Armando'sGardening

Armando'sGardening
Quality Work You Can Afford!!

Thursday 26 April 2018

Early Spring Lawn Care

www.armandosgarsening.ca

Early Spring Lawn Care

Caring for your lawn depends on the climate. For cool-seasons, there is a technique gardeners can do in order for their lawn to maintain the lush and green characteristic. There is some tweaking here and there whenever the season changes, but the basic program indicated here is what most lawns in the United States need.

During growing season, you have to know your soil by conducting soil tests. Some of these come in pre-paid boxes that can be ordered online or bought in the store. The soil test indicates the amount of acidity (pH), the main nutrients such as phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium, present, the organic matter and the micronutrients. The test will also point out the deficiencies which can be corrected.

Healthy soil needs biological activity. Therefore, there is a need for microorganisms and earthworms. The biological activity entails enough organic matter in order for the lawn to flourish in its natural green state.

In early spring, there must be the cleaning up and aeration of the lawn. Here is how you can do it. Thaw and dry out the ground before winter comes. Aerate the lawn by using spiked clogs.

Aeration alleviates the compact thickness in between the ground’s density which results from gravity and winter snows. Through this cleaning up process, the soil gets injected by oxygen, making it easier for biological activity to take place. It also helps the penetration of fertilization in the roots.

It also helps to apply organic herbicides. The amount should be at least 20 lbs for every 1000 sq. ft. Choose organic herbicides that are made from corn gluten meal or have been proven to be a pre-emergent herbicides that are organic.

Afterwards, apply complete organic fertilizer. The amount is the same as that of the herbicide – 20 lbs for every 1000 square feet. You can alternately apply herbicides and fertilizers every six weeks. Choose a fertilizer that is made from the best blended organic materials.

Regarding mowing, you should do so at a cutting height of 3 inches at least. The exception to this rule is when they are the last cuts of the season by cutting low to an inch. Leave clippings on the lawn and you have to keep the blade of your mower sharp.

There are benefits to cutting the lawn as research shows. One of which is that the weeds are choked out, therefore making the roots develop and resistant to hardiness and drought.


Monday 15 January 2018

Laying Out And Planting Vegetable Gardens

www.armandosgardening.ca


Laying Out and Planting Vegetable Gardens

As you start planting vegetable gardens it’s important to know how the garden will be laid out. The layout of your own garden will depend on what vegetable you want to grow, the planting space and if you would like to opt for companion planting. Here are some helpful tips on how to layout your own garden and start planting vegetables.

Sit Down and Plan

Before choosing a layout you need to decide on what type of vegetable you would like to grow and where you would like to plant them. Here are other factors you need to consider for your garden layout:

* Garden Space * Amount of Light in the Space * Drainage System * Soil Amendments * Type of Vegetable * Additional Space (if needed)

You should also think about whether you want to grow one type of vegetables like lettuce and tomatoes or if vegetables one type of vegetable with different kinds. Researching about the amount of light a certain vegetable needs and the amount of space that each need to be planted are both helpful facts to find out.

Make a list of vegetables you want to plant and find out the plant requirements of each and compare it with the garden space you have. This should give you an idea of where you want to plant certain vegetables in your space.

Choose your Garden Layout

There are three basic vegetable garden layouts and they are: rows, beds and “potager” style.

The most popular rows style of layout requires planting seeds in a row which could either mean planting one type of seed in a row or different seeds in a row.

The bed type of layout is similar the rows style but in a smaller level. This layout allows access to the plant beds from the exterior of the garden or as you walk through the garden path instead of coming from inside of the plant bed. This is particularly convenient to avoid stepping on the beds which tends to pack in the soil and makes it difficult to dig and aerate in the spring or fall. Plant beds are great ways to maximize a garden space and you can even use raised beds for easy gardening.

The most decorative style of layout is the “potager” which means kitchen garden in French. This layout is described as geometric which allows you to layout your garden in circles or arrange plants by color or even food type.

Consider Companion Planting

The idea behind companion planting involves planting different kinds of plants together so that they help each other grow. A perfect example of this is planting beans, corn and squash together which were commonly done by Native Americans. While the corn gives the beans a place to climb, the beans gives its three companions nutrients in the soil and the squash serves as a shade to the roots of the plants beside it. This not only prevents weeds from growing, it also saves up on water.

Other great plants for companion planting are onions, which scares slugs and aphids away, tomatoes, which grow well with carrots and basil, which improves the taste of tomatoes. Another example is horseradish and potatoes which when planted together give your potatoes protection from disease.

In planting vegetable gardens, this concept is certainly worth considering and if you want to get more information about it, you can do some research online or in your local library.