This is a guest post written by Elizabeth Krause

Elizabeth Krause publisher of an Italian food website featuring simple Italian recipes.

Gardening is becoming a popular hobby in recent years. One can attribute a few factors for this increasing trend. First, the trust people have in many of the companies that supply our food has been shaken. Because of salmonella outbreaks from food in Mexico to even within the United States, some of us begin to wonder if it just wouldn’t be safer to grow our own vegetables at home.
If you are interested in having your own garden, whether small or large, here are a few tips to help make your garden as green as possible:
1. Use organic soil and fertilizers. This insures your soil is free from harmful chemicals and pesticides.
2. Use only water from a trusted source. Tap water or water supplied from your city contains large amounts of chlorine. Of course, this is needed to kill the bad bacteria which otherwise could send us to the hospital. But the contribution of chlorine to our plants is unnecessary. Use either fresh rain water by using a rain water bucket (enclosed so it will not attract mosquitoes), or use filtered water. This is common practice in places in Italy which cannot rely on city water. Many Italian farms are not equipped with water irrigation systems and instead place huge water tubs or barrels in the field.
3. Use drip irrigation systems. These work in a way that you can position the hose, and mark where you want the water to drip out – obviously only at each plant. This has two main benefits – first, less water is being wasted. Second, by concentrating the exact place where you need the water, you will experience fewer weeds in the surrounding area because most weeds need water to grow. By limiting or eliminating the water to those pesky weeds, they will have less chance of survival.
4. Use organic pesticides. These products are made of natural ingredients, such as garlic, water, vinager etc. There are many homemade concoctions available online. You can also check your local nursery to see if they carry these products.
5. Use organic compost. This is not as intimidating as it may appear. By now you pretty much have an organic garden more or less. So when you use your fresh fruit or vegetables such as tomatoes, zucchini or peppers, do not throw away the unwanted leftovers. Instead, place them in a composting unit, or for some people, a pile at the back of the garden. Give them a good turning from time to time throughout the season and let them decompose, thus turning into a rich organic material loaded with nutrients for next year’s garden.
There are many ways you can make your garden greener. By following these 4 steps you will be on your way to a healthier garden and therefore a healthier food supply for you and your family.

This is a guest post written by Elizabeth Krause

Elizabeth Krause publisher of an Italian food website featuring simple Italian recipes.

Less than 50 years ago, growing your own food in your backyard or using indoor pots was common practice. As society progressed and much of the food industry became larger and more powerful, we soon found many new stores began to meet all our culinary needs.
Gradually over time more and more homes soon turned into two career households. Less time at home meant less time to garden. Buying your own food was extremely convenient and fully embraced.
But in recent years the 30 and 40 year olds who had previously spent their time focused on their careers and fast paced life, between yoga work outs and kick boxing classes, have begun to cultivate a desire to learn more about this dwindling activity – growing a vegetable garden.
Growing your own food is still very popular in many European countries, for example Italy. Italians belong to a culture where food is very important – not just to live, but to also be enjoyed. Much of their day to day recipes involve the use of fresh ingredients – most of which are grown in their own yards or on their balcony.
Being able to learn the skills of gardening isn’t hard, yet it is not magic either. It takes time, patience and a willingness to learn from mistakes. For example, planting basil too early can cause it to go into shock and die. Understanding that basil is a fragile herb susceptible to the cold weather and therefore must be planted only when it is certain there will be no more frosts is critical.
Learning to manage your own garden whether you choose container gardening or not, holds many advantages. Here are three of them:
1. Vegetables in your back yard are not subject to major price fluctuations caused by troubled economic times, as are retail stores. If tomatoes increase in price to $3.99 a lb, you can get your free right outside your door. You can also recycle your seeds from one year to the next – now that’s efficiency!
2. Understanding how to use organic pesticides (or even making your own), you can grow your own organic vegetables and fruit. This is a lot less expensive than buying organics at the store. Having control over the quality of the soil, seeds, fertilizers and even water is a huge benefit.
3. Convenience is key. Yes, buying your food is convenient, but when making a dish of fresh pasta or when craving your favorite chicken cacciatore recipe which calls for a bell pepper – isn’t it more convenient to just walk out to your garden and pick one fresh off the plant rather than postponing the recipe until you can find time to go to the store?
The old phrase, “You can give a man a fish to eat or you can teach a man to fish…” is very true. Learning to grow your own food will help you in times of plenty as well as in times of need. There are a variety of benefits to this practice, and with some planning and thoughtful preparation you will soon be able to experience them firsthand.

We’ve just been buried in snow and more is in the forecast, but I’m dreaming of springtime. Yes, I know it’s only February, but now is the best time to start planning what I’m going to plant in the spring. Last year I planted perennials – some peony and geranium plants – as a foundation for my flower bed. But I need to plan how I’m going to add that extra pop of color or that new sweet floral scent to my yard this year.

I’m considering night phlox (zaluzianskya) or perhaps night scented stock (matthiola bicornis) for a rush of scent in the summer night air. For color, I’m thinking about zinnias, cosmos, and Gerbera daisies. But… I suppose that mixture of plants lends itself to a bit of a mish mash of design. That’s why I rely on The Farm at Green Village.

I love gardening. I love digging in the dirt and watching plants grow. However, I’m not very talented when it comes to landscaping. Colors sometimes clash. The plant sizes are all wrong. Whole sections of the flower garden are out of bloom at the same time. Since I found The Farm at Green Village, that’s not the case.

Last year, I was meandering through the rows of flowers, adding plants to my basket and removing them in a bewildered state, when a staff member noticed the look of uncertainty on my face. He asked about the layout of my flower beds, even asking me to sketch them for him. Then he recommended which groundcover would be most suitable for yard. He even gave me tips on the best mulch and how to perk up a little lilac bush that was dying.

So while my flower beds may be sleeping beneath a foot (or two!) of snow, my mind is thinking about planting flowers in the spring.

A few potted plants and flowers, some interesting garden accents, and you’ve got an instant garden. That’s the beauty of container gardening, one of the top garden trends we see for 2010 as we talk to garden supply center customers. It’s easy to see the appeal. The variety of flowers you can have is endless. And it’s very quick and easy for semi-gardeners who don’t want to dig and plant and wait for their garden plants to grow. Read more…

With the days getting longer, gardeners are busy planning for springtime, thinking about what new plants, flowers, trees and shrubs they’re going to put in their garden or yard. If you’re among them, here are five gardening trends you might want to keep in mind as you get ready for planting season. The first is a move to native plants, and a reduced emphasis on exotic species. One of the big plusses for gardeners: native plants are easier to care for – they thrive in their native habitats, so you can spend less time and money cultivating them. Read more…