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Showing 1771 - 1800 of 19920 comments

Ginger 20 Mar, Dee (USA - Zone 8b climate): I have been growing edible ginger in a large 16” pot for the last three years from organic store-bought ginger root. I live in SE Alabama where summers can get extremely hot, so I make sure they get partial shade. I harvested the rhizomes in November when the canes were turning brown and the rhizomes were large & plump. It is now mid-March and temperatures are ranging from mid 60s to upper 70s, so I will break apart some of the rhizomes and let them scab over and replant in fresh soil in the next week or two.
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Pumpkin 19 Mar, Elizabeth Koch (Australia - sub-tropical climate): My pumpkins 2 Queensland blue have grown to about 6inches across, but now are starting to die. Lost a lot of smaller ones, about 2 to 3 inches big. Doing all the right things I think. The butternut have no problems.
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Pumpkin 02 Apr, marco (Australia - tropical climate): pumpkin trick is to deep plant the pumpkin from the start .dig a 1 foot plant in that, do not fill hole full of ground . let plant grow . when the plant is well above hole fill hole with soil .find the path u want the plant to grow and dont move . as the plant grows take out the runner branches .let grow for 3 to 4 meters then let 2 or 3 runners grow .when you have about 3 pumpkins nib any new runners ,keep pumpkin off soil use timber or tile .also as the plant grows the plant wants to grow up ,just put trowel on the growth ,this keeps it low to ground .why u grow 3 meters is because the leaves collect sun make plant strong for pumpkin to grow .also growing low to ground roots can appear at each branch that helps plant .i look at my plant at least once a week in growing time because u need to control its growth .i grew 3 big pumpkins for the first time and its worth all the attention .if u let it go wild the flowers just fall off or a pumpkin dies after a week or so and u end up with nothing
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Pumpkin 07 Jun, Meghan (Australia - sub-tropical climate): marco. you dig a hole and plant pumpkin seeds? don't you plant in a mound? can you plant seeds now?
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Leeks 19 Mar, Dionne (Australia - sub-tropical climate): We grown American Flag with great success. We mostly direct seed and sometimes transplant. We always broadfork a bed before planting and add a little ag lime (especially pre-seeding with alliums). We don't let them get gigantic like you see in the shop. You can, but that requires transplanting into a small trench and then hilling up to blanche. We find the bunches of baby leeks just as popular as the large ones. Leeks with asparagus are so wonderful on pizza with a good French sorrel and parsley pesto base! Leeks can handle more water than you realise.
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Cucumber 18 Mar, Gina (USA - Zone 8a climate): I planted my cucumber plants 3-4inch apart in about a15 inch space. At the end of a elevated garden. I took hog or pig wire made a arch off the end of the bed. Trained the plants to climb up and dow the arch. The wire was so spaced I could put the cucumber in the holes in the wire to support the vegetable. It loved it
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Sweet corn (also corn,maize) 18 Mar, Elise Blanchard (USA - Zone 7b climate): Is it too late to plant corn here in zone 7b?
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Sweet corn (also corn,maize) 19 Mar, Elder (USA - Zone 7b climate): No, to be safe succession plant. Starting late Feb. thru Mar.
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Cauliflower 16 Mar, Keith SPICER (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate): My cauliflowers are frequently attacked overnight in their growing boxes which are about a metre high . What could be the cause of this? There is no evidence other than tooth marks. Rats?
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Garlic 15 Mar, Diana (Australia - temperate climate): I've tried to grow garlic for a couple of years now without much success. My last crop grown from store bought organic garlic, only had one large bulb. Is garlic a heavy feeder? What is the best way to prepare the bed for them?
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Garlic 20 Mar, Melanie L Schoen (Australia - arid climate): Sometimes store bought garlic is treated with a chemical that deters it from sprouting. Can you get it from a local supplier? Organic?
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Garlic 17 Mar, Anonymous (Australia - sub-tropical climate): It does not require a lot of nitrogen - just good friable soil with a little fertiliser.
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Tomato 15 Mar, Sue Di Giacomo (USA - Zone 10a climate): Does it help to run a misting system during the heat of Florida summertime or would that do more harm than good; ie risk burning the leaves or inviting diseases etc.
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Tomato 17 Mar, Kylee (USA - Zone 5b climate): my understanding is that keeping the leaves wet may make the plant more susceptible to disease and fungal issues, so its probably best to only water the base of the plant. Just make sure to give your tomatoes some shade throughout the day and i think they'll be alright
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Sweet Potato (also Kumara) 14 Mar, Malcolm (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate): I have grown a large bed of kumara in a school garden. The entire bed is covered in healthy top growth. But I can't feel any tubers when I lift up a section of top growth. I'm interested in the comments on pulling up runners, although I may be too late now, in mid-March. Do I just hack away at the long vines, cutting them back to where they enter the soil. Or am I wasting my time, since we are about a month from harvest?
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Sweet Potato (also Kumara) 09 Apr, Will (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate): No, you are not wasting your time growing them. Even if there are no tubers, the top leaves can be harvested. They are commonly harvested & eaten in the Philippines. Steam them. They commonly used them with raw tomatoes, in their summer.
