Hello everyone. I was wondering if anyone could suggest a good book or website for a complete newbie to the gardening world? I want to grow herbs for cooking and pretty flowers. I tried to read some posts and articles, but I think before any of it will make sense to a beginner, I need a good introductory reading. Something that explains these zones, how to find out what plants are good to grow where I live and when, what does harvest mean....etc. I have no idea what kind of soil I have, what kind of tools I need, what kind of fertilizer, if any, to use. I am interested in growing rosemary, garlic, thyme, oregano, basil, garlic, etc. If anyone can point me in the right direction I would be so thankful. Maybe I just need to get a "Gardening for Dummies"? Thank you for reading :) Happy New Year to all.
~Dana~
Need a place to start =D
Oh, you are going to have such fun.
I can't suggest any certain books on herbs, but the internet itself is a good place to start.
you might start by finding out what you are going to use each of your herbs for. There are several kinds of garlic and basil for example. maybe you could start with some basic kinds? Are there any herb clubs in your area?
Soil, a science in itself. You could have your soil tested by you local extension service? Do you have a compost pile? A great way to improve your soil and be environmentally correct.
Dana; There is a Gardening for Dummies book. Go to www.Amazon.com and click on search for books, then type in the name Gardening for Dummies. You can get some used paperbacks that are quite inexpensive.
I am a pretty good example of a dummy gardener. Even though I have found a lot of things I can grow, I'm still exploring everything else. (gardening for -2 years)
First thing you need to find out is what zone you are in. www.usna.usda.gov/hardzone Click on that link it will take you to the map. The packaging on plants and seeds will tell which zones the plants can live in or what temperature can be withstood.
If you are in a zone in La that doesn't get too cold, you may be able to start growing herbs now. Pick up a few small plants at your home depot or lowe's, plant them in full sun, water as instructed and see what happens.
In time you will learn what grows in your area and what grows in your own yard. Here in So. Florida I have found that my garden edibles have to be moved for the seasons. When it says full sun, in our summers, it can't be full all day sun but in the winter and spring, it can be.
Just don't be afraid to give it a try.
Right now I'm trying to learn to take seeds from flowers. I'm an idiot, can't tell a seed from chaff. LOL
Good luck
Molly
Dana...WELCOME to DG!
I think you'll find this website is great for newbies, as well as the more "seasoned" gardeners. Lots of good sharing here. The main thing is to remember "there are no dumb questions" and that you should feel perfectly comfortable asking about anything you don't understand or want some clarification on. Trust me, people will happily jump outta the woodwork to help you out.
A really great herb book you might like is "Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs". It is written in easy to read laymans language, comes with great pics, explains many basics, tells you the zones, has individual entries of herbs and those tell you when to plant, how, what temps/climate they grow best in. It also tells you what the herb is good for...cooking, herbal medicine, ornamental, for craft use. It gives the history and misc tidbit info.
That really is the book for you! (I bet you could pick up a used copy on Amazon.com.)
Be seeing you around the Garden!
Thank you very much :) Kathy Jo, I am hoping to grow herbs for cooking purposes. There ARE so many different types of garlics and such. I will definitely be researching those and looking to see if there are any herb clubs. I am now a military wife, as well as an officer in the reserves, so I am trying to get domesticated. The yard is pretty small - I have nothing to make a compost pile with. Maybe I can buy some?
MollyMc, I just moved from Tampa, FL. Although this is a small town, we DO have a Super Wal-Mart and Lowe's. I am sure there are all sorts of little gardening places around here, I just never paid attention. I have already made a huge list of what herbs and flowers I would like to grow.
Horseshoe, that book sounds awesome. I am going to look it up on Amazon right now. I am really impressed with this site because I have been subscribed to about 12 different sites to join message boards about each different subject I am interested in. But at GD, everything I need and want is right here - from Pets to cameras to gardening and recipes. I am very excited and I will see you all on several boards here. Once again, thank you for a warm welcome.
Dana, look in the yellow pages under Mulch. There are places in most cities where you can buy mulch in bulk (if you gave access to a truck) and many of them carry composted manure as well. It's MUCH cheaper than the bags of compost at the garden centers.
Do a search (here or on the internet) for "worm composting" which you can do in a tub on your back porch and use all your kitchen vegetable scraps.
You might also do a search here for "garden books". I remember we had a thread in the Media Forum about good garden books a year or more ago. Might even have been 2 years.
A BIG help to gardening newbies is to read, and read, and read the Frequently Asked Questions Forum.
