Gardening sites?

[Half Baked]

Can someone suggest a gardening site where they hold the beginner's hand?

This is my 3rd year of planting. 1st year was just tomatos. 2nd year was tomatos and some beans. The tomatos ran over the rest of the garden but the romaine managed to survive on the end.

I have very basic questions like how to harvest romaine. I would go out to the garden and pick off enough leaves to make a salad. So the Romaine stalk got higher and higher but I never got a 'head' of romaine, which makes perfect sense since I was pulling off leaves . Do you have to wait until it is full before you cut it off or what?

These are the kinds of questions that I need a garden site for.

 

[mish]

HB, try here:

Gardening

There's a place at the bottom to ask a question. Hope that helps.

 

[Jeekinz]

You got leaves on your romaine?......dang!

This will be my 2nd year....and I'm learning by my mistakes. So far I've learned that: cucumbers can cover your patio, tomato plants are trees, my dog likes green peppers and it's easier to buy carrots.

My herbs did good though.

 

[Half Baked]

Thanks Mish. That looks like a great site, BH&G is wonderful but I am looking for a place like DC, where someone will come to assistance almost immediately.

I am checking out all the threads...great info there!

 

[Half Baked]

You got leaves on your romaine?......dang!

This will be my 2nd year....and I'm learning by my mistakes. So far I've learned that: cucumbers can cover your patio, tomato plants are trees, my dog likes green peppers and it's easier to buy carrots.

My herbs did good though.

Oh no! I planted cukes for the first time this year. I didn't plan on them covering the yard.

Tomatos plants are like Jack and the Beanstalk...I've never seen anything like the 'trees' we got last year. People began to lock their cars because I'd put a bag of tomatos in every time I had a chance.

 

[Alix]

Hey HalfBaked, just ask your questions here. There are jillions of gardeners here and you will get all the answers you could need. If you do an advanced search for garden stuff you will get a ton of hits.

As for the romaine, my MIL does just what you do. You won't ever get a head that way, but who cares as long as you get the lettuce you need.

 

[buckytom]

first of all, how good of a gardener can you be with one hand?

just kidding. ask away.

romaine grows quickly in the right temps and soil, so getting a small head isn't difficult. but ya gotta start early. i usually overplant, putting a whole seed packet or more into 2 rows on the same long mound, 12 feet long, with the rows spaced about 16 inches apart. the trick is to not plant the seeds too deep, just barely covered with soil. and keep them good and moist without washing them away for about a week until you seed the tiny plants breaking the surface. making the rows slightly indented into the long mound before seeding helps accomplish this.

i will harvest the whole small plants as they grow, leaving the increasingly spaced other heads to come to more maturity, eventually getting decent heads.

as the weather warms, though, it'll become bitter and be attacked by bugs, and eventually bolt to seed, so pick as you need it.

hope this helps hb, and let my hand go already. my palm's getting sweaty...

 

[sparrowgrass]

All beginning gardeners should figure out where their local extension office is located.

We have a Missouri planting guide (free!) which tells you exactly when to plant each kind of vegetable, whether to buy plants or grow from seed, and how much to plant to feed a family of 2 or 4 or whatever.

If you have disease or insect problems, Extension can help you with those, too.

Here is a link that will help you locate your local office. Cooperative Extension System Offices

 

[YT2095]

Gardening forum - GardenBanter.co.uk

forget that it`s a UK based site, it covers Globaly, I`m also a member there (although I must confess, I`ve not posted there for Ages).

they`re Nice folk

 

[csalt]

KinderGARDEN



Don't know if you have children but here's a gardening advice site for those with children.