Read Garden Online: December 2011

Saturday, 31 December 2011

The Best Way to Grow Your Vegetable Garden From Organic Garden Seeds

If you're starting on your vegetable garden, you should consider growing your vegetables from seeds. Although the easiest way to start any garden is to purchase plants seedlings and grow them to full, matured plants, others would still prefer to start them from organic garden seeds because it has its own benefits.

More varieties of plants and vegetable are offered as seeds than as young plants. And growing them from seeds gives you more control over what products you use. It's crucial, especially for organic gardeners, because some nursery and garden centers spray non-organic products to seedlings to protect them from pests and give them instant nutrient boosts. Take also into consideration that nurseries have specialized greenhouses that provide highly suitable conditions for seeds to grow. And since these seeds were pampered, once you bring the seedlings to a less perfect and harsh environment of an outdoor garden, they might find it more difficult to adapt and will struggle to grow. And if they were fed with chemical fertilizers early on, introducing them to organic fertilizers will require more effort.

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Another reason to start your vegetables from organic garden seeds is it's not really as hard as it sounds. All you need to know are the basics things that seeds require in order to grow and sprout new plants. One good tip is to keep the seed packets because they can give you specific information on what the seed needs and how best to take care of it.

Most organic garden seeds will benefit from a good soil, adequate light source, water and a lot of care. But there are two ways you can raise your vegetables from seeds: sowing them outdoors and growing them indoors.

Sowing Seeds Outdoors

Sowing seed directly into the garden soil is for vegetable seeds that grow too quickly and are not too sensitive to outdoor elements. Before sowing the seeds, be sure to prepare your soil. Rake the soil and remove large and hard lumps or rocks, or break them into finer particles. The young and tender roots of the newly emerging plant will not be able to penetrate through them and they might block some nutrients from getting to the roots. Depending on which vegetable seed you have, it's a good practice to put appropriate organic fertilizers or organic matters into the soil to give your seeds a healthy place to start.

When sowing the seeds, don't place them deep into the soil because they will suffocate. Pressing them less than an inch deep is good, but some really tiny seeds have better chances of growing if they are left on top of the soil. Don't overcrowd the seeds to give each emerging plant enough room to grow.

Next step is to keep the surface of the soil evenly moist but be careful not to soak your seeds in water or your seeds will rot. If you've planted them during the peak of summer, a light sprinkle will keep the soil from drying out.

Growing Seed Indoors

Starting seed indoors are for seeds that grow slowly and don't like to be disturbed often. Like in the garden, a good soil, light source and water is needed in order to grow organic garden seeds successfully indoors. But a good container also plays an important role. You can use small pots, egg carton, milk cartons, tin cans and paper cups. But for convenience, you can always purchase specialized plastic seeding tray or pots from your local garden shop.

To grow seeds from a container, mix a good starting soil mixture and some organic fertilizers. The organic fertilizer that you choose must be mild enough so it won't burn the young roots once they emerge. Moist the mixture with warm water and place them into the container. Once they've cooled, press the seeds into the soil following depth requirement specified on the packet. If the packet is no longer available, press the seed no more than four times its diameter or twice its length is another good practice.

Place them in an area with warm temperature but away from direct sunlight until they germinate. You may also cover the pots and just make sure to check them regularly. Since you've already moistened the soil, you won't have to water for a while until the seed germinates (except only when the soil has dried out before they germinate). Once they germinate, you can place them in brighter and sunnier areas like your windowsill.

Once they've grown two to four true leaves, you can feed them mild organic fertilizers to promote fast and healthy growth. A good indication that they are good for transplanting is when the roots have almost filled the container, but are not yet growing out of the drainage holes.

The Best Way to Grow Your Vegetable Garden From Organic Garden Seeds

Nova Person is an organic gardener and has been tending her garden for over 20 years. She has become a real expert in her field. If there is anything you would like to know about Growing Vegetables from Organic Garden Seeds, go visit http://theorganicgardeningsecrets.com.

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Thursday, 29 December 2011

Garden Greenhouse - Heated or Cold

The home, or garden, detached greenhouse can be a simple, portable structure, or a permanent building. It simply depends upon your needs and what your expectations of the greenhouse are. Detached greenhouses are usually more expensive to heat and construct than lean-to greenhouses. There are basically two types of greenhouse for the gardener to choose from.

