By David Westwood
www.garden-gardening.co.uk
Tip! Sustainability.
In his book, Gardening Organically, John Fedor defines sustainability as
“the ability of a society or an ecosystem to function indefinitely
without squandering the resources on which it relies.
Home gardening can encompass a variety of different
gardening styles, ranging from simple indoor gardening, to hydroponics
gardening, to anything else that you can think of. For a lot of people
however, home gardening means the ability to grow your own fresh fruits
and vegetables, the ability to control what pesticides enter your domain,
and most of all just how fresh your food will be when you take it to the
table.
It's undeniable really just how tasty a freshly picked
tomato will taste, or peas fresh out of the pod. And the fragrance you get
from a handful of newly plucked berries, or freshly cut rosemary. This
then is what the home gardener lives for.
But is this really all that home gardening can
accomplish? Shouldn't there be more to it than the growing of vegetables
and fruits? Those were my thoughts at one time when I came upon the
concept of home gardening. There is a lot more to home gardening than
initially meets the eye however.
Fruits and vegetables aside, you have your flowering
plants, your leafy plants, and even your shade giving trees. All of these
need to be placed within the design of you garden in such a way that you
get the most of them. Next, if you liked you could always design an
irrigation system worthy of a bigger garden, or you could keep it simple
and just spray the hose when you need to.
Tip! BBC see
link
| Create an insect home.
Science & Nature: Animals: UK wildlife - Make your
own very simple insect homes from a bunch of twigs, sticks
or garden canes |
Garden Insects are an ever growing problem, sorry for
the pun, and need to be watched for vigilantly. And especially in a
vegetable or fruit garden, you will have to be extra careful of such cute,
and cuddly creatures as rabbits, and other burrowing animals. Rodents are
always a problem, and need to dealt with immediately so as not pass on any
disease.
Read
BBC - Science & Nature UK Wildlife - Insect Home
Soil needs to be fresh, and aerated so as not to become
compacted, thus hindering root growth. Worms and other like insects need
to be welcomed into the overall scheme of your home gardening project.
Tip!
Have a tough drainage issue?
Maybe master gardener Paul James can help.
Water drainage, soil erosion, landscape maintenance, tools and
equipment, the gallons of lemonade you'll be consuming in your quest to
make perfect your home gardening project. The list is nigh on endless, and
I could go on forever, just suffice it to say that home gardening isn't as
cut and dried as it may seem.
Tip! What could be
better than a garden comfortable enough to let you
relax in well-deserved peace
And last but not least, you will need to make it a place that you feel
welcome in, and that your visitors can feel welcome in. A place that
invites you to explore all the nooks and crannies to see exactly what it
is you've done with the place. And that's what home gardening should be
all about.