The Virtual Woman: A Woman's
Weekly Guide To Cyberspace
Web Sites for the Green of Thumb
April's here, folks, and you know what those proverbial (and not-so-proverbial) showers bring. In many a region, it's time to till the soil and plant the seeds for your summer gardens. Floral, vegetable, organic, avant-garde--there's information about every possible kind of garden online. With a little guidance, your thumb can go from pasty white to kelly green in a matter of several clicks.
Dear Virtual Woman:
I'm a novice gardener,
and I need basic advice on how to set up my plot of land. I have to admit,
I've been cowed by the sheer volume of resources on the Web--It's really a
jungle out there! I don't want anything fancy, just a clear introduction and
instructions for how to begin. Where should I go?
- Caroline, Bowie, MD
Dear Caroline:
Check out the Plotting Your Own Garden page of Natural Land, at http://www.naturalland.com/gv/tt/plot.htm. In three simply written, easy-to-follow pages, you can read the very basics about setting up your garden. Where should you plant your perennials and pole beans? Should you use lean-tos, pillows, beds with frames? (Suddenly, we're in Ethan Allan Home.) Should you rotate or replace crops? It's all here. While you're at the Natural Land site, you can venture into other useful areas, including Blooming Gardens, the Tool Shed, and the Herb Gardener, where you'll find articles about different kinds of gardens and how to create them.
Dear Virtual Woman:
I just moved from Mississippi
to Oregon, where the soil and climate are different from anything I've ever
experienced! Can you point me to a site where I can learn more about my new
home and what to plant here?
- Wet and Chilly, Ashland, OR
Dear Chills:
Hot or cold, I guess one thing is a constant in your life: humidity! Happily, there's a site for you: The Virtual Garden, at http://www.vg.com. If you scroll a wee bit down and click on "zone," you'll be whisked to a database of gardening information for every climatic region in the country. (It may just inspire you to move to . . . Maine!) From there, you can click on a "To do" button to access a monthly list of gardening chores, or you can access the Time Life Encyclopedia of Plants, where you can learn more about which species would work best in your zone. (The advantages of the linked encyclopedia are obvious, though take note: Its 3000 entries don't quite measure up to the 7000 entries, all more assiduously catalogued, in the database discussed below in the next question.) The Virtual Garden is a fertile site that could easily serve as a one-stop shop for gardeners of every variety. Check out the chat forums, planting calendars, and reading material as you learn more about your new home.
Dear Virtual Woman:
Sometimes you just want to know if the bark of Celastrus dependens is, as rumored, abortifacient. You know what I mean? I'm a plant nut--every little detail about the vegetable world fascinates me. Is there a database where I can find all I need to know about this and every other species?
- Annie C., Evanston, IL
Dear Annie:
Aspire no more! Everything you're looking for can be found at http://metalab.unc.edu/pfaf/D_search.html, the Plants for a Future Database. This virtual Garden of Eden is not much in the way of design, but the vast wealth of information awaiting your search more than makes up for its streamlined look--which, in any case, is suitable for this sort of thing. You can search by name, area, habitat, use (medicinal, edible, etc.) and word. Or, browse by family, Latin name, common names . . . it's endless, truly. A simple search on "aphrodisiac" (no ulterior motives here) came up with a lengthy list of items from all parts of the globe (Celastrus dependens among them!).
Dear Virtual Woman:
Why is my basil bitter?
- Elaine, Jefferson City, MO
Dear Elaine:
I don't know, but I know who will! The National Gardening Association's Web site has a Question & Answer page at http://www2.garden.org/nga/ngaqua/home.html. Not only can you search the database of previously asked questions, but you can also ask anything you'd like. And--here's the miracle--you'll receive an answer within 48 hours! I don't know how they do it, but my virtual (straw) hat is off. While you're at the site, check out the 1999 Buyer's Guide and the monthly magazine published by the Association.
Happy Surfing!
Find these links and more at WWWomen.Com (http://www.wwwomen.com) the web's largest search directory of topics for women online. Email the Virtual Woman with your Internet questions or send snailmail to: WWWomen.Com, Attn: Virtual Woman, 3701 Geary Blvd., #325, S.F., CA 94118. Copyright, 1998. WWWomen, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Contributing Editor: Melissa Levine
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