Specialty Gardening Methods

Gardening is the art of cultivating flowers, vegetables, herbs, fruit and other plants. Planting a garden allows you to get more in touch with the natural world around you, it’s relaxing, and it can save you money. Gardening can also allow you to experience a larger world than you might have ever known existed. There are various methods that can be used to create a thriving and bountiful garden.

Companion Planting

Companion planting is the process of planting specific plants together so a certain quality of one plant may be of benefit to another. Some plants make great companions in that they encourage insects for pollination, provide shelter or support, or they simply grow well together because their roots are at different levels. The smell of a plant's foliage or the taste of a plant may be all that is necessary to discourage some insects. Some plants are great companions as they may "disguise" the legginess of other plants or they help cool the soil for plants that require cool roots. For more detailed information please see Companion Planting.

Container Gardening

Container gardening allows you and your family to enjoy vegetables, flowers and herbs in places where a traditional garden is not possible. Plants thrive on rooftops, decks, balconies, patios, stairs, windowsills and even on the doorstep of your home. Window boxes, wooden barrels, hanging wire baskets, flowerpots, stone urns and decorative pottery are just some of the items that can be used to create your very own container garden. The container gardener is limited only by his or her imagination. For more detailed information please see Container Gardening.

Hydroponics Gardening

Hydroponics gardening is one of the latest developments in agriculture that provides a practical solution to the problem of gardening in small spaces. A hydroponics garden allows you to grow herbs, plants, flowers and even the fixings for an entire salad right in your own home. For more detailed information please see Hydroponics Gardening.

Organic Gardening

Organic gardening is the art of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers,herbs and other ornamental plants by following the essential principles of soil building and conservation, pest management, and water supply. Gardeners must develop a proper ecosystem within the garden. An organic gardener strives to work in harmony with nature to minimize and continually replenish any resources the garden consumes. For more detailed information please see Organic Gardening.

Shade Gardening

Shade Gardening often takes on a major role in landscaping due to the fact that the sun does not shine equally on all properties. Create a dramatic contrast by including both full-sun and shade gardening in your landscaping design. A calm, quiet shade garden evokes a sense of mystery, intimacy and serenity due to the coolness and dark colors of the flowers and plants. A bright, sunny garden, however, gives a sense of freedom, exuberance and carefree abandon due to warm, vivid colors and light. For more detailed information please see Shade Gardening.

Home gardening encompasses a variety of different methods, ranging from container gardening and hydroponics gardening to organic gardening, companion planting to shade gardening. For many people however, home gardening means the ability to grow your own fresh fruits and vegetables, control what pesticides enter your domain, and most of all, just how fresh your food will be when you bring it to the table.