How To Maintain An Annual Garden

Growing annual flowers is quite easy if you take a little care of it.

One thing you have to do is deadhead or pinch the faded flowers off the stem,to keep the flower from dyeing off.

Later in the fall I leave some flowers on the stem,so they will create seed stock for the following year.

Pansies,Bachelor Buttons and Marigolds are easy to grow and don't require alot of maintenance.

Flax and Blackeyed susans require little water and spred easy over two or three years time.

To plant dig a hole a little bigger than the plant,just covering the root system with a mixture of dirt and compost.Water thouroughly after planting.

If you are planting seeds,dig a trench or small hole a quarter inch deep and space the seeds as directed.I like to cover my seeds with compost,then pack the compost down with my hoe.

Water lightly as not to wash the seeds out of the ground.

You can also buy wildflower seeds mixed in a can and spread these by tossing

a hand full at a time or use a spreading machine.

I plant annuals in my vegetable garden to attract bees and for a pretty attraction.Also by planting some varietys like Marigolds,the odor of the plant drives insects away.Stake out an area of focus in large yards. Aim for trouble parts of your lawn or scatter plants throughout the yard. Since you are planting plants that attract many insects, you may want to avoid areas where most of the guest entertaining or family gathering is done like near decks and pools. Create a perimeter for smaller yards. Depending on what kinds of pests are plaguing you, choose to group pest-fighting flower surround the lawn with the plants.Fight leaf-eating insects with some queen anne's lace. The delicate white flowers attract small insects which gobble up leaf-eating caterpillars.

Plant any members of the colorful daisy family and bring on the ladybugs. Ladybugs love to munch on mites and aphids which can destroy a garden.

Buy some black-eyed susans and asters. Hover-flies and lacewings are attracted to these yellow and pink flowers and are hearty aphid eaters.

Get some Mexican marigold. It repels moles and adds a hint of orange color as well. Marigolds also give off a fragrance which keeps the mosquitoes away.

Root out grubs with some pretty peonies. Use the full and sweet-smelling peony to attract the predators of these root-eating pests. Chase away white flies with sunflowers. The tall, bright yellow flowers attract pirate bugs which dine on white flies.

Good Luck

If you are wondering how many vegetables to grow for the

average family four, here is a general outline of a few of the

most popular ones:

Asparagus 30 to 40 plants Beans, a row 15 to 25 feet long

Beets a row 10 to 15 feet long Broccoli, Brussels sprouts and

cabbage 10 to 15 plants each Carrots a row 20 to 30 feet

long Corn a row 20 to30 feet long

Lettuce a row 10 to 15 feet long Peas a row 30 to 40 feet long

Pumpkins/Squash 1 to 3 plants Radishes a row 4 feet long

Rhubarb 1 to 3 plants Spinach a row 10 to 20 feet long

Tomatoes 10 to 15 plants

Needless to say, these are very general suggestions of a few

of the most popular vegetables. The important thing is you

need to adjust the lengths of each row depending upon your

family's likes and dislikes.

For many, the words organic gardening conjures up visions of

granola and the Grateful Dead. But today organic gardening is

a growing - and very mainstream -- portion of the gardening

population. Perhaps it's a backlash against our high-tech world

of genetic engineering, laser beams and virtual everything.

Or maybe people are just looking for better-tasting food.

Organic gardening is the process of growing plants without the

use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Those who garden

naturally argue that their gardens are better off without these

man-made chemicals. They believe chemicals are harmful to

gardens, people and the environment. Tampering with the

natural makeup of soil and plants eventually weakens the

plants -- leading to a cycle of problems. For instance,

a chemical fertilizer may compensate for a lack of humus in

soil; however, the soil eventually loses its structure and

becomes dependent on fertilizer. Insects and diseases can

mutate and become resistant to synthetic sprays -- another

long-term drawback of chemical use. Plus these poisons kill

indiscriminately and can rid a garden of helpful insects,

further upsetting the natural order of garden life. Perhaps

most importantly, organic gardeners don't want to be

harmed by eating chemically treated food, or by exposing

themselves to chemicals, nor do they want the environment

harmed by the use and disposal of these chemicals..