A portable, cold greenhouse can be erected right in the garden. Using pre-bent metal hoops or PVC pipe, the greenhouse can be built to harden off seedlings and get an early start for seeds planted right in the garden. This type of house can either be left unheated, or use of a small electric or propane heater can keep light frosts from damaging plants. This type of greenhouse can be torn down at the end of the spring season and used again the following year, or to extend the fall season for some garden crops. The cold greenhouse can also be used to over winter perennial plants and shrubs for spring planting in the flower garden.

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A more permanent heated greenhouse structure can either be glass, fiberglass, plastic, or plexi-glass covered. This type of structure may need a foundation for stability. Heating and irrigation equipment can be installed inside to make operation of the greenhouse easier. Benches are usually installed to grow the plants on to bring them up to a manageable height for the owner.

This type of greenhouse, if properly insulated and glazed, may be used to grow many different types of plants including tropicals and cut flowers for the home. With proper design, a greenhouse can be built to accommodate both types of greenhouse. One portion can be kept warm, a divider can separate part of the house to provide a cold environment for plants which need the colder, unheated conditions of a cold greenhouse. Indeed, many annual flowers produced for the spring garden, like petunias and pansies, benefit from growing in cold, sometimes slightly frozen conditions.

Heated and unheated greenhouses both play their part in producing and storing plants for the home gardener. And with proper planning, one structure can satisfy both needs.

Garden Greenhouse - Heated or Cold

© 2006 Paul Wonning is the owner of Gardens and Nature.com a web site about gardening, hiking and other nature related topics.
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Wednesday, 28 December 2011

Thinking About the Organic Food Garden Beginners Manual?

Summer is now half over, and though the larger part of our Midwestern planting season is now past there is still much that can and must be done in your organic vegetable garden. Pests and weeds are probably running rampant and watering is a constant necessity. There are even preparations that should be made for canning, freezing, drying and preserving your crops.

As much as we all might wish it were the case, your garden isn't something you can just forget about after you plant the seeds. You must watch it constantly and if you are not sure what you need to watch, give The Organic Food Garden Beginners Manual a look.

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I, as a Horticulture Major have found this e-book very useful. For the first time in the twenty odd years I have lived on my family farm, we have a garden and the Organic Food Garden Beginners Guide was one of several resources I used in establishing that garden. The instructions contained in the e-book are clear, concise and to the point and very comprehensive. Strategies for soil building are included, along with proper watering techniques, sowing seeds, transplanting seedlings and countless other vital basics that any beginner should know. The book even has instructions for creating your own organic fertilizers and organic pesticides. Thus even an experienced gardener could pick up a few tips from the Organic Food Garden Beginners Manual.

The e-book was created by a woman in Australia by the name of Julie Villani and although our seasons are reversed here in the northern hemisphere the information can be easily adapted to life in the Midwest. There is even a vegetable sowing chart included for the northern and southern hemispheres, and though it may take a moments to figure out how to read the chart the information is still quite useful.

Local organic food is always the best and it doesn't get much more local then your own home garden. So even as the summer months begin to wane, keep an eye on your organic garden. Enjoy the fresh organic food it is producing and get ready, because winter is fast approaching and there is still much that needs to be done. The Organic Food Garden Beginners Manual can guide you even now.

Thinking About the Organic Food Garden Beginners Manual?

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Thursday, 22 December 2011

Did Eve Have Sex With the Devil Or Did She Just Eat Some Fruit? - Part 1

Is my title question preposterous? If it is, how is it more preposterous than to think that the literal eating of a particular fruit from a particular tree, albeit forbidden by The Lord, can be considered that evil that Adam and Eve should lose their opportunity of a physical life in paradise and access to the Tree of Life? If a child in our care were to disobey our instruction for the first time would we lash out with a severe punishment at the first offence of disobedience? Obviously not, so why did The Lord punish our original parents so severely for eating the wrong kind of 'apple'? OK, I know it doesn't say apple but it might just as well say it, so does this apparent trivial error and the punishment that follows it make any sense, or, in other words, does the punishment fit the crime? Well, if we take it a step further and accept the Biblical narrative as symbolic for something else, then, yes it does make sense. Indeed, we can then assume, without much doubt, that Adam and Eve's sin was so serious, so heinous, that the Lord had no option but to banish our original parents from the Garden. This then leaves us with the question of what kind of offence(s) or sin(s) could it have been that would warrant such a severe punishment?

