Elegant What's the Difference from a Farm Pond to a Koi Pond?

What's the Difference From a Farm Pond to a Koi Pond?

First they both involve water, Koi fish, plants and natural inhabitants. One of the big differences is where they get their water from, how it's treated or filtered.

A Koi pond is generally built with a pond liner to hold and maintain the water level.
A farm pond typically is built with the ground you walk on. The material needed is high clay content subsoil found below the topsoil. Using the earth to build the pond they are called earth pond and earthen dam. Even having enough clay content, water will seep a small amount like having small leaks but generally ok as long as the water supply can keep up with the leak. On the other hand finding you do not have enough clay content you will need a pond liner.

The major difference between the two is where the water comes from. With the Koi pond the water can be supplied by a well, city service, even trucked in for the bigger ones. Water treatment may need to be applied to remove the chlorine.

The farm pond water supply is added naturally from up to three different sources. These sources include underground springs and small seeps, part of a nearby stream can be diverted to the pond (with proper permits) and the watershed above the pond (rain). Typically the springs and seeps will be clean water, but check the water quality of the stream. The watershed should be a grassy field or a wooded lot, not a pasture for live stock or crops.

Another distinct difference is in their construction. The farm pond is below ground allowing the water to enter naturally from the top. The Koi pond is above ground where the water is added artificially. It is all in the terminology having the earth pond in a populated area is not a good idea.

Where is the water coming from? Do the neighbors have pets? Do they use fertilizer or other lawn enhancements? What else could be in their backyard that could end up in your pond? Therefore the above ground pond is the way to go if living in a populated area. Having a few acres in a less populated area you could have a below or earth ground pond, the farm pond.

Awesome Using Herbs from a Home Herb Garden

Using Herbs From a Home Herb Garden

Herbs have played an important role in the lives of people since the dawn of time. Historically, herbs have been used for cooking, health, beauty and more. Today, herbs in dried and fresh form are available at any supermarket but growing them at home is economical, fun and easy, and nothing beats using fresh herbs from a home herb garden.

The herbs chosen should reflect the needs and desires of the gardener. Some of the best herbs for a kitchen garden include thyme, rosemary, flat leaf parsley, basil, chives,oregano, cilantro and dill. Oregano, parsley and basil are instrumental in Italian cooking. Rosemary and thyme are fantastic with meat and poultry and cilantro is essential in Latin cooking.

There are, however, many other ways to use herbs from a home herb garden besides cooking. The best herbs for household uses include lavender, chamomile, aloe and mint. Lavender can be used in sachets to impart a floral scent and discourage moths or it can be put in pillows to encourage sleep. Sprinkled in bath water, it promotes relaxation and stress reduction. Keep a pot of Aloe growing in the kitchen for quick relief of burns. Simply snip a leaf, cut it open, remove the gel from the inside of the leaf and apply it directly to the affected area.

A bath soak made of chamomile, powdered milk and oatmeal will not only relax the senses but smooth and soften the skin. Mint is well known as a digestive aid as mint tea will settle discomfort. Breathing in a mixture of mint leaves in hot water will help to clear sinuses.

Most herbs require frequent harvesting to discourage flowering. When parsley flowers, for example, the leaves yellow and the plant becomes bitter. If frequent harvests cannot be used fresh, drying herbs is relatively simple and can be kept for months to use later, when fresh herbs may not be available.

A home herb garden can be a large area in the yard, a part of the vegetable garden, a pot on the porch or a small container in the kitchen window. No matter how it is set up, using herbs from a home herb garden is satisfying and fun as well as being economical and environmentally friendly. It is always nice to grab those fresh herbs , put it in that pot of stew, and savor that flavor knowing you were the one that had grown that herb yourself. What a good feeling that is.

By: Keith Greene

New Herb Gardening from Five Thousand Feet

Herb Gardening From Five Thousand Feet

At some point in your life as an herb gardener, you're going to get right down to ground level, and even below it!  But for this article, we're going to stay up a little higher and take a wider look at herb gardening. It appears that mankind has used herbs for as long as history has been recorded, and archeologists have found evidence of herbs being placed in the tombs of well-to-do or important individuals, attesting to the value placed on the plants.

Today gardeners still enjoy the many benefits of growing and using their own herbs.  Some are grown as flavorings.  Others for the scent they lend to home-made potpourri.  For teas, for medicinal purposes or even for control of pests, herbs are planted, nurtured and put to use for many different reasons.

Not only are the uses for a herb garden varied, but so is their form.  A gardener may plant for a very specific reason and purpose, or for a wide intent.   He or she might choose to introduce a few herbs into the family vegetable garden, or create a separate garden for herbs alone.

Herbs can occupy almost any space for growing.  A full outdoor garden or a small plot (you don't need a lot of space to enjoy your herb garden).  A few pots on the deck, a window planter or even some indoor containers in the kitchen, front room, or unused corner of a sunlight bedroom can all be welcome homes for herbs.  Many gardeners will have both indoor and outdoor locations and enjoy their gardens year round.

Herbs prefer well-drained soil.  If your soil is more clay-like, add compost, peat moss or even potting soil, and work it in well to loosen up the native soil.  Outdoor herbs, planted in good soil, probably won't need fertilizer, but you might have to supplement potted plants.

Most herbs enjoy full sun, but like all plants, each have their preferences and you'll need to research each plant to find out how much light, or shade, it prefers or can tolerate.

Herbs are quite resistant to diseases and insect infestations but not totally immune.  Keep an eye out for aphids, spider-mites, rust and some forms of mold.

You can buy starter herb plants, from the nursery, and put them into your garden, or you can start with seeds yourself.  Be aware, though, that some herbs are much more difficult than others to start from a seed.

When planting from seeds, do so in light, shallow soil.  Generally speaking, the finer the seed the shallower it should be planted.  Many gardeners will start their seeds, indoors, in late winter to be ready for transplant outdoors in the spring.  Be aware that you may not have success transplanting certain herbs (dill, for example, or coriander).  Wait until you can get outside and seed these in your garden or outdoor containers directly.

Regardless of whether you start with seeds or seedlings, you'll find growing and caring for your herbs, and finally harvesting them and putting them to use, to be a very satisfying experience -- so much more so than simply running to the store for a bundle of herbs.

Whether you're just "putting in a few things" to test the waters, or you want to dive whole-heartedly into your herb gardening experience, it's always a good idea to seek the advice of experts to learn what you can expect and to get yourself off to the proper start.

There are many different sources of information, including our website, that you can access as you prepare. The staff at your local nursery can be extremely helpful, and they'll be able to advise you well for your particular climate.  If you have a community garden in your area, you can seek the advice of other like-minded gardeners.  Although many will guard their secrets closely, most will be happy to talk with you and share their experiences.

Whatever form your herb garden takes, as a start, and in the years to come, I wish you all the best and the greatest of success in your endeavors with herbs.