Preparing Your Garden fo the Winter

Some people believe that when the weather starts getting colder and the

leaves start to fall, it is time to put away the gardening tools and wait

until next spring to work on their garden again. Wrong. Winter is an

important time to maintain your garden's health and assure yourself a good

crop for next year. You may think that might take to long to prepare your

garden, but the truth is that it takes less than one day to prepare your

garden for the upcoming winter.



When the nighttime temperatures drop to less than forty-five degrees

Fahrenheit for more than four days in a row, or frost is forecasted for

your area (usually around late October or November) you know its time to

begin preparing your garden. You should begin by evaluating your garden

design, check which plants grew well in the past season, and which plants

did not do well. Fall is a good time to decide which plants will remain in

you garden next year, and which ones should go.



It is also a good time to decide which new plants you want to grow. To

make your garden more colorful and healthy, be sure only to plant the more

hardy plants during the fall so that they can withstand the winter. Some

plants that will do fine being planted in fall are: rudbeckia, Aster

Novi-belgii, Anemone Japonica, panicle hyandea, endive, escarole, and

Brussels sprouts. You can find all of these and more in gardening

magazines or your local nursery.



After you have finished this you should begin cleaning up your garden.

Begin by pulling out weeds that may have cropped up, and raking fallen

leaves. Weeds and rotten leaves can carry insects and diseases that might

be harmful to your garden. You should also rid your garden of spent annual

plants, and harvest your vegetables and other plants that cannot withstand

the winter weather. After fall has come and gone, the leaves will be off

your trees and you can see the rotten branches. Trimming off the unwanted

branches from your trees isn't necessary to your gardens health, but may

help later on by not dropping branches on your plants and not blocking too

much of the sun.



If you have younger trees you should consider wrapping them and supporting

them with stakes to help them survive the winter wind and cold. Putting

mulch over your garden for the winter can be a helpful way to protect

plants from sudden temperature changes and heavy snow. For mulch you can

use about five inches of shredded bark, pine needles, or a variety of

other materials. You have to be careful not to mulch too early, because

some insects may still be alive and able to take shelter in it for the

winter.



Once you are finished with your gardening tools you should clean them and

make sure they are in a safe place where they won't rust and you know

where they'll be for next year. Before winter comes you should always set

out slug repellent, as slugs are one of the worst bugs to have in your

garden. If you have a pool or fountain in your garden, be sure to take out

any fish that you have in them and bring them inside. There’s nothing

sadder than a fish frozen in a block of ice.

PLANTING SEEDS.

Any reliable seed house can be depended upon for good seeds; but even so, there is a great risk in seeds. A seed may to all appearances be all right and yet not have within it vitality enough, or power, to produce a hardy plant.



If you save seed from your own plants you are able to choose carefully. Suppose you are saving seed of aster plants. What blossoms shall you decide upon? Now it is not the blossom only which you must consider, but the entire plant. Why? Because a weak, straggly plant may produce one fine blossom. Looking at that one blossom so really beautiful you think of the numberless equally lovely plants you are going to have from the seeds. But just as likely as not the seeds will produce plants like the parent plant.



So 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.



If you should happen to have the opportunity to visit a seedsman's garden, you will see here and there a blossom with a string tied around it. These are blossoms chosen for seed. If you look at the whole plant with care you will be able to see the points which the gardener held in mind when he did his work of 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.



This little plant must depend for its early growth on the nourishment stored up in the two halves of the bean seed. For this purpose the food is stored. Beans are not full of food and goodness for you and me to eat, but for the little baby bean plant to feed upon. And so if we choose a large seed, we have chosen a greater amount of food for the plantlet. This little plantlet feeds upon this stored food until its roots are prepared to do their work. So if the seed is small and thin, the first food supply insufficient, there is a possibility of losing the little plant.



You may care to know the name of this pantry of food. It is called a cotyledon if there is but one portion, cotyledons if two. Thus we are aided in the classification of plants. A few plants that bear cones like the pines have several cotyledons. But most plants have either one or two cotyledons.



From large seeds come the strongest plantlets. That is the reason why it is better and safer to choose the large seed. It is the same case exactly as that of weak children.



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.



The third thing to look out for in seed is viability. We know from our testings that seeds which look to the eye to be all right may not develop at all. There are reasons. Seeds may have been picked before they were ripe or mature; they may have been frozen; and they may be too old. Seeds retain their viability or germ developing power, a given number of years and are then useless. There is a viability limit in years which differs for different seeds.



From the test of seeds we find out the germination percentage of seeds. Now if this percentage is low, don't waste time planting such seed unless it be small seed. Immediately you question that statement. Why does the size of the seed make a difference? This is the reason. When small seed is planted it is usually sown in drills. Most amateurs sprinkle the seed in very thickly. So a great quantity of seed is planted. And enough seed germinates and comes up from such close planting. So quantity makes up for quality.



But take the case of large seed, like corn for example. Corn is planted just so far apart and a few seeds in a place. With such a method of planting the matter of per cent, of germination is most important indeed.



Small seeds that germinate at fifty per cent. may be used but this is too low a per cent. for the large seed. 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.

