When it comes to fertilizing your vegetable garden, there are a myriad of products from which you can choose. Regardless of which one you select, a good bottom line to follow is to always select a fertilizer that is made from organic, not synthetic, materials.

Organic fertilizers are made from natural ingredients, such as animal blood and bones, seaweed, manure, kelp, and bat droppings (guano). All of these materials are not harmful to the earth, and are sustainable and renewable. Comparatively, chemical (synthetic) fertilizers are made from materials that are mined from the earth, or petroleum, or gasses that are found in places where petroleum exists underground. This makes the production of chemical fertilizers quite an unfriendly, “un-green” process. To make matters even worse, the vast majority of chemical fertilizers don’t stay where you put them, but instead run off into your ground water.

There is also a very significant difference between chemical and organic fertilizers when it comes to how they work. Organic fertilizers contain nutrients that are not immediately available to the plant when they are applied. These nutrients must combine with the natural bacteria and fungi that are found in the soil in order to be used as food by the plants. This is a very good thing, because it allows your plants to only use the correct amount of nutrients that they can assimilate at any given time. Basically, they will only use what they need, while the fertilizer allows your soil to become healthy and chock full of beneficial nutrients. Comparatively, chemical fertilizers contain nutrients that are immediately available to the plants, and therefore feed only your plants, not your soil. This causes the plants to absorb all of the synthetic nutrients at one time. This may lead to the burnout of your plants’ roots, as well as vegetables that simply develop too quickly, lack nutrients, and taste bad. Plus, your soil is not going to be in a good condition for the next planting season.

Organic fertilizers are an all-around better option that will allow you to grow healthy chemical-free vegetables for your family, and nurture your soil for future use. When selecting a fertilizer, you’ll need to walk past the rows of Miracle Gro at your local garden store. Instead, shop online for a quality natural fertilizer, or just head to your kitchen to easily make your own organic fertilizer. Here are three great options that will nourish and feed your vegetable garden:

- Fish emulsion- Fish emulsion is an excellent, balanced fertilizer that naturally supplies your plants with nitrogen and macronutrients. It is made from a blend of decomposed fish, and is a byproduct of the fishing industry. You’ll find fish emulsion in a number of organic fertilizers, because it is quite popular with organic gardeners. The best fish emulsion fertilizer that I would recommend is called Protogrow. Protogrow is a very highly rated, safe and powerful organic fertilizer. It is excellent for use in vegetable gardens, as it will help your plants to reach their maximum potential and yield. The greatest thing about these nutrients is that they will, in turn, allow your fruits and vegetables to develop their highest nutrient potential as well.

-Egg Shells and Coffee Grounds- Here are two natural fertilizers that you can easily find in your kitchen. Egg shells are naturally made of about 95% calcium carbonate, and calcium is essential for the growth of all plants. Mixing the shells with coffee grounds helps to add beneficial nitrogen to your soil as well. Before using your egg shells, give them a good rinse to remove any egg residue. Then rake the mixture of shells and grounds into the soil around your plants. This is beneficial for all vegetable plants, but particularly for tomato plants.

-Seaweed- Seaweed is an excellent all-around fertilizer for your garden. It is most often soaked in water, then the “tea” is applied in liquid form. If you decide to brew a tea yourself, make sure to use just plain dried seaweed that has not been roasted or seasoned. Or, you can choose a good quality fertilizer containing seaweed extract, such as Liquid Karma, which is made by a company called Botanicare, or Liquid Seaweed Extract that is manufactured by Garden Direct.

Herb Garden Design need not be something which is for your entire garden it may be an addition to your existing garden or just some pots and containers placed in strategic positions.

When looking at the design my first consideration is always to ask why and what am I doing this for. Simple question but necessary as we often forget why we are thinking Herb Garden Design. Most of us will be looking at our garden and thinking we could put some helps in there, but think what do we want to use them for? What herbs do we use in our cooking and will we get some benefit from growing them here.

No point using up our garden space on a Herb Garden if we are not going to use the herbs, I do realise that a herb garden can in itself look quite stunning and also have some magnificent flowers and fragrances but the point is to use the herb in some practical fashion, mostly cooking but perhaps medicinal.

