| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
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| square foot farming | 6/22/2002 | Mike Mascio |
Q: I actually live on a large farm where the in-laws who live in town but garden on our farm, have ...
A: Tracy, you can feed a family of three using 60 square feet of garden. This may be hard to believe, ...
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| Watermelons, Galia melons, and Charentais melons | 6/15/2002 | Mike Mascio |
Q: Intensive gardening is my way, too. Am wondering how to make my melons more productive. This year, I ...
A: Tim, it all depends on what you are looking for. If you're interested in growing large melons, then ...
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| Tomatoes and diseases | 5/23/2002 | Mike Mascio |
Q: Yesterday I planted some tomato plants and had a new variety "Big Beef." The little tag in the box ...
A: Dorothy, the letters stand for tolerance to the following diseases: T - Tobacco Mosaic V - ...
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| Soaker Hose | 4/18/2002 | Mike Mascio |
Q: I could find nowhere else to ask, and since it will be used under in intensive square foot gardening ...
A: Ironically, I also use soaker hoses and I bought them at Wal*Mart. Small world. You are absolutely ...
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| Where do I begin?? | 2/19/2002 | Mike Mascio |
Q: I'm wondering if you could point me in the right direction. First, my goal is to create a flowering ...
A: Shawna, the only annuals which actually thrive in shady areas are coleus, begonia, and impatiens. ...
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| Gardening in Maryland | 2/10/2002 | Mike Mascio |
Q: Where can I find a reccomendation on-line for gardening in Maryland's climate? I remember when I was ...
A: Jasmine, cooperative extensions and local universities are often good sources for local and regional ...
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| Square foot gardening | 1/26/2002 | Mike Mascio |
Q: Living in Florida, where many houses have little garden space, I was wondering, what exactly is ...
A: Square foot gardening is a method of intensive gardening. The term "square foot gardening" was ...
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| dahlias | 11/15/2001 | Mike Mascio |
Q: I live in Long Island. Is it necessary for me to dig up my dahlias each Fall?
A: Yes it is. Otherwise the bulbs will freeze over the winter. Simply dig the plants carefully making ...
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| vegetable gardening/small space | 10/16/2001 | Mike Mascio |
Q: I have just moved to an apartment and have an area of 5' x 5' in which I plan to plant vegetables. I ...
A: and thanks for writing. I personally prefer raised beds. The soil stays friable since you never ...
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| Sun exposure | 7/16/2001 | Mike Mascio |
Q: I live in St. Louis, MO, which I believe is region 5. I was told that any plant that says full sun ...
A: Ralph, full sun is 8 hours or more per day. Partial sun is 5-8 hours per day. Less than that is ...
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| Cyclamen Seeds | 7/14/2001 | Mike Mascio |
Q: Cyclamen............I love this flower. I have read several articles but have yet to determine ...
A: Roger, the seed pod forms inside the calyx, or sepals, of the flower head. As you probably know, do ...
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| Sunflowers | 7/3/2001 | Mike Mascio |
Q: I have just started growing sunflowers that are 3ft high. recently I have discovered hordes of ...
A: Andi, normally ants are an indication of a high population of aphids in the area. Aphids are a ...
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| I have some Oleandar bushes... | 6/28/2001 | Mike Mascio |
Q: I have some Oleandar bushes that are "bushing-out" wonderfully - but not blooming. Everyone else's ...
A: Cliff, it sounds like you cut them back during their dormant period which would be the correct ...
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| horehound and hemlock | 5/25/2001 | Mike Mascio |
Q: I live in southern Missouri, zone 6. I let wild plants grow in my yard and in my garden to help ...
A: Mark, I know of no beneficials that are attracted by these herbs, but they do indeed have other ...
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| Blue annuals | 5/6/2001 | Mike Mascio |
Q: I have a question regarding potted flowers. Every year, I put rectangular pots of flowers on my ...
A: Robin, I would suggest ageratum, blue petunias, lisianthus, or blue salvia. If you're not familiar ...
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| Seeds on the Web? | 5/5/2001 | Mike Mascio |
Q: Wondering if you know a good place to buy seeds on the web. Looking for unusual varieties, ...
A: Misty, there are several on-line catalogs where you can find unusual seeds. Although I am not ...
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| Wisconsin perennial bed | 4/13/2001 | Mike Mascio |
Q: I'm not sure this is in your area of expertise, but I need suggestions. I've recently had to clean ...
A: Helen, since most perennials come in all colors, you can certainly mix and match according to your ...
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| Cucumber varieties | 3/24/2001 | Mike Mascio |
Q: What variety of cucumber should I plant in my tiny garden in Zone 7 to train on a low trellis?
A: Diane, there are several short-vining cucumbers available through seed catalogs and garden centers. ...
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| standard fuschia | 3/10/2001 | Mike Mascio |
Q: i have a standard fuschia which i planted last year.it was brought inside for the winter and pruned ...
A: Pete, fuchsia are normally repeat performers. They are actually tender perennials that most ...
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| Green beans | 3/2/2001 | Mike Mascio |
Q: I need some advice as what to do about my growing green bean plants in my raised beds. I went ...
A: Jackie, you didn't mention what variety you are attempting to grow. Some seed companies list ...
