What to Do in the Garden in June - A Regional Gardening Almanac

June is a month for graduations, weddings and garden pests. As beautiful as June can be, no sooner do your plants peak than the bugs find them. It's a fact of gardening. So the gardener's motto for June should be 'Vigilance'!

June is a month for monitoring, whether it's for stripped cucumber beetles, Japanese beetles, fungus diseases, 4-Line Plant Bug damage or just to stay ahead of deadheading. Keeping up on your garden chores in June will lessen the load for the rest of the summer. Here are some tips from my garden.If you have any advice, we welcome you sharing it with us through the 'Comment' link below.

Photo: � Marie Iannotti

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Gardening Question of the Week: What's 8-1-1 Day?

We all know we're supposed to call our utility companies before we start turning up new soil, but it has always seemed like such a hassle figuring out who to contact. And then there's all that time wasted while being on hold.

Now U.S. residents have no excuse not to check for underground utility lines. 811 is the new federally-mandated national "Call Before You Dig" number. Everyone in the U.S. calls the same One Call Center - 811 - and operators will route your call to the appropriate utility companies. They'll send a pro out to your property within a couple of days and you can start planting trees or mailboxes or whatever your imagination conjures, knowing you, your family and your home are safe.

Here are all the details about the 811 - "Call Before You Dig" number.

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Gardening Question of the Week: What Do You Think of Garden Shows?

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Beginner Hydroponics Gardening Tips

Hydroponics gardening methods involve growing plants without soil and growing them in gravel, sand, water or air, instead. When you are concerned about nutrients for your plants, hydroponics gardening includes using plant foods, nutrients and fertilizer which is added to the water and dissolved before it is fed directly to the roots. Even though the plants will grow smaller roots, they focus more of their energy to plant growth and this is great for growing more vegetables in smaller spaces.

You don't have to worry about the soil space you will need for growing vegetable plants because hydroponics gardening only takes 20% of the space needed for the same amount of vegetables in a soil planted garden. You can use hydroponics gardening without worrying about whether you are over-watering or giving your plants too little water. You also don't have to worry about plant spacing because of proper lighting since plants aren't competing and you can easily rearrange them to get enough light.

When it comes to hydroponics gardening, the type of nutrients you provide the plants is an important part of the success. When you want to grow a vegetable garden using hydroponics gardening, you might find that you can have healthy and vigorous growing plants that yield plenty of vegetables, as long as you are providing sufficient nutrition to the root systems. Because they aren't competing for space with other plants or spending their energy growing large root systems to get necessary moisture and nutrients, you are able to grow larger plants with smaller root systems, leaving them more nutrients to grow vegetables proficiently.

For those that are looking to jump into hydroponic gardens, there are a few things to consider, like if you are going to buy or build your own system. Building a hydroponics growing system is not extremely difficult, but may take some patience. For those that are not interested in building their own, buying a system could cost anywhere from fifty to two thousand dollars.

If you enjoy gardening, you don't have to stop just because it is winter. You can still enjoy your plants during the winter - you will just want to do it indoors. One option that is available is known as forcing bulbs. Basically this is all about making the bulb think that the winter has gone and it's time to start blooming. It doesn't take a lot of time or money to do this type of gardening.

If you want to do this winter indoor gardening with bulbs, there are some great bulb choices to consider. This can include narcissuses, tulips, amaryllis, and hyacinths. Not only will you enjoy growing these bulbs, but during the holiday seasons, they make wonderful decorations as well.

Of course, you can use hydroponics gardening for all types of plants. You can grow houseplants, and fruit vines or just about any kind of plants, including flowering plants and bushes. Growing plants using hydroponics gardening can allow beginners to grow productive plants easily with a lot less space than comparable soil gardens.

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Gardening Like A Professional With Modest Means

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It is easy and very possible, indeed. It is not hard at all!

You don't really have to be a professional gardener to grow and achieve quality, vibrant, healthy and full of life vegetables. All you need is a desire to learn, to experiment, and apply in practice what you've learned.

There is so much information available at your finger tips!

Mother nature is so rich, and so freely giving, that we could never exhaust her of the never ending resources she has. The only thing we need to learn is how to receive and take from her, as long as we do not try to destroy her.

And we need to give some of it back, too, by composting the leftovers, and helping the soil to get fertile again, through natural means.

Sometimes the plot we intend to grow our vegetables in, is depleted of the best nutrients it used to offer, or the soil clay, or too sandy, and it is not as we would like. The soil needs to be darker, with composted matter. The first impulse would be to apply some chemically based fertilizer, but that's obviously not the best solution.