Once we know what kind of herbs we use in our cooking and want in our garden we need to find out if they will grow in our climate. We need not worry too much about the soil or drainage here as Herb Garden Design lends itself to using containers. A quick visit to our blog site will show some examples of how this can look and be achieved.

Local Garden centres will normally only stock those varieties of herbs which grow in the local area so this is an added safeguard to ensure your project is not a disaster by planting herbs that will not grow.

Containers laid out and spaced with or on some gravel walkways as I have said can make for a quite stunning look and have the very positive advantage of being easy to maintain. Also if you have limited space but want a few herbs this is a great way to fit them in.

A lot of herbs are extremely sturdy and once planted in open soil will spread and can be difficult to manage if not given attention on a regular basis, containers also eliminate this problem by leaving only the area of the container available and also they are very easy to empty and start again.

A practical herb garden design will provide the right amount of the right herbs for you in a short period of time and will provide growth for years to come. For more ideas suggestions and support visit our blog site.

Today endless styles of garden furniture sets are available. They each have their own unique characteristics and they all are made with the highest quality materials.
Certain garden furniture sets represent some variation of Old West, or desert location. These pieces are constructed for use outdoors but many people already may have placed them in a conservatory or sun room. They may not provide enough seating room if you make it a habit to entertain large groups of people, though. Other sets of this very popular type of furniture are recognized for their square and rectangular shapes as well as sharp angles. These sets often are sold with thick, padded cushions, and distinct contrasting colours. Some very appealing models of outside collections are sold complete with a large or small glass dining table. This style of rattan garden furniture often may work well with any other combinations of wicker furniture in the variations noted above: cubed, desert, or L-shaped. Items that contain glass are usually are fashioned only with the choicest tempered safety glass, of between 5mm and 12mm thick. Try to obtain as thick of pieces as you can to ensure maximum safety of your household and guests. Certain models of wicker garden furniture sets are UV treated and can be placed outside throughout the year very little concern about fading, splitting, or cracking of the material. Most of these pieces come with an outdoor waterproof cover that protects and preserves the furniture when it is not in use. As brought up already, contemporary wicker garden furniture is produced of the choicest, most durable materials by some of the most gifted architects as well as assembly persons. Choice garden furniture sets are derived from palm trees set in certain locations in Africa, Asia, and Australasia. A majority of this material used for the creation of some of the finest wicker comes from Indonesia. The frames are constructed from lightweight aluminum is usually coated in order to prevent it from rusting. Likewise being able to withstand the outdoor elements this furniture is simple to move from area to area and can be packed away very tightly. Models of popular garden furniture sets are quite versatile, and can be used for just about any social occasion. Furthermore, certain sets can be displayed in such a way to create just the right look. These contemporary pieces are oftentimes mixed with additional styles of furniture to produce a display, which will exhibit your unique and personal style.

If we cherish the belief that a garden design must be a place of restfulness as well as a place of visual beauty, then water must surely be the essential ingre?dient. Of all nature’s elements, water is the one that brings a feeling of peace to the landscape. It plays on all the senses- sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste- and offers a cornucopia of design possi?bilities in gardens of all sizes and styles.

On a grand scale, imagine a country garden design complete with a lake edged by gently sloping banks, a meandering stream spanned by a Monet-style bridge; on a minimal scale, think of a Japanese water fountain with a stone water bowl providing a cool resting place for native birds.

Our Past Heritage of Water Garden Design
The role of water in garden design has a long and illustrious history, both in the East and in Western gardens. During the time of Plato, public fountains adorned parks and temple groves, while sacred fountains and shrines to Pan, nymphs, and the muses nestled in pri?vate garden sanctuaries. Homer’s Odyssey describes the Sanctuary of Nymphs at Ithaca, where streams tumbled over rocks and boulders to a shrine known as a Nymphaeum, dedicated to the nymphs and complete with fountains designed to represent a natural grotto.

Ultimately, the development of hydraulic engineer?ing and aqueducts in Rome produced many ornamental fountains and water garden designs including Hadrian’s villa at Tivoli, which boasted an extravagant dis?play of waterworks in the form of streams, canals, fountains, and pools. Even today in the Vatican you can see the wondrous gilt Byzantine fountain La Pigna in the shape of a pine cone sprin?kling water. In the Paradise Gardens of Islam, water was an integral feature with water canals representing the ‘four rivers of paradise, dividing garden plots.

