Sandra asks…
What is the best gardening book out there?
What I am looking for is either 1 or 2 books. I want a gardening book to grow all plants, all fruits and all vegetables. Also in this book or another book, a book of gardening projects including landscaping / masonry work. The gardening project is ideas of tools and materials to create a nice curb appeal or backyard. Ponds included is fine, materials with wood & chicken wire. Thanks.
GardenersCardiff answers:
The answer to your question is obviously subjective. I PERSONALLY think “Gaia’s Garden” by Toby Hemenway is the best gardening book I’ve ever read, and I’ve read a lot.
Almost all other gardening books I’ve read are just rewrites or rehashes of what other books say. Gaia’s Garden is revolutionary and fascinating.
This book advocates and is based on the principles of Permaculture. This is a step beyond organic gardening in that it teaches gardening that works with nature, not against it.
Many common gardening techniques actually increase the amount of work and outside materials needed.
For instance, Many gardening books recommend yearly tilling of the soil, which actually ruins the soil and its flora and fauna. Permaculture relies on mimicking how forests naturally build soil.
Almost every page of this book has “aha!” moments. My copy is dirty, dog-eared and full of underlining.
Sandy asks…
What was some of the challenges of square foot gardening?
Especially the first time you started square foot gardening. Are there any veggies or fruits that you do not recommend growing in a square foot gardening? Any other tips for me? I am planning on using this method on a plot for the first time. Thanks!
GardenersCardiff answers:
Hello,
and congratulations it is an excellent idea to start a square foot garden. Depending how big you want to make your garden I strongly suggest you put some solid boundaries between your squares in place.
Loose bricks or planks for example. This will help you to walk in between the growing plants without compacting the soil.
Dig up the soil at least a week before you want to start planting to aerate the ground. Clear out weeds, stones etc. And mix in a nice organic soil conditioner like worm castings or compost for example.
Make a plan which plants you want to use and research how large the mature plants might grow.
This way you can make sure that you don’t place plants next to each other that don’t suit each other.
Some Tomato plants for example grow quite big and once fully established might deplete a low growing herb plant next to it completely of sun light.
Find out which way the sun travels during the day. So you can make sure that the low growing plants get a spot where they can get enough sun.
Water your small plants regularly because they can dry out quickly when the sun is strong.
Water either in the morning or the evening, but not during the heat of the day. This way you avoid a lot of evaporation and the leaves of plants won’t get sun burnt
But the most important tip I guess is just to enjoy your garden. And don’t worry if you make a mistake we all learn from them.
“An Expert in any field is someone who has made all possible mistakes there are to learn from!”
Kind regards
Stephan
David asks…
I want to know about some basic books related to gardening, Can anyone help me?
My hobby is gardening but my knowledge about gardening is very poor. I want to enhance my knowledge regarding it.
GardenersCardiff answers:
Sunset Western Garden books are the basic and are the best for identifying your growing zone. Older books contain information that the newer ones eliminate, so it’s a good idea to pick up old editions at used book stores as well as the new version. Also get the Sunset book on pest identification and go green to eliminate the nasties. Then add specialty books on topics of interest to you. John Greenley’s book on grasses is one. Botanica by R.G.Turner Jr., a plant encyclopedia, has good photographs…if you see something you like, look it up in Sunset to see if it will grow in your area. Plant catalogues such as David Austin roses and San Marcos Growers( California) are fantastic design resources for wish lists and contain handy tips on growth requirements. They’re free, always a good thing. Check local botanical garden bookstores for a book on native plants in your area and plant those for ease of growing and for helping the planet!! It’s a Pandora’s Box, love. AND, don’t forget to browse the library. Happy growing.
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Linda asks…
What is the type of material that is on living rooms sets that is spill proof..?
I’m decorating my home and I want a living roome set made of that material. I don’t have any kids but I do have a stepson who is almost 5 and sometimes my girlfriends bring their kids over my home. So I wanna keep my home nice.