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Sweet Potato (also Kumara) 15 Mar, Mike Logan (Australia - sub-tropical climate): In sub tropical Australia where I live, they grow them in rows. The rows are hilled up about 1/2m high and the slips are planted in the top of the hill. A slip is the last 200-300mm of the vine when they are about 10 weeks old. Plant the slip with the top part out of the ground, Keep soil moist until they start to grow. Your problem is you probably have over fertilised with nitrogen. Go by the time to harvest guide here if you don't have a crop by say 4mths then you probably won't. The potatoes will be around where you planted the tube or runner not along the vines.
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Chilli peppers (also Hot peppers) 14 Mar, TLANGELANI MAGAMANA (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate): when is the right time to plant habanero in Tzaneen area
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Sweet Potato (also Kumara) 12 Mar, DeAnn Johnson (USA - Zone 5a climate): Thank you so much for the GREAT Tip!!!
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Sweet Potato (also Kumara) 15 Mar, (USA - Zone 4a climate): Read the posting here in the New Zealand section - I just put a reply there about growing Sweet Pots.
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Ginger 12 Mar, Lorna (Australia - tropical climate): I’m in tropical Nth Queensland, I’d rather grow my ginger in pots/ containers. What would be a suitable size & shape pots/containers to use please?
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Ginger 16 Mar, Fiona (Australia - tropical climate): Hi Lorna I have grown Thai Ginger successfully in 300mm pot with well draining potting mix in Cairns. I just keep replanting a few pieces after harvest. I mince the ginger, then freeze it in zip locks, in a sausage shape. Easy to cut a bit off when you need it.
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Ginger 15 Mar, (Australia - sub-tropical climate): I have never grown it but probably half a 200l drum. The smaller the pot the more critical the attention to watering and fertilising. Or half a 60l drum. Try at motor car servicing centers.
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Asparagus Pea (also Winged bean) 10 Mar, Lori (USA - Zone 8b climate): What is the depth of roots for asparagus peas? Do they grow well in containers?
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Asparagus Pea (also Winged bean) 11 Mar, Anonymous (USA - Zone 5b climate): Containers just need more attention with watering and fertilising etc.
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Asparagus Pea (also Winged bean) 15 Mar, Lori (USA - Zone 8b climate): Thanks. Do you know how deep the roots go, so I know how big the container needs to be?
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Asparagus Pea (also Winged bean) 24 Mar, Celeste Archer (Canada - Zone 7b Mild Temperate climate): I believe beans (winged beans or winged peas as they are called) are medium rooting depth --> that is 18" to 24". You can go online and search for rooting depth of vegetables and you'll get a table that shows: very shallow, shallow, medium, deep and, very deep rooted vegetables. Where very shallow is under 12" , shallow: 12"-18", medium 18"-24", deep 24"-36", very deep 36+". This is also what they call the EFFECTIVE root zone -- so in reality the plant can go deeper. Tomatoes are deep or very deep rooted (and tend toward the 36+" side) -- but many people grow them in containers that are about 18" deep -- the growth is a bit stunted, but other than that they look fine. So when you see that beans like about 24" of depth, that does not mean you can't successfully grow them in a 15" deep pot. I have found that VOLUME of soil is more important than total depth (it's a bit of a give and take) -- but lets say a 10" deep half barrel would be better suited for winged beans than a 24" deep narrow fluted container. Plants sent out roots to collect the necessities of life; water, macro nutrients (N, P, K, calcium etc.) and micronutrients (boron, iron, zinc etc.) - the roots also provide stability. Beans fix their own nitrogen but still need all the other nutrients and I have found benefit greatly from an application of micro nutrients. Whatever container size or shape you choose you need to ensure all the necessities of life are available for the plant; good aeration in the soil (look at orchid pots if you want to understand really good aeration), enough water, nutrients in a timely fashion. A small pot with little soil volume will need to have nutrition added regularly, as the plant will quickly use up all the supplies available in the soil. Further, I have found that pots with a lot of surface area give me plenty of room to top up the plant with compost or manure -- if you don't have room to top up the soil you need to use liquid fertilizers (like making you own leachate - or buying some commercial fertilizers). I remember when I wanted a container garden (my first ever container garden in the city - having always planted plants directly in the soil as containers tend to be expensive) -- anyhow, I learned the hard way HOW FAST the nutrients get used up in containers -- containers tend to require a lot of amendments (fertilizer) compared to plants in the soil for two reasons: 1. plants in the soil can send their roots out further scooping up nutrients, and using what is already there -- like minerals from rocks 2. nutrients tend to also LEACH out of containers when you water; and you are less likely to leach out your nutrients even in raised beds as you need have "run off" to do so. Hope this helps with your decision on size and shape of your pot !!!
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Watermelon 09 Mar, Trish Deeter (USA - Zone 10b climate): What are the best seeds to purchase for Zone 10b, Costa Mesa, Southern part of California near the ocean?
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Watermelon 03 Apr, Karen Hutchison (USA - Zone 10b climate): I have had good luck with Klondike
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Strawberry Plants 09 Mar, Susan Marseglia (New Zealand - temperate climate): Hi there, I have moved into a new property with strawberry plants. How do i care for them as i presume its the end of the season ? Do i cut back all the leaves / stems ,and have read that i can cut off the runners but what do you do with them? Can they be stored over winter somehow and replanted? Any advice greatly appreciated thanks. novice gardener
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