Where to Find Free Gardening Help

If you are new to gardening, you might be in need of some guidance and assistance. Although anyone can tend to a garden successfully, it does require a knowledge base and some level of expertise. Fortunately, there are a variety of sources for free gardening help to which you may avail yourself. If you are novice gardener hoping to show off a green thumb, you may want to consider some of these free means of obtaining garden guidance.

Master Gardeners

If you are in the United States, every state has a Cooperative Extension department, which is usually affiliated with the land grant university. Extension offices are present in virtually every county and most of them maintain at least one, if not more, master gardeners. They are available to offer guidance, research, and advice to anyone interested in gardening.

Master gardeners will give you information regarding planting seasons, techniques and other valuable information. Often, seminars and outreach programs are conducted. Call your county extension office for more information. Master gardeners are a great community resource. If your skills develop, you may eventually want to undergo the certification process to become a master gardener yourself!

Friends and Neighbors

One of the great things about gardening is that it gets us out of our house. This often spurs an opportunity for interaction with friends and neighbors who live nearby. If there are others in your neighborhood who appear to produce successful gardens, stop by and ask them for advice and guidance.

Gardeners are notorious for their willingness to impart information and strategies to others and will often feel honored to be asked for advice. They take great pride in their gardens and enjoy the fact that their efforts and skills are recognized. The older gentleman at the hardware store may be the first person to tell you about using long nails at the base of tomato plant to stave off cutworms. Your flower-tending neighbor may tell you about using purple salvia to attract pollinating flying insects like butterflies. You may be surrounded by great resources without even knowing it!

Hit the Books

Much of the learning associated with gardening comes from doing-it-yourself and watching others, but there is plenty of room for old-fashioned book learning, too. Find quality resources at your local public library or online. The attraction of a garden may, in large measure, be the opportunity to be outdoors enjoying nature. Nonetheless, a few evenings spent reading information-packed research may be the difference between one salad and an impressive harvest that lasts for months.

As a novice gardener, you will undoubtedly face a number of questions and concerns about how you should design and tend to your garden space. Fortunately, free resources are available to help you. Extension gardeners, local garden veterans and free research materials can provide solid information to help you produce a winning garden.