Heller Greenhouse » Gardening

What is an easy way to start gardening?

admin — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 03:10:06 +0000

I will return home at the end of July and would like to start some sort of gardening project in August. But I have never done any kind of gardening/landscaping. I have no idea what kind to buy and plant. I am completely clueless.

We live in Kansas were we experience all 4 seasons. It gets quite windy in our area. The front of the house is facing the south.

(August is not a good time of year to start gardening in the USA except for states such as south Florida)

You are gonna love gardening, don’t try to do it all in one year. Get to know where the sun shines the most, and where the shaded areas are. Because you will need flowers for the sun areas, and flowers for the shaded areas.

Since you are a beginner, this year start your garden with plants that you get from a garden center or nursery. They are called bedding plants and come in a six pack. Look for a little tag sticking in the six pact showing directions on how to grow the plants. If the tag is not there, ask for one or buy something else. Directions are VERY important.

Seeds are not always easy to grow. And wildflowers are the hardest so don’t be disappointed if they don’t show up.

Two good things to do for yourself is to call your local County Extension Service and ask for all the information that they have about gardening in your area. They usually have a packet/kit of things for the home gardener.

And number two would be to pick up a couple of beginner books. You really do need to know about soil, compost, mulch and etc.

To keep from over watering or not watering enough, buy a water analyzer from a nursery or garden center. Be sure to read the directions. This will be one of your best tools.

Send for some free gardening catalogs and get use to the different types of plants, colors, and when to plant. They are filled with good informtion and pictures. And they will keep you company during the long winter months. Here is a list of just a very few. There are hundreds more:

http://www.waysidegardens.com
http://www.dutchbulbs.com
http://www.jacksonandperkins.com (Roses)
http://www.oakesdaylilies.com (Daylilies)
http://www.caladium.com (Caladiums)
http://www.parkseed.com
http://www.burpee.com

Other catalogs:
http://www.leevalley.com
http://www.gardeners.com
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Container/pots/window boxes needs:

All need holes in the bottem for water drainage,
Potting soil that comes in bags,
Slow release fertilizer for flowers (not for green plants), OR liquid fertilizer that will need to be used more often-read directions,
Water crystals to be mixed into the soil for holding water,
Bedding plants or full grown plants.

Here is an excellent link to check out for color combinations and plants that look good together:

http://www.fernlea.com/awesomeaccents/recipes.html

What kind of gardening book should I get her?

admin — Thu, 27 May 2010 08:05:14 +0000

My mom hasn’t really ever gardened before. Last year she tried, but didn’t get into it much. We are into the whole organic foods thing so I thought we should garden to save some money on all the produce we buy. Do you know of any good gardening books for beginners like my mom?

If Square Foot Gardening is still available, it’s a great book for beginners! Not overwhelming at all. There was also a book called something like lasagna gardening……fun but if you don’t have access to the stuff, probably not practical. Gardening for Dummies………?? No offense, just they usually break it down into simple sections.

If you are in the US you can contact your Cooperative Extension Service in your county. They have gardening brochures that may be helpful. Also they have the Master Gardeners, trained volunteers to answer your (many) questions. That’s their job.

How can I overcome my fear of gardening?

admin — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 01:08:07 +0000

I tried to get into the hobby of gardening recently. I loved it until one day in my garden after removing weeds I saw the soil move by itself! I’m very superstitious and I fear that my house has being built on an ancient burial ground. I’m very scarred to go out into the garden now and I’m afraid something terrible will happen such as zombies. It makes it hard to sleep at night. I’m being very serious, how can I overcome this?

Sounds like you disturbed an earthworm or some other (very normal/natural) critter in the soil. Best advice is to just get back out there & get to know your local plants & animals. Get back in the saddle, so to speak.

Where can I buy Vermiculite for gardening other than online?

admin — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 05:12:06 +0000

Does anyone know where I can buy Vermiculite for gardening other than online?

Try your local garden center or greenhouse.

