All recent comments/discussion

Display Newest first | Oldest first, Show comments for USA | for all countries
Showing 9061 - 9090 of 20174 comments
Cape Gooseberry (also Golden Berry, Inca Berry ) 23 Mar, Jonno (Australia - temperate climate)
Cape gooseberries are normally treated as an annual. The cooler nights and mornings are probably contibuting to its sad appearance. It may still survive in a sheltered spot. Another alternative would be to buy some seed and germinaate them inside. Grow them on in individual pots ready for planting out in spring. That would get them established for a good season ahead.
Reply
Broccoli 21 Mar, Ramandeep (Canada - Zone 3a Temperate Short Summer climate)
Hi , I live in Toronto, is a broccoli farming possible in Ontario
Reply
Broccoli 22 Mar, John (Australia - temperate climate)
According to my research Broccoli, Cauliflower and Cabbage can be planted in late April in Toronto. Seeds could be sown indoors now for transplanting when they are ready.
Reply
Snow Peas (also Sugar Peas, Mangetout, Chinese Peas) 21 Mar, Deborah Ford (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Although we have had a lot of hot days this summer in South West Victoria, my sugar peas have just started producing beautifully and will make a nice quickly steamed vege with our Salmon tonight. I have watered them most days since they started showing shoots.
Reply
Pumpkin 20 Mar, Barbara Sharp (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
Hi, there are pumpkins in garden with big flowers, about 7 crab apple size fruit on each of 5 trailing stems. In Dunedin, what care do they need to produce good fruit.. ie reducing amount of stems, reducing fruit on stems, mulching etc. Have lots of healthy green leaves, have kept them watered and off the ground on boards. Thanks for any advice you can offer. Last year possums got to my only beautiful pumpkin just as it was ready to harvest, so need to cover them this year!! Thanks Barbara
Reply
Pumpkin 21 Mar, Jonno (Australia - temperate climate)
You are listed as sub-tropical but also mention Dunedin. If you live in Dunedin it may be too late for the pumpkins to ripen before winter sets in. Pumpkins need about 4-5 months of good growing weather to do really well. The best way to grow pumpkins in areas where the seasons are shorter is to plant them in toilet paper cylinders filled with mix about 3 weeks before the last frost is expected. Stand the cylinders in a container (for watering) and keep them in a sunny spot inside. As soon as the soil is warm enough, about mid November in Dunedin I would think you could plant them out (cylinder included, it will rot. Removing the growing tips when a few pumpkins have formed will definitely help the pumpkins to grow a good size. If the pumpkins don't develop enough this year grate them and use them instead of zucchini in cakes or savoury slice or muffins. Trust this helps.
Reply
Tomato 19 Mar, Kaycee (Australia - temperate climate)
I live in a temperate climate and have an area to container plant ( wicking beds) that is reasonably protected. Is it possible to raise tomato seedlings in wicking beds now, and later transplant them into a green house that is not ready yet? Thank you for taking the time to let me know.
Reply
Tomato 19 Mar, Jo (Australia - temperate climate)
Raised beds such as wicking beds will still be warm so if the seeds germinate you could rise them and then transplant them to the greenhouse. The window for germinating tomatoes outside is nearly closed so I suggest you put the seeds in small pots and sink them up to the neck in the beds so you can move them up and re-pot them with minimal disturbance ready for the greenhouse.
Reply
Rockmelon (also Canteloupe) 19 Mar, Ron (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi i am growing rock melons at work and have not had the experience of knowing when to pick them several friut are changing slightly to a lite shade of beige with slight yellow parts on the top side the stems are still green and no give where the stork joins the melon many thanks for any advice
Reply
Rockmelon (also Canteloupe) 15 Oct, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I live near Bundaberg in Qld. They use to grow a lot of rockies here years ago. They would start picking late Oct so probably planted seedlings in August (no frosts here). I worked on a farm during the picking season one year (late 1980's). When to pick the melons - they would start to turn from green to yellow and the melon would come away from the stalk/vine easily. They would fall off with a gentle tug. They seem to pick them a few days too early these days - they are green on the outside color and very firm flesh to eat. A melon ripened properly, will be softish and have a good melon smell.
Reply
Rockmelon (also Canteloupe) 21 Mar, Joanna (Australia - temperate climate)
They are ready to pick when the stem attaching them to the vine starts to die off. They sweeten further if you keep them at room temperature for a few days after pic,inf.
Reply
Rockmelon (also Canteloupe) 19 Mar, Ken (Australia - temperate climate)
When rock melons are ripe you will see a small crack start to appear where the stalk joins the fruit. The stalk will come away easily from the fruit when you gently attempt to pick it.
Reply
Tomato 19 Mar, (Australia - temperate climate)
Tomatoes in Gippsland Vic. I had a bad crop of Tomatoes this year. The tomatoes ripened with a yellow blotchy appearance. What would be causing this?
Reply
Tomato 20 Mar, Jack (Australia - temperate climate)
Sorry to hear about your bad run with tomatoes. I also live in Gippsland (Vic) and had the same problem with some of my tomato varieties last year but not others. I understand it is called Tomato (or Tobacco) Mosaic Virus. It is soil-borne and can also be transmitted by smokers when handling plants. I would look for virus-resistant varieties for next season and don't plant tomatoes, potatoes or capsicums in that spot for 3 seasons. We planted 'Tommy Toe' this year and have had an abundance of fruit with no disease. TT is a golf-ball sized tomato that bears heavily and has a great flavour.
Reply
Tomato 27 Mar, Meredith (Australia - temperate climate)
Thank you for this information. I fear I have spread it without knowing although I am not a smoker. What is the best way to discard the diseased plants now. I have been composting and I guess this helps to spread the virus. Meredith
