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Container gardening is usually designed for people who think that they’re days of gardening have ended when they move into an apartment of a condo. Plants that are pretty and useful can still be grown if you opt to have a container garden instead. A few simple rules will have to be followed before you start your container garden. Five essential elements are important to your container garden and they include the pot, the soil, the light, the watering requirements and the fertilizer. Think of herbs for instance, they do not require big pots but they need at least six good hours of sunlight. The fertilizer that they need is small and they require good drainage in their soil.

Selecting the right container is quite important for you as well as your plants. You will preferably need to choose a pot which complements your home or your outside patio; you may also want to meet the needs of your plants. Cedar and redwood containers tend to be rot resistant while other woods tend to root easily. If wood pots are used you should ensure that they have not been treated with harmful chemicals which are harmful to your plants. Plastic pots should not be used in the sun as they will disintegrate quite quickly. Terracotta

Containers are vulnerable in the sunlight as well as they tend to dry out easily and are prone to crack and break. The best pots that can be used for your container garden on the patio are usually ceramic glazed pots. These pots tend to be pretty and colorful but you should ensure that they have a lot of drainage holes.

For soil, everything is entirely about the nature of plants that you intend to grow. You should remember that your garden is going to be grown in limited space so you have to ensure that the soil will drain sufficiently. The whole key is usually to have a soil mixture which will retain moisture and has adequate drainage so as not to drown the roots. Making some research into the type of plant that you are growing will give you an idea of what each plant requires. Certain plants may require that some sand is added to the mix. In container gardening you cannot afford to go wrong where any of the essential components is concerned.

One more aspect of research is to understand how much light that your plants require. All plants which are available have different levels of light. Impatiens tends to do excellently in the shade while vegetables and flowers tend to do wonderfully in sunlight.

Fertilizing is one more crucial aspect of container gardening. When a plant is placed in a container, it only requires a minimal amount of solid which to draw nutrients from, because of this you will have to give it a little help. In order to be consistent, you should fertilize on every other watering. One fertilizer alone shouldn’t be used, a whole mix of nutrients will aid in keeping your plants happy and healthy as well.

Watering your container gardening should be quite crucial to you. It will take a certain amount of time to develop the right schedule for the different plants since they all tend to have different requirements. If you are having extremely hot weather then you may need to water your plants on a daily basis.

Container gardening is a very rewarding venture. It permits people in the city to enjoy something of the great outdoors in their own limited space. As soon as you have done your research and you have decided on the nature of plants to grow, the next step for you is to gather all the necessary materials and plant your container garden. You will no doubt enjoy the container gardening experience.

Plant Website recommends MiniGarden.com, SiteKing.NET, and Williger.com.

The plants in your garden will be maturing quite soon and you will have a lot of fresh foods for use in your kitchen and this includes creating dishes like Tomato with Avocado salad or a Greek Salad with a hummus recipe for dipping pita bread. As soon as your vegetable garden has started producing food for you, you should have recipes that make use of fresh herbs to create your herb dressing. You can also use some fresh vegetables in very imaginative ways as well. Some recipes are listed below to give you the most enjoyment when it comes to salads and salad dressings.

When your tomatoes start to give up dozens of their fruit give some away, but better yet here are some recipes, and a great one for Tomato with Avocado salad, that you can use for your family or a weekend get together along with other people you know such as family or friends.

** ~Dress Up~ your Tomatoes with an Herb Dressing**:

Use three or four of your fresh tomatoes, peel them if you wish and slice them any thickness you want. Then slice some Red Onion or Vidalia Onions to place on top. Snip some of your fresh herbs like, basil and oregano. In a screw top jar, add a cup of olive oil or vegetable oil (or use half of each for flavor.) Then drizzle in 2 tablespoons of a flavored vinegar (balsamic, tarragon, garlic, sherry, or raspberry – change it up for variety). Add your fresh herbs. Let the flavors blend for about 1-2 hours before using, and shake well before adding to the salad. Next, sprinkle salt and pepper onto the tomatoes and dress with your Herb salad dressing. Here again, get creative, use fresh sliced mozzarella or grated parmesan on the tomato salad for another variation in using your plants from your garden.