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| starting a sqft garden | 2/19/2001 | Mike Mascio |
Q: Mike, I'm getting ready to begin my sqft garden. I plan to borrow a tiller and break-up the ...
A: Ken, you definitely want to add soil loaded with organic amendments such as compost, peat, or ...
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| suckers stems on tomato plants | 1/27/2001 | Mike Mascio |
Q: How do you tell which stems are suckers and if you should snip them off.
A: Bob, I tried sending you a photo of the tomato sucker but it came back as undeliverable due to an ...
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| seed instincts... | 1/11/2001 | Mike Mascio |
Q: " I always was curious to know , How does a seed buried 8 inches underground know which way is up ...
A: Frank, like with humans, the genetic makeup of the seed is complex, and highly depends on the ...
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| VEGETABLE GARDEN PLANS? | 9/25/2000 | Mike Mascio |
Q: 30x30,16x35 area where to put what from A-Z vegetables? Tallest to the west then shortest to east? ...
A: There are two rules of thumb when determining the layout of a garden. They are the size of the ...
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| coal | 9/3/2000 | Mike Mascio |
Q: i have some coal chunks and i wondered if they could be useful in the garden soil.my father had used ...
A: Roger, coal is an acceptable carbon supplement for soil. However, it is not advisable to place them ...
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| Roses | 9/3/2000 | Mike Mascio |
Q: I live in No. Calif. and would like to know when I should stop feeding my roses for the season. ...
A: Joan, you should stop feeding the roses sixty days prior to your first expected frost date. Here in ...
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| Question on raising garlic. | 8/21/2000 | Mike Mascio |
Q: We live in Central California, in the San Joaquin Valley. We want to know when is the best time to ...
A: Garlic is best planted in the fall for mid-summer harvest. Here in the midwest we plant garlic in ...
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| Bougainvillea Plant | 8/1/2000 | Mike Mascio |
Q: I recently purchased a Bougainvillea Plant, and after planting it, the plant went totally limp. What ...
A: Betty, this is a very difficult question to answer because there are literally hundreds of causes ...
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| gardening | 7/29/2000 | Mike Mascio |
Q: I am wondering how to tell when I can pull the watermelons off the vine. I did pollinate as many as ...
A: and thanks for writing.There are a couple of tricks, but ultimately it comes down to experience. ...
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| weeds | 7/17/2000 | Mike Mascio |
Q: this spring I tilled under an area about 40 by 60 ft in an oval shape in front of our house. It was ...
A: Alice, this is a common problem in areas that have recently been dug and tilled. The reason for ...
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| tomatoes | 7/14/2000 | Mike Mascio |
Q: I have some Big Boy tomatoes and some Roma tomatoes. My question is as the plants set fruit they ...
A: Assuming that your plants are receiving enough watering and are well mulched to retain moisture, the ...
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| roma tomatoes w/black bottoms | 7/7/2000 | Mike Mascio |
Q: i have a teeny apt. size "farm"...3 roma tomatos and 2 zucchini plants....the tomatoes look great ...
A: Sunny, what you are experiencing is a tomato disorder called blossom-end rot. Blossom-end rot is ...
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| storing seed | 7/2/2000 | Mike Mascio |
Q: i have come back from germany with flower and veg. seeds. it is to late to plant them . what is the ...
A: and thanks for writing. I always place the seeds in a ziplock bag, place the bag in a Tupperware ...
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| Roses | 6/19/2000 | Mike Mascio |
Q: my dads roses are growing in old, they are blooming but they get old or already grow as if they were ...
A: Reg, it is very important to fertilize roses at least every 10 days to keep them vigorously growing. ...
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| Gardening near black walnut trees | 6/19/2000 | Mike Mascio |
Q: We have a few black walnut trees around our yards and have been advised by a relative not to plant a ...
A: I wish I had better news, but black walnut trees do secrete a toxic substance into the soil which ...
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| Moving to Home with Small Yard | 6/18/2000 | Mike Mascio |
Q: We`re trying to decide to buy a "paired-home" in Orange County, CA with a very small yard (14` deep ...
A: You can certainly have a great garden despite the smaller space by using the square foot methodology ...
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| Gardenias and Lithodora | 4/11/2000 | Mike Mascio |
Q: I have a Mystery Gardenia in a pot as well as two other smaller varieties of gardenias in the ...
A: Tina, gardenias prefer partial shade but can withstand serveral hours of full sun per day. If the ...
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| Gardening: Cocoa Bean Mulch | 4/5/2000 | Mike Mascio |
Q: I want to use cocoa bean mulch in my garden, but I was wondering if my dog (whose nickname is Chewy) ...
A: Deborah, cocoa bean hulls are an excellent mulch in the garden. They are aesthetically pleasing and ...
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| Intensive Gardening | 3/30/2000 | Mike Mascio |
Q: What is intensive gardening & is it the same as "French Intensive Gardening".
A: Shelby, intensive gardening, otherwise known as square foot gardening, is a method of planting that ...
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| railroad ties --a suitable edging? | 3/19/2000 | Mike Mascio |
Q: are treated railroad ties suitable for raising a garden ? i am afraid the chemicals may have an ...
A: Patrick, many studies have been done on this subject over the past three years. Organic Gardening, ...
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