots were lavishly scattered about. Around the beds, "there are lower stone borders with ornamental pots set on them: these contain plants of many kinds, with orange-trees and other costly foreign plants that have to pass the winter in a hothouse."

In the Orient
Pot plants were always much used in the East, especially in Chinese gardens, where the emphasis is on pines, foliage plants, and decorated vessels. Commonly grown in vases and containers were dwarf trees, "a main occupation of Chinese gardeners." In China, and elsewhere in eastern countries, the houses adjoin courts, which are given character with "flowering trees and shrubs, or pot plants, which are liked still more."

In early as well as advanced cultures, growing plants in containers has been a universal practice, a symbol of man's innate love and need for growing things. Wherever soil was lacking or the climate was unfavorable, containers made it possible to enjoy the beauty and inspiration of plants. Today, the practice continues to grow, ever changing to fit the needs of the time.

By: Andrew Bicknell

Knowing the proper way to care for your flower garden can be the difference between a beautiful swath of flowers that everyone makes glowing comments on or a so-so garden that seems on the verge of dying all the time. As with all things learning the how to care for your garden can take time , but if you follow some of these basic tips you will be well on your way to having beautiful blooms all summer long.

1. Do you have the essentials covered? Just like any other plant, flowers are living growing organisms and without the proper necessities they will wither and die. They need a consistent water supply, varying amounts of sunlight depending on the plant, and rich fertile soil. The more pampered and cared for they are the better they will respond. During times of intense heat and little rain be sure to water more often.

When planting you new flowers it is important to follow the directions on the packaging they came in. Bulbs need to be planted at the correct depth. Shrubs, perennials, and annuals can't be planted to deep or to shallow. Try to keep mulch and soil from around the stems to allow for proper water drainage.

2. Mix perennials and annuals. Perennials will return year after year, at least for a few years after planting. Annuals will usually only last for one growing season. By mixing annuals in with the perennials you will be assured of always having flowers in bloom.

3. Deadhead your flowers. Deadheading is just what it sounds like. By clipping wilting or dead flower heads from the main plant you will encourage the growth of more flowers. Be sure to pick up any deadheads and put them in your compost pile. Leaving them in the garden can attract bugs or cause plant diseases to attack your healthy plants.

4. Learn about bugs. Most garden insects do more good than harm. Butterflies, beetles and bees are known pollinators. They fertilize plants through unintentional transfer of pollen from one plant to another. 80% of flowering plants rely on insects for survival.

Sowbugs and dung beetles together with fungi, bacteria and other microorganisms are necessary to help in the decomposition of dead plant material, thus enriching the soil and making more nutrients available to growing plants.

Other insects like lacewings and dragonflies are natural predators of those insects that do the real damage, like aphids.

Be sure to give your flower garden a shot of fertilizer every few weeks to keep the flowers blooming longer. It is important to not over fertilize because this can cause the plants to burn.

Following these few simple tips will get anyone novice started on their way to becoming a well rounded gardener. Building on these tips will keep you garden blooming and bringing great satisfaction all growing season long.

By: Gregg Hall

Roses have been appreciated for generations for their beauty but that isn't their primary attraction. Most are drawn to roses for their incredibly strong aroma which is the reason women love them so much. Nothing says I love you like a dozen roses and they will definitely give you huge brownie points. All women want to be treated as if they are very special and the gift of roses is something that all women love.

So now I have you thinking about giving your lady a rose or even a dozen roses, now you will probably want to know what the best smelling roses are. There is an association known as the All American Rose Selection that is responsible for choosing the best roses annually in the United States. The AARS has been judging roses for decades in a number of different categories as well as on diverse criteria. The Most Fabulous Smell is one of the most exciting and well liked categories and they always pick a winner.

We have a copy of the latest list from the AARS but let's also look at some of the varieties of roses. One of the more popular types of rose is the Climbing Rose. These roses are the ones that you see growing up fences and trellises and are also found growing wild in many places in the United States. Hybrid Tea Roses are roses that cover many different varieties of roses which are created through genetic mutations and blending of different types of roses. These are among the most sought after of all roses. The Floribunda Rose features blooms with usually more than five that grow in clusters on the stem of the plant.

Going back to the 1970s, the rose known as the Double Delight won the award for smell and is suited for growing in the climates zones of 5-7. This rose is from the Hybrid Tea category and has white petals with a pale pink center and features a spicy sweet smell. The Elle Rose which one the best aroma award in 2005 has a fruity smell with light pink petals and large blooms of four inches or more. This rose is best suited in the 7-10 climate zones.

If you are into very strong scents you may want to consider the Memorial Day Rose which is a Hybrid Tea rose and is good in hot climates in the 7-10 zones. This rose one the award in 2004 and has a very strong damask rose fragrance that can produce an aroma that fills the room with only a handful of petals. The first climbing rose to win since 1977 is the 4th of July rose which won the best aroma award in 1999 and is best grown in the 5-9 climate zones. This beautiful rose spans over 14 feet in width in many cases. This rose comes in red and white petals.

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