Roof Top Gardening Some Important Points

Want to do gardening but not having enough space in the backyard? Why not think upwards? If you have a roof top you can definitely use it to grow your favorite plants.

There are some benefits for roof top gardening:
1.    You can utilize your long unused space into a vegetable garden.
2.    Usually full of sunlight.
3.    Visually attractive.
4.    It can cool down the top floor of the apartment in the hot summers.

But unlike your backyard, you need to keep some points in mind before starting your roof top garden.

Weight: Weight is very important. First decide whether you want to use containers or you want to make plantation in the raised beds. In case you are planning to use containers try lighter material like plastic or fiber. Click here to know more about different container materials. Calculate the total amount of weight your roof top is going to bear. You need to add the weight of the soil (in wet condition), containers, mature plants along with their fruits, temporary weight such people and snow (in case you live in a place where snow fall is a regular incident). You can reduce the weight of the soil by mixing Coir or Perlite with the soil.

Sunlight: Generally roof tops are full of sunlight (unless your roof top is surrounded by some high buildings). So the chances are good that the plant will receive at least 6 hours of sunlight pretty easily. But over heating is sometimes also detrimental to certain plants. Beside heat from the top, there is a huge amount of heat also reflected back by the floor of the roof. So just keep in mind that in some cases you may need to provide some shading for the plants.

Wind: Your roof top is a place where the speed of the wind is maximum; especially if you live in high altitude. It is always better to provide some structural barrier or fencing to protect the plant in case of excessive wind flow.

Accessibility: This is a major issue. How easily you can access your roof top. Carrying soil, containers, equipments can be a real headache if the accessibility is poor. Please make sure you have lift or proper stairs installed before starting.

Watering: In the hot summer, the watering may required to do everyday. Make sure you have water connectivity in the roof top; otherwise carrying water everyday from downstairs can be a nuisance. Make sure you have proper drainage on the roof. You can also use the rain water if you have rain water harvesting system in place. You can find some idea about rain water harvesting in this article.

Besides these major issues some minor factors you also need to consider. In the likes of availability of electricity at the terrace can be really helpful though it is not essential. Also please take the required permission from your local authority before starting you garden.


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Gardening in Shade Some useful information

Gardening does not always means that you need to grow plants in full sun. Shade in the garden is like a nightmare for many gardeners. Though most of the vegetables like Tomatoes, or cucumbers require full sun for their development, many plants can grow wonderfully well in shade. Here in this article we will try to give you some idea on how you can do gardening in shady condition.

When people talk about shade they can mean a variety of condition. So at times it can be confusing to what actually a shade gardening refers to. First of all let us make a distinction between different types of shades.

Gardening in partial shade

1.    Partial shade: This kind of shading refers to a condition where the place receives direct sunlight for less than 4 hours.
2.    Full shade: This is a condition where there is no direct sunlight through out the whole year. There are some plants (like Euphorbia) which can grow well in areas like this.
3.    Dry shade: If you are planting under some big tree the chances are that apart from being shaded, the place will be very dry. As the water content of the soil is mostly sucked in by the big trees. There are few plants which can survive in these conditions also.
4.    Moist shade: In case the planting is near any big water source such as ponds or rivers the soil remains very wet through the season. In this condition plants are never short of water.

It is the partial shade that we will discuss in this article. As we have already discussed in out earlier article Sun or no Sun, if you want to grow fully grown fruits in a plant, you need to provide them more than 6 hours of sunlight. Having said that, crops such as Spinach and other leafy vegetables, Peas, Cauliflower can grow pretty on partial shade.

Some tips on growing vegetables in shade:
Most of the plants which grow in the shade generally have larger leaves to absorb more light. Do not crowd shade tolerant plants. It will help to absorb most of the light available. Less crowding will also increase the air flow through the plant and will reduce many diseases.
Paint the walls of your buildings surrounding the shady area with lighter paint. It will increase the light reflection and provide light support to the dark shady areas. You can also use mirror tiles or metallic surfaces for this purpose.

Benefits of Shade gardening:
There are some benefits also if you are doing gardening in shade. If you remember, while discussing growing tips about Cauliflower and several others we have informed you about the effect of heat on bolting. In case your gardening is in the shade the impact of bolting can be reduced. The leafy vegetables such as Spinach lettuce grown in partial shade will look much fresher and you can enjoy them for a longer period of time. This is due to the fact that the more they are in the sun the larger will be the amount of water loss.

