All recent comments/discussion

Showing 721 - 750 of 1689 comments

Carrot 05 Apr, Rachel (USA - Zone 8b climate): It's mostly to help with moisture. Carrot seeds cannot be allowed to dry out. They come up from under just fine.
Reply
Carrot 21 Feb, Cindy C. (USA - Zone 8b climate): A board such as a 1 X 3" is simply to keep rain from dislodging the tiny seed from the soil and retain moisture. I check my seed germination after a week then daily until the seedlings are about 1". Then I remove the board, thin the seedlings and cover with a floating row cover. I plant them right next onions and have no problem with flies.
Reply
Carrot 29 Dec, Darlene (USA - Zone 9a climate): You only cover with a board temporarily as to keep the seeds from washing away and from birds eating them. After a week or more, You are to begin checking for sprouts. Within a week to 10 days, if it’s getting hotter in your climate, you elevate the board above the sprouts by placing a rock at each end of the board length and place the board on top of the two rocks. This keeps it a bit shaded since carrots are cool weather. Then as they get larger ferns and safer to expose, you remove the board. I hope that’s helpful.
Reply
Carrot 22 Feb, Helen Chon (USA - Zone 9a climate): Thank you. Your explanation was clear and much appreciated.
Reply
Carrot 11 Dec, (USA - Zone 6b climate): Use shade cloth or hessian bags above the soil.
Reply
Brussels sprouts 08 Dec, Donald Green (USA - Zone 6b climate): when should brussel sprouts be seeded for spring planting
Reply
Brussels sprouts 11 Dec, (USA - Zone 6b climate): March to June planting for zone 6b.
Reply
Cabbage 07 Dec, Ben (USA - Zone 8b climate): I live in the Midlands of South Carolina. I think it's agricultural zone 8. Looking for cabbage I can plant right now
Reply
Cabbage 11 Dec, (USA - Zone 8b climate): Too late to plant now - check the planting guide here.
Reply
Cabbage 28 Dec, Elisabeth (USA - Zone 7b climate): Well, not entirely true. I got some cabbage seedlings from a nursery that was tossing them. We put them in to the ground on December 3. Then we have them covered with a small hoop house. We also have some incandescent lights to add just enough heat when the temps dip down into the twenties.(F.) You can grow them and they are a challenge, but brassicas like cabbage, kale and broccoli are pretty frost hardy if you give them cover.
Reply
Asparagus 24 Nov, pete Basabe (USA - Zone 12b climate): Hi, Something is eating my asparagus below the soil line. The new shoots are being hallowed out like small caverns below the soil line. This quickly weakens the shoot and then it dries up and dies. The only insects I can find are small (1/4 in) round black beetle like insects that live in the dirt around the new stalks. The full grown stalks do not seem to be affected by these little guys. Any ideas? Thanks, Pete
Reply
Asparagus 18 Mar, Nancy Spencer (USA - Zone 9b climate): Sorry you're having this problem Pete. Here in Florida, we have something called pocket gophers. They burrow underground, leaving occasional piles of dirt at the surface. They feed off of the roots of vegetables. I am berrying fencing all around the perimeter, 1 foot deep, to prevent them getting in to my asparagus. It should stop the bunnies too! Don't know if this help but I wish you luck in solving this.
Reply
Capsicum (also Bell peppers, Sweet peppers) 07 Nov, Pam (USA - Zone 10a climate): My bell peppers are still producing from summer. Not nearly as much, but they are still holding their own. Based on the chart I should be planting undercover in seed trays. Should I have pulled out these bell pepper plants at the end of summer? Will they continue to produce until the frost hits them???? curious
Reply
Capsicum (also Bell peppers, Sweet peppers) 10 Nov, (USA - Zone 5a climate): I would keep them if they are still producing good crop.
Reply
Capsicum (also Bell peppers, Sweet peppers) 21 Aug, Sandra (USA - Zone 10b climate): Peppers can live for a couple of years; if your plants are still alive through the winter, they should produce the next year. If it snows out, bring them in where it’s cozy as long as they live they will produce I think a maximum of four years depending on the health and care of the plant.
Reply
Asparagus 07 Nov, Pam (USA - Zone 10a climate): I have purple asparagus, about a 7 year old bed. I read to only harvest spears that are larger than a pencil, but if I do that the smaller ones turn into "bushes" and hide the larger spears. Is this the correct way to harvest and grow? Question 2: I read to only harvest them for a certain number of weeks and then when they start getting pencil thin, to stop harvesting. but this seems like such a short harvest season, and the plants still want to produce. It is as if my asparagus bed is bushy more than it is in the productive mode. Is this correct? Can I continue to harvest longer? Question 3: Can I plant the poisonous red balls and they will grow into new plants? I thought my old plants would reproduce, but my bed seems to be about the same annually. I just don't feel like a confident grower, and the sources I read don't seem to provide information specific enough for my needs. thank you
Reply
Asparagus 18 Feb, Vee (USA - Zone 10a climate): What varieties can I grow in zone 10a? Jupiter, Florida
Reply
Asparagus 10 Nov, Anonymous (USA - Zone 5a climate): Asparagus needs two things.1. It needs some ferns left at the end of growing season to feed and build the nutrient storage in the crown for the next season. 2. They also need fertiliser in the growing season. Here is what I do. I cut the ferns off end of winter, give a good watering, a good fertilising, then 6
