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Showing 8761 - 8790 of 20181 comments

Celery 02 May, peter andrews (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate): being on a pension now,i have taken a big interest in growing vegies,so I invested in a glass house ,I already have beetroot plants growing, very good ,also I have silver beet growing very good ex in fact .also I have broccoli growing good ,cabbage good ,and cauliflour now shooting up ,can I grow capsicums now ,?,,,,,,,and can I grow celery now,,?,,,,,,and can I grow chillie peppers now ?,,,,, its a great way to keep your mind going and its so nice when you see all the plants starting to get healthy and start growing .hope I am doing ok ? I will welcome any advice you can give me to help me master this art of growing ,kind regards peter
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Celery 10 May, Mem (New Zealand - temperate climate): Hi you wont be able to grow chillies or capicums until mid spring-early summer,you can grow celery,broccoli,cauliflower,leeks,cabbage,spinach,silverbeet and peas without cover through winter provided you're in an area without frequent hard frosts and lettuce,radishes and beetroot etc in the glasshouse.
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Celery 03 May, John (Australia - sub-tropical climate): In your area you would normally sow seed in march and April in your glass house ready for transplanting in May and June. You could also sow seed in August and September for October and November planting out. To avoid stringiness in your celery keep the water up to the plants. Well manured or composted soil will also help.
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Cape Gooseberry (also Golden Berry, Inca Berry ) 02 May, Elizabeth Medgyesy (USA - Zone 5a climate): My two year old Cape Gooseberry plants have big strong shoots that have tiny plants along them. I'd like to cut them and transplant them to get more of this delicious berry. Any suggestions on how and where to cut the plant and then transplant the best way?
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Cape Gooseberry (also Golden Berry, Inca Berry ) 12 Aug, Helen (Canada - Zone 6b Temperate Warm Summer climate): Plant's healthy, strong, shoots can be cut from the main stem and put in a water-filled bottle until white roots start to emerge. Once the roots are about one inch, the shoots can be planted in a rich soil to grow. It is advisable to change the bottle's water daily.
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Kale (also Borecole) 02 May, Alice (New Zealand - temperate climate): Aphids over wintering on any curly leaved kale. Last year I grew a lot of leafy greens, the kale Nero was a great success, however the others grew really well but were infested with wooly aphids seeking shelter I assume. I'm not into chemical sprays, and getting the spray in all the curly leaves seems too time consuming, I can wash them off but it's almost pointless with the numbers per leaf. Have others found this? What can I try that's not too much of a hassle as I have a young family and don't really want to go out spraying with garlic spray for example after each time it rains.
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Kale (also Borecole) 25 Jan, Wihiria Mark (New Zealand - temperate climate): Hi, An organic gardener told me that broken egg shells keep any crawly grub away as they do not like the sharp edges of the egg. Good way to use egg shells as well. I found it did work with cabbage, cauliflower, hope this is useful to you as well.
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Kale (also Borecole) 22 May, hornz (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate): try companion planting with spring onions, shallots &/or garlic
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Yacon (also Sunroot) 02 May, Andrew kirk (Australia - cool/mountain climate): How to grow it in my area it get very hot and cold here
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Yacon (also Sunroot) 03 May, Melanie (Australia - cool/mountain climate): I live in Albury. I have been growing them here for about 6 years. We have not got many left. We have given many away. We have left them for a couple of years. Due to illness. But this year we plan to dig them out, and replant them. We have very hot days and frosty days. They do not mind. But they are growing behind a wall. With a fence on one side. So I guess it is some what sheltered.
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Yacon (also Sunroot) 02 May, Jack (Australia - cool/mountain climate): You could plant sprouted tubers in October or November in your cooler climate. It would be ready for harvest in April or may but you could carefully take some tubers earlier.
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Yacon (also Sunroot) 02 May, Belinda heading (Australia - arid climate): I live in Adelaide. Where can I buy a yacon plant from please?
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Yacon (also Sunroot) 02 May, Giovanni (Australia - cool/mountain climate): Diggers in Melbourne and Green Harvest in SE Queensland list it. There will be others. It is listed on Gumtree also, have a look there.
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Sweet Potato (also Kumara) 02 May, Pou TeRongomau (New Zealand - temperate climate): October and November best time to grow kumara in the Waikato Hamilton area.
