How To Garden - 8 Important Tools Needed In Every Garden

Garden tools have been used for hundreds of years throughout history. Although gardeners today use different and more sophisticated tools, they still respect tools used in the past. These are a few tools that you will always need in any garden.

1) Rake
Rakes are commonly used to remove leaves and everyday garden debris. When you are selecting a rake, be sure to check the handle carefully. Keep in mind that smooth wood handle tend to last the longest. Plastic handles will wear away within a few months of usage.

2) Shovel
Shovels are usually used to dig holes, in order to spread soil in a garden. When you are buying a shovel, be sure to choose one that is solid steel and will not bend when digging. Be sure that you can get a good grip on the handle in order to prevent blisters and even splinters. You also want to make sure that there is an area on the head of the shovel when you can use your foot to push down for greater digging force.

3) Pitchfork
A pitchfork is a gardening tool with approximately 3 prongs and a long handle. The size of pitchforks may vary depending on what they are being used for. The space between each prong will varies as well. Pitchforks are mostly used to separate, lift and throw loose pieces of material such as leaves and sometimes dirt.

4) Pruning Shears
Pruning shears are tools that have long handles and fine edged blades. This type of gardening tool is used to allow gardeners to prune rose bushes and annoying vines. They can also be used to cut the grass at the edges of a sidewalk or garden beds. Without pruning shears, your garden will end up looking very messy and disorganized. Try to invest in high quality pruning shears. They tend to have a lifelong guarantee and will almost never rust.

5) Spade
A spade is a gardening tool with a long, thick handle and heavy flat blade. This tool is used to dig and move pieces of dirt from one location to another. Spades can also be used to pack down dirt once a plant has been planted.

6) Trowel
A trowel is a shovel looking piece of equipment used to dig up dirt to make space for smaller plants. The best ones to buy have an easy grip with rubber material. A trowel with no grip will be difficult to use and will most definitely ruin your garden. Many gardeners will agree that this tool is a must in any gardening arsenal.

7) Wheelbarrow
A wheelbarrow is a cart with a handle one wheel designed for easy transportation of materials from one location to another. Buying a wheelbarrow will save you a lot of time and effort. This will make life much easier when you need to go to the compost heap.

8) Watering Can
In order to ensure the survival of a plant, you must keep it well watered. You should choose a watering can that has a long spout in order to place water as close to the roots as possible. Without the proper amount of water, your plant will shrivel up and die.

About the Author
For more information visit these websites: Home and Garden plus IRS Tax Information. They will give you information on both gardening and IRS Taxes. You can also visit this website for information on different types of cancer: Cancer Information

Garden Lighting

Garden design is the art of creating beautiful landscapes for your outdoor retreat. Alluring garden design can be accomplished with the help of professionals or even by talented garden owners themselves. Thankfully with today's advanced technology, it's easy and affordable to illuminate your growing garden. Whether you have a quaint patio garden or a couple acre plots, you can find decorative and fun garden lighting that will enhance the beauty of any sized space.

One of the more unique and visually-pleasing lighting techniques in decorative garden lighting is the use of fiber optics. Fiber optics is the science of transmitting light via optical fibers. Optical fibers are extruded cylinders of plastic or glass used to transmit light. All that is required to illuminate the optic fibers is a single light bulb; making fiber optic lighting an affordable garden lighting choice. Another great advantage of fiber optic lighting is that it uses no electrical current; therefore it is safe to place in and around water without danger of electrocution. Therefore, fiber optic lighting can be used to illuminate a garden pond, tree trunks and branches, shrubs, plant containers and even a patio deck.

Another fun idea to add to your outdoor oasis is solar-powered fiber optic gazing balls. These unique ornaments add loveliness to your garden at night and even in the day. The solar collector gathers energy during the day to power the fiber optics in the gazing ball at night. At dusk, the fiber optics illuminates the gazing ball and adds instant ambiance to any garden. These typically will remain running for 4-6 hours a night.

