Comments for Starting a Garden

Comment on What’s Vermiposting And How Do I Do It? by Jerry

Jerry — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 19:59:32 +0000

I am thinking about building a raised bed for my tomatoes. I am wondering if I might be able to fill it with well mixed compost “ingredients” with some topsoil mixed in rather than using compost, per se. After filling the bed I would like to put 2-3 thousand composting worms in there and let them do the work for next year’s crop. Essentially then I would be planting my tomato plants in a bed of vermipost mixed with topsoil. Anyone have any thoughts about this idea? Once the organic materials have been digested by the worms, will they die of and thereby make the soil overly rich in nitrogen.

Comment on Popular Organic Gardening Questions and Answers by admin

admin — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 16:23:52 +0000

What a bummer. What part of the states do you live in? It’s been a very hot summer for most states, with very little rain. When did you start noticing problems with your plants?
You want to check your plants for Fusarium wilt, the telltale sign is a brown ring inside the lower stem of a dead plant.

Comment on Popular Organic Gardening Questions and Answers by katz asbury

katz asbury — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 15:06:52 +0000

my garden grew up nice and pretty, all the tomatoes and peppers had full branches of fruit and poof they all wilted up no spots just looked like they wilted and died with branches full of fruit . i dont know what to do anyone know why this would happen i have taken the fruit off and cut back the vines but i really dont want to loose it all nothing is ripening on the vine due to this problem.

Comment on The Flower Gardener’s Bible: Time-Tested Techniques, Creative Designs, and Perfect Plants for Colorful Gardens by letterm "letterm"

letterm "letterm" — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 12:47:34 +0000

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

Clear, sensible info; gorgeous pics, February 18, 2009

letterm "letterm" (Virginia) -

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This review is from: The Flower Gardener's Bible: Time-Tested Techniques, Creative Designs, and Perfect Plants for Colorful Gardens (Paperback)

I started with the Storey Books "Vegetable Gardener's Bible" and moved to this one. Really great instruction on every aspect of gardening, with excellent illustrations. It's very helpful to have lists of shade-loving plants, water-loving plants, scented plants, plants that are good in containers, etc. And there's an excellent guide showing bloom time, as well as pH charts, guides on bulb depth, compost, nutrients, etc. Really an all-around winner. Storey books have not disappointed me yet.

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Comment on The Flower Gardener’s Bible: Time-Tested Techniques, Creative Designs, and Perfect Plants for Colorful Gardens by Chuck Martin "Chuck"

Chuck Martin "Chuck" — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 11:58:30 +0000

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

Excellent!, May 4, 2008

Chuck Martin "Chuck" (Philly, PA) -

This review is from: The Flower Gardener's Bible: Time-Tested Techniques, Creative Designs, and Perfect Plants for Colorful Gardens (Paperback)

This book was an excellent read. It is loaded with tons of information, starting out with teaching you how to identify what type of garden you have, how to get the best results out of it, and then moving on to things like planning/designing, and caring for your garden. There are also several topics that cover transplanting and starting from seeds, along with other much needed information for the gardener. The final chapter is a section that will take you through many different flowers, teaching you information about them, and how to care for them.

On a final note, I want to add that this book was very easy to comprehend, and the authors took me through the book as if they were standing in the garden with me. They share the type of wisdom and knowledge that you can only gain from very experienced gardeners who have the deepest of passions for this craft of life.

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Comment on The Flower Gardener’s Bible: Time-Tested Techniques, Creative Designs, and Perfect Plants for Colorful Gardens by Ronda Thomson "Jordy's gramma"

Ronda Thomson "Jordy's gramma" — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 11:46:07 +0000

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

Fantastic book, November 17, 2005

Ronda Thomson "Jordy's gramma" (USA) -

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This review is from: The Flower Gardener's Bible: Time-Tested Techniques, Creative Designs, and Perfect Plants for Colorful Gardens (Paperback)

I would highly recommend this book for the beginner through advanced. Alot of information to reference back to.

The only thing I found in Rodales Perennials for Every Purpose that I like better- is the book is setup "Plants for every season". It has the contents list in order of blooming time. ie.. Early Spring, late spring early summer, etc

Gardeners Bible- has alot of great pics, deals alot with bulbs, cuttings, transplanting. saving seeds, planting- more so than Rodales Perennials.

