One of the best ways to improve your soil quality is to build raised beds. A raised bed can be anywhere from three inches high to 3-4 feet high. You can make edges for the beds to hold the soil in place or slant the soil and tamp in place. I myself prefer edging.

The shallower beds make fast new gardens and are placed in areas where the soil is ok but just needs new nutrients for better crops.

The three to four foot gardens are placed in areas where you need a lot of new nutrients or where the soil is extremely poor. Another great use for the higher beds is in hillsides where they act as a wall or for people with bad backs or disabilities.

One of my favorite uses for three-foot high raised bed is for planting watermelons and other melons. These plants need extra fertilizer and the deeper beds I fill half full on manure and top with compost. I have great crops of melons with little work. I also sink a plastic milk jug upside down in the center with the bottom cut off for deep watering. Just fill the milk jug when the bed is dry and the planter waters itself. Using this method the water goes deeply into the soil and the soil will not dry out as fast.

Creating a new bed will also improve the spoil. Just mark out the area you intend to use and till or dig up that area. You can either add bags of compost or organic materials to the area and till or dig it up again to mix in the newly added nutrients. Once your new soil is mixed well you will be ready to plant.

Another fast and very easy way to improve the soil is to use the lasagna garden technique. Here is an article on Lasagna Gardening: http://thegardenersrake.com/lasagna-gardening-history-and-how-to-make-a-lasagna-garden

Good soil is one of the most important steps in successful gardening.

Tags: how to improve soil, raised beds, adding nutrients, lasagna gardening

Setting up an Herbal Tea Container Garden

photo credit: ewen and donabel

To make this container garden more fun you may want to experiment with containers.

These are a few containers I have used before:

• Old punch bowl and I even used some of the punch bowl cups
• Old silver plate tea set
• Old teapots and
• Miss-matched teacups
• Terra cotta pots covered with moss
• Driftwood piece with pot set inside driftwood

Purchase or trade herb plants with friends. You will want to select healthy looking plants with healthy roots and soil that does not look diseased. Bring the plants home and lightly water.

Find suitable containers for your herbs and make sure they and clean and have proper drainage. This may mean adding a drainage hole in a cup or teakettle. Add fresh soil to the container and then add your herb plant. Press the soil in place and water.

Planting tip: Do not fill the container to the top with soil Leave a ½-inch area at the top of the pot to catch any excess water.

At this time I usually add a liquid fertilizer to help with any plant shock the herbs may have from being replanted.

I have started other herbs for friends in small glass punch cups and gave them as a gift. I have also done that with the miss-matched teacups. It makes a fast and cute gift idea. If the herb is a perennial, the gift will last for many years once planted in a larger container.
photo credit: Mark Barry

Your own homemade tea blends have a fresh taste and can easily be changed daily for a change or for health purposes. A lemon tea blend always helps clear an oncoming cold.

Do you have any suggestions for a teapot garden container? I would love to hear them.

Technorati Tags: container gardening, creative gardening, herb gardening, herbal tea theme garden

It may be you don’t have a lot of time or possibly a lot of space but you can grow a tea garden that will provide you with fresh teas and add color and fun to your windowsills, porch or balcony.
photo credit: nessguide

These mini container gardens will take very little time and with a tea garden theme you can have fun with the containers.

Setting small mini gardens will make them portable so that you can move them in the house when cool weather arrives. This garden will provide a year round supply of tea and plant variety to your house.

Select an appropriate container for your tea garden. You may prefer to have everything in one large container, or to have a grouping of container tea gardens. A grouping will allow the plants more room to grow and thrive plus give you more creativity in arrangements and pots.

Clay pots work well for proper drainage but you can use any pots that have a hole for drainage in the bottom and add pebbles or terra cotta pieces in the bottom of the containers for drainage. I use a coffee filter over the drainage holes to prevent soil from leaking out. I also sit my containers on a tray with pebbles to catch any water that drains out and to add humidity around the plant.

You will need a nutrient-rich potting soil or compost. Check to make sure your pot has good drainage in the bottom and fill your pot almost completely full with the soil. Herbs do not use as much water as some plants so water carefully once you plants are growing.

It will be fun to choose the herbal tea plants that please you and will make fine teas. I like many of the thyme herbs. You can check you local health food store to get ideas for herb plants and search online for herbal tea recipes.

Mint and balm family herbs are very popular for tea blends. Other plants suggestions would be different sage plants, pot marigold, cilantro, basil and lavender.

Plant your herbs according to the instructions that come with each plant or on the back of the seed packets. Be careful not to crowd the herb plants. I plant one to two per smaller containers and 5 to 6 for a larger container.
photo credit: themissiah

Herbs thrive in full sun with well-drained soil so choose a sunny room or window. If you use your herbs on a regular basis they will not become overcrowded in the containers.

Enjoy your herbal container garden!

Technorati Tags: growing herbs, herbal tea gardens, herbs, herbs for homemade teas, small space gardening, theme garden