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Showing 4861 - 4890 of 13854 comments
Cape Gooseberry (also Golden Berry, Inca Berry ) 14 Apr, Ken (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Look online for The Seed Collection. Green Harvest and Eden Seeds. They all have it along with lots of other fascinating seeds.
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Tomato 13 Apr, Carmen cantone (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I live in wallan Victoria. I have my tomatoe seeds. Not sure what month I should put the seeds in the ground outside Can I put them in a polystyrene container first and cover them with a glass lid till their germinate. If so what month should I start this
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Tomato 14 Apr, Brian (Australia - temperate climate)
Carmen I'm a bit north/east of you. I wait till the last week of August usually and mine do well. Tomatoes are prone to damage by frost and severe cold. planting in August/September is best, You still may need to protect them with a cover (clear plastic is what I use) overnight until the last of the frosts.
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Tomato 14 Apr, Giovanni (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Despite the plants you see in the nurseries and shops from August, tomatoes will not do well until late October and into November. The sunny Spring days are enjoyable but the soil needs to warm up to about 15-17 degrees before tomatoes will do well. You could start seedlings off inside in late August using the cells of egg cartons or as you suggest, in a polystyrene container with a piece of glass over it. The edge cutouts on the container will provide ventilation. Ensure the seedlings don't 'cook' through the glass by covering with a piece of old net curtain or a leafy small branch on a bright day.
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Rosella (also Queensland Jam Plant, Roselle) 13 Apr, Gwendolyn T (USA - Zone 4b climate)
I've started my seeds in a pot..can you tell me about how long until they sprout
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Rosella (also Queensland Jam Plant, Roselle) 14 Apr, John (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
From my research Rosella takes 8-10 days to germinate and, as it is sub-tropical, needs warm soil.
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Ginger 12 Apr, kym (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I live in a frosty area but would like to grow ginger -and turmeric. I am able to position pots on my deck which receives a good amount of sun and am happy to arrange a clear plastic 'tee-pee' over the plants if this would be of any help. When would be the best time of year to plant ginger in pots? Your advice on this would be greatly appreciated
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Ginger 13 Apr, Ken (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I have grown ginger in the Latrobe Valley and we get quite a few frosts. I would wait until Spring to plant it when the weather has started to warm up. Use a good sized tub to reduce the chance of big temperature fluctuations in the growing medium. Buy a piece of ginger from a green grocer that has a number of buds on it and is nice and firm. Plant it just below the surface and wait for a couple of weeks for it to emerge. Ginger and Turmeric like plenty of manure and moisture but will not tolerate wet, soggy soil. Putting a plastic tent or cloche over it in the Spring would help. A piece of silver builders insulation paper fixed to a frame behind it would also help by radiating heat. All the best.
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Basil 12 Apr, jodie (Australia - temperate climate)
Can basil grow in autumn
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Basil 13 Apr, Jack (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Basil is frost tender and is normally grown as an annual. If you had it in a frost free spot or inside it would carry over Winter. This would give you a supply of basil over winter. Basil is easy to grow from seed and you could sow seed in late Winter inside ready for Spring planting outside.
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Florence Fennel (also Finocchio) 11 Apr, Wayne Grant (Australia - temperate climate)
I planted a fennel seed from a dried herb packet i bought from an organic store. What variety if fennel do they typically sell as a herb?
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Florence Fennel (also Finocchio) 13 Apr, Ken (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
It could be any variety of fennel and chances are it is imported. I suggest you keep growing it and if you like the end result save some seed for next seasons planting.
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Pumpkin 11 Apr, Merilyn Cook (Australia - temperate climate)
My pumpkins (like many others in this are) have only just flowered and have set a large crop of pumpkins that are only just the size of a golf ball although some are double that size. Should I persist and hope for a mature crop or bite the bullet and pull them all out?
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Pumpkin 11 Apr, Jack (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
There is not a lot of chance getting a crop of pumpkins now as Autumn is setting in. harvest all the small pumpkins that you can and treat them like zucchini's (they are in the same family) and start earlier next season. In a lot of areas we haven't had a lot of Summer to help development and ripening.
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Carrot 11 Apr, Rena Fraser (Australia - temperate climate)
when planting carrot what is apreplantig fertiliser
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Carrot 11 Apr, Ken (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Being a root vegetable, carrots don't need much nitrogen so if you are using chemical fertiliser use one with a low 'N' number in the N:P:K. If you are growing naturally plant them in an area that has been manured for a leaf crop and also grown a fruiting crop such as beans or tomatoes. This would give you a friable soil with reduced nitrogen.