This message was edited Jan 3, 2004 8:31 PM
in a google search, i came up with these books:
"Your backyard herb garden" by miranda smith
"the complete herb garden: a practical guide to growing herbs"
by john stevens
"the complete herb gardener" by paul seitz
"the complete book of herbs" by lesley bremness
"New Encyclopedia of Herbs and their uses" by deni brown
and lots more ...
here's a link to these books and more
http://www.dropbears.com/b/broughsbooks/nature/herb_gardening.htm
Kim
See if you can find a stable or rabbitry near you that will let you have the stable &/or under the cage cleanings for removing them. Is there a fair grounds nearby that is active several weeks/months of the year? Contact them for stable/barn cleanings. Hog farmers who doesn't use the pits for droppings? Chicken farmers-large scale like Tyson contract people-who need to clean the huge barns periodiacally.
Worm raising will yield some marvelous compost and turns all kinds of waste into very usable compost and mulch.
I agree that Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs is a Bible on herb growing and usage. Rodale's has or at least had a book club a few years ago. You might want to consider joining it. EBay is also a good source of books, plants, tools, etc. for gardeners.
Hi DanaFL78!
I don't have a recommendation for a book on herbs, but I do have two to recommend on flowering ornamentals for Louisiana. The first is "Louisiana Gardener's Guide" by Dan Gill and Joe White. Dan is the Horticulture expert on WWL TV and the Times-Picayune here in New Orleans, as well as a horticulture agent for the Orleans Parish Cooperative Extension Service. It's an excellent book for beginners.
The second is "The New Orleans Garden" by Charlotte Seidenberg. It's more comprehensive and even has a sub-chapter titled "The New Orleans Herb Garden." Don't be intimidated by it's size - think of it as more of a reference book. There are parts that do make an interesting read, though. It may be out of print, but maybe a search on Amazon or at a used book store in your area might prove helpful.
In the meantime, I'd bet that if you went to a garden center you could find things like chives, parsley, borage, thyme, rosemary and cilantro. I just put these in my herb garden about three weeks ago.
Best of luck!
8^)
PS - Try this link. The LSU AgCenter has all sorts of info on this website.
http://www.lsuagcenter.com/nav/gardening/garden.asp
This message was edited Jan 5, 2004 2:36 PM
lol, dogbane
getting your louisiana plug in, eh?
yay for louisiana! great plants here! (that was mine.. subtle, eh?) :P
Dana, i can send you some rooted rosemary cuttings if you're interested, lmk :)
where *is* leesville at, anyway?
Kim
This message was edited Jan 5, 2004 1:42 PM
HI Kim,
The truth is that many plants listed for our zones don't do well here because of the extreme humidity. And, culinary herbs seem to be especially sensitive. Believe me, I've spent many $$$ ANNUALLY replacing herbs that were supposed to be PERENNIAL in this zone. It's worth going to a local source for this info!
8^)
oh i know it is
i was just kiddin with ya :)
i hate having plants that are supposed to be hardy to our zone but end up drowning because of the humidity
lol
it's just.. frustrating.. to say the least
what herbs have you had troubles with?
i'd like to know, so i can know what i might be planting that i'll maybe need to keep a close eye on
Kim
Sage, Lemon thyme, marjoram,and tarragon to name a few. The marjoram was unpredictable - but I ultimately gave up. I don't use it anyway. And French tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus) did nothing at all. Spanish tarragon (Tagetes ?lucida?) does really well, though. And lavender melts in about a week.
And most mints are almost uncontrollable. When I was a kid, peppermint escaped into our lawn. It was the only part of the yard I didn't mind mowing!!!
Some other that have been good for me are vetiver, lemon grass, basil (summer annual), dill and fennel, anise, garlic, leeks, lemon balm, and oregano.
And I am a big advocate of the Extension Service. They have always been very helpful to me.
8^)
i've had just the opposite experience with mints
i tried to get peppermint and spearmint to take over a section of my yard
and they just kind of .. grew a little bit, then died and that was the end of that
lol
i've tried and failed with lavender too
though it didnt die off in a couple of weeks
it just went dormant and never came back
every time i've tried to grow basil, it's never made it past the seedling stage
the same with dill.. and wormwood (artemisia absinthium)
hopefully this year, i'll have success, tho
since i'm a little more knowledgable now :)
Kim
A. absinthium, eh? Have we been reading Poppy Z. Brite???
This message was edited Jan 5, 2004 3:49 PM
no.. lol
i've only ever read a little bit of a pzb book
and that was years ago
lol
Kim