Since the land is so over fertilized in the lands where the produce is grown, and we buy it from the supermarket shelf at the produce section, they are hardly safe to eat anymore. You don't know what kind and how much fertilizer and pesticides and fungicides was used to increase their bottom line for their productivity!

So what are we going to do? We have to eat fruits and vegetables, we've got to feed our families. But thank God there is an alternative to it: start your own Garden and grow your own fresh fruits and vegetables, if you don't have one already. That's the smart thing to do. Especially today, when most of our produce is coming from imports, traveling long distance and we don't have a clue how were they grown!

You don't know how old they are, if they have any nutrition value, as most of them are picked green and forced riped, to look good by the time they are delivered to the stores.

We certainly don't need to poison our bodies with chemical fertilizers and pesticides, that we don't even have any idea how much was there applied. And besides that we don't know how was the produce handled.

So the solution again, is to create and grow your own vegetable garden. Make it fertile, first, if it's not fertile already.

In my humble opinion, the best way to make the soil fertile is through natural means if we want to stay healthy. Let's think of the forest, where the trees have grown and survived for hundreds of years. They even survived fires, and revived again stronger then before. Why?

Because of it's ability to replenish the nutrients by its natural means, without the intervention of the humans. The trees are dropping the dead limbs, and the leaves that decompose, and turns back into the soil, with the help of rain, wind, sun, heat, earth worms, and our little invisible friends, the micro organisms that feed on them, and thus turn the decaying leaves into humus. That's exactly what the plants need to help them continue the cycle of life. Humus, fertile soil.

And that's exactly what we should do for the soil in our own garden. Collect the leaves from one year to another, have a pile in a corner of the garden, and give it time to decay. Just turn it now and then with a pitch fork, and you'll have the best natural fertilizer possible. For Free!

A lot of people are burning the leaves. Well, if they don't have a garden it's OK, I guess. But if they do have a garden, and they burn the leaves, and then they go to the supply store to buy that expensive chemical fertilizer, in my opinion that is a mistake. But, hey, who knows, maybe they have money to burn!

As for you folks, who are passionate about gardening and are willing to save the leaves, that's like money in your pocket, as well as prime quality fruits and vegetables, much safer to eat, than a lot of other people do, who maybe do not care.

If you have also access to some cow manure, that's perfect. But the leaves are the cheapest and smart way to make your own compost free.

Now there are a lot of ways to make your own compost, of course, food leftovers, sea grass, seaweeds, ground oyster shells, peanut hulls, grass clippings, etc. Absolutely, I don't doubt that. But what I'm saying is that the leaves are the cheapest and the most readily available for almost anyone.

Spread your compost on top of the soil in your selected sunny spot, till it in, and plan for your planting. Choose the vegetables that you like the most. A good time to prepare your garden is in the fall, so during the winter time, the compost will have extra time to decay, and make the soil fertile and ready for the spring planting.

Once you know what kind of vegetables you want to plant, search in your prefered seed Catalogs, and buy your seeds, start them indoors early enough to have the little plans ready to be planted in your garden, right after the danger of late frost is over.

Then it is time to get your hands dirty, but it is worth it! You will be glad you did.

Now relax and sit on a bench, watching the birds singing, and the little butterflies dancing happily in the air, and your vegies growing bigger and full of vitamins and minerals! Reap the benefits of an abundant crop of fresh, vibrant, healthy, and happy fruits and vegetables of your own garden.

Create your own paradise and live smart, healthy, and well.

Until next time,

Happy Gardening!

Mike Borlovan

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Natural Sprays For Pests and Diseases: As Helpful as Natural Organic Fertiliser in Organic Gardening

Aside from keeping the soil healthy and rich with the use of natural organic fertiliser such as seaweed fertiliser and fish fertiliser, another way to ensure the success of organic gardening is by guarding your plants from pests and diseases. Yes, even fruits and vegetables can get diseases that may cause them to stop growing or may result in their poor quality. Good thing there are now natural sprays for pests and diseases that are readily available in organic stores. You may use these to get rid of pesky pests that ruin your plants and protect them from certain types of plant diseases.

Organic fertilisers are used mainly to give the soil, which is the most important component of organic gardening, the nutrients it needs. This is done especially during the planting stage in order to enrich the soil that will nourish the planted seed.

