The Articles Site

By: Phil Rogers
Category: Gardening

By keeping your greenhouse clean, you are more likely to get stronger plants, which result in better crops. You may also find there will be less need for other chemicals such as slug pellets or insecticides if you find that you usually need to use them

By: John Halderman
Category: Self Improvement

Affirmations get a bad rap by various people in the personal development and self improvement community, while many others are saying they are key to making changes and developing the life you want. So how can it be both?

Many people are afraid of growing plants from seed but it’s really very simple and anyone can do it. All you really need is patience and diligence.

There’s nothing more rewarding than scattering a few seeds in a box and seeing them grow into real flowers or vegetables. In addition, it’s much less expensive to buy a few packets of seeds and some compost than to buy the equivalent number of plants from a garden centre. This is particularly true if you have a large garden and need plenty of plants to fill the spaces but if your garden is small, why not share a few different packets of seeds with a friend or two. If, say, three of you each grow one variety then you can all have three different types of flowers in your garden or window boxes.

So, to get down to essentials: it has to be the right time of year. Most annual flowers and summer vegetables such as tomatoes, salads, beans, cucumbers, etc. need to be planted in late winter or early spring but perennial plants and vegetables like spring onions should be planted in autumn so you must check the seed packet. You also need good quality seed compost. Don’t skimp on this; you really do get what you pay for and the cheaper varieties don’t contain the nutrients that growing seedlings need. You will also need some sort of container, usually a tray about 5cm deep by 22cm wide by 35cm long. Specialist seed trays from a garden centre are quite cheap and obviously designed for the purpose. Alternatively, you can buy strips of tiny pots, which are useful when you come to prick out your seedlings (more of that later) or for larger seeds, pellets which expand in water and which hold individual seeds.

Fill your seed tray with compost and lightly firm it down with your hand. Water with a fine rose or spray bottle and be sure not to soak the compost or the seeds will rot; it should be just damp to the touch.

The next step depends on the seed that you are planting. If they are tiny such as petunia seeds, check the instructions on the packet but normally you would need to sprinkle them over the whole surface of your prepared tray and cover with a very fine layer of compost. If the seeds are larger, for example nasturtium, then make individual holes in the compost using the end of a pencil or similar and insert your seeds and close the holes gently with your finger. For these larger seeds, planting in rows makes life easier later on. Again, read the packet, but some seeds need a damp atmosphere to germinate so cover your seed tray with transparent plastic or glass. Some need dark so cover with brown paper.

Once your seeds are planted, keep in a fairly warm place such as a south facing windowsill but preferably not in full sun. The seeds will probably not need watering if they are covered in plastic or sealed in a plastic bag – you will be able to tell by the condensation forming on the plastic (or not), but if the compost starts to look dry, water gently or spray from a bottle. Whatever you do, don’t overwater.

Keep an eye on your seeds and as soon as they are germinating, remove the covering and continue to water as before. When the plants are about 3cm tall and have developed two or four leaves, prick (thin) them out so that the remaining seedlings are about 2cm apart. You can replant the seedlings which you have removed in other seed trays at the same distance apart. Be careful when handling these, grasping them very gently by the stem, not the leaves. Alternatively, you can transplant the seedlings to individual pots about 5cm in diameter.

When the weather warms up, you can put the seedlings outside during the day and bring them in when darkness falls. This is called hardening off as it acclimatises the seedlings to outdoor life. As the plants get bigger, they can be watered with a normal watering can or fine hose.

When all fear of frost has past, you can leave your young plants out at night as well as during they day and after about a week, they will be ready to transplant to their permanent outdoor positions.

Before planting out, give the plants a good watering and include the ball of compost in their newly dug hole as this will continue to give them nourishment and will prevent too much disturbance of the roots.

Once in the ground, continue watering in accordance with your local weather conditions and you will be amazed how the plants flourish. Come summer, you can sit back and admire your flowers or veg with the additional satisfaction of knowing that you grew them yourself.

Liz Canham
Liz is a keen gardener who has exchanged the relative ease of gardening in Southern England for the trials of gardening on the Costa Blanca in Spain, where her garden is at a 45% angle on the side of a mountain. She is webmistress of Gardening for All.

Tweet This Post

Tweet This Post

For an article to be considered good at this point in time, it must be written for an actual reader, the era of trashy articles just to attract search engines is gone. Anyway, isn't the biggest reason you are writing is to get a reader to actually read, get interested and click on your link at the bottom? And even if your motivation is to have readers click ads on the page, you still must write something they will stay with.

