Newbie gardener needs some help!

[aggie94]

I've been following the most recent gardening thread, but I'm feeling like it's way over my head! Here's my dilemma: I'm moving into a new house (rental). The owner, who lived there for almost 7 years and only recently moved out, is a master gardener and has done some beautiful things to the yard. Part of the bargain when we rented the house was that we would need to keep up the landscaping. She is very much into edible landscaping, so there are lots of herbs and vegetables planted around the yard, in addition to other fairly exotic trees/shrubs/plants. She took me on a FAST tour of the yard the other day and pointed different things out to me (of course, I wrote nothing down). I know she's got lemon balm, oregano, Greek oregano, chives, rosemary, etc. And she also has arugula, lots of other salad-type greens, a cherry tree, wild blueberries, etc. And lots of ornamentals, too.

Can you guys recommend some good books for me to take a look at? I'm not going to be planting much, if anything -- I want to know about upkeep on an existing garden (and a pretty elaborate one - definitely not something a beginner gardener would plant). My first concern is being able to distinguish plants from weeds, so I don't pull up stuff that is supposed to be there. Secondly, I want to make sure I can take advantage of all the yummy edible things she has growing in the yard and not kill anything.

(By the way, I should add that I have never been into gardening. The extent of my gardening has been planting bulbs, like tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, etc. -- you know, the kind of gardening that is pretty much fool-proof!)

Any thoughts or tips would be greatly appreciated!

[funnybone]

I'm not a gardener, but I have seen some ads on websites from HGTV - www.rebeccasgarden.com (http://www.rebeccasgarden.com) (a TV show as well) and www.garden.com. (http://www.garden.com.) Also, I believe that www.hgtv.com (http://www.hgtv.com) also has some info as well. Good Luck - I leave most of that to my DH, but we only have trees, shrubs and perennials.

[mandarin2j]

Eva-

I have one of the Rodale gardening encyclopedias. My uncle, who is a master gardener in Cottage Grove, swears by Rodale's methods. The book has a good assortment of illustrations, and it's easy enough for even a plant killer like me to follow. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif If you're interested, I'll post the title when I get home tonight.

-Amanda

[aggie94]

Amanda: I'd love the title of that gardening encyclopedia. Thanks for the info.

funnybone: Thanks for the reminder. I have HGTV, but I never really watch it. Probably because I haven't had my own home or garden! I'll start looking for helpful programs there and check out the websites you mentioned.

[KValley]

Eva,

Oh, I'm so envious. I do miss my garden. I became a gardener in Illinois (which was an easy thing to do- you just prep the soil with compost, plant seeds or starter plants, and that amazing Illinois soil takes care of the rest!)

I liked Better Homes and Garden New Garden Book- it didn't overwhelm me, but covered the basics very well. I also recommend getting a subscription to Organic Gardening- it's produced by the Rodale family. I still subscribe- saving my issues for the day when I can have a little plot of land again.

Compost is an amazing, easy, and completely natural fertilizer and doesn't need to take up a lot of space, nor will it smell if it is handled properly, plus it will reduce your kitchen waste dramatically. Ortho Books Easy Composting is a terrific resource.

Have fun! Julie

[mandarin2j]

Eva-

The title is Rodale's All-New Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening: The Indispensible Resource for Every Gardener. Whew! Now I don't feel so bad for not remembering the exact title! My only gripe is that there are no pictures of poison oak, which we do have here in Oregon. I have none in my yard (to my knowledge, anyhow), but I know it thrives in Cottage Grove, so you might need to keep an eye out in Eugene.

Another piece of advice: you might want to visit your local farmer's market and talk to people who sell plant starts there. They should be very knowledgeable about how to take care of edible gardens. Same thing for your local nursery--but I wouldn't go to a mega hardware store for that info, 'cause I find that people at MegaHomeWarehouse-type stores just work there.

Good luck!

-Amanda

[KathrynY]

Eva - I second Amanda's suggestion about talking to local folks at the farmer's market or nursery. I'm a relatively new perennial gardener, but found that after a few trips to the nursery I was able to identify several plants that I'd seen there. I bought a few choice perennials at a good nursery, and cheaped out for the rest at a warehouse-style home center store. So far I've only lost one plant and the only thing I do is weed and water. Just get out there and really LOOK at the plants every so often to make sure they're doing ok - if they're diseased or have a strange bug infestation take a leaf sample to the local nursery and they should be able to help you diagnose any problems. Have fun!

[RobinC]

The Sunset Western Garden Book is a great resource.

[Curleytop]

If you live in California, the Sunset book is the one to get. If you live elsewhere, go to a nursery and ask which garden books would be best for your area!

[SusanT]

Your local county agricultural extension office will have tons of information on gardening. Some even have classes.

I've also learned a lot from the National Gardening Association website - www.nationalgardening.com (http://www.nationalgardening.com) . They have an extensive Q&A database that's very helpful. For instance, search for "basil" and it will bring up every question a gardener asked with answers by a horticulturalist.

Also, if any neighbors have nice yards, ask them for advice. You'll find that gardeners love sharing their favorite tips!