Q & A: Vegetables
Got a gardening question? Ask Susan! What follows are reader questions. Each time a new one comes in, I’ll add it to the top. To ask a question, drop me a note at Susan@susansinthegarden.com.
Q: Our covers (and hoops) on the raised beds were no match for the snow. Did your new thicker row covers work? If so, could you please let us know where you got them? JB
A: We have 2 raised beds with hinged lids that are covered with agricultural insect netting. They have done well so far for 2 reasons: 1) The hinged lids are quite strong, and 2) In November, we secured a layer of plastic over the outer tops of each hinged lid so that most of the snow would slide off of them. The hinged raised bed lid is a do-it-yourself project from my book, The Vegetable Garden Pest Handbook. The agricultural insect netting came from a company that used to be called AgFabric.com, but they changed their name to GardenPort.com a few months ago. Here is a link to their insect netting options and sizes: https://www.gardenport.com/collections/insect-netting. We have been extremely happy with the insect netting so far. This will be its second season in our garden and I feel pretty confident that it should do equally well this year. It kept out aphids, cabbage butterflies, and leafminers with no problems at all. If you haven’t seen my video where I compared the different types of covers we’ve used, here’s a link to it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhDRiLX5070
Q: Where can I find the design and the build out of your hoop house? RS
A: My husband Bill designed it and we built it together, way back in 2014. I documented the supply list and how we built it in a blog post. There’s even a video that shows the construction part of the project.
Q: I meant to ask you how your winter-sown plants did this year (that you did a video about in January)? JA
A: Overall, the winter-sown seedlings did quite well. I think one of the main reasons I like the winter sowing method is because I can start
additional seeds without taking up precious space underneath our grow
lights. The only seeds that didn’t germinate (no idea why!) were the white
strawflowers. Maybe those didn’t care for that method? But the rest
germinated really well. The plants that did well were the ‘Stuttgarter’ onion seeds, love in a
mist, milkweed and Queen Anne’s Lace ‘Dara’. Since we really tend to focus most of our seed-starting time and
resources on edible crops, that’s why I mostly started flower seeds with the winter sowing method. I intend to use that method again in Jan. or Feb.
Q: We have beautiful tomatoes ripening in our garden… but almost all of them have brown, discolored bottoms… is this heat damage? Is it safe to cut off the brown discolored areas and eat the remaining tomato? We really hate to have to throw away all of these beautiful tomatoes! RSG
A: I’m so sorry to hear about your tomatoes. They have what is called blossom-end rot. It isn’t a disease but it’s caused by insufficient watering, esp. during hot spells. I have a video on this very topic that will explain exactly what it is. And yes, you can trim off the brown spots and eat the rest… as long as there isn’t any black mold present.
Q: Do you have any advice on getting my harvested potatoes to store better?
A: We use a large Rubbermaid-type plastic storage container and partially fill it with lightly-moistened straw. We don’t wash off the potatoes after harvesting them, but we usually place them in a wheelbarrow in a dark area for about a day after harvest. That dries any soil that is stuck onto the potatoes, to where most of it falls off. Place the potatoes into the bin and put the bin in a dark, cool area… we usually store them in our unheated (but insulated) garage during the fall and winter months. The potatoes keep so much longer, and without shriveling up and getting rubbery, with this method! I have a video on both harvesting and storing potatoes, so you might want to watch it for more details.
Q: I planted sugar baby watermelon, Crenshaw melon, wax beans, and collard seeds in compostable seed starter trays. The kind of seed starter trays that can be planted with the seedling. The collard seedlings emerged May 8. However, none of the other seeds are showing any signs of growth. I take the collard seedlings outside daily for approximately 6 or more hours of daylight. Previously, I would also take the other seed starter trays outside. However, now I only take the collard seedlings outside in the daylight and bring them inside before sunset. I no longer take any of the other starter trays outside. I keep them indoors under grow lights and I placed a slightly warm heating pad underneath them with a thick towel between the heating pad and the starter trays. Also, I use a spray bottle to mist tops of them when they are dry. What can I do to get these seeds to grow?? Thank you for any assistance.
