John asks…
Which store has the best ‘Garden Supply’ varieties?
This weekend the 18th and 19th I am starting my 2009 Vegetable Garden and I need to buy quite a few Garden stuffs, that’s why I’m asking.
Thanks
GardenersCardiff answers:
It might help if you said where you are.
Local growers and suppliers are the best source of everything that grows well, and fit your needs.
Big box stores have all that expensive real estate and advertising to recoup with your purchases. Local growers don’t. You benefit greatly!
Sandy asks…
Indoor garden advice?
I want to grow an indoor garden with my 3 year old daughter. What are some easy plants to grow, veggies, herbs or whatever.. I’d like to grow tomatoes, but I’ve been reading up on it and it looks like quite the process. What’s best for someone starting out (and someone without a green thumb!) I’ve heard of using teabags in the soil to help plants grow. Should I try this? Any other advice?
I’d like to grow everything from seeds, and I’d like to try at least 3 different plants (or more!)
Also, I’m in Ontario, Canada, so there’s lots of sun in the summer, but not so much in the winter, spring and fall.. plus it gets pretty cold by the window I plan on using for sunlight.
Thanks for reading!! 
GardenersCardiff answers:
You might try getting some grow lights from your hardware store or garden supply,check for different sizes to find which will work for you. While grow lights may not be cost effective you may be able to grow a few plants indoors.perhaps you could start some plants indoors & plant them outdoors later. You might try lettuce in a windowbox and parsley & chives in pots to start. Try experimenting with additional plants to see what works. Good luck!
Susan asks…
Which is cheaper getting garden supplies & plants from a chain store (WalMart, Lowe’s etc) or from a nursery?
My mothers front yard needs some sprucing up, but neither she nor I have a lot of money to spend. I would like to plant some flowers and/or small shrubs, nothing too fancy, just want to make it look nice. It’s an activity that my kids (6 & 8) are willing to help with so it also can not be overly complicated. I have NOT been successful in the past with trying to have a flower bed, they look great for a little bit, but eventually just die. So any tips on what to plant, where to get the lowest price, or ways to make them live longer would be greatly appreciated! ~Thank You~
GardenersCardiff answers:
Walmart would be the cheapest… However, you could check for online coupons and watch for sales at Lowe’s and Home Depot. Nurseries tend to be a bit pricier.
As an annual flower, Marigolds are pretty easy to plant and take little fuss to grow. Just clip off the dead flowers and you will be rewarded with even more blooms.
Wave Petunia would be another pretty flower with little fuss…they plant them in abundance around my city they are inexpensive and give off quite a show for months.
Another favorite is Alyssum…very fragrent low growing border plant. Although this is an annual it reseeds itself and comes back year after year.
They all need to be watered. At least 2 or 3 times a week if the weather gets above 90.
Http://garden.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Category:Garden_Basics
My favorite go to web site for all my gardening questions.
Have fun… You and your children are building some good memories.
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William asks…
Poll: Have you planted anything in your garden yet?
Which gardening zone do you live in?
(If you live in the United States. If you don’t how does your country organize different growing regions? I have always been curious.)
If not, have you started anything inside?
GardenersCardiff answers:
Gardening zones? Organised growing regions? I have no idea what you’re on about, but then I’m not very knowledgeable about gardening. I do love being outside and am never happier than when digging a hole, but my garden just sort of ‘happens’. I chuck wildflower seeds about (to get lots of fat bumble-bees and butterflies interested), and hope for the best.
I’m guessing what you’re referring to is you have some kind of guide in the US that tells people what kinds of stuff grows best where over there? The Uk is small and doesn’t have the wide range of weather variations you get in the States. The soil varies quite a bit across the country though – clay, chalky, sandy etc, and gardening is a massive, massive national pastime, with many more people growing their own food these days.
A bloke in his 80’s lives next door and he grows all their fruit and veg every year and has done all his life, it looks amazing, really abundant – he definitely knows what he’s doing. These days he spends more time sitting in the sun under his apple trees just looking at it rather than digging it though – he mostly just directs is son and soaks up the rays. And why not.
I haven’t planted anything yet, but I noticed yesterday that my lily bulbs are just starting to come through again, and that the faithful offspring of an Aquilegia I grew in a window-box as a child is putting out tiny new green leaves which is really cheering. Hooray for Spring!
I grow tomatoes and strawberries, but like I said, my garden mostly just ‘happens’ which accounts for it being over-run with tiny, intensely flavoured wild strawberries which I encourage and transplant all over the place. I’ve got a bank plastered with them and a patio carpeted with them, so it’s nice to sit with a drink in the summer and reach down and grab a handful. They’re wonderful with icecream if you can get them before the birds do.
