Garden Soil

By Lilliann

The first thing we need to do to have a healthy garden is analyse our garden's soil.

"An understanding of your soil is perhaps the most important aspect of
gardening. It will guide you in watering and fertilizing your plants -- in other
words, in caring for them."

"Soil is a mass of mineral particles mixed with air, water, and living and
dead organic matter. The size (texture) and and arrangement (structure) of
the mineral particles greatly influence a soil's water- and nutrient-holding
capacity, aeration, and ease of workability. The basic soil structure and
texture--together with its pH and its content of organic natter, air and nutrients--determine a soil's quality." -Western Garden Book-

Is your soil heavy (clay) or light (sand)? Clay is made up of very small particles which fit tightly together making water drain slowly and leaving less space for air to reach the roots of the plant. Sand is made up of larger particles that fit together loosly leaving plenty of room for water drainage and air to reach the roots. Clay soils tend to have more nurtrients the sandy soils because slower water drainage means less leaching. Sandy soils warm earlier than clay soils because air can penetrate more easily.

Loam is a combination of both heavy and light soils and is the ideal soil for a healthy garden.

• What is soil pH and why is it important?
  

  
  

  "Soil pH is a measurement of one aspect of the soil's chemical composition: the concentration of hydrogen ions (an ion is an electrically charged atom or molecule). The relative concentration of hydrogen ions is represented by the symbol pH followed by a number. A pH of 7 means that the soil is neutral, neither acid nor alkaline. A pH below 7 indicates acidity; one above 7 indicates alkalinity." - Western Garden Book-

  
  Most plants will grow in soil that is slightly acidic or alkaline, but some prefer it one way and others will not grow well unless the pH is just right. For healthy vegetables you will need a pH of 6 to 7. If it's too acidic nothing will grow.
  

  
  

  "Soils that are only slightly alkaline will support many garden plants. They can be made to grow acid-loving plants with liberal additions fo peat moss, ground bark, or sawdust; fertilization with acid-type fertilizers; and periodic applications of chelates." - Western Garden Book-

First 3 Steps to a Healty Garden

By Lilliann

Here is our garden in its very beginning stages. First we contacted a local dairy and arranged to have year-old manure spread on our garden spot. Next we got a friend to till. Then we spread out the irrigation system. All these steps are essential to a healthy garden.

Fertilizer is the food the plants will eat. Because we like to do our garden as much organic and the least chemical as possible, we chose manure as our fertilizer. When using manure, we make sure it's aged for at least a year. New manure will burn plants.

Tilling makes the soil soft and workable. It also mixes the manure with the soil. We till our garden spot at the beginning of each spring. Loose soil is important to allow water and air to reach the roots of the plants.

Because we live in a steppe climate where we barely get enough rain to not be a desert, and summer temperatures reach as high as 110 degrees Fahrenheit, an irrigation system is absolutely necessary. We have in years past, ran water down rows. Our soil is mostly sand and sand soaks up an enormous amount of water. By the time we got the water pressure high enough to shoot the water to the end of the row, it was so high that it literally dug up everything at the first of the row. We've tried using a sprinkler, but water from a sprinkler quickly evaporates. So with water conservation in mind, a sprinkler is not the best choice. Soaker hoses seem to be the best answer. They deliver water right to the roots where it does the most good. We use black funny pipe and insert emitters right where we are going to plant each plant. Then there is no wasted water. And an extra bonus, less weeds grow because they don't get watered.

How to Grow Green Beans

by Lilliann

Green Beans are fairly easy to grow. They need full sun, warm soil, and plenty of water. Pole beans grow long climbing runners that will need to be trained to climb in the desired direction. Bush beans grow in small bushes and require no staking. Pole beans produce continuously until frost. Bush beans produce for a couple of weeks. They tend to produce longer and more tender pods than the pole beans. Both varieties are tender and delicious if cared for properly.

