Planting your own kitchen garden is a great way to have the herbs, vegetables, berries, fruits or even flowers readily available for your everyday needs. They are not a new method of gardening and have been around since or even before colonial times.

Kitchen gardens are becoming a more and more popular way of gardening over the past few years. Most home or kitchen gardens grown by the home gardener are herb or salad gardens and are planted in a location near or close to the house for easy access of your everyday needs.

When choosing a location for your home garden you need to have an area that gets a minimum of eight hours of full sunlight, an area that has good drainage and a good healthy soil. These are the same requirements that are needed for any other type of vegetable garden. The most common methods for this type of garden are usually raised bed or container gardens.

Creating your home or kitchen garden using raised beds or containers gives you the flexibility to build your garden in location that you would normally not be able to work the soil and is a creative way to add dimension to your yards landscape. Raised bed and container gardens are also a type of garden that are easier to maintain than your stand home garden and it is not uncommon to build more than one garden using these methods.

Get creative and build your own home or kitchen garden. They are also a great way to attract wildlife to your backyard like hummingbirds, butterflies and even toads, while adding beauty to your backyard with a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere.

A environment friendly and healthy way of gardening. Organic Gardening is a way of gardening in harmony with nature. Growing a healthy and productive crop in a way that is healthier for both you and the environment.

Saving Money and Your Sanity

Each year more and more people take up home gardening, some feeling the need to save money, garden in order to provide cheaper and healthier food for their families. Others choose home gardening as a way to relax, relieve stress and provide their yards and homes with beautiful live plants. There are many different types of gardening and many good reasons to choose to the garden.

A Wise Economic Decision

Let's face it with today's economy, food gardening is a wise economic decision. You can grow your own herbs, vegetables, and even fruit for a fraction of the cost you can buy them in the store and the more space you have to garden the more money you can save. Many families literally shave hundreds of dollars off their grocery bills each year by growing their own food and preserving it. This food is healthier than store-bought goods, as well, because home gardeners often use organic growing for their food, which means no harmful chemical pesticides. They also can or freeze their food using less preservative than can be found in store produce. No matter how big or small your yard or even if you have no yard at all, you can grow some produce that will save you money. While those people who live in the country or have a large yard can grow enough food to feed their families all year round and thus save a ton of money on grocery purchases, those with small plots of land or even a balcony or deck can grow a few a simple vegetables. Vegetables such as tomatoes can be grown in a tub. People with no yard at all can enjoy home gardening by growing their own herbs inside in small spaces such as a window sill.

Some even grow miniature fruit trees in their homes. All these people find gardening enjoyable as well as economic saving them any where from a few dollars a year to significant savings. A Relaxing Hobby Other people turn to home gardening as a relaxing hobby. They find it a perfect way to relieve stress from their hectic jobs and really enjoy the feel of getting back to simple basics. These gardeners enjoy growing everything from small flower gardens to prize winning orchids or roses. One particularly enjoyable type of gardening for the hobby garden is bonzai or bonsai gardening. Bonzai gardening includes not only the Japanese Bonzai, but the Chinese Penjing and the Korean Bunjae. Quite literally bonzai means growing a tree in a pot. These miniature trees can be grown both inside and out depending on their size and provides for both an interesting hobby and a aesthetic result.

Special tools and techniques are needed for Bonzai gardening and those people who enjoy this type of gardening really enjoy the challenge of nursing these trees into the shape and style they want to create. For those looking to save money or for a relaxing and enthralling hobby then home gardening can be the perfect choice for you.

Dr. Ivan Wilson is well known social anthropologist in Birmingham also dedicates the rest of life for the well being of SOS Children Orphanage. He finds time to share his experience making other's life even better. Log on to his website for the latest feeds now; Home Gardening Tips [http://www.homegardeningjournal.com/planning_garden.html]

One of the world's fastest-growing hobbies is organic home gardening. It is so popular amongst people due to its all-natural idea and aspect. Basically, this type of gardening is the act of planting, growing, and harvesting different kinds of vegetation such as plants, crops, and trees through the use of entirely organic materials and substances such as water, cropping materials, organic fertilizers, etc. It sounds fun and earth-friendly, right? But in reality, you should never ever try out this form of gardening until you have learned from some of the mistakes stated here. This will be very important if you want to be successful in the art of organic gardening for your home.

Forgetting to plan out the entire process of organic home gardening is the number one cause of unsuccessful organic gardens. Analyze your home, your budget, and hit the books first before engaging in such activity. Knowledge and organization is the key to success.

