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Showing 10921 - 10950 of 20092 comments

Pumpkin 06 Jan, Jill (Australia - temperate climate): I have Butternut pumpkins and pumpkins have started to grow. I won't know if they are not fertilized until they go mushy. Can I trim the vines and leave the best pumpkins to develop? Does it hurt to trim off leaves if a vine seems too leafy ? Jill
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Cape Gooseberry (also Golden Berry, Inca Berry ) 06 Jan, Ruth Morgan (Australia - sub-tropical climate): Gooseberry grew from seed no probs. When it grew quite big, was invaded by pests. Small bug laying so many larvae under leave.Also leaf curl, and plant dies back. We try not to spray but killed hundreds of larvae and small bugs.Could you advise what to do and the amount of water and sun> Many thanks Ruth Morgan
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Tomato 06 Jan, Prometheus (Australia - temperate climate): Hi Peter, The conventional wisdom is that yellow tomatoes are lower in acid, or even almost acid free in some cases. So I would probably stick with the best yellow varieties you could find. There is a yellow variety of Roma tomato available that is apparently quite good, though I personally have never grown them. Lemon currant and Jubilee yellow are worth trying. There is also an excellent seed provider on ebay who I have used before for rare chilli seeds - Rahi seed bank. He only packets them in small quantities but if you contact him he may be able to arrange more bulk offerings. I mention him because I just saw that he is selling on ebay a variety called 'Italian Ice' which claims to be 'acid free.' Hope that helps, and wishing you all the best.
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Sweet corn (also corn,maize) 05 Jan, (Australia - temperate climate): Where can you buy zea mays corn plants in Melbourne?
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Sweet corn (also corn,maize) 06 Jan, Chris (Australia - cool/mountain climate): Eden Seeds online store have various maize seed varieties.
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Okra (also Ladyfinger, gumbo) 05 Jan, (Australia - tropical climate): I live in the nothern cape ( douglas) i would like to know where i can get okra plant (ladys finger)?
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Shallots (also Eschalots) 05 Jan, Jelenka (Australia - temperate climate): I grew my first shallots and harvesting now. Some of the green stems on each plant have really swollen in one area the green stem, making me think as first time shallot grower that something is inside, but no, there is nothing there. Why have they swollen like that, they are healthy and delicious, the bulb. To add, on only one plant out of several there is a trio of small baby round bulbs on the end of one green stem. What are they and are they potential plants to be planted when it gets cooler?. Its mid January and not all the plant stems have dried and gone brown. I have eaten some or should I keep growing to get them bigger? I don't really want to lose the opportunity keep growing my own shallots. thanks for any tips and advice.
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Shallots (also Eschalots) 06 Jan, Prometheus (Australia - temperate climate): Hi Jelenka, I am also a first-time grower and hence not an expert... I would say though that what you have is either simply a natural genetic mutation or duplication - sort of like how you will sometimes find the embryo of a baby capsicum inside a larger one. I have no idea whether it could be replanted successfully but I would suggest using the biggest / healthiest bulbs for that task. There is no problem with eating them when they are young, but if you wait until 3/4 of the tops have dried and fallen over you will get huge bulbs in optimal conditions. You can also use the tops as spring onions - they are excellent!
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Rosella (also Queensland Jam Plant, Roselle) 05 Jan, Gum Ja Naw (Australia - arid climate): Hi ! I grow rosella about 100 plants . But starting to wilting. How can I fix it? Please tell me .
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Squash (also Crookneck, Pattypan, Summer squash) 04 Jan, Elizabeth nowaczek (Canada - Zone 5a Temperate Warm Summer climate): Is it possible to find seeds for pattypan squash in Canada? If so from where? Thanks! Have had them while in Australia!
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Squash (also Crookneck, Pattypan, Summer squash) 17 Jan, Amanda (Canada - Zone 8a Mild Temperate climate): I ordered mine online from West Coast Seeds. If you live on the west coast you can also find them in many stores.
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Beans - climbing (also Pole beans, Runner beans, Scarlet Runners) 04 Jan, kiconco prima (Australia - temperate climate): how many weeks do climbing beans take to flower
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Shallots (also Eschalots) 04 Jan, Prometheus (Australia - temperate climate): I've just grown my first crop of French shallots in a container, and would like to share a few tips / some advice from research and experience. French shallots are quite expensive if you buy the bulbs from a nursery or somewhere similar, though this can sometimes be worth it if you can find a unique or interesting variety. For mass plantings though, it's best to source the individual bulbs from a greengrocer or even supermarket. 15-20cm is a good spacing but I would err on the side of being more spacious if you wish to have larger bulbs - Klaus Leitenberger recommends 1 foot (30 cm) between bulbs. With soil fertility, probably the most important thing is to have plenty of rich organic compost. If you are using chemical fertiliser, eg. in a container, a regular feeding of balanced fertiliser with trace elements would work best, but be wary of fertilisers that are too high in nitrogen. This site recommends an Autumn planting for my climate, which is probably the best time of year overall, but I have found that an August / September planting for a Summer harvest also works fine - we have had weather from - 2 up to 42 C and they handled these fluctuations without stunting or disease setting in. The shallots are ready to harvest when about 3/4 of the plant looks dead / dying, the tops have yellowed and most have fallen over. Avoid the temptation to harvest too early, as they tend to swell at the end of their growth cycle. After harvesting, you just need to remove any large clumps of soil with your hands or a light amount of water, and then leave in a dry, full sun location for about a week. Some periods of light rain shouldn't worry you but if heavy rain is expected, you will need to move them to a dry and well-ventilated location. They are then good to store and use in the kitchen for at least a few weeks. French shallots are probably one of the easiest, tastiest and highest value crops you can grow in your home garden (I have seen them commonly in supermarkets for around $14 per kilo, sometimes higher). Like garlic, you get a large head from just planting a single bulb. If you are looking for recipes, they are used mostly in French and Indonesian cuisine (especially in French onion soup, which is divine with their inclusion). Happy gardening, P.
