Any edible plant or part of a plant
8
votes
2answers
210 views
Is it normal for Pak Choi (Bok Choy) seedlings to come up so varied in colour and leaf shape?
It's my first time with Pak Choi (Bok Choy) and so I don't know what seedlings normally look like. But should they be this varied in shape and colour?
2
votes
2answers
60 views
What books would be most useful as a reference for (vegetable) gardening?
There are a few main subjects such a book should cover, such as:
the seasonal dependence of various plants (which can grow when, and
when can one grow what),
descriptions of the specific care ...
2
votes
1answer
41 views
Can spots on leaves of pea seedlings indicate under- or overwatering?
I'm growing peas in a coffee tin. I noticed some discolorations showing up on the leaves. Can I get an early indication of over or underwatering from this feature, or is it entirely natural?
2
votes
1answer
78 views
Growing onions from an onion
I would like to experiment on growing onions form an onion, instead of buying each year seeds, sets or little plants.
I heard that planting one onion does not immediately gives more onions. Opposite ...
5
votes
2answers
93 views
How can I grow edible plants for a reptile in the reptile's tank?
I have a bearded dragon, and I recently came up with an idea to possibly plant my dragon's food in her own tank. This way it is fresh, always available, and may even help to keep the humidity in her ...
15
votes
6answers
601 views
Can I harvest vegetable seeds and store for the next year?
This discussion of seed storage got me wondering if it is feasible to harvest seeds from vegetables (I'm partial to tomatoes) as I cut them up for consumption.
Generally, I buy seeds each year. But ...
2
votes
2answers
60 views
Would a forsythia at edge of kitchen garden cause problems?
We have a rather small garden and would like to start growing some vegetables and herbs. We already reserved a part of our garden for this, but at the edge of this part there currently is a forsythia ...
6
votes
4answers
3k views
How do I get rid of pill bugs in my vegetable garden (or is it even the problem)?
I have had multiple plants in my vegetable garden that have seemed to just vanish from the garden over the period of about a week. I have notice pill bugs eating the remains of the plants. They seem ...
8
votes
2answers
839 views
How low (and for how long) does the temperature need to be before I need to worry about covering my outdoor vegetable garden?
I have an outdoor vegetable garden in South Florida. The garden consists of things like tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, peas, and squash. Everything was started from seed about 2 months ago. I don't have ...
4
votes
3answers
119 views
Is it safe to make a vegetable garden where there may have been lawn chemicals?
I moved into a new house (built 1979) this past fall and I would like to convert some of the grass area to a vegetable garden. I don't know how the previous owners took care of their lawn, but is ...
7
votes
2answers
73 views
How do you tell when pumpkins are ready to harvest?
I have several large pumpkins on a vine but am not sure when to pick them.
I have heard they are similar to potatoes in that you wait till the vine starts to die before harvesting.
3
votes
2answers
197 views
Is it possible to grow bulb onions in a container garden?
I have a rather large balcony and love onions. Is it possible to grow bulb onions in a container? What would the minimum dimensions of a container have to be to grow them? Could they be co-planted ...
6
votes
1answer
113 views
What to guild with Asparagus
I have been working on applying permacultural techniques of layering in space and time, and most of my gardens work well on this principle but I am having trouble applying it to asparagus. What should ...
13
votes
3answers
9k views
What food crops grow well in a hot/dry desert climate?
I live in Las Vegas, where year-round rainfall is very low, and summer temperatures can be very high. The humidity is very low, the sky is nearly always sunny, and spring and fall temperatures can ...
2
votes
3answers
89 views
How to remove small insects from broccoli?
I'm growing up vegetables (without any chemical products) and among them broccoli. They are good, but they've a big problem: they're full of very small insects, and when I cook them, I find them in my ...
5
votes
3answers
79 views
How to prepare a small vege garden for Toronto's winter?
We have about 5 small garden beds, that we grow tomato, peppers, okra, egg plants etc. After the growing season (Apr - Sep; Toronto, Canada) we usually bury the left over stems and leave the beds ...
4
votes
1answer
83 views
Will onion sets overwinter in USDA zone 4?
I have garlic, and ornamental onions and chives planted. They overwinter, how about those bargain onion sets I bought? I planted the bag of twenty or thirty but it was a dry summer and those I ...
