Home Solutions For a Healthy Garden

May 27, 2009 in Gardening tips, Health | No comments

Hello everybody Elke here!

home solutions 150x150 Home Solutions For a Healthy GardenAs I’m working away in my garden I have 1001 thoughts going through my mind. This sounds probably crazy to you, but it’s a very relaxing way for me to sort out my thoughts and ideas.

Looking at all the flowers and green shoots coming up and breaking through its more than amazing and fascinating to me. Nature has such power and an unbelievable beauty.

Taking care of such beauty is more important than ever and doing so in a ‘green’ way is even more crucial.

I thought that sharing our tried and true home solutions for a natural garden would be a great way of helping each other out. I’ve been thinking about all the things I’ve learned from my parents and grandparents and things I’ve read about over the years. In doing so I’ve also realized that a lot of people have no idea how much home solutions are actually in their house right now. Lets just go through the counter and cupboards under your sink, the pantry and the shelves in your laundry room to see what we can find!

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How gardening with your kids helps them learn

April 3, 2009 in Children, Health | No comments

child hose How gardening with your kids helps them learnWhen you plant your garden, try to make a space where your child is free to experiment and grow things.

From an early age, children can be involved in the cycle of the year, from planting seeds indoors or in a cold frame in the early spring and transplanting the seedlings to the garden when the danger of frost is past, to tending the garden and watching the fruits and vegetables grow, all the way to harvest.

For young children, there is something marvelous about going out to the garden and bringing in a basket of lettuce, scallions and tomatoes that they helped to grow — getting children to eat vegetables is rarely a problem when they have grown, picked and washed them themselves.

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Healthy Garden, Healthy Gardener

March 30, 2009 in Health | 1 comment

The health benefits of gardening

garden 150x150 Healthy Garden, Healthy Gardener

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The love for gardening spans generations. Just about anyone can dig, plant, and pull up weeds, and the rewards of your efforts sprout and blossom before your eyes at harvest time.

Gardening’s benefits extend beyond baskets of veggies or flowers nestled in a vase. Gardening enriches your body, your diet, and your spirit.

Working in the garden provides you with an outdoors fitness alternative.

Rather than schlepping to the gym and plodding on the treadmill, you might push a lawnmower under sunny skies. Instead of lifting weights, you dig into the soil while listening to a bird’s song.

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How to Have a Healthy Garden Naturally

March 20, 2009 in Gardening tips | 1 comment

healthy garden 150x150 How to Have a Healthy Garden Naturally

Step1 – Test your soil for nutrients, organic matter and pH level. Healthy, balanced soil is the key to a healthy garden. (This can be done with a home testing kit or at numerous soil testing facilities throughout the country.)

Step2 – Prepare planting beds by tilling the soil and manually clearing existing weeds and unwanted growth.

Step3 – Mix 4 to 6 inches of organic compost into the top 3 inches of the soil.

Step4 – Add earthworms to the soil if you see less than 10 worms per cubic foot. As nature’s best gardeners, worms both plow and fertilize the soil continually.

Step5 – Choose native and pest-resistant strains of plants best suited to your garden.

Step6 – Fertilize two to three times a year with a slow-release organic fertilizer.

Step7 – Water deeply, regularly and infrequently. Water needs vary with season and location, so start with 1 inch of water once a week and adjust, if necessary.

Step8 – Mulch all beds with compost and shredded tree products. Mulch will not only smother unwanted weeds, it will help your beds reserve water during dry and hot months.

Step9 – Hoe and pluck weeds manually. Tools such as the dandelion digger, the angle weeder and the weed hound will make the job easier.

Step10 – Control insects and diseases using nontoxic alternatives such as oil, soap and pepper sprays.

Step11 – Watch your garden flourish.

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

Tags: Healthy Garden, Organic gardening