Growing chilies is relatively simple and can be achieved by anyone, no matter how small a space you have even if you only have a small balcony or even only a windowsill. Below are a few tip to help you increase your crop.

1. Extend the growing season

Chillies need time, especially if you are growing in a relative cool climate. In order to get a head start on what can be a short growing season all you need to do is plant your chillie seeds and germinate them indoors. By doing so you're able to plant the seeds before the risk of frost passes as Spring arrives. By the time you can put plants outside, you should already have seedlings a few centimeters tall, giving them a good head start on the summer.

2. Use artificial lighting

Chillies love light. Again while you wait for summer to fully kick in you may find that your chillie seedlings get rather leggy (tall and spindly). This is very common amongst chillies planted too early as they grow tall and thin while trying to stretch for light. To combat the problem you could try using artificial lighting to boost their growth until you can put the plants outside.

3. Pinch out young seedlings

It is well known amongst gardeners that pinching the tops off small plants (about 15cm tall) encourages them to grow more bushy and focus less on growing tall and slim. This may seem a harsh act to commit however in the long run a bushier plant will generally produce more flowers, and that will lead to the plant producing more fruit.

4. Feed the chillies

There are many weird and wonderful feeds on the market. Though none of them are essential you may find they help. In general growing chillies can be thought of as very similar to growing tomatoes. When your plants start to fruit, feeding the with a tomato food (high in nitrogen) will help the plant increase its yield.

5. Pick the chillies

It may seem obvious but you should pick the chillie fruit as soon as they are ripe, or even just before to allow them to ripen off the plant. Picking the fruit will encourage the plant to produce more.

By: James C Kerr
For further information click here for growing chillies, grow lights or any other chilli pepper information, please visit the author's website.

What can be better than picking a fresh tomato for your salad? Or maybe picking a fresh tomato and stuffing it with something fresh and lively? Many people would say nothing!

Fresh fruits and vegetables are incredible in both color and flavor, and none are better than a tomato. In the past, people who lived in apartments found it impossible to plant or maintain a garden because of lack of space.

Creative people discovered a way to grow tomatoes in limited space, and tomato container gardening became an instant success.

Growing tomatoes in a container means , planting tomato in a containers of any size. They are especially handy when space is limited. You can plant a tomato container garden in small buckets, or large containers, it depends on how much space you have.

If you have a balcony, a tomato container garden would grow very well, the only thing you have to remember to do is water it and turn the container so all of the plants receive the benefit of sunlight.

To plant a tomato container garden, all you need is a container, preferably non-metal, potting soil, and a few small rocks to insure proper drainage.

The soil can be purchased at any home improvement store, or even in department stores. Spread the rocks over the bottom of the container and add the soil. Poke holes with your fingers and plant the seeds. Water and you are done. Your tomatoes will start growing and in a few weeks, you will have delicious, nutritious tomatoes.

One of the greatest benefits to planting a tomato container garden is that they are portable. If the weather turns cold or it is raining too much, you can bring your tomato container garden indoors to protect it from the elements.

You do not have to have a balcony to plant a tomato container garden, if you have a large room, or even a sunroom, you can turn it into an instant nursery for your newly planted garden, and the best thing is that you can have fresh, red, ripe tomatoes all year round. For some people, nothing is better.

By: Tracy Ballisager
Tracy Ballisager is stay at home mum. To read more about gardening tips and idea go to http://www.gardening-tips-idea.com

Spring is the time of year when all garden magazines are full of the plans you should be making for the season to come, but very rarely do they cover one of the most basic of gardening techniques. Sowing seeds properly is crucial if you want to ensure a good crop of flowers and vegetables in your garden. We all love to take that small flat packet of seeds and take joy in the vision of what it will produce, but like everything, a good foundation is required to ensure a good crop.

The seed contains everything that is needed to start the growth cycle of the plant and it will keep safe the promise of the future until the time is right. Most basic of those requirements is water, followed swiftly by temperature and appropriate growing conditions in terms of soil and nutrients. Then you must protect that baby plant from pests and diseases until it is strong enough to fend for itself, just as you would any newborn.