Up until recently I was of the mind, like so many others, that Adam and Eve's sin was just a simple act of disobedience, but writings I have discovered just lately have thrown a giant spanner into the works of my original understanding of their original sin. My understanding, too, not helped much by what is written in the King James Bible. However, always remember, that as believers, our understanding is never ours it's the understanding we are given and The Lord does not give us all understanding, all at once, or at the beginning of our walk with Him. It takes years of study and much waiting on Him. Having clarified that little aside, let's write the crucial verses here so that we can see for ourselves what the Holy Scriptures actually say:

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Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

This verse is the most important and influences the whole of this study, for it mentions two seeds. Now what are these "seeds", because before we can move on we must be clear in our minds as to what they represent and, after a little research, we find it's all very straight forward. Most readers will know what the word 'seed' means in this context but to make sure, let's use another example or two so that there is no ambiguity or confusion:

Genesis 9:8-9 And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, 9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you.

Gen 15:3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.

So as we can plainly see, the word 'seed' refers to offspring and if we refer to Strong's Concordance for further evidence we will find that the Hebrew word for 'seed' in Genesis 3:15 is the same as in Genesis 9:9 and 15:3. OK, so if we go back to Genesis 3:15 we can see that the Lord is going to put enmity between these two very different seeds or lines, but who is the Lord speaking to? Let's go there now:

Genesis 3:14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

There we have it; the Lord is speaking to the Devil, Satan, that serpent and arch-deceiver also known as the destroyer, the adversary and in this instance the arch-seducer, for, without doubt, one of the two seeds mentioned here is his seed. Notice too the phrase "because thou hast done this". From that we can easily deduce and know that Satan actually did something and the term 'doing something', more often than not, refers to a physical action, not just an 'action' of sitting idly by on the sidelines enticing, goading or provoking as an exuberant spectator.

So what does all this mean for we are very definitely dealing with a physical seed that belongs to the Devil? In turn, this now beggars the question, how can a spirit being or a fallen angel have physical sexual relations with a human being? Well, the only verse in the Holy Scriptures we can rely on or turn to for any evidence to this event is in Genesis once more:

Genesis 6:1-2 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, 2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

Who were these "sons of God" here that took the descendants or daughters of Adam for wives? Well they can only be one thing, they were fallen angels or angels that went astray and left their first estate as described in Jude 6

Jude 1:6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

The important words of this verse are 'kept not', 'first estate' and 'habitation'. The words 'kept not' mean they failed to keep a guard or failed to hold as precious their Spiritual inheritance or estate, i.e. to maintain any value upon their Spiritual substance and the honour bestowed upon them as Spirit beings. Instead they took it upon themselves to choose the lower order of the physical or the base level of physical men. This means they despised their first estate and placed more value upon human fleshly desires and, don't forget, these daughters were human beings in the fallen condition. These angels treated with contempt their manifestly higher order that the Lord had blessed them with, their 'first estate' - their position. Not only that, they gave up their home as well or their superior habitation; very reckless and foolish indeed. So much so, it ultimately cost them their freedom because the Lord incarcerated them in darkness, where they are to this day and where they will remain until the Last Great Day at the end of the Millennium or the end of the Lord's one thousand year reign on this earth as King of kings.

Now this brings us to the original issue, this wickedness was not a one off, this had all happened before, and it was a follow on from the earlier wickedness of their leader, Satan the Devil, otherwise known as Sammael in the other writings I mentioned. He set the example and these fallen angels followed in his footsteps, and their actions were a repeat of his wickedness. So what was this wickedness? Quite simply, it was the seduction of Eve. We can then add in the cuckolding of Adam or possibly even the sodomising of Adam - we do not know all the details. What we do know, though, is that the Devil contaminated their Godly union which up until that point had not been consummated. Adam and Eve discovered the sexual act through perversion and through lust and nothing but lust. This event was a compounding event, because after the Devil had had his evil way with Eve he then, through Eve, encouraged Adam to take her afterwards thereby reducing her to the status of a sexual object, an adulteress or possibly worse, a promiscuous slut. This, in effect, was the first pornographic act - the first threesome; the use of the woman's body for nothing but selfish sexual gratification. There was no love in this event, and it was the first sexual act on earth between a man and a woman. This, too, is how they knew they were naked and covered themselves with leaves and why, too, they hid from the Lord in the garden. They covered their sexual parts, they were laden with shame and guilt - they felt dirty and contaminated. Furthermore, it was this act that gave them the knowledge of good and evil, not through the literal eating of an 'apple', the fruit is pure symbolism. Not only that, if we think the literal eating of fruit from the wrong tree can make us feel dirty, unclean and shameful what kind of fruit could that be. OK, we could and would feel guilty for having disobeyed God but not dirty and ashamed. No, there is only one act that could have had that kind of effect on a previously innocent human being and that act is the promiscuous, lustful, loveless sexual act.

