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Square Foot/Intensive Gardening/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| Growing corn (small patch) | 4/18/2008 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: we moved to a rural area over 2 yrs. ago in Southeastern, Ontario, Canada and are on an acre. We ... A: Paula, corn is actually very easy to grow, but it does require some knowledge and quite a bit of ... | ||
| raised beds | 3/30/2008 | Jim Kennard |
| Q: I've read about using manure, compost and peat for planting medium in a square foot garden. What is ... A: I highly recommend you consider carefully before using manure and compost in your raised-bed garden. ... | ||
| railroad ties | 3/21/2008 | Jim Kennard |
| Q: My wife and I put railroad tie raised bed in last June and haven't started a garden yet, now my ... A: Greg: If the railroad ties were brand new and had never been used there would be some problem with ... | ||
| Bougainvillea | 12/4/2007 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: Not sure about spelling, but I have a huge bougainvillea in my garden and want to transplant to a ... A: Meredith, propagation by cuttings is the preferred choice. Simply cut a tender shoot that is at ... | ||
| Snail control | 12/3/2007 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: Is there a home remedy for the control of snail eating putunias and impatients. Help A: There are not many home remedies for snails, but there are many different inexpensive options for ... | ||
| Shady garden area | 11/30/2007 | Jim Kennard |
| Q: The only area I have in my yard is behind a 6 foot block wall that blocks the sunlight in the ... A: Direct sunlight is essential for good vegetable plant growth - especially fruiting varieties - as ... | ||
| Raised Beds | 10/29/2007 | ben johnson |
| Q: I want to use raised beds, mainly for vegetables, but I am unsure about the wood walls. Autoclaved ... A: I too would worry about the chemical seepage into the groundover time. If looks are important use ... | ||
| Skunks | 10/7/2007 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: During the last three weeks. skunks like to visit my front yard and dig up my lawn and make a lot of ... A: Jasper, skunks are attracted to grubs in the soil. They will dig verociously when they find them in ... | ||
| american beauty | 9/4/2007 | Frank and Vicky Giannangelo |
| Q: we have just recently bought an American beauty plant and are wondering what time of year to plant ... A: Hopefully you live an an area with a planting zone of 5 and above. The plants do well in partial ... | ||
| mulching | 7/8/2007 | Frank and Vicky Giannangelo |
| Q: have were given wood and branch chips, quit a lot of it. we put this in the walk ways of our garden. ... A: If you are just walking on it in a path it does not matter at all, and if it is acid, it will help ... | ||
| snapbeans | 6/9/2007 | Frank and Vicky Giannangelo |
| Q: Why can't I grow snapbeans? When I plant beans I get a brown blotch on the leaves and the leaves ... A: Diseases that may attack beans include anthracnose, bacterial blight, mosaic, root rot and rust. It ... | ||
| snapbeans | 6/9/2007 | Jim Kennard |
| Q: Why can't I grow snapbeans? When I plant beans I get a brown blotch on the leaves and the leaves ... A: We'll have a difficult time being real accurate in answering your question without seeing the plant ... | ||
| radishes | 5/27/2007 | Stephen Barichko |
| Q: Why do my radishes (Western SD) always go to tops and have very small if anything underneath? A: Your radishes do this because the soil is not feeding the roots well enough, and so all the plant's ... | ||
| using Horse manure as a compost | 5/20/2007 | Frank and Vicky Giannangelo |
| Q: My Name is Donna. I live in North East Tn. I have very bad soil. Slate and clay. very little top ... A: It is not the nitrogen that is the problem in using horse manure, it actually has very little ... | ||
| Climbing Cecil Brunner Rose | 5/9/2007 | Frank and Vicky Giannangelo |
| Q: I have 3 climbers in a row to cover a pergolla and 2 are blooming, the 3rd the Cecil Brunner is the ... A: It may need some pruning to promote flowering. Prune in early fall or spring by cutting out any ... | ||
| Raised Garden Help - Clay Soil | 4/30/2007 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: I am trying to build a raised garden/low maintenance, in front of mobile home. I live in Lousiana ... A: Patricia, you do not need to till the existing soil. What I would do is lay down 1" of newspaper ... | ||
| Tomatoes; Nitrogen | 4/26/2007 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: Mike, I was reading a response to Cathy where she was having problems with tomato plants you advised ... A: Judy, not at all. The key is using a fertilizer low in nitrogen. Keep in mind that fruit-bearing ... | ||
| Red Currant Bush | 4/26/2007 | Stephen Barichko |
| Q: I have a beautiful healthy Red Currant bush that is thriving! The berries I harvested off of the ... A: I'd say that if the plants can survive this season without crowding eachother out, then the best ... | ||
| vertical garden | 4/17/2007 | Stephen Barichko |
| Q: I am started a garden for the first time this year and have read Square Foot Gardening and ... A: Well, as with anything, different gardeners have different and sometimes dissenting opinions. I ... | ||
| vertical garden | 4/12/2007 | Stephen Barichko |
| Q: I am started a garden for the first time this year and have read Square Foot Gardening and ... A: Firstly, you should not really put watermelon or cantaloupe on climbing trellises. Although they are ... | ||
| Cement Blocks; Raised Beds | 3/28/2007 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: can you use cement blocks inside of treated wood to build raised garden bed A: Absolutely. Many gardeners use block instead of wood. I always advise against treated lumber due the ... | ||