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Tomato 01 May, allan (Australia - temperate climate): we are considering building a house approximately .5 kilometre from the coast south of adelaide and i was wondering if there is anything special we need to do to grow veg especially tomatoes greens ect
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Tomato 02 May, Sean (Australia - cool/mountain climate): The long South Australian summers and drier climate should be ideal for growing most vegetables with a much lower risk of fungal problems than more humid or coastal areas. Log onto this site or buy the Gardenate app for more information.
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Tomato 01 May, Jack Zampella (USA - Zone 6b climate): I am hoping that you will be able to answer this question for me. I have raised beds that I vegetable garden in. Everything I have read over the past 10 years says that 2 inches of compost should be added to the beds yearly which I have done. I fertilize with organic fertilizers. My question is I no longer have room for additional compost in the beds. Should I remove some of the "great" soil from the beds to add additional compost or wait until the compost decomposes to add more( this usually takes about 2 years) Thank you in advance for your help. Jack Zampella
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Tomato 02 May, John (Australia - temperate climate): If you have been adding 2" of compost every year for a number of years I would think your soil is quite fertile. You could, as you suggest, take some off. I would not add any this year, instead I would give the garden bed a dressing of garden or agricultural lime. The continual adding of compost to the soil is great for building up the soil but if there is a lot of organic matter still breaking down you would be safe to leave it for a season. The addition of lime will reduce the acidity and allow the release of a lot of nutrients currently there. Organic matter over time, while enriching the soil, will increase the acidity (lower the pH) and make nutrients less available. Lime reverses this. All the best.
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Tomato 08 May, Jack Zampella (USA - Zone 6b climate): John (Australia) thanks for your response. That was going to be my course of action. You just confirmed it. Again thank you for your input.
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Garlic 01 May, Fiona (Australia - cool/mountain climate): I planted my garlic in mid April, and it's coming up really well. At the same time, I planted some elephant/giant garlic cloves a friend gave me (grown in his garden nearby). The elephant garlic isn't showing above ground at all. Is this normal that it takes longer to shoot, or did I plant it at the wrong time?
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Garlic 02 May, Jack (Australia - cool/mountain climate): Some bulbs are slower to emerge from the ground. You could carefully scratch around the bulb site with your finger and see if is coming up. The only negative thing I can think of is that the bulbs may have been damp and have rotted. I doubt this.
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Garlic 03 May, Fiona (Australia - cool/mountain climate): Thanks Jack. I might have a scratch around and see. I don't think the cloves would have rotted either. Probably I just need to be patient!
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Peas 01 May, Nick (Australia - temperate climate): Can I save my New Guinea bean seeds if my bean is still green. As it has fallen of the vine because it was over 6kg and 2foot 4 long ,must have been a tad heavy for the vine. Ta for pea info jo
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Sweet corn (also corn,maize) 30 Apr, zaakirah cassim (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate): What season does the mealies get harvested in South Africa
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Sweet corn (also corn,maize) 02 May, John (Australia - temperate climate): You would normally harvest mealies when the stalks and leaves have dried off. This would generally be in May but seasons do vary. If you harvest them before they are properly dry they may be susceptible to mould. Store your mealies in a dry, airy place.
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Yacon (also Sunroot) 30 Apr, Diann Collison (Australia - temperate climate): Hi I live in Adelaide. Does anyone grow them here successfully?
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Yacon (also Sunroot) 16 Dec, John (Australia - temperate climate): I grow them successfully in Christie's Beach. We experienced a very rare frost this year which knocked the leaves around but the plants all survived and are now looking great.
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Yacon (also Sunroot) 02 May, John (Australia - cool/mountain climate): I haven't but I see no reason why you couln't.
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Sweet Potato (also Kumara) 30 Apr, Barb (Australia - temperate climate): We grow sweet potato as a perennial it in a separate bed (South Coast NSW with no frosts). I trim the lengthy vines to keep them within their bed: this seems to enhance formation of tubers, and also increases the small leafy shoots that we use as a yummy leafy vegetable (eg: Asian Stir-fry greens). We add compost and mulch when growth slows in winter, so it has plenty to feed on the following summer. We don't store the roots - just harvest and eat the roots as required.
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Sweet Potato (also Kumara) 01 May, Giovanni (Australia - temperate climate): Good comment about the greens. I will try it. I am further south, well into Victoria and we can grow them.
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