Hi there, Each time I buy a indoor plant or look something up that's related to any kind of gardening I get entirely lost in all the terminology, Latin names, etc.
I would like to get improved at gardening and growing things devoid of having to get my degree in horticulture. Are there any sources (websites/books) for beginners who don't understand all the "big words??
Gardening rarely requires you to go polysyllabic. In any event there is usually an appropriate four letter word to replace it, manure, for example, has a number of four letter replacements, phosphates (bone meal), and potassium (wood ash). Peduncle could be tricky, because it requires a 5 litter word (stalk), but you could just as easily get by with stem.
If worse comes to worse, "Google" the word, or use a book called a dictionary, sometimes found in an antiquities (old) store, to look it up.
You learn the words through use, but start with the monosyllabic ones, and if you stick with it, the others will follow.
"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom." - Marcel Proust
Gardening does not require an advanced degree, even though it may help. Most plants have both a common name and a long dual latin name. Most gardeners get by just fine without knowing the latin names and just use the plants common name. Examples: Common name - Corn, Latin - Zea mays. Common name -Tomato, latin - Solanum lycopersicum. Go ahead and choose your words :)
Gardening is really a local thing. What grows well in one area may not work well elsewhere. This is a global forum here on gardening, so be aware what may work in one place may not work well where you are. To really improve your gardening techniques, you should consider joining a local garden club or association. And it is perfectly fine to go it alone, just be prepare for failures and let downs and enjoy your successes.
I do not have have a university degree in horticulture or agriculture. My degree is in Mathematics / Computer Science. I did take a very useful ten week local Master Gardeners Volunteers class provided by the state in which i live.
Do like my neighbor. Just stick the plants in the ground and let God take care of them! LOL Most seasons he doesn't have a very good vegetable crop!!!
Rich
See if there is a garden club in your town. These are often a good informal way of learning where you can ask the meaning of specialised words in the context of seeing or doing something practical. This may suit your style rather than "book learning".
David
If true, that's because "he" doesn't let "her" handle what she's more capable of. "He" is mostly into war, extremism, prejudice -- stuff like that.
HB
There are tons of gardening books- literally. You don't even say which continent you're on, and that's a problem with Usenet. If you want a general all-around book for North America, I love _Crockett's Victory Garden_. But it concentrates mostly on vegetables, and it's almost all outdoor stuff (you start the seeds inside and move them out in a few weeks). And it does not use complex terminology.
Chris
Ah, Gurgle Groups does not show full email addresses, so I missed that.
Thanks,
Chris
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