Before taking up the garden vegetables individually, I shall outline the general practice of cultivation, which applies to all.

The purposes of cultivation are three to get rid of weeds, and to stimulate growth by (1) letting air into the soil and freeing unavailable plant food, and (2) by conserving moisture.

As to weeds, the gardener of any experience need not be told the importance of keeping his crops clean. He has learned from bitter and costly experience the price of letting them get anything resembling a start. He knows that one or two days’ growth, after they are well up, followed perhaps by a day or so of rain, may easily double or treble the work of cleaning a patch of onions or carrots, and that where weeds have attained any size they cannot be taken out of sowed crops without doing a great deal of injury. He also realizes, or should, that every day’s growth means just so much available plant food stolen from under the very roots of his legitimate crops.

Instead of letting the weeds get away with any plant food, he should be furnishing more, for clean and frequent cultivation will not only break the soil up mechanically, but let in air, moisture and heat all essential in effecting those chemical changes necessary to convert non- available into available plant food. Long before the science in the case was discovered, the soil cultivators had learned by observation the necessity of keeping the soil nicely loosened about their growing crops. Even the lanky and untutored aborigine saw to it that his squaw not only put a bad fish under the hill of maize but plied her shell hoe over it. Plants need to breathe. Their roots need air. You might as well expect to find the rosy glow of happiness on the wan cheeks of a cotton-mill child slave as to expect to see the luxuriant dark green of healthy plant life in a suffocated garden.

Important as the question of air is, that of water ranks beside it. You may not see at first what the matter of frequent cultivation has to do with water. But let us stop a moment and look into it. Take a strip of blotting paper, dip one end in water, and watch the moisture run up hill, soak up through the blotter. The scientists have labeled that “capillary attraction” the water crawls up little invisible tubes formed by the texture of the blotter. Now take a similar piece, cut it across, hold the two cut edges firmly together, and try it again. The moisture refuses to cross the line: the connection has been severed.

In the same way the water stored in the soil after a rain begins at once to escape again into the atmosphere. That on the surface evaporates first, and that which has soaked in begins to soak in through the soil to the surface. It is leaving your garden, through the millions of soil tubes, just as surely as if you had a two-inch pipe and a gasoline engine, pumping it into the gutter night and day! Save your garden by stopping the waste. It is the easiest thing in the world to do cut the pipe in two. By frequent cultivation of the surface soil not more than one or two inches deep for most small vegetables the soil tubes are kept broken, and a mulch of dust is maintained. Try to get over every part of your garden, especially where it is not shaded, once in every ten days or two weeks. Does that seem like too much work? You can push your wheel hoe through, and thus keep the dust mulch as a constant protection, as fast as you can walk. If you wait for the weeds, you will nearly have to crawl through, doing more or less harm by disturbing your growing plants, losing all the plant food (and they will take the cream) which they have consumed, and actually putting in more hours of infinitely more disagreeable work. If the beginner at gardening has not been convinced by the facts given, there is only one thing left to convince him experience.

Having given so much space to the reason for constant care in this matter, the question of methods naturally follows. Get a wheel hoe. The simplest sorts will not only save you an infinite amount of time and work, but do the work better, very much better than it can be done by hand. You can grow good vegetables, especially if your garden is a very small one, without one of these labor-savers, but I can assure you that you will never regret the small investment necessary to procure it.

With a wheel hoe, the work of preserving the soil mulch becomes very simple. If one has not a wheel hoe, for small areas very rapid work can be done with the scuffle hoe.

The matter of keeping weeds cleaned out of the rows and between the plants in the rows is not so quickly accomplished. Where hand-work is necessary, let it be done at once. Here are a few practical suggestions that will reduce this work to a minimum, (1) Get at this work while the ground is soft; as soon as the soil begins to dry out after a rain is the best time. Under such conditions the weeds will pull out by the roots, without breaking off. (2) Immediately before weeding, go over the rows with a wheel hoe, cutting shallow, but just as close as possible, leaving a narrow, plainly visible strip which must be hand- weeded. The best tool for this purpose is the double wheel hoe with disc attachment, or hoes for large plants. (3) See to it that not only the weeds are pulled but that every inch of soil surface is broken up. It is fully as important that the weeds just sprouting be destroyed, as that the larger ones be pulled up. One stroke of the weeder or the fingers will destroy a hundred weed seedlings in less time than one weed can be pulled out after it gets a good start. (4) Use one of the small hand-weeders until you become skilled with it. Not only may more work be done but the fingers will be saved unnecessary wear.

