If You Care About Healthy Soil and Clean Water, Here's What You Need to Know to Keep Your Garden and Landscape Free of Contaminants. Soil and water safety is an important topic for every gardener. That’s true whether you’re growing vegetables for your family or maintaining a backyard oasis of flowers. The long-term sustainability of a garden is based on understanding its building blocks: soil and water. For a garden to thrive, it must have healthy soil and clean water. It’s more complicated that you think. It goes way beyond “soil is dirty, and water runs clear.” And many gardeners don’t know what to look for. Soil and water contaminants can be sneaky critters, and this article will share what you need to know to keep your garden safe. Healthy Soil and Clean Water: What to Know About Soil Contaminants Unseen pollutants in soil pose serious risks to plants as well as people. Soil may look rich and fertile, but a closer inspection is needed to be sure … [Read more...] about Healthy Soil and Clean Water: What Every Backyard Gardener Should Know
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Garden Tools for Seniors
Garden tools for seniors and adaptive gardening make it possible to enjoy gardening well into your golden years. Gardeners love their tools, and every gardener has at least one favorite tool they can’t garden without. But what happens when your favorite tool is no longer comfortable to use due to physical issues with your hands? Then what? Many senior gardeners report the older they get, their hands become weaker and less flexible. That's a problem because you need your hands to do literally every task in your garden. In fact, your hands are your most important gardening tools. The good news is when your hands aren’t working the way they always have, you don’t have to give up gardening. But you may have to adapt your gardening practices and use some different tools that make gardening more comfortable. That's what adaptive gardening is all about. It's using the right tools in the right ways to make gardening more comfortable for older and less physically able … [Read more...] about Garden Tools for Seniors
Garden Mulch: A Comprehensive Guide
Everything you need to know about the benefits of garden mulch, organic mulch, wood chips, the best mulch for vegetable gardens, and what makes the best mulch. Gardening is a rewarding activity that allows us to connect with nature while creating beautiful, thriving outdoor spaces. A key element that plays an important role in the success of any yard or homestead is garden mulch. Mulching is a simple yet effective technique that offers a number of benefits for garden beds. In this article, we will explore the significance of mulch, the various types of mulch available for purchase and for free, how to apply mulch, and the long-lasting impact it can have on the health and aesthetics of your garden. The Benefits of Garden Mulch Mulch serves as a protective layer that covers the soil surface around plants. Its primary functions include moisture retention, weed suppression, temperature moderation, and soil enrichment. By acting as a barrier between the soil and the … [Read more...] about Garden Mulch: A Comprehensive Guide
5 Tips To Grow The Perfect Garden
The “perfect garden” is simple. It’s the garden you imagine with vegetables or flowers or a mix of both. It’s the garden in a size and location and design that suits your needs and wants. In reality, the perfect garden is where, how and when you want it – because there is no right or wrong way to garden. There is only your way. There are, however, ways to make it more perfect in terms of success so your time, energy and money are put to good use. Here are 5 tips for the “perfect garden,” all gleaned from my decades of successes and failures and training as a Virginia Master Gardener and horticulture student. For more specific tips about vegetable gardening, read How to Start a Victory Garden 2.0. Tips for a Perfect Garden Perfect Garden Tip 1: Know your zone. When I first started gardening in southeastern Virginia, I lived in USDA cold hardiness Zone 7. Tender plants were likely to freeze and die in a typical winter that often dipped below 32 degrees. Oh, … [Read more...] about 5 Tips To Grow The Perfect Garden
Preparing Your Garden for Winter
Preparing your garden for winter is a fall activity for millions of gardeners and homeowners. If you are reading this story right now, you are in good company! Most people tend to think of spring when it comes to planting and gardening. However, autumn is a great time to get a head start on your garden for the following year. Here are a few things you should consider when preparing your garden for those cold winter months. Trim Hedges and Shrubs Preparing your garden for winter can begin with trimming your hedges and shrubs. The growth rate of plants slows down due to the cooler temperatures and reduced daylight. If you complete some prep during autumn, you won’t be faced with a lot of yard tasks during the winter. Pruning your hedges and shrubs in autumn makes them less vulnerable to freezing. And autumn is not bird nesting season, which is an important consideration when cutting back hedgerows. Working with heavy power tools can be dangerous, so you may want to … [Read more...] about Preparing Your Garden for Winter
