There are two main varieties of lemons acid and sweet. The acid lemons include: Lisbon and Eureka. The sweet lemons include: Meyer and Ponderosa. Commercially grown lemon trees can reach heights of up to 20 feet. Lemons are very sensitive to cold and must be grown in areas that are not prone to frost. They also require full sunlight.

Lemons are not very particular in the type of... soil that they are grown in. Many lemon trees are actually built on the sour orange root stock to make them hardier. Typically a lemon tree is not grown from seed in the home garden instead a tree will be bought from a nursery. Lemons may be grown in containers as well as in the ground. Lemon trees do not require pruning other than if cold damage is present.

Nutritional Values of Lemons

Serving size 1/2 cup, sectioned, peeled (106g)
Amounts Per Serving % Daily Value
Calories 30
... Calories from Fat 5g
Total Fat 0g 0%
Sodium 5mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 10g 3%
Dietary Fiber 3g 11%
Sugars 3g
Protein 1g
Vitamin A 0%
Vitamin C 90%
Calcium 2%
Iron 4%
Tips for Getting the Most Out of Lemons
When choosing a lemon it is important to look for fruits which are firm and bright in color. Lemons that have a fine texture and feel heavy for their size typically produce the most juice.

A medium sized lemon produces approximately 3 tablespoons of juice and 3 tablespoons of grated zest. Both of which can be frozen for future use. In order to get the most juice from your lemons microwave them for about 15 seconds or roll it against a hard surface before juicing.

A fresh lemon should last about 2 weeks at room temperature; however, when stored in a plastic bag in the crisper of the refrigerator a lemon can last up to 6 weeks.

Lemons have a multitude of purposes. They are a great flavoring agent. They are beautiful to use as an edible garnish. They also are useful as natural cleaning purposes.

Lemon Concerns and Cautions

Because of the exceptionally high content of Vitamin C in lemons it is important to monitor your daily consumption of Vitamin C in order to avoid intestinal discomfort and diarrhea

 Does the Lemonade Diet Work?

The Lemonade Diet, also known as the Lemonade Detox Diet, has been around for quite some time, and is among the first diets to actually be termed a “cleanse” since the goal of the system is to both get rid of toxins in your body, as well as help you lose weight. Even though the Lemonade Diet has been around for years, it hasn’t become popular until relatively recently.  The key to making the system work involves the special blend of Lemonade Diet ingredients. The diet restricts what you can eat to just a few things: fresh lemon juice, organic maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and filtered water.

How Maple Syrup Plays a Role with the Lemonade Diet

Using a special blend of Grade B maple syrup is necessary when you are on the Lemonade Diet because your body still needs vitamins and minerals even as it detoxifies itself. Since Grade B maple syrup goes through a different process once it comes out of the tree from collection to bottling, it is suited better for a cleansing diet than regular Grade A syrup. The nice part of about the maple syrup is that it help control the feeling of being hungry in your stomach. Often, the feeling of being hungry can grow to such an extreme level that you might start feeling intense pain. With the maple syrup in the mix, your body is still able to get a decent amount of the vitamins and minerals it needs on a daily basis, while at the same time it contains enough sugar to satisfy your stomach’s biological need for food.

 

 

Beauty of Spring in the Summer – Botanical Garden

Working in a garden is an all-round health booster. Some people, especially women, love taking care of their gardens and are passionate about gardening as a personal interest/hobby. Gardening is not only for nature lovers but it can also help improve your health and induce a therapy for your stressed-out mind. Additionally, when a gardener grows fruits and vegetables etc in their garden, they are more likely to eat them as they have invested their time, money and hard work in them. Understandably, these vegetables and fruits help us gives life to our brain cells and protects one from aging.

Gardening is the Best Health-Booster!

 

Following are the ways in which you may be able to use gardening as a stress reliever and health-booster:

1. Gardening gives you a break from the general rush of life. This not only benefits your general well-being but specifically enhances your strength and flexibility. Moreover, weeding, raking, digging, and lifting serve to increase stamina and build muscle tone. Such activities not only improve your physical fitness but also help reduce depression and anxiety.
2. Greenery in a garden helps ease your muscles and lowers your blood pressure. Generally speaking, green is a cool color which has a calming and serene effect on your mental health and state of mind.
3. Gardening gives you an excellent opportunity to grow vegetables and Fruits which have a high nutrition value and also taste a lot better than the ones available in the market. It is observed that gardeners tend to eat more fruits and vegetables than others and consider their healthy eating patterns to be one of the rewards. A few easily grown vegetables and fruits in your house garden are cabbage, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, mangoes, carrots etc.
4. An hours of moderate gardening will result in 300 calories burnt, on average. Essentially, gardening acts as a natural gym for a gardener and helps you exert off unwanted calories. So, gardening also helps reduce your weight and saves you from diseases related to obesity.
5. Gardening also provides various items which can make your skin look healthy. A good example is Aloe Vera which helps heal chronic skin disorders like acne skin and minor burns etc. Herbal medicines can also be extracted and processed from your own garden if you have the time and knowledge.
6. When you work in your Garden, you absorb the light and heat of the sun which helps produce Vitamin D in your body. Vitamin D helps prevent from 16 different types of cancer including pancreatic, lung, breast, ovarian, prostate and colon cancers etc
Hope you find these tips interesting enough to adopt gardening as an active hobby. Stay good, stay fit=)

Lemon Queen loves full sun, is an annual, and grows between 5′ and 7′ tall. It is also the sunflower variety being grown for a multi-year bee count project to gather information about native bee populations

How To Grow An Organic Sunflower in Your Garden!!!!!

