Hydroponic refers to those plants that are grown in water or by predominantly using a water system.

This is usually found with vegetables and herbs including strawberries, peppers, tomatoes, cabbage, lettuce, and basil.

If you are interested in growing hydroponic plants and vegetables at home you can easily do so.

There are a number of books available that teach beginners how to build your own hydroponic garden, including the tools you need to create a garden. These books will also contain information on the specific varieties of plants that can be grown in water.

If you’re really “green” then you can find hydroponic garden kits that contain the water system, plant food, and seeds to begin growing right away.

During warmer months it is possible to find these kits with small plants already inside. Lettuce and cabbage are the two most popular plants found in these kits but some kits also contain tomatoes or herbs. These vegetables are often found to be the easiest plants for beginners to grow.

That said, it’s quite easy to set up your own hydroponic garden from scratch: you can get full instructions on starting your own hydroponic garden here.

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Many gardeners prefer the second option because it is less tiring. The second option is also called as vertical gardening whereas the first one could be called horizontal gardening.

There are many advantages of vertical gardening which are usually neglected by most of the gardeners. They give you more space compared with horizontal gardening.

If you are a creative gardener, then you can play a lot with your vertical garden in order to produce some eye catching effects. Vertical gardening is also ideal if you have small yard or a very limited space for your gardening.

There are many benefits of vertical gardening. Some of the most common benefits are:

• It is suitable for homes with small yards.
• It gives very pleasant effects and usually looks very cool
• You can hide any unappealing walls by growing plants like vine.
• Vertical gardening will allow you to work on the garden while standing which is better then getting on your knees which is quite tiring and uncomfortable.
• Vertical gardening also helps in getting rid of certain plant diseases because it keeps them above the ground and safe them from soil-borne diseases.

Handy tips for vertical gardening

• Analyze the location of your vertical garden. Make sure that you take into account the whether of your area before deciding a specific location for your vertical garden.
• Try to keep some tabs on your vertical plants so that they don’t grow in the direction you don’t want. You should also consider that when they grow, you will need a ladder to prune them, will you reach them easily. So calculate the location and area where you grow them.
• Try to keep the base of plants like vine mulched of about 4 inches. This is to make sure that the soil will retain sufficient amount of water for the plant and other nutrients as well.
• Plants like vines usually require frequent watering. Make sure that you water them frequently.
• You should also think about fastening up the plants as they grow. This will make sure that they don’t fall or slump off.

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Today the hobby has spread around the world, with a large number of individuals indulging in the practice.
It allows them to relax, de-stress from their day and focus their attention on just one basic thing instead of the many ideas or problems already in their head.

This form of gardening is significantly different from traditional forms of gardening:

One of the main differences is that it uses a type of tree instead of various plants and fauna. In Western cultures gardeners refer to these as bonsai trees.

Bonsai gardening also differs from typical gardening because it takes place predominantly inside. The trees can be grown indoors, with only minimal exposure to sunlight. Theses trees also require very little maintenance, which makes them perfect for people’s busy western lifestyles.

The goal of bonsai gardening is to trim a significant portion of the tree away as it begins to grow.

Many bonsai trees actually resemble dead or dying trees because they have very little greenery on their limbs. As the tree begins to grow, its limbs should be carefully trimmed to keep its minimal appearance.

Bonsai gardening requires intense concentration as these limbs are cut.

There is also a trend among gardeners to create different styles and shapes into their bonsai trees.

This is done by carefully sculpting the tree as it grows, and molded into a specific design.

It can take months for the tree to form this shape, and requires the gardener to focus a significant amount of time on creating this design.

You can find out more about bonsai gardening here.

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Watering your plants and studying different types of water supply equipment is also essential for successful gardening.

Quite often it happens that different types of plant in your garden will require more watering than others.

This means you need to keep track of those plants which require more watering, maybe being careful about the place you plant them and paying attention to the drainage in that area.

Pot plants often suffer from over- or under-watering - there’s the temptation to just keep topping up the water supply.

