The Organic Gardening Beginner's Guide

Typically, beginners to organic gardening are excited by the whole concept of organic, but don't know where to start. I remember when I first contracted organic fever. I was so excited and I was reading everything I could find. Some articles were very entertaining but gave little practical information. Other content seemed to focus on a particular product as being the miraculous answer to all gardening problems. On one occasion I was reading an extremely compelling article about liquid organic fertilizer.

It was very compelling and I was ready to buy it. Problem was, I hadn't even planted anything yet! What I needed was a beginners guide to organic gardening. Years later and I have never found one yet that was free, so I decided to write it myself. I always recommend to anyone who is just discovering organic gardening to start on a small scale. Container gardening, for example, is a perfect place to start. You can move your container easily to protect it from the elements, even indoors.

Let's keep it simple and think of the the 3 R's: Research, Read, Repeat Different types of plants have different growing requirements, so it is imperative to know in advance of planting, what conditions are required by your plants to thrive. This is the most basic principle but often the most overlooked. You cannot rely on store personnel to know basic facts about the plants their store sells. They are cashiers, not horticulturalists. By following the 3 R's you will avoid a lot of potential plant problems, plus, you'll save yourself time, money, and aggravation. It's much easier to learn about how to grow fat nutritious tomatoes after you have learned what soil requirements tomatoes need, than to repurchase and replant seedlings because you skipped this important step.

Follow The Rules You can't be successful if you cheat or take shortcuts. You might be tempted to think you can add a miracle grow chemical to make your plants grow faster or taller. Read that sentence again. Do you see that word "chemical"? The use of chemicals is the opposite of organic. I want to assist you in growing gorgeous plants and healthful veggies. I do not promote or support the use of synthetic chemicals. When chemicals are added to the soil to induce artificial growth or color, they destroy the very micro-organisms needed to grow! The very essence of Organics is natural. (Besides, if you think you can ingest chemicals without any adverse effects, you've been woefully misled!)

You Can't Create Life. When you get right to the heart of the matter, you can't create a tomato. All you can do is plant a tiny seed and give it what it needs to grow. In my ignorance I used to repeat that tired old cliche, "Life begins in the soil." Well, that's only half true. While the seed contains the energy to germinate after planting, it's the life in the soil that enables it to flourish. Micro-organisms such as fungi, bacteria, protozoa and nematodes convert organic fertilizer into energy for your plants to grow. This is also know as soil fertility.

Are you ready to pursue organic gardening? Then I suggest you start by doing some housecleaning to get into the proper frame of mind. Yes, I said house cleaning. .I suggest finding a good bio-degradable bag and, starting under your sink bag up all the chemicals to kill bugs, weeds and fertilize. Then progressing to your basement, garage, or utility shed, collect them all and get rid of them! Okay, so you have a bag of toxic substances in hand, and you're walking out to your garbage can... Suddenly you realize that there might possibly be a safety issue concerning the disposal of this stuff. The light bulb goes on. Now it starts to become clear. If you have to consider how to safely dispose of a product, why would you want it in your home or garden? And for God's sake why would you want to eat them?

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About Backyard Pool Slip-and-Fall Injuries

Preventing Slip-and-Fall Injuries Around Backyard Pools

Many property owners consider in-ground pools to be a source of entertainment and relaxation. Although pools can provide a fun and enjoyable escape from the summer heat, it is important to make sure that the areas surrounding backyard pools are free of hazards that can cause slip-and-fall injuries.

If a person suffers serious injury in a slip-and-fall accident on your property, you may be held liable for the individual's medical bills, pain, and suffering. In many cases, such injuries may require immediate medical attention, hospitalization, and rehabilitation for injuries suffered. While some accidents that occur around pools and recreation areas may be of a very minor variety, others may be very serious.

Preventing Slip-and-Fall Injuries

Common methods for preventing backyard pool injuries include:

Ensuring walkways and pedestrian areas are free from obstacles and tripping-hazards
Making sure that pool-side walkways have adequate traction and non-slip surface covering
Place handrails in dangerous areas
Consider the installation of fencing and other protective barriers to prevent accidental falls into the pool
Place warning signs reminding pedestrians of potential hazards
Do not allow people to run or play on slippery surfaces

By providing a safe and hazard-free area surrounding your backyard pool, you be able to prevent serious injuries to your family and friends. It is important to consider that guests and visitors to your home may not be familiar with the layout of your backyard or may not be aware of potential dangers when first visiting. Although you may be aware of hazardous areas and spots that need maintenance, visitors are often unaware that such areas exist.

