Food Gardening
Pea And Bean Plants
Q: I want a couple of pea and bean plants in my yard for a quick hobby garden. Can I sow a few seeds from dried grocery store beans? A: Possibly. Some beans and peas have been treated with heat...
Tall Broccoli With Small Heads
Q: My broccoli grew tall but produced only small broccoli heads. It’s almost like it bolted although the weather has been nice and cool. A: Storage temperatures before you purchase the plants can cause this. Just a few days of...
Is The Golden Jackpot Barberry Invasive Here?
Q: Is the Golden Jackpot barberry invasive here? A: It is hard to know. Japanese barberry is very invasive in some parts of the country, like New England, but does not seem to be as vigorous in the Southeast. Yellow-leafed...
Can I Plant My Tomatoes Early?
Q: I know it’s customary to wait until mid-April to plant my tomatoes and peppers, but I’m getting antsy. Given the mild winter we’ve had, do you think it would be okay to go ahead or should I hold my...
Identifying Mushrooms
Q: My Florida room leaked over the winter and mushrooms grew in the damp carpet. Could you tell me someone who could identify them? A: I am far from a mushroom expert. When I am curious about a mushroom that...
Ants On Potato Hills
Q: How do I get rid of ants that make my potato hills their home? Are they destroying my potatoes underground? A: Assuming you have fire ants, they are known to feed on potato tubers. You’ll get the best organic...
Do Male And Female Green Peppers Taste Different?
Q: Is it true that male and female green peppers taste different? My neighbor believes this. A: Your neighbor may believe this with all their heart but, sadly, they are wrong. There is no such thing as a “male” or...
Why Doesn’t Anyone Grow Pimento Pepper?
Q: I read that pimento peppers saved Georgia farmers from the boll weevil and that many farms were located near Griffin. Our state was once the “Pimento Pepper Capitol of the World”! Why does no one grow them anymore? A:...
Keep Worms From Eating My Peaches
Q: Do you have any suggestions to keep the worms from eating my young peaches? I have honeybees nearby. A: Plum curculio is a small “snout beetle” that attacks peaches and plums. Adults overwinter in debris near a tree and...
Good Herbs To Plant
Q: What are good herbs I can plant? A: Any time is a great time to plant herbs! Some are annuals, like basil and parsley, which are best planted each spring. Others, like rosemary, oregano and thyme, are perennials, which...
Onions don’t get bigger, planted too late
Q: I have been growing onions for years, always with poor results. The onions never grow large; they barely get larger than the size originally planted. I put them in anywhere between January and March. I’ve tried Yellow Granex, Burgundy...
Brown wormy things hanging from pecan branch
Q: We have a ton of these little things falling off our pecan trees this year. More than I’ve seen in the last six years. Does it mean anything? A: It means your pecan tree wants to have sex! The...
Sugar snap pea leaves have silver splotches
Q: We are growing sugar snap peas for the first time. I can’t tell if this is normal leaf coloration or if it’s powdery mildew. A: I think this is the normal silver splotching sweet peas have. It’s similar to...
Pimento pepper history in Georgia
Q: I read that pimento peppers saved Georgia farmers from the boll weevil and that many farms were located near Griffin. Our state was once the “Pimento Pepper Capitol of the World”! Why does no one grow them anymore? A:...
Small Worms Near Meyer Lemons
Q: While watering my Meyer lemon tree I found a lot of small worms crawling on top of the soil. How can I eliminate? A: I think you are seeing the larvae of dark-winged fungus gnats. They live in very...
Good Herbs To Plant
Q: What are good herbs I can plant? A: Any time is a great time to plant herbs! Some are annuals, like basil and parsley, which are best planted each spring. Others, like rosemary, oregano and thyme, are perennials, which...
Planting Peas And Beans – Where To Start
Q: I want a couple of pea and bean plants in my yard for a quick hobby garden. Can I sow a few seeds from dried grocery store beans? A: Possibly. Some beans and peas have been treated with heat...
Small Broccoli Heads
Q: My broccoli grew tall but produced only small broccoli heads. It’s almost like it bolted although the weather has been nice and cool. A: Storage temperatures before you purchase the plants can cause this. Just a few days of...
