At first, gardening can be frustrating. But if you start with easy-to-grow varieties of plants and flowers, you can get reliable results without alot of work.
As far as environment, I live in the Tacoma area, so many flowers can do very well here. Above all, I recommend ordering a catalog from a company called Seeds of Change. I'm not a spokesperson, but I have found their 100% organic seeds and seedlings to be reliable and hardy. The have several collections of seed packets, including the "Perennial Flower Garden Collection", item #S15362, which is a good place to start.
I started with cosmos, picottee mix, and had great sucess, fulfilling both my need for instant gratification and for long-term blooming.
I start alot of seeds indoors and then move them outside when they are hardy enough, but cosmos, calendula, and marigolds can be sown directly outside.
Sunflowers are easy to grow, even in fairly poor soil. They come in so many varieties; you could grow nothing else and still fill a yard. Most get pretty tall, so consider that in placement. I also start these indoors, just to get a jump on the season.
I'm definitely not an expert gardener, I'm just passing along what has worked for me. Inexpensive, easy to grow, hardy varieties are what I'm looking for, and these all seem to work well in this part of the Nothwest.
Here is a table of flowers organized by difficulty in growing. You can refer to this for an idea of what types of flowers you could start growing.
For a long time, I bought seedlings and live plants from the garden department of various home improvement stores. Growing flowers from seed seemed very hard, and with some things it still is. The only things I still buy every year are lobelia and fuchia seedlings. These are too hard to get going from seed and are pretty cheap anyway. Using a plastic seedling tray with a clear lid, most seeds can be started indoors with light from an east or west facing window. These seedlings can then be hardened off by taking them outdoors for a couple hours a day, increasing the time gradually until big enough (different flowers take deffent amounts of time to mature, adjust according to individual directions).
Some seeds with hard husks or shells need to be soaked overnight in water or nicked with a knife to open better. These include nasturtiums, sweet peas, morning glory and some beans. I like to invest in reseeding varieties of plants and flowers for economic reasons. An added benefit is being able to share seeds with your friends and family. A book called "Seed-to-Seed", by author Suzanna Ashworth, is a complete seed-saving guide, include methods for harvesting, drying, cleaning and storing seeds. Invaluable for beginners like me.
The following is a short list of seeds I have had success with
Here are good seeds, but the don't flower until the second year :
While it is tempting to want to grow your own food, it is alot harder than it looks. I have several reasons for sticking mainly to flowers: First, I don't have alot of room. Second, the soil in my yard is poor, and living in Tacoma, possibly contaminated with a variety of toxins. Third, I believe if you have access to a good organic farmer's market or store, you should purchase your produce from the good folks who go to such trouble to grow it. You can cetainly justify the slightly increased price when you think of the extra work and expense involved with just getting certified as organic. Of course, you'll want to verify - when possible - the source as cetified organic.
This doesn't rule out container vegatables. Green beans, peas, and carrots can all be grown easily in big pots. "Scarlet Nantes" and other short carrots do will in deeper pots. Green beans and peas just need a trelis or something to grow upwards on. You can fashion a trelis out of three or four bamboo canes, very inexpensive and availabel at almost any garden center, and some string. Alot of people grow tomatoes in catiners, but I haven't moved up to tomatoes yet. Maybe next year....
I am going to try white pumpkins later, so stay tuned...
For more about oranic gardening check out :
Humans have been using herbs in food and as medicine for thousands of years. Herbs add flavor and dimension to the foods we eat and can have powerful healing properties, when used correctly. When used together in combination, herbs become the basis for a whole culture of cuisine. The taste of a single herb can define a dish.
Growing your own basic herbs is a good way to always have your favorites on hand, and to insure the quality and freshness. A few essentials for the kitchen include basil, oregano, cilantro and mints. Some herbs have both culinary and tonic properties, so it is important to understand the organic properties of the herbs you ingest. Gentle and relaxing teas can be prepared from very simple and basic herbs that are easy to grow and tend even for the beginner.
Starting with the most basic kitchen herbs is as simple as a pot with two or three items you use most. For instance, if you do a lot Italian cooking, keep a container in a sunny window or back porch of oregano, basil and parsley. Fresh herbs are much stronger in flavor than dried, so keep that in mind when cooking with them.
