What if you live in a high-rise apartment? Does that does not mean you can’t have your own fresh herbs? Gardening herbs in containers is an easy way of creating a beautiful indoor landscape on a shining kitchen windowsill. It is a perfect place to grow some of your favourite herbs. Being creative with a window box or hanging basket can turn an otherwise unimpressive area into something that can in an wink be beautiful, useful and aromatic. In fact, growing herbs in containers is as easy as growing any other house plant. Each plant has it own set of requirements.

All plants need nutrition supplied through sun, soil and water.  There is no exclusion for herbs. The right combination of these elements is the key to growing every type of plant, including herbs, whether indoors or out.   A southern or western exposure will give the best quantity of sunlight.   Lavender has different sunlight requirements than basil or mint but every herb needs adequate sunlight for healthy growth .  Then there are “grow lamps” to supplement the need if natural light is inadequate.

As to the soil you use, it is primary that it drain well to prevent root rot.   This is easily achieved by mixing two parts of a peat rich potting soil with one part coarse sand or perlite for herbs with about an inch of gravel at the bottom of the pots to assure proper drainage.   A teaspoon of lime, per 5-inch pot, should be added to this mix make the soil sweet enough for herbs.

And now to the matter of watering your herbs – watering lightly 2 – 3 times a week should be sufficient.  Misting in between times will give them a nice somewhat humid condition.   A pot will hold water more than the soil in a garden, so it is necessary to be diligent to prevent the roots from get soaked or waterlogged. Never forget well draining soil!

The advantages of gardening herbs in a container are numerous, such as you can move them about as you please, it adds aroma to the room, herbs are a unique type of house plant, etc.   Annual herbs can stay indoors all year long but, perennial will do better if placed outside during the summer and brought indoors before the first frost.   This does not apply to mints, chives or tarragon as they will form firmer and fresher growth after being exposed to a light frost. The lovely flowers of chamomile or the aroma of rosemary provide more reason to grow them indoors.

Although all herbs can be grown in pots , some do better than others such as mint or oregano. Left alone in a garden, these two can take over a corner of any garden but are easily controlled in a pot while adding something different to your apartment.   As I said, gardening herbs in pots is easy and takes only some special knowledge while keeping your culinary herbs available anytime you need them.

Caring for your herbs will ensure a healthy plant. With these tips and your prudence, you will be able to continuously harvest your herbs which will keep them robust giving you more supply for your next recipe.  Pruning herbs just as with other plants encourages new growth.   Periodically feed them and yearly repot them to produce the healthiest herbs. And in the end use them in your recipes, harvest them and give them as gifts to your friends.

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Families are trying to save money any way they can, and gardening may be one of the best ways to do that!  You can grow healthy food right in your backyard.  Not only will you be able to walk outside for fresh vegetables or flowers, you will know exactly what has gone into the food your family is eating.  You can grow healthy organic food just steps from your kitchen window!

Start the gardening process by planning what kind of garden you would like.  Do you want herbs, flowers vegetables, or a mix of all three?  If you pick out flowers, do you want annuals that need to be planted every year, or perennials that have a shorter blooming period but will come back next year?  Also consider the region in which you live.  Some plants are more likely to thrive in certain areas of the country.  Often seed packets indicate which areas of the country produce the best results.  Your local gardening center will also be able to point you in the right direction.

Once you decide what you want to plant, you need to find the best spot in your yard.  Look for a place with easy access to water, appropriate drainage and direct sun.  Consider putting the garden in a spot that you look at every day, such as outside a kitchen or bathroom window.  It will not only be a lovely sight, but will help remind you when the garden needs water and weeding.

Now that you’ve chosen the spot, it is time to start digging.  It is important to find the right time for this job  – you can ruin the soil’s structure if you begin digging when it is too wet or too dry.  A good rule of thumb is to dig only when the soil is moist enough to create a dirt ball in your hand, but dry enough that the ball will fall apart when dropped.  Use a spade or spade fork to turn over eight to twelve inches of soil, and mix in organic matter as you work.  Continue to mix organic matter with the soil for approximately three weeks before planting your seeds.  This will improve your soil’s water storage and soil buffering.  Test your soil’s pH before you plant.  Some plants prefer more acidic soil, some prefer more alkaline, and some are happiest in neutral soil.  acquiring the right soil pH may mean the difference between a thriving garden and failing one.