OK, so we now have the evidence that this wicked event took place, but where does this lead us? Quite simply, back to the two seeds, the two seeds that produced two offspring - Cain and Abel. One child was of the Devil's seed and the other was of Adam's seed. How do we know this? Not easy, because the King James Bible is not that helpful, so we have to look elsewhere, but where? Well, before I do that let's copy the KJV verse here, first, to analyse what it says:

Gen 4:1-2 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. 2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

Now, based upon the evidence that I have revealed from the Holy Scriptures, Genesis 4:1 seems to read like a complete contradiction of the previous verses. We know there are to be two seeds, but this verse looks as if it's saying that Cain is Adam's son and Abel is Adam's son and not only that, but that Cain was a gift to Eve from God himself no less. Now where have the two seeds gone, because if Cain and Abel are both Adam's sons then they can only be of the one seed for they are both of Adam's seed, so what's going on in this verse? Well we know don't we, the true evidence has been written out of the narrative by the translators. Now there's a surprise, and why would they do that!? They would do it, because it would mean having to admit what I have stated above, that Eve had sex with Devil and produced Cain from that illegitimate union. The thing is, we have got a whole load of stuff going on in Genesis 4:1 and it will require another article to cover it, so stay with it folks.

Did Eve Have Sex With the Devil Or Did She Just Eat Some Fruit? - Part 1

Charles Crosby.

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"If you want to make someone angry tell him a lie; if you want to make him furious, tell him the truth. All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third it is accepted as self-evident."

Arthur Schopenhauer, Philosopher, 1788-1860

Friday, 16 December 2011

Car Heater Not Working - Blowing Cold Air!

There are several reasons why your car's heater may be blowing cold air, instead of heat. It is important to understand how the heater works in your car before you can begin to try to diagnose why it is not working. First, there is NOT an electric heater element in the heater system in automobiles, like in portable heaters used in the home. The part that transfers heat into the passenger compartment is called a heater core. A heater core can be thought of as a miniature radiator. The car engine's coolant flows through the heater core while the fan (also called a blower), blows air through the heater core fins. When air blows through the heater core fins, it is warmed, therefore warming the passenger compartment.

Start by checking the coolant. As we already said coolant is what warms the heater core. So if the coolant is low, there may not be a sufficient amount of warmth to transfer heat to the air in the passenger compartment. Since it 's cold outside, low coolant may not effect the operating temperature of the engine significantly, so you won't be alerted to a coolant problem by the temperature gage on the instrument panel. Once the coolant is full, feel the heater hoses that go through the firewall. With the engine at normal operating temperature, BOTH of the heater hoses should be hot to the touch. If only one is hot, this indicates there is is a blockage in the heater core or there is air trapped in the heater core. Using a Lisle coolant funnel is helpful in purging the air from the cooling system. If the coolant is really brown, has been neglected, or if "stop leak" has been used at some point, the heater core could be stopped up. The blockage can sometimes be unstopped by removing the heater hoses and using a garden hose with a sprayer to flush the heater core out. If neither of the hoses are hot to the touch, there could also be a malfunctioning heater control valve, if used on the model you're working on. Check for presence of a heater control valve by following the heater hoses back to the engine. Sometimes, a vacuum line could have a break causing there to be no vacuum to operate the valve. Also it should be noted that if this is your first winter with this car (and you're unfamiliar with the car's repair history), the previous owner could have by-passed the heater core because of a leak. When a heater core leaks, usually they wet the passenger side floorboard. The labor cost to change heater cores is usually expensive, so sometimes people will loop the heater hoses and by-pass a leaking heater core instead of repairing it properly.

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Next check for proper airflow. After you're sure the heater core is getting hot water flow, read the following information. Doors within the heater case are either controlled by electric actuators, cables or vacuum motors. Adjust the heat control to both extremes while listening for movement of the blend door. With a cable operated heater door it's easiest to hear the door thump when it closes. If the door is not operating, find the door that controls the airflow across the heater core. If there is an electric motor that controls the door, tapping on it can sometimes make it work temporarily for testing purposes. A vacuum operated motor needs vacuum to work, so using a handheld vacuum pump for testing is usually recommended. If the vacuum motor does not hold vacuum, the diaphragm is leaking requiring replacement. To go deeper into diagnoses of the control head's function and diagnosis, specific vehicle repair manual information is needed. But hopefully the basics laid out in this article has helped to get you started on the right track.

