Kids in the Garden With No Muddy Shoes!!

By Rhonda Cossey

Anyone with kids and a garden knows that muddy shoes can wreak havoc everywhere. The way to eliminate this is to make your garden kid accessible, but parent controlled. Grow your vegetable crops in containers and see how much fun it is to teach the children where their vegetables and fruit come from. It is a great experience, and if successful may even get them to enjoy the foods that they have always turned their noses up at before!

Being naturally curious, kids have a tendency to ask a lot of questions. Letting them get their hands dirty makes learning more fun and the interactive method of teaching them how to grow plants can be as beneficial for you as it is for them. Gather up some containers, get you some good soil, and let the kids choose what plants they will want to help grow. You can always grow your own (since the kids will probably not choose the same as you would). Make sure that the plants or seeds that they choose can be successfully grown in a container. You might direct them to tomatoes, cucumbers, and green beans since these are some of the best container vegetables. But if they insist on some exotic, unknown species let them try it. You might just find something new to serve for dinner! Almost anything is growable in containers that you can grow in the garden, just make sure you have the room and the conditions that the plants like. All garden plants need sun, so a sunny spot on your deck or patio can be the exact place you need to grow your garden.

Keeping it clean is a primary concern, so locate your plants on concrete, even along the edge of a driveway is acceptable if you do not have a deck or patio. Close to the house means that it will be easily accessible for a quick kid update or to keep an eye on maintenance and watering. Don't expect the kids remember to do this, since kids will lose interest from time to time, but make sure they are involved with the planting and any maintenance you deem necessary, and they will become excited again when the plants start producing flowers and vegetables.

Having the experience of growing their own food is one of the greatest opportunities for children to learn about nature and how things in nature work. It is also one of the best ways of learning things about your kids that you might not have known. The connection made during gardening, the mutual learning between teacher and pupil, and the opportunity to have kids in the garden with no muddy shoes is an important and unforgettable experience in the growth of a family.

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Tomato Container Gardens

Tomato container gardens are an alternative to a traditional tomato garden. Tomatoes are one of the most popular vegetables, well in this case fruits, of people around the world. They can be used in so many ways, in a salad or to make a sauce for pasta and a myriad of other ways in your culinary pursuits. Sadly in some places tomatoes are being priced at three dollars per pound or more. Fortunately, everyone can grow their own tomatoes, even people that live in apartments. The answer is to grow a tomato container garden. You can grow them on a patio or balcony or in a bright sunny room in your home.

The number one essential is sun. Tomatoes require a lot of light and will not thrive without out it. The materials you will need to gather for your tomato container garden are simple. You will need containers that are about five gallons in size. Only plant one tomato plant per pot. You will need soil, tomato seedlings and stakes or a wire cage to hold the plant upright. String, or products called twist-tie or sturdy-tie will be needed to tie the plant to the stakes or cages. You will need a plastic tray for drainage; good drainage is essential to the health of your tomato container garden. Last need on the list is fertilizer.

There are some species of tomatoes that will do better in your tomato container garden. The bush varieties of tomatoes work well in containers and are popular with container gardeners. Cherry tomatoes and Christmas Grape tomatoes work well also because of their size and many gardeners grow them when space is limited. Other varieties that will flourish in a tomato container garden are Celebrity, Early Girl, and Sweet 100's. It really depends on which variety you want to grow and for what purposes. If you will be growing them mainly for salads the cherry varieties are the way to go.

As mentioned before, sunlight is a requirement in order to grow your tomato container garden. Scout out the area you are planning to use for your tomatoes. The spot for your tomato container garden must get at least four to six hours of sunlight. The more light the better since the sun promotes healthy, steady growth. The two most important elements for success in tomato container gardening is sunlight and water.

By growing your own tomato container garden you will know that there were no pesticides used on your plants. With all the controversy going on about pesticides knowing that yours is pesticide free is an advantage for you and your family. Here is a good natural pest deterrent:
In a jar, combine 1 teaspoon dishwashing liquid and 1 cup vegetable oil. Shake vigorously. In an empty spray bottle, combine 2 teaspoons of this mixture and 1 cup water. Use at ten-day intervals (or more often if needed) to rid plants of whiteflies, mites, aphids, scales, and other pests.

Other pluses to this type of garden is you no longer will be paying high prices for tomatoes, your containers won't take up much space and one plant usually yields enough tomatoes to feed your family. The cost of a tomato container garden is minimal and the feeling of accomplishment is great. So why are you waiting to plant your tomatoes? It's time to choose the variety of tomato you want to grow, pick up some containers and start your tomato container gardens today.
Happy Container Gardening!

Copyright © Mary Hanna, All Rights Reserved.

This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.

Mary Hanna is an aspiring herbalist who lives in Central Florida. This allows her to grow gardens inside and outside year round. She has published other articles on Cruising, Gardening and Cooking.

Visit her websites at Gardening Landscaping Tips
Gardening Outside and Indoor Herb Garden

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Guide To Container Gardening

By Janet Combs

If you love to garden, but have a limited amount of space, don't worry. Lack of space need not put gardening out of your reach. Even if your space is limited to say a balcony, patio, deck, or even just a sunny window, you can use container gardening to grow virtually anything you desire. Container gardening can not only bring you joy from flower gardening but, herbs and vegetables as well. So, are you ready to start container gardening yourself ?

Nowadays, however even apartment dwellers can grow their dream garden with little or no fuss. Your dream of growing beautiful flowers, herbs and even fresh vegetables can be fulfilled through container gardening. It is exactly as it sounds. Using containers (Baskets, pots, etc.), to grow your garden.

Container gardening allows the delights of landscaping without the weekly mowing, weeding, and other chores. You can raise perennials, annuals, and even small shrubs and trees.
Container gardening isn't "chore free". Even though the space is smaller container gardening does requires proper planning much like traditional gardening.

Part of your planning is to determine your USDA zone (this will help to identify the suitable plant variety of your zone), amount of daylight your apartment receives and where in your apartment is the best location for your particular variety, and finally to choose your plant variety.
If you are planning a window box garden or a balcony garden you can probably get your plants from the nearest nursery. However, for indoor container gardening, I would advise finding the nearest greenhouse. In temperatures below 45 degrees F or in high winds you should keep the tender plants of container gardening inside. There is a false notion that plants sprouted in the ground won't grow in containers. This isn't so.

Moreover, any container with holes for drainage can be used. Container gardening requires a small investment to start. But it is low maintenance and can produce good results. There are numerous vegetable varieties that do very well in containers. By using a good quality potting soil many vegetable plants require only sufficient sunlight and water. By providing only these two things you can easily grow your own fresh vegetables for your ratatouille or salad.

Don't despair if you don't have a balcony or deck. Chances are you can get permission from your landlord to install window boxes. It's very common to grow blooming annuals year-round as well as a number of varieties of vegetables in your sunny window. And, you can continue your container gardening through the Autumn by selecting hardy plants that can withstand the frost.

Some common plant varieties that stand up well to the frost are Eulalia grasses, Mexican feather grass, Cornflowers, Lavender cottons, Jasmine, Million bells, Stonecrops, etc.

In order to extend the life of your garden from early spring to fall, you can replant to match the conditions. You can contact some of America's best gardeners online to get advice for your container gardening. They offer suggestions such as caring for particular plants, choosing the right containers, and how to grow tips for succulents, and even roses, and bulbs, in containers.

Get your free copy of Container Gardening Secrets. In our special free report we share the best kinds of containers to use, the ultimate potting mixes for huge harvests, how to make your own self-watering container, which pots never to buy, and much more!

http://www.verticalgardeningsecrets.com/freereport.html

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