Build Garden Sheds

8 March 2011 |

Building your own garden shed can be a good alternative to purchasing a ready made shed from the garden centre. Not only will you be able to save a great deal of money, but equally you can get pleasure from building up something very tangible with your own hands.

Before you even start the building project, a good thing would be to spend some time exploring what the different types of sheds are that you may install in your garden and which one would best suit your taste. Just use some existing versions on which to base your design, there are many freely available through the internet (just use a search engine to get more details). Next use your imagination to amend the design to your requirements and consider the cost of the available raw materials to make sure your design is not too costly.

Once you are done figuring out the basics of your shed, build up a plan for some important project milestones which should be arranged beforehand to avoid failures.

The first building milestone should be the actual location of the shed. You need to have quick access to any small or large piece of the equipment that you intend to store there without needing to walk long distances or be squeezing into the hard to reach places. The choice of flat and dry location is even more important in terms of ensuring that the materials that you use will not rot or otherwise deteriorate destroying the shed.

When the best possible location has been chosen, think of the base for your shed. If you believe the building will stay there for its lifetime, then a heavy concrete blocks foundation may be the best choice. Otherwise, if there is a chance of your needing to move it elsewhere, wooden struts might come in quite handy making the entire structure much more lightweight so it can me dismantled and relocated without causing any damage to your garden site or to the shed itself.

For a list of gardens sheds, please visit this site. You can also find out how to build a garden shed in seconds.

Gardening, How To Build a Raised Bed For Tomatoes and Vegetables

17 January 2011 |

For anyone with the space and climate (or large greenhouse), growing tomatoes in a raised bed is a great way to ensure that you can grow healthy tomato plants in a controlled area and in reasonable quantities. There are lots of ways to build a raised bed for tomatoes and vegetables and the video below describes many of most common methods with detailed instructions for how to build a raised bed using a basic timber structure.

Although, when gardening, how to build a raised bed should also consider what materials you already have available. For example, as I have a reasonable amount of timber on my land, I simply cut down a few appropriately sized logs i.e. around 6″(150mm) diameter and cut them to the required length. The recommended size when building a raised bed is 4′(1.2m) by 2′(0.6m), this will ensure that you can easily access the entire area of the raised bed without having to stand on the soil. So weeding, pest control and general maintenance can easily be carried out from the edges of the raised bed. It also makes it easier to stake your individual plants which should be spaced at least 12″(300mm) apart to ensure they have sufficient light and nutrients. 6 plants should fit comfortably in a raised bed of this size.

By using materials that were readily available to me I saved on the cost of purchasing timber from the local garden centre or DIY outlet. So it is always worth looking to see what you have available and if you have something suitable then why not use it? A raised bed made of wood does not have to be an exact science, as long as it is reasonably substantial and can take the weather for a few years it should be fine.

Surprising Vegetative Growth with Blue LED Grow Lights

10 December 2010 |

Every indoor grower will go through two phases in order to reap a bountiful harvest, vegetative and flowering cycles. Plants in vegetative growth cycles are mainly using wavelengths of light in the blue spectrum, specifically the 415nm-460nm range, while plants in the flowering cycles use the red spectrums of light. Spectrums of blue light can be found more prevalently in the spring months when plants are growing structure and leaves (vegetation). Lately, growers have been finding great success in the vegetative cycle of growth with all blue LED grow lights because they emit so much blue light and do not create extreme heat. Some all blue LED grow lights have multiple shades of blue LEDs to allow for a broader range of light absorption without wasting light on colors that are not needed for vegetative growing.
All blue LED grow lights have been shown to grow very dense vegetative growth and increases fruiting sites on most plants due to the density of growth. Another common result with all blue LED grow lights is a fast start to seedlings and clones and very productive mother plants.
As with any LED grow light caution is a must when deciding which light company to choose. Like other grow lights, all blue LED grow lights can range in quality and performance. Quality is the most important factor when buying LED grow lights due to the high upfront cost. Smart indoor growers will always try to recover their costs as soon as possible and if the light you purchase only works for a short time(less than 1 year) it will be almost impossible to recover your upfront costs. Always look for a supplier of LED grow lights that offers at least a 90 day guarantee and at least a 3 year warranty to ensure you will be satisfied with the results.
Remember, all blue LED grow lights are only good for vegetative growth and will not perform well during the flowering phase of growth. During flowering you will need to include red light to enhance and trigger dense flower production.

Raise Veggies All Year Round With A Propane Heater

4 November 2010 |

Home based gardeners fortunate to live under the frost line in Zone 10 plant, grow and harvest fresh veggies from completely uncovered, unprotected home gardens in every month of the year. They still refer to their crops as Summer season and Winter crops even though the coldest nights of the year generally stay above freezing.

