Home and Family idea

In seed selection the entire plant is to be considered. Is it sturdy, strong, well shaped and symmetrical; does it have a goodly number of fine blossoms? These are questions to ask in seed selection.

In seed selection size is another point to hold in mind. Now we know no way of telling anything about the plants from which this special collection of seeds came. So we must give our entire thought to the seeds themselves. It is quite evident that there is some choice; some are much larger than the others; some far plumper, too. By all means choose the largest and fullest seed. The reason is this: When you break open a bean and this is very evident, too, in the peanut you see what appears to be a little plant. So it is. Under just the right conditions for development this ‘little chap’ grows into the bean plant you know so well.

There is often another trouble in seeds that we buy. The trouble is impurity. Seeds are sometimes mixed with other seeds so like them in appearance that it is impossible to detect the fraud. Pretty poor business, is it not? The seeds may be unclean. Bits of foreign matter in with large seed are very easy to discover. One can merely pick the seed over and make it clean. By clean is meant freedom from foreign matter. But if small seed are unclean, it is very difficult, well nigh impossible, to make them clean.

Small seeds that germinate at fifty per cent may be used, but this is too low of a per cent for the large seed. So suppose we test beans. The percentage is seventy. If low-vitality seeds were planted, we could not be absolutely certain of the seventy per cent coming up. But if the seeds are lettuce go ahead with the planting.

Fighting Plant Enemies

Two devices and implements that are used for fighting plant enemies are: (First) those used to afford mechanical protection to the plants; (second) those used to apply insecticides and fungicides.

For applying poison powders, the home gardener should supply himself with a powder gun. If one must be restricted to a single implement, however, it will be best to get one of the hand-power, compressed-air sprayers. These are used for applying wet sprays, and should be supplied with one of the several forms of mist-making nozzles, the non-clog gable automatic type being the best. For more extensive work a barrel pump, mounted on wheels, will be desirable, but one of the above will do a great deal of work in little time. Extension rods for use in spraying trees and vines may be obtained for either. For operations on a very small scale a good hand-syringe may be used, but as a general thing it will be best to invest a few dollars more and get a small tank sprayer, as this throws a continuous stream or spray and holds a much larger amount of the spraying solution. Whatever type is procured, get a brass machine it will out-wear three or four of those made of cheaper metal, which succumbs very quickly to the, corroding action of the strong poisons and chemicals used in them.

Another class of garden implements are those used in pruning but where this is attended to properly from the start, a good sharp jack-knife and a pair of pruning shears will easily handle all the work of the kind necessary.

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Home, decoration and furniture

Marjoram, This herb make one of the prettiest little hanging basket plants one could have. The tiny oval shaped leaves grow on fleshly steams that get woody with age, and indoors the plant forms a nice drooping mound of gray-green foliage. A two of three inch pot is usually large enough for an indoor plant. These plants should be snipped often to keep the steams from getting leggy.

The botanical name of sweet Marjoram, as it is most often called, is Origanum Majorana. The plant is very fragrant and has many uses in the kitchen. It is native to the Mediterranean and was named Marjoram, which means “joy of the mountains,” by the Greeks.

Marjoram prefers a sunny location that is warm. The soil mixture should contain equal parts sand, oil, and peat moss, with one tablespoon of lime and a half-cup of small gravel added to each quart of the mixture. New plants can be started from seed or from cuttings.

Keep the soil mixture just barely moist and wash the leaves monthly with a solution of one tablespoon mild dishwashing detergent to one pint of warm water. I kept two plants last winter in a south window and they were always a source of beauty as well as sweet aroma.

Marjoram is an annual plant that will not survive winters in climates where the ground freezes. If it is grown strickly indoors in pots, a plant will last for several years and new plants are easy to acquire by rooting cuttings. The seeds take three to four weeks to germinate and for that reason, i find it best to take cuttings from plants in the summer to develop for pot growth in winter.

Oregano

Oregano is really wild Marjoram and requires the same care and potting mix. The leaves of Oregano are oval shaped and about one inch long. If pinched at the top, it will make a nice bushy compact plant. The leaves are green and somewhat hairy and grow on stems that can be as tall as two feet. Indoors, the plants are usually cultivated to about ten inches.

This plant will tend to grow in a mound indoors, but ourdoors it grows more upright and is something mistaken for a mint. The botanical name of Oregano is Origanum Vulgare. The herb has many of the same uses as Marjoram and one is often substituted for the other. It is used particularly in dishes of Italian, Mexican and Spanish origin.

Oregano is a perennial plant and can be cultivated ourdoors through the winter. New plants can be raised from seed that germinate in about one month. A plant can also be multiplied by cuttings or dividing. The roof system has a tendency to run and will spread easily when it is well-established.

