BabyDeer27 asked:


Mother’s Day is coming up and I once got my stepmother a nice kit with pots and seeds to grow her own flowers, preferably tulips as they are her favorite. I cannot recall where I purchased this and cannot find anything alike on the usual flower websites. Any other gardening gift ideas would be appreciated as well.

Setting up an aquaponic system, although quite an easy task, requires some basic knowledge of aquaponics. If you have decided to install such a system in your house, then you probably know what this is and how it could help you. However, there may still be things which can interest or help you. Below you will find 5 essential things which you should know in order to obtain spectacular results.
1.    Location
The place where you put your aquaponic system is highly important for the way in which the plants and the fish will develop. In order to obtain great results you should make sure that the temperature from the room is not too high, nor too low, that there is enough light for the plants to prepare their food and that no wind or extreme weather conditions will reach them. Also, make sure that no harming chemical substances can get inside the water as this means death for both your fish and your plants.
2.    Oxygenizing the water
The happier your fish are, the better your system will work! This is why you need to oxygenize the water on a daily basis and make sure your fish have all the “comfort” they need.
3.    Choosing your fish accordingly
The aquaponic system works well with almost all types of fish. Yet, there are states in which you are not allowed to grow whatever type of fish you want, so you will want to see what types of fish you are allowed to have before starting your aquaponic system as you do not want any problems with the law.
4.    Placing the pots
In order to make the harvest much easier, you should place the pots or the entire system at your waits level. This way you will not have to bend over, making the daily care routine a much easier activity.
5.    Adding additives
There are cases in which your fish may not provide all the nutrients needed for your plants. If the quantity is lower than what the plants need, then you will have to supply them with the respective substances. In most cases you will need to add iron, calcium carbonate or potassium carbonate.
Aquaponics is an easy activity which will provide you with the necessary vegetables and fish in a short amount of time. Just follow the tips mentioned above and you will have great success in your attempt to grow organic food in your home.

Container Gardening Outdoors: Wikipedia defines Container Gardening as follows: (Container gardening is the practice of growing plants exclusively in containers instead of planting them in the ground. In some cases, this method of growing is used for ornamental purposes. This method is also useful in areas where the soil or climate is unsuitable for the plant or crop in question. Limited growing space can also make this option appealing to the gardener).

Container gardening outdoors is becoming the rage because it requires very little space. A lot of families have small yards and not enough space available to put in a garden. More families are living in condos, apartments and town homes, allowing for them to experiment and enjoy container gardening outdoors. It’s not only convenient, but allows them to feed their families healthier meals and saves them a lot of money.

There is so much to enjoy with container gardening outdoors other then the fresh vegetables and herbs. By growing the different types of vegetables and herbs, you add color and life to your back yard, deck or patio. There are a variety of containers you can plant in, with terra cotta being the most popular. Not only do they look nice outdoors, they come in a variety of sizes for your specific needs. Planting in containers outdoors is so much fun and you can create a nice effect in your yard by adding pots of flowers that add a lot of color to make it visually appealing.

The containers you choose for your vegetables and herbs are totally up to your own personal tastes. Any type can be used from terra cotta being the most popular to plastic buckets, milk cartons and wooden crates but be sure they are untreated. Also be sure to have proper drainage in the pots to prevent overwatering and root rot. Another important thing to think about is the weight of these containers. If you are a small person, you don’t want to be moving these heavy pots around the yard. Once these heavy pots are filled with soil, plants and water, they can weigh more then you probably can or want to lift. However, that is totally an individual decision and if you know for certain that the heavy pots won’t be moving around the yard, then it doesn’t matter and weight is not a problem.

Remember that no space is to small when it comes to container gardening outdoors. The flexibility of being able to move your plants around the yard or deck is so rewarding. It is wonderful to be able to add a container full of vegetables, herbs or even flowers to a bare spot in the yard to make it more visually appealing. If you have stairs, you can line them with a variety of ornamental pots or plant stands to create a focal point to that area all the while watching your garden grow

In most parts of the country, not all plants can withstand the winters. But don’t let the winter dull the look of your yard or deck. Planting evergreen boughs and ornamental twigs or branches in wrought iron urns or fibreglass planters will keep your yard looking alive and add some color.

Don’t worry if you try and something doesn’t work for you. Next year try something different. There is no real rule book, just decide what you want to grow and make it happen.  Container gardening is very forgiving and fun to experiment with. Just enjoy the rewards you and your family will reap as you experiment with different vegetables and herbs.

Indoor gardening is not an extremely difficult hobby, but it does require a small learning curve. Usually, with time and experience, one begins to learn from their mistakes and form a better understanding of the kind of delicate care and maintenance required when it comes to gardening indoors. But if you’d like some general advice to start you off on the right path, here is a list of invaluable tips that you can immediately use to improve the quality of your garden.

First of all, make sure that you purchase pots that are the correct size for the plants you plan on growing. Some plants grow to be very large in size, much larger than anticipated. When you only have seeds to go by, sometimes it’s easy to misjudge the actual size of the plant once it reaches full growth. It’s also a good practical tip to select pots that match the color and style of your home. You’ll find much more pleasure in an indoor garden that is aesthetically pleasing and blends in with the rest of its surroundings.

