| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
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| What's eating my tomato plants?? | 11/17/2009 | Elyse Grau |
Q: I have another problem with my poor plants! Re my photo; I noticed that the bottom leaves of 2 of ...
A: Kay: I can't identify the pest, if it's in the picture I can't see it. But you are panicking for ...
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| White residue on tomato plant soil? | 11/16/2009 | Mike Mascio |
Q: I've been noticing a white residue on my tomato soil lately; I've enclosed a picture; do you know ...
A: Kay, it could be a fungus or the residue from the water soluble fertilizer. Fertilizer should only ...
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| Potatoes | 11/12/2009 | Mike Mascio |
Q: how do grow potatoes?
A: Potatoes should be grown in loamy soil that has been highly supplemented with organic matter such as ...
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| Canning habanero peppers | 11/11/2009 | Kindred Beisinger penname K D Elizabeth Beisinger |
Q: Somewhere on the web last year I read how to can some habanero peppers. I cleaned them and the ...
A: If the jar is sealed, the shelf life is indefinite. The heat will continue to intensify through the ...
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| Watering tomato plants and suckers | 11/10/2009 | Mike Mascio |
Q: I have newly transplanted tomatoes into containers (35-40cm), and I've read all kinds of conflicting ...
A: There really is no reason to remove the flowers. Some gardeners feel this results in a larger ...
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| Overwintering artichoke plants | 11/9/2009 | Mike Mascio |
Q: I live in Kingman AZ. Zone 8. I started artichoke plants from seed this year. 2 are about 3' tall, 2 ...
A: You can either cover them with row covers or mulch them heavily with straw or shredded leaves. I ...
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| planting tomatos too late? | 11/9/2009 | Elyse Grau |
Q: I am currently in the process of planting tomatos which I bought as seedlings at a shop, as it's ...
A: Dom: Just pinch the flowers off. It won't be any problem. You may need to continue to pick off the ...
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| Grow Lights | 11/4/2009 | Mike Mascio |
Q: Mike, I am new to the growing era in central Mich.I have the privilage of growing in a greenhouse ...
A: Gro-lights need to be on 10-12 hours per day when the seedlings are small; 8-10 hours once they ...
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| Indoors gardening | 10/30/2009 | Kindred Beisinger penname K D Elizabeth Beisinger |
Q: I live in WV and would like to grow vegetables indoors this winter to eat. Is it possible to grow ...
A: It is possible to grow lettuce and leafy greens to full size indoors without anything extra, just ...
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| Leaves | 10/30/2009 | Elyse Grau |
Q: My community allows small backyard gardens but not composting.I know its dumb but one neighbor has a ...
A: Bud: Do you have a lawn mower with a catcher bag? If so, that's the best way to pick up the leaves. ...
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| Fertilizer for tomatoes | 10/30/2009 | Mike Mascio |
Q: I live in AUstralia and am currently in the process of transplanting tomatos from little containers ...
A: Kathy, tomatoes require high amounts of phosphorus and calcium. The phosphorus promotes large ...
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| When to transplant tomatos | 10/22/2009 | Elyse Grau |
Q: I live in Australia, and it's mid-spring and getting a lot warmer now! I bought some little tomato ...
A: Kay: Yes, I always dampen the potting mixture before I transplant - in fact, I usually do it before ...
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| When to transplant tomatos | 10/22/2009 | Elyse Grau |
Q: I live in Australia, and it's mid-spring and getting a lot warmer now! I bought some little tomato ...
A: Kay: There is no height requirement for transplanting. If the roots are outgrowing the pot, it is ...
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| Chilli Problem | 10/20/2009 | Don Battales |
Q: I have planted a few chili seed into separate pots, it look healthy at the early stage, but when it ...
A: Andrew: Ask your local nursery for a general purpose fungicide. These all have a good copper ...
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| Raised Beds | 10/17/2009 | Kindred Beisinger penname K D Elizabeth Beisinger |
Q: I posted a question about raised beds and received my answer today.My next question is this. Do I ...
A: You do not need to use soil from the ground with your top soil, but you will need to add a ...
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| frost vs. peppers | 10/17/2009 | Elyse Grau |
Q: I live in northern AL and tonights low is for 37 and tomorrow 34.(a possible freeze?) I am still ...
A: Yes, covering the plants will probably help. Those temperatures are still above freezing (32 ...
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| Raised Beds | 10/16/2009 | Mike Mascio |
Q: I have a concrete patio that measures 25ft x 40ft. I would like to Build four raised beds on my ...
A: I usually recommend 8" or more when building a raised bed on soil. For concrete, you definitely want ...
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| green spaghetti squash | 10/16/2009 | Elyse Grau |
Q: I don't know what to do with my green spaghetti squash it is beautiful. It is a bright green color ...
A: You can try them, but unripe winter squash are usually pretty tasteless. Leave them on the vine for ...
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| mushroom growth | 10/15/2009 | Elyse Grau |
Q: What are the best climates for growing mushrooms in? Are you supposed to use soil to ...
A: Abby: Different mushrooms grow on different substrates. They are not grown in the garden, or in ...
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| Tomato plant problem | 10/14/2009 | Mike Mascio |
Q: I am trying to grow tomato plants for the first time. The plant I have was purchased from a graden ...