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Home and Family Tips

Vines for ShadeQ= I live in upper  Tennessee where our house is situated on a wooded lot. I would like to find a few varieties of native vines that will bloom on trellises in dappled shade. Any suggestions?A= For fall color, climbing aster (aster carolinianus) is a striking native plant. Several native Clematis, including Clematis virginiana, and virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), are also lovely. Although not native other vines you might consider include fivelea akebia (Akebia quinata) climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris), and kiwi (Actinidia spp.). Many vines planted in the shade will bloom with flowers facing the sunniest side. Plant in a spot where the vine will get the least sun, and it will grow naturally across the trellises to the sunlight.Flower for Trouble SpotsQ= I have a problem area where I am unable to grow many flowers. It`s 18×2 feet, with enclosed porch on one side and a walkway to the backyard on the other. It receives morning sun. The only things growing there are bleeding hearts, columbine, morning glory, Cosmos, and marigolds. I`d appreciate any suggestions on flowers to put in this area.A= Long, narrow areaa next to a house and walkways often suffer from poor drainage and compacted soil. First prepare the soil by adding lots of organic matter. Widen the path with flagstones or brick, giving the path well-defined edges. Then plant low-growing perennials such as Campanula carpatica `blue chips,` Vinca, and Aster alpinus or Aster x frikartii `Monch.` Experiment with annuals that prefer sun or partial shade: Salvia, Nicotiana (especially the domino series), and Zinnia angustifolia. Plant ground covers in the gaps or fill in with tall pots where they can be enjoyed from the porch.

Green Grass and Pets
I have a beautiful lawn-and golden retriever. How can I minimize grass damage caused by dog urine?
Beautiful green grass and canines need not be mutually exclusive; just give your dog seperate space for play. Treat brown spots caused by dog urine with a sprinkling of garden lime. It neutralizes the uric acid and greens up affected areas if the grass can be revived. To discourage neighborhood dogs from marking your lawn, try one of the repellent products available at garden centers. Mothballs also repel cats and dogs.

Fall Rose Care
How should I put my roses to bed for the winter?
Continue to water your roses until the first hard frost. Clean up and carefully discard aby debris -leaves, branches, and flower petals- from around rosebushes to prevent diseases and pests. Then apply fungicide to dispel any lingering blackspot or mildew spores. For climbing roses, take down the canes and lay them in shallow trenches or pin them to the ground in preparation for mulching.

Move potted roses into an unheated garage or basement for the winter. Gather lightweight mulching materials, such as shredded bark, straw, or evergreen boughs and once the ground has frozen, apply 2 to 3 inches around the roots of the rosebush. Protect the crown by heaping soil over the area where the two parts of the plant have been grafted together.

Basil is more often referred to as sweet basil for its fragrant leaves that are used for flavoring. The Italians use this herb extensively in tomato dishes and are given credit for its continuing popularity for culinary uses. The botanical name for Sweet Basil is Ocimum Basilicum and it is referred to by many people, who practise herb cookery, ad common basil.

This is supposedly the best variety for culinary use. It has light green leaves that sometimes have a purple leaves tinge on the underside. The leaves are oval shaped and toothed on the edge. Another variety has curly, and still another has purple leaves with slight coppery tint to them.

These plants generally grow to two feet in height in the garden, but indoors, by pinching, they can be maintened at about eight inches. They are grown quite easily from seed that germinate in about ten days. Basil is annual herb and will not winter outside in areas that are not frost-free.

The plant prefers a sunny location with a soil mixture containing equal parts sand, soil and peat moss. Add one-half cup of dried cow manure to this soil mixture and forget further feeding. Keep the soil mixture just barely moist and pinch the tops frequently to encourage a compact growth habit as well as prevent the plant from flowering. As with Parsley herb, flowering causes the leaves to lose their best flavouring qualities.

The variety of scented greaniums are almost as plentiful as our garden or pot flowering varieties. They come with many leaf shapes, scents, and growth habits.  The most popular scented geraniums is probably the rose scented variety, known botanically as Pelargonium Graveolens. It has finely cut foliage that is a soft green in color and has a gentle old rose fragrance. This is the old-fashioned variety of the rose scented type and is, in my estimation, the best.

There are other rose-scented varieties, that are interesting, with fragrances that are different but still delightful. Park`s Seed Company list four rose scented varieties: mint-rose, camphor rose, capitatum and graveolens. Besides having these refreshing scents, these plants have blossoms. They are not as showy as the other geraniums, but they are pretty and most are delicate, with colors of white-lavender and rose-pink.

The growth habits of Graveolens is upright and they will grow to three or four feet in a clay pot. They can be maintaned at ten inches with occasional prunings. The mint-rose variety has a trailing growth habit and would be a nice hanging basket subject.

Although i do love the smell roses, my favourite variety of scented geranium is Pelargonium Crispum, which smells deliciously of lemon. It has crinkly little leaves on stalks that grow to three feet outside, but inside they do well at a height of about eight inches. My two plants of this variety always look a little upset because I cannot resist pinching off little pieces to smell. After I have cleaned a stalk with this little habit, I break it back to about half its length and new little shoots continue to produce on the sides.

