All recent comments/discussion

Showing 5131 - 5160 of 13861 comments

Sweet Potato (also Kumara) 09 Feb, John (Australia - temperate climate): You certainly can cut the runners back. Kumera/sweet potato is a member of the same family as the blue flowered Morning Glory vine and needs containing to stop it spreading. Do not cut it back too hard as the leaves are also feeding the plant. the runners will form more sweet potatoes where they are in contact with the ground and can form roots. You could also put a stake in when you plant them next time and tie all of the growth to the stake then at the end of the season cut the growth off, let it dry and use it for mulch or compost. Trust this helps.
Reply
Sweet Potato (also Kumara) 16 Feb, Africanaussie (Australia - tropical climate): You can eat the tender shoots like spinach!
Reply
Sweet corn (also corn,maize) 07 Feb, flo (Australia - temperate climate): Usually crop rotation is done so diseases don't build up in the beds, and also because each type of crop takes different nutrients from the soil. Growing the same crop in the same spot all the time would deplete the soil. Legumes fix nitrogen in the soil, so growing leafy greens to follow would have them benefitting from the nitrogen. Hope this helps...
Reply
Horseradish 06 Feb, Sue (Australia - temperate climate): Is it best grown in full sun or shade
Reply
Horseradish 08 Feb, John (Australia - temperate climate): Horseradish will grow in full sun or part shade. It is a very hrdy plant and will spread rapidly in good conditions. To contain it you can plant it in a large planter pot and sink the pot into the ground. Horseradish loves damp conditions and in this situation will produce the best roots but will still do well with less water. Trust this helps
Reply
Chicory (also Witloof, Belgian endive) 05 Feb, (Australia - temperate climate): Would love to grow witlof /chicory where can I buy the seeds, I live in PE, thanks
Reply
Chicory (also Witloof, Belgian endive) 06 Feb, John (Australia - temperate climate): Eden Seeds have chicory seed. I'm not sure whether they are in far northern NSW or SEQld but you will find them on the internet.
Reply
Amaranth (also Love-lies-bleeding) 05 Feb, John (Australia - temperate climate): Where did amaranths orginate from
Reply
Amaranth (also Love-lies-bleeding) 06 Feb, John (Australia - temperate climate): Amaranth originated in Central America and was used by the Aztecs for thousands of years. It is often called an 'ancient grain' but is not actually a cereal. Trust this helps.
Reply
Amaranth (also Love-lies-bleeding) 16 Oct, Darko (Australia - temperate climate): Amaranth growing wild for centuries all over Balkans and am not sure if this is the same variety but we had it before Columbus and eat at emergency situation, wars, famine... Before converting to Christianity.
Reply
Okra (also Ladyfinger, gumbo) 05 Feb, John droppers (Australia - temperate climate): How to cook it is have tried it it seems to be guey slimey
Reply
Okra (also Ladyfinger, gumbo) 09 Feb, David (Australia - temperate climate): How to Cook Okra Without the Sliminess: www.youtube.com/watch?v=F39BHPwfBfo
Reply
Okra (also Ladyfinger, gumbo) 06 Feb, Flo (Australia - temperate climate): It is always slimy when boiled or steamed. It is often used in curries etc, masks the sliminess a bit.
Reply
Okra (also Ladyfinger, gumbo) 06 Feb, John (Australia - temperate climate): I have worked in a community garden with South Sudanese and they use okra in stews as it is to create a thickening effect. They also say that it is soothing for gastric problems. A lot of people say to soak it in vinegar for half an hour then pat dry and cook. Trust this helps.
Reply
Watermelon 05 Feb, jenny philippi (Australia - tropical climate): we have planted potatoes in our veg but all of a sudden this vine appears and weeks later we realize it is a watermelon vine your page said watermelons should be avoided planting with potatoes. ours came up on their own. will both survive?
Reply
Watermelon 06 Feb, John (Australia - temperate climate): They may not be good companions but if both are doing wellit's not going to cost you anything to let them go. If the melon roots are intertwined with a potato you may have to leave that potato until the tops of both die down