3
votes
1answer
156 views
Peppers not growing - growing tips diseased?
Please have a look at these images of my hot pepper plant. Notice the growing tips which seem withered and diseased.
What disease is this and what is causing this? What are the solutions to counter ...
3
votes
2answers
330 views
Why do some of my zucchini shrivel and turn yellow at the blossom end?
Every year, I grow a zucchini plant, and every year a few of the zucchini stop growing once they reach a few inches in length, then turn yellow from the blossom end:
Left to themselves, they will ...
8
votes
1answer
248 views
What are these swirly green growths inside my bell peppers?
I occasionally discover swirly green growths inside my bell peppers, such as the ones pictured below. What are they exactly? Are they edible?
2
votes
3answers
295 views
Can a raised vegetable garden co-exist with nearby fruit trees?
I am putting in new raised beds for a vegetable garden. The beds will be 40cm (16 inches) high. The beds will line the length of a fence and I am planning to put a row of fruit trees (possibly ...
6
votes
1answer
490 views
How deep does a raised bed need to be for a veggie patch?
I am putting in some new raised veggie beds along a fence line and will also be putting in some climbers (probably passion fruit) between the beds and the fence for screening. To keep the vine/tree ...
3
votes
2answers
270 views
How can I keep a dog out of my vegetable garden?
I have a small vegetable garden and a small dog. I'm looking for advice on the best way to keep the little guy out of the veges. Advice on the following would be appreciated:
Is there anything I can ...
4
votes
1answer
186 views
Can I use red clay bricks for an organic veggie raised bed? What about mortar?
I am trying to find an inexpensive but attractive way to put a raised bed in that will be used for an organic veggie garden. It sounds as if clay bricks are OK if they haven't been in a fireplace. ...
5
votes
1answer
72 views
Why does my pumpkin patch have only male blossoms?
I have a pumpkin patch in Illinois with 30 plants. They're all in bloom now but are only sprouting male blossoms. How do I get them to give me female blossoms? I'm worried I won't have a single ...
22
votes
7answers
4k views
My lettuce is flowering - does that mean it has bolted?
I planted a batch of "zesty blend" lettuce seeds. They seem to be doing fine, but suddenly they started flowering:
Have they bolted? They look healthy otherwise. Still edible?
3
votes
2answers
118 views
What should I be doing one month out to prepare garden beds for spring?
Woo-hoo! Starting to get excited... it will soon be spring again and looking ready to growing some good food.
Our spring begins in September which is about 5 weeks away so I am interested in finding ...
5
votes
2answers
65 views
How can I control weeds in asparagus
I planted asparagus this year, and I have used a water permeable weed barrier to control weeds. But this does not seem like a good idea going forward, as I don't want to discourage the spread of the ...
6
votes
1answer
110 views
Mushrooms sprouting for the first time, should I gather them or let them be?
In the spring I "sow" some mushrooms in a shady part of my garden - Blewitt (Lepista nuda), Wine Cap (Stropharia rugosoannulata) and Elm Mushroom (Hypsizygus ulmarius).
The mushroom spawn I sow came ...
4
votes
1answer
57 views
How much of a kale plant must be left when harvesting outer leaves?
This is our first year growing kale and although it is not large enough to harvest yet, it has been growing rapidly during the last two hot weeks.
When it reaches a size that we are able to begin ...
4
votes
1answer
191 views
What's causing these yellow veins on my Okra leaves?
My Okra leaves have turned as shown below
Is this a deficiency or a disease? How can I remedy this?
Location: India. Weather In May-June: Hot! > 95F days.
Current: Overcast with light rains.
2
votes
2answers
330 views
What causes my zucchini-leaves to become light yellow?
Please have a look at these images of my zucchini plant:
What disease is this and what is causing this? What are the solutions to counter this?
Location: India.
Weather In May-June: Hot! > 95F ...
7
votes
5answers
207 views
Where can I find a fruits and vegetables planting schedule for Southern Oregon?
I'm just getting started on my first vegetable garden so forgive the noobie questions. I live in Southern Oregon and having a hard time finding a list of fruits and vegetables, and the correct time to ...
5
votes
2answers
115 views
How to prevent rotten end of tomatoes [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What else besides calcium deficiency could be causing tomato blossom end rot?