Does your garden look a mess?  Is it all bits and pieces with no cohesive plan?  I f your answers are yes or even if you’re just bored with your existing layout, then landscaping is the answer.  You may be frightened of embarking on such a large undertaking, but there’s nothing to be afraid of, you just need to plan each area carefully then follow your plan through.

Start by looking for ideas in landscaping books where you’re sure to find something that you like or something which you can adapt to the practicalities of real life.  Often, these books show the gardens of stately homes and very few of us actually have a garden that big, but check out the planting or the hedging or the statues and you will soon get some ideas.  More practically, look at books on do it yourself landscaping.  These books will show step by step ways to build raised beds, to lay paving or decking and lots of other features which you may fancy in your garden.

If you want some sort of water feature, then you probably should start with that.  Choose a place for it; somewhere with dappled shade may be best if you plan to have fish in your water feature.  Make sure that it isn’t too big or it will dominate the whole garden but in any event, it will be the main point of focus, so create this first.

There are many ways of building a water feature; you can buy pre-formed ponds with built in waterfalls, you can buy a reservoir with a spout, which creates an interesting shape of the water and you can cover the reservoir with attractive rocks or pebbles; or you can use a liner.  Alternatively you can use the type of water feature which you attach to a wall with a trough beneath it to catch the water.

Apart from the latter, whichever you choose, you will have to dig a hole and or stream so it will be as well to know whether any main drains cross your garden!  Whether you’re using a liner or pre-cast pool, you will need attractive rocks or pebbles to surround it and if you plan to have plants surrounding your pool, then the rocks will need to be cemented in place to contain the earth or before long, your rock beds will be empty of soil and it will all be in your pond.

Whether or not you plan to keep fish, you will need a selection of plants to keep the water clear.  It’s best to go to a specialist water plant supplier as requirements vary depending on the position of the pond.  However, water lilies are a good start and look pretty.  You may also need to introduce some wildlife, which will also help to keep the water crystal clear.

Now you have your focal point, start to build the rest of the hard landscaping, such as paths, decking, steps, raised beds, etc.  While you are doing this, you may want to bury trunking containing electrical cable for lighting (and for the pond pump) as well as hose for a watering system.

Finally, you get to the interesting bit, which is choosing and placing your plants.  Don’t forget to consider the amount of sun or shade and water each plant needs.  Try to choose whatever is suitable for where you live; if your garden has a lot of wind from the sea, you will need quite different plants from an inland location.  If you live in semi-desert, don’t try to grow hydrangeas and the like or you will be watering them all day long.  You also need to consider which type of soil you have as some plants don’t like acid and some don’t like alkaline.  If you use pots, you can, of course, change the structure to suit whatever plants you have chosen, indeed you can do this in flower beds but you will need to carry on adding what you need to change the pH of the soil or it will revert to type.

As well as nutritional requirements, check what height and width your plants will reach.  The planting may look sparse to begin with but as plants grow and spread the gaps will be filled but if they start off too close together, they’ll end up squashed and the parts not getting light will die.  Don’t forget to put the tall plants at the back of a bed and graduate the rest towards the front.

When you’re happy with the position of your plants, lay out your watering system, with drippers for each plant; one for small to average plants and two or three or more in a ring for larger and thirstier plants.

Soon enough, it will start to look like a professionally landscaped garden and if you can’t do all of it in one year, divide it up and do what you can then start again the next year.

Happy landscaping!

Liz Canham
Liz is a keen gardener who has exchanged the relative ease of gardening in Southern England for the trials of gardening on the Costa Blanca in Spain, where her garden is at a 45% angle on the side of a mountain. She is webmistress of Gardening for All.

Tweet This Post

Tweet This Post

Feeding wild birds isn’t just a question of chucking a few bits of bread on the lawn and leaving it at that.  It is far more complex and not a responsibility that should be taken lightly.

Anyone who is determined to feed wild birds will need to buy huge amounts of bird food every winter as well as a book about birds and some binoculars to be able to study and identify the different wild bird species.

Every couple of days, the bird food container will need to be filled again, which if calculated over the space of a year, amounts to a considerably expensive investment.   A commitment such as that usually comes with the expectation of attracting unusual and attractive wild bird species.

Bird Food Choices

There are many varieties of bird feed on the market and these can easily be bought in single bird feed types or mixes at the local supermarket, garden supply store or livestock supply store.

You may be surprised to know that the mixture of bird food one uses greatly influences the variety and quantity of birds that will come to feed, so if you want to attract a certain species, you will need to research carefully what their favourite food mixture is.

