What are some good gardening tips and Ideas?

Start small. An inexperienced gardener who puts in a huge garden will get overwhelmed, and possibly stop gardening altogether because they get so frustrated.

Try one or two things at a time, and gain experience.

Talk to neighbors who garden.

Look around - see what grows in your area.

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I always been interested in vertical gardening, I personally think that it's a unique and aesthetic way of gardening and decoration. I just want to ask…

a. What do you think of vertical gardening?
b. Have you ever tried vertical gardening?
c. Do you prefer indoor or outdoor vertical gardening?

Thanks for answering!

I've grown pumpkins this way and it's pretty cool as they take up far less space.

There is a vertical gardening forum over at the gardenweb site.

Here are two of my favorite gardening websites:

http://www.gardenguides.com/

http://www.greenpatio.com/

Both sites are full of tips and advice. I hope you enjoy them.

Good luck with your gardening.

If you are hay bale gardening, tell me what plants are working for you and what plants aren't. Do you have any helpful tips about hay bale gardening?

I started doing this 3 years ago and I love it! It is so much easier than regular gardening. You're further off the ground, there are far fewer weeds and pests, it takes less water, you don't have to "till" and the old hay turns into compost when you're done!

Thanks!

I currently have 2 friends that are trying the hay bale gardening this year and so far so good. The beans and tomatoes are doing well. I didn't have time this year to try it, but will definitely try it next year.

where to go if i needs tips on how to make my outdoor look beautiful

I definitely like Gardenweb.com. When I was new to gardening, I would go there and ask questions and there were many knowledgeable people - some were a bit rude though, because they really knew their stuff.

I've also gone to Better Homes & Gardens website. They will even give you plans that you can use in your yard and tell you how many flowers to buy and where to place them. Many beautiful things to choose from.

If you sign up for seed/plant cataloges, you can get their newsletters via email that give many helpful hints.

I live in New Orleans, Louisiana and have been wanting to grow my own herbs and small plants. I don’t have experience in gardening whatsoever and I’d like to know what I should start off with and what plants/herbs are good for this climate (hot and humid). I would like to plant something within the next month. What’s good to plant at this time of year?

Oregano is such an easy herb! The benefit is that is can be used for such a wide variety of things, and it is a perennial so it will come back every year!
Other no brainers (and I know this from my own personal experience) is lemon verbena, thyme (lemon thyme as well) rosemary, mint, and lavender, and basil.
I have had some troubles with sage, but maybe it doesn't like Ohio weather, so the humid/hot might be good for it! Pretty much any herb is workable, just buy from a good source (preferably a farmer's market) and read any labels. I know having them indoors vs. outdoors makes a difference as well, so what I share is just from having outdoor herbs. (I just dug up the ground, plopped them in, and they lived!)
Good luck!

my garden is very very large its like a farm maybe a bit bigger
me and my boyfriend moved there 2 months ago and want to start work on it

If you are interested in having a pond, I suggest you go to koiphen.com. This is s free site that has alot of info on all kinds of ponds, ie: mud ponds, goldfish, koi, water gardens etc. Many of the nice folks on this site live on large farm like lands and have many ideas for not only ponds but gardens. Good Luck!

I'm especially interested in learning greenhouse and gardening techniques that aren't expensive to maintain after the initial setup costs.

I would be in a colder climate with 500-10,000 dollars to invest. Its a relaxing activity I think I'd enjoy that could pay off as fuel and energy costs continue to rise.

I'm especially interested in websites or books you think might help me out.

Thanks!

When I first started it was the library, Barnes and Nobel (they have excellent books there), your local nurseries, and of course, catalogs which have enormous amount of information describing plants, flowers and pricing of greenhouses.(www.greenhouses.com)
The best books I have found were:
Better Homes and Garden "Garden ideas and Outdoor living"
Better Homes and Gardens "New Garden Book"
"1,001 Gardening Secrets The Experts Never Tell You"
"Jerry Baker's" numerous books(Master Gardener)and of course my favorite, Paul James"Gardening by the Yard" on HG TV. Hope that helps!

Besides using bird houses, feeders, and baths. Do you use your flower beds and landscaping to attract birds to your yard? What plants do you use? How do you layout your garden in respect to birdbaths, feeders and houses?

The answers to your questions will depend on what birds you hope to see.

Cardinals, orioles and robins are not cavity nesters–they need trees and bushes to nest in. Bluebirds and swallows are cavity nesters, and need either old woodpecker holes or boxes. Wrens are also cavity nesters, but they, like bluebirds, need specialized boxes.

Food is the next question–unless you want to use feeders, you may want to use plants that provide food. Million Bells, Fuschia, Morning Glories–those will attract hummingbirds. Sunflowers will attract cardinals and bluejays. Robins, bluebirds and swallows are bug eaters, so feeders and plants will typically not attract them. Also consider plants, trees and bushes that will provide food over the winter (such as berries and seeds).

Layout will depend on your home and yard. For your own pleasure, you'll probably want to lay out your garden so you can see the birds often from inside.

If you are hay bale gardening, tell me what plants are working for you and what plants aren't. Do you have any helpful tips about hay bale gardening?

I started doing this 3 years ago and I love it! It is so much easier than regular gardening. You're further off the ground, there are far fewer weeds and pests, it takes less water, you don't have to "till" and the old hay turns into compost when you're done!

Thanks!

Hmm…gotta say my favorite plant is eggplant. I like the Bell Peppers the least. =)