Growing a Greener World

The following post is from a guest writer to my blog named Joe Lamp'l. Thanks Joe for the great advice!

Summer is officially here and with temperatures on the rise, now is the perfect time to be outdoors! A 2012 study conducted by NASA revealed temperatures all across the United States have been hitting all-time record highs and rising! The Month of July is typically the hottest month of the year, and with the average household using about 60% of their daily water use on gardens and lawns; Now is the perfect time to learn about water conservation and what we can do to protect our landscapes while saving millions of gallons of water this summer

The EPA estimates that about 7.8 billion gallons of water – or anywhere from 30 to 70 percent depending on the region – are used outdoors in the U.S. each year. And as much as half of that is wasted due to inefficient watering methods. Today’s homeowners should know the methods that allow them to efficiently utilize their natural resources, which as a result saves them money on their utility bills and minimizes their time spent on upkeep.

Learning how to properly maintain and keep lawns and landscapes healthy, green and thriving is not easy as temperature rises in summer, especially for the water conscious landscaper.  Certified Landscape Professional and Master Gardener Joe Lamp’l of ‘Growing A Greener World’ shares his expert advice to help bring out the green in everyone’s yards. Joe Lamp’l offers consumers water conservation tips and techniques to help build consumers’ master garden or landscaping plans, such as:

 

•          Simple tips on how to keep yard and garden weed free


•          Ways to keep your lawn and garden healthy while minimizing outdoor water consumption and maintaining sustainability.


•         Which plants help achieve optimal water efficiency


•         Easy methods to properly water our yards


•          Tips you can share that will benefit everyone when they start to tackle their lawn and landscape

 

 

ABOUT Joe Lamp’l:  

As a Certified Landscape Professional and Master Gardener, Joe Lamp’l combines his television experience and expertise of landscaping, environmental stewardship and passion for living a more eco-friendly life, as creator, host and executive producer of the award-winning national public television series Growing a Greener World®. The show, which is entering its fourth season, focuses on the stories of people, places and organizations that are doing good things for the planet, with an emphasis on landscaping topics. He also serves as a landscaping and sustainability guest expert on national morning shows like NBC’s TODAY Show, ABC’s Good Morning America and The Weather Channel, among others.

 

 

5 Tips ALL Gardeners Need To Know

Here are 5 small tips that anyone just starting to get into gardening should know, for some of us it is a good reminder.

1. Know your zone and average last frost date. Planting varieties and plants for your zone will ensure a better harvest. But it also helps you to know when you can plant all the different plants in your garden.


2. Plant veggies in a location that gets 8 hours of sunlight. Some can tolerate some shade, but for most of them to have enough energy to produce the fruit or veggie, at least 8 hours of sunlight is essential (more is good).


3. Tomatoes are fair weather plants. Tomatoes need a fairly long growing season, but if it gets too hot during the summer (85 degrees or more), they will stop producing. They also do not like the weather to be too cold. Boy do they grow well when the weather is good! Pretty much when I don’t like to be outside- neither do they…


4. There are many flowers and herbs that are beneficial to plant next to plants in your garden such as: marigolds and tomatoes, chives and carrots, mint and cabbage family plants. This is called companion planting. They not only keep some of the bad bugs away when planted together, but some help to make the veggies taste even better.


5. Do not add manure that hasn't aged properly! It contains too much nitrogen at that point and will burn your plants. Adding nice compost and manure to your garden every year will greatly improve the soil in your garden. Your plants will thank you.

It’s that time of year...  Happy Gardening!

5 Things You Should Be Doing in the Garden Now

What should you be doing in your garden right now? There are many things you could be doing in your garden right now and really it depends on what your particular garden needs but here are a few ideas for you.

1. Adding organic matter. I add organic matter AT LEAST twice a year. One is in the fall we grind up our leaves with the lawn mower and spread them all around the grow boxes after they are all cleaned out for the winter. Then we also add a nice thick layer of mulch around
   
   

How to Keep Your Seedlings Growing Strong

Growing your own vegetables, and even your own flowers from seeds is very fun, and also can save you money. However growing them from seed might seem a little tricky at times. One of the keys to getting healthy starts is keep them growing fast. There are a few simple tricks you can use to keep them healthy and growing fast.

1.  After all of the seedlings have their true leaves, with a very light fertilizer, feed the seedlings.


2.  Thin them out with a pair of scissors or something that will not disturb the roots. However if you are growing onions, they will grow back if thin them out with scissors so they have to be very carefully pulled out. Thinning out will make it so they are not competing for light and nutrients.


3.  Lightly brush the plants with your hands everyday or as often as you think about it. This will help them build up stronger stems. It is what the wind dose for them out in the real world. You can even keep a fan on in that room to help the plants get good air circulation and it helps so that no fungus or mold grows on the soil.


