The Centre Fold Project

Keeping a tidy garden all year round!

noreply@blogger.com (The Centre Fold Project!) — Sun, 15 Sep 2019 14:46:00 +0000

Gardening can be messy work, and with so many factors combined against you (weeds, weather, dead foliage, etc.) it can be hard to keep your garden looking nice and tidy. We’ve provided some ideas to help you keep your garden looking in tip-top shape this season!

Looking for the quick tody results:

Use fake or artifical grass (Benefits of artifical grass)
15 minutes each day!
Keeping halthy soil
Pruning and cleaning as you go!

Daily work One reason our gardens can get so messy is that we don’t spend enough time tending to its needs. Or, rather, we don’t spend enough consistent time. It is better to spend a little time each day (even just 10 minutes) than a big chunk of time once a week or every other week. And besides, it is much easier to feel the motivation to work in the garden when you know you don’t have to spend a ton of time! Daily and consistent care will keep the garden looking its best -- and it will allow your garden to produce its best results.

Soil Healthy soil can really contribute to a clean and vibrant-looking garden! Keeping your soil healthy will not only add a fresher look to your garden (it won’t look so dry and dull), but it will also reduce the number of weeds that tend to spring up during this time of year. You can maintain your soil’s health in several ways:

pH Test: One way to see exactly what your soil needs is to get a pH test. This will tell you what nutrients are lacking and which ones aren’t needed!
Compost: Composting is a great way to recycle, and an even better way to improve your soil! Any kind of organic compost matter will add nutrients that your soil cannot get anywhere else. It will improve the soil’s texture and its ability to retain water.
Mulch: This will keep the weeds at bay, and keep your soil well hydrated. It also will spice up a garden’s look!

Pruning/Cleanup Now is not the best time to prune because your trees and bushes are budding and growing leaves. However, just keep in mind that pruning can add a nice touch to your garden and yard. Even though now is not the time to prune, it is always a great time to trim down anything that might be wilting or dying! Remove any dead plants or foliage that are clogging up your garden and yard. Keeping dead plants inside your garden will distract from the other plants -- you always want your garden to look and feel as lively as possible.

Maintain your yard Keeping your yard in good shape will boost the whole environment around your garden, thus already making your garden look better! When a yard looks nice, the garden automatically looks nicer. Make sure that you mow fairly often and keep your grass healthy, hydrated, and happy. Also, clean your patios and outdoor furniture such as chairs and tables.

This will add a finishing touch to a great-looking garden and yard!

Planting Fall Annuals

noreply@blogger.com (The Centre Fold Project!) — Sun, 15 Sep 2019 14:35:00 +0000

Just because summer has ended does not mean your flower beds have to come to an end. Today we are going to tell you how you can keep your flower bed gorgeous all the way into the Fall season. We know all the great plants that will extend your gardening season, creating beautiful fall flowerbeds.
Now you may be asking, why even bother with fall annual flower? Winter is almost here so there is no point right? Wrong, there are so many benefits to gardening your flowerbeds in autumn.

To start, keeping up in your garden throughout the autumn season will keep up your habit of weeding, composting and just other yard care. Your yard will be in tip-top shape all year long. Fall annuals are also really cheap in the fall. This gives you great looks in your garden all in your budget. Take the time to stalk up on all your gardening equipment now while it is at a good price!

You will also be a great aid to wildlife like migrating birds and butterflies. Fall annuals can
them great advantages and help them survive the changing temperatures of the season as they migrate. Not only will you have the beautiful looks, but you will also be helping out nature as well.

But when should you plant your fall annuals? It really varies depending on your local climate, soil temperature, moisture levels, daily temperature, and so forth. As summer turns to Fall, but before the leaves really start to show their colors, then it is time to plant your fall annuals. It is around the time the nights will get colder but the days are still warm.

What type of plants should you plant? There are lots of different plants you can use for your fall annuals. Some of the most popular are Asters, Rosemary, Pansies, and Marigolds. Fall colors are more rich hues of gold, yellow, red, and burgundy. Try to find flowers in these colors to really spruce up your Fall decorating!

So have fun planting your fall annuals! Your garden will be in shape all year round and we will have gorgeous flowers.

Organic Gardening: The How Too Guide!

noreply@blogger.com (The Centre Fold Project!) — Sun, 15 Sep 2019 14:30:00 +0000

With the garden season upon us we wanted to tell you about how to do a specific kind of gardening: organic gardening.

Organic produce is one of the most popular things right now. Ever wanted to be able to grow your own organic produce? Well, growing fruits and vegetables using things only found in nature can be a hassle, but we are going to give you all the right tips and how to grow your product with absolutely no man-made chemicals. Instead of using the common non-natural products like fertilizer we are going to teach you how to control insects, disease, and weeds without these harmful products.

