HOW TO PROMOTE YOUR GARDENING TIPS

Are you thinking of promoting your gardening website online? This could actually pose a little bit of a problem to you. Let's face it. On the internet, searching for gardening websites could yield hundreds, or even thousands of results in just one click. Therefore, the possibility of people visiting your website is one in a thousand. Here are six techniques on how to promote your gardening website.

1. Free directories

One very effective tip on how to promote your gardening website is to get listed on free directories online. Visit www.dmoz.com. There are a couple of websites that copy their directory. If you have your site listed, you can get yourself linked on to a lot more websites online.

2. Competitor's popularity

You always need to check your competitor's popularity. You need to know where you stand in the market. Having a new gardening website does not have to mean lower online visits or hits than other gardening websites around. It is just a matter of knowing your competitors by simply searching them out on Google. Also try checking www.linkpopularity.com. This website can help you determine how popular your website is compared to others. Aside from that, it can also help you get hooked up on many different sites you can find.

3. Quality and Reliable Links

One-tenth of your visitors may have possibly found your gardening website out through the use of a search engine. The key here is to find quality links. You could opt for websites with a great number of customers. You could ace your gardening website promotion in no time at all. Related gardening websites could be best for you for a better rank in search engines for the reason that you have a targeted audience.

4. Competitors Visitors

Obviously, this is a very big factor in promoting your gardening website. In www.alexa.com, you may see a lot of information regarding your competitors' websites specifically their visitors and where they live, how many times they visit and the other gardening websites they go to.

5. Signature

Why not get your own signature for your email? Most people often ignore this idea. But if users come across your signature file, it could boost your "visit" or "hit probability". It can also show users that you are a website owner who is serious in publishing your site.

Strategy is the key in promoting your gardening website. Do not be content on being just one of those gardening websites scattered around. You can always strive to be one of the most visited sites on the internet.

GARDENING`S MOST VALUABLE TIPS

The more seeds you plant, the more you love the earth. There are certainly a lot of people who may not be aware that gardening can even do harm to the environment. A large amount of carbon dioxide can be released through tilling the soil. This contributes to global warming. When you cultivate and compact the soil, you are destroying good fungi in the soil. Fertilizers like nitrogen and manure obviously contaminate the water you drink.

Global warming

Did you know that the earth's soil give out carbon dioxide in the atmosphere 10 times more than all human activity? This comes from the pill bugs, microbes, fungi and worms when they breathe, digest food and then die although in the past, plants have been capable of absorbing carbon dioxide caused by small-scale tillages. Sadly, this already isn't the case nowadays. Actually, the increase of the globe's average temperature is because of the carbon dioxide the soil emits. Even if the global carbon cycle is capable of absorbing it, soil cultivation can lead to a warmer climate. The good news is that tilling can be minimized by mulching or sheet composting.

Good Fungi

In untilled soil, there is a presence of a beneficial fungus known as the vesicular-arbuscular-mycorrhizae or VAM for short. This can be seen through fruiting bodies above ground. VAM actually forms a symbiotic relationship with plants. Their filaments increase root hairs and provide nutrients to the plant. They give out zinc, copper, potassium and phosphorus. They get carbohydrates for the fungus in return. You can leave the soil undisturbed by not tilling it. Repeatedly, mulching or sheet composing can reduce soil tillage.

Surplus Nitrogen

Gardeners waste nitrogen and manures while farmers do otherwise. When it comes to farming, the farmer only needs a quarter to a third of nitrogen to mix with an inch with compost, horse manure or steer. According to Kate Burroughs of Sebastopol California, she uses the same rule for her home-grown lettuce and sweet corns. When it comes to broccoli and pear trees, farmers only need a little amount. Notice that gardeners apply larger amounts of compost and manure than farmers. Obviously, they are not only wasting their fertilizers but also their money.

The best gardening advice that can be given to those concerned is to do all things with moderation. We should thank the Ancient Greeks for that. Keep in mind that too little and too much of something is not healthy. This is the most valuable advice one can have in gardening.

BENEFITS OF GARDENING FOR KIDS

Apparently, we can see how nature is treated these days. It is a sad thing to know that people do not pay attention so much anymore to the environmental problems. What can we do about this? It's as simple as starting with the children. It is good to see the children's involvement with environment-friendly activities. One such nature-loving activity that children could easily get their hands on is gardening. Why should you consider gardening for your children?

