Late August and early September is the time of year where vacations are ending and kids are heading back to school. Just because outdoor activities are dwindling down doesn't mean you can't continue tending to your garden and home landscaping. Fall is the garden's most forgotten season. In most North American gardens, the fall is an underused season for gardening. By planting a fall garden, you take advantage of this beautiful season and can enjoy your garden a little longer. We spend so much time creating beauty from spring's first flowers throughout the summer we often forget to reap the rewards during the fall. Whether you want to plant vegetation or shrubbery and flowers, there are some wonderful plants and vegetation that put on their best show between August and October.
The fall is a great time to grow some cool season vegetables. Typically, vegetables that grow best in cool weather are leafy greens, root crops and various members of the cabbage family. Beets, carrots, peas, turnips, radishes, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts may be planted in early August for fall harvesting. Some of them will even tolerate light frosts. These are wonderful vegetables to grow this time of year, and taste so much better than store bought produce. Plant a fall garden and enjoy homegrown veggies into the cooler months of the year.
Fall is a satisfying time of the year for the perennial gardener. There are still a good 6 to 8 weeks of beautiful fall gardens ahead. Perennials that drooped and faded in the heat of summer may re-bloom, and the fall-blooming plants are in their full glory. Go for colors that complement the falling leaves. Try some of the many perennials (begonias or goldenrods), annuals (mums) and shrubs (Sumac or Fothergilla) that shine against the spectacular backdrop of the changing seasons. Choose bright gold or orange or even red perennials. These will typically bloom until the first frost of the season.
During the fall, it is time to begin thinking about winter and preparing your perennial beds accordingly. There are a number of cleanup and winter preparation chores that you should perform. As fall progresses you will want to start clearing leaves out of your gardening beds. If left to mat down thickly they may create conditions that cause root rot. You can use the shredded leaves to mulch your garden. Also, early October is a good time to prune back herbaceous plants that will be killed to the ground with the first frost.
Take advantage of the cool months after summer to beautify your garden or landscaping for fall and prepare it for a cold winter. The more tending you are to your gardening year-round the more effortless it looks with each passing season.
About the Author
Lifestyle Builders is a leading home builder and developer of new homes in Midlothian, Virginia. Our homes are built in such neighborhoods and communities throughout the Richmond Virginia area.
Showing posts with label square foot gardening. Show all posts
Showing posts with label square foot gardening. Show all posts
Using Herbs From a Home garden
The herb garden you've carefully tended has yielded great results, and now the plants are thriving. The question is how do you harvest and utilize the herbs you've grown? Here are some ideas on how to get the best use from your plentiful home herb garden.
First, hearty plants need to be harvested. How do you know when herbs are ready? Depending on the herb, a good general rule is to harvest plants just before they start to flower. In the case of lemon balm or mint, for example, you can trim the plants pretty close to the roots, since they will come back quickly over time.
However, other herbs, like hawthorn and comfrey are harvested for both flowers and leaves, dried, and then used for tea. You can find information online to help sort out the different qualities of each herb and how to use what you have grown.
General rules do apply, though. The best time of day to harvest outdoor plants is in the morning, when the dew has just dried from the leaves, before the sun has a chance to dry out the herb's essential oils. It is important to know the characteristics of a particular herb to determine how much of the foliage to leave behind. You shouldn't take more than approximately one-third of the entire foliage of perennials at once.
This pruning method makes the plants heartier, and ensures they will continue to produce a steady amount over time. You want to prune the herb's branches enough to encourage new growth without damaging the plant's ability to thrive.
In the summer, pick a calm, dry morning when the wind is low. You want to harvest plants from a home herb garden at their peak, and in wet weather, herbs produce less oil. Most annual and perennial herbs can be harvested two or three times in a single season.
The final harvest should take place in the early fall to allow some growth before the first frost of winter. Fresh-cut stems can be bundled together near the bottom - thin string or dental floss are good choices for tying them together. They should be rinsed in cool water, and then gathered on towels to dry.
Herbs are primarily dried, frozen, or immersed in a proper medium like vinegar or salt to help them last. Herbs become less potent over time, so it is important to process and store them quickly. You can either hang the bundles in a cool place away from the sun or spread individual stems and leaves on a rack or screen, turning them occasionally so they dry evenly and completely.
If you choose to freeze herbs, cut into ¼-inch pieces on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. You can then store them in freezer bags for future use. Alternatively, you can store herbs like tarragon, basil, or chopped mint for several months in a vinegar medium or in between layers of salt.
You can, of course, use herbs immediately in recipes or as fresh additives to your cooking. Placing them in a cool water bath with two tablespoons of salt is effective in clearing off insects without harming the delicate leaves and flowers. Allow them to air dry and use immediately.
A home herb garden yields fresh herbs that add flavor and zest to your best dishes. If you learn the particulars of harvesting and using individual herbs, you will enjoy a unique gardening experience that offers years of satisfaction.
