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Showing 1111 - 1140 of 2228 comments

Potato 05 Mar, Nixiwaka (South Africa - Dry summer sub-tropical climate): I stayed in Sweden for a few months and was surprised that they ate raw potato in the salads. So potatoes can be eaten raw.
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Potato 06 Mar, John (Australia - temperate climate): Hello Nixiwaka, yours is a good question! Potatoes can be eaten raw but are safer cooked. Potatoes produce alkaloids which can be toxic. As with other members of the solanum family (tomatoes, capsicum, eggplant, nightshade, etc) most of this is in the stems and leaves. When green patches occur on potatoes it is an indicator that photosynthesis is occuring and these alkaloids are being produced in the tuber. That is why it is important to remove any green part of the potato before cooking and eating them. Raw potato is not easily digested in our gastrointestinal tract and may still be undigested when it gets to the large intestine causing colic cramps or diaorrhea as it ferments. I'll let you decide!
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Ginger 05 Mar, Dolly (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate): Hi what is the best month to plant ginger in north west brits and where can i get seedlings
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Ginger 07 Mar, John (Australia - temperate climate): Ginger is best planted in the spring as the soil starts to warm up. Just buy an undamaged, unbruised piece of ginger from a fruit shop or market. Refer to the Gardenate planting notes for further information.
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Lettuce 04 Mar, Bev Ayson (South Africa - Semi-arid climate): My lettuce are growing well except The round head is not forming. I have taken a piece of cotton and tied all the outer leaves lightly together and now I see the inside is forming nicely. What am I doing wrong.
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Lettuce 05 Mar, John (Australia - temperate climate): Sorry you're having trouble with your lettuces. Check whether it is the right variety for the time of year. Unsuitable varieties for the time of year will often stay open and go to seed. Lettuces like cooler conditions generally but there are a number of varieties developed for the hotter months. Warer stress can also cause this even if it was in the punnet before purchase. Trust this helps, sorry I can't help you more.
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Yacon (also Sunroot) 28 Feb, caroline (South Africa - Dry summer sub-tropical climate): i have planted 3 bits of yacon, temps in the western cape in the high 20 s, have planted them in containers as they are sprouting, will hope for the best! jerusalem artichokes grow well in my garden, but they are flowering now
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Yacon (also Sunroot) 16 Jul, Amanda (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate): Hi Caroline Are you prepared to sell a few plants to us at all? Regards Amanda (Note from Gardenate - we don't promote selling; exchange or gift is our preferred option)
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Yacon (also Sunroot) 05 Mar, caroline (South Africa - Dry summer sub-tropical climate): thanks for your advice John, I will not let them dry out, I just hope they make enough tuber to resprout in our spring here, having planted them so late!
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Yacon (also Sunroot) 28 Feb, John (Australia - temperate climate): I hope you do well with your yacon. Keep in mind that containers can get very hot on a hot day and also pay attention to watering. A wet, dry, wet, dry situation will reduce your yield. All the best.
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Garlic 26 Feb, Mateke (South Africa - Semi-arid climate): Can I just grow garlic and store for more than 6 weeks?
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Garlic 26 Feb, John (Australia - temperate climate): When the tops die off garlic is ready for harvest. If you hang it in a dry airy place it will keep for months. You can use some of the cloves to gro your next crop. Trust this helps.
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Yacon (also Sunroot) 26 Feb, caroline (South Africa - Dry summer sub-tropical climate): what time of the year can i plant yacon in the westerncape?
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Yacon (also Sunroot) 26 Feb, John (Australia - temperate climate): Yacon needs a soil temperature of about 15 degrees Celsius or higher. Plant it about the same time as you would plant tomatoes. It takes about 6 monyjs to harvvest but some roots can be carefully removed earlier. The tops will die off if you get frosts but the roots will be sweeter after the first frost. Trust this helps
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Cucumber 25 Feb, Nicola (South Africa - Humid sub-tropical climate): Hi, we have been gifted 3 cucumber plants. The day our friend brought them to us her chooks sat on them. They were then in her boot the entire day on a 40 degree day. I had them in a morning to mid afternoon sunny spot and they were starting to liven up. The tops started dying off, then they fell over on themselves and cracked the stems. So we moved them to there permanent spot in the evening and in the morning we woke up and the dogs had toppled the 2 over. I picked them up and put the soil back in but now the stems are saggy, broken and the tops are all dried and brown. Please can you help me with advice on how to save these poor plants? I feel so terrible as this is the second set of plants our friend has given us and they are dying again :'(
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Cucumber 26 Feb, John (Australia - temperate climate): Sounds like you've had a traumatic time! Under the circumstances you would be better to sow some fresh seed. It will germinate in a few days. Once plants are battered past a certain point they take a while to recover, if at all. You will need 3-4 months to harvest. All the best.
