The tree leaves that accumulate around your yard or garden can be a valuable natural resource for you to use because they provide a good source of organic matter and nutrients.
Leaves don't always seem like a good thing however, especially when you have a lot of raking to do, but if you can, be thankful and hang on to your leaves.
Leaves contain 50 to 80 percent of the nutrients a plant extracts from the soil and air during the season, so if you can, use and recycle your leaves around your property rather than raking them up and throwing them away.
Here are 4 of the best ways to use leaves in your yard, garden, or landscape:
1. Leaf Uses - Mowing Mowing leaves that have fallen on your lawn area is most effective when a mulching mower is used, but if the leaf drop is light, a regular mower will work just fine. In fact, during times of light leaf drop, or if there are only a few small trees in your yard, simply leave the shredded leaves in place on the lawn. They will act as a beneficial mulch and compost and will help your lawn.
2. Leaf Uses - Mulching Leaves can be used as mulch in vegetable gardens, flower beds and around shrubs and trees. The best way is to rake the leaves into a pile and then shred them with your lawn mower or a shredder if you have one.
It you have the option, use a lawn mower with a bagging attachment because it is a fast and easy way to shred and collect the leaves. Leaves that have been mowed or run through some other type of shredder will decompose faster
Leaves that are not shredded won't decompose as well and will only smother what they are put on. Try and never let leaves remain on a lawn without raking them up or they can smother the grass underneath.
Apply a 3 to 6 inch (7.5 to 15 cm) layer of shredded leaves around the base of trees and shrubs making sure not to put any right up against the trunk or main stem of trees or shrubs.
In annual and perennial flower beds, a 2 to 3 inch (5 to 7.5 cm) mulch of shredded leaves is good.
For vegetable gardens, a thick layer of leaves placed in between the rows work both as a mulch and as an all-weather walkway that will allow you to work in your garden during wet periods.
3. Leaf Uses - Soil Improvement Leaves that have been raked and shredded can be worked directly into your garden and flower beds. A 6 to 8 inch (15 to 20 cm) layer of leaves tilled into a heavy, clay soil will improve aeration and drainage. The same amount worked into a light, sandy soil, will improve water and nutrient holding capacity.
Note: A basic strategy for using leaves to improve soil in vegetable gardens and annual planting beds is to collect and work them into the soil during the fall. This allows sufficient time for the leaves to decompose prior to spring planting. Adding a little fertilizer to the soil after working in the leaves will hasten their decomposition.
4. Leaf Uses - Composting Leaves are great to add to your compost pile or bin. Once again, shredding them first will help them decompose faster, but whole leaves can be added in as well.
One of the most common problems with tulip bulbs is that they don't need that much warmth to start breaking dormancy and begin growing.
So it's not unusual to see tulips growing in the middle of winter during a brief warm spell only to be killed or ruined by a heavy frost or snow a few days later.
To avoid this problem, keep your tulips as cold as possible - as long as possible.
Here's What To Do:
1. Tulips need to be planted in cold soil so they don't send up shoots. Tulips planted in warm soil, or even soil that gets a lot of sun during the day where it can warm up won't do as well.
2. Plant tulips deep! Plant them 8 to 10 inches (20 to 25 cm) deep because if they are planted too shallow, it can lead to premature growth. Deep planting also will produce large, uniform flowers for many years, plus deep planting also makes the bulbs less susceptible to mouse and squirrel damage.
3. Mulch the soil - but only AFTER THE SOIL FREEZES. A 2 to 3 inch (5 to 7.5 cm) layer of shredded leaves, wood shavings, or compost in the winter will keep the soil consistently COLD (not warm).
Tilling your soil in the late fall can be very beneficial, but there can also be some drawbacks.
Benefits:
1. It can help control insects, such as corn borer, corn earworm, cucumber beetle, squash bug, slug eggs, and vine borer because it exposes overwintering insects to winter conditions.
2. It can also make spring soil preparation easier because by adding organic matter now, your soil will be in better condition in a few months and will be easier to dig and plant.
