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Showing 9331 - 9360 of 20174 comments
Rhubarb 11 Feb, Bernadette (Australia - temperate climate)
Can any parts of rhururb plants be given to worms to make into compost or just brake down into the soil. Thank you
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Rhubarb 13 Feb, John (Australia - temperate climate)
Rhubarb leaves contain oxalic acid which is toxic to mammals including humans in large amounts. My poultry have been eating the leaves for years and it hasn't affected them. I have added rhubarb leaves to my garden for a long time and the soil is alive with worms. My philosophy is 'if it once lived and can rot, it's okay. I would tear or cut up the leaves before adding them as it may make a barrier hindering up and down movement of the worms if you just put them in in a layer. Trust this helps.
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Asparagus 11 Feb, Alex (Australia - temperate climate)
I have just bought a house in southeastern SA and it has a large raised asparagus bed. The ferns are over a metre tall and mostly still green, do I cut them back to ground level when they yellow or just leave them till they fall naturally, also, should I water them or not? I believe the asparagus is about 5 years old.
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Asparagus 13 Feb, John (Australia - temperate climate)
Do not cut the ferns back until they start to turn yellow. They are building up the crowns for next seasons crop. Add compost or wel rotted manure in late autumn or winter will also boost your yield.
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Cape Gooseberry (also Golden Berry, Inca Berry ) 10 Feb, Greg (Canada - Zone 7b Mild Temperate climate)
Feb.10, 2017 It would be much appreciated if someone could advise where to purchase seedlings. Thank you, Greg
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Cape Gooseberry (also Golden Berry, Inca Berry ) 14 Feb, Greg (Canada - Zone 7b Mild Temperate climate)
Hello John from Australia, Thank you kindly for letting me know that Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds in the United States lists seeds foe Golden Berries. I will try to make an order right away. Lets hope they have the seeds and they could mail them to Canada. Unfortunately, many other internet based suppliers (of various items) do not ship to Canada (and this is not something new), they do this because they experience some kind of "red tape" formalities. Thank you John
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Cape Gooseberry (also Golden Berry, Inca Berry ) 12 Feb, John (Australia - temperate climate)
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds in the United States lists them. They are very easy to grow from seed, and much cheaper than plants. All the best.
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Coriander (also Cilantro, Chinese parsley) 10 Feb, Pat Mackay (Australia - temperate climate)
I have read that this Confetti Coriander will last longer that the ordinary coriander before running to seed. Has anybody in the temperate area experienced this. Thank you. Pat
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Coriander (also Cilantro, Chinese parsley) 12 Dec, David Pritchard (Australia - temperate climate)
I grew it once in Sydney. Planted August 2018. Easy grow. Taste was just ok, but not as nice as common coriander. Not sure if it will bolt as readily as common coriander, but probably correct - at least mine didn't bolt before I finished eating it in early November.
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Coriander (also Cilantro, Chinese parsley) 13 Feb, John (Australia - temperate climate)
Cilantro is, strictly speaking, the name for the leaves and Coriander is the name for the seeds. Just a little bit of trivia for you.
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Coriander (also Cilantro, Chinese parsley) 10 Feb, John (Australia - temperate climate)
You are right. Confetti Coriander can be harvested earlier and is slower to run to seed.
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Asparagus 10 Feb, Lisa (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi, This is my third asparagus year. My asparagus is growing in high raised garden beds. I have the most amazingly tall healthy ferns - they are so tall and prolific you can hardly get past them to the other raised beds. There aren't that many spears though. Will they come? Or am I destined to have a jungle of ferns? Does this happen? I did not pick many spears again this year, I left most to turn into my jungle.
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Asparagus 10 Feb, John (Australia - temperate climate)
The 'fern' begins as the edible spear as it emerges from the ground. It is too late to harvest spears this year. Cut the 'ferns' off when they begin to yellow. The spears will emerge in the spring. They sre like 'buds' for the ferns. Cut them off with a knife below ground level. Clear a bit of soil so you don't damage any new tips still under the ground. Enjoy! Trust this helps.
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Capsicum (also Bell peppers, Sweet peppers) 09 Feb, Tony Mnisi (South Africa - Humid sub-tropical climate)
I'm based in Pretoria. I want to know as to where can I buy bell peppers in my area?
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Capsicum (also Bell peppers, Sweet peppers) 09 Feb, John (Australia - temperate climate)
Capsicum or Bell Pepper seed should be easy to get at Nurseries and Garden Centres in Pretoria. If not there are 2 or 3 Online (Internet) Seed Companies in South Africa. Trust this helps.
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Radish 09 Feb, Danny (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
My radishes grow all top but no bulb. Any ideas.
