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Showing 12301 - 12330 of 20096 comments

Beetroot (also Beets) 30 Sep, NANCY (New Zealand - temperate climate): what is eating my beetroot bulb? Would this be slugs and snails Nearly all of my tennis ball size beetroot has disappeared !
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Asparagus 30 Sep, ray johnson (Australia - temperate climate): I planted Some packaged root stock 6" deep in August. I now have a 2" spear showing through. For the first year should i just let them grow and the die back in winter? Should i move my leeks to another bed. I am planning on using this bed for more rhubarb and more asparagus if this first batch survives. regs ray
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Cape Gooseberry (also Golden Berry, Inca Berry ) 30 Sep, GeeWhizz (Australia - sub-tropical climate): I found my 10cm tall plant growing in a car park last year in Raymond Terrace NSW while I was on holidays. Recognition of the plant came from my childhood (I am 60). The berries were a flaver-memory. I tenderly removed it as I just knew it was not going to survive where it was growing in a cement crack. I bought it home to SE Queensland and planted it in a pot where it still grows at over a metre high and a metre wide. I just love to eat the berries off the bush as I go about my garden. Moral; be aware of your surroundings and be prepared for what ever you might find. Happy Gardening and bless the rain every chance you get.
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Parsley (also curly leaf parsley or flat leaf (Italian) parsley) 29 Sep, sammie (Australia - temperate climate): Hi my flat leaf parsley is flowering, what dose this mean?
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Parsley (also curly leaf parsley or flat leaf (Italian) parsley) 29 Oct, Genevieve (Australia - temperate climate): After flowering the seeds will form and when they dry, it will scatter them around the area. Some months later you find parsley seedlings popping up, you can thin or leave them to grow in a big block.
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Broccoli 28 Sep, anni (Australia - temperate climate): Planted broccolini seedlings 6 weeks ago. There now have yellow flowers, so has the lot gone to seed before even producing any crop?
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Broccoli 29 Sep, Chris (Australia - cool/mountain climate): It sounds like it. Did they get a bit dry or hot at any time? that would push them into flowering.
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Burdock (also Gobo (Japanese Burdock)) 28 Sep, Ros Stiles (Australia - temperate climate): I have sourced many different herbs from this company - The Seed Collection. Look it up because I can't post links due to spam. They are ethical, organic, non GMO and very helpful. They also have a Facebook site. I have 8 about to plant out :)
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Rutabaga (also Swedes) 27 Sep, Judith Kellett (Australia - temperate climate): The best swedes ever are grown in Tasmania, up high at a place called Collin's Cap, but those from Collinsvale at around 400 metres elevation were pretty awesome. My kids used to beg me to cut them slices to eat raw!!! They were more bowling ball than tennis ball size: my neighbour used to give them to me in 10kg pockets that held about 7 or 8. Now in Adelaide I despair at the miserable golf balls in the shops. I firmly believe they do best in a cool to cold climate.
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Rutabaga (also Swedes) 12 Apr, Pat Fraser (Australia - cool/mountain climate): You are quite right there Judith I worked on the farms in Scotland and you never lifted turnips till they had the frost on them, that`s what gives them the sweetness. I have no idea why they don``t leave them in the ground longer until they grow bigger as you said like a bowling ball. I have bought some seeds to try and grow them here in Melbourne but I think I have left it a bit too late this year as the cold weather is here already, but I will definitely plant them next year in time for winter.
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Garlic 27 Sep, Glen (Australia - temperate climate): I live on NSW far south coast, moved there quite recently. I planted garlic as usual at mid-winter, and it was fine for a while, then started looking unwell with some dead leaves. Gave a bit of blood and bone about three weeks ago, and now the lot has died. Disappeared. I've just dug it up, and there were a few small bulbs starting to form. The soil came from a supplier and was a soil and mushroom compost mix. Never had a problem before - dows anyone have any ideas as to what's wrong.
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Garlic 29 Sep, Chris (Australia - cool/mountain climate): Has it been wetter or warmer than usual? Maybe a fungal problem?
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Carrot 27 Sep, Glen (Australia - temperate climate): My first crop of carrots in new beds (soil plus a lot of mushroom compost, mixed by the supplier) has a lot of foliage and carrots ranging from too big to still getting there but they are all quite pale. The cross section shows a ring of pale orange, a small ring of pale yellow with a core of a colour in between. The seeds were 'All Season'. I have never had a problem with carrots before, and I hope someone can guide me as to the problem.
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Carrot 19 Jan, Ferran (Australia - temperate climate): Hi Glen, The mushroom compost sounds like it has provided too much nitrogen. Root vegetables don’t like too much nitrogen as it promotes leafy growth and stunts the root. Plant carrots and other root vegetables after the heavy feeders (leafy and fruiting vegetable). You may find it useful researching the "four bed rotation system" Carrot tops are edible and can be used in cooking, the internet has a plethora of recipes. I hope this helps for next time - Ferran
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Onion 27 Sep, Deeanna (Australia - temperate climate): I am a new gardener but I have to live with possums, bush turkeys, mice and wallabies. It has been my experience over the last 4 years that both possums and wallabies would be the culprit eating your onion tips. We cover ours with bird netting. This leaves us with the wallabies that push against the netting to nibble. But they do not get to eat much once the garden is covered securely.
