Greetings from Central Arkansas

Thanks for the heads up on the Regional forums ander217.

From that map that is referenced, looks like I am close to the border of Upper South and Mid South. But in the more detailed zone map I am in 7b, so I am calling myself Mid South

Just wanted to intro myself and look forward to getting to know some of my "neighbors" here.

Also, this coming year will be my first as SFGer......any suggestions on seed catalogs or best exchanges, etc let me know. I'm starting from scratch so any help/advice is welcome.

when it comes to seed catalogs, i don't think a person can ever have too many. even if one never buys from them all. they're just so encouraging to thumb thru when there's coldness outside. ..

totally tomatoes is a fun one for me.

as i mentioned on another thread, http://www.growitalian.com/ grow italian is another favorite.

what i'd suggest - esp if you're just starting out seed catalog mailing list desireing (gosh that's a mouthful of a sentence, lol)

is to google seed catalog and then open up tabs for each link given. that's what i did. somehow you do that, and once y9ou get a few catalogs, you'll get tons more you didn't request. which is fine with me.

i'll try to hunt up the thread - someone started semi recently about favorite seed catalogs that folks were adding to for a while . . . and that will also help you on your quest for catalogs.

added in link: https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/general-sfg-talk-f5/list-of-seed-companies-t4326.htm#36808

GardenZen,
Sounds like we're close. I'm also in central AR. I started dabbling with SFG back in the fall, so this is my first run at it, too. Planting fever has been running rampant and my spinach, carrots, lettuce, onions, and pea sprouts are up. A row cover on frosty nights gets them through. Stalks of asparagus are coming up, and my garlic & shallots made it through the snow just fine. I even spotted my first strawberry yesterday, so I went ahead and placed some red marbles around the strawberry plants to teach the birds that round red things around my garden aren't very tasty.
Potatoes are going in this weekend - some in the ground, some in a big bucket. Maybe it will work, maybe it'll flop but it will be educational and (if they make it) easier to harvest. I started leek and parsley seeds indoors and will do the same for tomatoes and peppers. Just put in a blueberry bed in last week and still have 2 more veggie/flower beds to install before the back yard is finished.

I don't know if you've found it yet, but the U of A Extension has a great web site with lots of gardening info (for row-type gardens but still helpful) like planting dates, recommended varieties, etc.

http://www.arhomeandgarden.org/

I tend to go for the heirloom seed catalogs, though I won't turn my nose up at Burpee, Gurney's, Park Seeds, or any others. They give me names and info that helps me when I go look at local stores. I've often found heirloom varieties locally that the catalog would charge more for, plus shipping. There's also an heirloom seed organization & store in Norfork, AR:

http://foodbanknca.org/seed_blog/

Several older vegetable varieties have come from the Ozarks, so look for them since they should do well for you.

How big are your beds?
What are you thinking on planting?
Have fun!

Welcome to the forum, dmsandlin. My hubby is from eastern AR.

That's a great tip about scattering red marbles in the strawberry patch. Have you tried it before? Now you've got me thinking about other ways to use them to scare away the birds. Wonder if I could rig up some way to hang blue marbles from the blueberry bushes or red marbles from the cherry trees? (Our blue jays are so greedy they would probably gobble down the marbles and never know the difference.)

Keep us posted on how your garden grows, and remember that we love to see photos.

ander217,
Thanks for the welcome!
First time to try the marble trick, but have heard others talk about it, though they mentioned using painted wooden balls of an appropriate size & color for the fruit you were trying to train the birds away from. In college I trained a pigeon to play ping-pong, so why not untrain the locals from eating my strawberries? And if that doesn't work, there's always netting (which I'll use for my blueberries).

Got any words of wisdom for a newbie?

Welcome! You will love SFG. When others are toiling in the sun trying to keep up with the grass in their gardens, you will be enjoying a glass of sweet tea as you watch your garden grow!

I'm just outside of Fort Smith and this is my second year to SFG. I think I am right on the edge of middle south. This forum is a great place to get info. Enjoy!

dmsandlin wrote:Got any words of wisdom for a newbie?

I'm probably the last person to be giving words of wisdom. I made plenty of dumb newbie mistakes last year. My worst one was missing the line in the book which said that 4 cu ft of compressed peat moss fluffs up to 8 cu ft before mixing - we ended up with twice as much peat as needed, and therefore not enough compost. I had to add a bunch of soil amendments - bone meal, blood meal, epsom salts, - and doses of fish emulsion before my plants started growing.

The best wisdom that I've heard is to remember that they're just seeds, and if you mess up this year, you get to start fresh all over again next year. So enjoy, and don't stress out about it.

Happy gardening to you.

The best wisdom that I've heard is to remember that they're just seeds, and if you mess up this year, you get to start fresh all over again next year. So enjoy, and don't stress out about it.


That is good advice. Thanks!!