Talking about water, you also need to water the plants less regularly than when in the direct sun. By knowing ideal plants for shade, you can very easily optimize your total garden space. Plant the plants which prefer the direct sunlight in the sunny place whereas as in rest of the partial shaded spaces you can easily cultivated rest of the plants. It will help you to double your total vegetable output.

You can get some vivid idea about sun and its impact on vegetables growing in this article.



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Mango Growing Some Useful Tips

Mangoes are called the king of fruits. It is generally a plant of the tropics. Typical weather resembles hot summer and cool winter (not very cold). If you live in a place that is more or less of this type; you can definitely try growing mangoes. Here in this article we will provide you with some easy growing tips.

There are two ways to grow mango:
1.From the seed: Growing from the seed is pretty easy. Peel a ripe mango, separate (or eat) the pulp. Then wash the remaining hard portion (it contains the seed) with water and let it dry. Then sow it where you want to plant the tree. Within 2 to 3 weeks you will get the seedlings. In this process the plants grows really big but the fruiting requires minimum 8 years. 
2. From grafting: Most of the plants bought from nurseries are grafted. You just need to plant them. In this method the plant reach manageable height and can bear fruit within 5 years. In this process quality of the fruit is almost assured.

Mango plants grow well in acidic soil pH range of 5 to 7. They can not tolerate frost. While planting the trees give at least 6 to 12 meter spacing. They grow really big and need that much space to grow properly. They don’t require much water. Make sure your soil has enough drainage.

Over watering can kill your plant. You need to protect them from weed especially in the initial years. A thick layer of mulch is a very good idea for mango trees. In the initial years you need to provide compost for the nutrition of the plant. The more it grows the lesser you need to care.

Once the plant gets little bigger you can think about pruning. Pruning is a very good choice for mango trees. Apart from giving space and nutrients to the branches, it also helps to give the plant a proper shape.

While harvesting mangoes be careful. The sap can really cause problem (skin problem, allergies) to the body.

The mature fruit can be of varied size and shape depending on its variety. Best time to pick the mangoes when they are ripe. But in case you have picked them early (sometimes done with the intent to protect the fruits from birds, bats, and other animals) pack them in paper bags and keep them in the room temperature for some time.

The flavor of a ripe mango is always welcomed. Enjoy your vitamin and mineral packed fruit with friends and family. You can also use the raw ones into making pickles or in salads.






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Growing Papaya Some Tips to Remember

Papayas are easy to grow. It is one of the plants you should consider growing in your backyard if you live in predominantly warmer climate. You can grow them pretty easily from the seeds.

First cut the papaya in half and then take out all the seeds. The seeds are covered with some jelly like substance. Squeeze the seed out of that coating. Use clean water to wash the seeds and then let them dry out. Once they are totally dry, use them for plantation.

Select the place where you want to grow papaya. They are very sensitive to root shock so it is advisable to plant the seed where you want to grow. Transplantation process can really hurt the plant. Before planting the seeds make sure you have mixed enough compost with the soil. They are very voracious feeder so make sure you have provided them enough to eat.

The spacing required for each plant is minimum 1.5 meter.

If you read our blogs regularly you would have known by now that papaya plants require full sun; More the better. Though papayas also grow in partial shade; the fruit growing is delayed and the tastes are also not so good.

Papaya plants are very susceptible to root rotting. So watering becomes very crucial. Much more water than required and you end up harming the plant. Also, considering the fact that they generally grow in warmer condition and have large leaves (they transpire a lot of water) you can not provide too little water either.  The best soil type is loamy type for growing papayas.

Papaya plants can be male female or bisexual. It is important that your garden have at least some female or bisexual plants. The male plant will not bear the fruits. It is recommended to have 1: 10 ratio about male and female plants to have a healthy yield. Generally it will start flowering once it become more than one meter in height. Expect to harvest the ripe papayas within a year.

The best part of growing papaya is that unlike most of the plants, you will get the fruits all year long. The only problem is with time they become taller (it will become difficult to pluck the fruits) and much more prone to diseases. Also, older plants tend to flower much less than the younger ones.

Papayas are very nutritious fruit. They are rich in vitamin C. You can have them ripe or raw.

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Growing Bell Peppers Some Useful tips

Back to growing tips. Today’s edition Bell Peppers. You can check rest of the vegetables by exploring the site.

Peppers grow very quickly. Depending on their variety they can become within 60 to 150 days (after transplanting). For the beginners we suggest you use the early varieties for growing. You can use your backyard or growbags to grow pepper. Just make sure receives 6 hours of sunlight in a day.

