Gardening Books and Contradictory Information

I have purchased 3 gardening books that are written specifically for Alberta, yet the information for germination, hardiness and soil requirements totally contradict each other. This is for almost all of the flowers in these books. Am I too assume that the authors of these books have never actually grown these flowers. For example, book 1 says to start phlox drummondi 8-10 weeks before last frost, book 2 says to start phlox 4 weeks before last frost, book 3 says to start phlox in the spring. How am I too figure out when to sow my plants if the so called professionals don't have a clue? The contradictions in these books is appalling.

Not all books are written by gardeners, not all professional plant people who write books have grown all of them personally. But it is sad that you've found such a degree of inconsistency.

However, I'd say that the difference for example between 4 weeks and 8 weeks ahead is only going to yield slightly younger or older but still small plants. Therefore, it's not an inconsistency that I would call a reason to feel the books are useless..

A lot of gardening books are very poor quality, granted. It's clear that a lot of info is simply lifted from previously published books, rather than coming from any experience of actually growing the plant.However, I wouldn't necessarily assume that in the case of the books you mention. The more specific the book, the better the info tends to be. In other words, the harder it is to get away with nonsense. ;-).
The three lines of advice you mention are actually saying the same thing - which is correct advice - and they are simply varying in the details. It is standard ggod advice for any area with cold winters to start easy annuals (e.g. Phlox drummondii) indoors 6-8 weeks before the last frost. This is done in order to promote early blooming - it's not necessary with many fast-growing annuals, typically those that can grow successfully from self-sowings.
However, the biggest problem with starting seeds early indoors is that most people don't have adequate light sources ( a window is often not good enough). The recommendation to start 4 weeks before last frost would compensate for this very common problem... the less time spent under inadequate light (prior to be placed out in outdoor light conditions), the better, for the health of the seedlings.
So, the differences in the advice you point out are very minor, and the advice is correct.... not actually an obvious example of shoddy research or lack of experience on the part of the author. :-)

Double post - sorry.


This message was edited Jan 26, 2015 10:23 AM

Double post - sorry.



This message was edited Jan 26, 2015 10:25 AM

It's even worse when you start researching what to do to ensure your houseplants respond favorably to the cultural conditions you provide, and in general, how to keep houseplants fit (in a state of good vitality). The amount of misinformation is almost shameful. I feel for you.

Al

Hmmm, a couple of other thoughts... Developing a sense for the quality of information comes from experience and knowledge. Perhaps I come across as bashing "gardening books", but I would like to clarify that I am thinking of only very specific examples of specific genres and for very specific reasons.

Another thought... some plants, for example, common houseplants, are commonly grown because they can tolerate a wide range of conditions. With the proliferation of websites and forums such as this one, people tend to describe the conditions THEY are growing the plant under, giving the impression that those are the REQUIRED conditions, when they may not be (again, a function of the person's experience). Sometimes, the details are really not important, if the plant is a tolerant one, yet listing the details causes a contrast with someone else's details...

Thanks for all the information. I was very frustrated when I posted this thread, but I'm beginning to understand that the books are basic guides and trial and error will determine what works best in my garden.

HC

And it will help also to ask the gardeners here on DG- there is a seed starting forum, also I think maybe this phlox is an annual so you might ask the folks in the annuals forum too. and the Canadian forum too, and possibly Rocky Mountain or Upper Midwest, depending on which climate you think yours might match. Even then, there is always some trial and error. Once you figure out what works, you can report back to the rest of us.

Right, the different species of a plant can sometimes make it very confusing. One person is talking about one plant while another is talking about a different species of plant.

Be aware that when/if you pursue more opinions on any of the forums noted that you will get another bunch of sets of details that may add further unnecessary confusion to what is a very simple thing.
Basically, you already have the correct info from your books. What you are lacking is experience at starting seeds, and that's what will help.

It is usually safe to plant out after the May long weekend here, so plan around that.
Just give it a go...

A quick thought to add a bit of perspective... when I read that first post I thought to myself, well, maybe it doesn't matter that much when you start the plant. Which in my mind is basically a good thing. Assuming the authors have all tried and tested their recommendations, of course.

When I see a variety of perspectives on a given situation, that gives me a better idea of what's actually going on than if I had seen one perspective repeated over and over. So it's often helpful to see all the different ways something can work before I choose the path that's most likely to work for me. Does that make sense?

In much the same sense, each response in this thread has added a different perspective, too. My own experience here with seeds is that any day of the year is a good day to start them. In fact, I'm moving a bunch of baby cactus seedlings outside today. Now back to your regular Canadian channel.... :)

Vastly different constraints are imposed by a zone 3 climate...