While you are improving the soil in your garden, start shopping for plants.  Visit your local gardening centre, read magazines and brochures, or surf the Internet to find inspiration for what you would like to plant in your backyard.  There are plenty of annuals, perennials and vegetables that are great for beginning gardeners.  Cosmos, marigolds, impatiens, geraniums, sunflowers and zinnias are perfect first-time annuals.  Beginner’s perennials include lambs ear, lazy susans, coneflowers and daylilies.  If you are interested in vegetables, consider planting lettuce, peppers, tomatoes or cucumbers in your first garden.

If you purchased small plants instead of seeds, gradually introduce them to bright sunlight.  Many greenhouses and gardening stores keep their plants inside and away from direct sun.  Start by putting the plants on a covered porch, then move them to an area that gets sunlight for a portion of the day and finally plant them in the ground.

Water your plants only weekly, at first.  Use a soaker hose in the mornings for the best results.  Any more water and you will run the risk of drowning your plants.  Once they are well established, water according to the guidelines for each plant, as well as your area’s rainfall.

Don’t forget to keep your garden tools clean!  While this may seem counterintuitive since you use the tools in dirt, it is important.  Dirty gardening tools can attract microbes that will harm your plants.  Using clean gardening tools is one of the easiest ways to keep your plants free from disease and infestation.

If a backyard garden sounds too ambitious, consider container gardening or square foot gardening.  Container gardens are a great way to reuse old porcelain bowls, tires or other items you no longer need.  First, decide whether you would like to keep your plants inside or outside, then you can choose the containers you want.  When picking a container, there are a few considerations to keep in mind.  The height of the plant at maturity, whether it needs partial or full sun and the length of the bloom time are all factors that will help you decide which kind of container you will need.

Square foot gardening is another great option.  These are small, intensely planted gardens.  It is a form of organic gardening done in closely planted, raised beds.  Square foot gardening is a fine option for people who live in areas with bad soil, first-time gardeners or those with disabilities that prevent them from caring for a traditional garden.  Square foot gardens need less weeding, less water and fewer pesticides than conventional gardens.

Now you are ready to begin planting!  Gardening is a fun way to connect with nature and to give your family fresh vegetables, herbs and flowers to enjoy all summer long.

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Strawberries have been one of the most popular plants to grow of all time. If you are concerned about not having enough space or time, there is no need to fret – there are countless options for you to try!

The most important thing is to consider what type of seeds to use. One popular type is the everbearing strawberry plant, as these tend to yield a crop in both the spring and fall. If you are growing them indoors, which is very much possible thanks to all the unique growing methods available, you can sometimes even fool your plant into producing more. Strawberries only require two things to grow well, 6-8 hours of sunlight, and regular watering. When you remember a few strawberry growing tips the rest is pretty easy from there!

Many beginners will often start with an easy and popular method known as container gardening. The choices for different types of containers are many, and your only real limit is your imagination. Many people choose container gardening because it is much easier than learning how to build something from strawberry planter plans.

Another way to plant strawberries is in an upside down hanger. Youi can make your own by reusing plastic bottles from around the house, or you can also buy them in kits at any garden supply store. This unique method hangs and grows your plants literally upside down. You could also try planting your strawberry garden using the lasagna gardening method. This kind of gardening eliminates the need for tilling up the dirt or using chemical fertilizers, since it creates its own rich topsoil. This environmentally friendly method of gardening requires stacking boxes and compost on the ground. While it may be a newer method of gardening, it is a great way to get rich soil without worrying about pesticides or chemicals.

With so many great ideas, growing strawberries with your family is sure to be a fun time for everyone. When you give your plants the proper type of care, you just might be surprised what they can use for growing in.

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I remember back to when I was about 10. I remember the plants that my mom had around the house, well mostly in the living room but a few other rooms had plants in the windows. Maybe that’s where I got the urge to grow an indoor garden of my own.

Mom had a huge Boston Fern, I haven’t started one of those yet but I am going to once our outdoor gardening season comes to a close and I have more time to spend indoors. She also had a dozen or so African violets, so each room had one or two. She would just move them around to get the best lighting conditions.

I never saw her do anything else to them but I am sure she was paying close attention to them while we were out playing or at school.