Follow the care instructions on your plants to make sure that your watering habits aren’t responsible for their early demise!

The time of day that you water is also important - watering in the height of the day when the sun is up can damage your plants, especially if some of the water falls on their leaves (this can leave “burn” marks on the affected leaves).

If you’ve got a large garden to take care of, it may pay you to consider some kind of system to keep on top of your watering requirements. You’re probably already familiar with lawn sprinklers but there are also similar systems available for the rest of your garden.

The water pumps or sprinklers are cost-effective, time-effective and consume less energy as well. If you have a very densely populated garden, with lots of plants close together, then you should try mini sprinklers.

There are varieties of sprinklers and water pumps available on the market - the precise one you choose will depend on both your garden and your budget. Different pumps are available from pond pump to magnetic drive pump but at the end of the day, it all depends on your garden and its requirements.

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Popcorn is not only a tasty treat, shared by many families while watching a movie on television, growing it can also be a fun gardening activity - one that you might want to get the whole family involved in, especially if you have young children.

To begin with, you will need popcorn seeds. Seeds can be purchased from most home gardening seed catalogues but it is also possible to use popcorn bought from your local supermarket. If you do decide to purchase your seeds from the supermarket, make sure they are plain popcorn kernels and not a microwave brand. You cannot grow microwave popcorn. Once you have your seeds, you will also need a glass jar, paper towels, soil and water.

Your next step will be to soak a few paper towels in water and then put them inside your glass jar. In the jar and on top of the wet paper towels, you will then place a few popcorn seeds. Next, place the jar in a spot where it will receive at least six hours of direct sunlight a day. The seeds must be kept relatively warm at all times.

Over the next few weeks, you should see the kernels start to sprout and grow. If, at any time, the paper towels get too dry just add a little water to moisten them. Once the kernels have started to sprout, you can move them into a pot with soil. The soil should also be kept moist at all times. Once the soil in the pot is thoroughly warmed, the popcorn sprouts will be ready for transfer to your garden. Before transferring the plant, however, be sure that threat of frost is completely gone. Wait at least ten to fourteen days after the last spring frost before transferring your plant to your garden. It takes approximately ninety days for a popcorn plant to mature entirely.

The popcorn should remain in the garden until the stalks are brown and dry. Once they are completely dry, remove the ear by twisting and snapping the husk from the stalk. Next, you must carefully remove the dried husk from each ear. Cure the kernels by spreading the ears out and placed in an area where they will have warm air circulating around them.

Once the kernels have been curing for about a month, you can pop out the kernels from the ears simply by twisting them until they drop out. Your homegrown popcorn is now ready for eating and you and your family are in for a real treat. Whether you put a special topping on your popcorn or sticking to the traditional butter and salt topping, you can be sure that this popcorn will be some of the best popcorn you’ve ever tasted!

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As with any plant, a gardener should start with the proper soil. African Violets do not like the cheap potting soil that almost every other household plant likes. African Violets are the soil snobs of the plant kingdom. They even have a specialized potting soil – this is what you should use when growing your own African Violet. It allows for extra soil drainage – crucial to the African Violet. 

They also require extra attention to the stem. This is where African Violet growers have to be mean. Small baby plants tend to grow on the stems, causing the stem to warp and deform. These small plants are called, “suckers” and need to be removed immediately to let the main plant grow strong and healthy. 

African Violets are picky about their sunlight too. They don’t like direct sunlight, nor do they like being kept in the dark for extended periods of time. They like indirect sunlight and will grow just fine on a shelf that receives a little morning sunlight. If you want to know if the light is too much or too little, just watch the plant. It will adjust its leaves to tell you if it’s getting too much sun. Watch it’s growth as well, it will not be symmetrical if its not receiving the proper amount of sunlight. 

