Food Gardening
Can I Toss Vegetable Scraps Into My Shrubbery?
Q: I’m too old to do classic composting with a pile. Every day I have a cup or so of vegetable scraps to dispose of. Can I just toss them over my shrubbery to decompose or am I asking for...
How To Prune A Pomegranate
Q: I planted a pomegranate ten years ago. I have read that it should be pruned a specific way if it gets too big. A: I don’t think there is a “specific” way to prune; it just depends on what...
How To Plant White Oak Acorns
Q: I have recently collected some white oak acorns. What is the correct way to plant them? A: The best time to plant white oak acorns is in fall immediately after you collect them because they sprout so quickly. In...
Seedless Pickles
Q: Due to a medical condition, my wife can’t eat seeds. However, she longs for pickles. We understand gerkins are seedless. Does this apply to all baby cucumbers? A: The pickled items that we call gherkins are indeed baby cucumbers....
How To Get My Tea Olive To Fill In With Leaves
Q: I would like my nine-foot-tall tea olives to fill in with leaves at the bottom half. How can I make that happen? A: This is tough. One option is to prune off the top half of your shrub, which...
Vegetables That Are Native To North America
Q: Are there any vegetables that are native to North America? A: The only two I could find are Jerusalem artichoke and tepary bean. Jerusalem artichoke is a type of sunflower with thick, edible roots. Patches of tall plants covered...
Identifying, selecting and pruning fruiting quince
Q: I have become interested in growing fruiting quince and have several plants. Do they fruit on current year’s growth or last years? I need to prune them a bit. They are delicious if properly prepared. I have Le page...
Split trunk on mango
Q: I have a mango tree that I started growing from a seed in a pot twelve years ago. I’m very worried that I might be losing it. The trunk has been drying out. Is there a way to save...
When To First Prune My Peach Tree
Q: How soon after planting can a peach tree be given its first pruning to develop the wine glass shape desired? A: The first pruning is usually done a few minutes after the tree is planted. Many growers cut the...
Should I Prune My Peach Tree Early?
Q: We have been waiting for the right time to prune our peach tree and I know you recommend March for that. However we just noticed that they seem like they will bloom very soon. Should we still wait until...
Georgia Fruit Tree Recommendations
Q: I am new to Georgia and am interested in planting a few fruit trees in my back yard. I’d like rare but hardy ones. Any suggestions? A: “Rare” and “hardy” may not be possible. If a fruit tree is...
When Do Meyer Lemons Bloom?
Q: My Meyer lemon has about ten blooms starting to form. Is January the normal time? A: It is behaving normally. Mine has bloomed indoors in January as well as outdoors in May depending on the weather conditions. When a...
How To Prune A Pomegranate
Q: I planted a pomegranate ten years ago. I have read that it should be pruned a specific way if it gets too big. A: I don’t think there is a “specific” way to prune; it just depends on what...
Are Baby Cucumbers Seedless?
Q: Due to a medical condition, my wife can’t eat seeds. However, she longs for pickles. We understand gerkins are seedless. Does this apply to all baby cucumbers? A: The pickled items that we call gherkins are indeed baby cucumbers....
Peach crown gall on trunk
Q: I planted three peach trees last year and one of them has a growth about ten inches off the ground. I want to prune the trees this year to get the canopy growing correctly but am concerned about this...
Vegetables Native To North America
Q: Are there any vegetables that are native to North America? A: The only two I could find are Jerusalem artichoke and tepary bean. Jerusalem artichoke is a type of sunflower with thick, edible roots. Patches of tall plants covered...
Sour Green Crabapples: What Tree Are They From
Q: Back in my younger days we picked golf-ball-size green crab apples that were incredibility sour but tasted so good. What kind of trees were they? A: A crabapple is defined as any apple whose mature fruit is less than...
When To Harvest Peanuts
Q: I grew a row of peanuts for the first time this year but I don’t know when to harvest them. A: You need to combine three observations to reach the conclusion that your peanuts are ready to harvest. The...