Plants are just as popular as furniture when one is deciding on furniture and soft furnishings. Aside from the aesthetic value plants provide your home with, there are also health benefits – grade school science class tells us that plants cleanse the air through utilizing the carbon dioxide and producing more oxygen. Here is some important information on how to care for your indoor plants to gain the optimum health and aesthetic benefits.

Lighting

Most indoor plants need good lighting. You can provide this through natural lighting in the room of your choice or there must be electric lighting. Darker leaved plants usually don’t need as much light as others.

Here are the varieties of plants (usually those that only require medium to low light) that are known to be suitable for indoor gardening:

a. Philodendrons
b. Boston ferns
c. African violets
d. Cyclamens
e. Creeping Fig

Watering

A common mistake most people make in indoor gardening is they tend to over-water the plants, which may lead to rotting roots.  Make sure to research the type of plant you have, because each kind of plant varies on their watering needs.

Potting

Choose good quality and attractive container for your indoor plants. Make sure that the pot is clean before placing your new plant into it to prevent infection and to encourage healthy growth.

Humidity

In indoor gardening, humidity is a big issue.  The amount of moisture in the air has effect on the growth of the plants. During mornings, you could spray the plants with water for their much-needed moisture. Make sure the leaves don’t get covered in dust.

Fertilization

Just like watering, fertilizing depends on the type of plant.  If you have managed to supply your indoor garden with the right amount of light, water and humidity, fertilization may not need much attention. A good indoor fertilizer can be bought from most home depot or hardware stores. Orchids need the special fertilizer available.

Container Gardening For Those Will Little Space.

Before we had room for an in the ground garden we gave container gardening a try. When the conditions aren’t just right where they are.

Container gardening  really gave us the opportunity to grow flowers and vegetables without having yard space. Even though we now have a large property and lots of gardening space we still do the container gardening thing because we like it.

Container Gardening On The 11th Floor

When I lived in Toronto my home was on the 11th floor. Not much garden space but I made great use of the balcony and containers.

We even have containers with both vegetables and flowers growing around our little patio. It’s so cool to reach over and pluck a strawberry or tomato while I am playing my guitar outside.

This year we are going to have a few window boxes as well. I think they will make a great herb garden that I can access directly from the kitchen window. Now that will be very cool indeed.

Container Gardening Configuration

We don’t usually group our containers as we did when we didn’t have much room but I have seen some yards that have beautiful configurations of flowers in containers. I may give that a try this year and see how we can do with a themed container garden.

A container gardening tip that works for us is to just remove the plants that have finished blooming and swap them out for another plant that is just starting to bloom. Keeps your container garden looking fresh all the time.

I have to admit that I am no designer so I have to learn from what others do. I can look at an arrangement and like it but I find it hard to create it myself. One thing I have learned is that varying heights work but never put the tall plants around the short plants so that they don’t get sunlight. That doesn’t work well in the long run.

Choose plants with a long flowering season, or have others of a different type ready to replace them as they finish blooming.

Container Gardening Containers

Experiment with creative containers. You might have an old porcelain bowl or copper urn you can use, or perhaps you’d rather make something really modern with timber or tiles.  If you decide to buy your containers ready-made, terracotta pots look wonderful, but tend to absorb water. You don’t want your plants to dry out, so paint the interior of these pots with a special sealer available from hardware stores.

Cheaper plastic pots can also be painted on the outside with water-based paints for good effect.  When purchasing pots, don’t forget to buy matching saucers to catch the drips. This will save cement floors getting stained, or timber floors rotting. Always use a good quality potting mix in your containers. This will ensure the best performance possible from your plants.

If you have steps leading up to your front door, an attractive pot plant on each one will delight your visitors. Indoors, pots of plants or flowers help to create a cosy and welcoming atmosphere.

Decide ahead of time where you want your pots to be positioned, then buy plants that suit the situation. There is no point buying sun lovers for a shady position, for they will not do well. Some plants also have really large roots, so they are best kept for the open garden.

If you have plenty of space at your front door, a group of potted plants off to one side will be more visually appealing than two similar plants placed each side. Unless they are spectacular, they will look rather boring.

Group the pots in odd numbers rather than even, and vary the height and type. To tie the group together, add large rocks that are similar in appearance and just slightly different in size. Three or five pots of the same type and color, but in different sizes also looks affective.

With a creative mind and some determination, you will soon have a container garden that will be the envy of friends and strangers alike.

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