The skilful use of the wheel hoe can be acquired through practice only. The first thing to learn is that it is necessary to watch the wheels only: the blades, disc or rakes will take care of themselves.

The operation of “hilling” consists in drawing up the soil about the stems of growing plants, usually at the time of second or third hoeing. It used to be the practice to hill everything that could be hilled “up to the eyebrows,” but it has gradually been discarded for what is termed “level culture”; and you will readily see the reason, from what has been said about the escape of moisture from the surface of the soil; for of course the two upper sides of the hill, which may be represented by an equilateral triangle with one side horizontal, give more exposed surface than the level surface represented by the base. In wet soils or seasons hilling may be advisable, but very seldom otherwise. It has the additional disadvantage of making it difficult to maintain the soil mulch which is so desirable.

Rotation of crops.
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There is another thing to be considered in making each vegetable do its best, and that is crop rotation, or the following of any vegetable with a different sort at the next planting.

With some vegetables, such as cabbage, this is almost imperative, and practically all are helped by it. Even onions, which are popularly supposed to be the proving exception to the rule, are healthier, and do as well after some other crop, provided the soil is as finely pulverized and rich as a previous crop of onions would leave it.

Here are the fundamental rules of crop rotation:

(1) Crops of the same vegetable, or vegetables of the same family (such as turnips and cabbage) should not follow each other.

(2) vegetables that feed near the surface, like corn, should follow deep-rooting crops.

(3) Vines or leaf crops should follow root crops.

(4) Quick-growing crops should follow those occupying the land all season.

These are the principles which should determine the rotations to be followed in individual cases. The proper way to attend to this matter is when making the planting plan. You will then have time to do it properly, and will need to give it no further thought for a year.

With the above suggestions in mind, and put to use , it will not be difficult to give the crops those special attentions which are needed to make them do their very best.

John Ugoshowa
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/the-cultivation-of-vegetables-73848.html

There are various species suitable to use for indoor bonsai trees.  Some of these include Ficus, Serissa, Boxwood, and Gardenia.  If you want to grow your own miniature tree indoors, you will need to know a few things beforehand.  This article will give you a few tips on growing indoor bonsai trees.

Light

Indoor trees usually require between four and six hours of light each day.  It’s best to put them near a window that faces south.  This will allow them to receive morning sun and shade in the afternoon.  If a southern facing window isn’t an option, you can put them on a window fill that faces west or east. 

Windows facing in either of these three directions are best.  However, if you only have a window that faces north, you can put your tree there.  You will need to use a grow light in this situation though.

Humidity

Indoor bonsai trees will suffer if you don’t provide them with enough humidity.  The heating system in your home will reduce the amount of humidity available.  You should put your tree in a small tray filled with water and gravel.  There will be plenty of moisture available as the water evaporates.  You can also mist the leaves with water a little bit.

Water

These trees usually don’t need to be watered everyday.  Water requirements depend on the type of pot you’re using, the specific species you’re growing, and the type of soil in the pot.  However, since they trees are in small pots, they will probably dry out very quickly.  You should monitor this frequently by sticking your finger in the soil to see how moist it is.  If the tree is receiving a lot of sun, it will require more water.

D Swain
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/tips-on-caring-for-indoor-bonsai-trees-698011.html

What is the best land iguana habitat? If you have just purchased a new land iguana then the first thing you will need to do is to create a sustainable and appropriate habitat for it to live in. Their habitat is a little different then most other iguana habitats. To find out what the best land iguana habitat is, we first need to learn about where land iguanas come from.

There are two different types of land iguanas and they both come from the archipelago of the Galapagos Islands. Darwin was of course the first person to have seen these amazing creatures in their natural habitat. The land iguana habitat on the Galapagos Islands was mostly made from rock and soil. There is of course barely any vegetation on the Islands bar half dead grass and shrubs.

Land Iguanas like all iguanas are vegetarians and eat mostly fruit and vegetables, therefore it is a good idea to make your habitat easily assessable for cleaning purposes. One of the most important things to have in your iguana’s habitat is an area where water can be situated. They are in fact very good swimmers and therefore enjoy the water a lot. If you have the capacity, it’s a great idea to insert a small shallow pond. If you don’t wish to keep your land iguana in an enclosure then make sure you always have somewhere for your iguana to swim and bath.

