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Many people order their seeds from catalogs because they cannot find the types of seeds they need in their local area. If you are thinking of ordering your seeds from a catalog this year, then you should plan now to start getting the right ones ordered.
Step one is to order the catalogs you want. Check online for lists of gardening catalogs or ask your gardening friends. You also can look in gardening magazines for advertisements. Although there are scores of catalogs available, you should order only the ones that you think may be of interest. If you live in the Pacific Northwest, then Awesome Tropical Seeds will not do you any good. Stay away; it only will serve to give you too many choices.
Once the catalog arrives, you will need to pick out the plants. Now you probably will notice that these plants are fairly pricy. That is because they are special-order plants. You are paying for the fact that they are not in your local area and for the additional care that must be taken in shipping these plants. Still you can rest assured that the plants you order through the mail are well taken care of, so you do not need to worry about their quality as much as if you were purchasing cheap from a retailer.
When the plants arrive, you will need to take care to open them and get them started growing immediately. You should look at the amount of time the plants take to ship so that you can try to time your order with the time you will be able to plant the seeds or seedlings that you have ordered. If you end up with the plants too early, then you will need to purchase containers to put them in before you even open the box. Remember that the plants are very delicate but are protected while they are in the box. Keep them that way until you are ready to move them. This prep time should not take more than a day or so, however, as the plants are not intended to survive in the box for long.
When you are ready, remove the lid from the box carefully. A leaf or two may fall out, but the bulk of the plant should remain intact. In fact, you should find that each plant is in a separate container or hole in the box and that the plants all have labels on them. If they do not have labels, after saying mean things about the seed company, you should get a catalog and compare the pictures with your invoice. Make sure that you can tell what each plant is before getting it out. Otherwise call the customer service line for the catalog company to ask for help.
The plant most likely will have a little tag with the name. If you are getting tiny rooted plants, then you should be able to tuck the tag underneath the plant. That will work best for getting each plant out, so try to find a way to get the tag underneath the plant roots quickly. They will hold the roots and compost together while you are in the process of transferring the plants.
Next you will need to put the plant in its home, whether that is your yard or a small plant in your home. If you will be moving the plant again, be careful that you will be able to transplant it. Otherwise you should be good to go once you get the plant in its new home. Put some fertilizer or compost in with the plant and water it. Remove any dead or dying leaves now so that they do not contaminate the remainder of the plant.
Now you can sit back and enjoy. Be sure that you mark which companies sent great seeds and seedlings and which did not. You will want to know where you got the plants next year so that you can order from the same companies again and avoid the ones with less flattering plants. You will need to begin ordering new catalogs each year so that you can plan for your seeds and seedlings each winter.
Building an urban garden is becoming a trend in cities all across the United States. If you live in an apartment, gone are the days when you thought you could not have a garden simply because you did not live in a house. Instead, now you have the option to have all types of gardening choices available to you, but you will need to do some basic research to make sure what you are doing is acceptable.
First, you should check with regulations regarding urban gardens. Some urban areas permit gardeners to grow any types of plants they would like while others limit the types of plants. You may be able to have only perennials or annuals, for instance, as there may be seasonal restrictions. You also may discover that you are not allowed plants that will grow over a certain height or that some types, such as herbs, are prohibited altogether.
In addition to your city, you should check with your apartment or condominium association. Chances are that they have their own restrictions based on the desires of the majority of the tenants. Certain plants may be banned because of their unsightly appearance or because of their likelihood to cause allergies. Whatever the restrictions, it is best that you adhere to them so that you do not find yourself with massive fines for ignoring basic laws.
Once you have figured out the rules, it is time to begin planning your own urban garden. Some people may want to have just one or two plants dotting the balcony while others want to grow an assortment. You may grow plants inside or outside in an urban garden, and you can work to create the best environment for your plants regardless of the location.
Your best bet if you are planning an indoor urban garden is to go with unique containers. Because you have little room in an apartment, you will want to make everything possible do double-duty. That means that a beautiful tin that you have can be painted and used to hold flowers or that you can use accent pieces to complement your decorating style and to grow your flowers. Be sure that you have curtains that are easy to tie back if you intend to use sunlight for your urban garden.
Outside urban gardeners will want to consider the same factors as other gardeners, such as the weather. Be sure that your selected plants will grow in your climate zone. If you are unsure of your climate zone, you can look this information up at your local library or online fairly easily. Knowing the correct climate zone will help guarantee that you choose plants that will thrive, which will make the experience all the more pleasant.
The best thing about having a garden is that you can enjoy the plants you create. In an urban garden, that means that you do not want a lot of plants because you will not have the space to enjoy them. Be sure that you pick an area where you can put plants a couple of feet apart so that you can enjoy each one of them instead of putting them so close together that you will not be able to see each plant.
Also think about the colors of your skyline or city when you are planning your urban garden. Some balconies overlook playgrounds or swimming pools. Try to pick flowers that will blend in the background of your view so that they will seem to create a seamless move from your home to the rest of the world.
Finally when you are planning an urban garden, give real consideration to how much time you have to devote to your plants and keep that in mind when you are getting plants. Some require little care, and if you work 70 hours a week, you need those plants. If you have a more leisurely pace, then you probably can get something that will need more of your attention. Remember that you are not limited by being in urban area. You simply need to make sure that you are able to think creatively about the type of plants you will be able to have in your garden plot.