Here are the benefits that gardening could easily provide the children with:

1. Science
In planting, children are indirectly taught the wonders of science like the plant's life cycle and how human's intervention can break or make the environment. They can have a first hand experience on the miracle of life through a seed. This would definitely be a new and enjoyable experience for the kids.

2. Life
Watching a seed grow into a tree is just as wondrous as the conception to birth and growth of a child. In time, kids will learn to love their plants and appreciate the life in them. Gardening could actually help simulate how life should be treated -- it should be with care. The necessities to live will be emphasized to kids with the help of gardening - water, sunlight, air, soil. Those necessities could easily be corresponded to human necessities, i.e., water, shelter, air, food. By simply weeding out, one could educate how bad influences should be avoided to be able to live life smoothly.

3. Relaxation
Studies show that gardening can reduce stress because of its calming effect. This is applicable to any age group. More so, it stimulates all the five senses. Believe it or not, gardening may be used as therapy to children who have been abused or those who are members of broken homes. It helps build one's self-esteem.

4. Quality Time with the Family
You can forget about your stressful work life for a while be soothed by the lovely ambience in the garden. You can play and spend quality time with your children. You can talk while watering the plants or you can work quietly beside each other. The bottom line is, always do what you have to do, together with your kids. You might discover a lot of new things about your child while mingling with them in your garden.

Let kids become aware of their environment's needs. And one way to jumpstart that environmental education may be through gardening. It's hitting two birds with one stone -- teach them to respect life while you bond with them.

HOW TO DO INDOOR GARDENING

Plants are just as popular as furniture when one is deciding on what to place in his or her home as interiors. This is what spiked the market for plastic plants. However, artificial plants are known to collect dust and could sometimes be subjects for the homeowner's ridicule.

Why not opt for the real thing? Do indoor gardening. Aside from the aesthetic value plants could provide your home with, think of the health benefits - grade school science class has it that plants cleanse the air through utilizing the carbon dioxide and producing more oxygen.

Are you clueless with this kind of gardening? Here is some indispensable information on how to be successful at having a garden that is situated right inside the comforts of your home.

Lighting

One thing you must consider is how the plants will be provided with the necessary light. You have to decide which part of the house you will place your indoor garden. This would help you in deciding which kind of plant you would take care on you indoor garden.

Here are the varieties of plants (usually those that only require medium to low light) that are known to be suitable for indoor gardening:
a. Philodendrons
b. Boston ferns
c. African violets
d. Cyclamens
e. Creeping Fig

Watering

A common mistake most people make in indoor gardening is they tend to over-water the plants, which may lead to harming the roots. Make sure to research on the type of plant you have, because each kind of plant varies on their watering needs.

Potting

Most indoor plants require the use of pots and containers. Make sure that the pot is clean before placing your new plant into it to prevent infection and for a healthy growth of the plant.

Humidity

In indoor gardening, humidity is a big issue. The amount of moisture in the air has effect on the growth of the plants. During mornings, you could spray the plants with water for their much needed moisture.

Fertilization

Just like watering, it depends on the type of indoor plants whether they require constant fertilization or not. If you have achieved to supply your indoor garden with the appropriate amount of light, water and humidity, fertilization may not need much attention.

With these tips in mind, you don't have to settle for plastic decorative plants in your house. Anyone can maintain an indoor paradise with an indoor garden.

INDOOR HERB GARDENING

Many people live in an area where it may be impossible to plant a garden. They may live in an apartment or townhouse and only have a small deck or patio. But this does not mean that they can't enjoy gardening. They can plant their own indoor herb garden and have fresh seasonings for their gourmet dishes and save money by growing their own herbs.

The first thing you should do is to pick a good location for your little garden. Since herbs are used mainly in cooking, an area in the kitchen would be ideal. Try to pick a spot that provides enough sun and is easy access. You can either grow your herbs from seeds or you can go to your local nursery and purchase plant seedlings. The herbs that are most commonly used in indoor herb gardens are oregano, mint, rosemary, chives and thyme. These can be used in a variety of popular recipes.

Oregano is used in almost every common Italian recipe. Chives may be used to season salads and vegetables. Rosemary is a good meat seasoning. Mint can be brewed to make tea or it can be used to garish soups. Thyme is used to flavor fish and poultry. So as you can see, these popular herbs can be used for a lot of different dishes.

An important thing to remember in choosing pots to plant your herbs in, is that they must have good drainage. If your herbs do not have good drainage they will rot.