Some things to consider are the size of your family, the amount of produce you will can, store, freeze, or sell, as well as what you will use fresh. Do not think that this will be completely easy work. You need a good plot of well-drained soil that is located near a water supply. Having it close to your house is convenient, but make sure it isn’t shaded by tall buildings or trees. Enclosing your garden with a fence is typically helpful Many gardeners like to draw out the location of their garden on paper: including each row and the crop/crops that will be planted there.

Not even the perfect gardener can produce amazing plants without the right tools. Having a rake, shovel, and a few other items with the help you immensely. Having a great water source that isn’t going to provide your plants with foreign substances is also vital. A good polyurethane garden hose is a good tool that is often overlooked. It will provide your garden with a great water supply.

It is important to still keep your garden fertilized and conditioned with organic fertilizer and soil conditioning materials. These materials tend to be slow working so they should be mixed into the soil three weeks prior to planting. Your soil should be prepared prior to this for the seeds or transplants. If your materials aren’t mixed these clumps of unrotted organic materials can interfere with your seeding operation and may result in nutrient-deficient plants or possible soil-borne diseases.
Animal manures are probably the best source of fertilizer for organic gardening.

You should only use manure that has been aged for over 30 days (or manure that has been composted). Manures can be very different from

the amount of fertilizing nutrients they hold. Their composition varies according to type, age, condition of the animal, kind of feed used, age of rot, and the moisture content. Animal manures provide the micronutrients your plants need. Some kinds of manure are composted, re-hydrated, and mixed with plant litter; this enhances their fertility.

When irrigating your garden, you should wet the soil thoroughly at least once a week, unless you live in an area that gets a lot of rainfall. This makes it so the soil is moistened throughout the entire root zone.

If you just lightly sprinkle your garden every day it will only wet the surface and will encourage shallow root growth. Drip/trickle irrigation is great because it is great for water conservation. Use of previously mentioned soil conditioners and fertilizers will help your soil retain moisture better. Good garden mulch is also great for conserving soil moisture.

So there you have it! Go out and have an amazing gardening season by doing the most fashionable kind of gardening: organic gardening.

Planting a Flower Bed: Weed Control

noreply@blogger.com (The Centre Fold Project!) — Sun, 15 Sep 2019 14:24:00 +0000

As you have probably started planting your flower bed, or are about to start, we thought we would give you some advice on how to control the weeds in your flower bed.

No matter how well you take care of your flower bed it seems like weeds always seem to come in and take over. There are many different methods of keeping your landscape, and garden, free of these nasty weeds. If you follow this guideline you can create, over time, an affected weed control program that will reduce the growth of unwanted plants.

When you originally planted your flower bed in the spring you probably noticed an influx in weeds. This is due to the fact that the now fertile soil conditions are optimal for weed seeds to grow under the surface. In order to create a good weed control program, you need to initially use precautionary measures. Before you begin to plant your seeds it is vital that you clear out the soil. This should happen two weeks prior to your planting date. This allows the weed seeds to germinate and you can get rid of all of them prior to planting; this can be done by raking.

It is vital that you not rake too deep. This allows the dormant weed seeds that are deep in the soil to germinate as well. This preventative measure helps stop the growth of weed before they are allowed to grow large enough to become an unsightly problem. Another important step is to not disturb your flower bed soil too much. This is important because it, like raking, can prevent those inactive weeds from germinating.

A second weed control method is mulching. Once your flower bed has been planted, you can apply organic mulch in between flowers. When mulching, make sure the soil is completely covered and that the mulch does not touch your flower stems. Organic mulch has many useful qualities beyond weed control: it helps keen optimum soil temperature and lessens the soil’s water requirement.

If you want your weed control regime to be effective, you must be attentive to your garden/flowerbed and monitor the growth of new weeds. A watchful eye will let you see when a weed is emerging. You can then remove the weeds (by the root) immediately. Using a stirrup hoe or a circle hoe can be especially helpful when picking out these weeds.

No matter how much you do to prevent it some weeds will still appear in your flower bed. For these nasty perennial weeds, you can use treatments like herbicide. Just follow the instructions on you herbicide bottle and your weeds will be gone in no time. If your flower bed is crowed use a shield (like a trash can lid) to protect your flowers. When you are purchasing your herbicide, make sure to verify that the herbicide works on the weeds that are in your particular flower bed.

The flower bed weed control methods can be effective if you keep a watchful eye and are vigilant in your efforts. If you do this your flower bed will be beautiful and weed-free.