Car Heater Not Working - Blowing Cold Air!

About the Author. Hi I'm Dennis Bandy, thanks for reading about my background. I've been an ASE Master Auto Technician for over 23 years and have also sold professional auto tools since 2005. I am in a unique position to help readers on certain automotive repair related topics since I've had personal hands on experience with many auto repairs and automotive specialty tools. Let me just say, this is not a hobby for me, this is my business. Your feedback is really appreciated, if you thought this article was helpful or informative, please rate it below (thank you in advance).

Half the battle when it comes to auto repair is having the right tools, that's why we have supplied name-brand automotive tools (like OTC, Makita, Ingersoll), shop supplies and automotive shop equipment at discount prices, at DenLors Tools since 2005, many readers put us on their favorites list and visit our site when auto specialty tool needs arise, we hope you do the same.

Tuesday, 13 December 2011

Japanese Garden Design - 5 Simple Steps to Create a Magnificent Japanese Garden!

If you've grown a container garden or two but want to advance your gardening and decorating skills, Japanese garden design is the way to go. This ancient form of garden design was created to promote peace and tranquility. You can be relaxing in your own paradise in no time by including these 5 key ingredients in your garden.

Moss. Adding plants like tufted moss to your garden makes the space look like a retreat, and allows you to focus on relaxing and renewing your strength. You can put the moss at the entryway and throughout the sides of the garden for a welcoming but secluded feel.

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Stone lantern. A Japanese stone lantern will make a space look mysterious and alluring. You may even want to put a few hanging baskets around the lantern to bring more attention to the plants. A container herb garden would look nice around the lantern as well. The lantern not only helps to conserve energy, but gives your Japanese garden design a warm, exotic look.

'Planting' other gardens. Even though your container garden or organic seed plants may be the focus of your garden, you can also include other gardens in the scenery to make your Japanese garden design complete. A sand garden is great if you've planting things like cactus or bonsai trees and a Zen stone garden goes well with any plants in your garden. These gardens offer special places within your new space for reflection and meditation.

A tea house. This can be a small house or building within your garden where you can go to spend time alone or to interact with loved ones in a peaceful environment. The windows in your tea house should be facing other peaceful scenes in the garden, such as the Japanese lantern or the Zen rock garden, so that even while you are inside you can experience the tranquility of the entire garden. You can even bring some of your container plants into the teahouse-things like lavender flowers and aloe vera plants will add to the atmosphere nicely and you can use these plants for medicinal purposes as well.

A bamboo fountain. A well crafted high quality bamboo fountain brings the air of tranquility to your garden unlike anything else. The soothing sounds of water in combination with beautiful bamboo makes your Japanese garden design complete.

Japanese Garden Design - 5 Simple Steps to Create a Magnificent Japanese Garden!

For more information on how to design a high-quality Japanese bamboo fountain, Shishi-Odoshi, check out this squidoo lens on how to design your own Shishi Odoshi

Amy C. offers expert fountain advise and tips on how to design your own Bamboo Fountain. She is a fountain expert at http://www.TabletopFountainStore.com - a perfect place to shop for an ideal bamboo water spout for building your bamboo water fountain.

Sunday, 11 December 2011

Garden Water Fountains and Safety for Kids

Just because you have children or frequent visits from children doesn't mean you can't have a lovely garden pool or a water fountain complete with safety for kids. Consider something like a garden fountain surrounded with stones that has no pooling water in which a little one can come to harm.

Safety for Kids is a Valid Concern

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One of the biggest concerns about water gardening or a water fountain is the safety of kids. A toddler can drown in just an inch of water or in a partly filled 5-gallon bucket. No wonder that parents, grandparents, and neighbors are fearful around any kind of garden fountain. No garden fountain can be made absolutely childproof, but there are a number of ways you can make yours safer. Shallow pools and garden fountains designed for safety and have strategically placed boulders, and fencing help children and garden fountains to coexist with less worry. Of course, you should never leave children unattended even around shallow water or the most carefully designed water feature.

