Don Lewis’ Garden Guide

If you live in an area that is slightly parched of water, you know better than anyone that one of the things that decides whether a tree survives or not is your ability to supply it with sufficient water. Unfortunately, many people don’t take this in to account when buying a tree. They will just go for the nicest looking tree, and then wish they could give it more water. If you do a little planning before you rush out and buy a tree, you should be able to find trees that can survive on lower amounts of water.

Usually the most adaptable plants are the ones that are indigenous anyways. If you live in a zone that is suffering a water crisis, usually the only plants that survive are the ones that have been there all along. This is because they are used to the conditions and know how to survive. Just take a drive through the undeveloped regions of your city, and look at what trees are green. Find out their names, and buy them. They might not be the most attractive trees, but you rarely have to make any modifications to your soil to get them to grow. Continue Reading »

Many gardeners live in areas where almost anything can grow effortlessly. Just plant the seeds and water it for a few weeks, and you’ve got a beautifully lush plant. But if you live in somewhere like Colorado, you’ll understand what its like to have a slim selection of plants that naturally grow. It can be quite a challenge to facilitate the growth of a large variety of plants, especially when the very world you live in seems to be rooting against you.

Some people solve this problem by loading up their plants with every type of chemical and fertilizer known to man. This usually works, but to me it seems kind of unnatural to rely on man made materials to keep your plants alive. Also, if I’m growing fruits or vegetables, I don’t feel very comfortable eating something that is entirely composed of chemicals. Continue Reading »

Watching “Little House on the Prairie” gave us a sense of what life use to be like a long time ago when there was no grocery store to stop in at on your way home from work in the evening.

We would see Charles breaking the soil with a plow and his team of horses and almost fall asleep while eating his dinner.

Working hard to produce their food was necessary. If they didn’t work to produce their own garden they may not have enough food to get them through for the winter. Continue Reading »

When gardening, you need to use the right tools in order to make your garden grow. The more tools you use the quicker and easier your fruits, vegetables, and flowers are to
grow.

Gardening takes a lot of time and effort to make a garden grow to its maximum potential. It takes a lot of time and dedication to grow a seed into a plant that produces flowers or vegetables.

There needs to be caution taken when determining where you want to start your garden. You will also need to consider the depth of the soil that each plant will need. Continue Reading »

When you have decided on which kind of fruit tree you would like, and where you would like it, you can finally start to plant it. If you buy your tree from a nursery, be especially careful when you are taking it from the nursery to your house. I once had a friend who put the tree in the back of his truck, but clipped a sign on the way home. The entire tree snapped in half, and my friend was left a very sad man.

When you have gotten your tree safely back to your yard, look at the bottom of it and see how big the clump of roots is. It may seem like a lot of work now, but you want to dig a hole that is twice as wide as the clump, and just a little less deep. Making the hole slightly bigger than the clump of roots allows there to be room for the soil that you dug out to be put back in. Otherwise you would be stuck with a giant heap of unwanted dirt, and nowhere to put it. After you have dug the hole, line the hole with some compost or fertilizer so that the tree will grow better. After you have done this you should set your fruit tree into the hole, and spread the roots out evenly so that the tree will be strong and stable. Continue Reading »

There are several ways people grow their own gardens but the one that is becoming more popular is called organic gardening.

Organic gardening is gardening naturally, without the help of commercial fertilizers and other chemicals that are used to help produce grow bigger faster. Growing fruits, vegetables and herbs naturally may take some time but it can be done.

When growing organic fruits and vegetables you may enjoy need to be patient and creative but you can grow all your fruits, vegetables and herbs organically. Continue Reading »

If you maintain any pitted fruit trees such as plums, peaches, or cherries, I’m sure you know that those types of trees are much more susceptible to diseases than any other type. While the fruits are delicious, it can be rather hard to live with all of the maladies that can plague the life of everyone who has ever grown one of those types of fruit trees.

The main disease that you will hear about the most is known as “Brown Rot”. This is a fungus that attaches to many of the leftover fruits after the picking season is over. Not only does it look disgusting on the leftover fruits, but it also can come back on the newer fruits, rendering them inedible (unless you enjoy eating fungus). To prevent this malady, you should prune your trees often to encourage good air circulation. Buildups of moisture are the main cause of the brown rot. Also when you are done picking for the season, you should get rid of all of the leftover fruits in the tree or on the ground. Continue Reading »

When it comes to gift giving nothing is more valuable than a gift that can be enjoyed for years to come and supplies satisfaction with every bite.

Gardening gifts are very popular and they are less expensive than buying something for someone that they probably would not use.

When you give gardening gifts you can personalize that gift to suit the interest of the one receiving the gift.

For example, if someone enjoys cooking and eating Italian dishes, you may want to give them an indoor herb garden that features herbs such as oregano, basil, and cilantro. Continue Reading »

When you find a hobby that interest you it can be a way to relieve stress or to get away a little while from your troubles.

Hobbies can build self esteem and give you something that you can accomplish on your own and for yourself. Gardening is also considered a hobby for some.

There are several reasons why gardening can help you relax. Usually you feel better if you can separate yourself from a stressful situation and that can be accomplished by doing something that you like. Continue Reading »

Sometimes you may not have access to a wide open field to plant a garden in but you still want to enjoy gardening and eating fresh fruits and vegetables.

Growing a garden inside can allow you to produce fresh fruits and vegetables any time of year because you can control the climate that the plants need to grow.

There are several different ways to grow fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs inside.

You may want to use pots to grow your garden, a flower bed outside of your window or your front porch or you may be able to find a mini greenhouse that you can set up on your front porch or in your front room that faces the sun so that your plants will grow in a warm and well lit environment. Continue Reading »