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Can I reuse seeds from last year?

General    UK



While out in my shed looking for some seedling trays I discovered a few packets of seeds from last year that I had forgotten about. Can I sow them now or do the have a certain shelf life? There's some nice peas there I wouldn't mind planting more of.

Asked by: Robyn (4 points)   Posted: March 23, 2013

4 answers    5872 views
How to treat red spider mites on indoor pepper?

Pepper, bell    MI



It seems I tempted fate by saying in earlier posts how well my pepper plant was doing indoors over winter as over the past week or so it started developing symptoms of spider mites (the leaves at the top of the plant were all speckled with white and I could see tiny webs forming between leaves)....

Asked by: Abby (7 points)   Posted: March 22, 2013

1 answer    7641 views
Spider mites on pepper
Storing potatoes for later growing

Potato    None Given



I'd like to grow potatoes this year. During the Winter, I get my potatoes from a farm share and I really like them, so I'd like to grow them in my garden this year. My problem is that they are already sprouting quite heavily. Is there a good way to stop the sprouting for some time before it's...

Asked by: Angie Hayes (1 point)   Posted: March 22, 2013

1 answer    3055 views
How to reduce disease build up

General    PA



Hi I saw the reply about rotation and I myself have had problem with late blight and powdery mildew on different plants (tomatoes, eggplants and basil, but also others). I thought the message of rotation other shared was great. I get the impression from what I read that disease build up in the...

Asked by: Marsha Anderson (5 points)   Posted: March 21, 2013

3 answers    3745 views
Growing tomatoes in the same place after disease

Tomato    None Given



I grew tomatoes least year and they got heavily infected with disease. I was told it was late blight which I see has spores. It it ok to plant in the same place twice? I think I am asking for trouble...

Asked by: Denis Schneider (1 point)   Posted: March 19, 2013

2 answers    1954 views
questions organized by topics other than crops?

PlantVillage    Lihue, HI



As a plant pathologist, I like looking for questions to answer about diseases/disorders and I can do that for a variety of crops. Is there any way to cross reference posts based on different keywords (ex: insects, disease, soil nutrition, hort, etc)?

Asked by: Kathryn Fiedler (72 points)   Posted: March 19, 2013

2 answers    2764 views
When should I fertilize and mulch transplanted seedlings?

General    NJ



This is something I never seem to get right. Should I fertilize directly after transplanting seedlings to the garden or hold off to let them establish? Also when is the correct time to apply straw mulch to the plants? Thank-you!

Asked by: Beth Johnson (2 points)   Posted: March 18, 2013

2 answers    8893 views
Easy irrigation system?

General   



I have been thinking about installing a drip irrigation system in my garden for a while now. Is there an easy, cheap method to make one myself or should I just invest in a kit? What particular system would you recommend if I was to purchase one?

Asked by: David Brewer (3 points)   Posted: March 18, 2013

1 answer    2124 views
How to grow cucumber vertically?

Cucumber    NY



I am sure I read somewhere (possibly even on here) that it is possible to grow cucumbers vertically on a trellis. Could somebody please advise of a simple method of doing this please? What is it best to construct the support out of? Would a simple fence be adequate? I would quite like to try this...

Asked by: Cat Sullivan (2 points)   Posted: March 17, 2013

4 answers    18040 views
Dill - can't get it to grow properly

General    Lausanne, Switzerland



(I'm posting this under General since there's no entry for Dill yet) I've been trying to grow Dill for some time and just can't do. I'm attaching to images where you can see how it's doing - not looking good Last year, we tried to grow it outdoors directly, that didn't work either (same...

Asked by: deactivated (25 points)   Posted: March 17, 2013

2 answers    4623 views
Dill not doing well
Is it usual for potting soil to smell rotten?

General    PA



I have been out buying some gardening supplies today to get started growing some seeds and I bought a bag of Scott's potting soil. When I opened it up it smelled terrible, I don't even know how to describe it. It smelled rotten. There was definitely something like manure but it wasn't the...

Asked by: Karen Miller (2 points)   Posted: March 16, 2013

3 answers    12402 views
What to plant between rows of tomato?

General    WI



I was thinking of squeezing some extra lettuce varieties in to my beds between the rows of tomato, that should be ok, right? I assume the lettuce will be ready to harvest before the toms get too large. Has anyone encountered any problems doing this?

Asked by: Maddy Kendall (1 point)   Posted: March 16, 2013

3 answers    4124 views
How to amend sandy soil to make it suitable for vegetable growing?

General    None Given



I would really like to grow vegetables in my garden but the soil is very sandy. How can I make it suitable for vegetable growing? Is there anything that would grow in the soil as it is?

Asked by: Jenny Robertson (2 points)   Posted: March 16, 2013

4 answers    25639 views
Companion cropping corn with beans

Bean   



Has anybody ever tried planting corn and beans? I'm thinking the three sisters minus one, allowing pole beans to freely climb the corn. I've heard mixed reviews so I'd like to get some advice on this before trying it if possible. If you have tried it, what spacing did you use?

Asked by: David Brewer (3 points)   Posted: March 15, 2013

1 answer    3319 views
What are the easiest vegetables to start off with for a new gardener?