A: The watermelons, melons and beans are all warm-season crops that need to get off to a warm start. If you were putting their seed-starter trays outdoors prior to their germination, it may have been too cool for them to sprout… even though I realize you’re in a warmer hardiness zone. Also, did you use a humidity dome (or clear plastic bag) on the trays to help with germination? That always makes a big difference. Once the majority of seeds have sprouted in each tray, that’s when you take off the dome or bag for each of them. Since you mentioned needing to mist the tops of the starter trays, that makes me thing you weren’t using a dome or bag. (Follow-up from Susan: she wasn’t using a humidity dome or bag, so plans to start doing that. Between the warmer indoor environment and the increased humidity, I’m hopeful her seeds will sprout soon)
Q: We would like to know what is the best soil to use for filling our 22 feet by 5 feet by 2 feet (6 cubic yards) raised bed. We need a local source where we can pick it up ourselves to save hauling fee. We are looking for organic soil… Have you had any experience with any of the local nurseries? JM
A: It is tricky getting just the right kind of soil for new beds. Here in Spokane, your best bet is to go with a local landscape supply business such as Gibson’s Nursery, Bark Boys, and Wittkopf Landscape Supply. Let them know what you need the soil for. The important thing is to pay them a visit so you can look at what they would like to sell to you. It is just about impossible to find organic soil (unless something has changed since I last looked) and organic would be the best route, esp. for edible crops. But these landscape supply companies carry “Barr-Tech” compost which is decent quality. You’ll be looking for something called “premium garden soil” that has a bit of compost mixed in. You don’t want 100% compost because that will be too rich. And you don’t want something that is really sandy because the water will run through it. No matter what you choose, I think it’s really important to add in some organic materials such as grass clippings from a lawn that hasn’t been treated with herbicides such as Weed ‘n Feed, shredded leaves, and/or compost (even partially decomposed will work). And if you can get your hands on earthworms from another area of your garden, plunk them in, too! I have always found that garden soil from landscape companies tends to be a bit on the sterile side, so the more organic materials you can mix in, the better. I would avoid adding horse manure as it can contain a persistent herbicide that will taint your soil for several years before it finally dissipates. You might also consider adding some worm castings and azomite. I don’t know if you’re familiar with Joe Lamp’l but he has a blog post on his site in which he lists his perfect raised bed soil recipe.
Q: I pick up my tomato plants from a local nursery. I usually do that on May 5th. They come in 2″ pots. Last year – they were rootbound by the time I put them in my raised beds on May 30th. So this year – I wanted to put them in larger pots. I have a few questions for you: 1) I have some 4″ and 6″ pots. Can I put them in there? Can I do it right away or should I wait until I harden them off? 2) After I harden them off – I keep the plants outside from 6AM – 5PM and then I put them in the garage (I live in an apartment, so I don’t want to leave them outside overnight). 3) Do I need to set up a grow light in the garage to give them additional light? If yes – how much time would I need to keep them under the lights and how far above the plants should they be? 4) Should I water my plants with fish emulsion until I put them in the garden (is once a week good?)
A: Here are my answers: 1) Yes, both of those pot sizes would work, but with 6″ being better. I would do it right away. Start your hardening-off process at least a couple of weeks before transplanting the tomato seedlings into your raised beds. Just a little time here and there, so they are really hardened-off nicely. 2) It doesn’t sound like you have a question here, but I think that sounds fine. 3) Re: grow light, the plants could use maybe 4 more hours of light if it’s convenient. If it isn’t, just keep an eye on the plants to see how they’re doing. The lights should be 2-4″ at most above the tops of the plants. 4) I start feeding my plants with diluted fish emulsion once they have a few true leaves. I repeat the feeding about every 2 weeks. I also give them one or 2 more feedings after they’ve been transplanted into the garden. Then I stop, or you can feed them with a fertilizer that is high in phosphorus (the middle number on fertilizer packages). What I usually do is add some bone meal to the bed prior to transplanting my tomato seedlings because it is organic and high in phosphorus. Be sure to follow the label directions for any soil amendments you use.
Q: I have repotted my tomato seedlings and they looked great. They are indoors and about 12 inches under a grow light. They are about 4 inches tall and I water about once a week. I started to notice the leaves curling and the falling off on most of them. I didn’t see any insects on them but I am worried I’m going to lose them all. None of my other seedlings are having this problem. Do you have any suggestions? LM
A: Wow, that is a rather unusual problem. Here are some thoughts: 1) The grow light should be 2-4″ (at most) above the tops of the plants. 2) Are the plants getting enough water, or too much water? Either could cause leaves to curl and fall off. The potting medium should be lightly moist, not sopping wet and not dry as a bone. 3) Have you been giving the seedlings fertilizer every now and then? I typically start giving a liquid nitrogen fertilizer (such as Alaska Fish Fertilizer) to seedlings once they have a few true leaves. And about every 2 weeks. Be sure to follow the label directions to the letter.
Q: I don’t remember if I should harden off leeks, onions and my gutter peas before I plant them.
All my starts are still inside. If I start moving them in and out now, do you think I can plant in a week? And should I provide row cover protection if frost is imminent? I am growing the Bulgarian Giant leeks for the first time and following what you are trying this year. They are about 10 inches tall and I did not prune back either, as you suggested. They are in cells and I hope I can separate the multiples that are in some cells. I always grab my Walla Walla sweet onion starts as soon as they come in to the garden center. This year I put them in an empty cell tray with a sprinkle of soil and water. JM
A: Yes, I would definitely start the hardening-off process today for each of those crops. The weather for the next few days looks kind of atrocious so you’ll have to monitor that. But I just planted my leek seedlings yesterday. I decided to cover their bed, not so much due to the weather but more because our quail friends have a penchant for pulling up onion seedlings. I believe onion and leek seedlings don’t need hardening off as much as plants with regular leaves. And they are more tolerant of cooler temperatures, but it never hurts to be careful! Re: the peas, I’m going to plant mine in the next few days. I intend to give them a bit of floating row cover for protection — again, partly due to the quail and also because of the low temps.
