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Showing 12271 - 12300 of 13855 comments
Tomato 09 Jan, Janet (Australia - temperate climate)
I've been growing my toms by the instructions in "Gardening Aust." mag. Not given them too much nitrogen (although the bushes are still quite big) and fed with sulphate of potash. Plenty of fruit just starting to ripen but the first ones I've tried are "hollow". What may be causing this? I've never had it before. Some of your comments indicate that I should be giving them more food, if so what? I'm in Perth.
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Zucchini (also Courgette/Marrow, Summer squash) 09 Jan, jack (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi Barb.. thanks for the information. very much appreciated.. when growing in Denman I had no problem,, plenty of bees I suppose,,, but here in Newcastle had no luck with zucchinis or apple cucumbers.. now I know what to do I might get luckier.. thanks again.
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Sweet corn (also corn,maize) 08 Jan, po (Australia - temperate climate)
Corn missing kernels: I believe this has to do with uneven pollination. Hand pollination could help. Corn stalk shade: My cats have discovered the best patch in the garden is under the corn stalks. Intercropping with corn: Second word on shade, last year i tried intercropping corn with beans, but it was a big flop for the beans: they grew but didn't produce any beans. The nitrogen along their roots may have helped the corn though as the corn grew brilliantly. This year i will experiment with another intercrop and space the corn more broadly--perhaps a leafy veg. Hot weather: Man, it's hot. Last year I harvested my corn after a spate of very hot weather and some of the kernels had started to shrivel. The taste was also clearly past prime compared to corn harvested just before the heat. Won't be doing that again.
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Zucchini (also Courgette/Marrow, Summer squash) 06 Jan, Barb (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hi Jack, The female flower has a little baby zucchini attached, while the male flower is just on a stalk and has a single stamen within the flower. I find it's best to use a little paint brush to gather the yellow pollen from the stamen in the male flower and gently deposit onto the stamen in the female flower. Keeping the plant well fertilised with seaweed and fish emulsion will also help the plant stay healthy enough to help the fruit to form properly.
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Yam/Oca (also Oka) 06 Jan, Laurie (Australia - temperate climate)
Like most kiwis I really miss my yams. Where can I get the plants?
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Watermelon 06 Jan, Kaye (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
My melons are only getting to the size of a walnut and then dying. What is the problem please?
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Tomato 06 Jan, Katrina (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Whilst crop rotation is important, it doesn't seem the whole answer. We have a raised bed, no dig garden, built on bedrock and layered last winter with manures, lucerne etc. So no prior soil, let alone where tomatoes had been. Despie using the preventative milk spray on first signs, wilt has taken out two plants already, which still had a light harvest, and is close to killing a third, though it's harvest continues well. More experienced gardeners (this is just my second year) have said it's inevitable in Sydney and just to hope for some harvest before the end of the plant. I'd appreciate any other tips. My Dad suggested a copper sulphate spray, but we garden organically.
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Beans - climbing (also Pole beans, Runner beans, Scarlet Runners) 05 Jan, Kate (Australia - temperate climate)
Scarlet runner beans will only set when it is cool.... any heat at all will make lots of beautiful flowers but no beans. They will set beans in early autumn but always insist on coming up and flowering too early. Next year try covering them with very thick mulch to keep the soil cool so they come up later.
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Beans - climbing (also Pole beans, Runner beans, Scarlet Runners) 23 Apr, Vivienne (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
The answer for pod set on scarlet runners is to use a fine mist of water on the flowers in the early morning or evening. This works a treat and you will end up with a glut.
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Sweet corn (also corn,maize) 05 Jan, Karlos (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I have exactly 18 healthy stalks in 2 rows in my garden, each stalk is growing 2-3 ears and has 2 offsiders growing from the root also with 1 ear each. The thing i'm curious about is there are quarter cob size amounts of kernals growning on the very top tip of my stalks.. I think my soil is over fertile...only started them from 10cm seedlings 6 1/2 weeks ago
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Tomato 05 Jan, alison (Australia - temperate climate)
Thanks Barb ... novices are always keen but boy I lack knowledge. I'm trying to companion plant and not use pesticides (except my garlic mix). Also heard that "solar sterilisation" will kill organisms - black plastic over bed before planting - weighed down and let the sun kill off the bugs. Oh well, there's always next year! Barb is there anything we can do now to save our tomatoes? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Cheers
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Beans - climbing (also Pole beans, Runner beans, Scarlet Runners) 04 Jan, Lean Lim (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Help! My scarlet runner beans are producing lots of flowers but no beans. Why are the beans not forming?
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Collards (also Collard greens, Borekale) 04 Jan, Annie (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Can one use silverbeet instead of collard greens? Or maybe spinach? Would it be too much different?