Should I wait for flower gardening or can I start now?

admin — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 02:29:20 +0000

I live in TN. So, far we have had about 2 weeks of warm weather (60s & 70s) before spring even set in. Last year, our winter ended right around this time also unlike past decade where cold weather ( < 60F) would last through April. So, should I wait a little longer or can I go ahead and start my flower gardening now?

You can start now but the ideal weather will be around a month or month n a half away. I live in southern IN and started planting last week. For your state the zone is April thru or March thru June. I cant tell exactly on the map on the back of this seed pack but it looks like your safe to start planting now.

How can I make money off of my superior gardening ability?

admin — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 13:32:09 +0000

I don’t have enough land to own a farm or any large scale cultivation project. My original idea was to grow bonsai trees, but a 4 year old tree goes for $20. I don’t see how anyone in the world can make any sustainable income off of that.

I can grow anything from cacti to flowers to a full blown tree (don’t have enough space for a tree).

Any ideas on how I can turn my gardening ability into a business?

You didn’t say how much space you do have but you might consider herbs. Many of them don’t take a lot of space and fresh ones are very popular.

Where can I find some good resources on gardening and/or greenhouses?

admin — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:33:34 +0000

I’m especially interested in learning greenhouse and gardening techniques that aren’t expensive to maintain after the initial setup costs.

I would be in a colder climate with 500-10,000 dollars to invest. Its a relaxing activity I think I’d enjoy that could pay off as fuel and energy costs continue to rise.

I’m especially interested in websites or books you think might help me out.

Thanks!

When I first started it was the library, Barnes and Nobel (they have excellent books there), your local nurseries, and of course, catalogs which have enormous amount of information describing plants, flowers and pricing of greenhouses.(www.greenhouses.com)
The best books I have found were:
Better Homes and Garden "Garden ideas and Outdoor living"
Better Homes and Gardens "New Garden Book"
"1,001 Gardening Secrets The Experts Never Tell You"
"Jerry Baker’s" numerous books(Master Gardener)and of course my favorite, Paul James"Gardening by the Yard" on HG TV. Hope that helps!

Is anyone else addicted to hay bale gardening?

admin — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:09:11 +0000

If you are hay bale gardening, tell me what plants are working for you and what plants aren’t. Do you have any helpful tips about hay bale gardening?

I started doing this 3 years ago and I love it! It is so much easier than regular gardening. You’re further off the ground, there are far fewer weeds and pests, it takes less water, you don’t have to "till" and the old hay turns into compost when you’re done!

Thanks!

Hmm…gotta say my favorite plant is eggplant. I like the Bell Peppers the least. =)

what is a good website or book to learn about gardening?

admin — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:19:07 +0000

My husband and I just bought our first home and I’m very excited about planting my own flower beds and vegetable garden. I don’t want to do anything extravagent, just basic beginner stuff until i learn more. Unfortunately I’m starting from ground zero with little to no knowledge on gardening and am in desperate need of some good resources.

hi there im from uk i grew up with organic gardening from flowers to veg gardening is all about trial and error dont set yourself too high a task flowers with low maintanance are best to start off with ie bulbs and tubers that come up every year then grow your own from seed its very rewarding and veggies tomatoes and peas are good to start off with if you want a quick result some hanging baskets with lobelia and petunia are nice roses and french marigolds are good for borders ive recently purchased a good book readers digest complete guide to gardening season by season id reccomend to anyone to get it if you require any more advice id be happy to help you can email me best of luck to you

How do you go about finding a gardening club to join?

admin — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 15:29:10 +0000

I am pretty new to the world of gardening, and I’d love to join a group where I can learn from fellow gardeners and get together, etc…the only problem is that I haven’t a clue as to how to go about finding such a group. I live in Scranton, PA. I’ve googled it every way I could think of and have come up empty.

Any ideas for me? Thanks.

The very best gardening club is the Master Gardeners. This link below will connect you to the closest chapter. These folks are serious gardeners who want to help other learn about gardening.