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Beetroot (also Beets) 26 Sep, jo (Australia - temperate climate): Hi, Can I just clarify Sandys post. Acid soil is below 6pH - add lime, alkaline soil is above 8 - add sulphur. I never have ANY LUCK with beetroot - they are the bane of my life......:>>>
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Beetroot (also Beets) 29 Oct, Genevieve (Australia - temperate climate): Tried growing beetroot for the 1st this year and a Sydneysider. Blood & Bone, pelletised all round manure and turned the soil over. Watered well, put seedlings in and then settled them in with seasol. Two weeks later, watered them in with 2 teaspoons of Boron. Apparently boron sets the beet. Pulled them up two weeks ago and they were the almost the size of a tennis ball. Water regularly. I just ensure that my soil is friable, as too stingy to buy the pH set and also do crop rotation.
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Marrow 25 Sep, James (Australia - sub-tropical climate): I'm looking for seed for marrows that my grand farther grew they lumps on them
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Cauliflower 24 Sep, Pinky (Australia - cool/mountain climate): Ok so after reading all of the above comments i can see that Cauliflowers are a "veteran gardeners vegetable", are there any fail safe guides for the beginners? Cheers.
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Potato 24 Sep, Rowena (Australia - temperate climate): How do I stop my potato patch from becoming a compost heap? I prepared my soil and when the plants emerged I put a wire cage around them (3ft). They then proceeded to quickly shoot up. I layered straw up around them until the plants reached the height of the wire. I watered the straw once by hand as rain has been good. Then yesterday - 3 days after the hand water - I discovered that two of my plants had wilted and on further investigation they had rotted off just below the first few centimetres of straw on top. I put my hand down into the straw and found it to be an oven - perfect for a compost heap. Should I poke holes in the mound to allow air to circulate? What can I do to save my other plants?
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Daikon (also Japanese radish, Lo Bok) 24 Sep, Alexia (South Africa - Humid sub-tropical climate): Hi Tanya I found mine in the sprouting seed section of the seedsforafrica.co.za online shop. I have not grown them but only sprouted them and they are spicy! Having read this post I'm sowing them into my garden too. hope this helps.
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Silverbeet (also Swiss Chard or Mangold) 23 Sep, Adrienne Streppel (Australia - sub-tropical climate): My silverbeet leaves are harbouring beet webworm. How can I save my plants or do I just have to sacrifice the leaves that are attacked.
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Garlic 23 Sep, Jo (Australia - temperate climate): My garlic plants have been going well in virgin soil. I had netted the plants because they were being eaten by a wallaby, but air was able to circulate very well and plants looked great. Today I decided to water the garlic and was surprised to see trillions of tiny black insects (look like thrips) crawling all over each plant. I hosed off most of the insects but I want to spray to ensure they will not reinfest my plants again. Would it be ok to use soapy water spray or is it best to use pyrethrum at this stage? The plants will be ready to life Nov-Dec.
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Rosella (also Queensland Jam Plant, Roselle) 23 Sep, Kerrie Elmerr (Australia - tropical climate): We put our rosellas in July when do we harvest. We live in Darwin
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Cape Gooseberry (also Golden Berry, Inca Berry ) 22 Sep, (Australia - temperate climate): I live in Southern Highlands of NSW and am wondering what growing conditions the gooseberry likes .
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Cape Gooseberry (also Golden Berry, Inca Berry ) 18 Oct, Ange (Australia - temperate climate): My cape gooseberry grew like a crazy thing and produced loads of fruit in decent sunlight late in a sydney winter when nothing else in the garden looked very happy to be alive. Doesn't mind cold wet conditions but not sure about frost. I'm coastal so frost not an issue. Good luck. Cape gooseberry jam is the best thing!
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Tomato 22 Sep, clive sea lake (Australia - arid climate): Justin Bendigo, planted out my( seed grown ) tomatoes last week . when I consider frosts are waning .I harvest the seed from the best looking fruit put them down in punnets about July then transplant up into pots .this years plants were about 30/40 cm high I always plant them deep about the 2nd leaf (remove bottom leaves)
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Cape Gooseberry (also Golden Berry, Inca Berry ) 22 Sep, Suzanne (Australia - sub-tropical climate): I have a lovely bush growing with lots of big fruit, but there are lots of oval shaped pale yellow beetles with black stripes which congregate on the bush and lay clusters of tiny yellow eggs on the undersides of leaves. These then apparently develop very quickly into fat squishy larvae which just demolish the leaves. Can anyone identify the beetle and advise how I can beat them other than by pulling them off every day and stomping on them?
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Cape Gooseberry (also Golden Berry, Inca Berry ) 02 Aug, Terry (Australia - temperate climate): Try throwing wood ash over the plant - it works for pear slug - so may work for these bugs too.
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Cape Gooseberry (also Golden Berry, Inca Berry ) 24 Oct, Robin (Australia - sub-tropical climate): The beetle is the striped cucumber beetle, Acalymma vittata, - kill any beetles, eggs, larvae as soon as possible - I sprayed my plants with pyrethrum to good effect but you still need to be very vigilant as numbers build up very quickly if you do not look every day - good luck!
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