3. Tilling in the fall allows a large amount of organic matter such as guano, compost, bark, and manures to be turned into the soil. This organic matter will start decomposing because the microbes are active currently and ready to start breaking everything down.
Drawbacks:
While all of the above are very good benefits, tilling in the fall should be done with some thought.
1. Soil erosion can be a problem if your area gets huge rain or winds during the fall and winter months. If that is the case, think about the tradeoffs of losing good topsoil to waiting and doing your tilling in the spring.
2. Be careful not to ruin your soil structure. Never work wet soil, especially clay. You may ruin the soil structure for years to come. Here's how to best determine How To Care For Your Soil Structure with this step-by-step article: Care For Your Soil Structure
This summer has been a good time to visit various botanical gardens and zoos and to notice that many plants that are used in these public displays today, are actually prehistoric plants.
Interestingly enough, one of the more popular themes within a zoo or botanical garden is the one that grows prehistoric plants.
Well, you can grow some of these exciting specimens in your own yard.
Some prehistoric plants which date back from 150 to 270 million years include:
The best time to start fall crops is in late summer for a late fall harvest. The problem however, is that the soil and the daytime temperatures can sometimes still be so warm that it can be hard to get cool-weather crops to germinate and grow.
Here is a way to get around that problem!
1. Dig a shallow trench that is about 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) deep.
2. Line the trench with come good garden soil or compost.
3. Put your seeds in the trench, and then cover them shallowly with more compost or garden soil. Don’t worry that the seeds aren’t planted as deep as may be mentioned on the seed packet. Just cover them shallowly.
4. Water the trench and seeds in carefully, but thoroughly.
5. Cover the trench with boards or very thick cardboard. The trick here is to keep the heat out and keep the seeds in the trench cool and in the dark. So the thicker the material you use the cover the trench, the better.
6. Check under the boards regularly, and as soon as you see small pale seedlings growing, remove the boards.
7. Grow your seedlings as usual now that they are started.
This trick works great with several fall crops like broccoli, cabbage, carrots, lettuce, and cauliflower.
One of the most common complaints heard about pepper plants is that the plant itself is beautiful, but there is no fruit!
The reason is over-fertilization.
Pepper plants don't need a lot of food to grow and do well. They only need about one teaspoon (5 ml) of 5-10-10 at planting time, and another teaspoon at the flowering stage.
If you have fed your peppers more than that, you risk the plant putting all its energy into growing leaves, and not producing any fruit.
How to Fix:
Spray the plant with Epsom salts at the rate of 1 teaspoon (5 ml) dissolved in an old window-spray bottle of warm water. That's about 4 cups (1 liter) of water.
By doing this, you will give your pepper plants a boost of magnesium that is required by these plants at flowering time in order to produce fruit.
Spray them again 10 days later and in a few weeks you will have peppers that you can eat!
To grow the best, juiciest melons, one of the most important things you need to do is to make sure that they get enough water.
By growing them in a "water well" you will ensure that they will.
Here's what you do:
1. Make sure each "well" is 5 feet (1.5 m) apart.
2. Dig a hole that is at least 4 inches (10 cm) deep and 18 inches (45 cm) wide.
3. Fill each hole with compost or good rich, loamy soil.
4. Water the compost in thoroughly and let it sit for a day or two.
5. In each composted hole, plant 6 to 8 seeds.
6. When the seedlings begin to emerge, apply a surface mulch of compost and then thin the seedlings to 3 plants per hole.
The compost-rich hole that you have created is retaining moisture much better than regular garden soil and is providing the melon roots the moisture they require to produce juicy, delicious melons.
During hot, dry days, make sure you water the melons deeply when the compost begins to dry out, which could be every day, or every few days depending upon your area.
Either way, make sure the that the soil moisture remains high, which the composted "water well" will greatly help you do.
If you've never grown microgreens such as culinary herbs, edible flowers, baby lettuce or specialty greens, you really should, because they are a great way to garden year round.
Microgreens are a delicious base for, or an addition to, salads, entrees, and appetizers, plus they can easily be grown, giving you access to fresh greens any time of the year.