When the plant reaches a certain stage, it becomes prone to insect infestation and plant diseases that impede its growth. The pests often destroy the leaves of the plant, which is where the food production occurs. When this happens, the other parts of the plant are greatly affected. Diseases, on the other hand, may affect the nutrient absorption of the plant, which may result to growth suppression and eventually, to the plant’s death. The said consequences may happen no matter the amount of natural organic fertiliser you use. You can avoid all these threats simply by including the use of natural sprays for pests and diseases in your organic gardening routine, along with putting seaweed fertiliser or fish fertiliser in your garden soil.

Thanks to our highly advanced technology, experts have already discovered that it is possible to make pest and disease sprays out of natural ingredients and therefore maintain the organic state of the fruits and vegetables that you grow while giving it proper protection. These sprays kill the pests and prevent them from multiplying. At the same time they keep plant diseases at bay - allowing the plants to grow to their fullest.

It is very important to observe your growing plants for any indication of a pest attack or impending disease. Remember that early detection is the key to saving your plants from the dangers brought about by such threats. If you get rid of these immediately, you are assured of steady growing fruit-bearing trees and vegetables. All you have to do is continue nourishing your plants and wait for them to bear fruit.

In buying natural sprays for pests and diseases, always go for the brand that is trusted by most organic farmers and gardeners. Ask for feedback from users to determine whether buying a particular brand will be worth it. Never settle for anything less than good quality, especially if you are maintaining an organic farm or garden as a business. Do not hesitate to invest not only in a quality natural organic fertiliser but also in a good natural pest and disease spray; this way, you will surely save more money by keeping your plants healthy and your garden productive. Don’t forget to add these to your list the next time you buy fish fertiliser, seaweed fertiliser and other gardening supplies.

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Seven great gardening tools � from your kitchen

Anyone who loves to familiar garden which makes a great little gadget that gardening so much easier. But you don't have to go and spend a bunch of tools if you have some large equipment exactly there at home. Let's look a few great gadgets, who based on things that you, sitting around the House. You can reuse these more efficiently to your time in the garden.

Pot scrub - we all love our old pots and tools, but sometimes you get a bit crusty and dirty. This applies in particular to terracotta pots that look so good when new but get a bunch of old salt and minerals from the ground as time goes on. Clean you but can't an old toothbrush to clean his a chore, if you use this handy little formula to clean up, and use.Here is the formula: 1 / 3 white vinegar, 1 / 3 rubbing alcohol and 1 / 3 Wasser.Lassen you for really bad casinos it for 15 minutes or so to enjoy before you scrub begin.

Tool cleaning – take an old hand lotion or hand soap dispenser and fill it with mineral oil. Note This tool Bank or potting soil Bank practically on your. When you are finished with a tool before you launch it, squirt a little mineral oil on it. For oils, wipe it down with a fine steel wool pad.This is particularly useful for older Tools.Die accumulation of old dirt can any sticky substance, especially in spring, add and soon have a messed up.Always if you have used a tool and it has gotten somewhat tacky on it such as SAP or sawdust, do wipe just a quick down and find these tools to stay much more useful.

Wire Wisks keep one of these handy for when relaxed sind.Nimm one until some homemade fertilizer or bug potions of potting Bank for beating up special mixtures for your seedlings at planting.

Kitchen or barbecue tongs - I tend to to this early morning walk in the garden so that I can pick up snails and slugs in my coffee undress prickly weeds such as nettles salt can. also convenient for each throw.

Clothespins - I have always an old basket of this on my bench sitzen.Sie are so versatile.You can use for closing partial used seed packages, wet gloves hanging and put them even on a wire, herbs and flowers hang out at harvesting, to help you with sorting and dry.

Harvest bins - you can use for an old sieve harvest or laundry basket.Just access and do everything at once, then you can sort the above genannten.Auch ideal for the harvesting of fruit and vegetables out with the wire and aged Setup.

Knife - have grapefruit that we all, at least one of the following sitting around and how much you actually it? these are good for weeding especially in containers that do very little scope use a handy tool when seedlings 3in.

To take these tools from your kitchen and set free outdoors, a whole new life to your potting soil Bank to use get a second life of something already had, and your garden get an extra helping hand.

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The Right Garden Style

As with clothing there are different styles of garden, what suits one person may not suit another. When planning a new garden you need to give some thought to the type and style of garden you want. Some people like a well manicured garden whilst others prefer a more natural look. Some people enjoy the peace and tranquility provided by a flower garden, while others will enjoy the satisfaction of growing their own fruit and vegetables.