4. If you seedlings are spindly and look as though they are stretching to reach the light, they are not getting enough light. This can happen if you are using a window seal to grow them, or if the fluorescent lights are not close enough to the plants. I keep them just a few inches and move them up as the plants grow.


5. Water the plants from the bottom. This encourages the plants to extend their roots downward and gives them a better foundation.


6. Transplant the seedlings when they start rubbing leaves with the next door neighbor plants. Root bound plants if left long enough, can cause the plant to be stunted it's whole life.

Happy Gardening!

 

How to Easily Start Vegetable Seeds Indoors

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Watch this video to learn how easy it is to start your own seeds inside!

Happy Gardening!

Check out our video about making your own light garden.

How to Plan Your Garden

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Here are some of the great new features we have in our garden planner this year! Hope you are as excited as we are!

Happy Gardening!

How to Grow Garlic

Garlic is such a great thing to add to your garden because it is so easy to grow, and you should never have to buy garlic again! The one thing you should realize is: Garlic should be planted in the fall. I have talked to many people who have made the mistake of planting garlic in the spring with the rest of their garden, and not getting a harvest of garlic. If you have made this mistake, just leave it in the ground until next year, or even the fall. the bulbs will be small, but you can harvest them and then pull the biggest cloves off and replant them in the fall for a good harvest next year. For those just starting out growing garlic, here are a few simple steps:

1. Choose- chose what variety you like and want to grow in your garden. You can order them from companies that grow lots of garlic, or you can pick some up from a local gardening center. You would be amazed at the amount of varieties you have to choose from.


2. Plant- pull of the separate sections of the bulb

Top 5 Vegetables That Grow Well In Shade

Having enough space in your yard to grow every thing can be a big problem for a gardener. Especially because most of those vegetables and fruit like to have full sun! I have good news for you. There are some vegetables that do well in part shade. Of course they will need some sun during the day say about 3 hours to get what they need from the sun. Planting some in the shadier areas of your yard will save those sunny spots to grow the sun lovers like tomatoes, peppers, and squash plants.

The trick to knowing if your plant will do OK with less sunlight is this: If the vegetable is grown to eat the leafy part, or possibly the roots, they do well without as much sun. If the vegetable is grown to eat a fruit that is produced by the plant, it needs lots of sunlight. Growing these vegetables in part shade might also help to keep the soil from drying out so quickly.

3 Important Things to Consider When Choosing a Location for Your Vegetable Garden

1. Sunlight- How much sunlight will your plants need. Most likely if you are growing vegetables they will need AT LEAST 8 hours of sunlight a day during the growing season. If you have a shady yard, this can be addressed by building a grow box with a bottom and on wheels that you can move throughout the year to get enough sun light. Or you could consider growing your vegetables interspersed in the landscaping of your yard.


2. Proximity- Having a location that is close to the kitchen door is ideal,

The 3 Best Vegetables for Your Home Garden

How do you choose what to plant in your garden? Well that all depends on what you like and what your family will eat. Here are 3 vegetables that most people like to grow in their home gardens, and one of the reasons why is they taste so much better when home grown and they are also easy to grow and get a bountiful harvest. So if you can only grow 3 vegetables in your garden this year- try these 3.

5 Reasons to Grow a Vegetable Garden

There really is no possible way to put a number to the benefits of growing a vegetable garden, but if you are thinking of putting one in, here are 5 reasons that you absolutely have to.

1. It gets you moving. You have to do some lifting, and moving around to put in and maintain a garden although it can be as much or as little work as you want, the work is great to keep your body moving.


2. Relieves daily stress. Our modern world has countless benefits, however those pay it's toll and we live in a very stressful world. Being part of a growing process brings you back a little bit and can help aliveiate that stress in your life.


3. Produces yummy fruit and vegetables to eat. Tomatoes, peas and corn- oh my!

What is Your Favorite Vegetable to Grow?

We all have our favorites in the garden.  Please take a second to let us know what your favorite vegetable to grow in the garden is.

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The Tomato

One of my favorite vegetables to grow is the Tomato. They are easy to grow, and the rewards are almost endless. Here is just a little bit of information about tomatoes. For the how to's of growing them, check out our website: www.thegardenerspot.com

The tomato is botanically a fruit, but is considered a vegetable for culinary purposes.  Tomatoes are native to South America, but it is not known when it was first domesticated.  It was brought over to Europe during the colonization of the Americas and was first used in Spain and spread from there.  In Italy it was initially used as a table decoration before being used in food.  It was so easily grown in the Mediterranean climate that it was quickly adapted into their cuisines.  

It took much longer for the British and their American colonies to accept it as food.  They initially thought of it as poisonous.   Although it is a perennial plant in warm climates, it is grown as an annual in the cooler climates.

It is now one of the most commonly grown vegetables in home gardeners.  The reasons for this are obvious, the taste is so amazing when picked right off the vine, they are fairly easy to grow, and they are heavy producers.  The tomato is a good choice to include in your garden.