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Radish 10 Feb, Julie (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
Hey Danny, me too! I thought I hadn't planted the seeds deep enough or firmed down the soil hard enough after planting seeds? Will be giving these a go next lot as mine are also growing more above ground than below.... hope these ideas help!
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Radish 09 Feb, John (Australia - temperate climate)
The most common cause of lots of leaves and small roots in radishes is an excess of manure which has a lot of nitrogen in it. Nitrogen is what causes leaf growth and is ideal for lettuces, spinach, etc. If you have used a lot of manure plant a leaf crop to use up some of the nitrogen then plant your radishes.All the best.
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Sweet Potato (also Kumara) 09 Feb, eric pearson (Australia - temperate climate)
Do you cut the end of runners off
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Sweet Potato (also Kumara) 09 Feb, John (Australia - temperate climate)
You certainly can cut the runners back. Kumera/sweet potato is a member of the same family as the blue flowered Morning Glory vine and needs containing to stop it spreading. Do not cut it back too hard as the leaves are also feeding the plant. the runners will form more sweet potatoes where they are in contact with the ground and can form roots. You could also put a stake in when you plant them next time and tie all of the growth to the stake then at the end of the season cut the growth off, let it dry and use it for mulch or compost. Trust this helps.
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Sweet Potato (also Kumara) 16 Feb, Africanaussie (Australia - tropical climate)
You can eat the tender shoots like spinach!
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Watermelon 08 Feb, Hermann Jacques Keyser (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
I planted seeds about September 2016, and we live in Mpumalanga , Witbank. The first melons are forming, we have had good rain fall this year, I am just starting out farming, and am proud to say to see that all my crops of all types of vegetables have bared fruit and vegetables in such a short time. I am planning to do a larger quantity and the water outside our place never dries up, what do I do to improve my crops. I hope that my request will get help with regards to the water issue, water lies daily on the surface, we are not sure if there is a bore hole. Thank you Hermann Jacques Keyser.
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Watermelon 09 Feb, John (Australia - temperate climate)
It is great to see your enthusiasm for growing food. The four needs of all living things are Sunshine, Food, Water and Care. Sunshine is free so we need to provide the other three. Adding old manure in the Autumn, providing consistent water and mulching in the summer to conserve water and help control weeds will all help produce good crops. The other things are - planting the right variety for the time of the year and removing weeds which use the food and water in the soil. If you look up the Dept of Agriculture or Primary Industries in the internet they will have people or Information Sheets thet will help. All the best with your plans.
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Amaranth (also Love-lies-bleeding) 07 Feb, Derek Wright (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
Anywhere in SA that I can buy Amaranthus seeds, red and green
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Amaranth (also Love-lies-bleeding) 08 Feb, John (Australia - temperate climate)
I would check the internet. there are a lot of seed companies that have alternative, heritage and less common seeds. You may also get them from a community garden or permaculture group. One seed supplier in SA is www.organicseeds.co.za but there a a number of other suppliers listing them on the internet. Trust this helps.
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Sweet corn (also corn,maize) 07 Feb, flo (Australia - temperate climate)
Usually crop rotation is done so diseases don't build up in the beds, and also because each type of crop takes different nutrients from the soil. Growing the same crop in the same spot all the time would deplete the soil. Legumes fix nitrogen in the soil, so growing leafy greens to follow would have them benefitting from the nitrogen. Hope this helps...
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Horseradish 06 Feb, Sue (Australia - temperate climate)
Is it best grown in full sun or shade
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Horseradish 08 Feb, John (Australia - temperate climate)
Horseradish will grow in full sun or part shade. It is a very hrdy plant and will spread rapidly in good conditions. To contain it you can plant it in a large planter pot and sink the pot into the ground. Horseradish loves damp conditions and in this situation will produce the best roots but will still do well with less water. Trust this helps
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Carrot 06 Feb, mark (New Zealand - temperate climate)
tried to grow carrots for 2 seasons now i doen take off. carrots only size of my small finger as the biggest of the crop.how can i fix it?
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Carrot 07 Feb, John (Australia - temperate climate)
There are a number of reasons why your carrots are small. Carrots like deep friable (loose and fine) soil so if it is only shallow try and dig it deeper and break it up. They also do not like too much nitrogen in the soil. If you have a lot of fresh manure they will grow big tops and small carrots. If your soil is shallow and has clay close to the surface plant the round varieties and eat them when they are golf ball size. Maybe they are not getting enough water. I suggest you think about all these things and also make sure to plant the right variety for the time of year. I'm sorry I can't help you more but trust these suggestions help. All the best for your next crop!
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Showing 9331 - 9360 of 20174 comments
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