All Questions
12
votes
3answers
2k views
Method for trellising green beans
I have 6 rows of green beans that have now grown to about 12" in height and I want to give them something to climb.
What is the best method of trellising them?
I was thinking about grabbing some ...
12
votes
3answers
189 views
Should I remove fruits afflicted with blossom end rot?
A few of my peppers are, it seems, suffering blossom end rot - first identified a week or two ago - this is based on the descriptions on the condition elsewhere on the site, but here's a few pics to ...
12
votes
4answers
4k views
How do I get rid of the large cracks in my lawn due to the lack of rain?
I live in Dallas, Texas and we've been having some pretty crazy heat this year.
I try to water my lawn 3 to 4 times a week so my grass doesn't all die. My lawn is doing pretty well considering how ...
12
votes
4answers
8k views
How far (on average) do tree roots extend out from the base of the tree?
I a looking to plot out my new garden site for next year and am wondering how far I need to be away from some nearby trees. The trees are a few different types (apple, oak, pine etc.) and anywhere ...
12
votes
4answers
205 views
Are “minerals” and “nutrients” the same thing?
Some good answers on this question: Is it worth spreading ash on the vegetable plot?.
But one answer says:
I can't think of any minerals that would be present
and the other upvoted answer ...
12
votes
3answers
301 views
How are weeds controlled in a butterfly garden?
I have a large packet of a large assortment of seeds growing in a prepared bed. Probably 20 different varieties of flower for a "Butterfly Garden" which I have scattered in the plot.
I don't mind ...
12
votes
6answers
742 views
Fast-propagating, inexpensive ground cover / border
I'm looking for a ground cover / border for my flower beds that's:
Fast-propagating
Will tolerate zone 6 (although zone 5 might be more appropriate given the way the past few winters have been).
...
12
votes
5answers
607 views
Is there any way to prevent vole lawn-destruction during snow-cover?
The open area behind our back fence is home to hundreds of voles. The hills look like this:
During the summer, I can successfully restrict their intrusion into my yard by putting poison into the ...
12
votes
2answers
391 views
Rats have transferred poison into my compost. Is the compost usable on vegetables?
Delighted to observe that the rat poison we put down was disappearing.
Less delighted to find some weeks later that they had moved it all to a larder in the compost. The poison is Slaymore (as far ...
12
votes
3answers
1k views
Does water temperature affect vegetable plant growth?
Generally speaking, when watering a vegetable garden, are there any benefits to using cold water vs warm or vice versa?
I'm in Wisconsin, so 90+°F is about as hot as it gets around here. Typically ...
12
votes
3answers
462 views
Is there any reason not to add commercially produced flowers to compost?
Is there any reason to avoid putting flowers purchased from the florist in compost?
The flowers were gifts but are now wilting. Would florists or growers use anything on the flowers to preserve them ...
12
votes
5answers
5k views
How to get rid of insects on basil while leaving the leaves safe to eat?
With reference to this question: Insect infestation on my pepper plant, what do I do?
I have these insects in my indoor "kitchen window sill" basil and they do seem to be chewing it fast enough to ...
12
votes
2answers
215 views
What are the features that you should look for when buying a hydroponic system?
I'm interested in growing strawberries using hydroponics. I have read up and understand that there are several types of hydroponic systems, like deep water cultivation, ebb and flow, aeroponic, and ...
12
votes
2answers
2k views
How do I get rid of insects on fruit trees?
I have an infestation of aphids on my citrus and pomegranate trees. The bugs are being "farmed" by ants. I read they might actually be bringing the aphids to the trees.
Is this at all a problem? Can ...
12
votes
1answer
268 views
Can I fix a garden tilled too early?
I've never been totally successful in waiting till the exact opportune moment to till my garden and I don't suppose that I ever will be.
I usually till my garden once or twice and when I'm ready to ...
12
votes
2answers
2k views
What is the right way to pick peppers so the plant keeps producing?
Does it matter where on the stalk you cut or remove the fruit off the plant so that you don't suck away its future earning potential?
Let's take the photo here, of a Cayenne pepper (Capsicum annuum), ...
12
votes
3answers
1k views
Should I remove the tree roots coming from the neighbouring garden?
