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Showing 5821 - 5850 of 20128 comments

Pumpkin 31 Jan, mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate): Don't cut unless limited by space.
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Pumpkin 31 Jan, James (Australia - cool/mountain climate): Yes they do mate
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Yacon (also Sunroot) 28 Jan, Chris Gee (Australia - sub-tropical climate): I have grow a Yacon as a test run and it went OK so I have 10 plants in now and they are about 1m high. When I harvest can I just plant the rhizomes straight away back into the ground or should I pot them first?
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Yacon (also Sunroot) 29 Jan, m (Australia - sub-tropical climate): Read the above (info on growing yacon for Sub-Tropical Australia) or google it.
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Okra (also Ladyfinger, gumbo) 27 Jan, Mrunal (Australia - temperate climate): I had grow okra seed directly to my back yard in the soil on Dec 2018 last week but there is no any germination find out so please guide me for further perusal
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Okra (also Ladyfinger, gumbo) 03 Dec, Mary (Australia - temperate climate): Okra takes 10-14 days to germinate so be patient.
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Okra (also Ladyfinger, gumbo) 29 Jan, Mike (Australia - temperate climate): You need warm weather without it being too hot. Read the above and maybe try again later this year.
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Chilli peppers (also Hot peppers) 27 Jan, Peter Krochmal (Australia - sub-tropical climate): try PEPPER JOE'S in the USA, specialised in super hot chilies. Mails seeds to Australia, with a good germination rate.
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Sweet corn (also corn,maize) 27 Jan, Michael (Australia - sub-tropical climate): Advice needed: *what species of corn to grow in subtropics (Northern NSW, Australia). *what desities (2, 3, 4 rows, how far apart)? Thanks all.
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Sweet corn (also corn,maize) 29 Jan, Mike (Australia - temperate climate): Plant 20cm apart rows 60-70cm apart. 15-20 seeds in 2-3 rows Try Boondie seeds on the internet – variety “bicolour” nice and sweet.
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Sweet corn (also corn,maize) 06 Feb, Michael (Australia - sub-tropical climate): Thanks everyone for the advise. WIll check out Boondie seeds! Also found Greenpatch seeds around the corner from them too. Looks promising.
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Sweet corn (also corn,maize) 29 Jan, Mike (Australia - temperate climate): Better to plant 2-3-4 rows to have better pollination.
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Sweet corn (also corn,maize) 31 Jan, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate): Google about growing it in WA
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Eggplant (also Aubergine) 26 Jan, Christine Cain (Australia - sub-tropical climate): Hello, my egg plant plants are very healthy, lots of flowers, however the flowers die before the fruit develops. What causes that to happen? Thanks for your advice.
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Eggplant (also Aubergine) 28 Jan, peter cranston (Australia - temperate climate): lack of pollination. Egg plants self, but at some times (weather ?) need some help. Take an cotton bud, gather pollen (yellow) and apply to stigma (single central erect part). Watch any utube on search 'pollinate egg plants'.
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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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