• Plant the seeds directly in the ground as soon as the soil is warm. Don't plant them too early. If they get cold, they won't grow as well.
• Beans do not transplant well.
• Plant Bush beans in two week intervals for a continuous harvest.
• Plant seeds 1/2 in deep and 3 in apart.
• Keep ground moist until the seeds sprout.
• Once the plants are up, water deeply twice a week.
• Train pole beans to climb stakes.
• Feed plants once when they have begun to grow. Feed them again just before the plants start to produce pods.
• Harvest when pods are young and tender. Keep the pods picked regularly. For pole beans, regular harvesting is important. The plants will continue to produce if the young pods are picked. If pods ripen, or mature, the production of the plant will decrease.
• Water deeply after each picking.

Find a Great Summer Get-Away in Your Own Vegetable Garden

By Lilliann

Grow your retreat in your own back yard. Enjoy cool refreshing shade on a hot sunny day. Eat tender home-grown pods as a rewarding treat. Have beautiful greenery that every neighbor will comment on. A Green Bean Tent will give you all this and more.

The first step to starting your Green Bean Tent is to decide how large you want it, where you will put it in the garden, and what shape it will be. You will need to plan the tent first and then the rest of the garden as the beans will create more shade. Treat it as a large bush or small tree. It can be the back of the garden (along a fence or wall) or the center piece with everything else planted around it. How large to make the tent will depend on how much space you have and the availabilty of the poles. Be sure to not make the tent too tall or you won't be able to reach the beans when they need picking and you may not be able to find poles that are long enough. Choose which shape, rectangle or circle, would be best for your garden. Once you have the size, shape, and placement you are ready to start.

You will need

• Stakes or poles (at least 8 feet long)
  


• Pole Bean seeds
  


• Twine or strong string
  


• Garden hoe
  

For a rectangular tent mark two straight rows as far apart as you would like your tent to be wide (5-8 feet). Plant poles 6 in. apart in each row. Make sure each pole is straight across from a pole in the other row. Lean each pole toward its matching pole and tie them together with twine.

For a circular tent mark the center of the tent. Put a pole in the center. You will use this to tie the rest of the poles to. Tie a string to pole. Make the knot loose so the string will slip around the pole. Measure from the pole to half the width your tent will be. Mark this length on the string. Holding on to the string at the marked spot, walk around the pole keeping the string tight. As you walk, use your hoe to draw a circle on the ground. Plant your poles 6 in apart all around the circle. Leave an opening so you can enter and exit the tent once the vines have coverd it.

Plant three bean seeds around each pole. Train the vines to climb the poles. With proper care the bean vines will cover the poles creating a fantastic display of green and a shady get-away for you.

Spring is Here!

By Lilliann

The sun feels good. The air is sweet. The dirt out in the garden is calling me. "Come dig in me. Plant something. It's time to start your GARDEN!" Of course I don't want to dump alot of chemical fertilizers in that lovely soil. So I turn to ORGANIC gardening. Organic Gardening is simply nature's way of producing wholesome food without the harmful chemicals. Beginners will find this type of gardening very rewarding.

Is it a Flower Garden or Weed Garden?

