Vegetables
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....
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...
Can I Till The Dried Vegetables Vines In My Raised Bed?
Q: Now that the squash and other vegetables are withered in my raised bed garden, can I till the dried vines into the bed where they grew or should they be put in the compost pile? According to the planting...
Okra pods not pollinated
Q: I was away for a week and wasn’t able to cut my okra while gone. When I returned there were ants on the stalk and I noticed that the small pods would fall off when I shook the plant...
Can I Prune Okra?
Q: In last year’s garden the okra did well but grew way too tall. Can it be pruned to keep it lower and still produce well? A: You sure can! As our common okra varieties age, the top of the...
How High Can Raised Beds Be?
Q: I am working to create permanent raised beds in my garden. I have been told that raised beds should not exceed twelve inches high because the soil becomes too hot and dry. A: Raised beds do dry out a...
When to harvest garlic
Q: Now that my garlic plant has this beautiful bloom will it have a garlic bulb or onion to harvest or do I just leave it? A: By the time the plant flowers, garlic may be a little past optimum...
Starting A Vegetable Garden On A Sunny Cow Pasture
Q: We are moving out in the country and I’d like to start a vegetable garden. Our property is on a sunny former cow pasture. I’d like to grow corn, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, okra, and maybe potatoes. Any suggestions on...
Is Compost Tea A Good Fertilizer?
Q: Is compost tea a good fertilizer for the vegetable garden or is it better to just mix the compost into the holes of the plants? A: I have a history with garden “teas”. I remember helping my mother make...
My Indoor Corn Plant Doesn’t Look Healthy
Q: I have an old indoor corn plant that won’t die but doesn’t look healthy. I’ve tried various things but I’m not sure how to save it. A: My first instinct would be to toss it, but I know houseplants...
Is The Yuca Root The Same As The Ornamental Yucca?
Q: When I eat at Hispanic restaurants, they serve yuca root. I this the same as ornamental yucca? A: They are not the same, although I sometimes see “yucca” on restaurant menus. Yuca (cassava), Manihot esculenta, is a tropical plant...
Pruning Okra
Q: In last year’s garden the okra did well but grew way too tall. Can it be pruned to keep it lower and still produce well? A: You sure can! As common okra varieties age, the top of the plant...
Vegetable Plants Not Affected By Bacterial Wilt
Q: Can you give a list of vegetable plants that are not affected by bacterial wilt. I had this disease diagnosed in my tomatoes last year. A: There is only a very narrow selection! I have never heard of sweet...
What Range Can Cabbage And Lettuce Crops Stand Before Being Frozen?
Q: My cabbage and lettuce crops are looking great even though we have had colder than normal weather. What range can they stand before being frozen out? A: It is tough to predict how cold temperatures will affect vegetables. Much...
My Asparagus Plants Are Four Feet Tall And Bushy
Q: In 2013 we planted UC157 asparagus. We have harvested nice eating-size asparagus since. Now the plants are four feet tall and very bushy. My late husband tended our plot and I’m not sure what he did at this point. ...
Corn Popped Up Under Bird Feeder – Can I Eat The Corn?
Q: I have several small corn plants that have popped up under a bird feeder. Will this produce corn that I can eat? A: All seeds used in bird food (millet, wheat, corn, sunflower, peanut, etc.) are delectable to birds,...
I Want To Grow Asparagus – Where To Start?
Q: I’m interested in growing asparagus but have no experience. What do I need to do to grow it? I understand that Mary Washington is the preferred variety. A: Asparagus is easy to grow. It is a perennial plant, so...
Cold Tolerance of Vegetables
Q: My cabbage and lettuce crops are looking great even though we have had colder than normal weather. What range can they stand before being frozen out? A: It is tough to predict how cold temperatures will affect vegetables. Much...