Q: We’re so intrigued by the new agricultural insect netting you have over your lettuce bed in your 2022 #11 video. We understand you’re
still testing it but we would like to try it too in the meantime. Can
you give us the product name and source for that? MD
A: I have been asked this question so many times now! We purchased the garden insect netting from Agfabric.com. It comes in different sizes and widths. It’s my understanding that they are selling out of some of the smaller sizes, but here is a link to the type of netting we bought. If you can’t find what you need, try Agriculture Solutions. Before you order any, be sure to calculate the width by measuring from the ground, up and over your hoops and back down to the ground on the other side!
Q: I’ve been meaning to ask you if I need to feed my starts with a fertilizer. I’ve planted them with Johnnys seed starting mix, and some have been in several weeks, but aren’t very big. SD
A: I definitely recommend feeding your plant starts because once they use up the energy stored in their seeds, they are essentially “running on empty.” I like to use a liquid high-nitrogen fertilizer such as Alaska Fish Fertilizer or another type of seedling booster fertilizer (Espoma has some nice products). When the seedlings are young, it’s best to mix up a weaker fertilizer solution. For example, if the label calls for 1 tbsp. of fertilizer to a gallon of water, I use 1/2 tbsp. to a gallon of water instead. I also fertilize the seedlings when I transplant them out into the garden, and again about 2 weeks later.
Q: I have a question about corn. I bought a few different varieties, I know they are all bicolor hybrid, such as peaches and cream, but I was wondering if they are planted next to each, will I get cross pollination? SW
A: Corn does cross-pollinate very easily so I would recommend only planting a single variety this year… unless you want some surprises!
Q: Have you ever used spinosad, which I understand is approved for organic gardening? I’ve used it to successfully stop codling moths in my apple trees, and I see on the label that it can also stop leafminers. It would sure be nice not to have to mess with floating row covers, but I wonder if, even though it’s approved for organic gardening, it would make the chard and beet tops unsafe to eat. What do you think? TM
A: We have primarily used spinosad on our apple trees. But yes, it can be used for other types of things, including certain vegetable crops. However, I think leafminers are difficult to control with a spray because the larvae are located in between the layers of cells in plant leaves (primarily beefs, spinach and Swiss chard) which gives them a bit of protection. So I would much rather use floating row covers because they act as a physical barrier that prevents the adult fly from laying eggs on the leaves in the first place. I’ll always choose a row cover (when appropriate for the problem), rather than a spray… even organic sprays. To answer your other questions: yes, spinosad is an organic product that is made from fermented soil bacterium. The label should state how many days you need to wait, in between spraying the leaves and harvesting them.
There are two things about spinosad that makes me hesitant to use it, however: 1) it will kill pollinators so you have to time the spray when they’re not active, and 2) research has shown that insects are able to develop a resistance to it. That means you wouldn’t want to use it repeatedly, but rather alternate it with other products. But again, I prefer using floating row cover. Aside from in our orchard, we don’t use any organic sprays at all.
Q: for the second year we have grown a Brandywine heirloom tomato in a large container in our garden. Both years, the tomatoes developed cracks radiating out from the stem that split, then start to spoil. Last year, the greenhouse said it was due to calcium deficiency, this year I used an organic fertilizer with calcium and go the same development. The plant is on a drip so it doesn’t get foliage watering. The fruit doesn’t seem impacted other than the spoilage after the cracks split. KF
A: Tomatoes tend to crack due to water issues. Sometimes it happens after it rains because the tomato swells a bit and the skin isn’t stretchy enough to accommodate that. It can also happen when plants don’t get enough water. I believe there are some varieties that are a bit more prone to splitting and cracking. Here is some additional information: What causes tomatoes to crack.
Q: Have you grown the Savor Charentais melon? I was thinking it was from you that I heard about them. If so, how do you tell when they are ripe? I have read mixed answers online. RF
Any suggestions? DB
A: The rain gutter method, I cover the ends of the gutters by taping cardboard onto them. So the potting soil doesn’t fall out of the gutters, but the excess moisture can escape. I don’t drill holes into the bottoms of the rain gutters for this reason, and also because when I first plant seeds in the gutters, they are sitting on a piece of plastic inside our sliding glass door! So I don’t want my floor to get wet. When you mention how the seeds rot before they germinate, are you saying this happens when you start them indoors? If so, you are correct in that the soil must be way too wet. So you’ll want to address that if you try this method (or any other way of starting them indoors, for that matter). The seed-starting mix or potting soil should be lightly moist, not sopping wet.
