Hello. I'm a newbie gardner in San Diego who is very serious about wanting to become a lifelong gardener. I am particularly interested in vegetable and herb gardening, container citrus, cutting flowers, and drought tolerant landscaping. I am reading a lot and utilizing the internet to learn as much as possible, but frankly I am overwhelmed with all of the information out there. Does anyone have any idea of how I can meet experienced gardners in my area who might be willing to mentor me on an on-going basis? Is there any organization that matches old hands with those wet behind the ears? I dream of meeting someone with a proven green thumb who would stop by my house and give me advice based on his or her observations of what I am doing right and wrong. Of course, I would treat this gem of a person to wonderful meals in gratitude for his or her kindness! Do gardening fairy godmothers/godfathers exist? How would one go about getting "adopted" by such a wonderful being?
There seem to be a ton of garden clubs in San Diego. Here's one website with a list: http://www.thesandiegotraveler.com/san-diego-garden-clubs/. You can probably attend any number of talks on topics that interest you and talk to people there. When you find a group of people that seem simpatico, offer to help with some of their activities and you'll start making contacts.
Thanks for the link, Wendy! I did not know there were clubs specific to my area of San Diego (it is a big county.) I will also gladly follow your suggestion of volunteering to help with their activities. May I trouble you with a few more simple questions? A few weeks ago, I transplanted tomatoes, eggplant, chard, scallion, lettuce, peppers, and fennel in raised beds with new topsoil. Our temperature is in the high 60's to low 70's in the daytime, often overcast, and in the low 60's and damp at night. How often should I water and for how long? My plants are still small (8-12"). Also, should I already start to fertilize with a Miracle Grow type liquid fertilizer? And finally (for now) after planing the flower seeds (annuals and perrenials) how often should I water and fertilize those? Many thanks for any and all counsel!
I'm not actually a gardener, except indoors and on a balcony, where I can often lift the pots to see if they need water, so I won't answer your further questions. There's some discussion in the Organic Gardening forum, particularly in the compost in urban veg gardens thread. And there's a whole forum called Fruit and Vegetable Gardening. The first posting, called A Beginner's Guide to Vegetable Gardening, has a link to an article with the same name that looks like it was written for you.
