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Growing Vegetables/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| watering seedlings | 2/1/2012 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: Normally I water seeds and young plants with room temperaature water. I lazily watered tomato starts ... A: Dawn, when a plant's leaves curl, it is a sign of shock. Given your explanation, I would absolutely ... | ||
| Seedlings not thriving | 1/26/2012 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: The last few years, I've been trying to do a garden outside. However, my seedlings do awesome ... A: Amanda, there are many factors that could be causing your plants to die prematurely. The most likely ... | ||
| Onions and beets | 1/23/2012 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: We have an unusually large organic, veg garden. we are vegetariaons and grow most of our own food. ... A: The most likely nutrient that is essential for beets and onions is potassium. Magnesium is also a ... | ||
| too late for tomato plant? | 1/17/2012 | Kindred Beisinger penname K D Elizabeth Beisinger |
| Q: however, I am hoping my situation can really occur anywhere in the world! It's been a horrible wet ... A: It definitely sounds like the humidity and moisture have take their toll. I've got an idea, but ... | ||
| Garden Location | 1/17/2012 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: I have a large (66 acre) piece of land, but only part of it is cleared. While we gradually clear ... A: Paula, generally, I would not recommend planting a garden in a septic field. The bacteria could be ... | ||
| Potatoes | 1/1/2012 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: I had some potatoes in my pantry for a few weeks, and they went absolutely crazy. I have about a 6 ... A: Potatoes require quite a bit of room to grow, so I would recommend at least a minimum diameter of ... | ||
| Planting Pumpkins | 12/5/2011 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: When are you supposed to plant pumpkins in Georgia? I'm curious because I'm going to plant pumpkins ... A: Pumpkins should be planted in early spring after all danger of frost has passed. Depending on where ... | ||
| Wind damage to tomatoes | 11/20/2011 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: I don't live in the USA, but I was hoping you could answer a general qu about tomato plants? We've ... A: Kay, the plants will eventually recover, but they will definitely be set back a few weeks in regard ... | ||
| Cucumber pickling | 10/25/2011 | Kindred Beisinger penname K D Elizabeth Beisinger |
| Q: I've been rather disappointed with my picklings, they were the first I made and I followed a recipe ... A: I continue to be on a quest for the perfect crisp dill pickle. I have found two things that help. ... | ||
| Bell peppers | 10/18/2011 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: Due to frost warninings, I've picked all my bell peppers. The red and yellow ones haven't had a ... A: Most vegetables will ripen slowly once picked. For tomatoes and peppers, simply wrap them in ... | ||
| Soil prepration for vegetable seeds | 10/10/2011 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: How to prepare soil for vegetable garden and fruit trees A: Fertile soil is the secret to successful gardening. You definitely want to begin by tilling in ample ... | ||
| Harvesting sweet potatoes | 10/6/2011 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: I started my own sweet potato slips early last spring with an organic sweet potato (yam) and planted ... A: Without knowing the results of a soil test, it is hard to say for sure, but it sounds like your soil ... | ||
| Tomato/chilli disease | 10/3/2011 | Don Battales |
| Q: I have moved to 12 degrees N in the Caribbean. Much of the land has been fallow for years. I bought ... A: It sounds like you have three problems: Insects Nematodes on the roots Wilt or Blight You can ... | ||
| Best food to grow for healthy living | 9/30/2011 | Kindred Beisinger penname K D Elizabeth Beisinger |
| Q: Hypothetical situation. Lets say the world economy crashes, and food is scarce and expensive. Now in ... A: Interesting question . . . Of course, many vegetables would be good, so if you have the space and ... | ||
| Vegetable Seedlings | 9/29/2011 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: Good Morning My seedlings are dying and I don't know what's wrong. They look beautiful untill ... A: You seedlings are contracting a disease known as damp-off. Damp-off is caused by one of three ... | ||
| How can I get my peppers to grow larger. | 9/24/2011 | Don Battales |
| Q: I am in Tampa, FL USA and I have started growing peppers from seed this year. I am growing ... A: Richard: Peppers like full sun, watering every 2 days and light fertilizing every 15 days. Keep ... | ||
| Possible plant problem | 9/7/2011 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: Can you tell me what would cause a jelly-like substance on corn? I first noticed the clear, ... A: Shaun, the most likely culprit is the corn borer, a small worm that infests the corn and leaves ... | ||
| Watermelon; small fruit | 9/3/2011 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: I live in San Francisco bay area and i bought watermelon (sugar baby) plants from the nursery about ... A: You are not necessarily doing anything wrong. It sounds like you're watering regularly and the ... | ||
| stratify seeds??? | 9/1/2011 | Kindred Beisinger penname K D Elizabeth Beisinger |
| Q: My garden has bean and pepper plant with some ripe seeds on them. I was wondering if I could take ... A: I collect my seeds, and for the most part, they are heirloom. I just dry them and plant them the ... | ||
| discolored butternut squash | 8/27/2011 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: I live in Jim Thorpe PA (Poconos). This is my first attempt at growing butternut squash. I have 5 ... A: Monica, it is not a problem since the squash will still retain its flavor and texture. All that ... | ||
| Tomatoes and the branches going black | 8/15/2011 | Don Battales |