I even consulted with the EPA and their site states it is safe around edible plants. Refer to question #8 at this link: https://www.epa.gov/mosquitocontrol/bti-mosquito-control.
Q: I’m a first year raised bed gardener and wondering how to best leave them in the best condition to over winter. Compost, mulch, cover, dirt higher in center that on edges? Seeing lots of suggestion but know who is the best to give good advice! E, Spokane
You mentioned about adding soil to beds: if you’ve found that the soil has really compacted down, it’s a good idea to add additional soil if that is an option. And you can do that now or in very early spring (but now is preferable). If you have to leave the beds bare over the winter months, that is perfectly OK. Sometimes we just don’t have time in the fall to get around to these things. I would definitely not cover the beds because you want them to get the benefit of moisture from rain and snow.
Q: can you please share the brand and weight of floating row cover that you use? I’m finding different weights online. What do you recommend? I live near Lubbock, Texas where the wind blows unmercifully all year long. Ugh. So maybe a heavy weight would be better? MC
A: I mostly purchase microgreens seeds from sproutpeople.org and
trueleafmarket.com. The latter carries the 10″ square planting flats,
ones with drainage holes and ones without (I use the former and place
them into heavy-duty seedling flats that don’t have holes. Those came
from our local garden center. My light set-up is from Gardener’s Supply (gardeners.com) and the
specific one I have is the Stack & Grow system. You can buy a single
level, 2 levels or 3 altogether. It depends on how much seed-starting
you’ll be doing and how much room you need. Mine has LED lights which
are more energy-efficient.
Q: I had a question about covering cabbage family crops. Are pests a full season problem? Do crops need to be covered from beginning to end? JS
A: Yes, you definitely want to keep them covered for the entire season. And since they don’t need to be pollinated, that works out perfectly.
Q: I’m having no luck finding a source of tulle netting (to keep insects away from cabbage family crops) that is wide enough to cover raised beds that are 4 feet wide, which is how all mine are built. The widest I’ve been able to locate is 54 inches. Do you have a source you can share without a lot of difficulty? Thank you for your help and your wonderful website!! HY
A: You might need to order the tulle online to find wider widths. For example, I just found this: https://www.tulleshop.com/products/white-108-inch-tulle-fabric-bolt-50-yards. Amazon offers a lot of deals on it, too. I did a search on “tulle 108″ wide” to find these sources (and more). It might be more quantity than you want but the bolt prices are very good. No matter what you’re looking at, try to look at photos showing how small the holes are (important). You could probably go with any color you want but I usually buy white or ivory.
Q: I am interested in planting seeds again this year. If tomato seeds take 8-12 weeks to grow before putting them outside on May 9th or so am I still in the window to plant tomato seeds? I normally did it on March 1. But if I am calculating correctly that still puts me in the 8 week window to plant tomato seeds for planting outside. When do you plant your tomato seeds indoors? TP, Spokane
A: I plant my tomato seeds on Apr. 1st, as I have found that to be the ideal planting time for this region. In the past, I planted them as early at Feb. 1st but always ended up with leggy plants by transplanting time. After experimenting with Feb. 15, Mar. 1 and Mar. 15, I found all of those starting dates were still too early. For the past few years, I’ve gone with Apr. 1st and that yields perfect seedlings to transplant into the garden.
Q: I really enjoyed your video on micro greens and found it very interesting and informative. I wondered if you could share your grow set up. Where did you find your lights and do you use a warming mat? Do you find a certain area in the house is more productive? GP
Q: What pea did you use in your video Growing Microgreens? RC
A: I purchased those seeds from sproutpeople.org (https://sproutpeople.org/seeds/microgreens/pea-shoots/). They are Speckled peas. You can also find them on True Leaf Market’s website (https://www.trueleafmarket.com/collections/micro-greens-planting-seed/products/pea-sprouting-speckled-organic?variant=39470787592). The seeds at True Leaf Market are slightly less expensive, but at the time of shooting this video, I was unaware of this company. Both companies sell organic seeds.