GardenersCardiff answers:
Any fabric that is treated with a product like 3M Scotch-guard will be more resistant to stains. These products are all either Teflon or silicone based and will prevent liquid from penetrating the fabric as quickly. For instance, if grape juice is spilt, it will sort of ball up on the surface of the sofa, allowing you to blot it clean. BUT, if the juice (or other spill) gets rubbed in, it will get through the fabric treatment to some extent. These treatments are all guaranteed for 3-5 years which is nice, but remember, the guaranties do not cover dry dirt, so if your stepson fell in the garden and got some earth on his pants, that can transfer to the sofa and stain, or at least leave a dirty section that will require cleaning.
The other thing to consider is that certain fabrics are more washable and take better to spot cleaning than others. Chenille tend to be fussy for spot cleaning, satin-like fabrics tend to exaggerate any dirt marks… Brushed denims (available in at least 20 colours) and cottons tend to do well in homes with children because, like jeans, they wash amazingly. Ultra-suedes also have the reputation of being easy to clean and not showing wear-and-tear as quick as some. Ultra-suede come in many qualities though, so if that’s what you were thinking of, compare before purchasing — a good ultra-suede has a fairly thick lining on the back of it and very little stretch to it. Good luck!
Carol asks…
How can I clear a flower bed?
For the first time, I own a garden!! So Im pretty much a novice. I have a flower bed, full of shrubs and weeds that needs to be emptied so i can lay a path and more grass. The earth is really, really stoney. Id prefer to do it myself, rather than get a professional in – partly because of cost but also because id rather do it myself if possible. Please can someone tell me the easiest way to clear out the flower bed, or is it a case of hard labour digging it all up? Also, when it is finally clear, can i just lay the paving slabs onto the earth, or do i need to put something down first? Any help and advice appreciated, thank you.
GardenersCardiff answers:
Go to your local library and get a few gardening books. Identify the plants already there (some of the “weeds” may be perennials). Next measure your yard and flower bed, draw a scale model on graph paper and locate all the existing shrubs and flowers on the paper.
Now decide which plants you want to keep or move, which to give away and where you will place the path and plant the new grass. Remember that grass needs full sun, the previous owners may have located the flower bed where it is because of shade from trees that made grass hard to grow.
If you want to give away or relocate any plants, you should dig them in the early fall, not now. If you are going to kill the plants you can do so now. Cut down the shrubs and paint the cut wood with Round-up, if you simply dig them and leave any roots behind they will resprout. Also kill the weeds with Round -Up, same reason.
You likely will need to add topsoil if you want to grow grass. Get a truckload delivered and spread it over the bed once the weeds and shrubs are dead and you have removed the dead shrub stumps (can do that about 2-3 weeks after applying Round Up). You can seed grass or lay sod.
Give some carefull thought to your path. Pavers in grass are difficult to mow around, it will be better to create a stone/gravel pathway with pavers laid in it or a brick path wih edging. Either way you will need to dig a 6″ trench for the path, line with landscape fabric, and fill with compacted stone dust. Then place pavers or bricks and fill in the gaps with sand or pea gravel.
Daniel asks…
Why was Operation Market Garden important and how did it contribute to Allied victory during WWII?
I’ve looked absolutely everywhere and every site only says what a disaster it was. None mention how it was important or how it contributed to an allied victory. I’ve been given one day to write a four page paper on it and I really need help. Even a few sentences would be great. Thanks!
GardenersCardiff answers:
It shortened the war by giving the allies Bridges closer to the UK and coastal ports and once the USA built the road from Ostend to antwerp made it easier to supply the armies I was stationed At Weeze in germany near the Nijwegen Bridge and the drive was from the base to the Ferry was only 5 hrs and that was in in the early fifties so i would say once the Nijwegen bridge was captured Intact and we were driving tanks across it a truck convoy across the channel and the drive to Germany in less than 24 hrs
of course in the fifties we were not being shot at and the Trip was base to Ostend 5 hrs ostend to Dover 4 hrs and the drive to london 2 hrs
and operation Marked Garden only failed to capture the Bridge at Arnheim 13 Km from from Nijwegen we did capture 4 of the 5 main bridges but Arnheim was Crucial to the Total success
and even most historians said it was about an 85% success but sorry to say did not end the war in 1944
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