Picking the Right Gardening Tools

If you’re thinking about taking your gardening seriously and getting out

there every day to increase the attractiveness of your garden, then you

will want to get the right tools to help you in this. You might be tempted

to go out to the store and just buy the nearest things you see, but you’ll

be much happier if you put lots of thought into the styles and types of

tools you’re buying. There are styles designed just for gardening, and

you’ll be better off buying those.



You can find most of the tools you will need at your local gardening or

home improvement shop. Usually the employees will be simply thrilled to

assist you in finding the ideal tools. If you go to a shop that

specializes in gardening, you can usually get some advice in addition to

service. Gardening store employees are usually an untapped wealth of

wisdom, and they are how I learned almost all that I know about gardening

today.



If you are having a hard time finding the right tool or if you want to

save some money, you might try looking online for the supplies you need.

You’ll have to pay the shipping costs and wait an extra week or two, but

often if you buy more than one tool, the total savings will be worth it.

You should always buy from a reputable seller, though, and search around

beforehand for anything negative that people had to say about their buying

experience.



As far as basic digging tools go, you might already have all you’ll need.

There are several types that you should get though, for different specific

tasks. A round point shovel is good for digging holes for plants. A spade

is necessary for all the more intricate work. A garden fork you might not

use as much, but I have one in my tool shed and I’ve been thankful for it

on multiple occasions. Having these different varieties of digging tools

can help you to minimize the work you have to do. For example, if you try

digging a big hole with a little spade then you’ll end up rather tired.

The same goes if you are attempting to do more detailed work with a big

clumsy shovel.



A rake is an absolute necessity. You most likely already have one, but I’m

guessing it’s a lawn rake and not a garden rake. There is definitely a

difference, and if you try to use a lawn rake in a garden then you will

not be happy with the results. Same if you buy a grading or a contractor’s

rake. You’ll want to look for a bowhead rake. I’ve found these are the

best for gardening purposes. They will provide you the maximum control and

accuracy, so you don’t accidentally tear up your precious plants.



As far as hoes go, I don’t believe any gardener should have less than 3.

There are so many useful varieties on the market that I have a hard time

recommending just one, and that’s why I’ll tell you all the ones I usually

use. The one I use the most is the onion hoe, which is very lightweight

and ideal for small cultivations and weeding. The Warren hoe is a larger

model, with a pointed end. If you need to make a hole or dig out a pesky

weed, this is the one for you. There are several other varieties, but I

recommend starting with the ones I mentioned. As you progress in your

gardening savvy, you will find the need for more types.



Most people believe that gardening just consists of a simple spade. But

there are many, many tools with many more variations that you will use in

your gardening career. Usually you can start with just a few different

tools, but you’ll always find that you can use more varieties for special

situations. It’s just a matter of recognizing when one tool could be more

efficient than another.

Picking the Ideal Location for your Garden

Once you have picked what garden you want, there are many other factors

you need to decide before you actually get to work with your gardening

tools. Mainly you need to choose its location. This is usually decided by

several factors: How you will water it, how much shade it needs, etc. Some

of these questions can be very important in deciding whether your garden

lives or dies, so don't take them lightly. You need to take each one into

special consideration.



Choosing the garden's location within your yard is one of the more

important things to decide. You want to choose a location that will

provide an ideal climate for the plants in your garden. I don't know what

type of garden you're dealing with so I can't give you specific advice,

but if you do a Google search for the plant you're dealing with then

you'll find a plethora of sites informing you about the perfect conditions

for its growing. After this, it's just a matter of finding the most shaded

or most sunny spot in your yard.



Another deciding factor is how you plan on watering your garden. If you

have a sprinkler system already installed for your grass, then it could be

a good idea to put your garden in the middle of your yard. Then it will

get watered at the same time, and require no extra work from your part.

But if this doesn't provide for a good location for your garden, then you

might end up watering it by hose or dragging a sprinkler out there. In

this case, just make sure your garden is within the ideal distance for a

hose to reach. While this might not seem like a good thing to base the

entire location of your garden on, you'll be surprised at how nice it is

to plan out in advanced.



Getting the perfect amount of shade for your garden can be a difficult

endeavor. Once you have a basic idea for where you want your garden, you

might want to watch it and record how many hours it spends in sunlight and

how many it spends in shade. Compare your findings to an online web site,

and you should be able to determine whether the spot you chose is ideal or

not for planting and starting your garden in. Of course the amount will

change as the seasons change, but this should give you a good idea of what

to basically expect for the rest of the year. If necessary, later you can

put up some kind of shade to protect your garden from getting too much sun.



After you've determined the ideal place for your garden and whether it has

the right amount of sunlight, and whether you will be able to conveniently

water it, you're one step closer to actually starting your garden. Of

course there are other factors that I have overlooked here, but mostly you

should be able to decide whether your location is good or not based on

common sense. Just think: If I were a plant, would I be able to flourish

here? If you can honestly answer yes, then I think its time for you to

head out to your local gardening store and buy the necessary soil and

fertilizer to get started! Have fun!