No Garden Water Fountain is Childproof

Keep in mind that safety for kids is dependent somewhat on age-a garden that is safe for older children may not be safe for toddlers. You may feel confident that a 5-year-old is safe near a half-whiskey-barrel tub garden, but don't expect an 18-month-old to be.

Even 8-and 9-year-olds should be supervised near garden water fountains that have 3 feet or more of water. It's a mistake to believe you can create a large pond and train children to stay away from it. The same attractions that draw adults to splashing water, pretty fish, and the joy of dangling a hand in cool water also entice the best-behaved children. And even well trained children have friends or neighbors who will be drawn to your garden fountain.

Although you should make sure your homeowner's insurance will cover a water garden fountain accident, the best approach is to design the garden water fountain with safety for kids in mind so that tragedy doesn't happen in the first place.

Fencing Ensures Safety for Kids Around Garden Water Fountains

A fence, as long as it surrounds the pool and has a childproof or locked gate allows you to have peace of mind with any kind of water garden that you want. Pretty picket fencing, 6-foot privacy fencing, and stucco or adobe walls-all can keep young visitors out of harm's way. However, before building a fence, check your local building codes. Your community may require a certain type of fencing.

Depth

By controlling the depth of your garden water fountain, keeping it to an inch or less, you can improve its safety. Fill fountain gardens and tub gardens with attractive stones so a child's face cannot be submerged.

Height

Fountains can be made relatively safe by building the bottom tiers too high for toddlers to tip into; walls should be at least 2l/i to 3 feet. Similarly, a wall fountain is a less likely threat if its basin is higher than a toddler's head. Above ground pools will be similarly safe if you build the sides too tall for small children to climb onto.

Edging

every garden water pool will have an edge of some material and if it's made of stone, brick, slate, or concrete, it will get slippery, from water or from algae growth. This is not good for the safety of kid's around a garden water fountain.

Edging around an in-ground pool creates a path that beckons children to walk around or balance on. It's better to use turf or edging that blends with surrounding materials to make the contours of the pool less inviting as a play area.

Placement

The placement of your garden water fountain also will affect its safety. Don't locate it just outside the back door; small children can slip out easily and unnoticed and into the water. On the other hand, if you position the pool far away from the house or out of sight, you won't be able to supervise older children.

A garden fountain by the deck is striking (and an increasingly popular addition), but it could be dangerous in homes where small children live or where they will be frequent visitors.
For additional safety, install a floating alarm (designed for swimming pools) in your garden water fountain basin. The alarm will sound if the water surface is disturbed. Consider constructing a shallow reflecting pool, a millstone fountain on a mound of river rock, or a shallow stream. Fill fountains and tub gardens with attractive stones so a child's face cannot be submerged at any point.

Garden Water Fountains and Safety for Kids

Elizabeth Jean writes water fountain and related articles for Garden-Fountains.com, the #1 destination on the internet for wall fountains, garden fountains, and Distinctive Water Features.

Friday, 9 December 2011

Garden Gnomes - The History Of Mythical Garden Ornaments

Our charming decorative outdoor gnomes have found a place in the heart of most Western cultures. We can find the first stories of gnomes showing up in European folklore. These mystical creatures were understood to be creatures of goodwill. Under the cover of darkness they would reward the efforts and enterprise of farmers, merchant traders and wives through lending assistance in the garden fields, stores and in home gardens.

Ceramic gnomes were first crafted in the countryside of Germany. Their creator was Phillip Griebel and gnomes first came into being in the mid-nineteenth century. The gnomes were purchased for superstitious and metaphysical reasons as they were believed to fend off thieves from grain and vegetable supplies.

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Gnomes were brought into England by Sir Charles Isham and this happened in 1847. Isham was wanting to spice up his garden with a burst of color and he found that the gnome was the ideal way to go about it. One of Isham's surviving gnomes is valued at over two million pounds sterling.

Griebel was originally only making statuary in the form of deer and fairies. When he began manufacturing the gnomes, demand skyrocketed. Demand exceeded supply and the gnomes were a hit amongst the German customer base.

Manufacturing the humble gnomes continued until the start of World War I. The ability to maintain production was affected by the German war efforts but production resumed in the mid 1940s. Communist police had suspicions that the garden gnomes were being used as conduits for smugglers but the gnomes went on to become the leading export of Eastern Germany.

The fall of Communism lead to the market becoming flooded by cheap imported Czech and Polish imitation garden gnomes. The legacy of Griebel's original garden gnome design continues on today with the family's original manufacturing plant still standing in Central Germany.

