Raised Garden Beds for Easy Maintenance

Raised garden beds add new measures to the experience of gardening. Garden beds that we raise above the ground give the gardener with just a balcony a place to grow flowers or a vegetable garden. They are perfect for the disabled gardener, those suffering from arthritis, and the elderly as they can be elevated to a suitable level so that bending over and kneeling will not be necessary.

Urban gardening is now very popular these days because of food safety awareness, our financial economy, and because we want to be eco-friendly. Just because you only have a garden area that is very small does not mean you cannot use some small raised garden beds on a patio, deck, or back porch for some herbs, vegetables, flowers, or ornamental plants to enjoy.

Elevated garden beds are a good solution for plant drainage and compacting of the soil; plants will grow much better because of these facts. Raised beds will warm up faster in the springtime and continue to stay warm longer in the fall which means you can have a longer growing season. Because these beds are sitting above the ground it permits the air to circulate around the containers and allows the sun to warm them up quicker. This will allot for earlier planting and quicker germination especially in the colder climate areas.

Some of the other benefits of raised beds are: reachable - less bending and stretching gives the gardener easy access and makes maintaining and harvesting less of a task to perform; drainage - because the soil is above the ground it will not become compacted during heavy rains and will drain properly in preventing water-soaked soil; soil content - the soil that is generally used is mostly manure, compost and soil mixtures instead of ground soil; appearance - raised beds generally make very decorative gardens because the gardener enjoys maintaining them.

When gardening in these beds only means you are growing your flowers and vegetables above the ground. You can create your own by building a wooden structure with drainage holes in the bottom and fill it with your favorite organic soil mixture. Concrete blocks, bricks, or just about any material strong enough to hold the garden bed and raise it above the ground can be used. Your limitations will go as far as your imagination takes you and the area of space you have to work the garden. There are raised garden bed kits available for purchase at some nurseries, home and garden centers, or on-line.

Companion planting is something to consider when planting in your raised vegetable garden beds. Companion herbs and companion vegetables help in the control of insects and will improve the health of the garden. For instance some companion plants for your tomatoes are onions, carrots, and parsley while cabbage and cauliflower need to be kept away. Be sure to rotate your vegetables every year, if you planted tomatoes in the green bed last year plant them into the red bed this year. This type of planting will discourage insects and specific vegetable pathogens that can stay in the soil over winter and planting that same crop in that bed will infect the crop.

You will have fewer problems with pests gardening in raised garden beds. If you have had previous problems with burrowing rodents, a lining of chicken wire in the bottom of each will eliminate them. Weed control is much easier handle because you can walk around a raised bed without having to bend over to pull out, if you have any weeds at all. These beds do not need the usual distance between each row because you are not going to walk in the bed to cultivate or harvest. Vegetables can be spaced far enough apart to be able to avoid crowding but be close enough to shade out any weeds.

Once you have worked with raised garden beds for any of your gardening whether it is a flower garden, herb garden, or vegetable garden, you may not want to have an in-ground garden again because of how easy they are for cutting, maintaining, and harvesting. Your entire family will enjoy having some garden beds that are raised above the ground including your children.

Barbara has a number of garden beds in the garden that have been raised and has found that the vegetables thrive much better. Please check out her website Gardeners Garden Supplies for more articles regarding the garden and some accessories that are needed to keep it going.

Choosing Garden Furniture

No matter how pleasant a garden is, it is not being enjoyed to its full extent if there is no where for visitors to sit and admire the beauty of the garden. Luckily, few gardeners are willing to sacrifice design for comfort and with the wide choice of garden furniture available today, it is rare to find gardens bereft of furniture. Garden furniture will if anything look great with just about any style of garden.

Indeed, many gardens will provide several different items of furniture so that people have the flexibility to enjoy the garden from a variety of positions. So how does the gardener decide which of these many types of furniture you should be added and to which parts of the garden ? Firstly, they should decide how the garden will be used - formally or informally. Some people entertain a great deal and would use their patios or decks as an extra room for entertaining, while others just want to enjoy the peace and quiet of their gardens. Alternatively the garden may double up as an play area for excitable children.

In order to entertain properly, guest should not be crowded and so plenty of seating is required. If you entertain frequently, you should consider garden benches and deck chairs for more flexibility. Also should you be lucky enough with the climate to serve meals to your guests without leaving your beautiful gardens, then consider a large garden table and chairs so that you have plenty of room. Additionally you will probably need a decent parasol to your garden table so that you can entertain with protection from the sun (or rain).

Protection from the sun is something the gardener should be conscious of and what better way to relax in your garden, than to add a hammock to a shady area in the garden. Remember, that you do not necessarily need to obliging trees as you can fasten the hammock to two four by four posts that are cemented into the ground or you could purchase a hammock stand.

Some people prefer to just soak up the sun and for those people the ideal items of furniture are sun loungers on your patio or deck.

Indeed, a patio or deck doesn't look finished if it is bare of furniture. A patio is complemented well by either wooden, plastic or metal patio furniture. There should have no problems locating the right pieces for your garden patio and be sure to consider a patio heater. A heater can extend your use of the garden both daily and seasonly.