Conclusion: It would be tough to decide which one I like better, I think I will have to keep them both.

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Comment on The Southern Living Garden Book: Completely Revised, All-New Edition by L. Pendleton "Book Fiend"

L. Pendleton "Book Fiend" — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 01:00:53 +0000

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

A Must Have, March 10, 2006

L. Pendleton "Book Fiend" (coastal North Carolina, United States) -

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This review is from: The Southern Living Garden Book: Completely Revised, All-New Edition (Hardcover)

This book is an absolute must have for gardners in the south! Every plant is pictured and described clearly and there are wonderful lists of plants that do well in full sun, poor soil, partial shade, and all sorts of other conditions. As I said, a definite must have!

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Comment on The Southern Living Garden Book: Completely Revised, All-New Edition by A. K. Crews

A. K. Crews — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 00:27:55 +0000

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

Wish I'd bought the hardback edition!, November 11, 2006

A. K. Crews (Atlanta, GA) -

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This review is from: The Southern Living Garden Book: Completely Revised, All-New Edition (Paperback)

We bought our first home this summer and knew we had to make big changes to the small backyard but had no idea where to begin. This was the first gardening book I bought, and I might never have to buy another! The lists of plants for various conditions is extremely helpful. The plant descriptions are thorough but easy for a beginner like me to understand. And the other gardening procedures and tips, from how to prune a shrub to how to get rid of pests and diseases are equally as readable and useful. A must-have for any Southern gardener!

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Comment on The Southern Living Garden Book: Completely Revised, All-New Edition by Alberta S. Mckay

Alberta S. Mckay — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 00:01:00 +0000

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

The best reference for the South, July 2, 2006

Alberta S. Mckay (Raleigh, NC) -

This review is from: The Southern Living Garden Book: Completely Revised, All-New Edition (Hardcover)

As the librarian for my garden club, I have a small budget to buy books that meet our needs. A happy by-product of this activity is that I learn the best ones, and I can then buy them for myself. This is one of these. A great index, cultural information, plant descriptions for almost everything (not everything, but almost) make it indispensible for us as a reference at our annual plant sale and during meetings. I would say it is the most popular book at our meetings and the one owned individually by the most members.

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Comment on The Gardener’s Bed-Book: Short and Long Pieces to Be Read in Bed by Those Who Love Green Growing Things (Modern Library Gardening) by Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 05:12:27 +0000

Gardeners Bed Book, December 11, 2010

Pegi -

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This review is from: The Gardener's Bed-Book: Short and Long Pieces to Be Read in Bed by Those Who Love Green Growing Things (Modern Library Gardening) (Paperback)

I have had this book for many years and still enjoy it. I have given over 30 copies of this book to friends and family over the years. A great bed-side book. Pegi

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Comment on The Gardener’s Bed-Book: Short and Long Pieces to Be Read in Bed by Those Who Love Green Growing Things (Modern Library Gardening) by The Compleat Anglophile

The Compleat Anglophile — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 04:59:20 +0000

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Mostly enjoyable; definitely a before-sleep book, December 6, 2010

The Compleat Anglophile (Yardley, PA, United States) -

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This review is from: The Gardener's Bed-Book: Short and Long Pieces to Be Read in Bed by Those Who Love Green Growing Things (Modern Library Gardening) (Paperback)

I am enjoying reading this book at bedtime because the author was clearly enthusiastic about gardens and gardening, and so am I. I concur with another reviewer who pointed out that the author was very well-to-do (tips usually take the form of "have xyz done," assuming you have someone to work for you), so most of us would not relate well. What bothers me most, however, is that there are a few racial and gender statements typical of phrases and attitudes in the 1920s that are quite offensive now. In fact, when the first instance cropped up, it affected my whole attitude to the writer, although I know he was a product of his time. The author's comments on the cosiness and security of home during bad weather or bad times and other domesticalities do stand the test of time, though, and I've enjoyed some laughs from his comments on visitors from the city.

All things considered, you may want to check the book out of a library and see if you like it - or can tolerate the occasional un-PC lapses.

