Gardening advice is easy to find on the web, but much of the information is inaccurate, inappropriate for Western North Carolina, and may do more harm than good! Here are a few quick tips for finding useful gardening information:
Keep it local
Garden soils, climate/hardiness zones, other environmental conditions, pests, and diseases vary, so look for information specific to Western North Carolina.
Keep it research-based
Look for up-to- date, science-based information from North Carolina State University or North Carolina Extension sites/sources first. Check South Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia Extension services if you need more.
Keep it focused
Start with a list of specific keywords to help narrow your research. Be wary of personal opinion and commercial sites.
Note: although many North Carolina Extension materials appear at ces.ncsu.edu, useful Extension sources may appear in domains other than “.edu”.
For example: