Like many other things, organic gardening needs a solid foundation. This means a healthy and fertile soil. You need to add organic materials, rather than using synthetic fertilizers. Compost is the normal source of organic matter. Manure is another popular source that has been used for ages.

A healthy soil is very much alive, it contains a lot of organisms which decompose organic matter and release nutrients. Soil may not be a very exciting topic but good soil is essential for successful gardening. Soil is made up of a lot of different materials, the main components are water, oxygen and minerals.

The term soil texture refers to the size of the particles that make up your soil and the relative amounts of these particles. Clay particles are the smallest soil particles. Slit particles are larger than clay particles but smaller than sand particles, which are the largest of three particles. Good soil for most plants is made up of about 40% sand, 40% silt and 20% clay. Too much clay and the soil contains less oxygen and becomes very hard when it is dry. Sandy soils are not very fertile and water drains quickly.

Soil structure refers to how the soil particles clump together. A loose structure allows water and air to penetrate the soil easily. Clay particles on the other hand clump together, making it difficult for water and oxygen to pass through. While you can’t do much about the texture of your soil, you can improve the soil structure. The most common ways of improving soil structure and maintaining a good structure is to add organic matter and tilling.

Organic gardening includes all kinds of plants. But you need to make sure that you choose plants that are suitable for your local conditions. This means that you need to pay attention to things such as sunshine, shady places, climate and soil structure. You want to create a balanced ecosystem in your garden. In order to achieve this you need a diversity of plants. By having a balanced set of plants you make sure that your garden survive pests and at the same time you keep the soil fertile. You can also let large plants provide shade for species that prefer shade.

One of the biggest differences between normal gardening and organic gardening is pest control. Using synthetic pesticides is not an option in organic gardening. This means that it is important to choose plants that are pest resistant. Nowadays, you have a lot of plants that are very good at repelling and surviving pests. But you also need to make sure that your garden is not a good place for pests. One simple way is to make sure that your plants are in good shape. Weak plants are more likely to be affected by pests than strong healthy plants. By cleaning up debris you make it more difficult for unhealthy organisms to stay in your garden. Additionally, frequent inspections of your plants will help you to quickly take action if problems arise. Note that some pesticides can be used also in organic gardening.

Soil compacting can be caused by a number of factors. Obviously, traffic, both vehicle traffic and foot traffic, will cause soil compression. But also rain causes soil compression over time. Soil compression slows down water infiltration and air exchange. Soil compacting restricts the grass roots from reaching far down in the earth. Another reason for lawn aeration is thatch, by aerating your lawn you make it more difficult for the thatch to overtake the grass.

Lawn aeration is very simple, it is generally done by removing small plugs or cores of compacted soil. The cores are about half an inch thick and three to five inches long. Some people call this core aeration, to avoid confusion with aeration done by pushing solid spikes into the lawn. This is sometimes called spiking or spike aeration. It is less efficient than core aeration. This is due to the fact that the solid spikes don’t remove the plugs from the earth.

If you have a small lawn, a manual aerator may be good enough. It consists of two or more hollow tubes attached to a stirrup. The stirrup is pushed into the soil by foot. It is easy to do but for larger lawns you need a more efficient solution. If you have a lawn tractor, you can use a tow plug aerator. The device is very simple and works fine. If you don’t have a lawn tractor, you can rent a mechanical lawn aerator. They are expensive so buying one is difficult to recommend, lawn aeration is generally done only once or twice a year. Renting a lawn aerator will be much cheaper.

It is best to aerate when the soil is moist but not wet. You may have to water your lawn two or three days before aerating. In case of heavy rain, you may have to wait a couple of days so that the soil has had time to dry. Dry or wet soil makes the aeration more difficult. Penetrating dry soil is difficult for the tines. Even if the tines can penetrate the dry lawn, they can’t penetrate as deep as in wet soil. If the soil is too wet, the soil cores get stuck in the tines. The soil cores can be left on the lawn.

Lawn aeration can be done at any time, as long as the soil is not frozen. The best time to aerate cool season grass is, according to most experts, early fall or late summer. Best time for warm season grass is spring.

As long as you do the right preparations, your chances of getting a good-looking lawn are good. And by selecting the best grass type, your lawn may not need much ongoing maintenance. Unfortunately, you still have to mow your lawn regularly.

Checking the quality of your soil before you plant your new lawn can be prudent. If the quality of the soil is poor, you can add sex to eight inches of fertile soil. Few grass roots go deeper than sex inches.

Most grass types can be grown from seeds, a few warm season grass types are generally sold only as sods or plugs. Using seeds is cheaper than sods but it takes longer time and requires more work. Regardless if you grow your lawn from seeds or sods you need to select a grass type that suits your local condition. This is unlikely to be a problem if you go a garden center in your neighborhood. They should only sell grass types that are suitable for your location. If you use mail-order, you need check that you buy the right grass type.

Lawn grass is divided into two groups, cool season grass and warm season grass. As the names imply, cool season grass is meant for cool climates while warm season grass is meant for mild climates.

Cool season grasses grow most in the spring and fall. In summer it generally gets too hot for them and they slow down. If it gets too hot they go dormant. Cool season grasses survive freezing temperatures in winter, they are dormant.

Cool season grass from seeds should be sowed in early fall. This gives the grass the chance to settle in before the summer heat arrives. It is possible to sow cool season grass in the spring as well, but the grass will not have as much time to settle in before the heat arrives.

Warm season grasses don’t not survive cold winters but hot summers are generally not a problem. Warm season grasses should be planted in the late spring. They like it hot but need to get started before the heat sets in.

Just to complicate things, grass seeds are available in different mixes. Check the label for the words blends, mixtures and straights. Straights contain only one single variety of grass. Blend means that bag contains several varieties of the same grass type. Mixtures contain different types of grass, sometimes one good grass type is mixed together with inferior types.

As you probably already know, both a garden and a lawn can only be maintained properly by devoting considerable time. You can spend about 20-30 minutes every day keeping your lawn green and colorful. Successful lawn care requires some equipment. And by using the right lawn equipment you save a lot of time. If you know how to use the tools you can get a splendid lawn.

The lawn mower is the most common lawn equipment. A healthy lawn needs to be mowed regularly and the lawn mower is the tool for this task. Lawn mowers are available in almost all shapes and forms. You should select the lawn mower according to the size of your lawn and your budget. The cheapest mower is the good old push reel mower. But for large lawns you need a self-propelled lawn mower. You can choose between gas-powered and electric movers. An electric mower is quieter and more environmentally friendly than the gas-powered models. If you have a really large lawn, a riding lawn mower or a lawn tractor can be worth considering.

A great looking lawn requires water. Although most lawns will survive without any additional watering, relying on only rainwater is unlikely to give you a good looking lawn. The garden hose is the normal solution but sprinklers can save you a lot of time. Note that a lot of communities have water restrictions. A related lawn care tool is the sprayer. Garden and lawn sprayers are used to spray fertilizers and pesticide in the entire garden.

To keep your lawn clean you can use the good old rake. But unless you have a small lawn, you may prefer to use a lawn sweeper or a lawn vacuum. The push lawn sweeper is a simple device but can save you a lot of time. The advantage of a push lawn sweeper is that it is cheap and fully manual. The other type of lawn sweeper, tow-behind lawn sweeper, is larger but you need a lawn tractor or something similar to pull it. Blowers can also be used to keep your lawn and garden clean, the electric models are much quieter than the gas-powered blowers.

Carts are used in gardens to carry heavy objects and garden waste from one place to another. String trimmers are very useful. The electric models are cheap and easy to use. Lawn spreaders are used to fertilize the lawn. Like lawn sweepers, you have two basic types of spreaders, the walk-behind spreader and the tow-behind model. The latter requires that you have a garden tractor.

Other popular lawn care equipment includes tillers, dethatchers and aerators. You may also want a compost bin for your grass clippings.

First we should make clear that the term vines include a lot of different plants. The group includes both annuals and perennials. To complicate things, the perennials are generally divided into tender perennials and hardy perennials. Tender perennials seldom survive the winter, unless you live in the south. In most places, tender perennials don’t survive the winter and therefore they are, in practice, annuals. Popular tender perennials include bougainvillea, jasmine and passionflower. Hardy perennials on the other hand survive winters, you can enjoy them for years. This also means that they grow slower than annuals and tender perennials. Popular hardy perennials include Boston ivy, English ivy and clematis.

Garden vines can also be divided into deciduous vines and evergreen vines. As the names imply, deciduous vines shed their leaves at the end of the season while evergreen vines keep their leaves. Of course, evergreens do replace individual leaves but not all at the same time. Evergreen vines are a popular way of keeping your garden green during winter.

Vines have different ways of hanging on to things as they grow. The simplest way is by twining around a support. Some vines have tendrils that grab on to the support. Tendrils are tiny but very tough. Some vines have tendrils with suction cups which makes it possible for them to climb up walls. Other vines attach themselves with small root-like structures, called holdfasts, which allow them to climb up walls. Note that the holdfasts can destroy the mortar in brick walls. Some vines, for example climbing roses and jasmine, need help to climb. You have to hook or tie them to their support.

Many vines are tough. Once their roots have been established, they can start growing aggressively. One easy way of limiting the growth of your garden wines is to only plant annuals. As mentioned earlier, the chances of perennial vines to survive the winter depends on where you live. Ask a local nursery for vines that are suitable for your location.

