Gardening

[Medo]

Hello,

I am looking for sites that deal in gardening, where a beginner can get some basic information on topics like planting and caring for vegetables

Thank you


Medo

[Atomic Rooster]

My wfie suggested these:

Better Homes and Gardens


Garden Web
Links to different gardening sites

[Medo]

Hello,


Jesus are you all so tech minded that you don't care for a little a green staff (vegetables) in your back yard ......!!!!

Thank you for answer AR. I am really the beginner.

Medo

[Atomic Rooster]

Hey, your welcome. We like to plant some green stuff (veggies, flowers) occasionally in the back yard.

Of all the sites I have in my favs I don't have any gardening ones except for seeds. I have about a dozen books on gardening. I enjoy sitting by the garden and reading when possible.


If you are just starting out I would recommend reading about organic gardening. There are many benefits of gardening this way, though it is more work at first but once your garden is established it will be less work. Some of the benefits are; no or very few chemicals in your food, you don’t need to buy fertilizer every year once you get it going because you recycle what you don’t use (by composting), your plants will be stronger, healthier and will bear more fruit and veggies.





A great book to start with would be The Organic Garden Book , which happens to be out of print. If you plan to start your plants out from seed then I would also recommend readingThe New Seed Starter's Handbook. Both of these books are very comprehensive.

The Organic Garden Book

Book Description
This paperback manual sets out effective strategies for working with, rather than against, nature. Illustrated in full-color showing exactly how to use a comprehensive range of chemical-free techniques, the book enables readers to create an outdoor environment that will not harm children, pets, or wildlife. The emphasis is on growing naturally better-tasting fruits and vegetables and cultivating healthy plants in healthy soil.





The New Seed-Starter's Handbook

What a wonderful book! A wealth of information covering not only seed-starting, but all you need to know to be successful: some basic botany (how seeds germinate, the parts of a plant, and how they grow)proper seed-starting mediums, lighting, fertilizing,transplanting, moving your seedlings outdoors, pests...you name it! I do a great deal of seed-starting each year and wondered how much new information I could glean from this book..it didn't disappoint one bit. Highly recommended!

Here are a couple more from a quick search.

http://t.webring.com/webring?ring=organic;list

http://colleenscorner.com/Garden.html

http://www.healthshaman.com/links/gardening.html

http://www.cyber-north.com/gardening/

[Sweet]

Hi Medo!

Really meant to reply sooner. This is one of my favorite topics! I do have to admit that I am really unfamiliar with Australia's growing conditions. I'd imagine though that you can find something similiar to our USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. An example of it is here...

http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/

This should give you a starting point as far as determining planting dates and the varieties of plants that will grow in your area.

Another suggestion would be to get a calendar and label it your gardening calendar. This may seem like alot of work, but will come in real handy in the years to come. You also can easily count backwards from your lfd (last frost date) to begin starting seeds. I would suggest that you try both starting some of the simple seeds and using transplants from your local nursery.

Your local nursery will be a big information place, once you can find one with knowledgeable people that you can trust.

What are your goals? Do you want to grow veges, cut flowers, exotics, perennials, fruits, container gardening, herbs etc....

Next, get a good google search for catalogues that you can drool over.

Then think about starting a compost pile.

If you are planning on doing a raised garden, be sure to take the proper steps in planning and soil prep. Some things can't be rushed, but there are always things you can do too. Meaning, you can purchase a dump truck of "good garden soil", or just a few bags for your garden.

How big do you plan on starting and what do you want to start with.

The seasons play the biggest role in determining what you can grow.

I completed the master gardening program in Texas a decade ago and also have a small horticultural business here in LA with 30x100 and 18x24' greenhouses in my yard. I specalize in gourmet peppers and sell them wholesale.

I'd be glad to help in any questions you may have. I do know that Australia has some really unique native plants and some pretty darn good horticultural programs.

Also remember that gardening can be expensive or cheap. But be prepared for an initial investment to get going.

Good Luck!!!! Hope to hear how it's going!!!!!!

[Tom Jones]

Gardening is great...... Just a tip.....go organic as much as possible...like that good smelling manure....compost.....and there should be an ag agent in your area that will give you some good advice on the area soils. Deep tilling is the trick. Turn that soil and keep it loose and rotate where you plant and if you want more veggies.....get some bees. I don't have time for the regular honey bees, so I have a couple hives/homes of Mason bees, those little tiny blue cuties. Plant lots of flowers around the garden and you will always have a good crop.

Have fun

Tom

[Medo]

Hello (very warm –> 38 Celsius),

Thank you for your replies. Yes, I’d like to do some gardening (vegetables) in our backyard because the taste of home-grown (organic) tomato, cucumber (and others) is so different/better than those brought from greenmarket or supermarket. I do not have experience and I will start with a couple of veggies. I have done some reading these days and my main concern is how to protect my dear vegetables from snails, caterpillars and other small creatures who want to share the benefit of my garden. I want to use natural protections and so far I have only found a few articles about it (eg. garlic juice).

Have a nice day gardening!


Medo

[Sweet]

Hope it's going well so far with the garden.

Organic gardening is good, but it has it's bad side too. Just because a chemical is called organic doesn't necessarily mean it is safe. Some organic chemicals are much worse than a inorganic chemical.

Ya might want to look into what's called IPM. Integrated Pest Management. It takes into consideration the type of problem and uses the least environmentally harmful way.

If slugs and snails are a problem, they can be easily dealt with with 3 materials. You can give em a little swimming pool (shallow pan, 1 -2 oz) of beer for them to drown in. (Ugh) Or if you really want to get em, pour some common table salt on em and either watch or don't as they shrivel and writhe as the salt pulls the water out of their little soft bodies. Another solution is the use of diatomacious earth sprinkled around the plants. This is a gardening product (not the pool use one) and is made from the microscopic diatoms in the oceans. Their crystalline structure is sharp and harms the soft bodies of the critters. The best way to deal with em is to avoid attracting em in the first place. They love to hide under pieces of wood for example. So cleanliness is important for prevention.

Ok now for the caterpillers. The best and most effective product for all types of caterpillers is an organic product called Bt or Bacillus thurengensis. It will take care of the problem pretty quick. Of course if you want to grow a butterfly garden, then you actually are going to want these around. It's just how you look at it. Picking em off and squishing em is common practice too...

Now for the mites and aphids. These are the critters one is most likely to get here in the States. My favorite thing to use on these is an insecticidal soap product. Read directions, works well.

Of course the best way to deal with all of this is to look at the plants often and if you see a problem, try and identify the culprit and use the best method to deal with it. If you don't know what it is you could take a leaf to your garden center for more insight. Also a neat thing to do is to talk to other gardeners, even the old folks who can give ya some good advice.

The easiest veges to grow IMO are peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, radishes, and beans. Good Luck......... I'll help all I can and I just hope this info helps you a bit.

[fyxxer32]

I'd like to do some gardening too,now that I've a bit more time. But I think I'd like a TILLER! VROOM VROOM! Really pulverize that dirt!