Each year my tomatoes develop a brown rotten area on the bottom of the fruit. I always add ...
5
votes
3answers
184 views
Is it safe to use vegetables which have experienced several frosts?
Most people are aware that once you've had foods out of the freezer and allowed them to thaw, you shouldn't put them back in your freezer.
But what about frost hardy plants like leeks? I've just ...
6
votes
3answers
2k views
How much fertilizer do I need for my vegetable garden?
Today I received the results for my garden soil test, which show that I have only 5 ppm of nitrogen.
So my research (here, and elsewhere) has suggested that the best way to (organically) raise the ...
6
votes
2answers
228 views
What's the best way to control squash bugs
Help! I need to get rid of squash bugs.
I know Sevin will kill them, but I would like to use a less toxic method.
I have been destroying them manually, but I am losing the battle.
5
votes
1answer
159 views
Why are my eggplant seedlings not thriving?
I have started a bunch of seedlings and some are doing really well others are not, under similar conditions. I used 6-8 inch wide pots, ~6 inches tall, potting soil, and left the pots in front of a ...
4
votes
1answer
263 views
Do I have to line the bottom of my vegetable garden with a wire mesh
I'm going to build the a box for my vegetable garden that has a 10" riser with a 6" bevel frame. The idea is this will stop mice from climbing up over the side.
I was at the store pricing out wire ...
5
votes
2answers
1k views
Does Arugula/rocket flowering mean the plant's crop season is over?
I sowed arugula/rocket in an outside pot 2 months ago. As it was my first sowing of rocket, it turned out to be too dense so I have thinned it out.
It was growing nicely, but all of a sudden it ...
18
votes
11answers
2k views
What is an easy vegetable to grow in a hot, dry summer / cool, wet winter climate?
I want to try growing vegetables. What is an easy veggie to start with? I live in a climate with hot, dry summers and cool rainy winters.
5
votes
1answer
187 views
What kind of bug is this and do I need to get rid of it?
I was looking through my vegetable garden this evening and noticed two of these bugs crawling over my lettuce:
Does anyone know what type of bug this is and if it's something I need to get rid of?
...
6
votes
1answer
277 views
What is this Michigan garden insect with a striped body and reddish head?
Here's a photo of a bug in Michigan that's eating my tomato, chard, and other plant leaves. Can you identify it? For extra credit, can you tell me how to get rid of it organically?
4
votes
1answer
764 views
How much water should I give my veggies every day?
I have the following plants, each with their own drip feed:
Corn
Tomatoes
Peppers
Squash
Cucumber
Cantalope
Crenshaw mellon
Zuccini
Artichoke
Bush beans
I have a bunch of drip ends that are 1 ...
1
vote
0answers
48 views
How much water does my square foot vegetable garden really need if I'm using drip irrigation? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How much water should I give my veggies every day?
I recently installed a drip irrigation kit in my square foot garden with 1GPH heads aimed at the center of each square ...
3
votes
1answer
574 views
How should I be fertilizing my container tomatoes?
Caveat - I am about as novice as it gets when it comes to gardening, and especially with vegetables. I'm trying tomatoes for the first time this year (Husky Cherry Red), and am wondering how I should ...
15
votes
4answers
1k views
How should I properly prepare a raised bed vegetable garden?
When building a raised bed for a vegetable garden, what do I need to do to properly prepare the soil? It is going to be mixed with different types of vegetables and herbs that I will rotate out all ...
1
vote
1answer
445 views
Will a plastic liner in a Redwood raised bed make the wood last longer?
I was thinking of getting 2x6"x8' redwood planks to make raised beds. The beds will not be burried at all. Will lining the inside that with that black plastic make these beds last longer, or does ...
3
votes
1answer
516 views
What type of plastic is safe for lining vegetable garden beds?
You know those roles of black plastic you can get a home depot? What does the plastic have to be made of to be safe for lining a garden bed?
What if the plastic is exposed to sunlight - what ...
2
votes
1answer
121 views
How to fertilize when planting veggies?
I got something called dr earth and I was going to drop a handfull in at the bottom of the hole before I planted. Would it be beneficial for me to throw some steer manure in there as well?
I had my ...