You could use tarragon dressing to make the tomato salad a little different. Use the same basic ingredients but from your kitchen garden substitute one tablespoon tarragon leaves and 2 teaspoons of snipped chives for the basil and oregano. Here you should only use tarragon vinegar.

Regardless of the nature of herbs you that you choose, garnish the plate with fresh sprigs of the herb for added interest and color.

**A Chinese Tomato with Avocado Salad**

If you want a taste that is completely different, you should make your Tomato with Avocado salad along with five spice Chinese powder. You won’t have the Chinese powder but you can easily find it in a lot of grocery stores. Spices tend to have the power to create flavors which are subtle or powerful and the Chinese powder recipe easily proves this.

First peel and slice about 4 tomatoes then do the same thing to two ripe avocados. You can add some cucumber slices and make a bed for the salad out of romaine leaves or any leaves available for this purpose in your vegetable garden.

When you are done preparing the salad you can make the salad dressing with? Of cup of olive or vegetable oil (or half of both). You can then use two tablespoons or tarragon or white vinegar. Add 1 teaspoon of Chinese five spice powder, a tablespoon of finely chopped basil, &teaspoon of both lemon juice and salt, mash a clove of garlic, a pinch of dry mustard and black pepper and add it to your screw top jar along with all the other ingredients. You can then mix well and refrigerate it for at least two hours before serving over the salad. Here again use fresh herbs or the tomato peel twirled into a rose shape for garnishing the plate.

**A Green Chinese Salad, Greek Salad or Lentil Salad with Vegetables**

Let’s move away from tomato salads to a Green Salad, a Greek Salad and a Lentil Salad with Vegetables. The first is a delicious crunchy green salad which can be paired with a protein like chopped eggs or slices of grilled chicken or a starch, perhaps diced potatoes or chick peas to make a full meal.

**A Crunchy Green Chinese Salad**

For green Chinese salad you will need 1 cup of Chinese salad leaves or any vegetable garden salad makings which you have grown, or which you have on hand with you. Then you can chop one green pepper with the ribs removed, 3 tablespoons of lovage or fresh spearmint, finely diced celery and spring onions or ramps sliced diagonally. After you’re through with this you can mix it all together.

Your salad dressing will be a mayonnaise based mixture. Put four tablespoons of mayonnaise into a screw top jar with 2 tablespoons of orange juice, the grated rind of an orange, 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley, 1 teaspoon of sea salt and 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped. Shake vigorously and chill for several hours before serving. Put a pretty garnish on each plate and you have a perfect summer meal.

**A Cool Greek Salad with Feta Cheese and Pitas with Hummus**

Nothing is more refreshing on a hot summer day than a cool Greek Salad. Start off by thinly slice a cucumber from your garden patch, chop your tomatoes coarsely, and toss them all together with 1/2 to 1 cup of feta cheese (Greek cheese found in your dairy aisle), and a dozen or so of Greek black olives. You can easily dress this with 1 clove of garlic chopped finely, 3 tablespoons of your fresh basil also finely chopped, 1 tablespoon each of lemon juice and olive oil (use only olive oil here), and some grinds of black pepper. You should then mix everything well and serve the salad on arranged beds of sprouts. After this you can serve it with hot crusty bread or for real treat heat some pita rounds and serve the salad with warm pita quarters and the following hummus recipe.

Hummus Recipe:

1 12-oz cans garbanzo beans

1 clove garlic

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2-3 tbsp tahini sauce (sesame paste) found in ethnic sections or gourmet stores

Juice of 1 small lemon

? Tsp salt

Drain 1/3 of the water from the can of garbanzo beans into a small bowl. Set aside for later use. In a blender, mix together the garbanzo beans with the remaining can water and the rest of the ingredients. You can blend everything together for 1-2 minutes until a smooth, slightly fluid paste is formed. If you so desire, you can add a small amount of the saved can water and blend to create a more fluid consistency.

**A Lovely Lentil Salad with Vegetables from Your Gardens**

The last summer salad on our list will use fresh lentil sprouts and veggies from your vegetable garden.