Reply
Cucumber 05 Feb, (Australia - temperate climate): How to tell when apple cucumbers are ready to pick
Reply
Cucumber 06 Feb, John (Australia - temperate climate): Most varieties of apple cucumber are ripe when the greenish tinge has gone and they are a clear white. When they are overripe they go yellowish and are often bitter. This would apply to most apple cucumbers but there are some more recent varieties available that are green when they are ripe and some that are a golden, almost brown colour. Trust this helps.
Reply
Luffa (also Loofah, plant sponge) 04 Feb, Coco (Australia - temperate climate): hi does any one know if I could use the seeds to plant from a store bought loofa ?
Reply
Luffa (also Loofah, plant sponge) 04 Feb, John (Australia - temperate climate): If the seeds are only a season or two old there is no reason why not. Loofa is a cucurbit (a member of the pumpkin, squash and cucumber family) but has no close relatives that it could hybridise with. Grow the same as pumpkin. Trust this helps.
Reply
Lettuce 04 Feb, Gail (Australia - temperate climate): I have planted a variety of lettuce from seed. From about 15 seeds planted only 1 is starting to grow. I can't see anything eating the shoots could there be bugs in the ground eating the seedling before it shoots?
Reply
Lettuce 04 Feb, John (Australia - temperate climate): Lettuce and other fine seed like carrot needs consistent moisture to germinate as the seeds are fine. A notorious thief of lettuce and carrot seeds are ants! Sprinkle pepper along the row when sowing the seed, this is an excellent deterrent. Trust this helps.
Reply
Cape Gooseberry (also Golden Berry, Inca Berry ) 03 Feb, Gayle (Australia - tropical climate): Will gooseberry bushes grow in Rockhampton Central Queensland and can I buy from you (We don't sell plants - Gardenate)
Reply
Cape Gooseberry (also Golden Berry, Inca Berry ) 05 Feb, John (Australia - temperate climate): Look up seed catalogues on the net. They are easy to grow from seed.
Reply
Onion 01 Feb, Grace (Australia - temperate climate): I'm looking at onions. Temperate area. Cohuna vic. What isnthe difference between the "transplant seedlings" and "plant in garden"? Hmmm. Or does the "plant in garden" mean I can plant seed straight into the garden instead of growing them now in seed trays?
Reply
Onion 04 Feb, John (Australia - temperate climate): Any seeds planted directly into the garden will do better than transplants because they don't get any transplant shock. Having said that it is not easy to sow onion seed far enough apart to achieve this without thinning. Seed sown directly into the ground in friable soil will do a lot better than tray grown seedlings generally because moisture is easier to keep more consistent. these can then be transplanted. Trust this helps and is not too confusing.
Reply
Cabbage 31 Jan, Kerry (Australia - temperate climate): Can a drum cabbage be grown from sprouting core, the core has sent out roots not sure if I can put in garden, unfortunately sandy soil so do I need to add anything, I use liquid fertilizer on all my garden and I will not use any chemicals
Reply
Cabbage 04 Feb, John (Australia - temperate climate): A drum cabbage grown from a core will grow but will run up to flower and seed. The leaves can still be used as it grows and you can save the seed which germinaates very readily. yYou could use some of the seed for your next crop and put some on a tray of cotton wool and clip them with the scissors at 2 leaf stage to use as microgreens. Trust this helps
Reply
Cucumber 31 Jan, Norm Colless (Australia - sub-tropical climate): Hi, I have apple cucumbers growing vigorously and with heaps of male flowers but no female flowers. What can I do please
Reply
Cucumber 04 Feb, John (Australia - temperate climate): I don't know of anything that will induce cucumbers, pumpkins, squash, etc to produce female flowers. Male flowers are always produced first but it is very frustrating. Female flowers generally appear as the season becomes consistently warmer. Trust this helps.
Reply

Showing 5131 - 5160 of 13861 comments

Gardenate

Keep your garden growing - see what to plant right now

All recent comments/discussion

Become A Supporter!

Planting Reminders