The luxurious villa gardens of rural Pompeii are recorded in wall paintings and engravings that show elaborate trellises and urns. Rills (small constructed rivulets) are mentioned in literature describing the period columned terraces with fountains and deep channels that formed artificial rivers. The beauty of these garden designs, buried beneath volcanic ash and for 16 centuries, was uncovered early in the 18th century when workmen digging a well accidentally stumbled upon the remains. The region was rich in natural beauty; and water must have been plentiful to have supported a variety of ornamental water garden designs.

Water was also a powerful theme in the gardens of the Mogul Empire, usually around mosques and places where people bathed. In China and Japan the influence of water was pervasive; no Chinese garden was designed without a combination of water and mountains. The landscape of these two countries is for their use of water: streams, springs ponds, small fountains and lakes cleverly designed to emulate wild nature. The use of boulders and rocks, and the selection of carefully scaled plant material, add to the beauty and serenity of these gardens.

In Egypt, the gardens of the Pharaohs and other members of the wealthy had two priorities-water and shade—to combat the relentless heat. Garden designs were always an oasis of beauty, with scented shrubs forming an understory to shade trees. Walled gardens, established to create a cooler microclimate, contained simple rectangular pools, with spouts from the roof playing water into the pool, where ornamental fish were probably kept. An Egyptian garden design discovered in the tomb of a high official at Thebes demon?strates a quite sophisticated irrigation system, as well as vine-covered places and terraces of sycamore and palm trees.

In European gardens of the Middle Ages a fountain or water basin was considered essential, and was usually located in the middle of a walled area. Monastery gardens, where herbs were grown for medicinal purposes, are well recorded; and here water was also impor?tant as a religious symbol of purification. Garden designs were practical as well as spiritu?al features, producing vegetables and fruits for the families who dwelt inside the walls and cloisters.

A more classical or formal approach to water garden design can be seen in the Italian gardens of the Renaissance, including the magnificent Villa d’Este at Tivoli which included such sumptuous sights as the ‘Pathway of a Hundred Fountains’, considered by many to be the most imaginative use of water in land?scape history. The parterre gardens of Tuscany, both modest and grand, have inspired many contemporary landscapers, and here water gardens are a recurring theme. Symmetrical pools and sculptural fountains added to the more formal approach. Beds edged with clipped trees and potted lemon trees were common accessories.

Throughout history, we have learned that regardless of climate or location, water provides a place of beauty and enjoyment. Even in the small city garden design, garden fountains or small ponds can bring a restful place to refresh our spirits and our soul.

There are so many great gift ideas for garden lovers these days.? One great idea is to consider lovely solar garden statues.? They come in many shapes and sizes and use the power of the sun to provide hours of illumination in any garden landscape.? Although the shapes vary, there are 3 basic themes to these shapes.? Consider one of them for your garden lover.

Animals and Nature

Most garden lovers have an affinity for nature and animals.? Dogs, frogs, squirrels, deer, and even snails can be found in various poses with solar light accents or spotlights.? These cute statues can spice up a landscape bed or even a porch step as a greeting.? Consider the type of animals your garden lover likes.? Who wouldn’t like to include animals in their plant landscape where nature intended?? Some can even be found holding words of welcome, a clear sign that would entice anyone in the garden.

Gnomes and Fairies

Some garden lovers have included mystical elements into their landscape.? Garden gnomes, German woodland creatures, are thought to give gardeners good luck in their gardens.? Traditional garden statuary has always depicted the funny looking beings wearing a pointy red hat.? You can find a variety of garden gnomes to match any garden theme.?? Garden Fairies are also popular as they are said to give beauty to a garden.? Who wouldn’t want that?

Angels and Cherubs

Another common theme found in garden statuary is the use of angels and cherubs.? When statues were first introduced into gardens they were made to honor the religious traditions of the culture.? Given this fact, it is easy to see the appeal of placing angels and other heavenly beings in a garden.? Some garden lovers consider it a blessing on their landscape, even if they aren’t very religious.