What Are Microgreens?
In the old days (like back in the 50s-60s-70s) what we called growing alfalfa sprouts has now developed into "microgreens" because the entire concept has really progressed to the next level.
The microgreens that are available now are the super nutritious, but immature stage (between sprouts and leafy greens) of vegetables, herbs and some edible flowers, and they are mass produced by specialty growers for organic markets, specialty chefs and restaurants, whole foods producers, and online delivery.
The great thing is that even though they are small, they are big on flavor and can be grown just about anywhere - even on a windowsill - because they are basically houseplants you can eat.
Popular Microgreens To Grow:
Peas Kale Cabbage Arugula Radishes Beets Clover Mustard
What makes microgreens so easy to grow is because they don't need a lot of light, and they’re only going to be grown until the emergence of the first leaf (the cotyledon) stage, so a windowsill or sunny kitchen counter is a ideal location.
Also, each microgreen has an individual flavor, so you can grow your own microgreen "blend" if you want.
Note: If you want to grow a blend of microgreens, just keep in mind that it's important to plant those that have similar germination rates together so you can harvest your greens all at once.
Here's How To Grow Your Own Microgreens:
Supplies:
1. Shallow trays with clear domed lids (available at garden supply stores)
2. Potting soil
3. Seeds
4. Paper towels
Growing and Harvesting:
1. Create a seed bed by filling trays with soil. Be sure the soil is spread uniformly and that the surface is flat
2. Sow seeds by taking handfuls of seed and sprinkling them liberally across the soil surface
3. Press gently on sown seeds to be sure they have contact with the growing medium
4. Place a paper towel over the seed bed - 1 layer thick
5. Water using a kitchen sprayer, or a spray bottle, and thoroughly soak the towels until you are sure the soil beneath is wet
6. Cover trays with lids and place in a location that is not exposed to direct sunlight, but rather an area that gets very little light at all
Note: The lid on the tray will help keep moisture in and stimulate germination, but make sure that the paper towel stays moist during the process. If it dries out, wet it again.
Note: On the other hand, the lid can sometimes create a 'green house effect' so monitor your trays carefully. If the seeds seem to be getting too hot inside, remove the lid slightly to allow for ventilation and some air circulation.
7. Once the seeds fully germinate, which can vary based on seed type used, you'll notice the towel starting to lift off the soil. When this happens, remove the lid and paper towels from the tray and place the tray in a location that gets bright, but indirect sunlight
8. Continue to water gently as needed. Remember that over-watering can be just as damaging as under-watering, so allow the plants to dry slightly between waterings
9. Harvest microgreens any time after the emergence of the first leaves by cutting the stems with sharp kitchen scissors
10. Wash the greens by placing them in a container such as a small, plastic dish pan, and then dry them on a towel
11. Use your microgreens immediately, or store them in a resealable bag in the refrigerator
That's it! Pretty simple. And if you're a salad eater like me, this is a wonderful way to add new zest and zip to your lunch or dinner salads, so give it a try!
Sundials are kind of a neat addition to your yard or garden because they have been used for centuries and they can add a sense of history and interest like no other garden decor.
Now there are dozens of different kinds of sundials and setting them up can go from very complicated to very easy depending upon how accurate you want them to be.
For our purposes, we are going to set up our sundial so that it is going to give us the most accurate reading we can get without spending huge amounts of time worrying about longitudes, latitudes, or percentages of angles.
After all, if you want precise time like Greenwich Mean Time, then your cell phone, or digital watch is what you're after!
Setting A Sundial
1. Be sure the spot you've chosen is level and in full sun. If you have picked out a 'vertical' sundial, it should be mounted on a sunny, south-facing wall.
2. Place your sundial so that the gnomon (the shadow arm) is pointed toward celestial north. (south in the Southern Hemisphere), not the magnetic north of a compass. The simplest way to find celestial north is to position your sundial at noon. Turn your sundial so that the shadow of the gnomon falls directly on the mark representing noon. You are NOW on sun time.
