I love these kinds of questions:
"I was unable to attend to my garden for a few weeks and some of my chard, salad greens and cilantro plants shot up and are close to flowering. I've never collected seeds before, but I'll try. What do I do with the plants afterwards? Keep or remove them? Thanks, Nazie"
Nazie, thanks for writing in. Before we talk about what to do with the plants, let's start with a few seed saving tips. ...
A question came in this week to Ask Gardenerd that I have been asking myself for awhile, but never felt compelled to research the answer. Now I have no excuse:
"Hello! The leaves of many of my herbs have white speckles on them lately. (It almost looks like they're variegated). It's definitely not on the leaves, but more so 'in' the leaves and is appearing on many of the varieties, such as thyme, basil, and cilantro. Any ...
A question came into Ask Gardenerd this week:
"Hi!, In my garden my cabbage is being infested with these white bugs that look like they fly....I have taken out a couple of my plants that look destroyed but still have more in the ground, also my Brussels sprouts have them too! I have used spinosad organic killer and I am concerned it will get on my other crops.....what do you recommend?? Thank You!!! Jill"
You're not alone Jill. Many people ...
The mailbox of Ask Gardenerd has been receiving some great questions this week. Here's another about the difference between moss and moss:
"A question about moss... What is the difference between peat moss, sphagnum moss, and the green moss that grows around the ground? Going into the 3rd year with my raised bed, and it has many patches of green moss. Is this detrimental to the plants? Should it be removed or turned back under into the ...
A fun question came in to Ask Gardenerd this week:
" I have a big south facing back porch. I would love to make a small greenhouse where I could start seeds and, maybe, even let herbs [over]winter. Do you have ideas for making my own greenhouse?"
There are many options, from a mini-greenhouse to the full-fledged, brick and mortar English greenhouse. I used to create my own mini-greenhouses by taking tomato cages, laying them on their sides ...
"Dear Gardenerd,
How do we know if our seeds are genetically Modified?"
Excellent question! I have answers for you.
The good news is that GMO seeds are widely available to the commercial agriculture industry, but the push to sell them to home gardeners is not yet popular (and most likely not lucrative). The bad news is that farmers growing non-GMO crops for seed are having a harder time isolating themselves from farms that ...
A very thoughtful question came into Ask Gardenerd this week:
"I'm new here. So far my big challenge is getting started. I do have a question. I do want to eat organic. Let's say I get a small plant, like an herb, from Home Depot or a similar store, I plant it and grow it organically with no man-made chemicals are pesticides. Does that make the plant organic? Is it kind of organic? If I keep it growing year-after-year and grow it organically, will ...
A question came in to Ask Gardenerd this week:
"Hi, I've just harvested my garlic and it's ok but a little small. Any tips to get it fatter. John, ps Love your site"
Thanks for writing in John, and I'm glad you like the website. Since your email address seems to be in Australia, it makes sense that you would be harvesting garlic right now.
I have my own answers to growing big garlic, ...
A question came in to Ask Gardenerd this week:
"Could you please help me understand how to trim my 4’ tall asparagus patch that was planted in the fall? Does it need to turn completely brown? How low do I trim it?"
Great question, and the answer can be confusing, because there are two schools of thought on the matter. Many gardeners, including those at Peaceful ...
I love when questions like this come from fresh gardenerds:
"I just stumbled on your website and am interested in gardening classes. I started gardening this spring by using pots and hanging pots. My veggies and herbs did extremely well. I put seedlings in potting soil, watered occasionally, and voila! I'm an Ocean Park farmer! But now I'm excited and want to learn the basics. Can you provide me with upcoming class information and recommend an introductory book? Thanks, Bob Meepos"
Hi Bob,
I'm glad to ...