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Showing 5881 - 5910 of 20174 comments

Cabbage 25 Jan, Micahael (South Africa - Semi-arid climate): Good day. I have planted cabbage last year in January 2018. Instead of the veg growing into a big bulb (ball like shape) on the ground, it grew upright on a stock. Looking on pictures i can see that it is supposed to grow like a big ball on the ground and not vertically up. What is the reason for that or did does it has to do with the type of seed i bought from the store, as there a different name on the seed packages. Thanks
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Cabbage 30 Apr, Eric Jones (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate): You've probably got them in loose soil. The plants need firm soil. After planting the seedlings, firm the soil around them with your feet.
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Sweet corn (also corn,maize) 24 Jan, Noel (Australia - temperate climate): I live in Perth wa what is the best time to grow sweet corn anfor what period can you grow for
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Sweet corn (also corn,maize) 31 Jan, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate): Perth: This impressive crop does take up a bit of room but it's well worth it; the sweetness of fresh picked home-grown sweet corn is hard to beat. Plant from September through to January. Preparing the site Choose a sunny site that’s protected from strong winds. Sweet corn is a hungry crop so it’s important to enrich your soil before planting. Add a plenty of aged manure and a handful of blood & bone per square metre and fork it in well. Sweet corn will do well in a bed that’s previously grown healthy peas or beans. In the right conditions, each plant will usually produce 2 ears of corn. Planting Plant seedlings or seeds (ensure seeds are fresh). Space 30cm apart and plant in blocks rather than a single long row. Planting in blocks assists pollination which is essential for the development of kernels. Plant early and late varieties in separate blocks for a longer season. Water seeds well after planting then sparingly until germination occurs as the seeds can rot easily. When the stalks are about 20cm high, mound the soil up against the stalks. This process, called hilling, encourages more roots to grow which will help stabilise the plant during windy conditions. You can also achieve the same result by planting the seeds in a furrow and backfilling as the plants grow. Watering and fertilising Once the plants are well underway it’s important to ensure an adequate moisture level, especially since the plants will be at their peak of fruit production over the hot months. Drip irrigate if possible and mulch well to retain moisture. As soon as the tassel appears at the top of the plant, give the soil a boost with a granular fertiliser that’s high in nitrogen. Insufficient pollination results in ears of corn with lots of missing kernels. Planting sweet corn in one long single row can result in most of the pollen being blown away, which is why gardeners plant corn in blocks instead.Can be hand pollinated by cutting off a pollen-laden tassel each day and gently brushing over the silks . Sweet corn is ready to pick 2-3 weeks after pollination and it's important to keep up the water during this time.
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Sweet corn (also corn,maize) 25 Jan, Amanda (Australia - temperate climate): I’m not from WA but this lady has blogged about her experiments with different vegetables in Perth, including corn. I can’t post the link because of the spam filter, but search for “belle’s veggie garden WA now and then” and click on the veggie link. Basically she only really had success in December.
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Sweet corn (also corn,maize) 24 Jan, Mike (Australia - temperate climate): All year probably - summer may require a lot of watering though.
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Chilli peppers (also Hot peppers) 24 Jan, Scott (Australia - sub-tropical climate): Hi, I have chilli plants and capsicum plants all around the house. (As well as tomatoes, basil ,herbs etc) All of the shoots and new flowers on 95% of the plants are eaten to the stem. There is no sign of any pests?
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Asparagus 23 Jan, Ricardo Torres (USA - Zone 9b climate): I planted asparagus three mths ago. My zone is between 9 & 10. The weather has been pretty windy and cold. I water well so cold won't dry the plant. But when will i see asparagus start growing?
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Silverbeet (also Swiss Chard or Mangold) 23 Jan, Michael (Australia - temperate climate): Hi All, Just wondering, i have had silverbeet growing in a raised garden bed for about 5 months, but it doesn't seem to grow taller than 5 inches and a few small leaves at a time. Hardly enough to eat. It gets sun most of the day, watered daily and seasol every few weeks. Any advice on how to make it grow better would be great. Thanks Michael
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Silverbeet (also Swiss Chard or Mangold) 24 Jan, Mike (Australia - temperate climate): Seasol has virtually no NPK in it. Sounds like your soil is very poor. My tip - reap it out. Start preparing your garden bed for planting in March. Put compost manure even grass clippings in the soil now. Water it and turn it over each week. If it doesn't rain keep watering it 1-2 times a week. When you have good crumble soil you can plant. Or go and buy some fertiliser. I would plant March to about June. Grow it in the winter.