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Squash (also Crookneck, Pattypan, Summer squash) 20 Feb, anthony bass (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate): my next question is how does one determine the male and female of the flowers?
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Squash (also Crookneck, Pattypan, Summer squash) 20 Feb, John (Australia - temperate climate): Male flowers will have a longer, spindly stalk and only produce pollen (the male half of the deal) while female flowers have shorter stems and an undeveloped fruit (the female half of the deal). This fruit will develop into a squash or pumpkin when and if pollinated. Trust this helps.
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Squash (also Crookneck, Pattypan, Summer squash) 18 Feb, anthony bass (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate): Hi Guys, I don’t know if this is the right forum for this, but, can some explain to me why a gem squash plant I have has produced so many flowers and yet not one has grown into a squash. I have seen the small squashes grow to about 1cm and then the little stalk starts to dry out and the squash falls off. I have it growing as a vine to keep it off my courtyard floor, is this part of or the problem,
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Squash (also Crookneck, Pattypan, Summer squash) 18 Feb, kathy (Australia - temperate climate): you need to pollinate them by hand
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Squash (also Crookneck, Pattypan, Summer squash) 18 Feb, John (Australia - temperate climate): Your problem suggests the female (fruiting) flowers have not been pollinated. This could be due to a lack of bees or other pollinating insects. The alternative is to hand pollinate by removing a male flower and its petals and brushing it over the female flower. This can also be done with a small, soft paint brush. Having it growing as a vine wouldn't make a difference, in fact it be beneficial to the plant as it would aid air circulation and reduce the chance of mildew forming. Trust this helps.
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Horseradish 17 Feb, geoff (South Africa - Humid sub-tropical climate): where can i buy, i'm not far from durban
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Horseradish 18 Feb, (Australia - temperate climate): Bridget Kitley Herbs in Stellenbosch list it in their range. They may post a bare rooted plant wrapped in damp newspaper and plastic. Contact them on 07 9407 2209 or email: [email protected] . Trust this helps.
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Horseradish 16 Feb, Kim (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate): Lifestyle, Johannesburg (011792 5616) has a few Horseradish plants at the moment - I just bought 2
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Horseradish 16 Feb, John (Australia - temperate climate): I love horseradish with beef. The plaants can spread rapidly in good conditions so unless you want that plant them in a very large tub on top of the ground or sunken to just below the rim. Good water supply, and plenty of old manure will yield you tender flavousome roots. Mulching thickly will conserve water. TAll the best!
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Sweet corn (also corn,maize) 13 Feb, Matam (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate): What is the best sweet corn maize seed to plant? I want the one that can produce bigger corns.
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Sweet corn (also corn,maize) 13 Feb, John (Australia - temperate climate): I am in Australia and don't know the varieties you have available in South Africa. I would google search 'sweet corn seed' on your computer. There are three mail order seed companies that I am aware of in your country. They will have a range of sweet corn seed available and each will have details regarding colour, size and sweetness to choose from. I trust someone from your area will respond to your query with some suggestions. Trust this helps.
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Capsicum (also Bell peppers, Sweet peppers) 09 Feb, Tony Mnisi (South Africa - Humid sub-tropical climate): I'm based in Pretoria. I want to know as to where can I buy bell peppers in my area?
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Capsicum (also Bell peppers, Sweet peppers) 09 Feb, John (Australia - temperate climate): Capsicum or Bell Pepper seed should be easy to get at Nurseries and Garden Centres in Pretoria. If not there are 2 or 3 Online (Internet) Seed Companies in South Africa. Trust this helps.
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Radish 09 Feb, Danny (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate): My radishes grow all top but no bulb. Any ideas.
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