The last thing to worry about is the water. Most African Violets grow best in the cheap four inch pots. Using these and a small pan or tray, you can get a good feel for how much water is right. Place the pot in the tray, water the plant liberally, and allow it to dry. After a short while, empty the tray and enjoy your healthy plant. One warning about watering – make sure that you do not water the leaves. It leaves them strongly susceptible to rot and mildew – and will quickly kill the plants. 

It seems like a great deal of hassle for a flower, doesn’t it? What kind of reward do you get for all of this nurturing? Well, for nine months, your African Violet will spread its flowers and brighten up the room with those brilliant pink and purple colors. 

Growing an African Violet is not for the faint-of-heart. If you aren’t serious about gardening, you should seek other heartier plants. But if you are the loving, nurturing, Mother Nature with a green thumb type, then try your thumb on the African Violet and enjoy cultivating the beauty it brings. 

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Gardening is a rewarding hobby. Flower growers can see the beauty of their labors all summer long. The vegetable growers also get a great reward. They can hear the fresh crunch of home-grown lettuce and taste the mouth-watering tomato that just came off the vine minutes before you tasted it. 

A gardener can grow his own salad, making it as simple or complicated as he would like. As with any salad the first thing he starts with is the lettuce. Any true vegetable aficionado will tell you that there is no such thing as lettuce. The leafy salad staple comes in a variety of tastes, shapes, sizes, and colors. Gardeners can grow iceberg lettuce (the normal kind you find in the grocery store), butterhead, romaine, or countless other lettuces. The produce section of the supermarket generally doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of the types of lettuces out there. It’s best just to check what grows in your area and plant whatever looks good. 

Next on the salad is the tomato – the ripe, red wedges add visual appeal as well as deep flavor. Tomatoes tend to be robust plants and can grow in a variety of climates. Its best to stake them to make sure that the tomatoes do not touch the ground. This can be anything from a simple wooden stake to an elaborate metal cage. Keep an eye on them, though. They’ll sprout up and ripen seemingly overnight. Pick them when they are plump and red, slice them into sections, and enjoy!

To add some extra color to the salad, not to mention some Vitamin A for good eyesight, shave some fresh carrots over the salad, or chop them into round pieces. The carrot is another hearty vegetable. Unlike the tomato, the carrot grows into the ground, thus it grows better in loose soil. When you are ready to make your fresh salad, simply go to the ground and pull out any carrot bigger than your finger. Slice it up and you are ready to eat! 

One of the last things to add to a fresh grown salad is a few cucumber slices. Cucumbers are fast-growing plants – most varieties are ready to pick in 2 months. When you are ready for your salad, go to the garden and pull one of these off the vine, clean it, slice it and eat it. 

A simple hobby is turned into a delicious salad – with its crisp greens, ripe tomatoes, crunchy carrots, and brisk cucumbers. And they eat their fresh home-grown salads, gardeners can definitely enjoy the fruits … er … vegetables of their labors.

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The container garden is not like it sounds – it is not a garden in a big plastic bubble. Rather, is a series of containers that are strewn together to make one fluid piece! The good news is that this opens up an entirely new world of gardening seeming to combine it with art.  New landscaping designs come to life as gardeners / artists form gorgeous vendors at train showers. 

New designs are possible since the gardener now can choose the pots in which he puts the plant. These can be decorated with our without a theme to tie them together. In the same way, the gardener can rearrange these pots as much as he would like. The pots are lightweight and easily moved. Also, since they are small, they can be brought inside and placed in various rooms. 

The container garden also works in favor of the plants. They can be moved anywhere in the house to accommodate the need to avoid sunlight, rain, and cats. The gardener can treat each plant as an individual and make sure that it is restored to health before anything else negative comes along. In the same way, plants that can’t normally be grown in the climate can have an opportunity to grow beside the other plants. 

Container gardens perhaps have the greatest need – and the greatest opportunity - when it comes to being potted. They can be decorated in countless ways. They can also be made of a number of different materials. There are clay pots – both glazed and unglazed, wood, metal and copper pots. Mixing and matching these can have a great effect of the aesthetic beauty of the plant and the garden itself. 

