The Garden Gate: Newsgroups and Web Forums for Gardeners - Gardening and Landscaping Newsgroups

USENET newsgroups pre-date the World Wide Web by many years and were long accessible only via text-based interfaces. Through news-capable Web browsers, however, newsgroups (also referred to as 'discussion groups' by Web browsers) have been made acessible to anyone willing to give it a try.

Because many older newsgroups have been around for a long time, they often have an established group of regulars who set the tone for the whole newsgroup. It's a always a very good idea to read the newsgroup for a while to familiarize yourself with its culture before you post. For more information on what to expect, check out these Basic USENET guidelines.

The following newsgroups are part of the global rec.* hierarchy and should be available from most Internet Service Providers. If not, most ISPs ill accept requests to have global newsgroups added.

* rec.arts.bonsai. Miniature trees and shrubbery.
* rec.gardens Gardening, methods and results.
* rec.gardens.ecosystems Ecosystems and organic gardening. (Moderated)
* rec.gardens.edible Edible gardening topics.
* rec.gardens.orchids Growing, hybridizing, and general care of orchids.
* rec.gardens.roses Gardening information related to roses.
* rec.ponds. Pond issues: plants, fish, design, maintenance.

IMPORTANT: The following newsgroups are not available on all systems. Please contact your Internet Service Provider about availability. You can also search at Google Groups for more specific geographic areas or interests.

* alt.binaries.pictures.gardens Displaying plants and gardens.
* aus.gardens Gardens and gardening in Australia.
* austin.gardening Austin and USDA Zone 8 gardening related discussions.
* fido.ger.garten Garden Hobbyists.
* fj.rec.gardens Gardening, including potted plants and water plants.
* fl.gardening Landscaping & Gardening within Florida State (Moderated)
* hawaii.gardening Discussion of gardening in Hawai'i.
* pdaxs.services.gardening Watering, pruning, nurturing.
* slac.rec.garden Announcements of the SLAC Garden Club
* triangle.gardens for the 'Triangle' region of North Carolina - Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. Zone 7.
* uk.rec.gardening To discuss gardening topics of interest in the UK.
* zipnews.gov.pub-ser.museums.zoos.gardens Museums,zoos, gardens. (Moderated)

Other newsgroups you might find interesting:

* alt.folklore.herbs. Discussion of all aspects of herbs and their uses.
* alt.sustainable.agriculture
* bionet.plants. Research into plant biology.
* sci.agriculture. Farming, agriculture and related topics.
* sci.agriculture.beekeeping. Beekeeping, bee-culture and hive products.
* sci.agriculture.fruit. Agricultural techniques for fruit, berries & nuts.
* sci.bio.botany. The scientific study of plants.

Web forums offer an attractive alternative to newcomers less familiar with the USENET newsgroup format.

* GardenWeb's Gardening Forums are among the longest-running forums available on line and offer over 90 different topics and geographic focus forums. Busy forums frequented by regulars can have well-established cultures similar to mailing lists and USENET newsgroups. Be sure to read before you post.
* Thanks to the growing ease of making interactive features available even on modest Web sites, many specialized Web sites offer forums for their members. For example, Bonsaiweb's forums cover topics related to Bonsai and Japanese gardening.

You can even venture forth and create your own (ad-supported) free Web board at a site like EZBoard.

Gardeners in the Champaign-Urbana area of East Central Illinois can share information and ask question on this regional newsgroup. Monitored by Champaign County Master Gardeners.

* cmi.rec.general.

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Copyright © 1994-2001 Karen Fletcher. All Rights Reserved.
Updated by Karen Fletcher. karen@karenfletcher.com The Garden Gate