Hmm, you’ve got me really looking forward to the warmer weather now…..
Charles asks…
Hardy flower/plant suggestions for zone 9 garden (for the non-greenthumbed)?
I live in gardening zone 9 (whatever that means!) in the San Francisco bay area. I have made several attempts to plant flowers in my front yard, but most of them die and it’s a huge disappointment to me, not to mention my neighbors.
The only plants I have not managed to murger are: mexican sage, shasta daisies, a rosemary bush, and a geranium.
I am looking for greenery that is simple to maintain and will not die. I’m okay with having the same plant/flower everywhere as long as it looks nice and alive.
I have all the tools and some soil. My budget for flowers is about $50 or so. Any recommendations?
Thank you.
GardenersCardiff answers:
Are you watering enough? You would need to give a deep soak every 3-7 days. Deep infrequent watering is always better than a small amount each day. I’m in Sonoma County so I know about our hot, dry summers!
Well, there are a few ways to go…you can add more of the plants that you are successful with. Planting in odd numbers (like 3 of one plant, 5 of one plant, and so on), keep the look uniform.
Here are some other easy drought tolerant plants that do well here:
-Sedum (stonecrop)-these are succulent type plants and they have vary in foliage colors, plant sizes and flower colors
-Thymus (thyme)-great for using as a green ground cover where you need it
-Geranium (crane’s bill)-try Geranium ‘Russell Pritchard’ or Geranium ‘Mavis Simpson’ as they can take sun, they have pink flowers and make a taller ground cover
-ornamental grasses-lots to choose from! These make great focal points and are easy
-Erigeron karvinskianus (Santa Barbara daisy)-gets between 1-2′ in height and has loads of small white daisy flowers for a good part of the year, I love this plant
-Hebe-these are shrubs that have pretty flowers, they foliage varies depending on the type but they foliage is nice all year when the plant isn’t in flower
-Santolina (lavender cotton)-small shrubby plants that stay green or gray all year, they have small button-like flowers but the foliage is nice all year
-Teucrium chamaedrys (wall germander)-a staple for this climate, nice shiny evergreen leaves with reddish purple flowers in summer-fall
These are just a few suggestions. I don’t know where you are but go to a good local nursery (not the big box stores) and ask for advice. A good nursery will be able to help you make good plant selections. Tell them you want hardy, easy and drought tolerant plants to add to what you have. Hardy means it will last through the winter. Easy means you don’t have to do much to it. And drought tolerant means that it will tolerate minimal watering once it is established.
You can also wait for the fall sales to come and maximize your dollar. Fall planting is the best time to plant as the soils are still warm and the new plants will get their roots settled in before winter and will be ready to go ahead come spring. Also, try to get plants in smaller containers to save money too. You most likely don’t need 1 gallon plants for perennials and you can save money by getting 4″ pots. In a few weeks time they are generally the same size anyway.
Also, zone 9 is what USDA zone you are in. Plants are rated to a zone so that you will know if it will tolerate your climate. A plant rates for zone 9 will thrive there but will struggle in zones 1-8. A plant rated for zone 5 will thrive there but will struggle in zones 1-4. It will most likely be okay in zones 6 and up. There are a few exceptions for plants that need a cold snap and will not be okay in a warmer zone but for the most part a plant can go up in zones but will struggle going into a lower zone.
Hope this helps! Good luck.
Richard asks…
when should i plant my spring garden in zone 7?
this crazy weather makes me wonder.
GardenersCardiff answers:
Hi, I’m in zone 7 as well, and it really depends what you’re planting.
I’m starting my tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, watermelon, other warm season crops…from seed in late January/early February. I’ll start to plant my cold season crops i.e. Lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, peas) starting March-April.
Flowers, you’ll just have to follow what it says on the packets, but most certainly after the frost free date, which is usually late March-early April.
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Charles asks…
Where can I find some advanced information about Aquariums and Fish?
I’m looking to open my own Aquarium shop is some years to come. Before I even think about going ahead with it, I first want to know as much as I can about Fish and how to keep them. I have read a lot over the internet and purchased a book on how to look after the fish,water and equipment, however I feel I still have a lot to learn. Does anyone know of any useful books or websites that I can find a lot of information on? It would be a great help.
Thank you
@ John B
If you haven’t realized sun beam.. I clearly stated I have purchased a book and looked on the Internet. I was asking for any useful books or websites, some people may know of really good and highly detailed ones. So before you come in like the big “I am” .. Try reading my question properly you fool.