About the Author
Paul Zeman is an Herb Garden enthusiast who enjoys helping other folks get started with this wonderful and rewarding hobby. His latest book, the "Secrets to Successful Herb Gardening" teaches herb gardeners everything they need to know about herbs, indoor and outdoor gardens, herb gardening and much more. http://www.heavenlyherbgarden.com/hhgs.html
First, hearty plants need to be harvested. How do you know when herbs are ready? Depending on the herb, a good general rule is to harvest plants just before they start to flower. In the case of lemon balm or mint, for example, you can trim the plants pretty close to the roots, since they will come back quickly over time.
However, other herbs, like hawthorn and comfrey are harvested for both flowers and leaves, dried, and then used for tea. You can find information online to help sort out the different qualities of each herb and how to use what you have grown.
General rules do apply, though. The best time of day to harvest outdoor plants is in the morning, when the dew has just dried from the leaves, before the sun has a chance to dry out the herb's essential oils. It is important to know the characteristics of a particular herb to determine how much of the foliage to leave behind. You shouldn't take more than approximately one-third of the entire foliage of perennials at once.
This pruning method makes the plants heartier, and ensures they will continue to produce a steady amount over time. You want to prune the herb's branches enough to encourage new growth without damaging the plant's ability to thrive.
In the summer, pick a calm, dry morning when the wind is low. You want to harvest plants from a home herb garden at their peak, and in wet weather, herbs produce less oil. Most annual and perennial herbs can be harvested two or three times in a single season.
The final harvest should take place in the early fall to allow some growth before the first frost of winter. Fresh-cut stems can be bundled together near the bottom - thin string or dental floss are good choices for tying them together. They should be rinsed in cool water, and then gathered on towels to dry.
Herbs are primarily dried, frozen, or immersed in a proper medium like vinegar or salt to help them last. Herbs become less potent over time, so it is important to process and store them quickly. You can either hang the bundles in a cool place away from the sun or spread individual stems and leaves on a rack or screen, turning them occasionally so they dry evenly and completely.
If you choose to freeze herbs, cut into ¼-inch pieces on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. You can then store them in freezer bags for future use. Alternatively, you can store herbs like tarragon, basil, or chopped mint for several months in a vinegar medium or in between layers of salt.
You can, of course, use herbs immediately in recipes or as fresh additives to your cooking. Placing them in a cool water bath with two tablespoons of salt is effective in clearing off insects without harming the delicate leaves and flowers. Allow them to air dry and use immediately.
A home herb garden yields fresh herbs that add flavor and zest to your best dishes. If you learn the particulars of harvesting and using individual herbs, you will enjoy a unique gardening experience that offers years of satisfaction.
About the Author
Paul Zeman is an Herb Garden enthusiast who enjoys helping other folks get started with this wonderful and rewarding hobby. His latest book, the "Secrets to Successful Herb Gardening" teaches herb gardeners everything they need to know about herbs, indoor and outdoor gardens, herb gardening and much more. http://www.heavenlyherbgarden.com/hhgs.html
Why You Need Carbon Monoxide Detectors in Your Home
Carbon monoxide detectors should be made mandetory by law. Protect yourself and protect your family now, before it's too late!Let's start this discussion with some horror stories about the reality, before we begin to talk about Carbon Monoxide Detectors themselves.Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a silent killer.It is a colourless, tasteless, odourless, toxic gas that occurs when fossil fuels burn incompletely. It is most commonly found emitting from the exhaust pipes of motor vehicles, but it also occurs in the house, courtesy of gasoline burners, engines, lanterns, gas hobs and heating systems. The CO that is created when vehicle fuels are burned is dissipated into the air and as a result is of no harm to humans. The story in the house can be very different though. If CO is allowed to build up in confined spaces without ventilation, things could get very dangerous.The symptoms of CO poisoning can mimic other illnesses such as flu, so you may be unaware that you are being poisoned. Some of these symptomsare headaches, nausea, dizziness, vomiting and chest pains. If you inhale enough CO, then you could lose consciousness and die. The CO is replacing the oxygen in your body, and without oxygen, your body cannot function.One visible clue to the presence of carbon monoxide is if a flame is burning with a violet colour. Perhaps your water heater is old or has not been serviced, or you have a problem with other appliances. Either way, the presence of excess CO can spell great danger for you and your family.So, a carbon monoxide detector is certainly a good idea in every home. They are cheap to buy, and easy to install, so their is really no excuse for not having one. They are usually battery operated and emit loud alarms if high levels of CO are detected in the atmosphere.If you or any of your family members repeatedly show any of the symptoms of CO poisoning mentioned in the article above, do not think twice.Protect your family, and buy a carbon monoxide detector. Don't let saving a few pounds cost you the lives of you and your family. Get a carbon monoxide alarm today.Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.comABOUT THE AUTHORCharlie Cory is an online entrepreneur who has been building websites and earning a living from the Internet for a number of years.