A: It looks like the leaves have suffered from sun scald or from too much water. Since the plant had ...
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| habanero peppers | 10/13/2009 | Elyse Grau |
Q: my habanero's are late turning from green to orange and we have had a frost if i pick them green ...
A: Tom: If the frost didn't kill the plant, the better way to do it would be to pull up the entire ...
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| Butternut squash | 10/12/2009 | Mike Mascio |
Q: because of the early frost and freeze some of our squash is still has green veins on the skin. will ...
A: Squash will continue to ripen after removing them from the vine, although the process will be slower ...
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| storing vegetables | 10/9/2009 | Elyse Grau |
Q: Greetings: We are about to have our first freeze and I have harvested many of the remaining ...
A: Jill: Beets and carrots can be stored in the refrigerator in plastic bags. Beets will keep for about ...
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| jalapeno pepper plants | 10/6/2009 | Elyse Grau |
Q: My name is Lana and I live in Northern British Columbia Canada. This summer I decided to grow ...
A: Lana: Peppers are tropical plants, and as such are grown as annuals in northern climates. I'm ...
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| Green pepper plants | 10/3/2009 | Don Battales |
Q: Years ago I read where pepper plant leaves spiral up the plant as it grows. Are pepper plants left ...
A: Tim: May I ask what brought you to the conclusion that peppers are either right handed or left ...
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| carrots growing weird | 9/30/2009 | Elyse Grau |
Q: Do you have any idea why all my carrots are growing weird? They look like aliens. I have never had ...
A: No, I don't really have any other clues, except maybe planting too close together. It doesn't ...
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| jalepeno peppers | 9/30/2009 | Don Battales |
Q: Why are the jalapeno peppers I grow not hot? I've tried harvesting when they are young, and when ...
A: Ann: When you plant again try the F1 Macho. This is the best hybrid jalapeno seed that I have ...
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| Leeks | 9/30/2009 | Elyse Grau |
Q: This year %26 last year I had a major problem with leeks on my allotment, and so did all the other ...
A: Brian: What you saw could have been an onion maggot, they attack the plants at the base of the ...
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| Bell Peppers | 9/28/2009 | Elyse Grau |
Q: I planted green bell peppers for the first time last spring. There was little to no growth until ...
A: Dayna: Are you sure it is black that they are turning? All bell peppers are green when they are ...
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| geography | 9/24/2009 | Elyse Grau |
Q: what are some of the problems found in vegetablemarketing espcially in rural areas.
A: Bwalya: I assume you mean direct-to-consumer marketing? The biggest problems I've seen are ...
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| Leeks | 9/24/2009 | Don Battales |
Q: Last year and again this i have a problem with growing leeks.On both occasions they have rotted ...
A: Brian: I believe that you next year you need to try new leek seeds that are hybrid and desease ...
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| canning info | 9/23/2009 | Kindred Beisinger penname K D Elizabeth Beisinger |
Q: I canned about 20 jars of tomatoes for the first time yesterday and followed all the procedures ...
A: If the jars are not sealed correctly, usually bubbles will start appearing in a couple of weeks, ...
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| Harvesting Potatoes | 9/22/2009 | Elyse Grau |
Q: I just need how to know when I should harvest potatoes. Thanks.
A: Tony: You really can harvest them anytime, but if you are planning on storing them, wait until the ...
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| Putting tomatoes to bed in the fall | 9/22/2009 | Elyse Grau |
Q: I am a first-time tomato grower in the upper Midwest. I had a great crop this summer, and still ...
A: Amby: Tomatoes are annuals, they will be killed with the first frost. So there is no "putting the ...
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| Butternut Squash | 9/21/2009 | Elyse Grau |
Q: I have never grown Butternut Squash before and I saw your comment about when to pick it. My ...
A: Teresa: If the squash is tan in color it is probably ripe. they won't ripen off the vine, so I ...
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| red pepper shrivel....? | 9/21/2009 | Elyse Grau |
Q: We have 2 red pepper plants that have been very disappointing this year - the plants are ...
A: Randy: The fungus would be an external problem. Sunscald can sometimes cause the walls to thin, ...
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| red pepper shrivel....? | 9/20/2009 | Elyse Grau |
Q: We have 2 red pepper plants that have been very disappointing this year - the plants are ...
A: Randy: From the photo it looks like something is eating it, leaving it vulnerable to fungus, which ...
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| mystery squash.... I think | 9/17/2009 | Kindred Beisinger penname K D Elizabeth Beisinger |
Q: Hey, I'm hoping you can please help me! I began renting a house recently, and my roommate and I ...
A: Heather, This looks like a squash that has crossed. And it looks too large to be gourds, which are ...
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| buttercup squash | 9/15/2009 | Elyse Grau |
Q: In cleaning up some of the garden the squash vine broke, it had quite a few squash on it. Will they ...
A: Kris: No, they will not ripen once the vine is cut. Go ahead and cut one though, they may be ripe ...
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| Growing Hot Chillies | 9/11/2009 | Don Battales |
Q: Is it possible to germinate frozen chillies seeds? To clarify my question further, I normally freeze ...
A: Vincent: 1. I do not recommend that you use left over seeds as they loose their hybrid featurse. ...
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