The amount of space you have available to you will greatly influence your type and style of garden. If you live in a rural area and are lucky enough to have a large garden you will be able to divide up the space and create different areas for different types of gardens. If, on the other hand, you live in a city center and only have a small area, then your choices are greatly reduced.

Another point to consider is the amount of free time you have available to maintain your garden. If you have a demanding job or a large family to take care of you may find that trying to cope with a large intricate garden is too much to bother with. Large flower gardens, for instance, can be very time consuming to maintain and keep them looking their best, as many flowering plants need continual dead-heading to prolong their flowering period.

Your fitness level may also influence the type and style of your garden. If you have heart problems or breathing difficulties for instance, you probably wouldn't want to be digging over a large vegetable plot each year. If you are confined to a wheel chair or suffer with back problems then you may need to consider having raised beds that you can reach easily.

One other factor you may want to consider is the actual purpose of the garden.

Do you want to attract wildlife?
Create a space for entertaining friends and family?
Have a safe area for your children to play?
A peaceful place to relax?
Create a productive garden to feed the family?

When thinking about the style of your garden style remember that it is possible to incorporate different garden types into one garden. Many vegetables have attractive foliage and can be grown in amongst your ornamental plants. In fact organic gardeners will often plant certain ornaments in their vegetable plots in order to repel pests away from their vegetable crops.

By considering these points and deciding what you want to use the garden for you will hopefully avoid starting something that you will later regret.

Garden Grading

This article was posted earlier, but I wanted to repost it to reinstate an important fact. Grading the land should be done first! No matter how big, or small the area you want for your garden is, it's important to prime everything first. Also, good planning always makes for better results.

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Not all houses have perfect surroundings that will be easy to transform into outdoor recreation and entertainment areas with good lawns and gardens. It is frequently necessary to undertake some construction projects to obtain the quality and type of outdoor area you want. One of the basic construction problems for any landscaping task is grading the soil. Generally, grading means building a slope into the garden area. Sloping ensures that there is proper drainage, and it can make the house look better while allowing for easier maintenance.

Whether you want to have a garden, a lawn, or a terrace, you must do your grading first. The best time to grade is when a home is being constructed, since it is relatively simple to add a few inches between the entrance level and the ground level at this point. Just a few inches can ease the creation of a grade away from the house to improve its appearance and make for a drier basement, if you have one.

It is difficult to measure a grade by eye. Even professionals cannot do this. You should use a piece of twine as a guide. Pull the twine tight between two sticks imbedded in the ground. Once you’ve completed the rough work for leveling, use a long board as a straight edge on the ground to make sure you’ve been accurate. Rough grading is the first step in landscape construction. The extent of the grading depends on the condition of the ground and ground levels desired. You must also pay attention if there are extreme slopes and try to keep as closely as possible to natural contours. This reduces the expense of grading in a big way.

Begin grading by stripping and separating topsoil from the areas where the level is to be altered. Even if you are grading for a stone or concrete terrace, you should save the topsoil. You can spread the topsoil in areas where it is thin, or you can use it a flower garden and save yourself some money. Once you have stripped the topsoil, subsoil can be graded to the desired contours, leaving space for adding the topsoil that has been removed. You should also plan to have a slope for every one-hundred feet of lawn. The same measurement can be applied to a stone terrace to prevent pools of water to develop during periods of rain.

When you level an area for a terrace, you don’t need to insert subsoil drainage. Just save the topsoil. For nearly all terraces, it is good practice to tamp the soil down and even to put a layer of gravel cinder or crushed rock as a base for the terrace. Terraces typically require a level area, but the grade that slopes away from the house should be maintained.

Planning A New Year Garden The Year Before

In this article, a person named Robin explains why they plan their garden early.

Every year spring comes and I get so excited to get outside and plant my garden. I can just taste those fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, and all the other wonderful produce that I will grow this summer.

I stop at all the seed displays and see if there is anything new that I want to try and grow this year and take pleasure in my anticipation to dig in the dirt.

I watch the weather and am careful not to plant to soon, I don't want my plants caught in a late spring freeze of course. Then the time comes when I just can't stand it any longer I head to the nursery to buy my plants. I of course get way too many of everything and then I patiently haul them outside every morning to get some sun and then bring them in each night until the big day arrives.

I get my garden area all rototilled and ready and invest in some plant food to help my little darlings along after I get them planted. I've got my stakes and string ready to make neat little rows of carrots and radishes. I've got my wire cages ready to place over my tomatoes plants and am just itching to get started.