Though you can directly put the seeds in the garden, we strongly recommend that you first grow the seedlings indoor. It takes 2-8 weeks for the seeds to grow into a proper transplant. Now plant them into the garden where you intended to grow pepper. Give 12 to 15 inches gap between two plants.

Prior to transplant mix a good amount of compost with the soil. They are not a very hungry plant. That much of compost is enough for the plant. While using compost ingredients, make sure you don’t use a high amount of Nitrogen in the pile. This can result in lush foliage and lesser fruits. For more on C/N ratio read out earlier article.

Watering is very important in plants like pepper. They require a good amount of water but make sure the soil have proper drainage and the roots don’t get water logged. One of the solutions you can use is to add Perlite with the soil.

Pepper is a very good companion plant which goes well with plants like Tomatoes, Carrots and Basils. It is important that you provide some form of support to the plant. Once the plant stars growing fruits it becomes tough for the plant to strive without support.

Pepper is usually pest free. In rare cases spider mites or aphids attacks peppers. You can easily hand pick and remove them.


Harvesting:

Don’t wait for the peppers to fully mature before picking. Most of the peppers taste best when picked little early. Also it increases the yield. Use a sharp knife to cut the fruit from the plant.

It is best to eat them the same day you have harvested. You can also use a refrigerator to store them. You can get more on vegetable storing in our earlier article.






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Bright Agrotech Commerical Aquaponics Webinar

Recently, Bright Agrotech hosted a webinar for people interested in getting into commercial aquaponics.  Bright Agrotech is a business in Laramie, Wyoming co-owned by Dr. Nate Storey, who is one of the best sources for information about aquaponics.  He posts tons of educational videos that have helped me tremendously.

Heres the Commercial Aquaponics Webinar:  http://bit.ly/1dsSXr3

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Were in the paper!

That might even be what brought you here! Whether you saw us in hard-copy or youre here on your own, rest assured that were mighty excited about your visit to our website!

Take a look around the different pages, read some previous posts, and feel free to ask us some questions! Interested in a specific topic? Wondering about something on the farm? Just want to say hi? We welcome conversation!

As for what we have available this week, we offer the following for your gustatory pleasures:

• Radishes
• Arugula
• Mizuna (a very tasty, mild Asian green)
• Bok Choy
• Oregano
• Chives (garlic and standard)
• Swiss Chard
• Limited Spinach
• Limited Kale

Were a bit light this week on our lettuces, but no worries. Theyll be back soon!

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Growing Radish Some basic Facts

Radish is one of the easiest crops to grow. This is ideal for the beginners who are trying their hands on gardening.

A pH of 6 to 6.8 is ideal for growing radish. You can add other growing media with the soil to make it appropriate if the soil nearby is not up to that pH range. A list of the growth media can be found here. In normal cases fertilizers are not that necessary if you have put compost in the soil before planting the seeds. Avoid fresh manure or material which are rich in nitrogen.

Radish plant required direct sunlight at least 6 hours a day. Plant your plant accordingly. Put the seed in the soil at ½ inch depth and cover it with soil. The spacing between the plant should not less than 2 inch. Once the seedlings have grown about 2 inches in height thin them up to 3 inches apart. Lack of thinning can lead to inedible and shriveled roots.

Keep the soil moist by watering regularly. If s the soil is very dry it can result in radishes with very pungent flavor, whereas too much water can make the roots rot. If want to know more about watering check out my earlier blog.

Radish plants are not very much prone to diseases, on the contrary it is much more beneficial to other crops if you are thinking about companion planting. Planting radish along with cucumber or squash can reduce the beetle which affects cucumber or squash. It also attracts leaf bugs away from spinach. Sometimes there are some larva which attacks the radish roots. Crop rotation can resolve this problem. You can also add a good amount of wood ash to prevent these problems.

The best part of a radish as far as the beginners are concerned is that it matures very quickly. You can harvest your radishes with 3 to 4 weeks depending on the species. In case you are not sure of its size pull it out from the soil in case you find the radish is still immature, you can always replant it. It is always better to pull out a little immature radish than to take out over-matured. Oversize radishes can taste woody and unpleasant to the tongue.

The storage of this is similar to that of carrots. You need to cut off the leaves to eliminate any chance of further growth. Store them in refrigerator. You can use them for one or two weeks.

Radish are not very much known more their nutritional value, rather they are famous for their tasty addition to salads.

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