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Pumpkin 22 Jan, Sal (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate): I have 3 healthy pumpkins growing on the vine but the new baby ones are going yellow and dying. What causes this?
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Pumpkin 22 Jan, Liz (New Zealand - temperate climate): They are going yellow and dying because they have not been pollinated. Try using a soft small paint brush, or something similar, to transfer some pollen from a 'male' flower (one without a tiny pumpkin behind it) to a 'female' flower - one with a tiny pumkin behind it.
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Pumpkin 23 Jan, Sal (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate): Thanks for that, I assumed that if a pumpkin formed it must have been pollinated.
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Pumpkin 28 Feb, Mike (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate): The female flowers are only open for 1 day and usually closed by lunch. Have to be on the ball to pollinate them.
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Pumpkin 22 Jan, Mike (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate): Or break off a male flower and peel back the flower part, then rub the female flower with the male part. Make sure the male has pollen on it by testing with your finger. Even do this with 2-3 male flowers.
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Ginger 21 Jan, Carl (South Africa - Dry summer sub-tropical climate): Hi Rudolph The Ginger root may have been imported and that means the roots have been irradiated to kill off soil pathogens. Although edible the root will not grow ever. If you do buy root from a shop - try Woolies, they mark it when locally produced. Alternative is to look for a root with clear signs that it is starting to grow nodes (greenish horn like on the sides of the rhizome). If you cannot get any this way, go to Livingseeds and buy good quality when they do stock them - availability based on the season.
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Pumpkin 19 Jan, jamie (Australia - sub-tropical climate): hi guys i havetried growing butternut and have had white mildew distroy everything any tips on preventing this in such a humid climate? thanks
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Pumpkin 21 Jan, Mike Logan (Australia - sub-tropical climate): Grow in a different area next time.
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Pumpkin 21 Jan, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate): Google it - organic or in-organic.
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Pumpkin 23 Jan, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate): Organic or inorganic spray that is.
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Choko/Chayote (also Chayote squash, christophene, chouchou, mirliton) 19 Jan, Gordon (Australia - tropical climate): Can you grow chokos in cairns
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Choko/Chayote (also Chayote squash, christophene, chouchou, mirliton) 22 Jan, Mike Logan (Australia - sub-tropical climate): Go to the choko page and find out.
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Beans - climbing (also Pole beans, Runner beans, Scarlet Runners) 18 Jan, Alison (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate): I have grown mangere pole beans regularly for the past few years but this year's don't taste nice at all - a very strong soapy flavour. I haven't tried cooking any yet - we've just tried them raw. Has anyone had a similar experience? Thank you.
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Celery 16 Jan, Tonimarie Heron (New Zealand - temperate climate): Hi. I would be really grateful if yo had any advice on to grow celery all year round. It sells all year in the super market, so I'm assuming it is possible? Many thanks, Toni.
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Celery 18 Mar, perry (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate): I have had success growing celery in the shade this summer north of Auckland. I think I planted in November where the plants needed to grow tall to reach the light.
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Celery 22 Jan, Mike (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate): Supermarkets buy from different climates etc.
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Celery 21 Jan, Mike (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate): No you can't.
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Capsicum (also Bell peppers, Sweet peppers) 16 Jan, Shirley (New Zealand - temperate climate): I have two very healthy looking plants but they only have one large capsicum on each plant even though there were more flowers...should I have picked the fruit when small to encourage more to grow? They were planted in fresh tub mix.
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Capsicum (also Bell peppers, Sweet peppers) 17 Jan, Mike Logan (New Zealand - temperate climate): Look up website biobees about pollination of capsicums. No don't pick fruit off.
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Shallots (also Eschalots) 15 Jan, Yvonne (South Africa - Dry summer sub-tropical climate): Where can I get shallot seeds and what does it cost.
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Showing 5881 - 5910 of 20174 comments

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