The containers should have drainage holes in the bottom. Water them only as recommended and be careful not to over water them. Check your soil before watering. If the soil is still moist, hold off on watering and check it again the next day. The main cause of an unsuccessful indoor herb garden is too much watering which leads to root rot. Another big advantage of an indoor herb garden is that the whole family can get involved. The kids may want to paint the planting pots with designs or their names. It can be very exciting and educational for a child to watch as a plant goes from a tiny seed to a huge plant that is used in cooking.

You can also dry your herbs for later use. Simply place the cut herbs on a cake cooling rack. Once dried, the herbs will last up to one year in a well sealed container. Metal containers are not recommended though, because the metal will react with the oils in the herbs. This will cause the herb to lose it's flavor.

Do your research and choose your favorite herbs for your indoor herb garden. There is nothing like the flavor that a fresh herb can provide to your favorite dishes!

WEEDLESS GARDENING

One of the most frustrating things about gardening is the appearance of weeds. If your flowers and plants are thriving, chances are the weeds are too. So what do you do to get rid of these pesky problems?

The first steep in getting a weed free garden is to get rid of any existing weeds by pulling them out by the roots. Do this as early in the season as possible. It is easier to pull up seedlings than to pull full grown weeds. Watering the ground first may make the process easier. Once the weed is pulled, dispose of it. Do not leave it laying on the ground to release seeds that will cause more weeds to grow. If the weed seems to have a long root, dig it with a spade or gardening knife. Weeds that are growing amidst plants may be loosened by inserting a screwdriver into the ground and loosening the soil around the weed and then just pull it out.

Once the weeds are removed from your garden, cover it with mulch. This will provide ground cover and discourage weeds from growing. A good mulch can be a combination of wood chips, garden compost or straw.

Another method to discourage weed growth is the newspaper method. Lay newspapers on your garden as a ground cover and then you can spread mulch or topsoil on top of it. The good thing about newspaper is that it is cheap and completely biodegradable. Newspaper is also easier to plant in. It rips easily, so it is easy to form small holes to place your flowers in. You can also buy landscape cover at any nursery or major department store. The landscape cover works well also, but it can be a bit of a pain to cut holes in which to plant your flowers. If you have a big area to cover, landscaping cover can become quite expensive.

There are also weed killers on the market that you can use to kill the weeds in your garden. Make sure that you read all instructions carefully and that the weed killer will not harm your existing plants or the neighbor's cat. There are different types of weed killer on the market. Some will kill only the top growth of the weeds and others are designed to kill the weed down to the root.

The best way to get ahead of your weed problem is to thoroughly weed your garden early in the season. Cover it with a few layers of mulch and then keep the weeds under control by weeding at least once a week. Face it, weeds are always going to be around, but you can show them who's the boss!

HERB GARDENING

Herbs have been around since time immemorial. Ever since, herbs have served different kinds of purposes. Herbs have been used to treat illness and also in cooking. They were even believed to have magical charms. Do you want to have your own herb garden? Here are a few ideas on how to establish an herb garden.

Plan you garden.
Consider the herbs you want to plant. Think about their types. Would you like annuals, biennials or perennials?
How much space will they occupy in your garden? If you want, you can purchase a book that can give you the right information on what specific plants you are planning to grow.
List or draw your garden on paper first. Separate the annuals from the perennials so when the time comes that you have to pull out the annuals, you won't be disturbing the perennials. Perennials can be planted on the edge of your garden so when it is time to till your garden; you won't have a hard time.
Another thing to remember is that you have to plant the tall ones at the back and the shorter ones in front. Also, provide your plants with enough space to grow. Proper position shall help you in this area.

Some Design Ideas
You can consider having a square herb bed. You can have your square bed divided into four by two paths crossing at mid point measuring 3 feet. You can border it with stone or brick. A wooden ladder may also do the trick. You can lay it down on your garden and plant your herbs between its rungs. You can also choose to have a wagon wheel bed. Planting here is like planting with the wooden ladders. Plant your herbs in between the wagon wheel's wedges.

Get Your Plants Growing
Of course, different plants have different needs. This is the reason why you have to determine the herbs you want to plant in the planning stage. This can more or less help you find out how you should care for your plants. With starting seeds, remember its germination and soil temperature rules. If you see the seedlings sprouting, check the plants' air circulation, humidity and sunlight. When you see some leaves appear, allow proper spacing.
One of the plants that are easy to grow are herbs. You just have to provide them with an effective drainage, sunlight, enough humidity or moisture and fertile soil. Even with just minimally meeting these requirements they will be bound produce a good harvest.