Revised Gardening Styles

Every gardener has their own set of gardening guidelines that correspond to certain predetermined gardening styles. If he knows his style of gardening and if he can apply that style to creating an organic garden, then he has pretty much captured an advantage over other gardening enthusiasts. But, if he doesn’t have a gardening style that he can apply to growing organic vegetables, then he could be at a huge disadvantage. What are the different gardening styles that really apply to the successful harvest of organic vegetables? Here are some of the types you might consider:

Residential Gardening

This is the most common of all gardening techniques. It is often called “backyard gardening”. If you are a novice and have no seasonal gardening experience, then home gardening is your best approach. The main purpose of the residential garden is to feed a family. A steady supply of home-grown vegetables can not only feed your family now, but if you understand canning and preserving, your garden can nourish your family long after your garden’s production period is over.

The second appeal of residential gardening lies in its aesthetic appeal. Your garden can add color and depth to your landscape. It is very transformative to see what was once just grass, a wooden deck, or a concrete balcony become an eye-pleasing sculpture.

Residential gardening does not require a large amount of space. A window sill, terrace, balcony, or other small area that gets enough light can easily produce a small crop. These small confined areas are easy to monitor and easy to maintain at the same time. Protecting your garden from pests is much easier in a smaller area. The great thing about home gardening is the ease with which it transforms the aspiring gardener into a professional gardener. It takes the novice, who has no knowledge of planting, cultivating and harvesting, to a level of understanding where other styles of gardening become the dream and the possibility.

Specialized Gardening

Specialty gardening generally involves non-residential areas. Common examples of specialty landscaping include amusement parks, botanical gardens, zoos, commercial landscaping along highway right-of-ways, and many more. Making the landscape more attractive seems to be the most common underlying theme of the specialty garden. These landscaping efforts are rarely the responsibility of one person. Often a team of botanists and gardeners work together to maintain the aesthetic appeal of the garden. These gardens are often created to support or generate income for their owners or the organizations that support them.

Specialty gardens rarely sport vegetables like corn, tomatoes, potatoes, peas, or beans. They, according to their type, focus more on the special or rarer type of flora. Unique flowers, bushes, even trees are often found in these areas. But, when a specialist garden focuses on planting vegetables, wide-row techniques, sewing seeds in a wide band rather than a single row, are more often applied.

impact gardening

By definition, impact gardening focuses on getting the most out of a small space. It’s all about utilizing a relatively small gardening area and finding ways to maximize its gardening potential. To achieve this goal, the plants are strategically arranged and systematically sown in a “full” format. This type of gardening requires a basic knowledge of the types of plants; annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees, and even ground cover. Understanding the types of plants best suited to the environment and climate is critical to successful impact gardening.

Impact gardening requires planning. A random approach will not work. A layout of what plants will be placed where is paramount to successful impact growth. The best approach is to draw an outline of the garden, label specific areas, and then fill in those areas with the appropriate plants. These designs or surveys should be as detailed as possible to include plant details and cost analysis.

There are four basic steps to successful impact gardening.

• Step one, survey a garden space and mark the specific site. It is best to have the long side of the plot lined up with the sun, from east to west. This helps prevent plants from burning in the summer heat and ruining your crops.
• Step two, design the garden. It must be attractive but maintain its functionality.
• Step three, make long, skinny beds, eight feet longer than they are wide. This makes weeding and planting easier. Build the bed frames out of long 2×8 boards. If you make several, you can place them end to end, parallel to the sun.
• Step four, use soaker hoses to water. Arrange them up and down in rows, about a foot from the edges of the bed.

indoor gardening

Growing plants indoors isn’t just a science, it’s an art. This type of gardening can be as small as a few potted plants placed on the coffee table or near the front door; or as large as a greenhouse with thousands of varieties of plants housed in a climate controlled environment. These greenhouses or conservatories are designed and built with controlled heating and air conditioning systems, as required by the plants. Unfortunately, this type of greenhouse gardening is more suited to the commercial grower due to the expense factor involved.

For the homeowner, the biggest benefit of indoor gardening is the simple fact that plants can be grown year-round, completely independent of extreme weather conditions like heat, cold, wind or rain. Light is the most common limiting factor for indoor gardening. Most plants don’t do well indoors, so it’s important to match the light needs of a particular plant with the amount of light you can offer it. There are three general categories of light: high, medium, and low light. An easy way to measure how much light is in a particular area is to use a light meter, which is usually available at local nurseries, or simply place your hand between the light source and where the plant will be placed. The amount of shade gives a rough indication of the available light. If there is no shadow or if a shadow is hard to see, that is an indication of low light.

aquatic gardening

If you enjoy gardening with little supervision and love fish and aquatic plants, then water gardening is for you. Perhaps the most important consideration in water gardening is the selection of the location. Most aquatic plants and fish need a lot of sun, so a spot that gets 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight is the best option. Choose a site away from bushes and tall trees. This site will provide the best lighting and hopefully prevent the accumulation of leaf debris on the surface of the pond.

Planning is once again very important. Be sure to apply both common sense and some basic landscaping principles to your site plan before construction begins. Consider the overall size of your property, the size of your site selection, and your ability to maintain your yard before you shovel the first dirt. It goes without saying that small ponds are better for small properties. A container on deck may be all you need depending on the space you have available. Features like waterfalls, rocks, lighting and fountains depend on the budget. They can add style, but they can be too expensive.

Aquatic plants should not cover more than 50 – 60 percent of the water surface. Some are free-floating while others are marginal or partially submerged. The selection depends on the size of the pond and your personal preferences. Water lilies are very popular and can add drama and fragrance to even small gardens. Some plants oxygenate the water and help keep the water clean and the pool healthy. Fish can be a beneficial addition due to their gathering activities. They naturally clean up debris that would otherwise accumulate in the garden. They can also help control mosquito larvae and the development of other insects.

Community Gardening

Community gardening is becoming quite popular, especially in dense urban areas. It involves concentrated efforts by different members of the community to help plant, maintain, and then harvest a garden. It’s a huge undertaking, but community members have autonomy to design their areas however they choose. At the local level, the Master Gardner program, through local Agricultural Extension Services, can provide the right atmosphere for a community to plant a garden, maintain its integrity, and harvest its produce.

Neighborhoods come together and transform vacant lots into green spaces. The tenants of the buildings gather on the rooftops to plant and grow vegetables. Everyone shares the responsibility and the harvest. This is community gardening in its purest form. These community gardens are a great way to engage children and adults in neighborhood beautification while also working with nature.

No matter which style best suits your needs, it can be effectively applied to organic gardening. Each style of landscaping requires some level of planning and site preparation. Once planting is complete, the actual gardening work begins. Taking care of the plants in your garden is very similar to taking care of your pets. They need regular food and water. Your space needs to be cleaned or weeded regularly. And, the more attention you give them, the more they respond and produce.