Another simple and fun idea to add to your garden lighting is sting lights. String lights that use fiber optic lighting can be added to decks or used to decorate trees, shrubs and plants. A variety of adorable styles are available including butterflies, toads, flowers and dragonflies. These delicate lights add subtle lighting to drab areas while also adding attractive decor.

Solar garden lighting is another cost-effective way to bring light to your flowering garden. Solar lights use a single battery composed of Nicam (nickel and cadmium) which is charged throughout the day by sunlight. At dusk, solar garden lights automatically turn on and at dawn, they automatically turn off. Again, solar garden lighting is available in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors. Colorful stings of lanterns, butterflies, stars, hummingbirds, and many other shapes can be found easily. Also solar statues, stakes, rocks and poles can be used to illuminate garden pathways.

With so many options available today its simple and easy to transform your beautiful garden into an enjoyable place to spend your evenings. Under twinkling lights and magical glowing shapes it will be hard to decipher between actual stars and fireflies from the beautiful luminous additions in your glowing garden.

About the Author
Christine Beals is a professional writer who provides information for A1 Outdoor Lighting where you'll find information on garden lighting and much more!

Maintaining Your Garden

Now that you have started a flower or vegetable garden, maintaining your garden is the next step to insure beautiful flowers and a bountiful harvest. Maintaining your garden is just as important as choosing what plants are going to be planted and how to plant them? With all the work that has been put into it to let it go to seed or letting the weed take over would be disgraceful.
One sure way to maintain a garden is by mulching. Mulching will make a huge difference in a garden, why? Mulching not only keeps the soil cool but it also conserves water and blocks weed growth. Shredded or chipped bark (called compost) or shredded leaves and straw will also improve the soil. Mulching will be extremely beneficial to warm season vegetable plants such as melons, peppers squash and tomatoes when plastic mulch is used, it warms the soil around them.
Mulch should be put down as soon as possible after planting before new weeds have a chance to sprout up. Layer your mulch no thicker than 4 inches but a minimum of 2 inches. Too much mulch will only give hiding place for moles, voles, mice and other rodents and may cause the stems to rot if it is piled to high so avoid direct contact with the plant itself.
Keep your plant labels ( from the small pots) or seed packets ( if you planted from seed), they are an excellent source for information if your garden starts to look or do poorly, they usually tell you what the plant will need in terms of care and maintenance, how much sunlight, water, fertilizer etc. If you are not an avid gardener or if this is your first garden don't plant plants that will require a lot of attention do some checking first, garden centers and nurseries are often very helpful.
Remember your name is Smith, so just because it's pretty in Ms. Jones yard doesn't mean that it will be pretty in yours and it won't look like the picture in a magazine photo either. Different regions have different soil qualities and this should always be taken into consideration just like some people have that magical Green Thumb. If your particular region gets a lot of rain, that's well and good, but if it doesn't, don't let your plants get drought stressed. If this happens more than likely they will not recover completely during that growing season.
Weeds come from a variety of places, soles of your shoes and the wind in particular, so there will be plenty of weeding to do. Keep them pulled or they will out grow your plants and or choke them out. If you've planted vegetables, they will produce more if you keep them harvested while they are young. Keep your taller growing vegetables such as tomatoes caged or staked, cucumbers have vines that run and can wrap around other plants choking them so planting near a fence or staking them is also a good idea.
Water, water, water, watering is the most important when gardening. A minimum of 1 inch per week is essential to prevent drought stress and when they get all the water they need they stay lively. Morning watering is best, the humidity is high and you will get less evaporation.
Things you should remember:
Water slowly and deeply
Water in the mornings when possible
Use a long lasting mulch on your perennials ( preferably bark chips) Mulch for your vegetables should be one that will decompose within a few months
Choose pine needles, hulls leaves or bark chips for your mulches, keep those weeds pulled and your garden should do well.

About the Author
Eudora DeWynter offers tips on Maintaining Your Gardenon her blog at http://www.gardentoolguru.com

7 Time Saving Gardening Tips

Do you spend too much time in your garden with little to show for it? Gardening can be a lot of work and it requires a lot of patience. However, sometimes you could be creating work for yourself that just doesn't need to be done. Here are seven tips that will help you save time in your garden, while still getting the best out of your garden.

