Gardening ideas: new articles and tips every day!

By ShadyGreenThumb March 5, 2013 Finding Pots in Odd Places Look past the plant departments for your plant containers. Find the best pots at the hardware store! (145 words - Full article) (26 comments) (15)

By Skiekitty March 4, 2013 Cooking Spray Cleans Tools Rust will come off your tools with an application of cooking spray such as Pam. Spray it on, wait a few minutes, wipe it off. You may have to do this a couple of times to achieve the desired results. (6 comments) (14)

By jeri11 March 3, 2013 Apples and Bulbs Don't Mix Don't put bulbs in the refrigerator with apples. The apples produce ethylene gas, which will cause the bulb to abort its flower. (3 comments) (10)

By Robynznest March 2, 2013 Watering Orchids When watering my orchids, I count to 3 while slowly pouring. This tip keeps me from over-watering. (36 comments) (8)

By Dutchlady1 March 1, 2013 Planting Salad Greens When planting seeds for salad and other edible greens, consider planting one row per week during the growing season. That way, you ensure that you have fresh young salad to harvest every week throughout the season. (8 comments) (15)

By LarryR February 28, 2013 Vendor Information on Plant Culture: How Reliable Is It? How reliable is growing information provided by mail order nurseries? Unfortunately, less than you might think. (2,601 words - Full article) (13 comments) (19)

By dave February 27, 2013 ATP Podcast #7: Listener Questions This week Dave and Trish give their usual reports: Dave's favorite idea, Trish's report from around the forums and some stories about our gardening adventures this week. Our main feature is a question and answer session with ATP members. (45 words - Full article) (10 comments) (13)

By Xeramtheum February 26, 2013 Using a Bread Knife for Precision Edges on New Beds I tend to make a lot of small bordered beds. I don’t like to use a shovel for edging because they aren’t very precise. Enter the most versatile of garden tools: the bread knife! (267 words - Full article) (22 comments) (12)

By sewNsow February 25, 2013 Gnat and White Fly Traps I make sticky traps to catch gnats and white flies around my plants. Using yellow paper saucers and plastic lids, plus a small foam brush, I coat the saucers and lids with an auto oil additive called MOTOR HONEY. It is very inexpensive, comes in a small bottle, and can be bought wherever motor oil is sold. I hang the lids and saucers with a hook made from wire or a paper clip. I've even dabbed it on pot edges to trap pesky gnats. It works! Don't put it on too heavily or it will drip. (9 comments) (12)

By Bubbles February 24, 2013 Thorny Re-Potting Chores For those “thorny” re-potting chores when a cactus, bromeliad, rose or other sticky plant outgrows its pot, try this. (140 words - Full article) (24 comments) (18)

By chelle February 23, 2013 Repurposing Material for Easier Vine Care An old section of fence and a leaky tub can help you! (223 words - Full article) (3 comments) (12)

By Boopaints February 22, 2013 Let Your Dreams Be Your Guide Start a dream list notebook that holds ideas, magazine photos, and ideas for your garden. (2 comments) (10)

By Dutchlady1 February 21, 2013 Planting Seeds and Bulbs A good rule of thumb for planting seeds or bulbs is that you should plant them the same depth as the size of the seed or bulb. (2 comments) (11)

By Joannabanana February 20, 2013 Growing Cool: Osteospermum Seedlings For strong stocky seedlings, grow cool. Some plants, like osteosperman, require a vernalization period to produce flower buds. (113 words - Full article) (17 comments) (15)

By Skiekitty February 19, 2013 African Violets Are Easy To Grow Contrary to popular belief, African Violets don't need to be babied. Don't over water them. Watering them once or twice a month is usually good enough. The most important thing to remember is not to place them in a sunny, hot window. (12 comments) (9)

By SongofJoy February 18, 2013 2013 All-America Selections Award Winners If you are anything like me, you spend what might be deemed as a considerable amount of time admiring and researching plants. After all, that’s what brought us together here at ATP. The All-America Selections have been made for 2013 and include some wonderful plants to consider for the year. (1,169 words - Full article) (10 comments) (15)

By Dutchlady1 February 17, 2013 Frugal Seed Starting Mix You can buy a 'soilless mix' to start seeds, but doing so can be expensive. It is perfectly OK to 'sterilize' your potting soil yourself in a regular oven. Be careful! Do not let it get too hot - 30 minutes at 180 to 200 degrees is ideal. (12 comments) (10)

By psa February 16, 2013 What Is a Hybrid Seed? What Is the Difference Between Open Pollinated and Heirloom Seeds? Hybrid plant varieties do not come true from seed, and seedlings will produce mostly undesirable fruit and/or off-type flowers. Open pollinated and heirloom varieties have been selected over many generations, and you can plant the seeds to get the same type of plant again. (no comments) (8)

By Porkpal February 15, 2013 A Minimalist Approach to Growing Roses I have found that the secret to growing roses, with very little time and effort devoted to the process, is to choose the right roses. (924 words - Full article) (12 comments) (15)

By Calsurf73 February 15, 2013 Common Rose Pests With spring just around the corner, we are all looking forward to our gardens coming back to life and seeing everything around us start anew. The onset of spring and all of its marvels can readily be observed as the bare thorny canes of our roses start to swell with their tiny new growth buds bursting forth with new leaves at a rapid rate, almost before our very eyes. They are soon followed by those first treasured blooms we've been anticipating all winter. (1,265 words - Full article) (19 comments) (13)