Q: I start a lot of seeds indoors. My question is about my tomato plants. I use a seed starting stand my husband made and hang flourescent lights above each shelf. Even though I always keep the light only an inch away from the pots and then the plants as they grow, my tomato plants shoot up and are hitting the light (at its highest that I can place it) in just four weeks or less. The light is about 12 inches from the shelf. Maybe we should have made a taller shelf for the tomatoes, but I have to live with it the way it is. I don’t want to put them in the ground like that, they seem kind of spindly. Should I just take the light away at that point? KE
A: I’m wondering how often you’re fertilizing the plants? I start giving them a liquid nitrogen fertilizer (Alaska fish fertilizer) when the seedlings have a couple of true leaves. The fertilizer is half-strength (i.e., if the label says to dilute 1 tbsp. of fertilizer in a gallon of water, I use 1/2 tbsp. of fertilizer to a gallon of water). I feed them about every 2 weeks in the same way. And I do make sure the light is just an inch or two above the seedlings, just like you do, adjusting it as they grow. I should also mention that I up-pot the seedlings into larger containers (usually a quart-size yogurt container) once I see a root start to come out the bottom of the seed-starting container, and I plant them deeply at that time (just below the where leaves emerge from the stems). As far as grow lights go, one of my set-ups uses fluorescent shop lights (just like yours) and the other has LED grow lights. But I usually grow the tomato seedlings under the fluorescent lights. So I’m a little baffled by what’s happening with your plants. If you’re not feeding them, that might be why they’re growing so spindly. You don’t want to take away the light because they will become even more spindly, although one thing you could start doing at that point is hardening them off (here’s an explanation on my website, if you’re unfamiliar with this: https://www.susansinthegarden.com/2019/05/hardening-off-plants-is-important/).
I’m wondering how long you have the lights on each day? Mine typically come on (they’re on a timer) at 6 a.m. and shut off at about 9 p.m., so that’s 15 hours a day. If you’re doing fewer hours, that might be the problem. I realize these are all guesses on my part but they are a few things to take into consideration. One other thing I might mention is that even if you have spindly plants (not that it’s desirable), be sure to remove the lower sets of leaves and either plant the seedling deeply (to just under the remaining leaves) or dig a trench and place the plant in it parallel to the ground, and bury it with just the top of the plant aboveground. I hope that makes sense. The plants will develop roots along the buried stem. (Susan’s note: this reader responded to my reply and indicated she didn’t realize the young seedlings should be fertilized, so problem solved!)
Q: I’m interested in growing cabbage. I usually start 8 plants in my basement and I usually only get 1 or 2 heads from the eight plants so I’ve got some room for improvement. I’ve noticed that the red cabbage hasnt been as vigorous as the green. Do you think either of the Copenhagen or the golden Acre Is more successful? PG
A: I haven’t grown the varieties you’re asking about but there is a red cabbage that has pointed heads that grew really well for me a few years ago. The variety name is ‘Kalibos’. I would check your local garden center first to see if they carry the seeds so you won’t have to mail-order them. But some of the online sources for Kalibos are High Mowing Organic Seeds, Seed Savers Exchange, Pinetree Garden Seeds, Territorial Seed and Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds (there are links to all of these companies on the “links” page on my website: https://www.susansinthegarden.com/guides/links/.
Q: Thanks for your videos and info. I’m in New York and I sleep cold and work during the day so my house is at 60 degrees most of the time. It goes up to 72 between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. I don’t like the idea of heating my entire house just to grow microgreens. Any suggestions? LL
A: No worries! You shouldn’t have to heat your house for growing microgreens. Most of the types I grow are cool-season crops such as beets, peas and cabbage family crops, so they don’t mind being cool at all. However, if you decide you want to grow something like basil microgreens, which need a bit of warmth, you might consider buying a seedling heat mat. They go under the seedling flat and provide a little warmth. They are easy to find in garden centers and online, and aren’t terribly expensive (about $20-$35).
Q: Please tell me more about storing root vegetables in straw! I’m here in Federal Way and the early frost required me to pull all of my parsnips, carrots and beets. I would love information on how to store them! RM
A: We use plastic bins but you could use buckets. Lightly-moisten straw and when you’re storing your root crops, alternate layers of the root crops with a bit of straw. If you have a lid, don’t snap it on tight; instead, just rest it on top of the container so there’s a little bit of air flow. Store the container in a chilly garage or other location that won’t get below freezing and make sure they’re kept in the dark. This works well for carrots, parsnips, beets, turnips and rutabagas.
Q: I live in Boise, have 12 raised garden beds, and I would like to know how I should put them to bed for the winter. Do I cover them? Leave them as they are? Cover with compost? GC
A: The beds do not need to be covered for the winter. You can remove any plant residue in them or leave it in place and let it naturally decompose over the winter months. My preference is to remove it, though, then shred it and add it to our compost pile. If you have the opportunity to put a 1″ to 2″ layer of compost on the top of each bed, that would be ideal. You don’t need to turn it over into the soil as the nutrients will naturally filter into the soil all on their own.
Q: I had a real battle with leaf miners this year. Other than covering the plants do you have suggestions. GC
A: I’m afraid there’s no other organic solution for dealing with leaf miners. The only way to thwart them is by covering the plants with floating row cover the moment you plant the seeds and only uncover them to harvest or weed. The adults are flies that lay eggs on the leaves, which is why the row cover works. Leaf miners are extremely frustrating but row cover is an easy solution.
