Any recommendations for a basic gardening magazine? I am in western NY and just have a few raised beds and would like to get more inspiration and information.
There's always good ol' "Organic Gardening" magazine, which is very informative whether you're totally into organic gardening or not.
Also, "Fine Gardening" is good, although in my past experience, they are more into flower gardening and garden design...
"Garden Design" magazine is like Fine Gardening mag, only even more "haute". They cover garden design all over the world and are big on fine graphic page layout and giant fancy photos.
To be honest, all the gardening magazines I've browsed and borrowed, and occasionally splurged on in the checkout line, have basically sucked. You would get FAR more bang for your buck if you spend it on gas to and from the local library, and/or buying some useful books. A few useful books on the bookshelf above the tv can while away a buncha winter
P.S. libraries have magazines too
P.P.S. a good source of inspiration is local 'garden tours', usually put on by or for local charities; for like $10-20 you drive around to half a dozen or so private gardens and get to snoop around and talk to the owners. You can get some good ideas that way. Also the ones I've been to make me feel much better about the weeds, ratty mulch and wibbly edging in some parts of my garden - even the really GOOD gardens are not generally magazine-shoot groomed <g>
I don't think they don't all 'suck', I love The Garden, put out by the Royal Horticultural Society, People, Places and Plants, a regional New England magazine, and Fine Gardening. Horticulture is ok, but lately it hasn't had much in it, forget Organic Gardening completely, they lost it back in the mid-90's and have never found a purpose again. The special interest things on the newsstands do stink, I don't even bother opening them. For basic gardening information, however, I agree with Pat, books are a much better way to get good gardening information, especially for a new gardener.
Mother Earth News still has some good, interesting articles about gardening. Countryside magazine has a feature article each issue about gardening, types of vegetables or fruits to garden, and different methods of gardening, canning, drying or freezing.
For information about just gardening, the books at the library are my favorite choice.
Thank you all for the info. I really like magazines because you can keep them and refer to them year yo year. I may just hit a bookstore and grab a couple magazines just to see what is out there. And then go to the library and see what they have available. I can always scan pages and pictures and keep them available.
Or, when you find a really good book at a library, just go buy your own copy
The "information density" -- am't of useful information per dollar spent -- of a book is VASTLY higher than that of a magazine, which is unlikely to contain much if any info that isn't in a book somewhere anyhow. Well except for all the ads
Yep, I can find most any book on Amazon.com at a very reasonable price...haven't paid more than $10 for anything I've bought on there! Might try that source.
Organic Gardening is the best I've read-the others seem geared to more professional, elite gardeners. And I second the notion about Mother Earth and Countryside, especially if you're into preserving your harvest.