Earthly Garden

Composting is the best way to make your own top soil and to add fertilizer to your own garden or flowerbed as well. You can make compost in as little as ten minutes a week.

With The Earth Machine the idea of composting is as easy as it could possibly get. Your scraps are added to the top, while the black color of the composter heats the container up and allows for the production of soil to be available to you at the bottom through a hatch.

Composting is nothing new to anyone who gardens on a regular basis. Composted soil allows for plants to gain the nutrients and minerals they need to grow strong and supply us with the beauty or food we seek from them.

The Earth Machine offers a ten year warranty along with locking lid and harvest door that helps to keep pests out. It easily mounts to the ground so the unit won’t tip or turn over and defeat the purpose of soil harvesting later.

The Earth Machine offers side vent holes to allow for air circulation and help speed the process of break down on the additions through the weeks.

If composting is something you have put off because you thought it was troublesome or you are skeptical, give The Earth Machine a chance. You can pick up one of these awesome composters through you local municipality through the following link here.

The Earth Machine well help you gain a new look approach to composting and it’s in a sleek container that won’t be an eye-sore near your garden or home.

When it comes to keeping a green lawn, it really is easier than you might think. If you mow once a week and allow the cutting to stay in the lawn then it will help mulch the soil as well as provide the grass with nutrients and minerals that it needs to flourish.

When cutting the grass of your lawn it’s best to keep in mind the 1/3 rule. The 1/3 rule is best for the height with a shape blade. If you remove anymore than 1/3 of the grass-blade height it could damage and might even kill the grass blade, therefore leading to dead spots in the lawn that are unsightly.

If your lawn appears to have “dog-spotting” the best way to treat this is move the offending dog and spray the urine area spotting with a lot of water to break down the salt content in the urine that could kill grass. If it is dark green spots you are dealing with it could mean that there is a high level of nitrogen in the grass. The nitrogen in the urine is acting as a fertilizer in your lawn.

Weeds are another issue, and with the recent postings on weeds, the best way to get a handle on them is to get rid of the promptly when they appear. Either with a tool that has a sharp blade or with good ole’ elbow grease.

Keeping a healthy lawn isn’t difficult, and it can be achieved in one growing season alone. Simple changes can lead to a healthy, beautiful lawn that the whole neighborhood will envy.

With the recent talk of weeding the best thing to have on hand is a great set of tools to use for the job, but the tools can’t do what they were made to do if they aren’t sharpened properly and regularly. To get your lawn looking its best, the proper tool is necessary as well.

Garden tools along with weeding tools need to be sharpened several times throughout the year and possibly more often, depending on how often you use them. Here are some tips to keep in mind when sharpening those ready-to-use garden tools and weeding tools this summer.

• Use a tool bench vise when sharpening any tool. It will help hold it in place while you sharpen the blades to the points on any tool.

• Use a flat file for most tools. There are electric sharpeners, but for basic sharpening on most garden tools, a flat file will do the trick most of the time.

• Sharpen where the blade on the tool is already beveled. If you sharpen against the bevel then you are defeating the purpose of sharpening and you may even damage the tool or blade as well. And always sharpen at a 45 degree angle as well.

• Sharpen the tool away from your body and go in one direction when sharpening. Sharpening in one direction can guarantee an even sharpening.

• Wipe the sharpened tool or blade with oil when sharpening is finished. This can help keep the metal cleaner and rust free, as well as help remove any metal scraps that could result from the sharpening.

*One more tip: If you store your tools, blade-side down or tool side down in a 5-gallon bucket of regular sand that has been combined with clean, new motor oil or the like you can help keep the tools and the blades of the tools in better condition for a longer period of time.

As with the weeding post below, there are so many different ways to get weeds under control. With that, comes the proper tools in order to conquer the weeding mess that you lawn may be suffering from. Here is a list of some easy-to-use; short-handle tools that can help you get the weeds under control.

• Cape-Cod Weeder: This tools almost looks like a small sickle in a way but with it’s bent finger type end it can help you reach those weeds that are in tight spaces and even around other plants.

• Paving Weeder: If you have a paved driveway or even a walkway this small tool can help you get into the tightest of cracks. This tool can help you get a handle on the weeds that grow and also save your back in the long run as well.

• Fishtail Weeder: Sort of looks like a fish tail and works even harder than it looks. This tools is great for getting in under the weeds and pulling them up by the roots.

Weeds can give you such a headache, but if you get a hold on them when they first appear you can keep the weeding under control and it really becomes easier as you go. Simple ways of just everyday pulling can help keep them under control for sure, but tools are also helpful in every way as well. It is best to keep tools for weeding in a variety of different shapes and sizes are best to combat different weeds. Keep the above tools in mind when shopping for weeding army of tools

This is the time of year that mowing every week seems to be the only answer and as you mow you notice more and more weeds in a natural lawn than were there the previous year. Not only is mowing a great way to eliminate the spread of weeds, you may also have to use a weeding tool to get rid of those weeds.

Even with the most perfect tool you may discover that weeding is hard work whether it’s in your lawn or your flowerbed or garden. Many people, especially the elderly can be injured while weeding, so proper technique is always important. Here are some tips to keep in mind when weeding your lawn or flowerbeds.

1. Keep you back straight when using long handled tools.

2. Make sure the blades on the tools you are using are sharp. Using a metal file to keep them sharp and clean works best.

3. Never lock your keens when pulling or pushing a tool.

4. Kneel or squat when using shorter tools and blades rather than bending over to work the weed. This will help against back strain and injury.

5. If a tool just won’t work, try putting on a pair of garden gloves and kneeling to grab the weeds with your own hands.

There are several tools to help with your weeding options and it this just doesn’t seem to work, look to weeding liquids or feeds that are environmentally friendly. These options will have less of a negative impact on the environment and the ground water and soil as well.

We all are guilty of it, mowing the grass or lawn with a gas-powered mower or even one that is powered by electricity with an extension cord ran across the yard as we mow. The only harm in mowing your grass this way is the carbon emission let off by the mower. To solve that issue, change the way you think about mowing.

It may seem like common sense and it really is, when we think back on the way it was before there were modern conveniences what was used? First it was the sickle then it was the push mower. A push mower, similar to the one below has come back onto the market for reasons of wanting to save the environment.

The basic concept of the hand-powered push mower is to allow for the blades of grass to be trimmed or cut and still leave the grass clippings on the lawn to help mulch the soil as it decomposes.

Anyone can use a push mower to cut the blades of grass in your lawn. There are some sold on the market that offer a catch bag behind the blades to help contain the cut grass better so you can use it as mulch in your lawn or use it in your flower bed or garden as well. There are endless possibilities to use the grass for.

No matter what your budget allows for in grass cutting equipment, you really can’t go wrong with a push mower that is powered by you. It will save you on oil, gas, and even money over all.

To find out more about push mowers please visit Going Green.

Rosemary comes in a wide-range of varieties such as the ‘Tuscan Blue’, ‘Barbecue’, ‘Miss Jessup’s Upright’ work best for cooking with, while ‘Taylor’s Blue’, ‘Herb Cottage’, ‘Joyce DeBaggio’ works best when potted and shaped and can even be used for Christmas trees that give off a pleasant scent that can even be snipped and used as is.

Rosemary needs to be pruned if you are going to use them, but be sure and dry them if you plan on keeping them for long periods. Using fresh rosemary is best though.

The plant itself needs adequate drainage and semi-dry soil during the colder, winter months. During the summer months rosemary need cool sun and a temperature of about 50-60 degrees.

Rosemary is prone to mildew, so proper ventilation is necessary to keep the plants healthy. If you notice mildew on the plant at all, snip off the affected leaves and spray with milk/water mixture.

Rosemary is a great scent plant to add to your garden and can offer a lot of leaves that can be dried and used for culinary options of in home remedies. It is easy to grow just like its counter part lavender. With proper sunlight, proper watering and proper care you can have years of beneficial rosemary for everyday uses.

To learn more about how rosemary can be used as a culinary herb visit Earthly Eating. And for more information on growing rosemary in your own garden or flowerbed please stop by the Gardening Patch for a more in-depth way to grow and cultivate Rosemary.

House of Wesley is based in Bloomington, IL and offers the best variety in blooming flowers and show-off plants. From their 3-in-1 Angel Trumpet that grows up to 8 feet tall to their Weeping trees rose that grows sturdy 24″ steams with bright beautiful blooms all around. The company offers many of the ornamental flowers as well like the Matthew Double Oriental Lily as well as the Pacific Giant Hybrid Delphiniums being sold for a pack of 12 at $15.29.

The House of Wesley offers rose bushes like the Zephirine Douhin Thornless Climbing Rose to the Lavender Perfection Hedge Rose which runs currently for the price of $6.99 per bush.

If you are looking for trees House of Wesley has those as well with their Royal Empress Tree for $5.99 each, Weeping Pussy Willow Tree for $39.99 each and the Indian Summer Trumpet Tree for $39.99 as well.