You need 1? Cups of fresh lentil sprouts, one large red pepper diced with ribs removed, cup of broccoli and cauliflower flowerets each, and 1/2 cup of sliced mushrooms of your choice. You will also need dressing with kick so, in your screw top jar mix 2 tablespoons of sesame oil, 2 tablespoons of cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger, 2 tablespoons of orange juice and 1 teaspoon of soy sauce. You should then shake the dressing until it has been properly and then you can pour it over the salad. If you want to add seeds or nuts to the salad for additional protein, you can do so as well as it is the perfect salad for this kind of thing.

These are five great summer salads which help you make use of plants that come from your garden. If you grow edible flowers like nasturtiums, you may want to add them to your garnishing collection as well. With your imagination and the different plants available in your garden you can create some great cuisine from the comfort of your kitchen.

Darren Williger is an over-caffeinated, low carbohydrate eating, winemaking enthusiast who writes for PlantWebsite.com, MiniGarden.com, and ContainerGardening.Net.

Having limited space does not mean that you cannot have a garden. Instead of thinking that only gardens grow in yards and around trees, think about how they can be grown in containers instead. Container gardens can be created anywhere and will add beauty and interest to any busy street or on a balcony or even roof tops. What is nice also is that you can change the look often and whenever you feel like since all of your plants are in containers and easily moved about to give different and interesting looks.

You will find changing your color scheme and the look often interesting and fun as you come up with new ways to arrange your plants and pots. Contrasting colors and adding flowers and plants of varying size and shape will give depth and novelty to any look you come up with. If there is something you do not like it can easily be changed on a whim into another interesting creation. Or as flowers bloom, change them out to a different variety to keep your ever changing container garden interesting and different.

Keep these ideas in mind when you begin to create your container garden.

• Try all different types of containers. Use house hold items even, such as coffee cans that have been cleaned, buckets, even broken pots. Just make sure to make holes in the bottom for water drainage. Anything you can think of that can hold items, conceivably be used.
• Remember that terracotta absorbs water, but comes in many different shapes, sizes, and colors. While wood will wear out over time and be heavier. Plastic is great too because of the variety offered in the material, however over time it will become brittle and dried out from the sun.
• Paint the interior of any pot you choose to ensure that the plants do not dry out and that they can absorb the most water.
• Always use a saucer under all your pots to catch the water and save your cement or tile or wood from water rings and calcium deposits.
• Choose high quality and grade potting soils. Since you are container gardening, your plants will definitely need the best soil possible to thrive and grow.
• Do not let any area be off limits. If there is space you can place a container there with plants and flowers, whether indoors or out. Try many different locations to achieve the look you want.
• Plan ahead and know where you want to put your plants so you can make sure you buy the right type of plants for the location you choose. All plants will have tags with instructions of where they work best and how to take care of them. Follow these instructions when picking your plants and the locations they will be placed in.

Regardless of where you live or if you have a green thumb or not, container gardening is an easy and fun way to add color and coziness to any living space. However, container gardening is not for where we live, but can create a welcoming feeling to any business or office. If you have been looking for a way to spruce up an area or make some minor changes, try container gardening, it may e exactly what you have been looking for.

Plant Website recommends MiniGarden.com, SiteKing.NET, and Williger.com.

One of the most popular myths about rose gardening is that growing it is an impossible dream, which can only be accomplished by some one who is not just overtly ambitious but has plenty of time on his or her hands. The reality is far from it; in fact, growing a rose garden can be one of the most rewarding and attainable accomplishments, provided you have the ability to plan and maintain it. Obviously, growing and nurturing anything as beautiful as a rose garden would need some amount of patience.

A rose garden, like any other garden would need regular cleaning. Removing dead or fallen leaves and clearing all the accumulated garden debris would enable you to access the roots of the plant while watering. Or else, you will land up watering the stems, leaves and flowers, which in turn will attract fungus and other plant ailments.

