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Getting Garden Advice
Answers to Your Garden Questions
Expert advice in your local area for information about vegetables and vegetable gardening is readily available and easy to access.
There’s always something new and exciting to discover about vegetables and gardening.
Garden Retailers
Start your exploration at the most convenient source, your local nursery or garden store. Garden retailers are knowledgable. They’re happy to help you choose new vegetable cultivars and will recommend disease-resistant plants or materials and equipment.
Reputable garden centers stock vegetable plants that are well suited for your locale and climate. They are staffed with well-trained personnel. Look to these experts for advice about the specifics of your area’s soil, climate, and regional conditions. They’ll answer with precision a range of questions on topics from soil amendments to a particular vegetable’s care needs, and often will help find answers to unusual problems.
Governmental Agencies and Universities
Another valuable resource is your local USDA, Agriculture Canada, or university extension offices.
Regional offices of the Cooperative Extension Service produce many pamphlets dealing with gardening issues in your area, while extension agents familiar with the latest scientific research are available to answer gardening questions, identify pests, or recommend treatments for disease conditions.
Some offices and many universities refer questions to trained volunteer Master Gardeners to advise home gardeners on how to construct their gardens, care for their plants, or deal with pest problems.
Gardening Educators
Since education is an important goal of most botanical gardens and university arboretums, a trip to one allows you to see a variety of plants and gather ideas that you can apply to your own yard.
You can also sign up for classes, use the facility’s library or bookstore, or ask questions of one of the staff horticulturists during your visit. Many community colleges and adult-education programs also offer gardening courses, and most offer seminars and field day training events.