In a study of more than seven hundred thousand observations conducted in California, Maryland, Maine and Ohio, carried out under the supervision of the Wildlife Urban Research Program of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, striped black sunflower seeds and white millet were the standards used.  The rest of the feeds were provided at experimental tables together with one or two of  the standards in order to gauge the feeds’ attractiveness.

Many birds are actually not too fussy and will eat a variety of foods but even some of these showed a marked preference for a particular type of food.

If you offer foods that are known to entice the particular wild birds that you would like to see, attracting them should not be too difficult and will also deter those birds you do not wish to encourage, such as starlings for example.

Those birds which eat seeds are usually attracted to sunflower seeds and of these, the one found to be most attractive to wild birds is the black-oil type.

The types of birds likely to be attracted by white millet are small ones, such as sparrows and peanuts (shelled) are most attractive to starlings.

The bird feeds that are quite unappealing to wild bird species are canary, rape and flax.
If you want to discourage the Brown Headed Cowbird, that most notorious of breeding parasites  or house sparrows, safflower seed is the feed you should use.

Feeding wild birds may not be as easy as you first thought, but some effort in researching which breed prefers to eat what and, indeed, which won’t eat certain foods, should ensure that you attract the birds you want and discourage those that you don’t.

Liz Canham is webmistress of Worldwide Bird Watching.

Tweet This Post

Tweet This Post

Bird watching tours are a popular form of unconventional holiday.  Bird watching itself is one of the world’s most wide-ranging pastimes, especially in America, Europe and Asia and there are many different sorts of tours you can take.  Some combine wildlife viewing in general, while others are mainly devoted to actual birds.  Here are a few holiday alternatives you may like to consider:

Wildlife Reserves – tours hosted by wildlife reserves provide great opportunities for bird watching. You’ll be able to see the birds in their natural habitat, as well as enjoying the spectacle of their interaction with other forms of wildlife in the area. These tours require a keen eye though or a really good pair of binoculars, as birds in reserves can usually only be viewed from a some way away.

Aviaries and Bird Sanctuaries – these are dedicated tours for bird watchers that take place inside special types of wildlife reserves that house only birds. These tours are fun because they  are planned to showcase birds, full stop.  While in wildlife reserves one can see a variety of creatures, aviaries display birds in huge screened cages, making it easier to see them close to.

Wildlife and Bird Watching Tours – these are guided tours through wild areas which generally contain a lot of different indigenous species of birds. They are similar to trips taken through a wildlife reserve, except that this type of tour actually takes you on an extended trip into a jungle, forest, desert, or other area of wilderness. This is a little tough if you’re not an out of doors type of person, but it does offer bird watchers one of the most satisfying and personal experiences they can have.

Ecolodges – these have accommodation which can be reserved like hotel rooms. What makes them so different is that they are situated in an outdoor area where flocks of birds tend to congregate in large numbers allowing the guests in the lodge to view the birds to their heart’s content and at quite close quarters.  An added feature of the better-designed ecolodges is that their outsides are built to look like part of the scenery, so that animals and birds are not wary of the presence of concrete and steel. While this doesn’t work with animals that can detect alien items by smell, birds are usually duped by the look of an ecolodge, and will actually land within metres of it without taking fright.

Annual conferences – these offer unique chances for all bird watchers. Aside from socialising with fellow bird fanciers, some bird watcher conferences are held at times and in places that coincide with the migrations of certain species of birds. Attendees of these conferences often go to them just for the opportunity to see migrating flocks of birds that they would not see at regular times.

All in all, there are plenty of different bird watching tours available to suit all tastes and pockets.
Liz Canham is webmistress of Worldwide Bird Watching.

Tweet This Post

Tweet This Post

If you’re not a professional bird watcher or tour guide then there are a few things that you need to know before venturing out to start your new hobby. Believe it or not, you can’t just do what you like, where you like and there is a strict code of ethics, even for amateur bird watchers.

Right to Roam

In Britain nowadays, it would seem that the rights of many landowners have been eroded and that ramblers can go wherever they please. However, this isn’t always the case and it is, in any case, a common courtesy to seek the approval of the owner before you go trampling all over this property. If the landowner requests that you do not go through certain areas, then do observe his wishes and likewise if he asks that you keep to the edge of fields, etc. then do so. If, while bird watching on private property, your target bird moves off into forbidden territory, you’ll just have to let him go. Don’t think that because you’ve seen a rare bird, the landowners wishes can be ignored.