By regularly inspecting your property for hazards and quickly addressing issues, you may be able to help prevent injuries to others on your property. If a person suffers injury due to the negligent or reckless actions of a property owner, the injured individual may be eligible for financial compensation.

Property owners should be aware of hazards on their property and should be sure to warn visitors of any dangers that may be present. When it comes to backyard pools and other recreation areas, owners should be especially aware of the safety of their family and friends.

If you have been injured in a slip-and-fall accident on someone else's property, visit the website of the Atlanta property liability attorneys of Webb, Lindsey, Wade, Taylor & Thompson, LLC today.

The Best Hydroponic Vegetable Gardening Indoors

Nutrient Solution

Have you ever wished you could produce home grown vegetables, fruits and flowers year round? Well you can, by using hydroponic vegetable gardening indoors techniques.

The secret to successful hydroponic vegetable gardening indoors is in finding the right well-balanced nutrient solution. It is imperative that the solution that you use to circulate around the roots of your plants is of the correct composition in order to produce healthy plants. Generally the beginning hydroponic gardener should use a commercially prepared nutrient solution rather than trying to mix their own. The key to successful hydroponic vegetable gardening indoors is the pH level of the plant as the primary determinant for the type of solution needed.

Also, to produce optimum absorption of the solution, it is necessary to make sure proper air circulation is occurring at the roots of the plant. This is usually accomplished with the use of an air pump, hose and air stone.

The basic elements making up hydroponic nutrient solution are; potassium phosphate, potassium nitrate, calcium nitrate and magnesium sulfate. These must be fully dissolved in the mixture before flowing through the vegetable plants' root systems.

Other elements such as boric acid, zinc sulfate, manganese chloride, copper sulfate and iron sulfate are often used in the nutrient solution also. The nutrient solution can be used for a maximum of 14 days when plants are small. Once plants have matured the nutrient solution should be replaced every 7 days.

Hydroponic Vegetable Gardening Indoors - Location, Temperature and Humidity

With hydroponic vegetable gardening indoors you can locate your plants in any high traffic area of your home, a wide hall way or much used family room is ideal. High traffic will ensure plenty of carbon dioxide in the air to nourish the plants.

Hydroponic plants may be grown in a greenhouse. The correct mixture of carbon dioxide in the air is necessary in order for these plants to flourish. This can be done a number of ways that includes:

burning hydrocarbon fuels

decomposition of organic matter

compressed bottled carbon dioxide

Maintaining a proper temperature in the environment is important for the plants to thrive. An average temperature of 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit, the normal temperature range within the home should be appropriate for the plants.

In addition, normal household humidity levels should promote healthy plants. Too high or too low humidity would not be healthy for the plants.

Hydroponic Vegetable Gardening Indoors - Lighting

Grow lights are normally used with a timer for hydroponic vegetable gardening indoors. The proper amount of light will create an environment the plants can thrive in. Experimentation may be necessary, but it is good to start out with the grow light being set on 8 hours daily to start.

The Best How to Choose the Right Gardening Tools

No matter what size your garden is, there's no doubt that gardening tools can help make the job of maintaining your garden a lot easier. However there are so many tools available that it can be difficult to know which ones you really need, particularly if you're new to gardening. It's tempting to avoid the confusion by just buying everything, but that just means you'll end up with no money and a storage area full of tools you don't use.

So which tools are worth buying? Gardening involves moving dirt around, so a digging tool is always a good choice. If you're mainly working in pots or containers, then a sturdy trowel is a fabulous investment. A shovel is better if you're going to be moving large amounts of soil around, or to assist you with planting trees, vegetables and flowers. It might be tempting to save yourself some effort by choosing a power tiller or plough, but unless you have a very large garden, they're probably involve more expense and trouble than they're worth.

Another worthwhile tool to buy is a rake or hoe. Again, if you're going to mainly be working in smaller areas, a pot-sized equivalent is a good idea. These tools can be used to smooth soil and remove weeds. This sort of work can be done by hand, but it's easier with the right tool, particularly in a large garden.

Although they're not technically a tool, good gardening gloves are also useful. It may be worth having a couple of pairs - some heavy duty ones for rough work, some thinner ones when you need to feel what you're doing.

Once your garden is established, then at least one pruning tool is a necessity. Depending on the size of your plants, choose anything from pruners or secateurs through to large tree loppers. It's worth spending a little extra to buy a solid, reliable pruning tool, otherwise it may be ruined the first time you try to cut anything with them.

A few more tools that you can probably survive without, but will make life easier depending on the size of your garden, include:

- Wheelbarrow
- Garden fork
- Watering can
- Hose & hose reel
- Rake

Again, it's easy to find cheap tools, but if you're serious about using your tools for a long period of time, think of buying good quality tools as an investment. Cheap tools don't usually work as well, and tend to be less sturdy and easier to break. Happy gardening!

