Gardening resources

What websites do you

recommend​

?

 

Only the best on the net.....http://www.davesgarden.com
We've been on it for years.
Heres the Mrs. home page at daves..
http://davesgarden.com/members/Weezingreens/

 

I use this site a lot: http://www.google.com/advanced_search?hl=en

Peace,
poor_old_dad

 

I tend to go through my mom, since she knows more than I'll ever know about plants, gardening or anything else that has to do with plants & soil.

But online I like to check out:

http://www.squarefootgardening.com/ & http://raised-garden-beds.com/ for inspiration,

http://www.mastergardenproducts.com/kidsgarden/ & http://www.kidsgardening.com/ for ideas to use with my kids,

and http://www.parkseed.com/ http://www.seedsofchange.com/ & http://www.richters.com/ for window-shopping & the occasional seed purchase.

 

Mom: Check out the add ons to my last post. You've seen my knees, now you can see my wife......Dennis

 

You guys are very helpful. Thank you.

One more question, what are some garden stores the sell kelp, rock dust and such things? I rather buy them at a store than over the Internet.

Most conventional garden stores I checked don't carry that stuff, is there big organic garden stores?

 

For most things organic try: http://www.gardensalive.com/Default.asp?bhcd2=1179018584
or
http://www.remineralize.org/resources.php

Unfortunatly, my "Kelp Guy" isn't online.

Yeah, kelp and rockdust, supply trace minerals & natural growth stimulants that make an unbelievable difference. They make the soil so VERY much better for microbial life, on up to earth worms.... feed plants (understatement), and make plants stronger on a cellular level, which makes them better able to survive drought, heat & frost, better able to withstand insect & diseases. After farming/gardening here for over a dozen years, my soil (which started as fairly good woodland soil) is now much better. That's based on results & soil testing..... sorry, drifted off topic....

Now, where'd I put my corkscrew.....

Peace,
poor_old_dad

 

Inquiring: We are not hard core organic types. Here in Alaska, with our short growing season we have to use every trick we can to get our stuff up and producing.
Our main cash crop are flowers, so who cares if the poppies are organic.
We prefer to shop at local garden supply companies, rather than on the INTERNET.
First off, I like to touch and hold things be for I buy them. Second, the local shops have folks with a world of knowledge of gardening in your area.
For us, we know gardening in Southcentral Alaska, but don't know shit about a garden in central Texas.
Happy gardening........Dennis....Alaskan

 

Yeah, amen to that. I mean, there are some good internet companies, but you often can't beat the local guys (and gals). Another thing is that if what you want isn't something they regularly stock, they can often order it for you. I buy blood & bone meal, alfalfa meal, and rock phosphate in 50 pound bags. My local feed & seed doesn't carry them, but orders them. They come in on the regular delivery truck and that saves me a shit load of shipping cost.


Peace,
poor_old_dad

 

P O D : We do buy on the net, Ma's got accounts with about every seed company known.
We carry "Slugo" at our nursery, we buy 25# bags out of Calif., re-bag it and sell it here in 1# bags.
The mrs. was cutting up old plastic mik jugs to use as plant tags, but found a place to buy them buy the 1000 pac for cheap.
We have a wholesale account at Alaska Mill & Feed in Anchorage. We buy our potting soil in 80# bales, hanging baskets, 3 1/2" pots, flats, 6 pacs, 4 pacs by the case.
If we bought them at the local stores we couldn't afford to be in business.
In about 10 days we're making the spring run. 500# of seed potatos, Blue poppies from a grower in Palmer, Ak. And a big stop at Mill and Feed.
And Costco for easy to fix food, who's got time to cook when the gardens going ?
..............................Dennis.......

 

I agree with everyone. You should always buy local.

My favorite book is an old 1936 book called "The New Garden Encyclopedia" by Seymour. It's fantastic. It's language is a little passe, but everything I've ever read in it is factual through practice. They researched this thing through actual experience.

I love my Sunset Western Garden books, but this is the one always fall back on, and it covers everything.

 

We are preparing for summer right now. Temps in the eighties and nineties here. So you sell flowers? Want to know more.

I just started pulling the pansies from one client and replanted with portulaca...don't you wish you were here? Probably not. But I love my area, as you must love yours.

 

Hey Gardener:
Yep, we sell flowers, hanging baskets, veggie starts, compost, seed potatos, and garden supplies.
It started about 10 years ago when the Carol joined the local garden clud, then took the master gardeners class. In her books were plans for greenhouses.
That winter I prefabed a greenhouse in the basement. 10'x16' . That let the monster out. We now have 3 greenhouses/ 2 are heated in the spring.
We now supply the merchant group downtown with hanging baskets, 2 hotels, parks and rec. dept. and the Army. Memmorial Day we open to the public.
This will our 6th year in business.
Punch up my gallery and see our business........Dennis

 

I am still on dialup I'll wait till I get some time on my friends broadband. What are the favorite flowers in spring in Alaska?

 

Forget that just saw the button.

 

Spring time in Alaska...
It's not 40 below, like in the song. It's 11 AM and 46 above and overcast.
Our spring flowers are up in ours south bed, connected to the house. We have crocus,
Daffodils, tulips, bleeding hearts and oriental poppies are all starting to make a showing.
Just got the straw mulch and plastic off the raised last week. Still have a little snow left over from our push piles.....Later

 

46 is still sweater or sweatshirt weather around herre. It's above freezing which should be great. Do you sell flowers and color around there to the natives? Jeeze it's got to be hard with such a short growing season. I'll post a pic of my tomatos tomorrow. All I am waiting for is some warm days to ripen them. I have a beefsteak that's as big as the palm of my hand already.

 

Just back in for a coffee break. Moved 72 falts from greenhouse #1 to #2.
After a break its time to move flats from the basement to #1. Fun, fun, fun...
At 46 , I'm wearing a shirt-jac and ma's got on a polarfleece pull over .
When Seward was settled in the very early 1900's there were no Alaskan natives living in this area. Closest were about 100 miles away. The natives that live here now are from all over the state.
So we're all just "locals" now. We get a lot of local traffic through here, have been getting a lot of repeat business from folks who drive down from Anchorage. Everyone
with an extra bedroom here start a B & B. . Have got a few tourist who by plants to take home in their suitcase , thanks to the referals from the B & B's.
Well I better get off my butt and start draging flats out of the basement...Later..

 

So what are the favorite flowers in Alaska. I've got begonias, impatiens, petunias, marigolds, ageratum, lobelia, portulaca.

I love zinnias but between them and the marigolds the snails and earwigs love em. They don't even get a chance to mature.

 

Gardener:
Of your list,petunias, marigolds, lobelia and begonias do well here, the others get a mold and die. I guess since we're on the coast it stays to damp and cold for them.
Here a hot day is 70 ish.
Our annuals that do the best are mimulus,nasturtiums, linaria, violas, pansies, calendula
and poppies are a local favorite and do well some years.
Last summer was real lousy, not much sun and real damp. The lobelia was standing up trying to get a little sun.
Praying we don't have a repeat of 2006.
One thing here we dint have snails or earwigs. But we do have slugs. Word of warning, don't ever get my wife talking about slugs, every year she wages a one woman war on the slimy little things.
We are kind of lucky, down in S.E. Alaska they have the giant slugs, if you set a beer down on them it might crawl away. Here they are only 1/2-3/4 inches long, but when the weather is right for them, there can be thousands hatch overnight.
Well we moved over 100 flats, so it must be cocktail time....Dennis