Now, their Northern neighbors, as high as Zone 5, where Winter time temps can often plunge to -20F are reporting their impressive accomplishments raising fresh veggies year-round. Not surprisingly the expense of year round vegetable gardening in Minnesota or Maine can be prohibitive on a commercial scale, but the expense is also well within reach of the average homeowner who wants to cultivate just enough Winter vegetables for private and family consumption.

A compact, properly constructed garden greenhouse strategically placed to catch the heat of the wintertime sun can keep enough warmth in the dirt to keep plant temperatures above freezing during the long nights. The Coleman heater that you use for late Fall backpacking adventures could be fired up occasionally to help keep the vegetables warm and comfortable whenever clouds and snow keep the friendly rays of the sun hidden from view.

Numerous seed providers publish a fall/winter collection for those home gardeners who are eager to grow further than summertime. These types of catalogs include the cole crops (broccoli, kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, etc.), root crops, alliums (onions and garlic), Oriental vegetables, some lettuces, European greens, and green spinach that are suitable for chilly and cold weather gardening. The set of Winter vegetables is substantial and almost everybody can get one or more favorites they can look forward to savoring a few times a week right through to the Spring thaw.

Additional late Fall crops that can be harvested well into the cold weather include peas, cabbage, beets, salad greens, turnips, and collards. These kinds of vegetables do not have to take up greenhouse space because they will thrive quite nicely in the ground with only minimum precautions against an early hard frost. In most cases that means just not picking them until you are sure that all their interior water has completely thawed. Should you pick them when they are still frozen they will likely turn into mush before they can be used. Lettuce is particularly vulnerable to spoiling very quickly when picked frozen.

Warming a small garden greenhouse with a Coleman propane heater doesn’t have to be costly, nor does the heater have to operate all the time. A regular volume propane container will last for 25 hours of constant burn at medium to high heater settings. You will probably only use the very lowest settings and get many more hours of heat from one container. Winter plants do not need a constant natural environment of the same seventy-five degree temps which keep people comfortable.

The objective in heating the green house is simply to prevent extended time periods of freezing temperatures. The majority winter season vegetables are rather comfortable in 40 degree temps and kale in particular appears to actually benefit from snowman conditions. You can get additional efficiency out of your heating unit if rather than warming the air you concentrate the radiation directly on to a dark, dense object like a big rock or a pile of dirt. The rock will retain the heat and continue to discharge it back into the greenhouse for a few more hours time after you turn off the heater.

Cold frames, hoop structure and row covers can be employed in outside gardens to fend off the cold and to extend the season. You can minimize the need for a propane heater and other external heat source in the green house by using these same strategies inside. Such things as used milk jugs and jars can provide additional protection to baby plants if you expect an overnight dip down into the single digits.

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Tips On How To Prune An Apple Tree

25 October 2010 |

The process of pruning an apple tree starts early in the growth of the tree. It continues throughout its life until the death of the tree. For the tree to do its best and provide good fruit, yearly pruning is necessary. In nature, it is best for the tree to produce as many seeds as possible for reproduction. For people growing the fruit, this is not what is best. To get fewer and bigger more sought after fruits, pruning is key. With fewer branches, the plant can expend more energy into fewer fruits, thus making them bigger and better for consumption. This allows for more light and space between fruits. Part of pruning involves removing certain branches, and the other part is removing the fruits themselves from the apple tree by the process of thinning. Honeycrisp apple trees for sale are generally sold with initial pruning already finished.

When pruning branches on apple trees and honeycrisp apple trees, it is important to remove ones that are diseased or injured, cross each other, crowd each other, or are in the way. Removing branches when small is best, and pruning on a frequent basis is good. Using a sharp knife or pruning saw is best. By following these guidelines, large branches will not need to be removed often, but may still occur on occasion. For the main branches on the apple tree, it is best to keep the branches that are close to 90 degree angles from the trunk. Branches that are very upright have may have a tendency to split in storms or under the weight of the apples. It is best to pick your main branches when the tree is still young, as they can be trained more easily if needed and have more time to establish themselves.

If an apple tree has been neglected for a few years, more severe pruning may be required for the tree to be brought back to good condition. If you are inexperienced in pruning trees, you may want to hire a professional to do the work and give you more advice about the tree. If multiple trees need pruning this may be more worthwhile to hire someone, but it is up to the individual.

It is best to prune fruit trees in the early spring. Cut the branch parallel to the main branch or trunk and close so that no stump is left. This way healing will happen faster. Cuts need to be clean and smooth containing no splinters or splits. Branches on the tree should be uniform in distribution with branches that are easy to reach the apples from. Wound dressing is not essential to the tree. What counts the most is proper selection of branches and good cuts. Honeycrisp apple trees for sale are one of the most popular varieties sold today. Look for more articles to come about fruit trees in this series.

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