Although most vines love sunshine, you have plenty of exceptions. For example, ivy prefers shade. Jasmine on the other hand should have partial shade. Most vines are not too fuzzy about the soil. In many cases, the support is more important than the soil. Perennial vines need a little bit of pruning. But as long as you select suitable plants and plant them in good locations, growing vines is fairly straightforward.

First, a gardener generally uses a fairly loose definition for the term herbs. In most cases, plants that can be used for cooking or have healing properties are called herbs. This means that herbs can be annuals or perennials.

Most herbs are very versatile and flexible, they can be planted in most soils. Many herbs easily survive in conditions not suitable for most flowers or vegetables. Actually, one problem with herbs is that they may grow too much. When you should plant the herb depends on the plant. Planting them once the danger of frost is past is the safest bet. You should avoid planting herbs in the winter or in the heat of the summer.

Of course, you can always plant your herbs in containers and keep them indoors. It is very popular to grow edible herbs in pots. As mentioned earlier, some herbs grow very aggressively and can create trouble for other plants. One easy way of limiting the reach of those herbs is to plant them in containers.

In most cases, herbs are raised from seeds. Most of them are only for sale in seed form. It is easy to grow herbs but always read the instructions on the packet carefully. Often you get far more seeds than you need. Don’t make the mistake and sow all of them. It is easy to end up with far too many plants.

Although herbs include a wide variety of plants, caring for them is generally easy. Obviously, herbs need water in reasonable amounts. But fertilizer is seldom needed. Sometimes it can even be counterproductive to apply fertilizer.

Another good thing with herbs is that many of them are pest-free. Actually, some herbs even repel pests. You can use such herbs to protect other plants in your garden.

Only you can know what the best herbs for your garden are. But some of the most popular are basil, dill, mint, chives and parsley. All of them are useful in the kitchen. A herb like mint grows very quickly, a lot of people prefer to put it in a pot so it can’t spread all over the garden. If you want a non-fussy plant with a nice scent, try lavender.

First let’s define a few terms. You may have heard about hardy bulbs and tender bulbs. Bulbs that survive the winter in the ground are generally called hardy bulbs. Tender bulbs on the other hand must be dug up and stored indoors. Unfortunately, this definition makes impossible to classify garden bulbs. A hardy bulb in the south may very well be a tender bulb in the north.

Garden bulbs are often divided into different groups, knowing the difference is important so that you can divide them to get more plants. True bulbs grow offsets that you can pry off and plant. Corms resemble true bulbs but they grow new cormels that produce new flowers. Rhizomes are thickened stems that grow horizontally. They produce side-buds that you can cut off and plant. Tubers are swollen stem bases. How to divide tubers varies by the type. In most cases you cut the tuber so that each piece contains a bud. To keep things simple, let’s call all of them garden bulbs.

Early bulbs are popular in cold climates, they are generally the first flowers to bloom. But you have all kind of bulbs. Some bloom early, others in summer and you also have bulbs that bloom in fall. You can create impressive flower beds with just tulips or daffodils but by combining different kinds of garden bulbs you can create truly impressive results.

First you need to buy the best bulbs. Quality varies so make sure to inspect the garden bulbs and select the best. The basic rule is simple, the bigger bulb, the better. A large bulb has more stored reserves. A good bulb has no obvious damage. Dents or blemishes may indicate problems. Note that some bulbs, such as anemone, always look dried up.

Despite the drawback of not being able to inspect the bulbs, buying through mail-order has some advantages. You have a much larger selection and the bulbs have generally been stored much better than at your local retailer.

Some bulbs require cold to break dormancy. Such garden bulbs you need to plant in the fall. Summer-blooming bulbs should be planted in the spring, once the danger of frost has passed. Fall-blooming bulbs are dormant in summer. This means that you should plant them in late summer.

Garden bulbs are easy to plant. But note that bulbs should not planted at the same depth. The rule of thumb is to plant the bulb three times as deep as its height. Bulbs have the reserves they need stored inside them. But adding fertilizer increases the odds of the bulbs performing year after year.

Like everything else you plant in your garden, the climate determines what kind of perennials you can plant. Compared with annuals, growing perennials requires more planning. If you don’t get it right with annuals, you will anyway start from scratch next season. Perennials on the other hand will, hopefully, be with you for many years. So it pays off to plan before you start buying and planting perennials.

While most annuals bloom all summer long, most perennials only bloom for a week or two. Perennials can be divided into different categories, depending on when they bloom. The following categories are often used:

– Spring Bloomers
– Early Summer Bloomers
– Mid-Summer Bloomers
– Late Summer Bloomers
– Fall Bloomers
– All Summer Bloomers

Perennials are seldom grown from seeds. It takes far too long and many of the best perennials are clones which produce no seeds. Most people buy their perennials from a local shop but it is also possible to buy through mail-order.