The last and probably most important thing for your land iguana habitat is to have an area in your enclosure that is full of plenty of soil. Land iguanas in their natural habitat dig their own burrows in order to escape from predators. If you don’t have any soil for your iguana to dig in, then it will find some place else to dig, perhaps your carpet for one!

Another great idea for your land iguana habitat is to insert a few shrubs. This will give your enclosure a fantastic look and feel that will help your iguana feel more like an iguana instead of just a normal pet. This also makes your enclosure look a little less bare and much more interesting for people to look at. Make sure the shrubs aren’t too green as this will limit your iguana’s potential to camouflage itself.

If you use all the information in this article, you will be sure to create a great land iguana habitat that will have your iguana feeling happy and secure.

Dane Stanton
http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/find-out-what-the-best-land-iguana-habitat-is-99647.html

Do you think your home needs some more landscaping? You probably do, which is a good trend. As a matter of fact, you must be excited about the idea as it is more fun as compared to garden landscaping. Your imagination will have to work overtime. Besides you can have a good time planting and rearranging plants and flowers.

You can add a whole new altitude of beauty to the design of landscaping by layering your beds. When people come to your home, the yard is among the first things that they will see, and giving them a grand tour which includes an amazing garden is both exciting and fun. If you do some good garden landscaping, you could famous and for the right reasons.

It is easy to layer the garden landscaping design. However, you will have to plan which flowers you want to plant first. The way you lay out your garden landscaping will be affected by the choices you make regarding the flowers and plants. For example the shorter plants will have to be placed before the taller ones. Before you begin, you should have a rough sketch of what you want and where it is to be laid out for the landscaping, even though it is obvious. This way, things will be very simple. This will help make your task easier and you will face lesser number of problems later.

You should have three layers while layering. The back rows must face north if possible, and the tallest plants must be placed there, and the heights of the flowers and plants should descend as the rows do, . Often, we find that there is a problem when we buy baby plants. To avoid this kind of a problem, you must talk to people at the local gardening store about the height of the adult plants. This is the key to a successful garden landscape.If the last row does not grow as fast as the other rows of the garden landscaping design, it is wise to rearrange them quickly.

The layering effect of the garden landscaping design enhances and makes your garden more interesting to see. The garden landscaping will be a success based on this fact.

Abhishek Agarwal
http://www.articlesbase.com/landscaping-articles/layering-in-garden-landscaping-let-the-design-talk-754032.html

How to use fresh flower arrangements around the house. How you can pick the right one for any occasion. Buying fresh flower arrangements on line.

You use flower arrangements for the special occasions in your life such as a party, a wedding rehearsal or wedding reception, or a welcome home party or a baby shower. Flower arrangements add that special touch to a room that makes you know something wonderful is happening. Why not add that special feeling to your home at other times? You can now purchase flower arrangements on line from sites such as Teleflora. You know you have a huge selection of arrangements and your flowers will arrive when you want them. Ordering your flowers on line will guarantee that. If they are for a party, you want them there just before the party so they are fresh and will last; if you are ordering them to decorate your home, perhaps you want them on Friday afternoon so you can enjoy them all weekend when the family is around.

In addition to floral arrangements, Teleflora offers other gifts of this nature on line. You can have flowers in vases, plants in pots, or combinations of flowers and plants. If you shop on line, you can browse through the many arrangements they offer, or you can design your own arrangement. If you pick from their on line catalog, you can be sure you will be sending the exact arrangement you see before you on the screen. And of course, they will arrive fresh and on time.

If you are ordering flowers for a party at your home, you can choose an arrangement that will match the theme of the party. Perhaps spring bulbs to match a spring garden party, or if it is a baby shower, you can get a floral arrangement of pink and blue flowers. Flowers make the perfect central accent to build your party theme around. Get a number of arrangements in matching or similar colors and place them on the main table, in the entrance hall, or, if you have company staying over, in the guest rooms. In addition to looking beautiful, flowers add a lovely scent to the home.

The reason that arrangements from Teleflora are so fresh and last so long is that they are arranged when you order them, not before. If you are planning wedding events, such as the shower, the reception or the rehearsal dinner, you can order the flowers in advance and have them delivered on the exact day you need them. Choose a coordinating flower, such as tulips for each event, but in different colors, or choose different flowers such as yellow tulips for the springtime bridal shower and yellow roses for the summer wedding! Once you see the incredible range of choices you have from Teleflora, and know that you can have flowers fresh and on time any time you want them, you will become a customer.

Mr.Andrew Caxton
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/using-flowers-in-interior-decorating-111015.html