By Lilliann

Spring time always makes me want to spring out into the garden and start planting. I gather up my gardening tools and head out. After I get the ground tilled and rows made, I start putting in the watering system. Here in the west, if you don't have a good watering system you may as well not plant anything. Then I go to the nursery and get carried away. All those beautiful flowers, promising seeds packets, and and yummy looking vegetable plants are just begging me to buy them. I always get home with five times too much for me to plant myself. That's why I always end up getting the neighbor girls to help me.(This year they're begging me to not plant. They know who'll end up taking care of it.) Any way, after we get all those seeds and plants in, I turn on the watering system and life is good. The seeds start to grow. The plants double in size, but what's this. Twice as many weeds as plants. No, three times as many, no, four. With so many weeds, my plants don't have a chance. Once again, out into the garden I go. With my trusty gardening gloves, I start the battle of the weeds. Ripping, yanking, pulling, piles of weeds mount up between every row. All summer this goes on, but alas, my garden is still submerged in those awful weeds. If I want to show off my lovely flowers, I can't remember just where they were suppose to be. And then I realize, they're dead. Joked to death by menacing weeds. I always think I'm going to get them all out before they go to seed so I'll have a better chance next year. I never do.
This year will be different. I'm taking a new strategy. I'm going to make sure all the weeds are dead before I plant anything. I am going to grow it and hoe it several times to be sure the weed seeds have all grown and destroyed. Then I'll plant using a good mulch to be sure any surviving weed seeds don't have a chance to grow. To learn more about gardening get your copy of The Real Gardener's Handbook. This book tells about the basics of gardening and is great for beginners or children.

Spring on the Cheap

Spring on the Cheap
By Hannah Keeley

Many of us are still grabbing jackets before we head outside, but there's no doubt about it-spring is here! Whether you live in a high rise apartment or a cottage in the country, these tips will help you and your kids make the most of this beautiful season.

Instead of expensive plants, try this-
There's no need to spend a ton of money at the nursery when you can just grab several packs of seeds for a few bucks. I remember when I was putting in my seed order from a catalog. I let each of my kids pick out a pack of seeds. My oldest daughter decided to try her hand at Curly-Q Cucumbers, seedless cucumbers that grow spirally. I didn't think they would be able to grow, but I had to keep my promise and I ordered them just the same. Believe it or not, that summer, we had more Curly-Q Cucumbers than we knew what to do with. You never know what will happen with seeds-they are full of so much potential (just like kids). Go ahead and turn it into a family project and pick out seeds for everyone.

Instead of pricey greenhouses, try this-
When you are planting seeds, there is no need to buy expensive grow lights or portable greenhouses. I love saving the clear plastic covered containers from bakeries. These are the perfect little containers to start your garden because they are clear to enable the light to come in, but they are covered to protect them from the cold. If you have a sunny window, then you will have plenty of light for seeds to sprout.

Instead of peat pots or sprouting pellets, try this-
They may look inexpensive, but buying lots of them really adds up. Try my little trick of using cardboard paper towel or toilet paper tubes. Simply cut them up to lengths that are around two inches and fill them with potting soil. Rest them upright in a tray and use these babies to sprout seeds. Because they are open at the bottom, you can just plant them, tube and all, directly into the ground. The roots will grow out of the bottom and the cardboard is biodegradable. Wow! Cheap and eco-friendly-you can't beat that!

Instead of an outdoor gardening plot, try this-
Okay, so not all of us have acres to grow our cutting flowers or organic veggies. If you have some spare containers, then that's all you need. But don't go purchase a bunch of pots at the nursery. You probably already have plenty around you. Perhaps you can put some drainage holes in an old wagon and grow some flowers or maybe you can find an old plastic bucket to grow some fresh tomatoes. Remember to rethink everything and get creative.

Instead of bottles of chemicals, try this-
No doubt about it, organic is the way to go! When you plant your little sprouts side by side, do some research on companion planting. When you plant certain herbs, flowers, and veggies side-by-side, they do their job at keeping away unwanted diseases and pests. Also, instead of buying weed killer, surround your plants with plenty of mulch (you can also use newspaper) so that weeds don't even get a chance to sprout. Save your money (and your health) and go organic this spring.

Remember, saving money is usually as easy as asking yourself this one simple question, "Can I use what I already have?" If you keep being creative, then you'll find those pennies adding up very quickly. Now for the real question-what are you going to do with all that extra zucchini?

Hannah Keeley is the founder of http://www.totalmom.com and the mother of seven kids. She is the author of "Hannah's Art of Home" and "Hannah Keeley's Total Mom Makeover," and has appeared on the Today show, Fox and Friends, and the Rachael Ray show.

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