In addition, just treat the landowner’s property as you would wish your own to be treated; don’t drop litter, don’t be noisy and
Use your common sense to guide you when bird watching on private property: don’t litter, don’t make any noise and don’t do any damage.

Care for the Environment

When you pack your rucksack to go out bird watching, be sure to include a plastic bag or two so that you can bring your rubbish home with you. Never, never drop litter out in the countryside (or anywhere else for that matter) irrespective of whether others have done so before you; you don’t have to follow their bad example.

Care for the Birds

Never do anything which can have an adverse effect on the birds themselves. They didn’t ask for you to be watching them and they have the right to carry on their lives undisturbed, so always check with yourself whether anything you’re doing could be upsetting the birds.

Photographing Birds

Don’t get too close to the birds when you’re photographing them, particularly if you’re using a flash as this could be very frightening for the birds and may interrupt their normal routines. Use a camera with a zoom lens with a decent magnification and if it’s very large, you’ll need a tripod too to prevent camera shake.

Parking Your Car

When you go bird watching, remember that you may be gone for some time so be thoughtful about where you park your vehicle. Never block gates or paths or indeed, any form of entrance.

Your Mobile Phone

It’s essential to take your mobile with you, in case of accidents or incidents while out bird watching. In addition, the owner of the land you’re using may need to get hold of you but do make sure that the ‘phone is set to silent mode with the vibrate feature on.

All the above just involve using a bit of common sense and consideration for others as well as for the birds, so remember this ethical code and enjoy your bird watching.

Liz Canham is webmistress of Worldwide Bird Watching.

Tweet This Post

Tweet This Post

Growing tomatoes isn’t too difficult but they can be prone to disease.  Don’t despair though, as there are plenty of disease resistant varieties available but that in itself leads to another problem which is how to identify them.

Each variety is coded; e.g. “VF”, “VFFA”, “VFNT” but how on earth are we supposed to know what these acronyms mean?  How do we tell which variety is resistant to which disease?  That is where the coding comes in, which is fine if you know what each code means.

Below are the common designations, which should help you choose which variety of tomato plant is the one for you.

“A” means that the plant has resistance to the Alternaria alternata fungus which is a cause of Alternaria stem canker. The stems, leaves and fruit of the tomato are badly affected by cankers that vary in colour from dark brown to black. If the cankers are on the stem, there are often brownish streaks as well. Stem cankers can  cause the death of a tomato plant before you can harvest the fruit.

“F” or “FF” indicates that the plants are resistant to the Fusarium oxysporum fungi which induce Fusarium wilt. This is a critical disease which causes the drooping and yellowing of the leaves beginning at the bottom of the tomato plant.  Without treatment, Fusarium wilt can kill tomato plants well before the fruit can be picked. Some Fusarium fungi have become resistant themselves to the “F” resistance tomatoes, in which case, you need to choose plants with the “FF” coding.

“N”  signifies that the plants are resistant to parasitic round worms, which often lie inactive in the earth.  Effects of round worm infestation are root galls that are up to an inch in diameter. Afflicted plants are weak, do not react to fertilizer, and are inclined to droop when the weather is hot.

“St” specified tomatoes are not susceptible to  grey leaf spot (Stemphylium).  Affected tomatoes build up brown to black spots on older leaves. As the disease goes on, the spots become larger and the centres turn grey. The grey middles ultimately fall out, leaving behind small holes.

“T” indicates that the plants are resistant to the Tobacco Mosaic Virus. This results in a blotchy look to the  leaves and smaller fruit  and crop.  Occasionally immature tomatoes will go brown.

“TSWV” points to resistance to the Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus. Signs of infection differ considerably dependent upon the variety of tomato, but consist of yellow and brown rings and brown streaks on tomato stems, leaves which have dead spots and tips, and seriously inferior growth. The tomatoes themselves may have red and orange discolorations when they are fully grown.

“V” means the tomato is not susceptible to the fungi which cause Verticillium wilt, Verticillium dahliae and V. albo-atrum. Signs of Verticillium wilt disease do not ordinarily become apparent until the plant is  fruiting or it is not watered sufficiently. Signs include V-shaped gashes on the leaves.

Don’t forget that disease resistant tomatoes are not necessarily immune to disease but if they do become infected, they are less likely to sustain as much damage as those varieties which are not disease resistant.

As well as choosing the right variety of disease resistant tomatoes, remember that changing where you plant your tomatoes can help prevent disease but be sure to rotate them with other plants which are not susceptible to the disease you are trying to eradicate.