General    PA



I am totally new to vegetable gardening, never grown anything myself before but I have decided that this is the year. I would like to know what the best (easiest!) vegetables are for a beginner like me. I have a good amount of space but I don’t want to run before I can walk and end up unable to...

Asked by: Karen Miller (2 points)   Posted: March 15, 2013

3 answers    3009 views
Effectiveness of ladybugs at controlling pests in organic vegetable garden

General    OK Zone 7



I am curious to find out what peoples experiences are with buying ladybirds and releasing them in the vegetable garden. Do the ladybugs establish and hang around all summer or is it more short term? I'm interesting in trying them out as I had a problem with aphids and whiteflies on my plants...

Asked by: Emily Field (1 point)   Posted: March 15, 2013

3 answers    5027 views
Sugar Cane

General    None Given



Can you grow sugar cane in central florida (zone 9) and if so where can I get some?

Asked by: Mark (3 points)   Posted: March 14, 2013

2 answers    3624 views
Pruning Cherry tree with Black Knot

Cherry (including sour)    MO



The cherry in our yard has what I'm now sure is black knot. I see that it might be possible to prune back the diseased branches and maybe save the tree. Would anyone be able to give advice on the best way to do this?

Asked by: Dave P. (1 point)   Posted: March 14, 2013

1 answer    2143 views
Brown shriveled leaves on artichoke seedlings

Artichoke    MI



I have been growing up some globe artichoke transplants and they were doing great. However over the last couple of days, the leaves at the bottom of the plants have started to go brown and shrivel up. Is this damping-off? What can I do to rescue my plants?

Asked by: Abby (7 points)   Posted: March 14, 2013

1 answer    3158 views
Melon in container?

Cantaloupe    NY



Is it possible to grow melon in a container? I am trying to start a balcony garden and I am limited to containers. Has anybody tried this and had success? If so which variety?

Asked by: Sophie Brooks (3 points)   Posted: March 13, 2013

1 answer    3087 views
When should garlic cloves sprout?

Garlic (Allium Sativum)    None Given



I planted a few garlic cloves for the first time in the Fall and I am eagerly awaiting them sprouting in the spring. How quickly does garlic tend to emerge? Is there any chance that a cold wet winter could have damaged them?

Asked by: Angie Hayes (1 point)   Posted: March 13, 2013

2 answers    2952 views
What is best to plant near strawberry?

Strawberry    Zone 7



I ask this as I know that strawberry does not do well with competition. Is there something that will do well and not affect the strawberry too much. Is there an optimum amount of space to leave between a strawberry patch and other plants? I can't seem to find the information I need so any input...

Asked by: Ed Simmons (3 points)   Posted: March 13, 2013

1 answer    2566 views
How often should I rotate pepper

Pepper, bell    CO



I know that I should rotate the plants that I grow in my vegetable garden but how often is best? Can I grow pepper in the same spot as last year? I don't have much space to play with and they did very well there.

Asked by: Becca Harman (1 point)   Posted: March 12, 2013

1 answer    2802 views
what would cause a green potato?

Potato   



I managed to raise a December crop of potato but when I harvested them, many had green areas of skin. What would cause this?

Asked by: Red (1 point)   Posted: March 12, 2013

1 answer    2038 views
Topping tomato plants

Tomato    Zone 7B



So having read a bit more about growing indeterminates I have another question. Some people seem to advocate topping the tomato plants to ripen fruit later in the season, while other recommend simply pinching off flowers and new fruits. What is the opinion on here, is one method better than the...

Asked by: cara smith (2 points)   Posted: March 12, 2013

3 answers    21827 views
Gooseberry that does not flower

Gooseberry   



The gooseberry I have in my back yard has not flowered once. I have lived here for about 4 years now, the plant was there when we moved here so its not one I planted. It looks very healthy. What could the problem be? Can I do anything to help it along?

Asked by: Pamela Croft (1 point)   Posted: March 11, 2013

1 answer    2080 views
Baby corn - is it a special variety?

Maize (corn)    Zone 7B



Can somebody please settle this argument for me. My husband wants me to grow baby corn in the garden this year but will not believe me that it is simply regular corn that has not matured. He says it is a special variety. Who is right here? Help me please!

Asked by: cara smith (2 points)   Posted: March 11, 2013

1 answer    2776 views
Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus) for erosion control and other services in Tanzania

General    Luvilukuni, Tanzania



This is a followup question to one that I had posted with regard to cover crops for erosion control in Tanzania ( see an additional picture below). I have been thinking about trying Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus) for some time, but do not know much about its water and nutrient requirements and am...

Asked by: Markus Walsh (4 points)   Posted: March 10, 2013

1 answer    3512 views
Overland flow following 32 mm of rainfall over ~45 min near Kisongo, Tanzania.
Timing tomato seeds

Tomato    PA



When should I start tomato seeds indoors for transplanting? I'm in zone 6?

Asked by: Marsha Anderson (5 points)   Posted: March 9, 2013

1 answer    2164 views
Slug control

General    United Kingdom



We got a major slug infestation in the vegetables last year and as we are starting to plan our planting for spring I figured I would get some advise about whether there is anything I can do to prepare my beds to keep them away this year. Is there anything I can do before planting that will...

Asked by: Greg Coyle (3 points)   Posted: March 9, 2013

1 answer    2564 views
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