No matter what you are looking for the complete that look in your garden this season House of Wesley can help you achieve the look of beauty that you desire. From the Columbines, Daylilies and even the ground covers like the Creeping Phlox and Red Sedum you are sure to find what you are looking for from House of Wesley.

The catolog gives full color pictures to show exactly what your flowering plants, trees and shrubs will look like. They even have the Perennial Bargain right now for under $8. It offers a complete mix of perennial plants that will bloom year after year without the need to replant. Or pick up the perennial shade garden of 18 plants for under $20.

When we compost we create a great soil product that cant be used for plants and flowerbeds and even on the garden as well. Keeping the compost soil is rather easy, even if you don’t have the space. Here are some tips to keeping your own worm bin.

1. Container: Almost any container can be used as long as it is size appropriate for the amount of food you plan on placing in the container. Make sure it has proper air holes too. Aeration is important for the break down of the compost and for the worms as well. Contact a local nursery to find out what will work best with what you are wanting.

2. Bedding: The bedding should be kept to fresh items such as vegetable scraps, fruit peels and pulp, coffee and tea grounds and filters and even bread. Make sure that they are all clean and free of spreads and such. Do not add meat, fish or daily products. Eggs are okay but never add pet waste from dogs or cats. If you cut the parts up into smaller pieces it will help speed the process of break down up.

3. Location: During the winter, you can keep the bin inside under your kitchen sink or in your garage, but during the summer you can keep it outdoors, just make sure it is in a shaded location so the bin contents don’t get too hot.

4. Harvesting: Dumping all the contents out on a tarp and sorting through what is good and what needs to continue to be broken down is the best way.

Tis the season to be pulling weeds. That’s right, its summer and that means your lawn, and your garden and your flowerbed will be threatened with the dreaded weeds. Of course, many store sell weed killer, but the question is always there on whether they work and are they bad for the environment and our health. But, there is an alternative in the form of weed killers that are all natural and do just as good of a job if not better. Here is the run down one weed killers that work.

1. Boiling water: You may be thinking, sure that’ll work, but it truly does. Boil the coffee kettle full of water and pour it on the weed. Wait a few days and it will be dead. Pull pout by hand.

2. Rock salt: This works great on driveways and walkways cluttered with weed or moss. Just sprinkle around where the weeds and the moss are and wash with a hose later. Be sure and only hit the weeds though or you may kill your prized rose bush in the process.

3. Vinegar: It’s all natural and it kills the root as well so no pulling later. You can spray in from a spray bottle right on the weeds and sweep away the pesky things later with a broom.

4. Water: Water sprayed from a power spray really worked best on moss, but if you soak the ground where the weeds are you can get a hold of them and pull them out with ease. You may have to repeat the process a few times, but in the end the weeds will lose.

For more information on weed control in a better way visit USDA Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Invasives Network and Bureau of Land Management Weed website.

We have all heard of compost and all-naturally created compost is best for planets, but have you heard of compost tea?

Compost tea is made up of simple compost soil and water and allowing it to sit for long periods to gain beneficial bacteria that plants simply love.

The purpose of compost tea is to help rebuild soils structure and improve drainage within the plant, help to stimulate root growth, reduce shock on the plants, stimulate flowering which in turn will produce more fruits, and it can help ease the stress on plants as well.

The most beneficial aspect of compost tea is the fact that it can protect a plant or flower from insect damage and disease.

You can make your own compost tea at home and use on your plants everyday. Here’s how.

What you will need to make your own compost tea:

5-gallon bucket with lid
A small aquarium pump with small hose
Water
Compost (make sure it is compost with kitchen scrapes and cuttings)
Drill

Fill the bucket with the compost half full then add the water till it reaches the top if the bucket and stir to mix together. Stir the contents for about 3-5 minutes ensuring complete combining.

With the drill, punch a hole into the middle of the lid, large enough for the hose to fit through but not so big that air will escape rapidly. Fit the hose through the hole and place the lid on top of the bucket. Plug in the pump and allow to sit for a 24 hours in the sun.

Remove the lid and dip out the tea. Most of what is made is a tea from the compost, but it also contains good bacteria. Pour your liquid into a spray bottle or watering can and pour away.

When it comes to growing fruits, you are never quite sure where the trees are coming from, but with Stark Bro’s you can guarantee you are getting quality trees that will produce quality fruits.

Earthly Garden has covered the Stark Bro’s before back in February of this year with the post on where to get tree starts. The Stark Bro’s not only covers tree starts for fruit trees they also carry garden supplies, bushes and berry vines as well.

It is, by far, the fruit trees that are the most important thing that Earthly Garden enjoys about Stark Bro’s and without the fruits in your life, you health would suffer.