1) Plan before you start to garden. If you know what you want to accomplish in your garden before you start, you won't waste a lot of time in going back and forth to the tool shed to get different garden tools. Plus, you won't have to re-do your garden work (ie: re-plant your plants because the spot you initially choose didn't work out).

2) Keep your garden tools and supplies in one spot and always in the same spot. Remember that saying "A place for everything and everything in its place." It works because you know exactly where to find something and you don't waste time in finding the gardening tools or supplies that you need.

3) Hire it out. If you have any tasks that you hate to do, then hire someone to do it for you. For simple jobs like mowing the lawn, you can hire the neighbour's kid to do it. For more complex jobs, consider hiring a local landscaper. Be sure to check for references. Ask the landscaper how often he or she will come by to do the work and exactly what work will be done. If you have the landscaper do any trimming or pruning, check to see if they will clean up the yard when they are done.

4) Keep garden tools sharp and in good shape. When tools are sharp, they are easier to use and get the job done faster!

5) Grow perennials. They will bloom year after year and most perennials require very little maintenance. Sweet williams, the chinese peony and common foxglove are all examples of perennial flowers. Sage, parsley and chives are examples of perennial herbs.

6) Only water once a week. Avoid watering your grass in small, frequent amounts. Instead, give your garden and lawn a thorough soaking once a week. This will encourage longer roots and a healthier lawn.

7) Buy good quality tools. It means spending a little more money at the beginning, but quality tools last. Also, they won't break easily, which will save you time and frustration from always having to stop and fix them.


About the Author
Please visit http://www.thegardenersescape.com/ for more gardening tips and free design plans. Let us help you plan your garden escape today!

SPRING GARDEN PREPARATION

Spring is just around the corner. For most of us homeowners this means it is time to take the needed steps to achieve a wonderful plush yard. Like most houses, much is based on the appearance of the outside as it is inside, especially if you're trying to sell your house. You would be surprised as to how much a nicer yard can affect a seller’s price. Here are several ideas that might help in the maintenance of your lawn. Whether you plan to sell or just look for that added manicure, I hope this helps. St. Augustine grass is probably the most popular type of grass for Central Texas. Even though it is high maintenance the outcome is well worth the effort. Watering is essential for this type of grass. Fertilizing is just as important with St. Augustine grass. When you are looking for fertilizer there are several points to be considered. Brand, like anything else doesn't, have much effect on the grass. There are three numbers on all bags that are important and can damage just as much as help feed your lawn. These numbers are the ratings of which ever chemicals you are lacking or depending on to feed your grass. A local hardware store or nursery employee can answer your questions concerning fertilizer. A good fertilizer should be spread during late February or early March. Remember to not spread the fertilizer before it rains. Once it is spread, a light watering is suggested to help breakdown the components. Be sure to cut your lawn prior to fertilizing, this will remove the top ends of the blades that are still protecting the roots from any winter weather. It is also good to give the lawn one good rake to help remove any debris from the Fall months and help aerate the lawn. Grass needs oxygen just like we do. You can locate a pair of aerate sandals that strap on to the bottom of your shoes. These sandals have anywhere from ten to fifteen one inch spikes that penetrate your topsoil as you walk. That's about the easiest job for your lawn. Not only does it provide oxygen but it allows water and sunlight to get down into the roots to make it stronger. If all this y(h)ard work seems too difficult or complicated, a good lawn service is a phone call away. Neighbors or friends might know a good lawn service that can lend a hand. From experience, don't pay too much for yard service. Good service is out there you just have to look. Try to schedule them to come out when you will be home. They tend to do a better job when you are checking on them. Like anything else, communicate with the lawn service company and explain what it is you want. Some companies can do a little more if you are looking for it. Some lawn service providers also trim trees and remove waste. This is always a plus when you preparing your homes curb appeal.
About the Author
The Austin TX real estate market offers some great opportunities for both buyers and sellers..