It is a well-known fact that plants, trees, or any kind of flora need water to survive. So it is your duty as an organic gardener to provide your organic garden with a daily supply of fresh and clean water. Do however take note to never ever give too much water to the plants and crops as that will only cause overhydration due to the water's oxygen trapping quality. Also, water the plants more during the summer or during hot temperatures.

Inorganic fertilizers should also be avoided when it comes to organic home gardening. Yes, it gives your plants a certain boost but that is only temporary. If used continuously, the minerals and substances of the inorganic fertilizer will accumulate and bulk up inside the plant which may lead to poisoning and death. Try to use organic or natural fertilizers instead such as dung. They most certainly are more eco-friendly and more healthy.

That is why you should never ever think about organic home gardening without knowing these common mistakes and don'ts. It will only cause you to fail and fall. But now that you know, why not try out this type of organic gardening today.

Melissa McKyler is a work-at-home mom and loves to spend her free time working in her home kitchen garden with her family.

Garden design is a very personal thing and is often an expression of your personality. What I like you, you may not and vise versa. Some people like neat and tidy gardens where there are no surprises, others love the thrill of windy paths, lots of different plant material and not knowing what is around the corner. There are three main styles of gardens formal, semi formal and informal. They can then be divided into many types of gardens and that depends on what you would like. Garden design can be intimately tidied to the style of your house as in example of the grand french chateaux where the geometric patterns of the garden mimic the geometric construction of the house or it can have no connection to your house at all.

Some people are lucky and have this innate gift of knowing how to design space, making it a pleasing place to be in. Others don't have this gene and find it very difficult to visualise how the space will work. To create a good design it is important you understand that design is about managing space and people moving around it. The core of good garden design centres round patterns and the space within these patterns. By using geometrical shapes, circles, triangles, rectangles etc. you can achieve a unified feel to your garden. So you need to think about ground patterns and movement around your garden. Where would you like people to go? Ground patterns can be achieved with the use of bricks, paving and plant material such as cut grass etc.

Formal gardens are symmetrical and geometrical and are strict in terms of repeating patterns and plant materials on either side. It is very controlled, plants are clipped, shaped, manipulated regularly and today is often suitable for small gardens like court yards. Urns, balustrades, stone, gravel paths, parterres, formal pools and framed views are all part of the formal garden. There are no surprises, you know what to expect.

Informal designs are asymmetrical and not as regimented. Plant material is allowed to spill over the structural elements such as walls, steps and paths. Plant material is allowed to self-seed and wander around the garden. Informal garden design is softer, full of surprises thus you don't know what to expect.

And semi formal is the combination of the above two. Usually it is the built structures such as retaining walls, paths and steps that are formal and the informal element is the plant material which is allowed to spill over them, softening their hard outlines.

Within these three types, there are many different styles of gardens to choose from such as contemporary, Japanese, Mediterranean, cottage, courtyard, kitchen garden or secret garden.

Contemporary is a modern style that likes to reflect the surrounding but also use a wide range of plant material. Form and texture of foliage are as important as flowers. Hard landscaping is woven into geometrical shaped buildings; all of which flow into the wider landscape. Plants are used as focal points to highlight the architectural forms.

Cottage was a late nineteenth-century ideal to return to the simple cottages of the country. They were planted with hardy bulbs, flowers, fruit bushes and herbs and vegetables. They were geometric, colours were harmonised and luxurious as plants grew well as they were heavily manured regularly.

Mediterranean is not limited to one particular area but are defined according to hot summers and low rainfall. They encompass entertaining areas, shade, good views and dramatic shadows. Hot colourful plants are used and lots of lush green foliage plants to create a cool atmosphere. Plants need to be drought tolerant. Evergreen plants are popular because they cast shade on hot days. Walls are white washed to reflect the sun, pergolas built to create shade and use terracotta pots. There is often a water feature and water provides cooling vibes.

Japanese gardens encompasses religion and Japan's cultural history. Japanese gardens are very symbolic often the symbols relate to nature. Plants are 'tamed' and there is an emphasis on evergreen trees and shrubs. They are very controlled and often minimalist. True Japanese gardens are contemplative a place of meditation and great calm.

Planning

If you feel overwhelmed and don't know where to start when designing your garden, I suggest you break it up into areas called rooms thus dividing one big space into several smaller spaces. For example: there is the front garden, the side garden and the back garden. Once you have decided where they begin and end you can then divide each of those areas up again. For example in the back garden you could have the entertaining area, the grass/children's area, the utilities area (includes the compost heap and shed), the pool area and the vegetable/orchard area. Once you have defined the areas/rooms you can tackle one at a time, thus making a huge project into several smaller projects.