Finally the day has arrived and I can plant my garden. I start out the morning with enthusiasm and get everything planted just so. It is a little more crowded than I would like because I seem to always try to fit too many plants and seeds into the area, but I tell myself it will all be worth it.

All through June and July I lovingly cultivate my plants, weeding and watering with a vengeance. August comes and we are thoroughly enjoying all our fresh vegetables. But by then it is getting a little hot out and weeding isn't quite as fun anymore. Toward the middle of August I have vegetables coming out my ears and it is time to can and freeze all this freshness for winter.

I start out with salsa and then move on to tomatoes and pickles. Then of course I need to get those strawberrys in the freezer. And I don't want the corn to get too mature before I get it into the freezer. After a week or two my kitchen is a wreck and I am tired of spending the last of my summer days inside. If I never see another tomato or ear of corn I will be extremely happy. Between getting ready for the new school year and freezing and canning all my great produce I am thoroughly exhausted. Plus it seems like with this heat watering my garden, let alone the lawn is a never ending chore.

But of course we don't want anything to go to waste so I head down to get more canning supplies and keep at it. When it is all said and done I have way too much for my family to use so of course I give it away. You don't want those vegetables to go to waste you know.

By this time I look out and my peaches and apples seem just right for picking and the process starts over with them. While I am working on my fruit of course the garden is still producing and even though I quit canning and freezing from there I can't let it go to waste so I make sure every morning and night I pick what is ripe and give it away to those that will surely appreciate it. Because by this time the thought of eating anything out of the garden is not very appealing, neither is cooking in my kitchen that has become a canning disaster area.

Then the next big day that I can't seem to wait for, the big freeze. Finally my gardening job has ended. All I have to do now is get everything in the compost pile, re-rototill, and fertilize.

As I look at my kitchen and see all the fruits, vegetables, pickles, and jellies ready for winter I am proud, but really really tired. I vow next year I will not take on so much. Last year I went ahead and planned my garden in October and made specific counts of just how much I was going to plant. I made counts of just how much I had frozen and canned to see just how much we would use in the coming year. I made little footnotes of my thoughts on the subject as well.

Well spring is approaching, well kind of there is still snow on the ground, and I got out my garden plan and looked at all the produce my family still hasn't eaten and thought about how much of it I had given away this winter already and thought maybe I should follow this new garden plan as I started to unfold all my notes. I vaguely remember thinking Pace salsa is almost as good as my own, and who really can tell if the canned tomatoes came from the garden or not after they have been cooked.

I don't know if I will be able to stick to this streamlined plan when my green thumb starts itching to grow things but I keep telling myself if we run out of salsa, jelly, corn, or tomatoes it won't be the end of the world. They are readily available at the grocery store and in the long run may cost less than me putting them up myself. I was totally convinced in October, kind of convinced now, but I am wondering come May if I will be able to stick to it.

I have a feeling when the grass starts turning green, and the tulips show their colors all my best laid plans for a more relaxing late summer are going to go by the wayside. Oh well, I guess their could be worse addictions. I wonder is there such a thing as a 12 step program for those addicted to gardening in excess?

Arguments For Gardening in The Garden

Not all houses have perfect surroundings that will be easy to transform into outdoor recreation and entertainment areas with good lawns and gardens. It is frequently necessary to undertake some construction projects to obtain the quality and type of outdoor area you want. One of the basic construction problems for any landscaping task is grading the soil. Generally, grading means building a slope into the garden area. Sloping ensures that there is proper drainage, and it can make the house look better while allowing for easier maintenance.

Whether you want to have a garden, a lawn, or a terrace, you must do your grading first. The best time to grade is when a home is being constructed, since it is relatively simple to add a few inches between the entrance level and the ground level at this point. Just a few inches can ease the creation of a grade away from the house to improve its appearance and make for a drier basement, if you have one.

It is difficult to measure a grade by eye. Even professionals cannot do this. You should use a piece of twine as a guide. Pull the twine tight between two sticks embedded in the ground. Once you’ve completed the rough work for leveling, use a long board as a straight edge on the ground to make sure you’ve been accurate. Rough grading is the first step in landscape construction. The extent of the grading depends on the condition of the ground and ground levels desired. You must also pay attention if there are extreme slopes and try to keep as closely as possible to natural contours. This reduces the expense of grading in a big way.