Fruits and veggies are indeed an important part of anyone’s health, and growing them in your own yard brings that more health your plate.

The Stark Bro’s can help all of this come into light with their easy purchasing options, quick shipment and guaranteed growth and fruit production from their trees.

They carry the following fruit trees in dwarf trees, semi-dwarf trees and standard tree size.

• Apples
• Peaches
• Cherries
• Pears
• Plums
• Persimmons
• Figs
• Paw paws
• Quince
• Exotic fruits such as: Orange, Limes, Lemons, Tangerines, Olive and Banana trees as well.

Whatever your fruit palette, Stark Bro’s are sure to have a tree to meet your taste. If fruits aren’t your thing, then try their selection of nuts such as pecans, walnuts and hazelnuts.

There are many other trees as well like the mimosa and the dogwood that can add to the tress on your orchard.

English Ivy (Hedera helix) may seem like a great ground cover to add to any garden, but it is spreading a high rate and it can’t be stopped quick enough in some areas.

English Ivy is a perennial evergreen that uses vines to climb, but is mostly used as a ground cover. The leaves are a dark green color with a light green veins running throughout the leaves. With these vines it attaches itself to trees, bricks on buildings and buries its roots into the structure that it attaches to, which can lead to killing the trees or other plants and bushes around.

There is control methods currently being used, but the rate at which it grows the control can’t keep up. The vines can be pulled up by hand and the roots can be cut repeatedly as well. You can also apply an herbicide to the leaves or cut the stems back in the late summer months, but the waxy leaves make it hard for the herbicides to penetrate the plant.

There are many states combating this English Ivy issue currently, but there are things you can do in your own area to help prevent the spread of the ivy further. One method is to get rid of the ivy once it takes root in your landscape or flowerbed. If you get rid of the vine right when it takes hold you can help keep it under control faster and might even kill the vine at the root rather than have it take root in the first place.

If you have brought the vine in from another location, get rid of it quickly, because once it takes hold there is no getting rid of it fast enough.

For more information visit The Ivy Removal Project.

There are many things to consider when it comes to the health of your garden. One major tip is to plant suitable plants, but some non-native plants work well too, so keep that in mind. Native plants are the best choice most of the time and actually will help have a trouble-free garden as well. So do your homework on what plants work best in your area.

There are many native plants that you can grow right in your own back yard that can actually be beneficial to your soil and garden.

Other ways to have a healthy garden are to practice crop rotation. In your garden, if you only grow tomatoes, consider growing zucchini or summer squash as well and rotate them every year when planting comes around. You can even till the dead plants back into the soil to help with fertilization as well.

One finally tip to having a healthier garden is to pay attention to your garden and look for problems right away. When bugs have taken up a home in your rose bushes, if you pay attention to that you can catch it right away before they eat everything and possibly kill the bush.

Fertile soil is one more tip. Fertile soil is dark and smells earthy and it hold water well. If your soil is less than ideal, you may need to invest some time and money into a good coat of top soil tilled into the soil as well.

These are just a few tips into a health garden, but there are several other tips and processes you can take this year to ensure you will have an envious garden and flowerbed this year.

To learn more visit The Environmental Society (PDF).

Invasive species are taking over most of the countryside and thousands of dollars are being used every year to help control them or kill them. They fuel wild fires and invade other plants and kill them off.

Invasive plants can take over in grasslands, prairies, simple pastures and even on the roadsides where workers have to go out and control them. These plants can release thousands of tiny seeds that can produce other plants in other areas. Some of these invasive shrubs and plants can even be toxic to humans, wild animals and even live stock. To avoid adding to this mess, choose species of plants that non-invasive.

• Scotch Broom, Spanish Broom or Gorse: These are tiny yellow flowered plants and can reach up to 6 feet tall. Instead plant Oregon grape (Zones 4 and 7) or Forsythias (Zones 4-6) in place of these invasive species.

• Butterfly bush, Summer Lilac: These can be found along riverbanks, forested woodland areas and even on open waste areas. These are currently an issue in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and they can reach up to 10 feet tall. Instead plant Blue Blossom (Zones 4, 5 and 7) and Meyer Lila (Zones 2-5 and 7) in place of these invasive species.

• English Holly: These grow best along wetlands and coniferous forests where these are gaps. They can reach about 20 feet tall and the leaves are spiny and sharp. They have red berries at certain times of the year that attract birds and other insects that spread the seeds even more. The berries and the foliage are used at holiday time as well. Instead plant Wax myrtle (Zones 5-7) and Meserve Blue Holly (Zones 5-7) in place of this invasive species.