The most basic method of sowing is to use good quality seed compost which has not been stored somewhere cold. Place it in seed trays or pots so you can avoid too much thinning or pricking out later. Make sure your seeds are fresh and of good quality before sowing them gently onto the soil, not too close together, and then cover them lightly with a fine layer of compost or vermiculite. As a rule of thumb the depth of the covering should be about twice the diameter of the seed, certainly no more. If your seeds are a little shrivelled you can try soaking them. This is often done with hard coated seeds or where you are expecting a dry spell if you are intending to sow outdoors. It can speed up germination quite noticeably.

Some seeds require a little preparation before they are sown, peas and beans particularly produce seeds with hard coverings that need to be pre-treated if you want them to germinate in our somewhat artificial environments. Generally speaking I try to just chip the surface which mimics nature's action in breaking down the seed coating. If the seeds are too small to do this, like Lupins for example, I put them into a plastic tub, secure the lid and shake them for a while which just breaks up the skin - it has the added advantage of amusing everyone watching me as well!

Sowing seeds outside, especially vegetables, is usually done in rows. I always like to fill the drill with water before I plant anything, and let it drain. Again try not to sow too thickly as this will avoid wasting those precious seedlings when thinning and if you are sowing where you plan to grow, it will save a lot of labour. I must admit I don't sow flower seeds in rows all the time as I do like rather more informality in my flower garden, but where vegetables are concerned I try and sow in such a way that I can tend them easily. It might be rows or it might be in squares depending on how I intend them to grow.

Fine seeds are best mixed with some silver sand or suchlike to spread them more evenly - it can be a nightmare trying to keep all those tiny seeds evenly spread and the effort of mixing them with the sand more than pays off in time saved later. Larger seeds can be individually placed either where you are going to grow them or you could try using a little trick of mine. I save the cardboard centres of toilet paper rolls, fill those with compost and plant the seeds in those. When they are big enough to plant out I just soak the cardboard (which is generally pretty wet anyway) and plant the whole thing. You don't disturb the tender baby roots and they just grow through the wet cardboard as they develop.

Whichever method you use to plant your seeds, make sure you keep them adequately watered, using fresh clean water. Using these simple gardening techniques will ensure that you have a good supply of plants for your garden and vegetables for your table.

By: Lizzie Westerley
Lizzie Westerley has spent many pleasurable years developing her garden and her gardening skills. You can find more of her insights and information on how to make your garden equally magnificent at The Garden Magazine.

The orchid plant has been around for a very long time. In fact it was one of the very first plants to evolve. Therefore it is not surprising that there are so many species around. And therein lies the problem when it comes to knowing how to care for orchids. You can follow general advice but as that well known saying goes "the devil is in the detail".

So here we are going to only look at the care of the one species of orchid. That plant is the Phalaenopsis, also known as the Moth Orchid. It is one of the most popular varieties to grow as it is very tolerant of centrally heated homes.

The Phalaenopsis originates from Thailand and Japan. It likes warm temperatures so you must be able to provide temperatures around 65F during the winter months and 75 to 80F in summer time. Do not let night time temperature drop below 60F.

The orchid likes humidity in the range of 50 to 70%. Using a hand spray, preferably filled with rain water is a simple yet practical option. Or, in summer you could stand your plant pot on a bowl of wet pebbles but never let the bottom of the pot touch the water. Always spray in the morning so that water evaporates before nightfall. Allowing water to rest overnight in the centre of the plant is very high risk. Rot will quickly set in.

Light is vital to the health of the Phalaenopsis plant but you must shield it from direct sunlight or you risk scorching.

Good air circulation is essential. A ceiling fan on low is ideal.

The orchid will need watering on average every 4 to 6 days. Where possible use rain water. Early morning is the best time to water the plant. Do not over-water.

Regularly feed your Phalaenopsis with a specialist orchid fertilizer.

Re-potting will be necessary on average once per year. Spring is the best time for this task. Make sure the pot has good drainage and use either New Zealand sphagnum moss or a fine to medium orchid bark mix.

By: Steve Crane
Discover more about the care of Phalaenopsis and other popular orchids.
The care of orchids depends on buying the right plant. Learn how to pick a healthy plant and many more care for orchids tips.
Get step by step instruction on growing orchids in a hydroponic garden.