Winter garden ideas, particularly in areas that have freezing temperatures, should be based on what you can do as a gardener to counter it. Yes, for those who are willing to face this challenge, harvesting from your garden will be a very gratifying experience. Basically, the challenge lies in how you can prevent this condition from killing your vegetable. The following are some winter garden ideas that may help:

If your garden is in a green house, it will help greatly in countering the temperature problem. The choice of vegetables to plant will play a big role. There are vegetables that are more tolerant to low temperatures than others. Good lists of these are available on the Internet. Check it out, and do some research. You must plant them in October, when conditions are more permitting, and hope that they are fully grown during the freezing months.

You need to control your watering. The best way to do this is to give them enough so that they will not dry up. However, do not give too much, as that will freeze your vegetable to death. You must also provide artificial light, in case the sun does not shine for a couple of days. On particular nights when temperatures are at their lowest, you can cover those vegetables with leaf mulch to form a warming blanket that can prevent freezing of the plant cells. The main difference between a plant cell and an animal cell is that, unlike animal cells, plant cells do not regenerate. So, once it is damaged, the damage is permanent.

Be sure that, after covering it with mulch, you remove the mulch the first moment that you experience better temperature conditions, in order to allow your vegetables to breathe and prevent them from rotting. The only thing that you can hope for is for your vegetables to be in a condition where they are enough for survival but not enough for growth.

Another Idea that you can try is using container gardening, particularly if you have enough space in your house. You must place your vegetables inside your house where the conditions are more favorable. Depending on the space you have, put them in spots that can receive at least ten hours of artificial light. Photosynthesis can still occur, even if the source of light is artificial and not the sun. During days when conditions outside your house become more favorable, take them outside. At least your chances of a winter harvest are better using a container garden compared to the vegetables in the green house.

Every enthusiast in gardening would want to harvest during the winter period. Doing this is something that you can cherish for your life time. Facing the challenge of Mother Nature is a daunting task, and coming out victorious makes it more thrilling. Try out some of these winter garden ideas, but do it on a small scale, so that it is something that you can handle easily. Now, you can use the majority of this season to prepare for your gardening in the coming spring.

Through the use of an effective vegetable garden design scheme you will have a vegetable plot to supply most, if not all of your vegetable needs through out the year.

What a lot of people getting involved in the vegetable gardening field don’t know is that you have to work at it all year round. You may only be harvesting crops in spring, summer and fall but you will be out in the late fall and through out the winter preparing it for the coming year.

Through the utilisation of proper vegetable garden design you will have chores to do all year long and this is turn will reward you hopefully with a bumper crop year on year. Some of the chores that have to be attended to in the late fall / early winter are-

Dig the ground to get hard lumps to the surface – the frost will break it down for you.

Rake up leaves – you can store these in a compost plot (make a frame out of chicken wire and 3 or 4 posts, then pack the leaves into it and now you leave it for a year or so), this will give you mulch for the garden.

If you are planting for a spring crop now is the time to plant your

carrots
Broad Beans

If you have an undercover area now is the time for you to plant

Lettuces
Radishes

If this is not your first year you may have crops which are ready for harvesting, these will include

Cabbage
brussels Sprouts – just in time for the turkey
Lettuce
Carrots
Leeks
Potatoes
Pumpkins – now where’s that carving knife?
Radishes

If you are only starting off then in your first winter you are going to be preparing the soil for your crops. The winter brings a time for organisation

Get digging – the winter frost will have broken up the large lumps you left in the fall, now is the time to dig them back into the bed. If you have plantings done in the fall you can cover them with polythene or straw to protect them from a frost.

Get all your tools sharp or purchase any new ones you need. This a good time to walk your plot with you vegetable garden design in your hand and picture your crops growing. If this is not your first year then walk your plot and remember what went right and what went wrong in previous years and plan your attack for this year.

As for planting, it is now time to sow your seeds for

Shallots
Rhubarb
Garlic

If you have an undercover area now is the time for you to plant

Leeks
Cabbage – for your summer harvest
Cauliflowers – these are also for your summer harvest
lettuces
Radishes

If this is not your first year you may have crops which are ready for harvesting, these will include

Cabbage
Cauliflowers
Your Broccoli will be sprouting
Lettuce
Carrots
celery
Leeks
spinach
Parsnips
Radishes

Now we are into the spring and everything is brightening up and with the weather picking up so do the chores round the garden. This is when we start to get everything going.