 Here’s the thing – sunflowers are easy to grow in almost any well-drained soil. If you want continuous bloom, sow a new crop every 2-4 weeks up until 3 months before first fall frost and you will have total sunflower domination in your neighborhood for months. Gently push the seeds in the ground, water the first week or two, then ignore. Do not fertilize or spray with chemicals of any kind – no need – as you will be amazed at the results.

Annual. Lemon Queen is the sunflower variety being grown for a multi-year bee count project to gather information about native bee populations. More than 100,000 citizen-scientists across the U.S. and Canada participate in the research by counting the number of bees that visit their Lemon Queen plants. Bees and other pollinating insects are attracted to the nectar and pollen provided by the large, pale lemon yellow colored flowers with dark brown centers. Majestic, branched plants provide gorgeous cut flowers throughout the summer. Easy to grow in almost any well-drained soil. In areas with a long growing season, sow a new crop every 2-4 weeks up until 3 months before first fall frost for continuous bloom.

FLAME OF THE FOREST

A native of Madagascar, it is a well known shade tree, up to 60 feet high with rapid growth. The spreading branches form a large rounded crown. Propagated by seeds and mascots of woody branches, The Flame of the Forest does well in good well drained soil. During the flowering seasons, trees turn into a mass of red color. When planted in an avenue, the sight is magnificent. Flowers are faintly scented, scarlet, one Patel white red spots

How To Plant Bush Green Beans !!!!

Many people that are new to vegetable gardening may be wondering what are bush green beans. Bush green beans are also commonly referred to as green beans, string beans, or snap beans. There are typically two types of green beans most vegetable gardeners grow – pole beans, which grow as a climbing vine, and bush beans, which grow as a bush.
Bush green beans grow different than pole beans because bush beans grow as a bush and are generally grown in rows, similar to butter beans. Planting bush beans is really not much different than planting pole beans. They both require similar planting depths, but the spacing is a bit different
Here is how I plant bush green beans.
Preparing The Bush Green Bean Seeds
Just like pole beans, bush green beans should be soaked in a shallow container with warm water over night to speed up the germination process. The bush bean seeds will swell up as they soak up some of the water. Once the seeds have soaked overnight, drain out the water. The bush green bean seeds are now ready to be planted.
Here is how I plant bush green beans.

Preparing The Bush Green Bean Seeds!!!!!

Just like pole beans, bush green beans should be soaked in a shallow container with warm water over night to speed up the germination process. The bush bean seeds will swell up as they soak up some of the water. Once the seeds have soaked overnight, drain out the water. The bush green bean seeds are now ready to be planted.

You may find some seeds that have split apart or are broken. Just add these to the compost pile or discard. Don’t try to plant them because they probably will not germinate.

Preparing The Garden Row or Garden Bed For Planting !!!!

Bush green beans should be grown in fertile soil amended with good compost or organic matter and have adequate drainage. I will be growing my bush beans in a row this year. For planting in rows, bush beans need to be spaced about eight to twelve inches apart

Planting The Bush Green Bean Seeds!!!!

First, place two bush green bean seeds at eight inch intervals down the center of the entire row. Just place the seeds on top of the soil for now. Continue placing the bush bean seeds on top of the soil at eight inch intervals until you run out of seeds or run out of row; whichever comes first.

Bush bean seeds typically need to be planted at a depth of 1-1/2 inches deep. Make sure to read the seed packet for the planting depth of your particular bush beans. Here I am planting 'Early Contender' bush beans.

Bean, Contender Bush
Great bean flavor.
A heavy cropper of round-oval pods with strong,distinctive flavor. One of the best bush beans ever. Ready to harvest in 55 days.
Product Details
Days to Maturity: 55  days
Sun: Full Sun 
Spread: 18-30  inches
Sowing Method: Direct Sow 
  

Days to pick the first ripe fruit from the time the plant is transplanted in the garden.

 The Hole Method of Planting Bush Green Beans!!!!

To plant the seeds, I simply take my index finger and poke a hole in the soil 1-1/2 inch deep right beside the bush green bean seeds I placed on top of the soil. By poking the hole right beside the seeds, the seeds will just fall right in the hole on their own

Once the seeds fall into the hole, use your finger to gently tap the seeds in the hole to make sure they seat properly in the soil. Avoid pushing the seeds deeper into the soil, just make sure the seeds are seated in the soil. This is to make sure the seeds come in good contact with the soil for proper growth after the seeds germinate.

Now simply cover the hole with soil and give it a light pat with the palm of your hand. Again, do not pat too hard as this is to just make sure the seed contacts the soil well.