| Q: My tomatoes are going black on top, while still green, as they are growing and the branches are ... A: Sidney: I believe that you have what is called a black spot fungus. Tomatoes are sensitive to ... | ||
| canning cherry peppers | 8/15/2011 | Kindred Beisinger penname K D Elizabeth Beisinger |
| Q: I want to can cherry peppers. i saw a recipe of 3 cups vinegar, 3 cups water and 2 T of canning ... A: Regular salt is probably okay, but I just always use canning salt, so I don't have experience with ... | ||
| bitter sprouts | 8/13/2011 | Kindred Beisinger penname K D Elizabeth Beisinger |
| Q: I've been growing broccoli sprouts for some time now with no problem, just using a plate and paper ... A: I think you need to go back to your original method. There may actually be some sort of mold or ... | ||
| what is this ? | 8/11/2011 | Kindred Beisinger penname K D Elizabeth Beisinger |
| Q: i planted cucumbers,squash, watermelons, corn and onion, this summer, these vegetables are growing ... A: I'm sorry I should have told you as long as there were no gourds involved in the possible mix, the ... | ||
| what is this ? | 8/10/2011 | Kindred Beisinger penname K D Elizabeth Beisinger |
| Q: i planted cucumbers,squash, watermelons, corn and onion, this summer, these vegetables are growing ... A: I'm not sure what kind of squash you planted, but the picture looks like a cross between a cucumber ... | ||
| Harvesting Broccoli | 8/9/2011 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: bit of a newbie question; when do you know a broccoli head is ok to pick (and eat)? I've attached a ... A: You want to harvest the head when the florets forming the head are still tightly packed. The size of ... | ||
| Garlic problem | 8/4/2011 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: A fellow gardener shared garlic with me that appeared to be undersized and moist. The tops had died ... A: I would need to know the composition of her soil to adequately respond to your question. Garlic ... | ||
| green peppers & zucchini | 8/3/2011 | Don Battales |
| Q: My green peppers sre rotting on the plant. I have mulch around the plants& have composted manure ... A: Tom: If the rot is on the side of the pepper then I suspect that it is a virus. For the worms, ... | ||
| Potato disease on leaves | 8/3/2011 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: My potatoes are blooming and looked great last week I noticed a few plants have leaves that are ... A: Curled leaves are very common when the soil is excessively wet due to rain. What happens is that the ... | ||
| green peppers & zucchini | 7/31/2011 | Don Battales |
| Q: My green peppers sre rotting on the plant. I have mulch around the plants& have composted manure ... A: Tom: Please excuse my delay in answering your question. For the worms you can spray with a ... | ||
| Sweet Corn | 7/26/2011 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: my sweet corn is over knee high but the stalks are lt green instead of dark green is it my soil do i ... A: Of all the vegetables, corn requires the largest amount of fertilizer for good productivity. You ... | ||
| Peppers; White Growth | 7/25/2011 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: I have beautiful healthy red bell pepper plants with big green peppers waiting to get ripe. The ... A: Your plants have contracted the first stages of powdery mildew or possibly another fungus disease. ... | ||
| Butternut squash and tomatoes | 7/24/2011 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: I live in maine and had a cold, rainy early season. Planted all my plants in newly raised beds with ... A: Debbie, it sounds like you did all of the right things. Based on your description, I would normally ... | ||
| Tomato Spotting | 7/23/2011 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: I have nice looking tomato plants but the tomatoes are not ripening well at all. They are an ... A: It is not uncommon for the initial tomatoes to have some spotting and take quite a while to ripen. ... | ||
| Rhubarb | 7/22/2011 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: some leaves on my rhubarb are turning pink with spots on them. What can be doing that? Also ... A: In both cases your plants are experiencing stress from either inconsistent watering or a fungus ... | ||
| garlic and carrots | 7/21/2011 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: I live in the Pacific Northwest, 5 miles inland from the southern Oregon coast. GARLIC: My garlic ... A: Dawn, you are correct on both accounts. Garlic needs 8-10 hours of sun to form cloved bulbs. They ... | ||
| green pepper problems | 7/20/2011 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: We decided to try planting a couple of green pepper plants this year as an experiment,and for some ... A: Michelle, it sounds like your pepper plants contracted a soilborne disease. Once this occurs, they ... | ||
| Zucchini | 7/19/2011 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: What the heck is the matter with my zucchini.? Nice plants, has had blossoms, they drop and never ... A: Darlene, when blossoms or young fruit fall off prematurely, it is usually an indication of one of ... | ||
| Growing tomatoes | 7/17/2011 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: I planted several varieties of tomatoes 3 months ago, mostly Early Girl. Here's my problem: the ... A: When growing tomatoes or other fruit-bearing vegetables, the proper ratio of fertilizer is 5-20-20. ... | ||
| Sick tomato plants | 7/16/2011 | Don Battales |
| Q: Don, I have a Goliath tomato plant along with 2 Better Boys. Recently, I have noticed that when they ... A: Linda: In very hot sun tomatoes have a tendency to look a little droopy. I think that the roots ... | ||
Growing Vegetables
Answers by Expert:
Mike Mascio
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I have been an avid gardener since 1985 and an AllExpert volunteer since 1998. I specialize in soil preparation, seed starting and plant propagation, flowers, vegetables, and general landscaping. I am a strong advocate of the square foot method of gardening and the use of organic controls for pests and diseases.
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