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04-28-2009, 02:15 PM
|  | Nine Year Member FamilyCorner Postaholic | | Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Right here in my cozy little cottage!!
Posts: 11,444
| | | I've never gardened
I want to try gardening, I never have had a garden.
I have a small patch to plant a few flowers and few vegies. The ground here is VERY hard. I live in central Cal so don't know what our "zone" is.
Could you please give me a few no fail flowers and vegies so I won't be discouraged by weeds and give up? (The "Patch" is long and narrow along a fence with sunshine most of the day. )
thanxandhugs, train
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04-29-2009, 02:08 PM
|  | Five Year Member FamilyCorner Maniac | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Hidden under a seashell
Posts: 51,905
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Donna, the best thing for you to do is go to your local flower/plant nursery. Tell them you are new to gardening and they will give you all the advise you'll need. Also they'll be glad to sell you flowers and vegetables!! lol There are lots of books at the library for gardening to. Good Luck
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04-29-2009, 04:31 PM
|  | Nine Year Member FamilyCorner Fanatic | | Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: florida
Posts: 4,620
| | Donna I find going to a Gardening website helps answer all your questions. They have forums where you can learn what people in your area are growing. Never know there maybe people in your area that you can visit and get ideas. I know when I have free time I always vist Gardenweb.com
There is one for every state.
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Sueanne http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/calif/
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04-30-2009, 06:30 AM
|  | Assistant Moderator FamilyCorner Fanatic | | Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Iowa
Posts: 4,019
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Another tip if you aren't into weeding---MULCH!
Mulching around your plants once they are up and growing will help cut down on weeds and will also help keep the water from evaporating out of your soil so fast. You can buy rolls of paper type weed barriers at your garden center, use layers of newspaper, grass clipplings or clean straw as mulch. Your local garden center might have some other alternatives that work good in your area too.
Good Luck.
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04-30-2009, 09:20 AM
| | Five Year Member FamilyCorner Maniac | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Hidden under a seashell
Posts: 51,905
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I use Preen right after I plant my flowers/vegetables. There is also Preen & Green also with a fertilizer in the mix. This stuff is great! I put it down once and no weeds all Summer in my flower or vegetables beds. The Preen & Green is great to keep your flowers nice and green / full of blooms all Summer ....No weeds!!!
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"Duct tape is like the force. It has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the world together."
Caroline
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05-08-2009, 10:15 AM
|  | Nine Year Member FamilyCorner Postaholic | | Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: In a home I love on a quiet st:)
Posts: 23,108
| | | Donna you have been given really great advice. I find Pansies, among others easy to grow and pretty. Good luck hon
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05-08-2009, 12:43 PM
|  | Four Year Member FamilyCorner Groupie | | Join Date: May 2007 Location: Arizona
Posts: 739
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Yes, contacting a local nursery is advisable for the types of plants, flowers, and vegetation to plan, placing a netted weed mat down before the mulch is another great idea, but if you are growing weeds right now with as hard as the ground is where you live, this is a good sign that "something" can grow there. Since you are in California which is known more for its desert landscapes (and weed like vegetation - asparagus for an example) you may want to consider edible desert plantings, and keep other vegetation & herbs in planters.... This way you also have better control of the type of soil and soil drainage you use, plus the minimalist amount of weeding necessary, that is until you have a better idea of what your budget is for soil "preparation" and maintenance is without the added growth.
Either way good luck and happy planting!
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05-08-2009, 01:58 PM
|  | Assistant Moderator FamilyCorner Addict | | Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: NH
Posts: 9,577
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Donna, you can enrich your soil before gardening too if you are worried about it (compost or fertilizer). As others have mentioned, nurseries are great places to get advice (I go all the time to ask questions) Tomatoes are pretty easy to grow as you can buy them already started as well as green peppers. I love marigolds and geraniums for flowers as they can also be bought already started. Good luck and you will have to let us know what you end up planting.
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