Finally learning to garden

Hello, all! I'm Debbie M from Beaufort, NC. My mother and grandmother were both great gardeners but I never had time. I'm mostly retired now and have some flowers and am in my these season of gardening. Winter gardening is the best here, fewer bugs and humidity. My biggest problem are the ants. Including fire ants. They really can take away all the fun. We also are hurricane probe, so all my gardening is in containers or raised beds because the ground is salty. I am eager to learn from all of you. If you want some lettuce, I've got plenty at the moment, come on by.

@deboz214

I see your in Buford NC … USDA hardiness map zone 8b ? If 8b we are in the same zone just different coasts.

What do you like to grow? Veggies, trees , shrubs ,flowers , or all the above.?
Houseplants too… ?

I could use some home grown tasty lettuce now, just zip line some on by.
Lots of knowledgeable members can help with whatever you may need.

from Central Illinois!
We are here to help each other garden and our members come from many different places and climates.
I have friends here who live in Indiana, similar zones to me and I learn from them and sometimes can give them pointers. We have a member who lives in Alaska and I still can't figure out growing There, but I see the pictures--better gardener than ME!
If you really want to learn to garden, there is a lot to it.
Sometimes it seems easy, often it is discouraging--why can't I grow carrots like that?!?
Please be sure to put your general location with your avatar bc once you start posting I won't remember where you live and garden.

I doubt if you’d learn anything from a guy from Alaska; but welcome to the forum. I describe us as a big circus with lots of little “side shows”!

There is a lot to learn here and plenty of cordial folks, so enjoy yourself.

Mike

welcome to TEG from mid-Michigan.

it can take some time to learn how to garden in even the easiest climates without too many complications. alas, there are few places like that on this planet. so don't worry, many of us here won't judge you for trying things and learning as you go.

unfortunately fire ants are a very difficult problem and unless your entire community is very dilligent and organised you're unlikely to get rid of them entirely. there are methods of discouraging them and trying to make them less of a problem, but for the most part the best approaches are encouraging their biological control species and finding people working on those sorts of approaches.

flowerbug said:

welcome to TEG from mid-Michigan.

it can take some time to learn how to garden in even the easiest climates without too many complications. alas, there are few places like that on this planet. so don't worry, many of us here won't judge you for trying things and learning as you go.

unfortunately fire ants are a very difficult problem and unless your entire community is very dilligent and organised you're unlikely to get rid of them entirely. there are methods of discouraging them and trying to make them less of a problem, but for the most part the best approaches are encouraging their biological control species and finding people working on those sorts of approaches.

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Fireants in USA, wow! We have them in Australia, and they are a worry!

Moon888 said:

Fireants in USA, wow! We have them in Australia, and they are a worry!

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if you don't get rid of them immediately they often spread so quickly and effectively that the communities involved cannot get rid of them. it really takes a very dedicated effort to eradicate them.

ants on the whole are one of the worlds most diverse and effective species in terms of total biomass. they exhibit pretty much all the social behaviors of humans even as a collective colony of mostly single sex creatures. as a very young child i spent a lot of time watching them and learning about them so they've been a long hobby which doesn't get much nurturing these days other than me trying to keep them from eating a wood house and getting inside to find our stashes of sugars and other goodies.

deboz214 said:

Hello, all! I'm Debbie M from Beaufort, NC. My mother and grandmother were both great gardeners but I never had time. I'm mostly retired now and have some flowers and am in my these season of gardening. Winter gardening is the best here, fewer bugs and humidity. My biggest problem are the ants. Including fire ants. They really can take away all the fun. We also are hurricane probe, so all my gardening is in containers or raised beds because the ground is salty. I am eager to learn from all of you. If you want some lettuce, I've got plenty at the moment, come on by.

Click to expand...

Welcome to the forum from the Pacific Northwest!