Other variety of geraniums smell of apples, the variegated variety of crispum smells of peaches, and one variety scabrum smells of apricots. Another plant that is a good hanging basket, Grossularioides, smells of coconut. I also like the variety fragrans that smells like nutmeg. It has small, rounding leaves that are grey-green color. The lime-scented variety probably has the showiest blossoms. They are prolific bloomers and the lavender flowers are very pretty againts the plants light green ruffly foliage.

Could your home do with a little more garden landscaping? Probably so, and that is a good thing. In fact you should be very excited about it because there is nothing more fun than garden landscaping, it will get your imagination working overtime and you will have a ball planting and rearranging your plants and flowers.

By layering your garden landscaping beds you will be able to add a whole other level of beauty to your landscaping design. Your yard is the first thing that people will see when they come to your house and giving a grand tour that includes a fabulous garden is always fun and exciting. You will be the talk of the neighborhood, and for all the right reasons this time, when you do some really good garden landscaping.

Layering your garden landscaping design is easy to do. You need to know the flowers that you are going to plant first however. The choices that you make as far as the flowers and other plants will affect just how your garden landscaping is laid out. For example you do not want to have the taller plants in front of the shorter ones. This is obvious but you should still make a rough sketch of where you want things laud out for your garden landscaping before you begin. This will help you to keep thins as simple as possible. Your garden landscaping will go a lot faster this way and you will run into fewer problems as you go.

When layering you should have about three layers. Your back row should face north, if it can, and the back row should have the tallest plants and as the rows descend so should the heights of the plants and flowers. The trick of this kind of garden landscaping is that oftentimes the plants we buy are baby plants. So you will need to talk to those working at your local gardening store about how large the plants will grow to be. This is key to successful garden landscaping. If the front or middle row of your garden landscaping design is going to grow much higher than the last row, then you will have to do some rearranging.

The layering affect of your garden landscaping design will add depth and make your garden much more interesting to look at. This is what will make your garden landscaping a success.

You`ve finally decided to just say no to wax -and pestide- embalmed grocery store produce and grow your own vegetables. Now is the time to gather information, assemble and clean your gardening tools, and decide what you want to plant. With forethhought, even the smallest spot of land can produce an abundant harvest.

Gardening methods

The first step is to assess your available space. Whatever spot you choose should receive at least 6 to 8 hours of sunlight per day. If you don`t have a backyard but do have a small terrace or patio, consider container gardening, a popular choice for small-space gardeners. Almost any containers will do, from large pots and barrels to coffeecans or milk cartons. Snow peas grow well in hanging baskets and strawberry pots are perfect for raising herbs.

Vertical vegetable gardening, a relatively recent phenomenon, allows space-hungry gardeners to take advantages of walls and other vertical space. A “vegetable tree” can be built by attaching a half-circle of chicken wire or concrete reinforcing wire, lined with black plastic, all along a 3-foot-long 2”x12” board (the pieces of chicken wire and plastic should be about 20 inches wide and the length of the board). Fill the resulting half-cylinder with planting mix, then slit the plastic at intervals and insert vegetable seedlings. As they grow, the seedlings will turn the “tree” into a coloumn of greenery.

Raised beds, which should be at least 12 inches deep, work well on patios or over especially poor soil. Railroad ties are ideal for enclosing the gardening area, but you can also use stones or bricks. Maintenance is especially easy with this method, because if the beds are placed away from walls, all plantings are within reach of one of the sides.

Space planning and vegetable selection

Once you`ve selected a gardening method, it`s time to plan what you`re going to plant where. Use graph paper to draw out what you want the garden to look like, keeping it simple if you`re a beginner. A rule of thumb is one square for every foot of gardening space.

Some vegetable grow especially well next to each other, offering shade or discouraging insects. Beans do well with corn, parsley with onions, and radhises with anything. Place quickly maturing vegetables together to better facilitate crop rotation. You should also be aware of the nutrient demands vegetables make on the soil. Some plants -artichokes and celery, for example- are heavy feeders and will deplete the soil, while others, namely beans and peas, enhance it. Placing plants with similar nutrient needs together makes fertilizing easier.

Soil

Container gardeners can buy soilless potting mix or mix their own growing elements. If you are working in your backyard, however, you`ll probably have to do some soil amendment; few soils are naturally ready to grow vegetables.

There are three basic kinds of soil; clay, sand and loam. Silt is an intermediate category between clay and sand. Clay is made up of small, flat particles packed very tightly together. It is slow to drain, and tends to prevent air penetration. Sand has much larger particles that allow water and ait to pass through easily -often too easily, leaching nutrients away.

Silt particles are larger than clay and smaller than sand. They tend to pack closely together like clay and usually lack nutrients. Loam, a mixture of clay, silt, sand and humus, allows air to circulate and drains well, yet not so quickly that it depletes nutrients supplies. Your soil is probably a mixture of these elements, leaning either toward clay or sand.

To make your soil nourishing, it is important to add organic matter -compost, peat moss, manure, sawdust or bark. Test the soil`s pH while you are still planning your garden; its acidity or alkalinity will make a different in how your plants grow. Home test kits are relatively accurate. Professional labs can be located through nurseries, but their tests can be costly. Some college agriculture programs offer testing for a small fee.