All recent comments/discussion

Showing 1321 - 1350 of 1692 comments

Asparagus 30 Oct, Joe Legrand (USA - Zone 8a climate): I have read that a new female asparagus plant is sterile & has not seed/berries. I however can not remember if it was on the net or in a magazine. So I have no proof, if I find it again I should post it.
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Garlic 15 Oct, Susan harrer (USA - Zone 9b climate): Do you plant elephant garlic the same time and way as regular garlic ? Is elephant garlic is actually leeks ?
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Garlic 25 Oct, Silke Wolf (USA - Zone 8a climate): I have just tried planting elephant garlic, Oct 1. I have seen nothing sprouting as of yet. I did plant regular store bought garlic on sept 15th and that has jumped up and sprouted and grown like crazy within a week! So, Im a tad disappointed in the elephant garlic.
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Cowpeas (also Black eye peas, Southern peas) 15 Oct, Kathy J. (USA - Zone 8b climate): Cowpeas are a staple here in the south. The town of Emerson, Arkansas has an annual purplehull pea festival & has a website with information on purplehull peas & many recipes you can try. www.purplehull.com There is even one for jelly using the hulls (spoiler alert: tastes like a mild grape). Purplehulls are a cowpea. What we have always been told was that cow peas weren't considered edible by most people. They came on the boats with slaves & that's who first were eating them. They were also given to livestock. An elderly neighbor told me never plant purplehulls until you hear the whipperwill. For us (Arkansas/Louisiana line, zone 8) that's usually mid-April. They will keep producing as long as you keep picking them. My elderly grandfather said instead of parboiling to can or freeze, just shell the peas & stick them (unwashed) in an old (but clean) pillowcase. As you want to cook them, get what you want out, wash & prepare/cook like normal. Tastes like fresh picked no matter how long its been.
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Luffa (also Loofah, plant sponge) 04 Oct, EILEEN ZERRENNER (USA - Zone 6a climate): will lofa grow in my zone?
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Luffa (also Loofah, plant sponge) 15 Dec, Doug (USA - Zone 5a climate): Very difficult, this plant needs a very long growing season with warm soil, at least 65 F. If you try this, be certain to start indoors 4-6 weeks before last frost. Use biodegradable starting pots and plant out when you are absolutely certain there will not be another frost. Provide full sun for as much of the day as you can. At harvest time wait until fully dried on the vine or if there is a risk of frost, harvest immediately, even if it is still a green pod. Good luck.
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Amaranth (also Love-lies-bleeding) 03 Oct, Sarah (USA - Zone 9b climate): I've recently started growing amaranth in pots. They have done really well indoors but they are getting too large and I have started putting them on the patio. I live in a hot dry climate 9B is what I'm getting for Phoenix Arizona. So my concern is if it can survive Heat more than winter as Winters do not get very cold here can you give me any tips for keeping it healthy here and a hot/warm dry climate? Would they survive if planted in the ground better? The ground here can be very hard. Do you think it would be safer to keep them in pot so I can bring them indoors and move around if needed?
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Amaranth (also Love-lies-bleeding) 11 Dec, Chupacabra (USA - Zone 9b climate): We're about 150 miles west of Phoenix and have been growing the same stand of Amaranth for 6 years. Yours will be just fine.
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Parsnip 30 Sep, Gloria Yates (USA - Zone 8b climate): Can I plant now in we nc 8b?
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Parsnip 23 Sep, Hope (USA - Zone 8b climate): Yes, that’s what I’m doing. I’ve been starting then indoors in a repurposed mushroom tray with minimal success in germination, but I’m going to presprout then as a previous commenter suggested.
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Luffa (also Loofah, plant sponge) 30 Sep, Diane Cotman (USA - Zone 5a climate): Can I grow Luffa in Bellingham Washington? What sorts of yields can I expect?
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Rutabaga (also Swedes) 15 Sep, PATRICIA GRAHAM (Australia - arid climate): We spend 6 months in Puerto Vallarta Mexico where daily temperatures are 75 - 85 F. and almost no rain, but mild humidity. They are impossible to buy and wonder if we could grow a few for ourselves. They do not seem to import them as they do apples. We really miss them in soups and stews.
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Rutabaga (also Swedes) 29 Jun, Lee (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate): In short, it’d either not work at all, or it would. The problem is the temperatures/humidity you describe would make germination non-existent, or incredibly rapid. We have similar conditions at the end of summer when we have to sow our swedes. You’d have to shade them from the sun/light, and water them very carefully. What happens in that kind of heat is they sprout within two or three days, and then if they get direct sunlight, they wilt and die. The little seedlings cant take the heat, there’s not enough moisture in the top layer of soil for the tiny roots, and often the bulbs wont form even if they survive. But having said that, there is more to growing than the weather. Location is also a big factor. In Europe they say it takes up to 6months to harvest, and they grow some whoppers. I grow mine as singles in 3L containers and start harvesting from 3 to 4 months.