Garden gnomes today can be found frozen in many positions such as riding a motorcycle, wearing roller skates or even holding solar lights. They have been completely revamped to suit the variety of peoples' modern day interests and hobbies.

Garden gnomes remain to be one of the most popular garden ornaments on the market today. Garden gnomes are now being manufactured from a number of different materials - resin, concrete, cement, and ceramic. These endearing little garden gnomes are traditionally made to be less than 14" tall although they do come in a variety of different heights.

Gnomes have been used as decorative garden ornaments since 1847 and their popularity continues today.

Garden Gnomes - The History Of Mythical Garden Ornaments

Discover more about these mythical garden ornaments or view our full range of solar garden gnomes at http://www.premiersolarlights.com

Thursday, 8 December 2011

How to Keep Raccoons Out of Your Home Vegetable Garden

I love the commercial on TV where a lady is at her back door and she is calling for her cat that she had let out. Using the normal calls for domesticated cats she tries fervently to retrieve her pet. Unbeknownst to her, due to her poor eye sight, she thinks she is letting in her cat when it turns out to actually be a raccoon. This commercial holds true to life exactly what you could be doing with raccoons in your own vegetable garden. Your vegetable garden is an inviting source since it gives them easy access to the food they need.

Issues with raccoons most often occur in areas close to the woods, a forest and sometimes in the city if you live near an alleyway with lots of dumpsters. In order to get the best solutions for raccoons I once turned to the experts on our vegetable gardening Facebook fan page. Here is what they came up with.

Garden

Traps
Traps are a good way to remove not only raccoons from your home vegetable garden, but other rodents as well. They are fairly inexpensive and can be used over and over. Many of the respondents to the post suggested using dog food as bait as that seemed to work well for them. Once trapped drive the animal at least 10 miles from your home to a wooded area and release it. Just be careful when you do. Raccoons are very protective of their young, in the event you trap their babies as well.

Animal Control
If trapping the animals yourself is not appealing many areas have animal control that is available to them. A phone call or two to your local animal control and they can take care of the problem for you. They might even have the cages to rent so the raccoons can be trapped and they will get rid of them for you.

Hot Pepper Spray/Powder
This one is also popular for squirrel control as well and that is to either use hot pepper powder/flakes and surround the perimeter of your garden with it or crush hot peppers and mix them with water, blend thoroughly and put in a spray bottle to create a pepper spray that you can also spray the perimeter of your garden with. You will have to reapply after every rainfall. The hot pepper works as a good repellent.

Water Sprinkler on a Motion Detector
This was my favorite option of all and that was to put a water sprinkler on that would spray water once a connected motion detector sensed something was moving in the garden. It is safe to both the gardener and the animals of course and all respondents that used this method claimed the raccoon problems were gone within a week. Just remember to shut it off when you are heading to the garden or you may become a victim of your own trap.

If you have an issue with raccoons or other animals that are causing problems in your home vegetable garden then put one or all four of these methods to work for you. You could be raccoon free in no time.

How to Keep Raccoons Out of Your Home Vegetable Garden

About the Author
Mike is the administrator for the largest vegetable gardening group on Facebook. You can join the vegetable gardening group for free.

Wednesday, 7 December 2011

Garden Shed Storage Construction

A garden shed storage is a structure, much like a regular cabinet, that holds all the garden tools and other garden things in one place. This is a good way of organizing all your gardening needs, and making your backyard look neater and more pleasant to the eyes.

There are many garden shed storages sold in the market. However, you can also build your own if you are on a budget. Also, sometimes it is better to build your own shed storage so you can customize the dimensions and materials accordingly. Follow simple steps in constructing a garden shed storage.

Garden

First delineate shed perimeter to identify the exact location and reduce mistakes. Using three 2x3 stakes, trace right angles and triangles to create impression of second perimeter. Attach strings in the triangle to form four-sided perimeter. The strings must cross over the corners of actual perimeter.

To concretely block foundation, use concrete pillars or concrete slabs. Concrete pillars are elevated on at least 8 concrete piers buried below frontline. On the other hand concrete slabs are formed by digging hole and placing plywood and truss beams which will rest on the ground.

To build floor systems, floor joists must be arranged corresponding with the shed. Two parallel joists are marked for every 12 inches. Create right angle patterns using the triangle method. Brackets are nailed in the center and strings are also attached. Plywood is nailed to cover entire surface of the floor. Ensure that plywood is perpendicular to joists.

