Backyard Orchard Culture, a New Approach to Growing Fruit Trees in Limited Spaces

This article is an introduction to the gardening technique of Backyard Orchard Culture – a system of high density planting of fruit trees which allows for a wide variety of fruit to be grown in a limited space, and harvested over a prolonged period of time. Typically, most people grow fruit trees the same wayContinue reading “Backyard Orchard Culture, a New Approach to Growing Fruit Trees in Limited Spaces”

How to Build a Capillary Watering Tray for Raising Seedlings

A self-watering capillary tray is a wicking tray with its own water supply, which can keep seedlings in pots watered. All you have to do is occasionally top up the main water reservoir, and that’s all! They’re great for watering seedlings, freshly rooted cuttings, and anything other plants that require constant moisture. How Does aContinue reading “How to Build a Capillary Watering Tray for Raising Seedlings”

How to Make Plant Labels from Recycled Plastic Containers

Plant labels are an item that gardeners use aplenty, but there’s no need to ever run out when you can make your own by recycling polypropylene plastic food grade containers. A white plastic container can be cut with a pair of scissors to produce around a dozen labels in a few minutes. The bottom ofContinue reading “How to Make Plant Labels from Recycled Plastic Containers”

How to Build an Espalier Support Trellis

What is an Espalier? An espalier (pronounced “es-PAL-yer”) is a tree that has been trained to grow in a flat plane against a wall,fence, or trellis, though the term has also been used to  describe the technique of training a tree to grow this way. The technique was invented by the ancient Romans, and furtherContinue reading “How to Build an Espalier Support Trellis”

How to Build a Timber Raised Garden Bed

A raised garden bed is an elevated garden bed that sits higher than the surrounding soil, or the ground that it sits on, and is usually supported by some sort of frame or enclosure, though this is not always the case. Timber Raised Garden Bed Construction Timber raised garden beds are built using planks ofContinue reading “How to Build a Timber Raised Garden Bed”

How to Build a Grape Vine Trellis

Here are the instructions for the construction of a basic 2.0m x 2.4m (6′ x 8′) grape vine trellis as shown below. Construction materials required are as follows: 2.4m (8ft) steel star pickets (x3) Plastic coated or galvanised wire, 2.0mm or 12 gauge (x30ft/10m) Turnbuckles (x3) – or some other means of tensioning the wireContinue reading “How to Build a Grape Vine Trellis”