Gardening Tips

Depending on where you live a little frost is not a big deal. Living on the California Central Coast I don’t ever dig up my dahlias I cut them back after they have died down and compost my bed with rich organic compost. Then I add a layer of mulch to keep the moister in and the freezing to a minimum. The first frost of the year you will notice that all of the foliage is dead. I clean that up by cutting or pulling the stems off the tubers.

One great aspect of not digging up your dahlias is that the tubers grow big and multiply. Then you can always separate them out for more plants or to share with gardening friends. I have found that the Dahlia plant gets bigger and taller in the growing season, summer. You will find that you get a lot more blossoms and longer stems.

If you live in snow country dig up your dahlias a frost will turn them into mush and it is yucky. I lived in Bend OR and I would keep my dahlias in black planters so that I could bring them in easily. It can be frustrating and time consuming to dig up all of your dahlias. A friend of mine she always puts them in painted plastic containers so they look pretty and are decorative.

Remember snails, slugs, and mildew love dahlias… see related future articles on the battle between me and the mildew.

I’ve decided to become a do-it-yourself-er and build a fence in my garden in an effort to keep the dogs out of the flower garden.

The basic principles I’ve discovered are as follows:

Plant your 4×4 vertical fence posts no more than 8 feet apart (6 is better so the railings don’t sag over time — plus 6 feet is easier to haul home from the lumber yard than 8 foot boards with room to spare for trimming the length).

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Measure out the placement of the fence post holes with stakes and a string to ensure you get the right distance, also be sure to keep the fence line as straight as possible.

If you’re putting a swinging gate in, be sure to measure it large enough for a wheel barrel to fit through the gate. Typically this is 3 feet wide between fence posts.

I opted to make two swinging gates one on each side of the yard for easy access. Most of the area behind the fence is going to be the garden and it helps to bring a wheel barrel in and out from two different entrances.

Year of the Dog trailer In my case, I have a 6 foot yard fence between my neighbors and I — one across the back and two on either side. My garden fence is going to be a 3-foot high fence with posts 8 feet apart and a railing on the top and bottom (set horizontally or “on edge”) with wire mesh to keep the dogs out.

I mapped out the fence line following the curved lawn edge, while sinking fence posts a little closer (3-4 feet in a few places) to get that “rounded” feel to it. The fence won’t have the same curvature as the bender-board that will be placed in-front of the fence, but at least there will be some shape to it besides a rectangle. Map it out on paper before hand so you get a good idea of what you’re doing.

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On to the fun stuff — post hole digging! I’m not a professional, as I said before…keep your self well paced. I can dig 2-3 holes (2.5 feet deep) in a 2 hour period before my wrists and arms started to ache. Allow yourself a few weekends depending on the number of fence post holes you have to dig. I dug 14 fence post holes over the span of 3 weekends. It gets easier as you go, so don’t be discouraged if the first fence post hole takes you 2 hours.

As for the fence post depth — for a 3 foot high fence it’s recommended you sink the post at least 2 feet — two and a half feet is better. I sunk each post 27 inches deep. Don’t go to deep…assuming you have a 6 foot post or 8 foot post you can have some extra room to spare. For a 3 foot high fence and a 2-2.5 foot hole, with a 6 foot 4×4 I will have an extra foot to work with when I start to sink the posts.

As for buying a post hole digger, there are pretty much the same. The two things I noticed were whether the post hole digger had a ruler on it — I highly recommend getting the one with inches marked on the handles, up to 48 inches. It makes it rather easy to not have to stop and use a tape measure to find out how deep you’ve dug the hole. The other option available are the handle grips ( cushioned or no cushions ). The only post hole digger at Home Depot with the measurement markings had cushioned handles — about $30. It won’t make much difference if you’re using gloves.

Before you start to do the actual digging, be sure you’ve marked out where all the posts go. Plant a stake in the ground to mark each post hole (leave about 8 inches in front of the stake for the actual hole). Then run a line of string from each stake, be sure to keep a straight line (go from one corner to the other corner, then sink a few stakes in between to mark where your holes go). Make sure the string is taught so as not to sag or otherwise leave you with a crooked fence line.

When you’re ready to dig, be sure to use what’s known as the “spear chucker” method — where you lightly chuck the post hole digger down into the ground, letting go just before impact — this is critical to avoiding soreness later on. You don’t want your wrists and arms to absorb the impact with the ground so just let go as you chuck it down into the dirt. It will take some time to get the feel of it. You probably will never get one huge scoop in one shot. After digging a few holes I realized the deeper I got, the easier it became if I gently closed the post hole digger handles breaking up the dirt at the bottom of the hole without lifting out the dirt every time. Do this a few times before you pull out a scoop of dirt — you’ll exert less energy and will eventually get down to 2.5 feet without killing yourself in the process.

That’s it for now on post hole digging. More to come as I progress through this project.

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Gardening can be cheap and fun as well and if done regularly, does not really need to take up a lot of time. It is a great advantage for the homemaker to have a green thumb. When winter is severe and there is no greenery around, it is good to turn towards the home or office to find a patch of greenery for some relief. As a hobby, indoor gardening is found to be greatly relaxing and stress busting. One of the most fun and rewarding aspects of gardening is starting plants from seeds. Gardens can be created today with no or little money, so of the best gardens have been created with no money at all.

Depending on the climate and plant there are many different types of soil that can be used, water that is needed and light or shade that is required, all of these factors need to be considered. Make sure the location in your garden can provide the proper environment for the plant to flourish. Select a garden location that gets plenty of sunlight a healthy garden need six hours of direct sunlight everyday. One of the first things to consider when choosing a plant for your garden is to determine if it is suitable for your area.

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Looks can be deceptive, so to see if your soil is dry enough to water, try the finger test. The plant should be watered thoroughly when the top half of the soil is dry. When planting new plants you need to water them for weekly until the plants become acclimated to its new environment. If leaves show signs of wilting, but the soil is moist, you can mist the foliage lightly. How often you water will depend on the conditions in your home more humidity means less watering. Water should seep from the drain holes in the pot and the plant should feel “heavier” after watering. Roots around the edge of the pot are a sure sign of being pot bound.

Many people use silk plants because they don’t want to be bothered with real plants, they don’t want to take care of them and they don’t have to worry about them dying. One of the benefits of silk plants is that you don’t have to replace or maintain the plants. It is very easy to take care of silk plants, clean them with a wet rag and make sure they are looking good so they maintain the illusion that the plants are life like. For a plant to grow successfully it must be planted in the right growing conditions. For example, shade-loving plants aren’t going to be flourishing if planted in an area where they’re going to get full sunshine. They should also do well with bright, indirect light.

One of the major benefits of compost is that compost provides natural nutrients for the plants to feed on. Utilizing compost is an inexpensive way to better the soil. When the compost is ready you can use it for new gardens or already established gardens.

Every element that makes up a plant, as well as everything in our bodies, and everything in the soil in which we grow is chemical. Indoor plants are also a way to start new growths and give them a better chance of survival.

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David Marc Fishman is the owner of an the ask an expert advice site. Watch experts give good advice via video on gardening Cinderella download Love Is the Drug trailer .