Gardening is one of the most popular American hobbies and can be a great way to get some fresh air and exercise while making your house look more attractive. If you are interested in learning more about how to maximize your green thumb potential, you have come to the right place!

Use an egg carton to start your seedlings early. Egg cartons are cheap and easy to obtain, and can contain enough soil to get a plant started. Once you're ready to plant, you can simply rip the carton away from the seedling without damaging the root ball and place the whole soil ball into the ground.

Start your seedlings in pots inside and then transplant them into your garden. Doing this betters your odds of Decorate Your Home plants making it to adulthood. It also lets you have tighter control over the planting periods in your garden. Once you remove the most recent mature plants from your garden, the seedlings are immediately ready to be planted.

Organic gardens have become very popular in recent years as people start to understand the consequences of corporate farming techniques. People who live this kind of lifestyle usually grow herbs and plants to enjoy the health benefits of this vegetation; they must be grown organically. This article will provide many helpful tips.

These Home Tips & Guides should help you plan your organic garden. Follow the best advice and the hopes of spring will be fulfilled in autumn's harvest--with delicious and nourishing meals for you and your family. Nourishing healthy soil, as shown in these tips, can be one of your best investments.

Create an illusion of space. If you have a small garden, use color to create an illusion of more space. A background of blues, grays, pinks and mauves will create a misty effect, giving you the feeling of depth. If you use a bright color in the foreground such as red, this will emphasize the effect, as it draws the eye forward.

Pay attention to the time of year that your plants bloom before you start pruning them. If you prune your flowering shrubs and trees while they have buds on them, that plant won't flower that year. The best time to prune is just after the last season's blooms have faded.

Having beautiful bulb plants is fun while it lasts, but once they have bloomed you are stuck with bulb foliage that is not very attractive. Try to plant bulbs among plants that will grow up and over faded bulb leaves. This way, once the lilies or daffodils are spent, the old foliage will be hidden by the new growth of other plants.

Make sure to pick the right seeds for your location and zone. Certain crops grow better in certain locations. Seed packets usually have information regarding USDA zones. Information regarding USDA Plant Hardiness Zones is also available online. A good example of this is growing oranges in warmer climates and apples in cooler climates.

Use fertilizers that are free for the taking. Using chemical free grass clippings or human urine for a nutrient rich and free fertilizer. Twenty parts water with one part urine is an excellent fertilizer for seedlings, or steep the grass clippings in water to make a tea for watering and fertilizing the plants. So don't spend a lot on the garden when the fertilizers can be had for free.

Protect your delicate deciduous shrubs from harsh elements. If you have tender shrubs in pots, they need to be protected in the cold weather. Fasten the tops of the canes together, and cover this wigwam loosely with a cloth. This tactic is better than utilizing plastic, because it will allow air to circulate.

You need to remember to drink plenty of water while you are gardening. Many people forget to keep up with their water intake because they do not think that they are doing a strenuous activity. Gardening may not always be strenuous but extended exposure to the sun can lead to dehydration and drinking plenty of water is one way to prevent it.

Collecting and preserving autumn leaves is a fun gardening project, especially for the kids. Generations of kids have used the "wax paper method" to preserve fall leaves at peak color - with a little help from Mom. Just select colorful thin leaves that don't have a high water content and place them between two sheets of wax paper. Place a cloth - like an old tea towel - on top of the waxed paper "sandwich" and have Mom slowly run a hot iron (no steam) across the cloth. Peek underneath to see if the wax paper is melting and bear down hard to get a good seal. The wax paper may seem cloudy while it is warm, but it should dry clear as it cools. Enjoy Decorate Your Home pretty display of colorful leaves!

If you have many potted plants, do not water them all the same way. Some plants do well with plenty of water, whereas other plants might prefer a drier soil. Over-watering can do as much damage to a plant as under-watering. So, be mindful of what types of plants that you have in the pots, and water them appropriately.

Buy Diatomaceous earth as an alternative to toxic pesticides or adding predatory insects to your garden. Diatomaceous earth is natural, organic, and non-toxic as well as inexpensive and easy to find. It is a green way to keep pests under control. Sprinkle over the surface of soil and water as normal.