Finally, as you wander through the garden beds, you will find that there are certain places that are ideal to linger in and ponder. These places are ideal spots for benches or a couple of chairs and a side table. You also may want to add a decorative garden bench to any area in your garden that is a bit bland or in need of a focal point.

Matthew Anthony has contributed to several garden related sites including garden furniture and hammocks.

Budget For Your Garden

Have you ever thought about how much it costs to maintain your garden? Most people never give it much thought - spending the odd day in the garden when they have time and impulse buying plants at the local nursery.

But if you're serious about saving money and adding value to one of you're most important assets it's worth thinking about the ongoing costs associated with garden maintenance and how this can be minimized. It's also worth spending time and money on your garden so your asset appreciates rather than depreciates.

For the average size garden you should budget on one full day of maintenance every two months. That's a total of 6 full days a year. Now if you like gardening, that's not a problem and it's probably something you enjoy and get a lot of satisfaction from.

But with today's busy lifestyles, many of us are time poor and might have other priorities than spending time in the garden. So if you can't make the regular commitment of a day every two months you need to allow for this in your budget.

Costs vary, but on average you would pay $20 an hour for a qualified gardener or horticulturist, so this will cost you $160 every two months or $960 a year. Now this is just for general maintenance and doesn't include more regular jobs such as mowing or pruning. It also doesn't include costs such as fertilizing or adding to or improving your garden.

Some of the larger companies have recognized this opportunity and are now providing

professional garden maintenance services.

Darrell Canns, General Manager for Yates Garden Care says the market is huge and the garden maintenance business is 10 years behind the franchised lawn mowing industry.

Yates are now entering the market with a full range of professional services including basic lawn mowing, weeding, pruning and fertilizing, small landscaping jobs and tree surgery work.

They are developing a professional horticultural franchise to help put people in the industry. To make money a franchise owner will need to meet professional standards set by Yates, undergo training by the company and use the Yates brand name.

The service has already been successfully established in the eastern states and is being launched in Western Australia soon. Each franchisee will have about 30 or 40 regular customers.

The cost to garden owners is varied and depends on the size of the garden and the time of year. Darrell Canns says this may vary from $50 or $60 a month to $300 a week.

He believes the difference with other operators is that their people are qualified and the work is guaranteed. He also says they will quote on the total job rather than offer an hourly rate. An example of a fixed price for a specialized service is $400 to redig a garden bed, weed it, fertilize, replant and mulch.

There's an increasing pride in gardens and for people who don't have a lot of time this is a service that's appealing because you know what you get and you know how much it will cost.

Mr Canns believes consumers trust the Yates brand and the company has the ongoing expertise in gardening and horticulture.

The company is also working on a garden valuation service, where Yates will give a written valuation of the replacement cost of the garden and an ongoing maintenance cost. Canns says this will be used by real estate agents to compare properties and provide a tangible and independent figure on what a garden is worth.

So in terms of advice what should one do? Here are eight tips:

1. Budget to maintain your garden. Most people underestimate the value of their garden and many people make costly mistakes by neglecting their garden. Plants and trees may die through lack of water, putting in bad stock, not planting properly, and incorrect fertilizing or pruning. Compared to the value of the plants, the maintenance cost is small.

2. Think about the big picture of your garden. What do you want your garden to look like and what sort of theme.

3. Keep your garden simple. Often simple themes work best and feel more spacious. Set one theme and stick to it. Differentiate between decorative elements. Do they relate to the theme of the garden?

4. Avoid too much maintenance. Low maintenance gardens will cost less over the long term. Think about how much time and money you want to put into your garden in terms of maintenance.

5. Understand what you want. For example a garden for a holiday house would be totally different for your normal home.

6. Plan your garden. Work out what works best for different areas. For example shade versus sun and the purpose for which the garden will be used.

7. Avoid big trees in small spaces. Many people put in totally inappropriate trees and plants in areas that are just too small and at a later date it is very expensive to remove those trees.

8. Avoid buying plants on impulse. Roses are often the worst for this. They look great in the nursery in full bloom but can be a disaster. Plan before you buy.

Thomas Murrell MBA CSP is an international business speaker, consultant and award-winning broadcaster. Media Motivators is his regular electronic magazine read by 7,000 professionals in 15 different countries.

You can subscribe by visiting http://www.8mmedia.com. Thomas can be contacted directly at +6189388 6888 and is available to speak to your conference, seminar or event. Visit Tom's blog at http://www.8mmedia.blogspot.com.

Avoid Common Gardening Errors

Gardening errors are common even amongst the prolific gardeners. Once into a certain habit it's a bit hard to break that habit. But you can avoid certain common gardening errors with this handy list.

Wrong Type of Plant For Your Area

There are plants for almost all climates including cooler climates. Some plants are more likely to grow in areas than other plants. Choosing the right plant for your area can be tough. But knowing your area's climate can help.

Ask your local agricultural department for a list of common native plants for your area. You could also ask a local greenhouse or plant nursery for a list too.