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Shallots (also Eschalots) 27 May, Mohan (Australia - temperate climate): Thanks a lot. Great upload, good guidance. What trace elements are important for good bulb growth
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Sweet corn (also corn,maize) 04 Jan, fill Italiano (Australia - temperate climate): i would like to know if mid jane is a good time to plant sweetcorn in Perth w a i am in a temperate area also a tip on when to seeding time for vegetables thank you
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Sweet corn (also corn,maize) 12 Jan, Andy (Australia - arid climate): Hi :-) personally I would call perth arid climate zone meaning a bit later. However I dont think it would hurt it to plant it in June/ July. So long is you won't get frost.
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Strawberry Plants 04 Jan, shobhana harduth (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate): I live Johannesburg and would like to start planting berries of all sorts as a source of income . I would appreciate any feedback. thanking you kindly.
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Jerusalem Artichokes (also Sunchoke) 04 Jan, Nichol Dahong Chen (Australia - sub-tropical climate): I'd like to plant sunroot in my garden. Do you supply people its seeds or root, or could you please tell me anyone who also plant it in WA? Thanks.
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Brussels sprouts 04 Jan, Patrick (Australia - cool/mountain climate): The cabbage like top of the Brussel Sprout is the best part. If you get a good frost on them the sprouts will be nice and tight so don't shelter or protect them from the frost.
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Carrot 04 Jan, Adrian (Australia - temperate climate): To avoid all the foibles with spreading those tiny carrots seeds, I simply buy Yates Manchester Table seed tape (3 x 2 metre long tapes), mark out 2 metre long shallow trenches 10mm deep (shallow) 20cm apart, place in the three tapes from the seed packet, and cover the tape with as little well mulched loam as possible. This summer I sowed the seed on 24 December so that I would be around to keep the carrot patch moist and the seed all came up in one week. The current light rain this week will further ensure a solid crop. I also spread snail killer to avoid snails feasting on the young seedlings. Snail killer is cheap. I do not thin out the seedlings, as I have found that the seed tape is narrow and gives the seedling sufficient lateral space to develop to healthy thick carrots.
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Carrot 26 Jan, fred (Australia - temperate climate): Do you also work for Yates? (Gardenate is completely independent. Liz)
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Pumpkin 04 Jan, Katy (Australia - temperate climate): I'm new to this gardening business - at least, I've never had much luck before. Possums or bugs have eaten everything I've tried to grow, but 2016 is my year to succeed in the garden! I would like to plant some pumpkin seeds. Am I too late to do this now? Do I need to wait until after next winter to get seedlings going, or will I still be OK to plant some in January in Sydney? TIA
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Pumpkin 05 Jan, Kathleen (Australia - sub-tropical climate): If you get them in now Katy you should have some success. I'd probably go for the butternut or the golden nuggets. Good luck.
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Beans - climbing (also Pole beans, Runner beans, Scarlet Runners) 03 Jan, andrew sgears (Australia - sub-tropical climate): I have an abundence of flowers but have only had 2 beans so far.Have tried most things.I am at a loss
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Cucumber 02 Jan, tastyvish (Australia - arid climate): Yes cucumber is bit temperamental till it established! I am in Melbourne and i failed several times but this year i have found that mulching and even watering have saved my young plants from extreme heat, yes what i have found the plants don't like any type of fertilizer till they become established.Watering in the morning will also help to prevent plant from powdery mildew which is biggest killer of cucurbit family.
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Watermelon 02 Jan, michael (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate): I want to ask where and which farm can I buy water melons in lephalale, and the unit price. I will be please if u respond.thank you
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Okra (also Ladyfinger, gumbo) 02 Jan, Bennet (Australia - sub-tropical climate): Hi Nicky, Good to heard your valuable comment. I would like to pay you a visit to get an idea how to prepare my soil for Okra back yard project. Looking forward to hearing from you. Kind Regards, Bennet
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Yacon (also Sunroot) 02 Jan, graciela Vrinat (Australia - temperate climate): Where I can by Yacon, I from Sydney Australia
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Yacon (also Sunroot) 05 Jan, Eilean Watson (Australia - temperate climate): Hi Graciela, I have a couple of spare yacon plants in small pots ready to be planted in garden. They're free. Do you wan them? If so, feel free to email me directly to arrange pickup. Eilean
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Yacon (also Sunroot) 07 Jan, Graciela Vrinat (Australia - temperate climate): Hi Eilean, Iwould like to have them, can you tell me where I can pickup them
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