Remember, mulch is a great friend of the rose garden. Not only does it keep the weeds away, but it also helps retain the right amount of moisture for the soil. Hence add mulch in your regular garden maintenance schedule once the first bloom appears. Did you know that in winter, because of the frequent change in cycle, between freezing and thawing, the underground root system of the plant also shifts and eventually gets damaged? So, during winter months you should strengthen the plant by covering it up with several inches of soil and add mulch to this covering. This will help the plant to survive the severity of winter months and emerge with nice and healthy blooms in early spring.

It is not wrong to say that water is the life-giver for any garden. But the right amount of water is important for a plant to survive – neither too much nor too less. Both these extremes can damage your plant beyond repair. Thus, when you water your rose plants, make sure that you sprinkle water only at the base. If you water the stems and leaves you would be attracting many types of fungal diseases as well as rust. The rose plants love their roots to be soaked with adequate water when it reaches six to eight inches deep into the soil, instead of the whole plant getting drenched in water.

Your rose plants need the right food for looking their best during the flowering season as well as remaining healthy during the dormant season. While you buy your fertilizers from the local garden store, you must follow the instructions for use very carefully as they vary according to the type of rose. As a general rule, rose plants should be fed with fertilizers during early spring, when the buds are just beginning to swell. The plants need to be fed again after they have produced a full bloom. The next feeding should be done during late summer for most climate zones. If the growing season in your climate is long, then the plants would need a feed during early October to withstand the harsh winter ahead.

The rules for maintaining a rose garden is simple. Following these simple schedules would result in a beautiful rose garden that you can be proud of.

Plant Website recommends MiniGarden.com, SiteKing.NET, and Williger.com.

The weather turns and it gets warmer and before you know it, spring has arrived. It is time to launch into our true elements and proceed outdoors. If you’re a gardener you’ll know that its time to start work in the yard. You have grass to cut, bushes to maintain and shape and bulbs and seeds to plant. You also have to dig up flowers and vegetable gardens. This period is your own time of the year and you need the necessary tools in order to get the job accomplished.

Certain tools are needed in order to accomplish your entire tasks. Some of these tools needed will be good digging tools. Spades will be great for turning the soil and a flat head shovel can easily help in picking up items that are disposable. In order to clean out the beds and loosening the soil you will need a garden fork. Rakes will also be essential in order for you to be able to accomplish your work. Metal rakes will assist in help you to level the soil and remove unwanted materials. Metal is also durable as it won’t bend. Plastic fan style rakes will do the job of leaf cleanup pretty well. They are also lighter to handle for the exhausting job at hand.

A good garden will always require a good garden hose. It lasts a whole lot longer than the cheaper versions that are available. The length of the hose you require will also depend on the length of your yard. You also need a reel to store the hose whenever you aren’t using it, this way you avoid getting kinks in the hose. If you want to water any seedlings then a garden wand will be needed, it is also a great idea for new plants and hanging baskets. Garden wands will reach difficult places and supply a steady stream of water that will be softer for delicate and younger plants. Make sure that you choose a wand with a brass shut off as plastic ones may break or crack easily.

Pruning shears are a very essential tool for gardening; they make a great idea for trimming back your bushes as well as shrubs. Pruning is an essential tool to make your shrubs look bushy so you don’t want to leave it off your list. Shears that are used for trimming hedges will make sure your bushes are cut evenly and display a neat yet controlled appearance.

A wheelbarrow or cart will be a necessary and useful item, most especially if you’re going to be transporting dirt and cement. You can use these tools to carry all your vegetable, flower plants and garden tools around the yard. In turn this saves you a lot of unnecessary trips back and forth in order to carry out all your essential items.

Spreaders may be useful when you’re applying fertilizer to your lawn and it provides a better distribution to all areas. Lawn fertilization is an easy task with this tool. You shouldn’t forget a broom as well for all your cleanups.

Something else that you will need is topsoil, fertilizer, lawn seed, plant food, seeds and potting mix. You may also need to invest in pesticides if you have a bug problem.

Darren Williger is an over-caffeinated, low carbohydrate eating, winemaking enthusiast who writes for PlantWebsite.com, MiniGarden.com, and ContainerGardening.Net.