Continue this process until all the seeds have been planted along the row.

The Push Method of Planting Bush Green Beans!!!!

Another method for planting bush beans is to simply use your index and middle fingers to push the bush beans seeds down into the soil to plant them. Simply take those two fingers and place them on top of the seeds. Gently push the seeds down into the soil until you get to the second knuckle of your fingers. This is typically about an inch and a half deep

Once you have the bush bean seeds at the proper depth, simply cover the hole with soil and gently pat with the palm of your hand. Continue this method for all of the bush bean seeds along the row until finished

Water The Bush Green Bean Seeds!!!

Once all of the bush green bean seeds are planted, give the entire row or bed a drink of water or compost tea. Thoroughly water them each day to keep them consistently moist but not soggy. The bush green bean seedlings should emerge in six to fourteen days. After the seedlings have reached about three inches high, thin them out so there is one plant every eight inches.

 

 

What is Organic Gardening - The Basics for Gardening Organically

Question: What is Organic Gardening - The Basics for Gardening Organically?

What does it mean to have an organic garden? Does organic gardening mean you have to put up with insects eating your plants or unattractive flower beds? 

Answer: The short answer is that organic gardening means not using synthetic products, including pesticides and fertilizers. Ideally, organic gardening replenishes the resources as it makes use of them. Like feeding depleted soil with composted plants, or planting legumes to add nitrogen to an area that had been planted with heavy feeder. The bigger picture involves working in cooperation with nature, viewing your garden as a small part of all the natural system.

Here are some basics to get you started with organic gardening:

What is Meant by Organic Matter?

Organic matter is decaying plant and animal waste. It includes everything from compost, grass clipping, dried leaves and kitchen scraps to manures and fish heads. Organic matter is used as a soil amendment or conditioner. It can be worked into the soil of a new garden or used as a top dressing or mulch in an existing garden.

What's so Important About the Soil?

One of the basic tenants of organic gardening is to "Feed the soil and the soil will feed the plants". It's really common sense. Plants get water, air and nutrients from the soil. Clay soil is higher in nutrients than sand and hold water better. Sometimes it holds water too well and the plants can't get enough air. Sandy soil is well drained, but can use some amending to make it great garden soil. This is where organic matter comes into play. Adding organic matter improves any soil's texture as well as attracting soil organisms that create nutrients in the soil.

How Do You Control Pests and Diseases without Chemicals?

Organic gardening doesn't mean you have to share your apples with the worms, but you will probably have less than pristine looking plants and produce. Since you are trying to garden in cooperation with nature, sometimes you have to accept the occasional pest in the garden. Your first line of defense should be vigilance. Inspect your plants regularly for signs of a problem and take action quickly. Keep in mind that not every insect is a foe and that action doesn't necessarily mean pesticide.

• There are many organic pesticides available, but first make certain that there is a problem and that you know what it is. You can live with a little damage. Some insects, like the 4-lined plant bug, do their damage and then move on for the season.
• Consider if you are having a pest problem because your plants are stressed and don't have the resources to defend themselves.
• Interplanting and diversity will protect you from losing an entire crop to an infestation. Large swaths of a single plant are pretty, but are also a landing strip for interested insects.
• Many insects and larger animals are considered beneficial, preying on the insect pests. Reaching for the spray can every time you see a pest, you will be killing of the beneficials too. Lady bugs and parasitic wasps enjoy an aphid banquet. Birds will munch on grubs. Frogs, lizards and even snakes all contribute to the balance in your garden and prevent a pest population from becoming a problem.
  
• Barriers prevent problems. Floating row covers prevent moths from landing and laying eggs. Yellow sticky traps can easily catch dozens of flying pests. Foil collars around the base of plants will foil cut worms and many borers.
• There will probably come a time when you will need to apply a pesticide or lose your plants. Organic or natural pesticides can be very effective and are usually less toxic to wildlife, pets and humans than synthetic pesticides. Many organic controls can target specific problems, such as using Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a type of bacteria, that kills caterpillars, but not much else. Just be sure that you know what the problem is before you treat it and that you always follow the label instructions.

What Else Is Involved in Gardening Cooperatively with Nature?

There are many elements that can contribute to a healthy garden climate.

• Select plants that are suited to your site conditions. Plants that are happy with their growing conditions will be healthier than plants that are stressed. Stressed plants are very attractive to pests. Don't choose plants that require full sun if you live in a shady woodland. Similarly, don't select plants that like a moist environment if you have sandy soil and lots of sunshine.
• Mulching your garden beds serves multiple purposes. Mulch suppresses weeds, conserves water, moderates soil temperature, feeds the soil, prevents erosion and is attractive to boot.
• As mentioned above, create diversity in your garden. A mix of plants will attract more beneficial insects and prevent a problem from spreading throughout your garden.
• Most importantly, get to know your plants so that you will notice if a problem is manifesting Nature is cyclical and learning the seasonal changes your plant will go through can help you anticipate problems. Organic gardening is a constantly evolving dance that allows you to be a full participant in your garden.