GardenersCardiff answers:
Ouch! I just saw the UK flag next to your question & had plunked out a lot of US stuff. Much of it may still apply. There are often UK equivalents for examples given. And you seem freer of these big box stores too. Look for national fish associations, pet professional associations, district clubs and local wholesalers. Visit shops in a slow period.
Shops may need weekend help. It might be instructive to apply for a part time job for a while. I enjoyed moonlighting, but decided to keep the day job.
Planning ahead is so wise. A friend took a local architect and wholesale manager to lunch and they began setting up a shop together.
On the business end, check out Ray Lucas’ site http://www.kingfishservices.net/
He has been a company rep at fish shows for a couple of decades. Among other programs (including a great hand’s on for kids) is an evaluation of the industry (serious consolidation, people being ushered into retirement). A couple of years ago, He noted that over the preceding 15 years 50% of the general aquarium clubs had ceased to be. At that time he contended that every week on average an independent US pet shop closed their doors.
There are shops like Hoeffers in Milwaukee (a wonderland that started with probably a million dollars in inventory) that seem to be doing ok. There are niche specialty shops (Marine tanks, cichlids) that seem to hang in there too.
There are also specialty sites like
http://www.loaches.com/hlid
http://www.planetcatfish.com/
http://www.bettysplendens.com/articles/home.imp
www.cichlid.org/forums/index.php
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/
http://www.aquatic-gardeners.org
http://livebearers.org.
National associations can be very useful. They include marine, killifish, catfish, native fish, Betta, cichlid. Aquatic garden, livebearer, guppy, anabantid & invertebrate groups. They also have great national conventions. (Yahoo made me drop URLs)
Local chapters may also have good stuff and contacts near you. Some successful local shops have developed a reputation for having wonderful fish raised by local aquarists. Big box stores are prisoner to their 150-200 fish computerized inventory sold to them through their own wholesaler. There are potentially thousands of species & strains they don’t carry.
Also Google your area and aquarium societies, aquarium clubs. Also look for pet dealer associations, pet trade shows, what do I need to start a pet store?
The major fish magazines have sites too.
Www.tfhmagazine.com/
AMAZONAS | the world’s legendary tropical fish and freshwater aquarium magazine
http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/
http://www.fishchannel.com/
A couple of great starter books include:
Baensch Aquarium Atlas Vol. 1 (7th REVISED EDITION 2007) * (also vol 2-3-4-5)
Setup and Care of Freshwater Aquariums (Animal Planet Pet Care Library) by David E. Boruchowitz
The Simple Guide to Freshwater Aquariums (Second Edition) by David E. Boruchowitz
The Everything Tropical Fish Book (Everything (Pets)) by Carlo Devito, Gregory Skomal and Gregory Skokal
Freshwater Aquariums: Basic Aquarium Setup and Maintenance (Fish Keeping Made Easy) by David Alderton
The Everything Aquarium Book: All You Need to Build the Aquarium of Your Dreams By: Frank Indiviglio
Fish clubs sometimes have swap meets and auctions. Sometimes there is a vendor there with a table or two of great aquarium books. Mike Schadle in the US Midwest in a great one. I both buy from him and mentally copy down titles.
Breeding Corydoradine Catfishes by Ian A.M.Fuller is one I would really like to borrow. A spawning fish is a happy fish and those accounts offer a lot of great ideas about keeping the fish healthy.
I might buy a couple of books after previewing them, but also drop by your local library. They may surprise you.
And I would also start building a list of books that I could get through inter-library loan (your tax dollars already at work). There are on-line fish book sellers. I have patronized several. But also one can highlight titles & info and paste together quite a list of works to borrow.
Look for newer works, especially those mentioned on forums. A bewildering list of titles comes up if you go to amazon dot com, click on books and put an aquarium topic in there. Lots to copy down. It might be good to Google a title and reviews.
Hope this give you a good start w/o overwhelming you too badly.
Sandra asks…
Is it difficult for an American to vacation in Japan?
I’ve wanted to go to Japan for years, but never decided to until now. If I could get tips and cool locations to visit that would be great. Also I need to learn some Japanese, so if anyone knows an easy way to learn some Japanese, I would also greatly appreciate that too. Thank You Very Much
GardenersCardiff answers:
Well as far as traveling to Japan all you need is a valid passport and you can stay for up to 90 days. No Visa or anything else is required.
I would recommend to you the Kansai area which is made up of Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto, Nara, Wakayama and several other areas.
