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Vegetables & Fruits

Green Caterpillars Eating Bok Choy

Gardening Question From Moira: Green caterpillars are eating our Bok Choy so I got your book out!!!! learned to spray BT. Our bottle may be 5 years old. The local nursery worker did not know what BT is, so I wasn’t able to buy a new bottle. So I started reading online. One suggestion is […]

Alkaline Vegetable Garden Soil

Gardening Question From Adriana: I added lime to my vegetable garden soil and I killed everything i planted last year. I tested the soil this year and it still shows too alkaline. What would be an easy repair? Buy compost bags and add to soil? or Nitrogen only? thanks Answer From Pat: Never add lime […]

Toadstools And Puffballs In Vegetable Garden

Gardening Question from Mo: Hi Pat, I know that there are inedible toadstools and puffballs growing rampantly amongst the silver beet, so my question is “Is it safe to eat the silver beet leaves even though they are surrounded by them”? We are in New Zealand, just going into winter, it has been a very […]

Whipping The Tree Trunk

Gardening Question from Andrea: Tell me more about whipping the tree trunk!  My Italian neighbor has mentioned something like that.  So far, I’ve only threatened to cut it down.  Again thanks for helping. Answer from Pat: Here is the story: A man who lived in a coastal town near me had a magnolia which never […]

Separating Artichokes

Gardening Question from Steve: I was watching your segment on artichokes and what know one says is ……when you separate the plant from its two or three main plants, do you keep the old original and just remove the new ones, or what? thanks for your help. Answer from Pat: You keep the new leaves […]

Peach Tree Production

Question from Jo: I live in Los Angeles and planted a bare root Hale Haven peach tree 2 yrs. ago. Last yr. there were maybe 4-5 flowers and 2 peaches (which the birds beat me to). This year I didn’t see any flowers but see 2 small peaches (July 2012)to date. I know next to […]

Planting with the Seasons and Crop Rotation

Gardening Question from Tressa: Thanks for such a great website. I am somewhat confused about crop rotation and year-round growing in Southern California. For example, I just planted bush beans, when they are done, I will plant leafy winter vegetables. Do I have to wait 3 or 4 years before I plant beans again? (The […]

Sweet Peas & Strawberries

Question from Gerry: For three years I’ve meant to grow sweet peas, but something has gotten in the way until this year. I remembered to plant sweet peas in September–spent August prepping a 35′ row, sowed on Labor Day. Didn’t review your book. Didn’t soak the seed. They came up sporadically, but I never seemed […]

Powdery Mildew in Vegetable Garden

Question from Debbie: Hello! I have lost most of my squash plants; only a couple left. A powdery mildew forms on the leaves firstly; so then I cut back on the water but still continues…. now they have dwindled to nothing, ready to pull out. Some had blossoms even; some had little squashes… now all […]

Raised Bed Planting

Question from Chad: I am just installed a raised 13 1/2 foot by 5 1/2 foot veggie bed in mu back yard that will get great amounts of south facing sun. I have filled the bed with good quality organic soil. I am using a soaker hose that is hooked into the irrigation timer. I […]