[net.garden] bulb info and container gardens

aitel@guido.DEC (01/08/86)

Re:  bulb knowledge:  I've enjoyed the HP book on bulbs.  The title
is something like "Bulbs: how to select, grow, and enjoy". In fact,
I like their whole series of books on gardening.  They put in a lot
of photos and drawings, which makes the books fun to read.  Most of
their books on a specific plant type are titled "<subject>, how to
select, grow and enjoy."  Seed/bulb catalogs and the bulb company's
800 number are another good source of information.

Re:  container gardening:  Make sure you don't just use chemical
fertilizers which have only the 3 main nutrients (N-P-K).  Plants
also need a source of the micro-nutrients - things like calcium and
magnesium - and some organic material to hold water in the soil.
Check out a book on intensive gardening or organic gardening for a
table of common materials and the micro-nutrients they provide.
Some, like egg shells for calcium, you may already have on hand.