Container gardens also allow greater accuracy when it comes to watering. The level of water depends on each plant. However, the general rule of thumb is to feel the soil. If it is dry, then pour in water just until it starts to come out the bottom of the pot. This would probably be a good time to mention that purchasing a saucer to go under the pot would go a long way to keeping peace in the home. In seriousness, wait about a half-hour then dump the excess water. 

Regardless of whether you stick with a traditional garden or use the container garden, you should have the knowledge necessary to successfully grow plants. Work with the soil first, making sure it is the right consistency. Buy the right fertilizer and plant the seeds and you should be back in business again.

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I told him that I wanted whichever one of them grew flowers. He laughed – I’m sure he was laughing WITH me – and said they both grow flowers. I figured some education was in order, so I asked him what was the difference between an annual and perennial.

He said the difference was simple. Annuals only last for a year. You plant them in the spring, enjoy them in the summer, and by fall they’re becoming next year’s fertilizer. In some cases, they will reseed themselves so you’ll see a similar plant the following year, but it will not be the same plant.

Based on his description, I assumed perennials were the flowers that kept coming back year after year after year. They would live on forever. The man at the greenhouse said I was close. Perennials actually have a life cycle that extends past a single growing season and usually into three, four, or five years.

I still wasn’t sure what he meant. He said that perennials are like a haircut. It grows until it gets too long and then you cut it. The hair hasn’t died, it’s just become shorter. That’s the winter months for a perennial. It grows and then the flowering part dies until the next year where it grows out again – just like my hair. As I rubbed my temple, I recalled my receding hairline. My forehead wasn’t this high a year ago. That’s when it clicked about the perennials. They live for several years – like my hair – grower taller every year, and then they start to weaken and die – again, just like my hair. He said that I knew exactly what he was talking about now.

Thanks to the advertisement I had just received in the mail, I knew that hair could be replaced. It was the same for the perennials, he said. After a few years it was a good idea to replace them with more viable plants.

I thanked the man for the education he had given me. I now understood that an annual plant only lasts for a year. A perennial lasts for many years. He said it was a good idea to mix the two when it came time for my garden. Together we picked out a nice matching assortment of plants, paid for them, and walked out to my car. Now … where are my keys?

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As the world becomes increasingly more aware and concerned about environmental issues such as waste disposal and renewable resources, composting is not something that is just confined to suburban homes with woodsy backyards. In fact, some experts predict that within ten years, composting will become as common a source of recycling as recycling aluminum cans or glass bottles. One reason that this does not seem unfeasible is the sheer simplicity of composting as a part of daily household routine. Using kitchen and yard waste to create compost that can be used to create a healthier lawn or garden around your home is a practical way to reuse waste from your home and also save money at the same time.

 

Essentially, composting is a way of aiding the decomposition process of formerly living plants and organisms that will eventually become part of the soil and add nutrients to the other plants around them. There are some basic necessities for your compost pile or bin. Like any living organism, your compost pile needs ample space for air and it also thrives on water. Microbes that aid in the decomposition process also work quicker when the compost pile is hot, but any temperature above about fifty degrees Fahrenheit can sustain a compost pile.

 

There are two basic categories of compost. One is green, and the other brown. The best compost piles are a good balance of both green and brown. Green is things like grass clippings, fruit or vegetable leftovers, coffee grinds, and other kitchen waste. Brown compost is things like wood chips, sawdust, dry leaves, and things of that nature. Brown compost may need to be watered before being mixed in to the compost pile. Grass clippings, kitchen waste, not pernicious weeds, hay, wood chips, and other yard waste make great additions to any compost pile. There are things that you should not compost, like chemically treated wood products, weeds, or diseased plants, meat, bones, and human or pet waste. The best way to think of this process is as creating a healthy diet for the microbes that are creating this compost for you. If you meet their ideal conditions, you will get a great final product that will meet your gardening needs.

Click here to learn how to make the world’s best compost!

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