Beneficial insects are a gardener’s best friend. They help enrich and protect the garden by keeping pests in check, pollinating flowers, and aiding in the decomposition of organic matter. Here are some beneficial insects that can be incredibly valuable in your garden: To attract and support beneficial insects in your garden, create a diverse and […]
Beneficial Insects That Enrich And Protect The Garden Read More »
The gardening season is just around the corner and with it the first preparations for harvesting your own vegetables, fresh herbs and fruit from the organic garden. At the start of the gardening season, I plan to grow the plants in advance. For this purpose, I have made a propagator out of egg cartons, which
Using Egg Cartoons In Your Garden Read More »
One third of human food depends directly on the pollination activity of bees. Honey bees alone cannot provide this service. What many people do not know: In addition to honey bees, there are numerous species of wild bees. There are around 30,000 different species in total, and about 580 species of them live in Germany
Wild Bees – the Unknown Helpers Read More »
I came to the raised bed in a very practical way: There is still a lot of space in my garden and I needed a solution to my vole problem. I’ve always wanted to try growing in a raised bed. A simple, inexpensive and – in my opinion – also quite quaint-looking variant is a
Do It Yourself: Building a Raised Bed From Pallets Read More »
The gardening year had just begun and I was literally itching to get started again. In our beautiful garden we have a lot of sun, which is of course really great for the vegetable and herb plants. But in high summer it can be almost too much sun. Especially if you have a toddler running
Do It Yourself: Building a Wicker Teepee Read More »
The summer of 2018 was record-breaking in terms of heat and drought. Many a garden owner has noticed that such summers leave their mark on the plant world: Withered meadows and scorched lawns no longer present themselves in lush green, but in yellow-brown tones. Trees and shrubs let their leaves droop, discolour them prematurely or
First Aid for Burnt Lawns and How to Prevent Heat Damage Read More »
Hedges are not only a design element and aesthetic enrichment of the garden and the cultural landscape, but also fulfil numerous other tasks: For example, they improve the microclimate, filter dust and exhaust fumes from the air, dampen noise and provide privacy. They are also a valuable habitat for numerous animals. Bird hedges also contribute
Bird Hedges: Planting Habitats for Birds and Insects Read More »
It is an advantage for gardeners to know about the garden soil, because not every plant grows in every soil! The soil requirements of the various vegetables and herbs are often very different. Therefore, the condition of the garden soil may well be the reason why a plant does not feel comfortable and does not
What Kind Of Soil Does My Garden Have And What Does It Need? Read More »
A magic word for organic vegetable and herb gardening is mulching. I am an enthusiastic supporter of this method, because mulching is an extremely sensible measure to protect the soil. It is a pity that this practice is rather rare in German gardens. The model for mulching is nature, where there is usually no bare
Does Mulching Protect The Soil? Read More »
When the temperatures rise and family and friends are drawn back out into the garden, the barbecue season starts for many people. This is also the case for us. Every year, I look forward to the afternoons with lots of tasty treats and the cosy evenings with a campfire after a hard day of gardening.
Do It Yourself: Barbecue Lighter Made From Spruce Cones Read More »
Just in time for the summer solstice (June 21) and St. John’s Day (June 24), St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) begins to bloom in many regions. It is a plant that likes to be in full sun and loves the summer heat. With its bright yellow flowers, St. John’s wort seems to literally soak up
Making St. John’s Wort Oil: St. John’s Wort Info And Tips Read More »
We have in our garden large beds and a rather wild overgrown herb corner. and in order to be able to see everywhere after the right, a few stepping stones were missing for a long time. The search for suitable stepping stones failed either because of the price or the appearance. But I already had
Do It Yourself: Casting Stepping Stones For The Garden Read More »
The leaves of lemon verbena have an incredible lemon scent, which is why the plant is one of the favorites of herbal tea fans. The aroma is much more intense than most plants that smell like lemons. Even gently brushing against the leaves, they give off a wonderful cloud of fragrance. Until a few years
Lemon Verbena – The Queen Of Herbal Tea Read More »
The summer heat favors the spread of fungal diseases in the garden, because fungi love a warm and humid climate. There are an incredible number of fungal diseases that plague our garden plants, such as gray mold rot, black rot, leaf spot fungi, rust fungi, wilt diseases, scab, and powdery and downy mildew. No matter
First Aid For Fungal Diseases In The Garden Read More »
From August to October, when walking in the woods, it is worth taking a basket, because at this time you can find a lot of wild blackberries. These are smaller than the cultivated garden blackberries, but much more aromatic. However, blackberries are not only a pleasure, but at the same time a particularly healthy food.