The Three Planning Stages

To create an interesting and exciting garden there are 3 sets of plans (may be four if you need an engineer's structural plans) you need to devise:- Site Analysis Plan, Concept Plan and Planting Plan, usually all drawn to scale.

The First Steps

To design a garden that works there are several things you need to do before buying plants and planting them. If you follow these steps you are more likely to have a successful garden.

Site Analysis

It is important to make an inventory of the area you are designing. Things to include are:

Levels - steep/flat
Aspect - North/south
Sun/shade
Sun Summer/Winter
Shadows
Existing trees and buildings
Wind
Views - good and bad
Soil conditions
Entrances - Front/back doors
Power lines
Underground cables and pipes
Clothes line
Fences
Sheds and garages
Paved and unpaved areas
Patio/BBQ
Lighting
Drainage - runoff of storm watered

Once you have noted the above, it is time to draw up the space. You can draw it roughly (not to scale) but eventually you will have to draw it to scale. Start by measuring the area you are designing, draw it to scale ie. 1:100 and put all the above points onto your drawn plan. All these influences need to be drawn on paper, so that you can gauge any trends. For example there might be a paved path from the back door to the garage, but everyone takes a short cut across the lawn, creating a desire line. No - one uses the paved path. So perhaps pave the desire line and make it the official path.

The next step is the concept plan and this is the plan where you put down you ideas. It can be as wild and as adventurous as you like. Forget cost, enjoy your creativity. This is the stage where you put down your dreams of what you have always wanted. Later on, you hip pocket will decide for you whether you can have them. Anything is possible, so don't be shy, dream away. Again this can be roughly drawn or to scale, it is up to you.

The third and final plan is the planting plan and it is preferable that it is drawn to scale as this allows you to know exactly how many plants you will need. It incorporates all the ideas you have decided upon and shows you how the finished garden is going to look. It is the road map which will guide you to building your new garden.

There may be a fourth plan if your site is steep or you are having major elements built, as you may need the advice of an engineer.

Points to Consider

Think about your soil conditions, is it heavy clay or light and sandy? What plants will grow in these conditions? Are some areas boggy and some always dry?

Sun conditions

The sun is higher in the sky during spring and summer and shadows are shorter. Whereas in winter, the sun is lower in the sky and casts longer shadows. So a plant might be in full sun in summer and complete shade in winter. Can it tolerate this? Also think about the conditions the plants require. Are they full sun plants like roses or shade loving plants like azaleas?

Wind

You also need to think about wind direction. Which way does the prevailing wind come from? Screens and hedges are one way of managing this problem but what problems are they going to cause? Making the block feel narrow, casting shadows etc? It is important to know because some plants don't like wind and it is no good putting the BBQ/entertainment area in an uncomfortable spot.

Views

Views out your window or from your garden are very important. Some are intrusive while others are desired. If you wish to block out flats/neighbours etc. you may need to put in a higher fence or a hedging screen of some kind. Or you may want to design your garden to enhance the view of the mountain, ocean etc.

Utilities and Service Lines

You also need to be aware of where your services and utilities are; things like clothesline, overhead power lines etc. If you damage the gas, telephone or electricity lines, you are liable to pay for their repair.

Principles of Garden Design

To create a well designed garden, it is important to put the right plant in the right position. This means considering the cultural requirements of the plant. For example putting a full sun plant such as rose into a shady position isn't going to work, because the rose won't be receiving the right amount of sunlight for it to grow. The idea of good garden design is to follow this philosophy, using the placement of plants to create mystery, tension and surprise by using tricks of the eye, colours and textures.

Tension, mystery and surprise make a garden interesting. One way to create these is to use hedges, low walls, screens, paths, steps to make individual 'garden rooms' with tension points that captures your attention on the way. For example a narrow oblong garden can be made more interesting if you can't see the back fence - that there is a feature (plant or statue etc.) that obscures the fence. It also becomes more interesting if the path way is narrow then opens up into another room. A winding path adds mystery to the garden if you can't see what is around the corner. Surprise comes when you go around the corner and discover a focal point.

A focal point is something like a seat/statue/water feature that leads your eye directly to it. For example - a pergola that has a statue at the end of it. The statue is the feature and is the reason why you look/walk to see it. Another example of a focal point is a pathway leading through a door that is open and shows a vista of the wider landscape.

