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	<title>House Sitters Port Elizabeth</title>
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	<description>Taking Care of yor House and Pets When your not there.</description>
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		<title>Strating your own Herb Garden</title>
		<link>http://www.house-sitters-ec.co.za/strating-your-own-herb-garden/</link>
		<comments>http://www.house-sitters-ec.co.za/strating-your-own-herb-garden/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:23:16 +0000</pubDate>
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				<category><![CDATA[Gardening]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Herb Garden]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[House Sitters]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Port Elizabeth]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.house-sitters-ec.co.za/?p=6</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[







Herbs have a long history of use in many ancient cultures, such as Egypt and China. Herbs are referred to in the Bible and many medieval documents indicate that herbs were used by most families.  Herbs are grown for many purposes, not just for flavouring foods and making teas.  Potpourris are made from [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Herbs have a long history of use in many ancient cultures, such as Egypt and China. Herbs are referred to in the Bible and many medieval documents indicate that herbs were used by most families.  Herbs are grown for many purposes, not just for flavouring foods and making teas.  Potpourris are made from herbs as well as medicines and pest repellants.  The herbs a gardener</p>
<p>chooses can fulfill many of these purposes or be grown for one single purpose.  Herbs are compatible with other plants both indoors and out.</p>
<p>A variety of methods for growing herbs may be chosen.  Many people enjoy growing their herbs indoors in the kitchen where they will make use of them for culinary purposes. A small plot of about four by six feet outdoors will grow an abundance of herbs for a small family.  In addition to being grown for cooking, herbs are appreciated for their fragrant foliage and beautiful flowers.  Herbs are useful both fresh and dried.  You may see fresh herbs garnishing a plate, accenting a salad or giving a little extra flavour to a main dish.</p>
<p>Plants are classed as annuals and perennials.  They may grow as a small plant, a shrub, or a tree.  All herbs like well drained soil.  Heavy or compacted soil can be amended with organic matter.  Herbs do not need a rich soil, so you may omit the fertilizer.  Herbs generally are sun seeking.  A few like full shade, though.  Afternoon shade is alright for herbs usually.  A pleasant surprise is that insects and diseases seldom attack herbs.  An exception is the red spider mite that seeks out low growing plants in dry hot weather and aphids that like certain plants like dill, caraway, anise and fennel.  Mint family herbs are affected by rust.</p>
<p>When growing herbs there is the choice of purchasing ready grown plants or starting directly from seeds.  There is a feeling of pride involved with starting from seeds and nurturing the plants all the way through the full circle, from seed to seedling, plant, mature plant and seed again. It is meaningful to harvest the useful plant parts.</p>
<p>Most herbs can be started from seed.  Late winter is the time to start your herbs in a shallow pot or box.  Soil should not be heavy and it should drain quickly.  Remember that herbs have shallow roots and do not cover them too deeply.  The finer a seed you are sowing the more shallow it needs to be sown.  Spring is the season to transplant the seed. There are a few herbs that should be started directly in the soil because they do not transplant well.  Some of these are dill, anise, fennel and coriander.  Plant them where you would like them to grow in your garden.</p>
<p>Always keep learning as you grow herbs in your home or in your garden.  It is an easy skill but there is always more to know and understand.  Use this article as a starting point and follow through by doing a little more research.  Best of luck in your gardening efforts.</p>
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		<title>Landscape Design for the Beginner</title>
		<link>http://www.house-sitters-ec.co.za/landscape-design-for-the-beginner/</link>
		<comments>http://www.house-sitters-ec.co.za/landscape-design-for-the-beginner/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:21:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gardening]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[House Sitters]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Landscaping]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Port Elizabeth]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.house-sitters-ec.co.za/?p=4</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There is no doubt that the field of landscape design ideas is a large one &#8211; many people spend years studying it as a hobby or as a profession. The good news is that in most cases if you follow a few simple rules it is easier than you think to make your garden look [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>There is no doubt that the field of landscape design ideas is a large one &#8211; many people spend years studying it as a hobby or as a profession. The good news is that in most cases if you follow a few simple rules it is easier than you think to make your garden look great. Landscaping your garden can be a great way to either increase the appeal of your house for potential buyers or just create a more aesthetically pleasing garden for you and your family.</p>
<p>So what is the definition of landscape design</p>
<p>? In straightforward terms it is changing the land that you live on in a way to improve it aesthetically. In many cases for more advanced landscape design you would have to hire a professional landscaper, but if you are just in need of making a few small adjustments such as changing the design of the garden, then with a bit of research you should be able to do it yourself. Landscape designers will usually be able to do a lot more than you can, but the downside is that they can be expensive.</p>
<p>The problem that many people have is that the term seems so grand that they don&#8217;t know where to start. In reality, landscape design can simply mean changing around where your plants are in the garden. In some cases it can also mean much more complex jobs such as changing the layout of the land.</p>
<p>When you are thinking about getting started in landscape design there are some basic rules that you should follow. The first of them is color &#8211; as you probably already know, color is vitally important if you want your garden to look its best. The second is balance. You need to make sure that your garden appears balanced to anyone viewing it. This doesn&#8217;t necessarily mean that it has to be symmetric, although if you are a beginner then this will often be the easiest way to start.</p>
<p>When you are first starting out it is also important to understand the concept of simplicity. So many times beginner landscapers get caught up in what they are doing and don&#8217;t realize that they are over complicating things. A cluttered or over-complicated garden will not look its best and often the simplest designs will be the ones to go for.</p>
<p>These are a few of the basic rules of getting to grips with landscape and design but it is a huge field and you need to take your time to learn as much as you can. Take your time, read everything you can about good landscape design, experiment with different layouts, and before long you will feel comfortable designing your own landscape.</p>
<p>Landscape design is an art, and the joy of seeing and experiencing your finished product is well worth the effort expended. The satisfaction received from such efforts is well worth the time spent.</p>
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