Gardening Can be Fun
With today’s economy the way it is and gas prices on the rise, there is a lot of financial stress in everyone’s life. Many of us are looking for ways to save money. One way I have found is to grow some of my food. I have also found that working in the garden can relieve stress, while I am also getting the added benefits of fresh air, sunshine, and exercise, and children like to see things grow so you can make this a family project. To avoid injury don’t forget the bio-magnetic braces and supports for the back and wrists, drink plenty of bio-magnetic water which can be found on www.fashionablebio-magneticjewelry.com and to use sunscreen. Bio-magnetic water is good for you , and your animals and can also help plants grow faster and bigger.
While reading the paper the other day I found some gardening tips that I thought I would pass alone now since the planting season is almost here for everyone. These tips could not only make your garden more productive but some of them could make the joy of gardening easier.
Plants benefit from companions by Anita Joggerst
Companion planting or companion gardening is a method of working with nature to successfully grow vegetables, herbs and flowers. You locate two or more plants in the same area to provide a mutual benefit such as attracting beneficial insects, repelling pests, adding nutrients to the soil or providing shelter.
Benefit other plants
Tall plants provide shade for shorter plants. Corn, spider flowers or cosmos provide the light shade that lettuce likes. Vining plants such as squash or cucumbers cover the ground like any ornamental ground cover. They cool the ground, keep it from drying out, and require less watering for your plants. The vines also act as a living mulch to keep weeds from sprouting.
Lovage is a common herb that has a reputation for improving the flavor and health of many plants. Marjoram improves the flavor of nearby vegetables and herbs. Parsley increases the fragrance of roses when it is planted around the base.
Plant your tomatoes with carrots, onions and parsley, but not cabbage. Beans like to be near celery and cucumbers but dislike onions. Cauliflower, broccoli, and cabbages benefit from mint, dill, sage and rosemary. Cucumbers like corn, peas, radishes, beans and sunflowers. They dislike aromatic herbs and potatoes.
Use nutrients
Many plants use nutrients efficiently. Flowering plants and vegetables need nitrogen to grow. Legumes (beans, peas, peanuts) add nitrogen to soil. Plant them near corn, carrots, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, and cucumbers. Beets add minerals to the soil and loosen compacted soil. Plant them near lettuce, onions, broccoli and cauliflower. Comfrey adds calcium and potassium to soil.
Repel garden pests
Many plants prevent problems in your gardens by repelling garden pests. The Allium family (onions, chives, garlic) repels many garden insect pests such as aphids near roses. Plant chives to repel Japanese beetles, carrots rust flies, codling moths, root maggots and snails.
Plant the radishes and spinach together. Radishes attract leaf miners away from the spinach. Although the leaf miners chew the radish leaves they do not harm the radishes growing underground. Plant radishes near squash and cucumbers to attract cucumber beetles away from the vegetables
The oils in basil may repel thrips, flies, and mosquitoes, and enhance the flavor and growth of tomatoes. Plant basil among tomatoes to repel tomato horn worms.
Attract beneficial insects
Just as many plants repel insect garden pests, other plants attract beneficial insects. Bee balm attracts beneficial insects including bees. Plant it near crops that require bees for pollination. This herb likes to take over its territory, so plant it in a container to control it. Bee balm grows well with tomatoes. Borage not only repels tomato horn worms and cabbage worms, but it also attracts beneficial bees and wasps. Dill attracts hover flies and predatory wasps: it foliage provides food for swallowtail butterfly caterpillars. Lavender attracts many beneficial insects that enjoy the flowers. Mint attracts bees, and other beneficial insects, pollinators and earthworms. Mint likes to run rampant, however, so corral it in a container.
To learn more – read “great Garden Companions” by Sally Jean Cunningham or “Carrots Love Tomatoes; secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening” by Louise Riotte.
Happy gardening and Good luck from www.fashionablebio-magneticjewelry.com