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Asparagus 08 Sep, Sarah Hardin (USA - Zone 9b climate): When do you cut the plants back ? They do not die in my garden. I need to know when to cut them down. Thanks. Sarah
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Asparagus 28 Oct, Joe Legrand (USA - Zone 8a climate): Here in South Carolina, my asparagus grow April-Oct. So you may need to let them store food for 6-7 months. Clemson Extension says let the ferns grow with out cutting/harvesting spears, in July cut the ferns back & harvest new spears. So I guess you could cut them back a week or two before you want to harvest the new spears. I, however have not tried this .
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Garlic 03 Sep, (USA - Zone 10b climate): I live in zone 10b and have never had a problem growing garlic. I always have an abundance for storing and using for about six months. I was wondering about planting earlier, say October, instead of December, or would it be too warm? Looking for an earlier harvest
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Watermelon 02 Sep, Murray freeman (Canada - Zone 6a Temperate Warm Summer climate): What are sweetest watermelon that can be grown in 6a
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Rhubarb 27 Aug, Merri (USA - Zone 10a climate): I am moving to St. Petersburg, FL next month. I will miss my rhubarb if I don't take some with me. Will it grow successfully in zone 10A?
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Rhubarb 05 Jan, Petra (USA - Zone 9a climate): I am on the east coast neR Jacksonville zone 9a and have tried numerous times to grow Rhubarb. Summers here are just to brutal (hot and humid) for it to grow. I would love for someone to say it is not so and to share how they successfully grow it here
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Watermelon 18 Aug, Tammy (USA - Zone 10a climate): What are the best garden layouts for melons tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers? Not sure what can grow next to what best
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Ginger 29 Jul, Ann Pulley (USA - Zone 6b climate): I was wondering if it can be grown in zone 6b, in southern Missouri? Does it need anything special in winter?
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Ginger 26 May, Chris (USA - Zone 7b climate): It is very frost-sensitive and can't survive the ground freezing. You can grow it in pots and bring it indoors.
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Potato 18 Jul, Deb Smith (USA - Zone 7b climate): Can we grow tomatoes in early August in Zone 7 to harvest by Thanksgiving?
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Horseradish 18 Jul, Chad (USA - Zone 8b climate): I enjoy eating what we can grow here on our farm. I've been thinking of growing horseradish. I'm in the central MS area. 8b I think but not certain. This will only be growing for our use not looking to grow commercial. What can I do or would you recommend? Thank you
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Horseradish 04 Jun, Lucy (USA - Zone 5a climate): I have horseradish it’s easy to grow. I live up in northern Minnesota. By accident I have three patches growing. Remember to get rid of weeds around the horseradish. Also you shouldn’t dig up the roots until September through April. Months with a R in them. Try going where they sell plants and ask if they have horseradish roots.
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Zucchini (also Courgette/Marrow, Summer squash) 10 Jul, Teri (USA - Zone 6a climate): Should I cut back to make flowers to make females produce more?
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Ginger 04 Jul, T. Smith (USA - Zone 6b climate): Most ginger that is purchased in a grocery store Is steamed to keep it from rooting or sprouting and give it longer shelf life. It will not grow or sprout. I store my ginger In a sealed plastic container and If it gets a little fuzzy I just rinse It a little with fresh water and Its fine. One day i had a piece that started to root so I put it on the window sill in a bowl on a wet paper towel and got a sprout. I think this variety looks a bit like Tai ginger so it may be imported and escaped the steaming.
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Cardoon 28 Jun, Margie (USA - Zone 5a climate): There used to be a clump of cardoons that would come up every year in front of a restaurant in this area. I just found 2 plants at a nursery and am wondering how I can protect them over the winter.
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Cardoon 14 Oct, Leslie Trail (USA - Zone 6b climate): You can cut them down to the ground and put some mulch on over them... if it warms up in the winter be sure to give it some water. You can also dig them up in the fall and pot them, then plant in the spring. I found a video on you tube that talked about saving seeds for Cardoons and Artichokes but it had lots of other great info like digging them up and potting.
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Cape Gooseberry (also Golden Berry, Inca Berry ) 28 Jun, Kate D (USA - Zone 9a climate): I acquired a couple of 18 in/46 cm Cape GB plants in small pots yesterday. I was hoping to plant them in the ground in my sunny flower bed off my back patio. After reading comments here I'm now considering planting one in a pot which I can move in the Winter months and the other in the ground which gets heavily mulched before the onset of frost, and maybe cover it with burlap during the dead of Winter. Most of my perennials seem to survive our Winters in this bed. This will be another one of my experiments. I also have some concerns about the size of this plant since I have never seen one...So I have planned to give it 20 in/50 cm all around. The ground doesn't get warm here until May, but our days are long in the Summer here at the 48 lat.
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Showing 1321 - 1350 of 1692 comments

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