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Comment on The Gardener’s Bed-Book: Short and Long Pieces to Be Read in Bed by Those Who Love Green Growing Things (Modern Library Gardening) by Dianne Foster "Di"

Dianne Foster "Di" — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 04:24:10 +0000

46 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

Gardening seventy years ago...., October 25, 2003

Dianne Foster "Di" (USA) -

This review is from: The Gardener's Bed-Book: Short and Long Pieces to Be Read in Bed by Those Who Love Green Growing Things (Modern Library Gardening) (Paperback)

Editor and writer Michael Pollen has added Richardson Wright's THE GARDENER'S BED BOOK (first published in 1929) to the Modern Library Garden Series. Although Wright included an entry for every day of the year plus a longer piece for each of the first 11 months, I read about ten pages a night and thus finished it in about a month. Wright was the editor-in-chief of House and Garden for thirty four years. He and his wife were upscale, maintaining homes in New York City and Connecticut. He had a hired gardener to help him mind his acreage and apparently room for pigs and chickens.

Wright says he has not written a "how-to" gardening book. However, he offers mostly useful garden suggestions at the end of each entry (for those in growing zone 5 or 6 in Connecticut), as well as a few bits of wisdom. Wright also wrote a few comments some will find offensive. Vegetarians will find his interaction with two pigs named WEE-WEE and FANNIE a bit painful. (He raised and slaughtered them during the course of the year.) African Americans may object to either one or both of two entries in the latter part of the book. (i.e., Wright and his wife collected antiques and among other items he was searching for a "yard-boy.")

Wright offers some sage advice, such as working off anger by destroying tent caterpillar nests and never giving up on a plant until you've tried it thrice. He also suggests the need for a club for men who have given up golf and taken up gardening which he views as a superior activity. He has some suggestions about tracking the weather using hard to find antiques such as a Dutch weather glass that may be more reliable than "modern" technology. (My bones are more reliable than modern technology!!) He says one should not attempt to garden on torrid days and suggests laying in the sun as long as you can in October. He laments the loss of burning autumn leaves, and fireplaces consuming cedar or apple wood. He and his wife both think of their "top" garden on days when things are tough in NYC. Wright provides insights into the life of a gentleman gardener living in a different era, but much of what he says remains salient.

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Comment on The Well-Tended Perennial Garden: Planting and Pruning Techniques by Art G

Art G — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 09:37:27 +0000

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

All season garden book, January 19, 2011

Art G -

This review is from: The Week-by-Week Vegetable Gardener's Handbook: Make the Most of Your Growing Season (Spiral-bound)

This book is a must reference guide for both beginners and experienced gardeners. In a fun way It captures in one handy place all the things necessay to have a successful and bountiful garden. Love the very informative side notes which contain a wealth of knowledge. You might want to buy two, one for the field and one for your arm chair.

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Comment on The Well-Tended Perennial Garden: Planting and Pruning Techniques by JOAN M DAVIS

JOAN M DAVIS — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 09:27:58 +0000

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

Informative...., January 23, 2011

JOAN M DAVIS -

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This review is from: The Week-by-Week Vegetable Gardener's Handbook: Make the Most of Your Growing Season (Spiral-bound)

A very affordable book for gardeners. I like the week by week format. I always start too late trying to grow seedlings missing out on some early crops. I made a bookmark with my area's frost dates and weekly dates corresponding to the book. I feel organized for the first time since I started veggie gardening. The book has reminders for maintenance such as when to start looking for certain insects and diseases like blight. It has timely information in each section!

I bought extras for my dad and friends.

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Comment on The Well-Tended Perennial Garden: Planting and Pruning Techniques by Kim Mullen

Kim Mullen — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 09:13:15 +0000

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

At last, December 30, 2010

Kim Mullen (Pennsylvania) -

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This review is from: The Week-by-Week Vegetable Gardener's Handbook: Make the Most of Your Growing Season (Spiral-bound)

At last a book which will help me remember what to plant when. Every year I forget something until it's too late to plant it. This handy guide will help keep me on track. It will be especially useful for planting for fall crops. Lots of helpful information stuck in here and there for beginners and experienced gardeners. The format allows anyone to use this book in any zone and I like the space for entering my own notes for the next 4 years. I'm sure I will be referring to it often.

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