You can fly into Kansai International Airport (KIX). I would stay in Osaka and from there it is a short train ride to the other cities in the area. The Umeda area is very convenient as you have access to many different train lines and they have transportation to and from the airport directly there as well. Umeda also has tons of shopping and places to eat pretty much any kind of food you desire.
Japan is very seasonal so unless you love humid heat don’t go in Summer and try to avoid Winter if you hate cold and snow. Spring and Autumn are the best times in my opinion.
Getting around is easy. Trains will pretty much take you near enough anything you would want to visit but taxi’s and buses are also easy to come by.
Kyoto is amazing. You will be able to visit countless Temples, Shrines, and Gardens there and will get a great sense of History. I reccomend Kiyomizudera, Kinkakuji, Ginkakuji, and Nijo-jo at the minimum. Kyoto station is very impressive also.
Nara is also awesome. You can feed and pet tame deer that wander the streets around the impressive Todai-ji and deer park. There are some good places to eat around there too.
Kobe has some great spots to visit. The city has a very nice feel to it.
As far as language you should learn at least the basics of hello, excuse me. You can buy software cheap at Costco, and perhaps hire a tutor where you live or take a class at the community college if they offer it. Also there are some online resources you could search for. Manners are perhaps more important than language in Japan. You should study up on etiquette things like always wear good socks because you will need to remove your shoes upon going into someones house and at certain temples and shrines, not eating while walking things like that. You should also be alerted that some public bathrooms do not have paper goods so you may want to bring a small supply or at least check before…
Hope this helps. Japan is an amazing place and you will have a blast.
P.s. Japan is only as expensive as you make it. You can stay at a nice business Hotel for less than a hundred dollars a night if you shop around and can find very cheap but delicious food all over. If you stay at an expensive hotel and eat at high end places then yes it will cost a fortune but you can find yummy meals for under $5.00.
Lisa asks…
Collecting: Am I the only weirdo who has a strange collection? What do you collect?
This sounds strange, but it started innocently enough. Many years ago for the sake of my clothes I started useing plastic hangers and gradually got rid of the wire ones. I bought the plastic ones in lots of colors, and over time I had quite a collection. One day it occured to me why not sort the clothes onto hangers the same color to make them easy to find. So now my blue shirts are on blue hangers, etc. This has grown into a bit of an obssesion, if I see hangers in a new color I don’t already have I must buy them. (I’m lucky hangers are cheap). Like other people with collections I even have my “rare pieces” – hangers from the 70’s in colors like rust & olive that are no longer made. I’m curious if anyone else has an odd or unusual collection?
GardenersCardiff answers:
I collect seashells and unusual rocks. Then I make things with them. I have created a beautiful mirror by finding a cheap, plain, framed mirror, then pasting all kind of different shells, crabs that have left there molting behind, and some small rocks on the frame. It is something to see. Everyone thinks I bought it like that and can’t believe that every thing on it is real.
The bigger rocks I use in my gardens as a border or decoration.
I love the outdoors and ocean…….can you tell? I live near it and like too have a small piece of it in my home and yard. The ocean is very calming for me and always cheers me up when I am feeling blue.
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William asks…
Gardening tips for 15 year old?
I want to become a part time gardener for people down my road just to earn a bit of money. I cut my back and front garden lawn every week and my lawn is 25 meters sq. I know how to pull out weeds nd all that but I need to know more. Anyone got any tips?
GardenersCardiff answers:
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.parkseed.com
http://www.burpee.com
Other catalogs:
http://www.leevalley.com
http://www.gardeners.com
http://www.GardensAlive.com
http://www.deerbusters.com (all types of animal control)
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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
Richard asks…
What are your gardening tips for new gardeners?
GardenersCardiff answers:
Know basics before you start
Only plant what you can use and love to eat, No more.
Start with a few of each vegetable to see inherent problems.
Have basic insecticides and fertilizers before you start.
Patronize ONE garden center. NOT HOME DEPOT OR LOWE’S. You’ll get more help if you’re a regular customer.
Shop at local garden centers, not the Big Box stores. Support your neighbors, not the corporate office.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Stick a perennial in, too. Like rhubarb, horseradish, asparagus, etc. If you like them More rewarding, ‘cuz they come back next year without doing a thing.
Laura asks…
As a legitimate gardener would take gardening tips from someone who only grew marijuana?
GardenersCardiff answers:
I would only take gardening tips from someone who only grew marijuana if they shared the goods first :). They probably really know their stuff since that is their cash crop. Anytime money is involved people usually know what is going on. And if they don’t know help you – at least you got a good buzz out of the conversation.
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