When I was digging out* a patch to grow veggies earlier in the spring I found big roots in the soil unconnected to anything in our garden. It looks like they're coming from some kind of palm trees ...
12
votes
4answers
538 views
How do I keep red wiggler worms alive overwinter in the Northeastern USA?
I'm going to be moving into my first house soon in Westchester County, NY. I've done a lot of container and patio/balcony gardening and am looking forward to having a real backyard garden. I want to ...
12
votes
2answers
521 views
What are good shade-loving consumable plants for a high-rise windowsill?
At our office, we have a wonderful recreation area that gets a few hours of morning sun. The rest of the day the space is engulfed in generic flourescent light. I'm curious which herbs, vegetables ...
12
votes
1answer
633 views
What should I do with my Cherry trees?
I have a pair of large (roughly 30' tall I guess) cherry trees. They're mossy. They don't produce well (at least not for the 2 seasons we've had them for). What they do produce is so high that I can't ...
12
votes
2answers
248 views
Why would healthy potatoes come out tasting dry and crumbly?
I plant maincrop potatoes every year. Last year, I planted 50 Desiree in mid-April, in the usual way (15" apart, in rows 2' apart, in light, sandy soil that had been conditioned and fertilised several ...
12
votes
3answers
365 views
How is short grass like those at miniature parks maintained?
How do they maintain very short grass like at Legoland? Is there a variation of grass that only grows this short?
I've tried maintaining a portion of grass myself in my garden that is part of a ...
12
votes
3answers
3k views
How should a lemon tree with yellowing leaves, peeling bark, and small fruit be saved?
Our lovely lemon tree is in trouble... We live in Northern California. Starting mid-last summer our tree began yellowing.
We've called an arborist out to the house but the advice has been pretty ...
12
votes
2answers
711 views
Does aspirin really help tomatoes grow?
Something that I've heard quite regularly† is that when you plant your tomatoes, you should put an aspirin under each plant. Apparently salicylic acid both increases the number of blooms and ...
12
votes
1answer
305 views
Garden Hoses: how safe are they?
After noticing that some garden hoses carry a warning, "Not to be used for drinking water", I recently switched to one labelled "non-toxic". Does this only mean that the hose is lead-free, or also ...
12
votes
2answers
195 views
Cracks on Bottom Side of Tomato
Recently I noticed the following cracks and small holes on the bottom side of my better boy tomoato plants. I am in Maryland and we have not had a lot of rain the past month however I regularly try ...
12
votes
2answers
653 views
Can we take out the whole root of Aloe Vera and replant it during transplant?
I bought a Aloe Vera in a shop a year ago and I just use the pot that came with it, so obviously I don't know what is in the soil and their components.
Yesterday I felt that I should transplant the ...
12
votes
2answers
974 views
How is manure tea made without E. coli?
As the title would suggest, I may or may not have given my kids e. coli by steeping a bag of what I thought was mushroom compost in a 35 gallon drum and watering my garden with it. (I know it was ...
12
votes
3answers
614 views
What is a good ground cover for street frontage instead of lawn
Where I live (Adelaide plains, South Australia) it's very hot and dry in summertime and so I think a lawn is a waste of water if you don't get to enjoy it, such as where the yard is exposed to the ...
12
votes
2answers
167 views
What is a good method for extracting the earliest-viable seeds from young pumpkins?
I am in need of a good strategy to extract the earliest-possible batch of seeds from an upcoming batch of white pumpkins (I may have a few available within a month).
My main uncertainty is at what ...
12
votes
1answer
5k views
How to fill low spots over existing grass in my yard?
I read this question and it made me think of what I need to do this weekend. But I have these questions:
If I've got a few holes - maybe a place where a bush was dug out and the ground eventually ...
12
votes
3answers
663 views
Will a cedar tree grow new limbs?
I've got a cedar tree that divided into two smaller trees, and the previous owners tried to keep the twin trunks together by tying a rope around them. The rope eventually strangled one of the trunks, ...
12
votes
2answers
2k views
Do I need to put landscape fabric under ground cover plant to prevent weeds growing?