Reply
Okra (also Ladyfinger, gumbo) 19 Mar, (Australia - temperate climate)
First time growing okra. plants about 15 cm tall but seem spindly.New leaves and growing.Do they need staking?Howhigh do they grow?
Reply
Okra (also Ladyfinger, gumbo) 20 Mar, mick cunningham (Australia - arid climate)
I grow them in Newcastle and they grew spindley I didn't realise until I grew them here in Tamworth it must have been lack of sunshine as here shorter more dense and prolific fruit. Possibly sunshine is issue
Reply
Okra (also Ladyfinger, gumbo) 20 Mar, Jack (Australia - temperate climate)
I have had Okra plants 2 metres high. They were in a block and were unstaked
Reply
Okra (also Ladyfinger, gumbo) 19 Mar, John (Australia - temperate climate)
Okra needs a long hot season to perform at its best. I planted it one time in January and there just wasn't enough season left. The plants were flowering and I did get a few but the main crop didn't grow and ripen because the weather had cooled down. try planting the seed in small pots earlier so that they can be planted out in late October or early November to achieve a long growing season. In the southern states the soil temperature often doesn't reach 15-17 degrees till about then.
Reply
Pumpkin 19 Mar, Pieter Mentoor (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
Like to know when can i plant giant pumpkin in the western cape
Reply
Pumpkin 20 Mar, Jack (Australia - temperate climate)
Pumpkins will grow in almost any areas as long as you have at least 5 months of good weather. They can be planted after the last frost (if you get frosts) and don't like being transplanted so plant them in small pots or toilet paper cylinders in early spring in a warm spot or inside to get a head start. If you use cardboard cylinders you can plant them in the ground and let the cylinder rot.
Reply
Asparagus 19 Mar, Tony Bartlett (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
Can I grow asparagus down in the cape, near Hermanus. Also where down in that area can I purchase crowns. many thanks
Reply
Asparagus 20 Mar, Ken (Australia - temperate climate)
Asparagus is a very hardy plant and you should have no difficulty growing it. Try googling 'Asparagus crowns in South Africa" and you will find a number of suppliers. Asparagus crowns are often available from nurseries, garden centres, hardware stores and online during the winter.
Reply
Rocket (also Arugula/Rucola) 19 Mar, Mike (Australia - temperate climate)
A company called Seed Collection sells a lot of seeds. $1 a packet generally. Any thing from 20 to 400 seeds. $2 postage - free if buying $20 or more. The rocket at the moment is germinating in 72 hrs. Snow peas in 72 hrs.
Reply
Beetroot (also Beets) 19 Mar, Michael Tierney (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
My neighbours and I are having trouble growing beetroot with the same results. We both have tried seedlings and seed but same result. The beetroot grows very nice and bushy but the bulb does not want to grow to more than a large marble. Could you give us a tip to what we are doing wrong.
Reply
Beetroot (also Beets) 20 Mar, John (Australia - temperate climate)
Sounds a bit like an oversupply of Nitrogen as this will result in large tops and small roots. Beetroot is probably best planted following a fruit crop such as beans, tomatoes or zucchinis. Ideally they would have followed a leaf crop such as cabbage, lettuce or silver beet. This succession reduces the amount of nitrogen in the soil and allows the roots to grow bigger with less top. As a consolation beetroot and silver beet are botanically the same plant so go ahead and eat the leaves! It is best to manure or compost your soil then follow with a leaf crop followed by a fruit crop then a root crop.
Reply
Beetroot (also Beets) 22 Mar, Mike (Australia - temperate climate)
I fallow my ground during the summer. Add residue of plants and grass clippings to the soil during the summer. Turn it over 3 times (a month apart) add a bit lime and fertilizer and plant up in March (now). You need good rich soil through the top few inches as beetroot don't have long roots. I don't add anymore fertilizer while growing. Produce beet from golf ball to small rock melon size. I'm working on it but I think the important thing is to have an evenness of rich soil so that beet grow the same roughly. As stated too much nitrogen - all leaf and little beet.
Reply
Sweet Potato (also Kumara) 19 Mar, Sandy Greer (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Thanks for that, but I also remember some Maori potatoes being very similar also to the look of this type I ate..my ex use to grow a lot of heirloom veges and it looked similar to what hr grew back then... Might buy 1 again and grow it to see how it grows...as a vine or an up right plant.
Reply
Strawberry Plants 18 Mar, Di (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi I grew some strawberries in styrofoam boxes late year. Can't remember the name but they were small and delicious. Unfortunately, they did not send out runners and eventually died off. Do some do this or have I done something wrong. I have just bought a couple of punnets from Bunnings and they already have runners. How do I propegate if no runners set? Thanks Di
Reply
Strawberry Plants 26 Apr, Mardi (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi Di, I think the Strawberries you had are called Alpine Strawberries they do not have runners and are very sweet. I have just sown some seeds (Yates) which I bought on the internet but pretty sure Bunnings have them. I just have to hope they will germinate.
Reply
Showing 9061 - 9090 of 20174 comments
Gardenate App

Put GardenGrow in your pocket. Get our app for iPhone, iPad or Android to add your own plants and record your plantings and harvests

Planting Reminders

Join 60,000+ gardeners who already use GardenGrow and subscribe to the free GardenGrow planting reminders email newsletter.


Home | Vegetables and herbs to plant | Climate zones | About GardenGrow | Contact us | Privacy Policy

This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. GardenGrow is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.
We cannot help if you are overrun by giant slugs.