Planting Too Early

Sometimes in early spring, the weather might turn warm. This gives gardeners a sense of hope for the start of the gardening season. But this sense of hope can lead to disaster. Some plants do tolerate some cooler weather but some, such as vegetables and some flowers do not tolerate the cooler weather. The cooler weather can severerly limit production and may even outright kill the plant.

Be careful and know what your gardening zone is. Know the last frost and freeze dates of your area. Most departments of agriculture and local greenhouses know these dates and would be more than happy to relay this information on to you if you ask.

Watering: Too Much or Too Little

Watering is a very important chore in the garden. Plants need the water to survive. Too little water and the garden won't grow.

For most plants, you need about an inch of water a week. Some plants need more, some need less. Usually vegetables need a little more once they start setting fruit. A trick to find out if you need to water the garden is stick your finger about two inches into the soil. If it it damp, then you won't have to water. If it is dry, then the garden probably needs water.

Plants need water for survival. But too much water is just as problematic. The water causes the plants to droop. It can also cause germination problems. The seeds might not grow, or they will grow severely weak stems.

Too Much Fertilizer

Some gardeners get zealous when they begin to fertilize plants. They put too much fertilizer on plants and that can cause problems with growth especially with vegetables. Most vegetables that have too much fertilizer won't produce more fruit and produce. They will produce less produce and more foliage.

Read the fertilizer instructions very carefully and do some research on whether the plant you are growing actually needs an extra fertilizer.

Not Enough Sun

Light is a very important ingredient in the plant's survival. It needs light to make and process the plant's food. Too little light and the plant can't produce enough food and thus will die.

Some plants need a full eight hours of sun to have a healthy production. But some plants will tolerate shade. But even most shade tolerant plants need some sort of sun.

Spacing

Spacing problems occur often in gardens. Most of the problems are with too little space between plants. Disease and pests are the main problems with spacing plants too close. Follow the proper spacing guides usually given on the seed packages or plant packages. These are generally carefully researched. Following them can lead to a better, healthier garden.

If you want to space plants closer, try a raised bed garden. A raised bed garden is a garden bed that is raised above the ground. It is much like a container on the ground. With a raised bed garden, you have much more control over weeds, control of pests and control the type of soil that you put into the garden. You can usually plant closer in the raised bed garden because of these controls you have over this type of bed.

Mistakes Can Be Corrected

Most garden mistakes can be corrected. Just be aware of the common mistakes and you can avoid later headaches and heartaches in your garden. Avoiding these mistakes in the first place can give you a healthier and faster producing garden.

Katina Mooneyham is the contributing editor for Little Gardeners ([http://www.gardenandhearth.com/LittleGardeners.htm]) at Garden and Hearth.com. She has written various articles on gardening mostly about gardening with kids. She maintains a blog on gardening at http://littlegardeners.blogspot.com.

Dogs and Gardens: 10 Tips for Enjoying Your Dog and Your Garden Too

For as long as I've been gardening, I have shared my love of the outdoors with one-of-a-kind dogs ("mutts" to most people). I certainly can't imagine gardening without a dog keeping me company. Here are some tips to help you make this work for you too.

Set the ground rules first


Be clear about how you want your dog to behave in the garden. Set the ground rules for your dog from the start. As with people, pet habits, once established, can be a challenge to change.


Remember that bored dogs are most likely to get into trouble, so use walks and games to use up excess energy that might otherwise go into destructive garden behavior. (Your dog burns calories this way, and so do you!)


Decide where your dog is allowed to go and where you don't want him to go.


Be consistent. It doesn't help if you let the dog do what he wants when the flowerbed is weedy, but then expect him to respect the garden when it's all tidied up.

Dogs and gardens - training tips

Dogs like to be where people are, so when you're in the garden, take your dog with you for at least part of the time, and when you're not, keep your dog with you indoors.

When you're with your dog, you have lots of opportunities to encourage and train behavior you like and discourage actvities that are destructive to the garden.


To keep dogs out of flowerbeds, use a verbal cue such as "out of the garden." This works best if you're actually in the garden with your dog.


It may be expensive, but a fenced yard is a godsend for dogs and gardens.


Some people use invisible fencing - a system that delivers an electronic shock via a receiver in a special dog collar. Actual fences are more effective because they both keep your dog in the yard and other animals out. As well, your dog can't escape, ignoring the electrical shock when chasing a squirrel, for example, and then getting shocked when trying to get back into the yard.

Garden safety and your dog

When you have dogs or other pets spending time in the garden, choose alternatives to chemical lawn and garden care.

If you use pest control products, even organic ones, keep pets out of the garden when you're applying them.


Keep your dog away from treated areas for as long as recommended, usually until the treated area is dry or 24 hours.

Yvonne Cunnington is an avid gardener and dog lover. For more information about which garden chemicals you must keep away from your pet dog, see http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/Dogs-and-gardens.html | If you have problems with dogs and lawns, visit http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/dogs-and-lawns.html | For pet-friendly garden design ideas, see http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/Pet-friendly-garden.html