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Showing 5311 - 5340 of 20103 comments

Ginger 02 Jul, Jane (Canada - Zone 8a Mild Temperate climate): I have a healthy piece of ginger and I want to plant it. I suspect my question is really stupid but here goes. On one piece I have a healthy green shoot about 2 inches. Do I plant this with the green shoot facing up or down?
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Ginger 15 Jul, Gordon (Canada - Zone 6a Temperate Warm Summer climate): Hi Jane, For most root tuber, the shoots will be reaching upwards to get above the soil to start gathering light energy while using the stored energy in the root. You probably see that the shoot is green so it already has the chlorophyl ready to start working. After the root tuber starts seeing some sucess from light harvest and finds itself in damp soil-lke conditions it will likely start generating the root hairs and larger branching roots to pull in new moisture and nutrients as the plant grows. So plant the ginger with the shoot facing upwards and it should have less work to reorient itself. Whether your root piece is just a finger shaped log or has multiple branches, just dig a shallow wide hole to lay the root down in. ( Like a hotdog or a cookie laying on a plate.) Not a deep narrow hole. The whole root should only be about 2-4 inches deep. Have fun, Gordon
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Salsify (also Vegetable oyster) 02 Jul, Susan parker (Australia - arid climate): I’m in Northam, Western Australia I’d love to grow salsify. Where can I get seeds. When do I plant?
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Salsify (also Vegetable oyster) 03 Jul, (Australia - arid climate): It says plant from Sept to March - look up the internet where to buy.
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Artichokes (Globe) 02 Jul, Daila (Australia - temperate climate): I just wanted to let you know that in Sydney, NSW it doesnt matter where I buy globe artichokes from they are as tough and dry and clearly picked too late, because by the time i gets to retail - you can forget about it. I cant tell you how much money I have spent and then the globe ends up in the bin - at $2.99 - $3.50 a single globe, ill let you do the math. Im Italian and there are at least 20 different ways I cook with them and because I know they have such a short shelf life, I keep hoping that Ill be rewarded, so i keep buying them - and throwing them away. Can you please pass onto the growers (if you know who they are) that if they pick the globes when they fully grown - its too late. So the retailers wont be able to sell them, we wont buy them anymore and all that hard work goes to waste - as does the crop at the markets. You already have half the population who have no idea how to cook them - why treat this little gem with such disrespect??? I dont get it. We are so lucky in Oz we can get ANY type of fruit or veg at any time of the year, but we cant get the globe artichoke right. Ever noticed why they are NEVER featured on any cooking show? MKR - Masterchef - funny that. I know for a fact that they are really difficult to grow, but it would be nice to be able to enjoy them when they are in season... and i would pay more if only i knew I could get a tender one (regardless of how good it looks on the outside). Thanks for listening - i tried searching growers on social media to gripe - but had no luck. Cheers
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Artichokes (Globe) 15 Oct, Francoise (Australia - sub-tropical climate): Out of a whole packet, 10 seeds, I only managed to get one plant, but it is majestic, with 15 buds on it, and I could not resist and ate the first one before maybe full size, But it was the best ever, and I was born in Bretagne, France, where they are a major crop, SO, they take time, effort, water XX, and space, but grow your own! Is worth it. I'd appreciate a simple recipe for the buds in case they don't all develop.
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Asparagus 30 Jun, Susan Bruce (New Zealand - temperate climate): Is it helpful to put sea weed on asparagus plants as manure?
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Asparagus 03 Jul, (Australia - sub-tropical climate): Any organic matter needs to decompose to be able to be used by plants. Sea weed is great but it needs to break down first. Compost it now so to have it ready by end of August.
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Sweet Potato (also Kumara) 30 Jun, Ev (Australia - tropical climate): I find that the purple ones grow the best in my garden. Problem is I have miles of plant and not so many tubers. Going to use some of the advice I have read on this page and feed with seaweed.
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Sweet Potato (also Kumara) 03 Jul, (Australia - arid climate): Don't fertilise with nitrogen.
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Luffa (also Loofah, plant sponge) 30 Jun, Karen Flakelar (Australia - temperate climate): Hi while all my other gourd plants have died off over winter my luffa seems to be powering on as if it prefers winter and has lots of little luffahs and flowers coming on It doesn't even appear to be affected by frost Is this normal luffa behaviour?
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Amaranth (also Love-lies-bleeding) 30 Jun, Dianne (Australia - tropical climate): Just an idea for folks looking to get red garnet amaranth seeds... Mr Fothergills sells a pack of microgreens called Flavours Of West Europe, which includes a pack of red garnet amaranth, along with cress and morgan field peas. It was the only Amaranth variety that Bunnings seems to sell, but I also figured it would be worth growing cress and field peas as well to see how well they do in my current growing situation.
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Ginger 28 Jun, Sona singh (Australia - sub-tropical climate): I want to grow ginger on large scale in cairns Tully area.where to get good clean seeds. Is this good areas to invest. Thanks
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Ginger 30 Jun, Liz (Australia - temperate climate): Gardenate is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department.
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Sweet Potato (also Kumara) 27 Jun, Ana (New Zealand - temperate climate): Try this page: https://www.koanga.org.nz/grow-great-kumara/. They have the most thorough advice on growing kumara that I've seen.
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Celery 27 Jun, Ghulam (New Zealand - temperate climate): hi l am living in canterbury now can i plant celery?
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Celery 28 Jun, (New Zealand - temperate climate): Look up what climate zone you are and check when to plant.
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Parsley (also curly leaf parsley or flat leaf (Italian) parsley) 27 Jun, Randall Quested (New Zealand - temperate climate): Hi. What ph is suitable for parsley? Cheers thanks.
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Parsley (also curly leaf parsley or flat leaf (Italian) parsley) 30 Jun, Liz (New Zealand - temperate climate): Parsley will grow in a pH range between 5.6 (acidic) and 7.5 (neutral) with a preferred range between 6.0 and 7.0.
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Asparagus 25 Jun, dennis leavesley (Australia - temperate climate): what Fert. do you use on your asparagus
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Asparagus 26 Jun, (Australia - sub-tropical climate): Try using composed manure or compost. Any general fert would do. The ferns that have grown the last 6-8 months have put a lot of energy into the crown to supply nutrients for the coming crop.
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Cabbage 25 Jun, Graham platt (Australia - temperate climate): HI,,is it ok too cut off low leaves from my red cabbage while growing,,,,,thanks.
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Ginger 24 Jun, Jan Montague (New Zealand - temperate climate): Do you have to wait till the top has died down before harvesting? I'm not sure what to do as there is some older growth but one new stalk has come through.
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Ginger 26 Jun, (New Zealand - temperate climate): Read the notes here again.
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Onion 24 Jun, Cassie (Australia - cool/mountain climate): And make sure you plant varieties that cope with your particular climate. Many varieties dont cope well with heat and will bolt to seed
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Watermelon 24 Jun, Mike (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate): Is 8th July fine for planting in Bochum?
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Brussels sprouts 23 Jun, Colin Robinson (Australia - temperate climate): I would like to be able to purchase some Brussel tops, as they make a great green to eat with a good roast and the green water makes a fantastic gravy. Do you know anywhere in NSW that I can purchase some? We live in Goulburn NSW
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Brussels sprouts 24 Jun, (Australia - sub-tropical climate): If you are talking the top of the plant then a farmer who grows brussels.
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Celery 22 Jun, neil waterman (Canada - Zone 8a Mild Temperate climate): can I grow celery in nfld canada
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Asparagus 21 Jun, Mike Miller (USA - Zone 9b climate): can i plant asparagus crowns in June in zone 9 southern california
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