Blackberries From The Forest – Wild And Healthy Read More »
In September and October, the ripe hazelnuts fall from the bush. Perhaps you are lucky enough to have a hazelnut in your garden or you discover a hazel bush growing wild in a hedge or at the edge of the forest while out for a walk. The freshly collected nuts must first be dried in
Autumn Is The Time For The Hazelnut Read More »
From an acquaintance I got two bags of freshly shorn sheep’s wool. She has her own sheep and I find the idea of direct purchase just fine. Part of the wool we have, after cleaning, used for felting and as pillow stuffing. Washing the raw wool was very time consuming and a real mess. So
Fertilizing And Mulching With Sheep Wool Read More »
When the trees have lost their leaves in winter, the garden birds can be seen frolicking in the branches. Otherwise well hidden by the leaves, we finally see the singers. We can observe them even better when a feeder attracts them. Because when it gets really cold, birds are almost magically attracted to the filled
Do It Yourself: Make Peanut Necklace For Birds Read More »
When the first little plants are offered in the markets in spring, it is like a welcome wake-up call from hibernation for many. After the gray of the cold season, the anticipation grows for bright colors and lush blossoms, perhaps even for fruit and vegetables grown on the farm. But unfortunately, the desire to garden
Climate Change In The Garden: How To Garden Successfully Despite Weather Extremes Read More »
When the spring sun shines, you long to finally be back in the garden or on the balcony in the fresh air. Preferably with a delicious drink and a nice book. So that both can be nicely put down, no 08/15 garden table from the hardware store must her. If you want to get a
Do It Yourself: Build Garden Table From Wooden Boxes Read More »
Every year I face the problem of sowing small-grain seeds at the right spacing. Most amateur gardeners will know exactly what I’m talking about. Lettuce, radish and carrot seeds in particular are so fine that it’s almost impossible to sow them at the optimum spacing. Seed bands are a great option there, and they also
How Make Your Own DIY Seed Ribbons Read More »
Raised beds are now known and popular among many gardeners. The Internet offers countless “building instructions” and the garden trade offers a variety of ready-made kits, made from a wide range of materials. No wonder that the raised bed is booming, because it has some advantages to offer over the classic ground-level flat bed. However,
Mound Bed And Raised Bed: Structure And Differences Read More »
Sage is a popular plant for the herb or rock garden. But many sage owners do not even know how versatile the aromatic fragrant leaves can be used in the kitchen and home pharmacy. Few people are aware that not only the “real” sage with the botanical name Salvia officinalis can be cultivated in the
What Does Sage Help With In The Garden? Read More »
Mixed culture is the spatial coexistence of different plants on a bed; and those that positively influence each other. This idea was copied from nature by clever gardeners. Because there, as a rule, there are no monocultures where only one plant is grown. Natural plant growth always strives to cover any habitat with a wide
Have A Healthy Garden Through Mixed Culture Read More »
Now in July is the ideal time for harvesting herbs, because most herbs now have their best healing powers and aromas. This is true for the aromatic herbs from the garden (e.g. sage, rosemary) as well as for the wild growing medicinal plants from nature (e.g. thistle, yarrow). If you want to preserve the aromas
Do It Yourself: Dry Your Own Herbs Read More »
In the age of chemical textile dyes, in which fabrics can be dyed in the washing machine in no time, dyeing with plants is almost a journey back in time to the Middle Ages. The art of plant dyeing has a history that goes back thousands of years. Our ancestors discovered that many plants contain
Can Plants Be Used To Dye Fabric? Read More »
The Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) is related to the sunflower and originally comes from Mexico. From there, it spread across North America to Canada. In 1612, the versatile plant with the potato-sized tubers arrived in Paris and was called the “Indian potato”. The tubers were given the strange name “Jerusalem artichoke” by an indigenous people
Is A Jerusalem Artichoke A Tuber? Read More »
Various factors, especially the intensification of agriculture, mean that birds are finding fewer and fewer natural food sources. Many people are therefore concerned about supplementary feeding – especially in the cold winter months. According to NABU, bird lovers spend around 15 to 20 million euros a year on bird food. NABU points out that bird
Do It Yourself: Make Holder For Tit Dumplings Read More »
Species extinction is an acute problem that more and more people are actively working to combat. In cities, too, species conservation has gained momentum with the urban gardening movement. Community gardens are being set up between paved streets, insects are buzzing in colorful flower meadows in public spaces, insect hotels are being set up in
Do It Yourself: Make Seed Bombs Yourself Read More »
Our garden offers a lot of space for growing experiments of various fruits and vegetables. After learning that the loofah cucumber can grow and thrive here in our latitudes, I was eager to try it out for myself and grow a loofah cucumber in our garden. The loofah cucumber is also known as the sponge
Grow Loofah Cucumber: Luffa From Your Own Garden Read More »