Build walls one by one on the shed floor. Nail studs at both ends. Attach plywood panels to walls. Use temporary braces to hold up the wall until all of them are joined together. Nail four walls with each other.

Build rafters every 16 inches. Mark rafters where the truss beams will be placed. Cover with oriented strand board. Install the doors next.

As for windows, there are pre-built windows available. Install them next. Then install the roof

Generally garden sheds use 3 types of materials: metal, vinyl, and wood.

Metal is usually galvanized steel or aluminum coated with baked enamel finish to achieve toughness. They come in variety of colors and are easy to maintain.

Vinyl panels are tough and come with paintable steel doors. The structure withstands any type of weather and is also easy to maintain.

Wood possesses traditional look of barns. It has solid lumber frames and resembles into a small house.

Some of the most popular accessories used in garden sheds are listed below.

Ramps are sturdy single story structure used to move equipments in and out the sheds like the lawn mower. It is usually made of wood or metal. Some ramps are wiser than lawn tractor tires.

Windows and skylights are used to increase natural light within the shed. Skylights are horizontal windows placed in the roof of the shed. It helps save money and energy. Shutters and window boxes are also available together with the windows.

Lofts are created as parking spaces for mowers. They are basically used as space for larger equipments.

Shelves are installed to serve as storage place for tools and other materials to achieved organization.

Work benches are important when shed is used as hobby shop or gardening area.

Garden Shed Storage Construction

For more information on Garden Shed Storage [http://storage-sheds.net/garden-shed-storage.htm] and Maintenance of Storage Sheds [http://storage-sheds.net/maintain.htm] please visit our website.

Thursday, 1 December 2011

Building a Garden Pergola - What You Need to Know

Building a garden pergola can be a fun and rewarding experience, but there are a few things you need to know before beginning this type of do it yourself project. If done right, a wooden pergola just might be the most beautiful addition to your home garden. If you enjoy building things and take interest in experimenting with home improvement and gardening projects, it is time you learn about various pergola designs and understand what they can do for your garden.

What is a Pergola?

Garden

If you have heard of pergolas but are still not quite certain of what they are, let me offer you a brief description. A pergola is a structure which creates a cool, shaded, and pleasant area beneath. Support columns run along the sides, connecting to various types of latticed framework above. It is most common to leave the sides of the structure open, while the top may be covered by a variety of plants or vines across the top.

You can certainly train your plants to climb to the top of your pergola, so choosing things such as roses, grapes, or jasmine are most appropriate. Climbing plants or vines are not a requirement however, and choosing what you want your structure to look like will depend on your own personal likes. Professional pergola builders will often incorporate their structure into a trellis or gazebo, offering even more accents to the garden. Your pergola might be a simple feature in your garden, or it might even be a more elaborate structure acting as a walkway or pathway, or designed as a corner pergola.

Materials to Build a Pergola

Pergolas can be made of either wood, stone, or a combination of the two. Popular pergola structures of today feature wooden materials, as they are much more affordable to construct. Weather-resistant wood will be important, since this type of garden feature will most certainly be exposed to some harsh elements of weather. Western red cedar is a fantastic choice when choosing wood for your project. This type of wood is easy to use, easy to maintain, looks beautiful, is extremely durable, and even gives off a pleasant aroma. You'll find that todays most top rated pergola kits will feature western red cedar.

My personal preference is to build a cedar pergola, but you may choose to construct an aluminum pergola, vinyl pergola, or an iron or metal pergola. Again this will be determined by how you want to incorporate the structure into your own garden, focusing on each particular garden and pergola style.

The Importance of High Quality Pergola Plans

The last thing I would like to focus on is the importance of following high quality and detailed pergola plans. Anyone who experiments with woodworking projects knows how difficult and time consuming DIY projects can be without good blueprints or plans to follow. This is why I highly suggest taking the time to do some research and obtain a good set of plans for your project. Plans with clear step by step instructions accompanied by photos will make a do it yourself pergola project much easier in the long run.

Building a Garden Pergola - What You Need to Know

William E. Shepherd is a DIY woodworking enthusiast. Shepherd enjoys tackling a variety of home building projects, and takes pride in all of his completed projects. He incorporates high quality and detailed woodworking plans, such as trellis plans, pergola plans, and a variety of landscaping plans for his garden. Shepherd has experience building a various outdoor pergolas, most recently building a patio pergola, deck pergola, and custom hot tub pergola for his personal property.