| question | 3/9/2007 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: You may not can help me with this, but its worth a try: I have a camellia approx 5 feet tall, ... A: Patricia, the best time to transplant a camellia is early to mid fall. This gives the roots a chance ... | ||
| sq. ft.-cu. yd | 3/7/2007 | Jim Kennard |
| Q: if I have 1,125 sq. yd. 4" thick top soil how much would I need in cu. ft. thank you A: Carol: You have 1,125 X 1/9 cubic yards = 125. One cubic yard = 3 X 3 X 3 = 27 cubic feet. So ... | ||
| Snails and Slugs | 3/2/2007 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: My wife and I have, out by our pool, three planter areas approx. 6' by 7' in diameter. WE have a ... A: Newell, there are many prescribed ways to control snails and slugs. They are are especially ... | ||
| geotextiles | 2/14/2007 | Frank and Vicky Giannangelo |
| Q: Other than cost, are there any reasons I shouldn't use spun black geotextile in my zone ... A: As long as the %of shade is not more than 40%-50%, I don't see a problem. You need to find out ... | ||
| Drip Irrigation in square foot gardening | 12/31/2006 | Jim Kennard |
| Q: Jim, I plan on growing vegetables using the intensive square foot gardening using 5 x 20 foot raised ... A: Steve: First off, please forgive my very tardy reply! I am in Orlando, Florida - at Walt Disney ... | ||
| When is it the best time to plant? | 11/12/2006 | Jim Kennard |
| Q: I love flowers an I want to have my own garden I am wondering when is it the best time to plant a ... A: The time to plant your flower garden depends on many things. One important factor is the climate in ... | ||
| slime | 11/7/2006 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: I have alot of slime on top of my garden it only comes in the winter,it is very slippery and can be ... A: Dave, these are spores that gather and form a film over the soil. The reason it only surfaces in the ... | ||
| soil preparation / green manure | 10/22/2006 | Jim Kennard |
| Q: I want to prepare an area in my yard for vegetable and flower planting next spring. The area has ... A: Sally: I would definitely dig up the area this fall. Also, you need to remove all crab-grass and ... | ||
| potatoes and grubs | 10/17/2006 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: Independence, Ky 15 mi from Cincinnati, Ohio. This summer I raised potatoes but lost a large amount ... A: Betty, Grub-ex is by far the best product on the market for an immediate resolution. The problem ... | ||
| creosote in railroad ties | 9/30/2006 | Jim Kennard |
| Q: I have read two responses to questions about raised beds with railroad ties, but I'm wondering if ... A: Fresh railroad ties are not good to use. The creosote is toxic to plants, and probably not good for ... | ||
| growing cucumbers | 9/20/2006 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: I have grown several types of cucumbers in my garden in Martinez, California. All varieties, ... A: Gail, there are varieties that are pickling cucumbers grown specifically for their slightly bitter ... | ||
| earthworms | 8/28/2006 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: We have just relocted to Pennslyvania. While landscaping our new lawn I discovred we have no worms! ... A: Pennsylvania soils are composed primarily of clay. Earthworms avoid clay soil due to its heavy ... | ||
| Bougainvillea plant flowers | 8/13/2006 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: I am located in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. My Bougainvillea plant is approximately 6' tall by 8'wide ... A: Jim, the secret to abundant blooms is to reduce the amount of nitrogen and increase the phosphorus. ... | ||
| Current Bush transplant | 7/31/2006 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: I live in Anchorage, Alaska. I would like to know if I can still transplant five well established ... A: Adrienne, you can transplant at any time, but fall is the most preferable season for transplanting. ... | ||
| green beans need protection | 7/27/2006 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: My growing green beans have the holes on the leavs. I supose some kind of insects are eating them. ... A: The best control is a product called reemay, otherwise known as row covers. Reemay is a ... | ||
| types of current bushes | 7/7/2006 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: I LIVE IN BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK AND I WAS WONDERING HOW MANY TYPES OF CURRENT BUSHES ARE THERE? ... A: Sharon, there are literally dozens of different currents thanks to hybrids. My best advice is to ... | ||
| current bushes | 7/6/2006 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: Chicago north suburb How do you prune them. Some of the old stems lose all their leaves and there ... A: Cynthia, remove all dead stems that are not producing leaves 1" from the main trunk. Also, remove ... | ||
| around the house mulch for potted tomatoes | 5/17/2006 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: For the first time, I'm trying to grow determinant (spelling?) tomatoes in containers. Are there ... A: Amy, it sounds like you're doing everything right. My only concern is that one gallon of water per ... | ||
| Rubber Mulch | 5/13/2006 | Mike Mascio |
| Q: I am from Vancouver, Canada. I saw an item in the news about the advantages of mulch made from ... A: Rubber is a recent addition to the many types of mulches being used in today's gardens and beds. ... | ||
Square Foot/Intensive Gardening
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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