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Tomato 10 Apr, Desmond thomas thomas Curnow (Australia - temperate climate)
Why as soon as you start to pick or before the plants get mottled leaves and die .getting few or no tomatoes
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Tomato 11 Apr, gaz (Australia - temperate climate)
You maybe need a bit of the insect repellent,or Derris dust but that will kill everything,the thing I cant remember is puperon or somthing,it is a good insecticide,but wait a day or 2 before eating any produce,,.
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Tomato 11 Apr, Jo (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
It sounds like you have a soil born virus disease. Soil hygiene through crop rotation is very important for tomatoes. Only plant tomatoes in the same spot after three years, If you are a smoker, use gloves as the viruses that affect tobacco also affect tomatoes. Selecting wilt resistant varieties will also help. destroy all affected plants or put them in the garbage bin.
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Carrot 10 Apr, Al Fry (Australia - temperate climate)
Some say cover carrot seed with old carpet etc to help germination. Is this correct.
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Carrot 11 Apr, Jonno (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
This is correct. Carrot seed is very fine and can dry out easily. This is critical when the new plants are germinating as a hot or windy day can dehydrate the emerging seedlings causing them to die. The carpet will keep the soil damp. People also use old sacks and sometimes boards. Check them each day and remove when the seedlings have emerged. If you also have trouble with ants sprinkle pepper along the row after you have sown the seedlings to keep them away.
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Beetroot (also Beets) 09 Apr, Stuart (Australia - temperate climate)
Beetroot and Turnip have plenty of green top but bottom all like string??
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Beetroot (also Beets) 10 Apr, Ken (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Sounds a bit like too much nitrogen in the soil. Nitrogen, from fresh manure, will give big tops and is ideal for lettuces and other leaf crops. Roots will be spindly as you mention. If this is the case you could use the small roots in a soup or salad and replant the spot with a leaf crop. plant turnips and beets after when some of the nitrogen has been used from the soil.
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Beetroot (also Beets) 05 Jul, Chris P (Australia - temperate climate)
If you do get a beetroot crop with plenty of foliage, keep in mind that the green leaves and red stems are edible too! The stems have a texture a bit like celery, and the leaves are very flavourful. Both leaves and stems are crunchy when fresh and hold a bit of crunch even when cooked. They will stay green and fresh for a week or more after being harvested if you leave them attached to the root. You can use beet greens in any dish where you'd use spinach or silverbeet, fresh or cooked.
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Onion 08 Apr, Sandra Millhouse (Australia - temperate climate)
Why are my brown onions growing up as spring onions?? I have even rung the company of the seeds and they sent me two new packets of seeds out. I planted some of them and they are still coming up as spring onions. Please help
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Onion 11 Apr, David (Australia - temperate climate)
Onions take 4, 5 ,6 months to form the onion bulb. You may be expecting them too soon. I plant early Barletta onions March\April and Australian Brown, or Creamgold June to Sept. They look like spring onions until they form the bulb.
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Onion 09 Apr, Giovanni (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
There are a number of reasons that could contribute to your problem with brown onions. 1. have you planted the right variety for the time of the year? Brown onion seed is normally sown in April or May. There a range of planting times for different types of onion. 2. Have you planted them too close? Onions will take some time before they 'bulb' out and may be still in the 'juvenile' stage. 3. Are they getting plenty of sun?. It is a difficult question to answer but as you have replanted seed it is not that. Trust this helps.
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Choko/Chayote (also Chayote squash, christophene, chouchou, mirliton) 07 Apr, Leonie Diran (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Is there any way you can grow them in cold atead
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Choko/Chayote (also Chayote squash, christophene, chouchou, mirliton) 08 Apr, Jack (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I see you are in a cool mountain climate and want to grow choko's. This challenge would be affected by how many frost-free months you have. I have seen them in Sydney 12 metres (40') up in a gum tree and have grown them in Bairnsdale on the South Coast of Victoria where they covered a shed. It's worth the challenge. Buy one or two choko's from a fruit shop and keep them inside on a bench until they start to sprout then plant the whole choko in a pot with the sprout base just under the soil. Keep them inside until all risks of frost are over. Select a spot in the garden that gets the maximum amount of sun for the day. Against a North or North-East facing wall or fence would be ideal. Dig a good sized hole and add horse or poultry manure in the bottom then cover that with soil. As the manure rots it will generate heat which will help get the choko growing and also provide fertiliser when the roots get down. Some aluminium foil or a piece of builders insulation fixed behind it will reflect heat and help as well. You will have to hope for a long hot summer to get chokos for harvest but it won't have cost you a lot if it doesn't work. Choko vines die back in the winter so you could give it a good blanket of hay or straw to protect the root from frost and hopefully a better season next year. All the best, let us know how you go.
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Horseradish 02 Apr, Beata (Australia - temperate climate)
Where I can buy horseradish plant? I leave south of Perth - Western Australia.
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Showing 4861 - 4890 of 13854 comments
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