3. You may not be particularly concerned with complete accuracy of your sundial, but if you are, you should 'reset' it on one of the four days of the year when sun time and clock time agree:
4 Days Of The year When to Reset or Set Your Sundial
April 15 June 15 September 1 December 24.
If you set a sundial on other dates, it can be as much as 14 minutes behind clock time or 16 minutes ahead of it. This is simply because sundials measure time 'as it is' and each day the length of sunlight is shorter or longer from the previous day's length.
To a sundial, noon is always when the sun is highest in the sky.
Getting kids interested in gardening is very easy because there are so many things they can do, and they are natural gardeners because they're curious and they love to play in the dirt.
Here are few crops to try out. They are good because they give kids fast results!
Sunflowers A must for a child's garden because they germinate and grow so fast. They will sprout in about 1 week, become a small seedling in 2 weeks, and should be around 2-3 feet (1 m) tall in a month.
Lettuce Another fast crop that gives kids fast results, and it's also a good way to interest kids in salads.
Radishes Germinate in 3-10 days, and have a very short growing season of 20-30 days.
Snow peas They take about 10 days to germinate and mature in about 60 days. They are also fun for kids to eat right off the vine.
Cherry tomatoes These may be the most fun crop for kids, aside from strawberries.
Nasturtiums These flowers are easy to grow and they bloom about 50 days after the seeds are planted, with orange, yellow and red flowers. The flowers are also edible, and can be used to add color to a fresh garden salad.
Bush beans Fast, easy, high yield and, because they do not grow tall, they are easy for kids to harvest. Bush beans germinate in 4-8 days, and mature in 40-65 days.
Pumpkins If you have the room! Seeds will sprout in about 1 week; after a few days, vine leaves begin to form and creep along the ground. Pumpkins take 80 - 120 days to harvest
A Few Tips for gardening with children
1. Give them their own garden beds or area to work in.
2. Give them serious children-sized tools. Cheap plastic child's gardening tools are worse than no tools at all; they break easily and frustrate the user.
3. Engage them through the entire process, from seed to table. Children learn better when they understand the context of their activity. They will learn that gardening can be fun, but far more than idle play; they are contributing to the family well-being.
4. Start from seeds. While it's a convenient shortcut to buy starters, children will learn more by seeing the growing process as it begins with seeds. The care given to sprouting seeds and nurturing the young seedling are a valuable part of the gardening experience.
5. When all else fails, make a scarecrow. The best time to engage children in gardening is when they're in the mood for this activity. If their attention wanes, or the garden tasks become boring, let them build a scarecrow. This activity is still a contribution to the gardening effort and adds another layer of interest to the garden scene. It also reminds the child of the importance of the crop.
6. Show off their work. When giving 'garden tours' to friends, be sure to point out the children's beds. Take a photo of their harvest and send it to the grandparents. The attention given to their work is the best motivator for children to stay involved with a project.
The tree leaves that accumulate around your yard or garden can be a valuable natural resource for you to use because they provide a good source of organic matter and nutrients.
One of the most common problems with tulip bulbs is that they don't need that much warmth to start breaking dormancy and begin growing. 
Tilling your soil in the late fall can be very beneficial, but there can also be some drawbacks. 
This summer has been a good time to visit various botanical gardens and zoos and to notice that many plants that are used in these public displays today, are actually prehistoric plants.
The best time to start fall crops is in late summer for a late fall harvest. The problem however, is that the soil and the daytime temperatures can sometimes still be so warm that it can be hard to get cool-weather crops to germinate and grow. 
One of the most common complaints heard about pepper plants is that the plant itself is beautiful, but there is no fruit! 
To grow the best, juiciest melons, one of the most important things you need to do is to make sure that they get enough water. 
If you've never grown microgreens such as culinary herbs, edible flowers, baby lettuce or specialty greens, you really should, because they are a great way to garden year round. 
Sundials are kind of a neat addition to your yard or garden because they have been used for centuries and they can add a sense of history and interest like no other garden decor.
Getting kids interested in gardening is very easy because there are so many things they can do, and they are natural gardeners because they're curious and they love to play in the dirt.
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