Reply
Garlic 04 Nov, Melinda Horsey (USA - Zone 9b climate): What about growing elephant garlic in zine 9b? Is it the same as regular garlic?
Reply
Asparagus Pea (also Winged bean) 03 Nov, Thuy Tran (USA - Zone 10b climate): Which the best month to grow asparagus pea Can I grow right now?
Reply
Asparagus Pea (also Winged bean) 05 Nov, (USA - Zone 10b climate): March. No.
Reply
Pak Choy (also Pak choi) 02 Nov, Charlie Huang (USA - Zone 9b climate): I am in San Jose, CA, Zone 9b. Is there any typo for the best seed sowing months for Pak Choy? The page says that Pak Choy prefers the temp 70-85 for growing. The best months for sowing seed are Nov/Dec/Jan. But the average temp is around 45-70 for these 3 months. Also there is high risk for the frost. The Pak Choy seed packages I had shows the best seed sowing months are Sept/Oct and Feb/March/April. Gardenate.com is a wondaful website that I have been looking it for a long time, especially for the reminder. It will be even great if you can add some more Asian vegetable to your list, such as: Arugula / Tong Ho /Taiwan New Sword Leaf Lettuce / Yu Choi Sum / Gain Lan / Chinese Stem Lettuce / Xue-Li-Hong / Stem Mustard Zha Choy / Garlic Chives / RED STRIP Leaf Amaranth / Luffa / Green gourd / Spaghetti Squash / Winter melon / Hyacinth Bean / Long bean etc. I know a lot of Asian home gardeners in CA are looking for it. There are a lot vegetable planting information in the website now. But you are the one of them in the best list. Wish your online better and better.
Reply
Pak Choy (also Pak choi) 05 Nov, Anonymous (USA - Zone 4a climate): Look up a chart for temperatures required to germinate vegetables. If your soil temperature is lower than what is required it will probably take longer to germinate or not germinate at all. Soil temp is different to air temp. A lot of the Asian greens would grow in the same climate zone and in similar seasons. Consideration has to be given to how hot it might be, how wet (storms etc) pests and diseases etc,
Reply
Celery 29 Oct, Alan kuchas (USA - Zone 4a climate): Would like to know everything about vegetables from seeding to harvest in my ZONE4a. This way I would know when to start seeds indoors and outdoors and best time to transplant out with any pertinent tips along the way…Thanks….AL (Gardenate says : Select USA 4a in the bar at the top of the page. Scroll through the months.)
Reply
Rutabaga (also Swedes) 27 Oct, Steve (USA - Zone 7b climate): Why exactly can you not plant Rutabagas next to Broccoli? The few companion planting guides out there that I have found says NO they hate each other. What's the science behind that thinking?
Reply
Rutabaga (also Swedes) 20 Feb, Steve (USA - Zone 7b climate): Thanks everyone for responding. Broccoli did fine and still harvesting rutabagas. Did not have any issues with growth or pests and no diseases that i can see. Conclusion even though they did well together, I'll stick with time proven methods.
Reply
Rutabaga (also Swedes) 08 Jan, Anonymous (Canada - Zone 7b Mild Temperate climate): Rutabagas are moderate to heavy feeders that do best in rich, loamy soil amended with composted manure. Optimal soil temperature: 18-21°C (65-70°F). Rutabagas need lots of water. Brussels sprouts prefer temperatures between 45 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit and also like well composted manure. Additionally, they both like approximately the same PH range. They are both Brassicas; one Brassica oleracea the other Brassica napobrassica. They like the same conditions: no surprise, they are from the same family. So why did a companion planting guide tell you not to plant them together. The main reasons: 1. They are both considered heavy feeders: that means they will sap your soil of all nutrients. Companion planting usually doesn't place two heavy feeders side by side. It's easy to get past this: just add lots of compost or manure several times in the growing season: at planting: mid season: and nearing the end of season so the plants have enough nutrition to fully develop their fruit (vegetables). 2. These two plants share the same threats (pests); when you plant them side by side the TARGET BECOMES BIGGER and more attractive, so you need to watch out for pests. Companion planting usually places a
Reply
Rutabaga (also Swedes) 09 Jan, Celeste Archer (Canada - Zone 7b Mild Temperate climate): Companion planting usually places plants that don't attract the same pests (or discourages pests that the other attracts) side by side. This stops/inhibits infestations which can occur easily when the pest can move from one site to another (plant to plant - like in rows or patches). Herbs tend to deter a lot of pests (odour) as do Calendula (pot marigolds). To my best estimation you can plant these two plants side by side: just add extra manure/compost and be on the look out for pests (taking action quickly if spotted).
Reply
Rutabaga (also Swedes) 28 Oct, Liz (New Zealand - temperate climate): It is usually because they might produce chemicals in the soil that affect growth or they take the same nutrients from the soil and are susceptible to the same diseases.
Reply
Rutabaga (also Swedes) 28 Oct, Steve (USA - Zone 7b climate): Thank you for your reply, but your answer is a little too vague. I had already placed them together per spouse suggestion in a 4x4 section of the greenhouse so I'll do my own testing, good or bad the sacrifice is minimal.
Reply

Showing 721 - 750 of 1689 comments

Gardenate

Keep your garden growing - see what to plant right now

All recent comments/discussion

Become A Supporter!

Planting Reminders