gardening come spring

QuestionHi there, I am planning on replacing a little bit of my lawn on my south/westish property with some vegetables/herbs come spring. Right now its all grass. Is there anything I should be doing before th

best veggies to grow for canning in Hawaii

QuestionI am starting a garden in Hawaii in an area that gets lots of rain, on and off. I would like to stock up on food and would like your advice on the best, fastest vegetables to grow that can be canned and the

Habaneros - Overwintering

QuestionI live in South Carolina and I got a habanero plant in September. I had it in a big pot outside. I have picked all the peppers from the plant and i did bring it in a few days when it was cold out

raised vegetable plot

QuestionI want to build a raised vegetable plot on an existing concrete base. What depth of earth do you think i need and do you have any other advice regarding this project? Very many thanks. AnswerDear Davi

veg. garden used as a cat box

QuestionI have two raised boxes for small vegetables. The cats in the neighborhood love the soft soil and regularly use it as a toilet. I have not found any: are there commercial products that will keep

Green tomatoes in November

QuestionI have a tomato patch where the plants are still green, healthy and quite robust with a number of large tomatoes that are green. The location is in California between San Francisco and San Jose which h

CA seed catalog

QuestionHi Mike, Im a bit overwhelmed by the options of seed catalogs. I dont see in your profile where youre located, but would you have recommendations for catalogs most appropriate to Southern California? &

AVOCADO STARTED FROM A PIT

QuestionHI I took a rather large sized avocado from a tree grown in my friends yard in 2004 and started a plant with it. I was there helping him after he was diagnosed terminally ill with an aggressive form of lung

Planting and harvesting garlick

QuestionI am from West Australia.When should garlick be planted ,how far apart and what month is best for harvesting AnswerDear George, I am going to answer you in terms of seasons, since our months line up with re

Habanero plant vs winter

QuestionI live in San Antonio, Texas I have a habenero pepper plant in a pot that had 1 fruit when I received it as a gift and throughout the last 2 months Id get 1 blossom and it would drop. We just had weather in

tomato plant and colder weather

QuestionWe live in east Texas pineywoods. We have a 6 plus tomato plant in a large container. It is doing quite well. It now has 10 tomatoes on it, in various stages of development. BUT the w

Brown spots on the Boonie plant

QuestionI have two Boonies Pepper plants and both are getting brown spots. They are getting new growth on the tops of both plants. Please let me know if it is something serious and what I can do to help my pla

prepping area for gardening

QuestionI would like to try planting a garden next year and was wondering what the best time to start cultivating the ground? What are the easiest vegetables to plant and maintain for first time gardeners? Wha

Leaves Curling

Question Curl leaves My tomatoes grow very good, but all the sudden the new leaves start to curl up when they get out. Now all our other veggies in the garden is doing the same. Can you please help me?

Topsoil depth

Question Lower level of new gar I am in the process of building a fairly large (450 SF) garden in three tiers enclosed by a block wall. To insure drainage I am putting 4 inches of foundation rock covered by filter f

Onion plant /

QuestionWhat type of container should an onion plant be put in? AnswerOnion plants can be put in most any type of pot. Suggest that it be at least 8 inches in diameter and about 10 inches deep. Use a good pot

Starting plants from seeds

QuestionHi Mike, I have tried for the past two years to grow vegatable plants from seeds with no success. I follow all the instructions from the seed producers, buy good quality seed starting soil, water as instruct

Hybrid Seed

QuestionCould you please explain the difference between hybrid and heirloom tomato seeds. I grew both last year and saved seeds from them in hopes of starting my garden from last years seeds, but have been tol

Growing vegetables from Seeds in Rwanda

QuestionI live in Rwanda; however, during a recent holiday, I purchased tomato, carrot, pumpkin, broccoli, green pepper and watermelon seeds from Amsterdam, Holland. We planted the seeds in during the rainy se

Tomatoes; Propagation from Suckers

Questioncan you start another tomato plant from the sucker branches from a hardy tomato plant AnswerSuckers from any plant are an ideal method of propagation. Simply remove the sucker below the soil level, making s