-You dug the beds in the fall and then again in the winter, now is time to check that they are ready for the seeds.
-cover fragile plants with nettings to protect them from pests.
-check the fall and winter planting for spacing out.

As for planting, it is now time to sow your seeds for

Spring Onions
Radishes
Beetroot
Carrots
Broad Beans

If you have an undercover area now is the time for you to plant

Onions
Peppers
Celery
Indoor Tomatoes

There maybe a need here for nursery beds for being on some early plantings

Brussels Sprouts – the fall plantings
Lettuce
Leeks
Cabbage – both fall and winter

As Spring progresses you will have to

start the hardening up process for the young plants you had undercover for the fall and winter
Ensure the soil doesn’t become dry due to lack of rain
keep the weeds down by hoeing regularly
put up supports for climbers
keep thinning out as you go

planting is still going on, now we have

Cabbage
Onions
Potatoes

Have the spring frosts passed? Good time for the

Peppers
Celery
Sweetcorn
Tomatoes the outdoor kind
Beans

We still need the undercover for

Cucumbers
Tomatoes

One more thing to do harvest your crops

Broad Beans
Leeks
Lettuce
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots
Radishes
Rhubarb

Summertime and the living is easy – sorry just started signing there, getting back to the garden. Even though Summer is a time for harvesting you still have chores to do. These include

Add fertiliser to areas where you are sowing new crops With Beans and Tomatoes you need to put in supports to keep them growing keep a look out for pests and diseases and act straight away if you see any signs This being the hottest time of the year keep watering your crops Don’t forget that some plants like Tomatoes and Beans are repeat growers so pick them as soon as they are ready Towards the end of summer clear away crops that have finished and prepare the ground for your next planting

Summer maybe a time for harvesting but there is still sowing to do, this will include

Carrots
Lettuce
Onions
Turnips
peas for fall
beetroot

Did we mention that Summer is a time for harvesting, well it is and this includes

Broad Beans
Shallots
Sweetcorn
Tomatoes
Beans
Potatoes
Garlic
Cauliflowers
Beetroot

Now we are back to the fall and it all starts again but now you have a vegetable garden design that works and hopefully you have enjoyed all the work. With time it will all come easier to you as you get used to the routine and the chores won’t seem so much like chores.

A garden is the first point of contact for the visitors. It is an extension of your home and the garden furniture gives an idea about the decor of your home. It is important that you coordinate the outdoors with the indoors, to make your home attractive. Blending the outdoor furniture items with indoor furniture items is the first step towards coordinating. The backyard may have a different theme, but your home and the garden should have a similar theme. If not similar, the style should at least complement each other. It is not necessary to use the same colors. In fact, you can use contrasting colors for uniqueness. However, the furniture type is very important. You cannot have rattan furniture in the outdoors, and wrought iron furniture indoors. This is a mismatch. Rattan garden furniture would blend well with wooden home furniture. The idea is to have some basic similarity in style. Similarly, a vintage look in the home and a very contemporary look in the garden will not blend well.

If you want a good deal, then internet is a perfect place to look for outdoor furniture items. You will get a huge variety under one roof. Moreover, you can shop from the comfort of your home and the items will be delivered at your doorstep. Not just that, when you buy online, you get an opportunity to save money. Many websites offer discounts when you buy online. This is because a merchant can sell directly to his customers online, and there are no intermediaries. You are guaranteed to get garden furniture at a discounted rate online. When there are no intermediaries, the merchant is in a position to save money, which is otherwise given to the wholesalers and retailers, in the form of commission. This saving is passed to the customers and works as a benefit for both the buyer, as well as, the seller. There is a huge variety of furniture and you will not be deprived of choices when you buy online. In fact, you will be spoiled with choices. Here is a list of furniture items that you can buy online.

Types Of Garden Furniture

*Wooden: The wood used for outdoor items is of different types. There is hardwood, softwood, and weather resistant wood. Wood is not very high on maintenance and is cost effective. All you need is a coating or varnish with the change in seasons.

*Rattan: Rattan furniture looks very elegant and suits most tastes and budgets. This material is water and heat resistant, and is perfect for outdoors.