I start with a 10- to 12-inch pot, fairly deep, fill it with good dirt and sew a few seeds, according to the seed packet directions, in a pie-shaped pattern. Mist the dirt with water and cover it with plastic wrap, held down with toothpicks. When seedlings appear, tent the plastic over the top of the toothpicks for a couple more days, then remove plastic and keep the soil evenly moist. To keep your kitchen garden producing longer and from going to seed, constantly trim new growth. Give away your extra or dry it on paper towels and freeze it.
I recommend dill and chives for use in pickling, dips and salads. Cilantro is great for East Indian cooking. Basil comes in a number of different, beautiful varieties, lemon basil being my favorite. However, you might want to confine it to pots as it self-seeds and will spread rapidly.
If you are a tea drinker, you will definitely want to grow some chamomile and mint. I like licorice mint best for its delicate flavor and beautiful spikes of blue-purple flowers. Both herbs can calm the nerves and settle an upset stomach.
**Catnip**
If you have a cat, you should definitely grow some catnip. It is very easy to grow, indoors or out. Pick and dry leaves and flowers for a very GRATEFUL kitty!
Other easy-to-grow cooking herbs:
-Lemon balm -- makes a refreshing tea.
-Sweet marjoram -- used in French cuisine, has a similar flavor to oregano, but milder.
-Summer savory -- similar flavor to thyme, delicious in soups and bean dishes.
-Taragon -- anise-flavored leaves for seasoning sauces and vinegars.
-Thyme -- an old standby, used in many dishes.
A couple of years ago, I installed a pond in my backyard. Not only did it change the look and feel of the yard, it created a tiny exosystem all its' own. Building it was incredibly easy. Getting the hole dug was the hardest part, but after that the rest was no problem.
I bought a pre-formed, hard plastic liner for about $160 and an electric filter pump with sprikler fountain head for $95. Another $45 dollars for a small truck load of rocks and $20 for a few aquatic plants, and the project came together for $320. The payback has been wonderful.
Upkeep is easy, especially whan a balance is reached between plants, snails, water movement, and filtration. Occasionally more oftern in warm weather, I hook up a hose to the fountain pump and pump out about one third of the water. I then replace it with regular city water, which contains enough chlorine to clear up an algae bloom.
I choose not to put fish in my pond for a couple of reasons. We have racoon in the neighborhood and they love to raid a pond of koi. Also, fish add bacteria to a pond and adding a UV filter system is necessary. I have two dogs, who think it is just a really big water bowl for them, so I avoid chemicals completely.
As far as plants, I have irises, two varieties that love to have their "feet" wet, water lilies and micro catails. I also have veriegated ivy and creeping Jenny around the edge, both of which have a tendency to send runners and roots into the pond itself. Recently, I have added blue star creeper, but this seems to be a big favorite of slugs, so it may not stick around long.
With the scare of West Nile virus, mosquito abatement is extremely important, and constant water movement is a good place to start. I find that skimming with a fish net to be pretty effective for my small pond. You definitely have to adjust your methods for you own particular area.
I recomment a comprehensive book called All About Garden Pools and Fountains by Ortho Books.
Calendula : calendula officinalis : hardy annual / reseeding.
Also called "pot marigolds", these study annuals have been used medicinally in salves since the early 1600's. The flower petals are edible and add bright color to salards. Many great herbal skin remedies have calendula as a main ingredient. A well-loved and reliable garden favorite, they range in color from pale yellow to vibrant orange. They do well in pots and borders.
I started with "Kablona Mix" for its' variety of colors. So far, it seems to be able to withstand our mild northwest winters without any special protection. Calendula is easy to grow from seed, and will bloom its' first year. Thereafter, with a little gathering, saving and redistribution, you never havbe to buy seeds again. when the flower is done blooming and the petals have fallen off, the seed head is left, and when dried, will yield dozens of curled seeds. These can then be kept from year to year and started indoors for earliest blooms.
Other great Calendula :
Marigolds are an old standby and have been for generations. They are easy to grow in pots or flower beds. Now available in a suprising variety of shapes, sizes, and shades and patterns. The colors can range from palest yellow to orange to blazing red. While they are said to repel many insects in the garden, I have found that they are highly susceptible and attractive to slugs, so you might want to use slug bait if you put them in the ground.
I recommend the "Pinwheel" variety for flashy color and "Moonlight" for its' butter yellow petals. There is a rare variety called "Nomatocidal", which, when planted as a cover crop tand the tilled into the soil, will deter harmful nematodes. Rich fragrance and petite flowers attract many beneficials.
Other great Marigolds :