Your Interests in Gardening

What vegetables grow well in the area (and when will l be able to eat them).
What can I grow from seed (directly outside, not in fussy indoor containers).
Sometimes I buy vegetable plants at the store and they don't do anything (they don't grow, they don't die). Why?
If I wanted to keep an area flowering, what is a list of plants that could keep it going.
I don't want a brown lawn in the summer! But even when I water and occasionally fertilize it goes brown.
Oh, and I don't use toxins--so a suggestion to buy the right chemicals doesn't cut it.

I am interested in container gardening for vegetables, also small raised bed gardening. We don't have much useable space for gardening and chose to do containers, but there were problems with some of our plants, especially our zuchini. My 3 yr. old daughter wanted to plant a salad this year. We have a very small amount of yield with the large containers (cat litter buckets).

It would be nice to have more information and tips on how to grow a small vegetable garden on a balcony or small raised bed.

Thanks for asking for input!
D.

I think the hardest thing for me is creating a landscape that looks good over the seasons - my front garden (for which I selected all the landscape plants myself) looks spectacular in the summer/fall, but it looks drab and dingy in the winter (clearly not enough evergreens mixed in!) and is late to come back so the spring is uneventful! Sigh. So, I think it is really valuable to be able to learn which plants to put in (and group together like the moms below note) so that you get beautiful gardens/flower beds/arrangements throughout the year.

I second Mel T. I've looked for books and on the internet to find plants that look nice year round (something besides just evergreens), but so far have hit dead-ends. I want a yard and garden that looks nice during all the seasons, not just spring and summer!

I want to know how to get my grass to a uniform green color with simple things I know how to pronounce.

I have great pine trees so I am interested in soil pH and what plants work best in the acidic soil pine trees cause. I would love to know how to amend the soil.

I would love some landscape basics. Like how to make a "grouping" that makes a spectacular statement

Hi A.!

I would like to know about how to grow herbs indoors..they seem simple but they always die on me. Also, my house doesnt get as much sun as I would like but I love indoor plants...I would like to learn more about different kinds of plants out there that dont need as much sun.

I would love to have a decorative, low/no maintenance parking strip that is not grass. I've been trying, but mine just looks mangy.

Great topic, can you tell where to find the program?

Thanks.

I'd be interested in hearing about soil testing and amendments, as I had some seed failures this year on new soil (to me), which tells me that I didn't prepare the soil properly, or the ph was not optimal.

i second the grouping ideas! i feel like i never know what looks great together. having things that bloom or have foliage at diffent stages of the year would be great.

i also think if you could do a "green gardening" section it would be helpful and so timely. like how do you fight weeds without using pesticides. (i know pulling works but is there something in between.) safe things to keep the bugs away (like ladybugs and affids). stuff like that.

good luck.