Q: I have been watching your YouTube video and I have struggled with success in growing microgreens. After watering the soil, laying down a layer of seeds, spraying water over the seeds and putting the clear top over. I sit them in front of a window with daylight and then I do not spray with water every day? I just let them germinate for 4 days and then remove the lid to let them grow for another 3 days? I don’t spray them with water? DN
A: When the lid is on the flat of seeds, you don’t need to water them because the lid is trapping the moisture and humidity underneath it. Once you have removed the lid, keep an eye on the soil moisture. If it seems dry, or the seedlings look like they’re wilting a bit, I would give them some water. One trick I’ve learned recently is that if you have the seed-filled flat (that has holes in the bottom) sitting inside another flat or a tray that doesn’t have drainage holes, you can water them from the bottom. All you do is lift the seed flat a bit so you can pour some water into the flat or tray that doesn’t have holes in it. Maybe like 2 cups of water. This way, you don’t knock over the seedlings by watering from the top and it seems like the soil holds onto the moisture a bit better.
Q: Why do my jalapeño and serrano have no heat? EG
A: If you are providing your hot peppers with a lot of water, that can be the reason they’re not spicy. By cutting back on the water they get, esp. at this point in the season, they should become hotter. There Another possibility is giving your plants fertilizer that is high in nitrogen (the first number on a fertilizer package). But definitely try cutting back on the water.
Q: I am looking to plant a tree in my front yard. A mid-sized canopy, color in the fall, small leaf if possible or not. Could you please recommend a tree for my zone 6 yard? DK
A: Here are some suggestions: ‘Kwanzan’ ornamental cherry tree, Japanese Stewartia, or ‘Prairie Fire’ flowering crabapple.
Q: I like the black cover on your lettuce patch (the bird netting). What kind of black tube do you use to support the bird net? I can use rebar with it.
A: The black tubing is recycled 1/2″-diameter drip tubing. It has worked well for us although sturdier hoops would be much better. Rebar would work great, also bent (metal) electrical conduit.
Q: My lettuce has turned bitter and inedible. Do you know a kind that will not do that? LW, Spokane
A: I have found that different cultivars of Romaine lettuce are quite heat-tolerant. At some point, however, it just gets too hot for all types of lettuce and they bolt to seed. Consider also starting a new crop of lettuce in August to harvest this fall.
Q: Susan, I read that we should give our plants an inch of water per week. I even bought a rain measure so that I can know how much rainfall the garden is getting. But how do I measure giving the plants an inch when I am standing over them with a hose? what exactly is an inch of water for plants? I look forward to your answer, I am sure others are mystified by this advice as well. J.
A: Your question is a tricky one, especially since you are hand-watering. Not that there’s anything wrong with hand-watering in the least. But just to explain: if a gardener uses a sprinkler system, they could place an empty tuna (or cat food) can on the ground in that area before the sprinkler runs. Then while it’s running, they could monitor the amount of water in the can and see how long it takes for the can to reach 1″ of water. That would be more challenging to determine when watering by hand from a hose, though. To be honest, I don’t worry about trying to deliver an inch of water over the course of a week. That’s primarily because regions differ as far as the weather goes, and water moves through different types of soil at different rates. A better approach is to poke your finger down into the soil to about the 2nd joint and see if there is moisture in the soil to that depth. If it’s very damp, the plants are probably getting too much moisture. If, however, the soil is quite dry, then it’s important to increase the watering time. And the other component to this is to observe the appearance of the plants: do they look healthy and robust, or are they wilting? And if they’re wilting, is it because of too little or too much watering? (again, you would determine this by checking the soil moisture)
Q: Susan, how do you organize your spring/seed starting/planting/etc. I am exhausted and I didn’t get half the flowers planted I wanted to. I still have some outside planting left to do etc.
A: I know what you mean about it being hard to keep track of everything. If you go to my website, you’ll see a printable seed-starting scheduler, which is primarily what I use. I also have vegetable-planting information under the “guides” menu but I haven’t created one for flowers yet.
Q: My husband and I are planning our garden for this season, and we were considering planting a bed of corn next to a bed that will have three tomato plants. We just read that tomatoes shouldn’t be planted close to corn, and they should have 20 feet of space between them. Our garden is not extremely tiny but it’s not as big as we would like either. Would you share your thoughts about this matter with us, please? NOK
A: I have never heard of this and it makes no sense to me. Corn and tomatoes are in completely different plant families (corn is in the Poaceae or grass family, and tomatoes are in the Solanaceae or nightshade family). The only consideration I can think of is to make sure your corn plants don’t shade your tomato plants, but that’s it. I don’t know if the information you read came from the “Carrots Love Tomatoes” book or any other source on companion planting. But I’m not a fan of companion planting lore as there is no research-based proof that this method works. Everything is purely anecdotal and, when you think of it, there are so many variables involved (amount of light plants get, different soil types, weather, etc.) which make it just about impossible to research.
Q: I am interested in the list of crops you grow and the varieties you and your husband liked. Will you please send it to me or tell me where to find it? DL
A: I have a page on this website, under the “Guides” menu that lists all of the vegetables we’re growing for 2019. Look for the Susan’s Garden – 2019 link.