Begin grading by stripping and separating topsoil from the areas where the level is to be altered. Even if you are grading for a stone or concrete terrace, you should save the topsoil. You can spread the topsoil in areas where it is thin, or you can use it a flower garden and save yourself some money. Once you have stripped the topsoil, subsoil can be graded to the desired contours, leaving space for adding the topsoil that has been removed. You should also plan to have a slope for every one-hundred feet of lawn. The same measurement can be applied to a stone terrace to prevent pools of water to develop during periods of rain.

When you level an area for a terrace, you don’t need to insert subsoil drainage. Just save the topsoil. For nearly all terraces, it is good practice to tamp the soil down and even to put a layer of gravel cinder or crushed rock as a base for the terrace. Terraces typically require a level area, but the grade that slopes away from the house should be maintained.

Growing Your Own Fruits And Vegetables

Having your own vegetable patch or fruit garden was once commonplace, but fell out of favor as the food industry become more commercial and supermarkets began to take over. In recent years however, more and more people have started explore growing their own produce again. Here we give 5 reasons why you might consider starting your own kitchen garden.

- Freshness

Fruit and vegetables taste better and are healthier if eaten as soon as possible after picking. Most fruit you buy from supermarkets and the like is picked well before it is properly ripe, to extend shelf life, and this usually has an impact on flavor. Growing your own lets you taste the freshest possible produce as it's meant to taste.

- Quality

Commercially grown crops are often selected for their high yields, uniform appearance and long shelf lives rather than for quality and taste. When you grow your own, you can concentrate on the quality rather than the economics.

- Price

Much supermarket fresh produce is hugely overpriced, despite their advertising claims. Growing your own from seed is about as inexpensive as you can get, and even growing from small plants you buy is likely to provide you better food at a lower cost. With many plants, you can use the seed from one growing season to provide plants for the next - a self sustaining cycle that will cost you only time and effort to keep going.

- Provenance

More and more people have concerns about how our food is produced, with chemical pesticides and GM food a particular worry. With your own vegetable patch, you know exactly where your food is from and how it was grown.

- Variety

There are literally thousands of different varieties of fruit and vegetables, but supermarkets tend to concentrate on only the most profitable and easy to sell. This means that our choice is often limited to a few select varieties of apple, for example, rather than the hundreds of traditional kinds that exist. Growing your own lets you pick the varieties you like the most, and experiment to find new ones you'll rarely see on sale.

There is of course a downside to all this - it takes time and effort. In these increasingly busy times, we might not think we have the time to spare, but starting small with a few herb plants on your windowsill, or even the odd tomato plant, will give you a taste of growing your own and might even be enough to hook you into it for life!

Caring For Plants

The most basic part of any garden preparation is caring for plants. Here are six ways we can care for our plants when we plant our gardens.

Many people worry a lot when it comes to caring for their plants. When talking about house plants, there is no need to worry. There are just a few things you need to consider.

1. Watering
A watering can is a must-have in every garden. It is recommended that you purchase the one with a narrow spout to ensure adequate watering. But that does not always apply, so the finger test may come in handy. Insert your index finger up to the first joint into the soil. If you feel that the soil is damp, don't water it. Otherwise, do.

2. Feeding
With foliage plants, they always need to be high in nitrogen. For flowering plants, on the other hand, K2O is needed. Fertilizers such as the slow release ones can be mixed with the compost. However, some plants like cacti and orchids need special feeds. Feed plants on the height of their active growth.

3. Lighting
Plants like Sanseveria and Aspidistra require no shade. They can be placed away from a window. Spider plants need semi-shade. You can put plants like these near a window that does or does not get sunlight. Others need sun or no sun at all like cheeseplants.

4. Temperature
With houseplants, they can survive in temperatures a little bit higher than 15 - 250 C or 55 - 750 F. But drastic fluctuations of temperature may not be good for them.

5. Humidity
Some houseplants require a humid environment. One tip to maximize humidity is to put the pot inside a larger pot and fill in the gaps with stones or compost to keep in the moisture. The compost will not dry out. Plants are capable of creating their own climate if grouped together. This tip can also be used for keeping the soil moist. If you want, you can spray them with water once or twice a day depending on the day's temperature.

6. Repotting
Other plants require repotting for optimum growth but some plants may not be suitable for this idea. They would not want their roots to be disturbed or other plants' root system is small. One way to check if your plant needs repotting is to turn it upside down. Tap the pot to release the plant and check its roots. If roots are all you see, then repot.

You just need to have a little care for your plants and in turn, you'll reap its benefits. You don't only have a garden that can add to your house's beauty you can also learn how to respect and nurture life in its varied forms.