| HOME | Web resources help cultivate gardening interests By JIM BROOKS I confess that when it comes to gardening, I'm as dumb as a rock. As a kid with a lawn mower, I took great pleasure in mowing down flowers just to see the multicolored spray of chopped-up petals and leafs go spraying out over the lawn. I've reformed the ways of my youth and now I can better appreciate the work that gardening takes -- and I've been using the Internet as a resource for more information about raising my own garden this year. As you might expect, companies that sell garden supplies and seeds have some of the most useful sites about gardening on the Web. I've compiled some of my favorites, which I based on quality of information and ease of finding something useful. • Shepherd's Garden Seeds offers an online catalog of more than 500 seed varieties, including vegetables, herbs and flowers. This mail-order house also supplies new and experienced gardeners with some well-designed Web pages of information. The company's current gardening newsletter is available online (as are the back issues). A reference library offers a list Garden FAQ (frequently asked questions), plus guides for starting your garden, selecting seeds, and proper care of your garden. Even if you don't plan on ordering seeds from them, their Web site is a good source of solid gardening information. Point your browser to www.shepherdseeds.com. • Ames, the folks who make non-powered lawn and garden tools, also have a Web site at www.ames.com. Besides a rundown on the company's 220-year history, there's lots of things to interest gardeners. Ever wondered how to get a thick lush lawn under your shade trees? Or how to create a flower garden that will attract butterflies? Ames' Tip of the Month section can answer these questions. A handy link lets you look at past month's hints. A section on Great Gardening is aimed at beginning gardeners -- like myself -- and is informative and easy to understand. One of the neatest parts I found was a section for kids. It might not cultivate an interest in gardening, but the selection of artwork in their online coloring book can provide some fun for the younger folks at home. After printing the page of your choice on your own printer, all you need to add are the crayons or markers. The site also highlights their newest products; an online zip code search engine will tell you where your closest Ames dealer is -- and it works. My search found several dealers right here in town. The Ames "Grow America" newsletter is free by mail, and you can sign up for it at their Web site. • The relatively new bi-monthly magazine, Garden Gate, also has an accompanying Web site at http://eMall.com/gardengate/. Don't think this is a fancy magazine (or Web site) devoted to gardens you can't afford to grow. As the publisher says, "We're sophisticated but simple. We're elegant but not pretentious. In short, we offer real information for real people." The online version of their magazine has feature articles on irrigation systems, raising fabulous forsythias, as well as how-to articles on trellis care, watering techniques for the garden and proper care of your perennials. For more info, point your browser, http://eMall.com/gardengate/. • A good all-around resource for gardeners on the Web is GardenTown, located at www.gardentown.com. GardenTown is a chat-oriented Web site -- if you're looking for answers to questions, you can check in on Sage Hall, their HTML-based message board. They keep transcripts of postings too, so you can go back and find something you might want to know. For live chat, try GardenTown's Cafe OnLive, a very nicely prepared live chat site. It doesn't require any plug-ins; simply register your name (no lengthy registration required) and you can chat away about gardening. If you are using the proper Web browser (Netscape Navigator 2.02 or higher), the Cafe OnLive screen automatically refreshes, adding new comments. Very informative and simple to operate. The GardenTown Library holds user-submitted tips, information about the Web site and a list of frequently asked questions. The GardenTown Gallery is a section devoted to pictures submitted by the Web site's users of themselves and their gardens. The overall feel of GardenTown -- including the family-friendly nature of the chat areas -- makes it seem like a real "virtual" community. GardenTown users are genuinely helpful folks. • One of the annual rites of gardening is the arrival of the much-anticipated seed catalogs in your mailbox. But for new gardeners (like myself), finding how to get them can be difficult -- unless you run across the Garden Catalogs List found on the Web. This privately maintained list includes more than 1,600 catalogs, and can be found at http://www.cog.brown.edu:80/gardening/cat.html. For your convenience, you can examine the list divided into categories, or do as I did and download the entire thing. It might not help you this year, but you'll be better prepared for next season. GARDEN TALK. For discussion about gardening, there are several Usenet newsgroups available that are widely used to cuss and discuss all sorts of gardening and related problems and share ideas. • rec.gardens -- This newsgroup covers the entire scope of gardening topics, from growing potatoes in trash cans to lawn care and landscaping. If you have a problem in your garden, the regulars at rec.gardens seem quick to offer suggestions. • rec.gardens.edible -- Discussion in this newsgroup centers around vegetables, herbs and other edible garden items. • rec.gardens.orchids and rec.gardens.roses -- Discussion participants in these groups centers on their favorite flowers and their many varieties. NETSCAPE GETS PUSHY. Netscape Corp. announced this week its new Web browser, Netscape Communicator, will incorporate new "push" technology that the company previously code-named "Constellation." Netscape's new Netcaster allows Web users to subscribe to certain content that is delivered via the Web -- much the same way that the successful PointCast Network operates. Content will be divided into "channels," and subscribers will receive it via the Web. It can later be browsed either online or offline, using the Communicator desktop -- or Netscape's new term, "webtop." The technology is called "push" because it is sent to users automatically, rather than sought out -- or "pulled" -- by the user. A Netscape press release said the feature will be added to the new Communicator Web software suite in the next 30 days. RETURN TO SENDER. E-mail is one of the most popular uses of the Internet -- a lesson that Microsoft is learning with its Microsoft Network Web-based online service. After a glitch shutdown some of MSN's e-mail system early last week, the company decided to perform an upgrade earlier than planned -- which took its e-mail service offline for two days. A notice posted at MSN said that no mail would be lost and that the service should resume last Friday and be back to normal by today. MSN doubled the number of computers it was using to handle messages on its e-mail service. Comments and questions about this column may be sent to jbrooks@myoldkentuckyhome.com, or visit www.myoldkentuckyhome.com on the World Wide Web. | HOME |