Your Questions About Gardening

GardenersCardiff answers:

Hi there, fellow new gardener.

Most of us are closing down our gardens for the fall and winter months. Cleaning up the areas. There are still a few things you can plant for next spring. It would be best to go to your local nursery and talk to the owner or a clerk to find out what to plant in your cold mid-west area this time of year.

Print out the following and have fun during the winter:
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. My sweet hubby and I have always liked the Dummies series, but there are many, many good books to buy, or visit your local library.

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. You do not have to buy from them:

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

GardenersCardiff answers:

You are in zone 5. You can plan almost any vegetable you want but you have to be careful as to the fruits you would like to plant. Here are a few links that will give you some fruit tree and small fruit suggestions:
http://www.naturehills.com/catalog/fruit_trees.aspx?&e=Full%20Sun&zone=5
http://www.naturehills.com/catalog/small_fruits.aspx?&e=Full%20Sun&zone=5
http://www.naturehills.com/catalog/edible_plants.aspx
http://www.naturehills.com/catalog/organic_plants.aspx
http://www.naturehills.com/catalog/Seeds/Vegetable_Seeds.aspx

GardenersCardiff answers:

I like the ,New Western Garden Book.