*Metal: Metal furniture items are usually made of iron mixed with other alloys or aluminum. The metal is coated with different colors and gives a vintage look. Metal furniture looks classic.

*Teak Wood: The most popular and the most durable wood is teak wood. It has a very long life and is known for its stability and strength. Teak wood garden furniture may be expensive, but it is worth the money spent.

*Garden Benches: Benches are available in different sizes to meet different needs. If you have children or pets at home, you could choose a medium height bench for the garden.

*Garden Hammocks: Hammocks are a perfect way to unwind and relax. You can choose from a range of hammocks wings and chairs, or if you have one, you could buy a strong and sturdy stand.

LED garden lights are the ultimate in energy efficiency; they will light your garden ten times longer than fluorescent lamps and at least twenty times longer than incandescent bulbs. Heat free in use and free from mercury, LED lights are the safest form of lighting to have around the house and garden, especially when there are children around.

Because they are so energy efficient when compared to standard bulbs and fluorescent lamps, we use less electricity; this in turn means that there are less carbon emissions from the large power companies. If you’ve ever sat close to a halogen bulb for any length of time, you will know that they can throw out an amazing amount of heat, LED lights emit very little heat at all, so they’re safer to have around, especially on a wooden deck or where there are children.

And, if you’re really green, because LED lights use so little energy, they can be run perfectly well on wind or solar energy!In terms of aesthetics, because LED lights are the way forward, leading designers are putting effort into designing ever more attractive garden lights that use light emitting diodes (LED). This means that you will find all sorts of well designed LED garden lights; whether you’re looking for wall lights or ground lights, bollards or plant pots, you will be able to find exactly what you want in LED form.

Of course, there are other reasons for choosing LED garden lights, not least of which is that they come in such brilliant contemporary designs, whatever your lighting task, you will find an LED garden light to help you achieve your aim.

If you have read my previous articles on soil, compost, plant nutrients and mulching, then you will realise that you are now beginning to understand how to garden successfully. I would now like to talk about watering your garden effectively. A lot of people think they are watering their garden properly, when actually they aren’t and their plants are stressed. Watering is not difficult, but there are a few issues to be aware of. Often after we have watered, we notice the water is running down the drive and that it has not soaked into the soil. This also happens with pot plants, that we think we have watered them properly when in reality the watering is running freely out of the bottom of the pot and the root ball is still dry. We also need to be aware that after it has rained, that the water may only have penetrated the top few centimetres of the topsoil and it is still bone dry underneath.

Watering is one of the most important jobs you can do in the garden and it can be very relaxing. Just zoning out, not thinking too much and interacting with nature while you are hand watering can be fantastic. But it isn’t as easy as you think. Most people over water their gardens and often plants can survive with less water. In Melbourne (Australia), everyone thought camellias couldn’t withstand dry soil, but with our 11 year drought they proved us gardeners wrong and showed they are very tough plants. Plants can become addicted to water, but you can wean them off it, by slowly reducing the amount you give them. For example if you water every day, trying watering every second day, then every third day, then once a week, then once every two weeks. Of course it does depend on the species of plants you have. Azaleas in hot climates will suffer if they are only watered once every two weeks.

Plant Choice

When choosing plants it is important to understand their requirements and these are some questions you should ask yourself:

Do they need sun or shade? Are they a drought tolerant or swamp plant? Do they like sandy or clay soil? Do they come from a hot climate (desert) or a cold climate (mountains)? Are they a surface rooted plant? Will they rot if they receive too much water? Will they die if they receive too little water?

There is an old gardening adage that is it is better to water deeply for 20 minutes three times a week, than sprinkle water over the garden every day for a few minutes. Longer, deeper watering forces the roots to go down after it. Thus the added benefit of this is that soil is cooler in hot weather, giving plants the ability to withstand extremely high summer temperatures. Plants such as azaleas and silver birches are more likely to suffer because they are naturally surfaced rooted. The best way to help these plants is to mulch around the drip line (edge of the canopy).

That is why it is so important to continually improve your soil structure. If you constantly incorporate animal manure or compost you will find that your soils water holding capacity increases dramatically. For established garden beds, the best way to incorporate the organic matter is to put it on top of the soil and let the worms work it down for you, as digging deeply could damage the roots. With new garden beds, the best method is to dig it in to a spades depth.