It is very important to place your plants directly in the sunlight. Otherwise, they might crane towards the source of light and grow crooked. It’s also recommended to turn and rotate your indoor gardening plants on occasion. This will guarantee that all sections of the plant receive the right amount of sunlight. Obviously, without sunlight, your plants will not be able to grow to their fullest potential.

If your home or apartment doesn’t get a lot of sun light, try placing your plants outside for several hours each morning.

Remember to regularly water your plants. It sounds obvious but it’s remarkably easy to forget to do this on a daily basis. Only give the plants as much water as they need – over-watering is just as bad as not watering them at all. Make sure that the water is not too cold or too hot ; room temperature is just right. Try watering them at the same time every day. Associate it with a common activity, like watering after breakfast or after your morning jog.

Another indoor gardening tip you might find useful is to keep your windows open as much as possible. The fresh air is important to the healthy development of your plants. In addition, make sure your home has clear ventilation and is not stuffy or dry, and that the temperature is kept at an average of 70 degrees during the daytime and 60 degrees during the night.

Utilizing all of these tips will ensure that your indoor gardening efforts pay off. A lot of people attempt indoor gardening only to be left a few months later with dried, withering plants and an ugly mess to clean up. It is not terribly difficult to grow healthy, strong fruits and vegetables indoors. I’m sure that with a bit of practice and common sense, you’ll become a pro in no time at all. Just remember: lots of sunlight, fresh water on a regular basis, fresh air, and the right temperature.

For beginner gardeners, one of the biggest challenges is actually planting the plants! Getting them out of the pot, figuring out where to plant them and then trying to dig a hole the right size isn’t that difficult, but if you’ve never done it before it can be rather scary.

Here are 6 steps to perfect garden planting that will help any novice become an old hand at planting garden plants.

1. Deciding Where To Put Them

One important task of planting doesn’t have anything to do with planting at all! It’s deciding where to place your plants. An easy way to do that is to take them in their containers over to your garden and place them in the spots you think you might plant them in. If they don’t look good, then move them around. You can keep moving them until you have the perfect placement. Once you do, leave the plants there so that you will know exactly where to dig the holes.

2. Digging The Holes

When I first started gardening, I was really apprehensive about digging the hole. How deep should it be? What if I make it too big? Too small? It can be kind of scary, but remember if you make it too big, you can always fill in with the loose dirt. The general rule of thumb is that you want to plant the plant at the same level that it is in the container. So the top of the soil should be at the same level as the top of the ground.

Therefore, you’ll want to dig your hole as deep as the container. Actually, I like to go a little deeper or scrape up the dirt at the bottom so it is loose – that way the roots will have an easier time burrowing into the dirt.

You should also make it a tad bit wider than the pot so that you have some room to get in there and settle the plant.

3. Removing The Plants From Their Pots

Another scary task is removing the plants from their pots. After all, these fragile little things can be easily damaged so you want to go gently. They thing that usually works for me is to pinch the sides of the pot. This helps to keep the dirt from clinging to the pot. Then I gently grab the stem of the plant and sort of turn the pot upside down, letting the roots, soil and plant slide out. If your plant is really stubborn, you can always cut the pot away.

4. Planting The Plants

Now comes the fun part – putting your plants in their new home! The first thing you want to do is gently try to spread out the roots. Sometimes they are really compacted and you need to do a bit of tearing – not too much though. What you want to do is just loosen them up a bit so they grow down into the soil. Then simply place the plant in the hole with the roots spread as much as possible. Be sure the plant isn’t leaning to one side.

5. Filling In The Holes

Once the plant is securely in the hole and the top of the original soil is level with the top of the hole, fill the empty spaces of the hole in with the dirt you originally removed from it. Make sure you pat it down firmly – not too firm so that it is compacted, but enough so there are no air bubble.

6. Planting After-Care

Finally, you want to water the plant thoroughly and you might even want to give it some starter fertilizer. What I usually do is dig a shallow well around the plant kind of like a moat and let the water run in and fill this up. Then I turn off the water and let it all drain in and repeat the process one more time. You might find that you need to fill in a bit more soil as it settles down from the watering.

Donna asked:


My neighbor, who always worked outside in his yard, is now confined to a dementia ward in the local nursing home. He still responds to plants, trees, leaves etc. I did take him some bare branches in water off my corkscrew willow tree which have now leafed out and he likes that. What else can I do? I’m thinking of taking small pots full of potting soil and helping him start seeds, (coleus comes to mind as they could be transplanted and used as houseplants.) Do you have any other ideas? Obviously we are limited on space (there is a large windowsill in his room). Could we grow any vegetables? Thank you for any suggestions.

winter iris asked:


I’m growing, in seperate pots, strawberries, basil, and rosemary. They are all relatively new, fragrant plants. They have been potted with supersoil brand potting soil and are watered as needed. They are thriving beautifully, but these tiny winged insects flying around them constantly. They appear to be gnats. Is there any organic solution to this?