If you buy from a local shop, you can inspect the plant and make sure that it is healthy. Note that it is seldom a good idea to buy plants that are in full bloom. They look very attractive in the store but once you have got it home and planted it in your garden, the plant has dumped the buds. And often you have to wait until next year before your perennial is blooming again.

Buying flowers online is often more comfortable and you have more to choose from. But you need to find a reliable seller.

You can find a lot of different opinions about how to plant perennials. Given the wide range of varieties, there is no solution that works perfectly for every sort of perennial. First you need to find out how much sunshine your plants like. Most flowers, but far from all, like a lot of sunshine. You should also know what kind of soil you have and find the flowers that like your soil. Obviously, you are not limited by your soil. You can replace part of the soil or grow your perennials in containers.

Most perennials can be planted most of the year. They are pretty tough plants. But most people prefer to plant perennials in either the spring or the fall. Never plant them when it is very hot or very cold.

Perennials need a fair bit of maintenance. But they are less affected by pests and diseases than annuals.

Often annuals give you the most flower power. They go from seed to full-grown plant very quickly. Today’s annuals have been bred to give you abundant colors fast. Annuals need to rush to flower because the reproduce by seed. And in order to produce seeds, they must first produce flowers.

Annuals are very popular. You have a huge range of annul flowers on the market. And new ones arrive every year. Note that some annuals are perennial in some regions. But they don’t survive the winter in colder regions.

Needless to say, your location determines what annuals you can use. Southern summers are too hot for many cool-season annuals. And northern summers may not be warm enough for warm-weather annuals.

Annuals come in all kinds of shapes and forms. You need to use your creativity when you plan your flower beds. The basic rule of thumb is true for annuals as well, small in front and tall in back. It is best to avoid clutter. Keep it simple, don’t mix too many plants.

Annuals can be bought as seeds or nursery starts. Seeds are cheaper and you can get large quantities cheap. Always check that the seeds are fresh, the packet should have an expiry date. It is easier to buy nursery starts but also they need a fair bit of attention in the beginning.

Most annuals are resilient plants, they can take a lot of punishment. But you should be aware of their preferences. Some of them want a lot of sun others prefer less sun. Make sure that you know the spacing requirements for your annuals.

Annuals are low maintenance plants, but no maintenance may be to push it too far. Like all plants, they need sufficient water. Generally watering in the morning hours is best. Fertilizing is seldom needed. But if you fertilize, the annuals will perform better.

As mentioned earlier, annuals are pretty tough plants. Disease and pests are not common but do happen. In worst case, you may have to remove all plants and start all over next year. Just make sure to select another location for the new attempt.

If you have poor soil, you can always plant the annuals in containers.

Of course, annuals have one big drawback. Next season you have to start from square one again. Growing perennials has its advantages.

One of the most common gardening activities is digging. Shovels and spades are the right tools for this. The difference between a shovel and a spade is the shape of the digging edges. Shovels have rounded edges while spades have square edges. This makes the shovel very good at penetrating the soil while spade is better for lifting, moving and throwing soils and materials. Forged shovels and spades are the best, they are made of one single piece of metal.

For smaller digging tasks, a trowel is the right tool. You have plenty a lot of choices, given that you will most likely be using the trowel a lot it is well worth paying a little bit more for quality. Stainless steel and forged carbon steel are the best materials.

You also need some cutting tools. A hand pruner is the best tool for pruning. Good hand pruners are lightweight but strong. You should sharpen your cutting tools regularly. Good hand pruners have replacement cutting blades.

If a hand pruner is too small, you use a lopper instead. Hedge shears are very powerful but not suitable for pruning. They are meant for trimming hedges, they are too big and unwieldy for regular pruning. For big branches, you need a pruning saw. Note that you need a pruning saw, don’t use a carpenter’s saw for pruning.

Some of the manual tools can be replaced with electric or gas-powered power tools. They are more expensive but can save you a lot of time. The gas-powered tools are effective but noisy. Generally, they are heavier than electric tools. Corded electric tools are fairly powerful and fairly quiet. But you are limited by the cord. Cordless, battery-powered, tools have become very popular. They are the least powerful but also the quietest.

In most cases, you need to water your garden. The standard solution for watering tasks is the garden hose. A good garden hose is essential. Multi-layered hoses are expensive but in most cases they are worth paying extra for.

If you need to do a lot of watering, then sprinklers can be worth having a closer look at. The easiest solution is a hose-end sprinkler. It screws into the garden hose and you move it around until everything has got enough with water.

Of course you have much more garden tools, and many of them are very useful. But don’t buy tools before you know that you are going to use them.