Jenny asks: I want to start gardening as a hobby, but I have NO experience. Any books you recommend?
I’m 18 and I’m moving from SoCal to Hawaii in about 6 months and I’m interested in finding some hobbies. Organic gardening interests me, but I don’t know anything about it.
What are some good books to teach me the basics or at least get me started for now?
Or any advice?
The answer voted best is:
Answer by cajundude1
How to Grow Vegetables & Fruits by the Organic Method by J.I. Rodale and Staff. Putout by the Rodale Press, Emmaus, Penna.
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Help your garden grow with
How to Grow Vegetables and Fruits by the Organic Method
Originally published in 1959, this is the book that started it all. J.I. Rodale, founder of the organic gardening movement in the United States, compiled information from his visionary magazine into a 1100 page masterpiece on the art and function of organic gardening. Not a word has been changed in this nostalgic, yet extraordinarily applicable work. Topics include flower and vegetable gardening, soils, composting, greenhouses, fruit and nut trees, lawns, landscaping, pest control, and
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If your interested in organic gardening, my favorite book is
Teaming With Microbes
It’s a great read, light and so very informative!
Read this book and you’ll know your organics
Healthy Soil = Healthy Plant
Gardening books are lots of fun. My first was a Sunset book that got dirty and rained on, and I read every page of the how-to portions and looked at all the plants. No book I’ve found is 100%, though some are reasonably encyclopedic, Bookstores are always discounting garden books, and libraries never fail to have a section entirely about gardening. Buy a book that amuses you.
Also please call the extension service in Hawaii. Don’t put your tropical plants outside uninformed.
Here’s a piece of advice:
An organic garden begins with organic seeds. This point is usually overlooked by most people. As a matter of fact most people think they’ve got an organic garden but they don’t because the seeds they bought was generated by inorganic means.
Another tip is to use the internet for free advice. There are many great sites out there that give a lot of information and details.
Try the site below:
http://www.quick-and-easy-vegetable-garden.com/index.html
Since the climate in Hawaii is completely different from most of the US, I would look online for general websites on your particular climate, or go on Amazon for specific books. Organic gardening can be fairly simple and easy to understand the basics and there are ton of websites that offer help.
For general gardening, a book I recommend to my friends is simply Gardening for Dummies, which gives a lot of useful general info needed for a beginner. I think starting small is a good way to go, and work you way into more complex things as you gain confidence.
Have fun!
Thoughtful planning of a garden starts with the type of garden you would like to have. Deciding on a type of garden is essential defore choosing which design elements to include. Will your garden be just a place to plant a bunch of flowers, which will blossom only during the growing season? Or would you rather have a thoughtfully-chosen herb garden? Or maybe just a vegetable plot?
Another issue to consider is the climate in your location. It can be surprising how little we know about the facts, figures and statistics of the weather where we live. You may want to consult an online map to get statistical data regarding climate elements like rainfall per month or average temperatures.
The next step, after having decided about the type of garden and after investigating the local climate, is to figure out the plants that you would like to grow in your garden. Think of plants that are suitable for the duration of the growing season in your location and that will survive the changes in temperature, typical for your location.
The thoughtful planning of a garden involves one more factor to consider – how much shade is necessary for each of the plants. You need to make sure that there is enough light all over the places you plan to plant your garden.
More on Planning a Garden – http://www.craft-kits.net/plan-a-garden.htm