Recent Questions

Most Viewed
Ask a Question
How can I prevent vine borers on zucchini?

Squash    NC



They are a persistent problem for me in my garden. Would row covers work? I love zucchini and I don't want to stop growing it.

Asked by: Ann McIntyre (1 point)   Posted: March 27, 2013

2 answers    3225 views
Pepper seedlings collapsed after thinning

Pepper, bell    NY



Could anybody tell me where I went wrong with my peppers? I had sown seeds in flats and I think I was over exuberant with them. I tried to thin them and everything was ok but when I went back to water the remaining plants they had all wilted. What did I do wrong, should I not have thinned them?

Asked by: Sophie Brooks (3 points)   Posted: March 27, 2013

4 answers    5541 views
Pear trees that don't produce fruit

Pear   



I was speaking to a friend of mine last week about our respective garden problems and she happened to mention that the pear trees she has in her garden do not produce fruit. Is this a pollination problem? What causes this?

Asked by: Pamela Croft (1 point)   Posted: March 26, 2013

2 answers    42646 views
How do I know when its safe to work the soil in my garden?

General    MA



Like everybody else, I'm desperate to get back out in the garden this Spring but I know it can be damaging to start working the soil too early. It's clearly not time yet - there's snow on the ground outside!! How can I tell when the soil is warm enough?

Asked by: Sarah E (2 points)   Posted: March 26, 2013

1 answer    3180 views
Is it possible to grow taro in zone 8?

Cocoyam    South Carolina



Out of curiosity, I have tried them and like them and noticed the page and it got me thinking... I'd quite like to try something different, would it be possible do you think?

Asked by: Simon (2 points)   Posted: March 26, 2013

1 answer    3464 views
Last frost date in Pennsylvania?

General    PA



I give up. This weather is so awful. Does anybody have a good resource for the predicted last frost date in central Pennsylvania? It seems no matter how much I plan, the weather has other ideas... So frustrating!

Asked by: Marsha Anderson (5 points)   Posted: March 25, 2013

3 answers    4412 views
When to fertilise crab apple?

Apple    York, UK



I was wondering if it is necessary to fertilise the mature crab apple trees I have in my garden and if so when? Is it best to do this early in the Spring or does it matter? We know very little about maintaining trees but very much like the pair of apple trees in our new garden and would like to...

Asked by: Johnboy (2 points)   Posted: March 25, 2013

2 answers    4975 views
Can I add wood shavings to soil to loosen it?

General    None Given



I was considering adding some wood shavings to the soil in my back yard to try and loosen it a little, it gets very compacted and I would like to do something to make it a bit more manageable. Are wood shavings a good addition, what will they do to the pH?

Asked by: Tucker123 (1 point)   Posted: March 24, 2013

4 answers    7443 views
What causes grapes to shrivel up before harvest?

Grape   



I have a grapevine in my garden that looks healthy enough and each year it seems to be doing fine, only for the grapes to shrivel up before they are ready to harvest. I have some pics somewhere from last ear but m having trouble finding them. This is an old vine, several years at least and...

Asked by: Fred Johnson (3 points)   Posted: March 24, 2013

3 answers    14954 views
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
Heart Heart icon