Posts Tagged ‘tomatoes’
Angel Trumpet – Poison Worries
Q: I have been told that angel trumpet plants are poisonous. Since we have a lot of small children living near us I don’t want to grow a possibly hazardous plant. A: If you’re worried about poisonous landscape plants, you’ll...
Imidacloprid – Risks to Beneficial Insects
Q: I began treating my shrubs and woody plants with a systemic insecticide last year. Its active ingredient is imidacloprid. Despite its effectiveness, I’m wondering if a systemic insecticide in a plant’s system can be harmful to desirable insects that...
Seed – Organic Sources
Q: Can you tell me whether or not most of the vegetable seeds sold in stores are genetically modified? I would prefer to grow “natural” vegetables (ones that are still close to their original breed) instead of the new modified...
Vegetables – Soil Temperature for Planting
Q: What is the proper soil temperature needed to plant garden seeds, such as beans, peas, etc in Douglas county? A: Warm season vegetables like beans, tomatoes and corn need a soil temperature of at least 60 degrees but they...
Tomato – Heirloom not like Parent
Q: This spring I planted seeds I saved from a single ‘Cherokee Purple’ tomato I had eaten. One of the seeds produced a plant and fruit that was completely different from the rest of the plants. This particular plant had...
Tomato Pollination
Q: My husband and I have the most beautiful tomato plants imaginable. They must be five feet tall now in May. The only problem is that there are no blooms on the plants. Is there a way to force the...
Tree Tomatoes
Q: In the paper, there was an ad for “Tree Tomatoes”. It claimed you can get 60lbs. of tomatoes from one single plant! Have you ever heard of these? Could you please shed some light on this before I order...
Seedless Fruit
Q: Why do limes not have seeds? I assume they’re propagated the same way lemons are, but I’ve had a fresh lime every day for the last two years and have yet to see a seed. A: It’s because the...
Tomato Pollination
Q: Last week you talked about how hot, sticky days inhibit tomato pollination. Looking at the weather report, all I see are hot, sticky days ahead! My plants are big and I have blooms – but how can I get...
Alphabet Gardening
Q: I am planting an alphabet garden with my son. We are choosing plants with common or scientific names that begin with each letter of the alphabet. However, we are stuck with the letters ‘U’ and ‘X’. Do you have...
Stinkbug – Control
Q: I have a brown, funky-looking bug on my tomatoes. It flies and has large legs. Somebody told me it looked like a stink bug. Any ideas? A: Funky aptly describes stink bugs and their kin. Their body shape is...
Cucumber – Downy Mildew (Tomato Leaf Curl)
Q: I believe I have cucumber mosaic virus in my garden. It has spread throughout – on squash, zucchini, cucumber and now tomato. Is it likely that is was caused by all the summer rain? Is it o.k. to eat...
Seed – Sprouting with Fluorescent Light
Q: I have my seed packets in hand, ready to start sprouting plants for my spring garden. But I am so confused as to what kind of fluorescent bulbs to buy. Everywhere I look, a different kind of bulb is...
Bermudagrass – Killing for a Garden
Q: I want to start a vegetable garden in a pasture with bermudagrass. I want to go ahead and plow it up now and add some leaves and compost to sit over the next few months, but feel I need...
Alphabet Gardening – Plants with “U” and “X”
Q: I am planting an alphabet garden with my son. We are choosing plants with common or scientific names that begin with each letter of the alphabet. However, we are stuck with the letters “U” and “X”. Do you have...
Fruit – Definition of
Q: My sister home schools her nine year-old and in one of his books it states that the banana is a berry. Can you please tell me if this is a fact? A: Oddly enough, bananas ARE berries. A berry...