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Zucchini (also Courgette/Marrow, Summer squash) 04 Jan, jack (Australia - temperate climate)
also have problem of zucchini rotting from flower end.. i read cross polination is the answer.. which is male and female flowers??? or do i cross polinate all the flowers??
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Potato 04 Jan, Leanne (Australia - temperate climate)
Very happy with my first potato harvest. The plant just sprouted from our compost when it was mulched into the garden bed. One of the potato's already has an eye growing - I am going to replant this now and hope for the best.
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Cucumber 04 Jan, Matthew (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Barb, thanks for the advice. I am getting both female and male however I just seem to lose the cucumber before it is pollinated. I think there are a few about to go now.
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Cucumber 05 Mar, Lolly (Australia - arid climate)
I had that as no bees so I now hand pollinate and they always grow. Pick when 3 to 4 inch long with Lebanese.
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Potato 03 Jan, Chris (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Matthew, if you're in a cool/mountain region it's probably a bit late to start potatoes now. We started ours after the frosts stopped (Melbourne cup day, around here). You're best off buying seed potato from a garden shop to avoid problems with potato virus - when they start stocking them is generally the best time to plant them for your area. Seed potato is an ordinary potato grown under controlled conditions - you let it spout and plant it, or cut it in two and let those sprout to get two plants started. Potatoes are all grown as clones by sprouting from a potato tuber. If you try seed (from the berries), you will probably end up with something inedible as they are quite variable.
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Potato 03 Jan, Janet (Australia - temperate climate)
Thanks Chris. It's got very hot here and all the plants have died down so I've been "bandicooting"! around and had some good feeds so far. I now trying to decide whether to dig all up and store, or leave some in the ground for a while - any thoughts? Also, if leaving in do I continue to water?
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Leeks 02 Jan, Barb (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
All is not lost if your leek goes to flower - You can eat the flower stem, just cook it like asparagus. I've never tried eating the leek flowers, but spring onion flowers can be a yummy addition to salad - I just pick a few 'petals' when they have the nectar in them (sweet and oniony flavour) and add to salad or garnish.
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Potato 02 Jan, Barb (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Matthew, you are best to buy 'seed potato' from a nursery or an online seed provider - that way they are certified free of disease. These are potatoes with sprouts, and they usually come with instructions.
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Potato 03 Aug, Baz (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi does anyone know where I can but Kestrel seed potatoes from
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Sweet corn (also corn,maize) 02 Jan, Barb (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hey Warren, You can hill more soil/compost around your corn plants and those extra roots will help them feed better. Corn are heavy feeders and they respond well to getting extra layers of soil/compost on top.
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Okra (also Ladyfinger, gumbo) 02 Jan, Barb (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Thanks for the tips! I've been worried about our Okra growing soooo slowly. I'll keep nurturing them and we look forward to them taking off once they are well established :-)
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Tomato 02 Jan, Barb (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Tomatoes and others in the solanacae family (eggplant, capsicum, potato, etc) should be rotated to help avoid wilt diseases and also root knot nematodes - these build up in the soil. Sadly boiling would kill a lot of the good microbes - crop rotation seems the best approach of all. It could even be tomato russet mite that's causing the yellow dying leaves - they're microscopic (invisible to naked eye). Keeping the tomato plants growing well with healthy compost, regular feeding with organic fertiliser and plenty of water does seem to help.
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Yam/Oca (also Oka) 02 Jan, john studte (Australia - temperate climate)
Linda.Could you please contact me at [email protected] please.John
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Tomato 02 Jan, Annalisa (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I agree. I have put the tommies in new garden beds - maybe I should start checking Ph levels - never have before but always had success. But I guess more effort (and money for ph testing kit) just may pay off. Boiling water - sounds interesting! Thanks.
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Cucumber 02 Jan, Barb (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hi Matthew, Keep you cucumber plants well watered and well fed - hopefully they'll start fruiting again. Cuc's don't like drying out. They respond well to a complete organic liquid fertilizer like fish emulsion and/or good compost. They're very susceptible to powdery mildew so spraying with milk and/or chamomile tea helps. Are you getting female flowers or just male flowers?
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Potato 02 Jan, courtney (Australia - temperate climate)
Matthew, you can go to a nursery and buy potatoes that are called seed potatoes but they still look like potatoes, they are just a healthier version of what you get in the super market. they will grow a plant no matter which one you use just sprout them or use ones that already sprouted in your cupboard like the instructions above suggest.
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Tomato 01 Jan, Alison (Australia - temperate climate)
Annalisa, I'm doing some research on the wilt thing. One site said never plant tomatoes in soil that had previously had tommies grown. No-one down my way has had success this season with tomatoes. Perhaps there's credit in the boiling water prior to planting theory. Too bad this site isn't frequented more - I really like it but don't get too many answers.
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Showing 12271 - 12300 of 13855 comments
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