Watering Systems

I am not a big fan of watering systems, mainly because they don’t water evenly and effectively. I understand people who have a big garden haven’t got the time to hand water the whole garden, but there are many pitfalls with them. They miss plants, break, get blocked and once repaired are never as efficient as when they were new.

Many people, think that just because they have installed the latest and greatest watering system, that they never have to bother watering again. Well, that is not true. Watering systems need to be checked at least twice a year that they are working properly and you need to check the water is going where you want it too. Pipes have a habit of moving and breaking. Another problem with sprinkler systems is that they just don’t have the pressure to pump out enough water for it to soak in more than a few centimetres. If you dig down, you find the soil is bone dry. Sprinklers also miss parts of the garden creating dry spots. It is a good idea to run the watering system and observe what is happening, to see where the water is actually going. Every spring, you need to take the end stopper out of the pipe and run the system to try and flush out dirt, spiders and any other blockages.

In countries where water is precious, drippers are often the preferred watering system. The idea behind drippers is they deliver the water straight to the roots and none is wasted by evaporation. This is true, but often the plants roots congregated around the drippers hole. This often makes plants especially trees unstable in windy conditions because all the roots are in one place (or one side of the trunk). One way to overcome this uneven distrubition of plants roots is to make sure that the drippers holes are regularly and evenly placed. If you have dripper heads on lines, then you can move them around the base of the plant and this prevents a build up of roots in one place. Watering systems are there to supplement the natural rain fall and not to be relied upon to always provide moisture to your garden.

Natural Rainfall

There is nothing that excites a gardener more (especially if you are living with drought) than rain. Everything perks up again and the world seem fresh and clean. We gardeners all tend to think that the rain has given the ground a good soaking and we won’t have to water for a while. Well I hate to disappoint you, but often the rain hasn’t actually penetrated into the soil and it is still dry. After rain, I recommend you go out into the garden and scratch around under the mulch and plants and observe how damp your soil is. You may get a nasty surprise, that it isn’t as wet as you hoped. Also be aware of dry places such as under house eaves, under shrubs and large trees. They may need to be watered.

Too Little or Too Much Water

Insufficient water or too much water can cause plants to become stressed and attractive to insects such as aphids, scale, mealy bug, thrip, mites and white fly. Controlling these pests is going to hit your hip pocket because you may need to buy chemical sprays. If however, you observe that the soil is too dry and ameliorate the problem by increasing the amount of water, then you won’t need to buy expensive chemicals. Another problem of insufficient water is that fruit trees often drop their flowers or their maturing fruit. This is a survivable mechanism and it is important at flowering and fruit set to make sure the plant is getting enough moisture. Too much water can also be a problem as it takes up the pore space that is normally fill with oxygen. All plant roots need oxygen and if it is not there, then they will die. In flood, the water takes the space of the oxygen and thus the plant drowns. So drainage is very important.

Pot Plants

And lastly, watering pots can also be tricky as the potting mixes wears out and the pots become root bound. Often you will see water running straight out the bottom of the pot and the potting mix is still bone dry. This is a sign it is time to repot your plant into either the same size pot (with some root removal) or into the next size. Good quality potting mix contains water holding granules, but you can also add your own. I suggest that you hydrate them first, as if you put them in dry, it is very easy to put too much and your plant will suffer and not establish a good root system. It is very easy, just get an old cup, put in 1/2 a teaspoon, add water and leave them for about 10 minutes. When you come back, you will notice they have swelled up and then you can accurately measure the amount you want. If it is a really big pot and impossible to move, one trick is to block the drainage holes with bluetak or something that can be removed later, flood the pot with water and leave it for about 24 hours or until the air bubbles have stopped. This will re-wet the root ball. Then remove the bluetak and allow the excess water to drain away.

Now don’t despair and decide gardening and watering is too difficult, as all you can do is your best. But it is handy to be aware of the problems, so when they pop up you can work out a solution or visit your local nursery and get some advice. If you follow the simple rules of adding compost, animal manures and mulching, then you are a long way there to making sure you water and conserve water properly.

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