Q: Do you have ideas for discouraging the neighbor cat from using my raised vegetable beds as litter boxes? Gah! CM
A: I share your disgust and frustration. My friend Joe Lamp’l has an interesting system that he says works great: at planting time, he places cattle panels (which you can find at farm stores and feed stores for a fairly reasonable price) onto the soil surface. They serve 2 purposes: 1) the squares in the panels help him space his seedlings better, and 2) the wire grids make it difficult for cats to scratch around in. That might be worth a try.
Q: Where did you buy your ‘Musica’ pole beans? Do you prefer them over ‘Kentucky Wonder’? TM
A: You can find Musica pole beans at Renee’s Garden seeds, where it’s listed as ‘Spanish Musica’ (https://www.reneesgarden.com/products/bean-pole-spanish-musica) and at Territorial Seed (http://www.territorialseed.com/product/Musica_Bean_Seed). I do prefer the taste of ‘Musica’ over all other pole beans I’ve tried.
Q: I wanted to ask your opinion on grow lights. My husband set up a grow room in our garage consisting of several 3-shelf units each with a 4 fluorescent bulb fixture with a mix of cool white and warm white bulbs. I was reading an article and it suggested using only cool white bulbs for growing microgreens, baby mixed salad greens, indoor lettuces etc. The article said that the warm light was more beneficial for plants that will flower and bloom. Would growing under cool lights instead of cool & warm lights be better for greens or is full spectrum lighting ok? DH
A: I really don’t think it matters all that much, especially since microgreens only live for a couple of weeks or so. We’ve been using regular shop lights that have fluorescent “grow-light” bulbs in them, and the microgreens grow just fine. I’m sure the set-up your husband put together (bless his heart!) will be just fine. While fluorescents have worked well for us over the past decade or more, now things are changing, technology-wise. There are a lot of LED grow lights available these days. However, we haven’t had a chance to do much research with them yet, so I’m afraid I’m not an expert on them.
Q: I just finished watching your microgreens video. I see your grow light is in your dining room so probably a warm room? My grow lights are in my unfinished basement which is cold (but not freezing) this time of year. What temperatures are required for the microgreens to thrive? HB
A: Most basements are about 50 degrees, which I think
would be satisfactory for growing microgreens… esp. members of the
Brassica family (such as broccoli, cabbage, kale, etc.) or peas or
lettuces — all plants that are typically considered cool-season crops.
I wouldn’t try basil because they are VERY picky about temperatures and
would be very unhappy about being in the basement!
Q: My husband and I have been watching your videos, oh boy we love your
garden no matter what season it is!!! We’re still working on ours, and
we would like to know how to face our garden beds. The garden is at
the back of our property facing North while our front of our house
faces South of course. How would you suggest we face our garden beds?
We’ve been reading about it, and seems every gardener has a different
theory, lol! Nora
A: I can completely understand your confusion because everyone has an opinion on this! I would say the most ideal orientation of the beds is north/south. That way, when the sun comes up in the east, there’s minimal shading of plants on the west side of the beds as the sun moves across the sky. I have to admit that our beds are oriented east/west! To be honest, we put in the beds so long ago (about 26 years ago) that we probably didn’t know any better and just liked that orientation. And there really hasn’t been a shading issue even with our beds oriented this way. But since you’re starting from scratch, it would be best to orient them north/south.
Q: We have a good place for a small garden and I have enjoyed it but the quality of our dirt isn’t great. Adding a bag or 2 of purchased compost potting soil has helped some but I want to put down a fair amount, to really enhance the garden soil. When would you advise adding the compost, in the fall or the spring? RG
A: Fall is a great time to add compost to your soil. In general, you don’t really need to mix it into the soil but rather, just add 1-2″ to the top of your soil. That is much easier, right?
Q: How do you keep squash bugs away? JF
A: I somehow have been lucky in that I haven’t had to deal with those nasty bugs. However, I’ve heard that the best way to keep them from your plants is to cover them (or the seed you’ve just planted) with floating row cover right away and keep it on the plants until they start to bloom. Apparently the bugs lay eggs early in the season and that is the start of the problem. By covering the plants, you are disrupting their life cycle.
Q: I recently read your post about covering broccoli crops to avoid bugs.
My broccoli has been in the ground for about 6 weeks now. Is it too
late? CB
A: It’s not too late to cover them — esp. if you’ve had problems with cabbage worms in the past. What I would do is examine all of the plants’ leaves first, and if you see any eggs or worms, get rid of them. Then put the cover over them.