I have a large hillside area, where usually weeds are out of control. For the next year, I am thinking about using some kind of ground-cover plants such as English Ivy to cover the area. I am not sure ...
12
votes
1answer
1k views
Are millipedes good or bad for the garden?
Are millipedes considered good or bad for plants?
From wikipedia:
Millipedes are detritivores and slow moving. Most millipedes eat
decaying leaves and other dead plant matter, moisturising the ...
12
votes
2answers
2k views
How can I identify an apple variety?
We put in four young apple trees a few years ago, two cookers and two eaters, four different varieties. Now that those puny trees have grown up and started to produce a substantial crop, we're ...
12
votes
1answer
461 views
Best help for a tree with stunted growth?
I have a few trees on my property which are at least five years old (sorry I don't know the kinds yet). Compared to other trees in neighboring lots, planted at the same age at the same time, they are ...
12
votes
1answer
230 views
What are these red cocoons in my trees leaves?
The tree In my garden as lots of red cocoons on its leaves, I assume these are insects, do I need to be concerned or are they harmless?
12
votes
1answer
2k views
Should I separate and transplant basil seedlings?
I have begun to grow basil for the first time. Basically all I did was open a packet of seeds and throw them into a flower pot that’s about 20cm wide/round. The seeds have germinated and have started ...
12
votes
2answers
471 views
Why did my orange bell pepper smell of ammonia?
A week ago I harvested an orange Bell pepper from my garden. It was still halfway green, so I put it on our kitchen counter to ripen. When I finally cut it open for a salad after a week of ripening, ...
12
votes
2answers
334 views
What is this large flat leafed plant with yellow flowers (central Missouri)
I live in an apartment building, and my landlord has neglected to mow the back yard for quite a while now. In this time period this unknown plant that I've never seen before has grown to a height of ...
12
votes
1answer
620 views
What sort of feeding schedule should I use for pepper plants?
I've been trying to find out about feeding my peppers plants. So far the information I've found is very inconsistent, so I'd like something as definitive as possible.
When should I start feeding my ...
12
votes
1answer
373 views
Replanting onion bulbs
In the early Spring, I planted a bunch of these seeds. I just threw them out there and they grew very close together. I picked them last night after most of the bulbs were exposed
I was just going ...
12
votes
1answer
2k views
Why has my mint plant gone all woody/sparse/stringy?
I grew my mint plant in a pot to contain the roots, and that has worked well for 3-4 months. However, the plant is not really producing fresh leaves now. Is there anything I can do?
12
votes
2answers
249 views
What is in seed starting soil that justifies wearing gloves while handling?
I was adding miracle-gro seed starting soil to paper pots with my daughter a few months ago and was a little leery about letting her touch the stuff (let alone breathe it in).
What's in it that is ...
12
votes
1answer
562 views
How often/long should I water my lawn with new turf?
I have some new turf getting rolled within the next few days and have a few questions.
How many days out of the week will I need to water until the turf is established?
How many minutes per zone ...
12
votes
3answers
2k views
How do I quickly remove crabgrass without too much manual labour?
My backyard is being overtaken with crabgrass again. It started later this year than last. In the early spring, I rented a de-thatcher/powerrake and cleaned up the year of alot of dead material (to ...
12
votes
2answers
459 views
How do I prevent the seeds on my Japanese Maple from falling off?
I have a 6 ft tall 'Bloodgood' Japanese Maple in my yard. It gets a lot of afternoon Californian sun, but the leaves are a nice color and are healthy.
I wanted to collect some seeds this fall (to try ...
12
votes
1answer
426 views
How do I grow better Tabasco-type (C.frutescens) peppers?
Virtually all cultivated peppers are C.annuum, and I've had a lot of success growing these from seed. (I also usually buy 3-4 plants locally each year but selection is usually very limited)
I soak ...
12
votes
1answer
231 views
What are the primary nutrients utilized by plants beyond NPK?
When talking about soil and fertilizers, what are the primary nutrients in addition to NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium) that play a major role in plant development?
12
votes
1answer
222 views
Wormery failure in mass worm die-off … any advice?
Last fall our household of two people invested in a small, 3-tiered, commercially-available wormery that came with all components (bedding, lime, worms). All seemed to be going well until we brought ...
