Help needed for new e-book on vegetable gardening

14 years ago

Hello,

I'm researching for a new e-book that will be like a beginners guide to vegetable gardening. I want to help encourage more people like you to become passionate about growing their own produce. In order to do this I need a number of gardeners to answer the following short survey and post your replies to aussiemarko@hotmail.com

As a way of saying thank you I will email you a free copy of the e-book when it is completed which you can pass on to friends and family to encourage them to get involved in growing their own vegetable garden.

1. What was the biggest question you first had about starting a vegetable garden?

2. What were your most pressing questions about starting the garden?

3. What are you most frustrated about with having a vegetable garden?

4. What are some common problems that arise with growing your own fruit and vegetables?

5. How much would you pay to do a course that would improve your vegetable garden and save you money?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Mark

Featured Answer

drayven

14 years ago

I think you guys are being too hard on this poster. He(or she) may have a lot of experience gardening or even teaching gardening.
It seems to me that the questions that are being posed are merely to aid in focusing on what areas would be most beneficial for beginners.
People who are experts in a field often find it extremely difficult to write beginner books because so much of their knowledge is "common sense" that they would not even think to explain it.
I think it is actually a good idea to consult others for ideas and suggestions before beginning a book like this.
Isn't discussing and sharing knowledge the entire point of this board?

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Comments (13)

gardendawgie
14 years ago
You want me to write a book for you. Crazy. Go do the research and write your own book.
greenbean08_gw
14 years ago
If you actually read these forums, you'd have most of your answers...
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lazyhat
14 years ago
Who are you? Are you a gardener, do you have experience? I would say if you have to ask you shouldn't write the book.
One shouldn't write informational books about something they don't know about it. Leave that to those with experience. For example the internet is already filled with enough disinformation from such practices. Try searching on the internet for information about medical things, and you'll find all kinds of cookie cutter websites that lead you to bad information.
2 cents.
fusion_power
14 years ago
I generally agree with the sentiments expressed above. You sound like a person who wants to write about learning to drive a car, but you have never learned to drive.

1. There was no biggest question.
2. There was no most pressing question.
3. Bugs
4. Cultivation
5. $0.00

The best way to learn about gardening is to talk to an experienced gardener.... first hand.

DarJones
greenacresgirl
14 years ago
I was with you for the first four questions. Number 5 creates the appearance that this is all about you trying to sell something.

No thanks.
gardenrobbi
14 years ago
Mark.....

1.0 Do you have or have you ever had a vegetable garden?
2.0 If Not then you should not be writing this Ebook...

Good Luck with this.... But if you don't have the first hand Experience or Knowelage already..........

I suspect you are doing the Make money with Ebook's thing...
cozy
14 years ago
"Any help would be greatly appreciated."
Yellow Pages. Hire someone with a clue.
Silly rabbit;) What else might we assist you with?
ruthieg__tx
14 years ago
Most good authors do lots of research and ask lots of questions in interviews...I don't understand the reaction to this poster...
primarycanary
14 years ago
I don't think I had a biggest or most pressing. I guess the questions came to be as I had to learn how to battle the problems I encountered.

A great thing to explain though would be when to start your seedlings. I'm in zone 6 and I have to start my lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant indoors. I can direct seed radish, squash, pumpkin, melons, and corn. That can be a huge topic because it changes with zones, but it would be something that beginners probably wouldn't know.

Soil basics would be a great chapter too. Where you can get your soil tested, how to prepare your soil samples, understanding the results, and then amending your soil to correct any problems. Such as, if the pH came back as 5.5. How much lime to add, usually the back of the bag has a chart that will show the square footage across one axis and the pH across another. Then you just match the two and it will give you the pounds of lime to add to get a neutral pH.

Most frustrating: VARMINTS! Pronounced "GROUND-HOGS"! Nothing is worse than working diligently in your garden only to come out the next morning and all of your cauliflower is gone!

Common problems: bugs, bugs, bugs, bugs (repeat that a few hundred times), drought. Diseases are a common problem too. This could be a huge topic, probably a book of its own. Ortho has a really awesome book out that has most common garden plants listed, then for each plant it lists the most common diseases and pests. Along with pictures of what a disease looks like, what the pests look like, and your possible defenses.

How much would I pay? Probably nothing for a course. Not that I'm cheap, I just can't afford the time. I usually Google around for my answers or post them on forums such as this one. For a book, I've paid $40.00 for a book or two on specific gardening topics such as how to prune and train trees. I think in this forum you're going to find a lot of do-it-yourself-ers. People here tend to try what the want and then learn from their mistakes. In fact, a lot of gardeners I know are like that. That's what is nice about gardening, you don't need a heap of book smarts to get great results. A few simple rules that need to be memorized and then a huge amount of work that needs to be done.

Good luck on your book. Maybe check out that Ortho book, I can't remember the title, but it is was published by Ortho. A local nursery had one that I used to pair my apple trees for cross-pollination. That is another topic for fruits too! Cross-pollination vs self-pollination. Pollinators......I think that you're book is going to have to be 15 or so volumes to cover the amount of information that your survey is trying to gather.
greenacresgirl
14 years ago
My problem is that he wants us to reply by EMAIL and then asks what we would PAY for a course. If he was sincere in wanting input, he would have us reply online, afterall it would make a good discussion for us all to enjoy.

I cannot conceive of any legit purpose for requesting email addresses and asking what we would PAY.

Just my two cents.

Michelle
drayven
14 years ago
That is a legitimate observation Michelle. Perhaps the Original Poster could start a new thread this time removing the request for direct email.
I, myself, do not feel comfortable sending blind emails either.
eaglesgarden
14 years ago
In an effort to help the original poster:

First, if you want to receive replies to your post via email make sure that you select that option when you write your first post.

Second, this site is not to be used for solicitation, so the question regarding COST (and the request for direct emails) has people wary. This is a site for sharing information about gardening and its FREE! The advice is FREE as well. Sometimes the advice is worth every penny, sometimes it is invaluable! It depends on the knowledge level of the source. Many people will begin an answer with a "I'm a newbie too" line to give fair warning to the advice to follow. Others don't. Some of the most knowledgable people make it pretty obvious in their post! I've learned more than I can say from this and other forums here.

Honestly, I believe that beginning gardeners would be well served to come to this very site for advice and help in starting a garden! Best advice for a beginning gardener: TRY SOMETHING! You learn most effectively through failure. If you are easily frustrated by set-backs, gardening may not be for you. If you enjoy a challenge, gardening is the perfect outlet! Challenges in gardening come in many shapes and forms. In my own case, it's trying to grow as much as possible in a limited amount of space! Lots of new projects every year and never a dull moment (excepting Dec and Jan, of course!) By late Feb my plans are set for the new year, the seeds are ordered and the transplants are started!

Help needed for new e-book on vegetable gardening

drayven

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