The success of the focal point can depend on the how successfully the ground patterns lead you there. If the paving encourages you along this path thus creating some tension and mystery, you are more likely to follow the path to see what's there because you have become inquisitive. Narrow paths encourage you to walk quickly and not to dilly dally along the way, where as wide paths say stroll, take you time, look at the surrounding vegetation. A gentle curve can be negotiated at speed, but a tight curve can't be so people slow down as there is risk involved. Paving is used as a directional tool says don't walk that way, but walk this way. Edging bricks say don't step over this - this is a boundary. Paving can also be used to reflect the ground plane of the house or other shapes in the garden.

Long narrow gardens have a strong directional emphasis that needs to be broken up. Square plots are static. To solve these problems the space's shape needs to be changed. A circular design distracts the eye from the straight lines of the boundary fence. You could also use a series of rectangles using the boundaries as part of the design.

Another method is to turn the garden onto a 45 degree angle. A long diagonal line will immediately create a feeling of space. The paving near the house could be done on an angle and high light the diagonal line of the entire garden.

Gardens with a dog-leg in them can utilise the bend by using tension, mystery and surprise to lead you around the corner to a focal point of some kind.

Unified space is created by controlling the movement around the garden. It is the way areas are linked together by paths, bridges, pergolas, steps and terraces that determine whether a garden is successful. Careless placing can ruin the flow of the garden. If you wish to direct someone's attention to a particular point then there must be a clear reason in the design for following this pathway.

Ground levels are very important when designing a garden. If a slope is too steep to walk down safely, steps may be needed and if the entire block is on a slope, the whole area may need to be terraced. What material you use is also important. Steps should not be of slippery materials and gravel may wash away. The surfaces need to be flat otherwise they could be dangerous and people will not want to walk along them and instead they may create a desire lines.

Levels help to create interest and 'rooms' in a garden because you move from one place to another by steps/paths/etc. Allow your levels to gently flow into one another and keep them simple. Don't over decorate them. A slope up from the house will appear foreshortened whereas a slope down from the house will appear larger.

Choosing Plant Materials

There are 3 types of gardens:- the plants man, the garden designer and the gardener's (mix of the first two). The plants man gardens consist of lots of singular plantings, unconnected and often rare and difficult to source. The garden designer's garden consists of plants that are tried and tested - they use plants that they know and how they perform. The gardener's garden has learned that their favourite plants can be more effective if planted in a scheme.

When choosing plants you must consider what the conditions are of your garden. There is no point putting alkaline tolerant plants in acid soil or vise versa. It won't work! You need to think about what your plants you have chosen require moist soils, dry soils, shade, sun, well drained, boggy soils. If you do your research correctly and place your plants in the right position, you are well on the way to a successful garden.

The height and spread of your plants also needs to be considered. Tall growing plants are placed at the back of the garden bed, graduating down to the low plants. Remember some plants send up flower spikes that may be much larger than the plant itself, so they need to be positioned according to their flower spike height. Some plants are bushy so don't forget to leave sufficient room for them to spread. They may need annual pruning to keep them in check.

Colour

Another trick in the designing tool bag is using colour. Colour is the sensation of illumination which is light. The way colours inter-react with each other depends on their position in colour wheel. Manipulating colour is great fun and can create all sorts of illusions. Colours are divided into 2 groups primary red, yellow, blue and secondary green, violet, orange. Secondary colours are made of combining two primary such as mixing blue and yellow together to create green. You can make a space look cold or create distance by using pale and brown colours. You can also make a space looker bigger than it really is by using warm colours such as oranges, reds or yellows. If you want to make a space look closer to you, again use warm colours. As reds, oranges or yellow are very busy colours to the eye, it is a good idea to intersperse white flowers or grey foliage plants to calm the visual scene down. White and grey also intensify blue and pale colours.

One thing to remember about the Australia sun is that the best time to look at our gardens is in the late afternoon when the sunlight is not as strong. Our hot sun tends to fade our flowers colours and the glare at mid-day tends to wash the colour out.

If you are feeling overwhelmed about designing your garden, divide your space up and take it slowly, completing one section at a time. Don't start another part until you have finished the section you are working on and very soon you will have a beautiful garden. Remember gardens are ephemeral, it is a process that is for ever evolving. You never really finish.

See my next article On Creating a Gorgeous Garden and Living with Pets

Sandra Pullman B.App.Sc. (Hort) Hons. Burnley-Uni Melb. Visit my website for "down to earth", good quality, reliable and practical advice explained to you in layman's terms. I also run gardening courses for beginners. Check out my website for upcoming class dates and locations. All your gardening solutions are one click away! [http://www.gardenpatch.com.au] Or check out my blog site: sandisgardenpatch.blogspot.com There you can ask me questions.