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Posts Tagged ‘Plant’

Transplant strawberry plants in the fall or spring when the plant has stopped producing berries. Keep the root and a stem of the strawberry plant intact in order to keep it alive withtips from a sustainable gardener in this free video on plant care. Expert: Yolanda Vanveen Contact: www.vanveenbulbs.com Bio: Yolanda Vanveen is sustainable gardener who lives in Kalama, Wash. Filmmaker: Daron Stetner

The bamboo tree is an amazing plant. It belongs to the broad category of the grass family. Giant bamboos are the largest of this category. Bamboos are the fastest growing plants known to mankind. They can grow, depending on the soil conditions and climates, from two to three feet in a day at their maximum rate of growth. If one is looking for a replenishable, natural material for everyday use, bamboo is an ideal material. In some countries and cultures, especially in Asia, products made from this plant are looked upon as highly versatile raw material. It is a renewable product with thousands of uses for your home and kitchen, including cookware.

Bamboo-based products have recently become a common sight in modern kitchen and dining rooms. New ways to process bamboos and manufacture kitchen utensils, plates, bowls and cutting boards are remarkable. Natural materials and food-safe lacquer and natural oils are used for the production of these eco-friendly replacements for plastic materials used in the past. They are better than other wood products because they are resistant to heat and moisture, durable but still lightweight, and very affordable, which might very well be its most attractive quality for many people. Its simplicity and natural look also make for very attractive additions to anyone’s home.

If you are concerned about the environment and the effect that the products you use may have on it, then you should probably look into buying products made from this material. This is because it is biodegradable, so it is eco-friendly and not harmful to the environment. You should probably also look into buying bamboo cookware if you are concerned about the health of you and your family because many cookware materials can leach into the food being prepared on it. If the material is toxic, then the food will also be harmful. This is true for the chemical compound bisphenol A conventionally contained in plastics, which can have very harmful effects to a person’s health.

Concerns have also been raised about the material that conventional non-stick pots and pans are made with, and this type of cookware can be found in almost everybody’s kitchen. When heated to high temperatures, toxic fumes are created which are known to kill birds and cause a flu-like illness in humans. Therefore, safer and healthier cookware alternatives are frequently sought out and desired. Products made from bamboos are a perfect example. These modern natural bamboo products are attractive, safe to use, and easy to clean and maintain.

Learn why square foot gardens require less weeding with expert gardening tips in this free video clip on growing grid gardens. Expert: Yolanda Vanveen Contact: www.vanveenbulbs.com Bio: Yolanda Vanveen is sustainable gardener who lives in Kalama, Wash. Filmmaker: Daron Stetner

Small container gardening is easy, does not require soil or bark dust and can contain different plants in the same pot for different blooming times. Although small container gardening is easy, small containers can’t hold a lot of water, so learn when to water container gardens with tips from agardening specialist in this free video on plant and flower care. Expert: Yolanda Vanveen Contact: www.vanveenbulbs.com Bio: Yolanda Vanveen is sustainable gardener who lives in Kalama, Wash. Filmmaker: Daron Stetner

More tips for the aspiring gardener brought to you by Simply Media.

Learn how to water your vegetable garden in this free online video guide to vegetable gardening. Expert: Scott Reil Contact: www.safelawns.org Bio: Scott Reil is an accredited nurseryman and longtime horticulturalist with over two decades of experience in the field. Scott is now working for www.safelawns.org. Filmmaker: Christian Munoz-Donoso

Plant Exchange:Gardener Trades Plants For Variety
Share your tips, give us a tour of your plant site, or send your questions related to outdoor or indoor plants to newsroom@yankton.net Attn: Brenda Johnson or write to P&D, 319 Walnut St, Yankton, SD 57078, Attn: Brenda Johnson.

Learn why square foot gardens require less work with expert gardening tips in this free video clip on growing grid gardens. Expert: Yolanda Vanveen Contact: www.vanveenbulbs.com Bio: Yolanda Vanveen is sustainable gardener who lives in Kalama, Wash. Filmmaker: Daron Stetner

Pineappleplants are beautiful plants to grow in your garden or home. Learn all about pineapple plant care with gardening tips from a horticulturist in this free gardening video. Expert: Stan DeFreitas Contact: www.mrgt.net Bio: Stan DeFreitas, also known as “Mr. Green Thumb”, has experience as a urban horticulturist working for the Pinellas County Extension Service and has taught horticulture at the St. Petersburg College. Filmmaker: Christopher Rokosz

Gardening is a most satisfying hobby and skill.  And, as with most hobbies and skills, there is always something to learn and something to improve.  Perhaps one of the most overlooked, yet one of the most beneficial things you can do for your backyard vegetable garden is to mulch.  Is the extra labor of mulching necessary?  What is “mulch” exactly?  And, what are the overall advantages of adding mulch to your garden?  Follow along in this article, for there is “mulch” to learn and glean!

Basically, mulch is a layer of organic matter that is used as a soil cover to preserve soil moisture, control weeds, and improve soil fertility.  You can create rich and fertile soil in your garden from unwanted plant materials, such as grass clippings, straw, leaves, etc., mixed with aged manure.  It is very important to used aged manure, as fresh manure may be too “hot” and literally “burn” your young plants.

The benefits of mulching your garden are numerous.  One advantage to mulching is that it helps conserve soil moisture by holding the moisture in and next to the plant.  By providing your plants with a constant water supply, your plants will be more robust and healthy, thereby producing tastier and bigger fruit!  Another obvious advantage of conserving water for your plants is if there is a drought or water shortage conditions.  You will have a decided advantage for your garden! In dry or arid climates, a thick mulch will help prevent soil erosion in the event of a wind storm or a sudden rain downpour.  In addition, mulching around your crops will help keep those pesky weeds at bay.  And if a weed does pop through, it is easily removed due to the moist earth underneath.  Also, a heavy mulch in garden aisles will keep those weeds down as well as provide a nice walkway and dry path after a spring or summer rain!  Mulch also helps improve the soil because an organic, not plastic, mulch will decay and compost right back into the soil and add back those essential nutrients which are being used up in the growing process.  Mulches also serve as wonderful and natural fertilizers, as well as cheap fertilizers since it is basically free to begin with!  And, if you have seen the prices of fertilizer at the garden supply store lately, cheap is a very good price!  Further, a nice, thick mulch helps maintain the correct and constant soil temperature needed by soil bacteria to do its stuff…that is, breaking down the plant and manure mulches in order for the proper nutrients to be released back into the soil.  Another wonderful benefit to mulching is that mulch helps prevent fruit rot of such plants as squash and melons, by keeping the fruit from direct contact with the soil.

As you can see, there are many benefits to mulching your vegetable garden.  So, is the extra labor of mulching necessary?  Well, if you want to start having the most successful and productive backyard garden ever, I don’t think there is “mulch” more to discuss!  By the way, if you would like further tips on where to obtain organic mulch ingredients, or gather other garden tips, please visit the links listed below.  A hearty “green” thumbs up to all and happy gardening!