Make sure that your tomato plants are well watered, are in well drained soil and are mulched to retain moisture.  Spray with systemic insecticide or fungicide if you detect symptoms of disease (as long as you’re not growing organic crops) and generally keep your tomato plants in as good a condition as possible.

Before planting your tomatoes, try to identify whether your garden already is home to any pests or diseases.  Check the foliage and/or fruit of other plants in your garden and if you detect disease, take a sample to an expert to identify the cause.  You will then be in a position to choose the right disease resistant tomatoes to plant.

By following sensible gardening practices, you will soon be able to eradicate the pests and diseases and end up with a bumper crop of tomatoes.

Liz Canham
Liz is a keen gardener who has exchanged the relative ease of gardening in Southern England for the trials of gardening on the Costa Blanca in Spain, where her garden is at a 45% angle on the side of a mountain. She is webmistress of Gardening for All.

Tweet This Post

Tweet This Post

If you dread the idea of air travel because of air sickness and/or jetlag, there are a few precautions you can take to prevent both.

Air Sickness

Generally, air sickness is at its worst on take off and landing.  This is due to the steep attitude of the aeroplane, the sudden increase or decrease in speed and height and the fact that the ground is visible and seems to be rushing past.  The difference between what one sees and what the “balance” area of the ears is telling one causes  the brain to become confused.  The sickness can be a physical or psychological reaction to all of this, the latter being caused more by fear than by an actual physical reaction to the conflicting signals being received by the body.

Normally airsickness manifests itself in a feeling of nausea, which may or may not result in actual sickness, as well as sweating, digestive disturbance and the need to swallow much more than normal.

Even pilots and other aircrew suffer from air sickness, which obviously can prevent them from doing their jobs effectively.  As a result, studies were made into the problem and the following means of avoiding air sickness were devised.

1. Stress or fear can cause air sickness because an already emotionally disturbed brain has even more difficultly interpreting the conflicting signals from eyes and ears.  So try to relax, don’t get stressed and if you already have a fear of flying, take a mild sedative an hour before take off is scheduled.

2.  A full stomach can contribute to air sickness, so eat and drink sparingly before getting on the ‘plane.

3. Once on board, even when the seat belt signs have been turned off, remain in your seat if possible.  If your balance is impaired, any sudden motion of the aircraft is likely to cause sickness.

4. Take anti-air sickness tablets in accordance with the instructions on the box or use the special wristbands on sale in many airport terminals, which are said to have a beneficial effect.

5.  Try not to think about air sickness because the more you do, the more you are likely to feel sick.  Concentrate on a book or film or get some sleep and you’ll soon find that you’ve forgotten about feeling sick.

Jet Lag

Jet lag can be a curse for people who need to travel extensively for their work because sleep patterns become disturbed and business meetings or training sessions become a real test of endurance.

Jet lag really occurs when ones body clock is confused and symptoms include sleeplessness, tiredness, lack of concentration, headaches and a general feeling of disorientation.

Jet lag is usually at its worst when crossing several time zones particularly in an easterly direction, for example from London to Los Angeles.  In this instance, say departure from London is 11:00am and the flight is eleven hours long, arrival in Los Angeles will be 2:00pm, whereas ones body clock will think it’s 10 o’clock at night and  time for bed.

Once again, jet lag can be somewhat psychological.  If one is determined to feel jet lagged, then one will!  There are a few tricks which help to overcome this problem.

When flying east, get as much sleep as possible.  Have a couple of drinks, a meal and relax as if you were having a siesta.  Thus when you arrive, you will feel refreshed and better able to last out until a sensible bed time.

Change your watch to the time at your destination; this will help avoid disorientation.

On arrival, try to get some fresh air, have an evening meal at the time you would normally have one (local time) and try not to go to bed before you normally would, say 10:00pm.

Alternatively, if you have been unable to sleep on the ‘plane, have a couple of hours sleep at your destination but set an alarm clock so that you don’t have too long, which will prevent you sleeping later.  Once again, dine and go to bed at your normal time.

If you’re travelling for a particularly important event, then it may be best to arrive a couple of days early in order to acclimatise.

Travelling west is much easier as the time at your destination willl be ahead of where you started so acclimatisation is not so hard and bed time will arrive that much sooner!

Liz Canham
Liz is a keen traveller who has lived in a variety of countries as well as enjoying many different holiday experiences. She is webmistress of Travellers’ Tales

Tweet This Post

Tweet This Post