Amazing A Patio Could Transform Your Garden

If you're fortunate enough to have a garden then it makes sense to try and make good use of it. Unfortunately, many of us take this outdoor space for granted. Instead of taking advantage of it, we may spend too little time on ensuring that it really adds to our lives.

This is real shame, especially when so many people in the world are not in such a fortunate position. So what's holding you back from making more use of your garden? It may be that you don't like the thought of weeding and other mundane tasks. As a result, your garden may not be as neat and tidy as it should be.

If this sounds familiar then you might like to think about whether you could improve the situation. Could you make some basic changes in order to ensure that your garden is in a better state? One option that you may not have considered is the installation of a patio.

This has a number of advantages. It's clear that a patio can be used to reduce the amount of lawn that you have in your garden. Such a change could be useful if you want to reduce the amount of maintenance that's required.

But it's certainly not the only reason for thinking about a patio. Having a solid surface will have a real benefit if you like to eat outdoors. You could easily position an outdoor table on the patio, meaning that you could enjoy meals outdoors. You'll even be able to invite friends over to share those meals with you.

That may sound particularly tempting. You'll no longer need to feel concerned about the state of your garden space. Instead, you'll feel like spending time there. This is what a real transformation is all about.

No matter what you decide, there can be no doubt that you'll feel happier once your garden gets more use.

The Best Organic Gardening - Planting Your Rose Garden

To have a successful rose garden there is a little planning that needs to be done first. Like with any other garden it all starts with the location and soil. The location of your rose garden needs to be in an area of full sun, at least 6 hours of sunlight is required to have a successful, thriving garden. The soil needs to be one that has plenty of organic matter mixed in and one that drains well.

Once you have the location that you want to start your garden, prepare it by mixing in plenty of compost and peat moss. It will improve the soil structure of your garden, allow the soil to retain moisture, drain well and add the nutrients needed for your roses to thrive.

A good healthy soil mix for these plants is to take the soil from the holes you dig for the plants and make a mix of one part peat moss, one part compost and one part existing soil. This will make a soil structure that your roses will thrive in.

The hole you dig for your plants should be about a 2 foot wide, 2 foot deep hole, allowing for the plants to be usually 2 feet apart depending on the variety, separation can vary. Once you have your holes dug and your soil mixed you are ready to start planting. First add some water into the bottom of the holes you have dug. Then you want to add a layer of your soil mix to the bottom of the hole, roses should be planted having 8 to 10 inches of cover, adjust the amount of soil you place in the bottom of the hole to allow for the proper cover.

Next remove the plant from it's container, if it is in a pot you can gently roll the pot on it's side while squeezing it to loosen it and remove easily. Once the plant is out of it's container, gently loosen the roots system and place it in the prepared hole and backfill with your soil mix to a height that the root-ball is covered. Firm the soil by pressing the loose soil with your hands and give your new plants a good deep watering. This watering will settle the soil around the roots and remove any air pockets.

Now you are on your way to growing for own personal rose garden to enjoy for many years to come.

Best of Firewood Racks as Backyard Storage Units

The backyard part of the home is not only a place reserved for partying and relaxing. The nooks and corners of this part of the lot can also be designated for storage. One of the many staple things in the backyard is the tool shed. In here, a variety of cleaning and hardware tools are stored by the homeowners. The tool shed, however, isn't usually a big structure. Homeowners who have plenty of firewood supplies in their backyard should, therefore, own some firewood racks.

Not all backyards are very wide spaces. Hence, the sheds in here are only adequate enough to house only the important tools and machinery that the homeowners possess. The firewood supply for the home is often placed out in the open.

Firewood is the source of fuel for the fireplaces. During cold days and nights, lots of homeowners rely upon the heat coming from the fireplaces. In order for the fireplace to produce the robust fire the homeowners need to warm up their homes, the firewood that should be used must be of good quality. It should be dry and has been seasoned-well in the outdoors.

Without the firewood or log racks, the supply of firewood that the homeowners have will be left lying on the dirt. The bottom pile will easily get wet and damp from all the moisture brought about by melting snow, rain or dew. The top pile if not provided with a cover will also get exposed and scoop up moisture from above.

The firewood racks will, therefore, keep the firewood completely dry. They have elevated bases that keep the firewood stock off the ground and have covers that will protect the top pile from rain or snow. The racks will also secure the firewood supplies in a neat and organized pile.

The small backyard need not look like a mess with these storage units around. If your guests chance upon seeing the firewood pile you have back door, they will surely appreciate the neat quality of how you keep them stored in the firewood racks.