Q: Thanks for another fun (gutter pea) video and great ideas! 1) Regarding using the gutter for the peas… I thought that whenever you started seeds, you always had to have a hole in the bottom for drainage, yet I don’t think you mentioned anything about drilling holes in the bottom of the gutters. Were you just careful to not ever get them too wet? 2) You also mentioned that a viewer comment suggested weaving together your pea supports and that it was very helpful. How did you actually weave them together? I really like their natural look. DM, Spokane
A: 1) While I do think drainage is very important, we didn’t feel (draining holes) were necessary for the gutters because a) the ends of the gutters were more or less open (just the piece of cardboard), b) we didn’t overwater them and c) the peas were only in the gutter for 10 days. 2) It’s hard to describe in writing how I wove the branches together, but each one alternated between being in front of one branch, then behind the next branch that it crossed, then in front of the next branch, and so on.
Q: I have listened to you speak about floating row covers and tulle such as they use to make bridal veils. My question is, which is better? MD, Pullman
A: Floating row cover is ideal for using early and late in the season as it provides a few degrees of frost protection for plants. It’s also awesome to use as a physical barrier to keep damaging insects away from plants that don’t need to be pollinated. In my garden, I only use it for beet family crops (beets, spinach, Swiss chard) and cabbage family crops (broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower, etc.). Tulle (a.k.a. bridal veil netting) works well for keeping insects away from cabbage family crops and I like it because it’s a looser weave so those cool-season crops get more air circulation than floating row cover provides. The downside of tulle is that it’s easier to accidentally tear, so you have to be careful with it. If you had to choose just one type of cover, I would definitely recommend the floating row cover!
Q: This time of year it is difficult for me to find garlic that has not started sprouting. What few bulbs I have left from my 2017 harvest are not worth using. Even the grocery store garlic has the bitter little green sprout. Have you planted a variety that keeps until your new crop is ready to harvest in the fall? JM, Spokane
A: Softneck garlic keeps longer than hardneck garlic. We’ve found that ‘Inchelium’ lasts well, although it will eventually develop a small sprout inside, which we just cut out when we’re cooking with it. We’ve never found a variety that lasts all the way until the next crop is ready, unfortunately!
Q: I have been gardening in raised beds for the past 2 years. I’d love to know more about soil testing…I bought a kit from Gardens Alive last year and my kids and I tested our beds in the spring… not sure I did it right, but I tried to amend my soil appropriately. How do you test your soil and how often? Which kit do you recommend? R.N., Spokane
A: If your plants have been growing well over the past 2 years, and if you are amending the soil annually, you probably don’t need to test your soil. By amending it with organic materials such as compost, grass clippings from an untreated lawn (no weed-n-feed), or a small amount of chicken or rabbit manure, or shredded leaves, etc., you are helping rebuild the soil. You’ll notice I didn’t mention horse or steer manure above. That’s because there is a very persistent herbicide that doesn’t break down and it will wipe out your entire garden and contaminate your soil. So I recommend avoiding those 2 types of manures, just to be safe. Each type of vegetable crop that you grow has different nutritional needs, so they can deplete the soil of those nutrients over the course of a growing season. For example, leafy plants like lettuce, cabbage, spinach and broccoli, use a lot of nitrogen. Plants that bloom and set fruit (tomatoes, melons, cucumbers, eggplant, squash, etc.) need a lot of phosphorus. And root crops such as onions, turnips, beets, carrots and parsnips use both phosphorus and potassium. That’s why it’s important to amend your soil either at the end of the season or before the start of the new season. If your plants aren’t doing that well, then I would definitely recommend a soil test. I haven’t had enough experience with the different soil test kits available at garden centers, so I can’t really recommend a specific brand. But they will generally tell you how much nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are in your soil at the time of testing, and perhaps also the soil pH. Another option is to have a soil test performed. Another option is to have a soil test performed at a certified laboratory. Here in Washington State, there is one in Kennewick by the name of Northwest Agricultural Consultants.
Q: I planted about 9 different tomato plants and watered them in the summer twice a day by hand. Half of all the tomatoes had end rot. And towards the end, a couple of plants’ tomatoes had circled white rings (and cracks). Can you help?
A: I’m not surprised about the blossom-end rot. Lots of folks had this problem due to our very hot, dry summer. It sounds like you did a great job keeping them watered but I’ve found some varieties are more susceptible to BER than others. So far, the 2 varieties I’ve grown that seem immune to BER are ‘Sungold’ cherry and ‘Amish Paste’. The cracking usually occurs after rainstorms because the fruits swell a bit but the skin doesn’t stretch so it splits open. It’s a frustrating problem. I found an online article that explains this a bit better: Why a Tomato Cracks and What to Do About It.
Q: Thank you for all the great gardening tips. Today’s article raised the following questions: I have a banner crop of sweet onions. I pulled them today and will let them dry. Do I allow the tops to dry to the point of falling off? Where and how long will they store? I also have butternut squash for the first time. Like acorn can they remain on the vine until frost? JR, Spokane
A: Onions: when you say sweet onions, I’m thinking of varieties like Walla Walla and Yellow Sweet Spanish. If it’s the former, it will only keep for about a month. If it’s the latter, it should keep for about 4 months. So it varies, depending upon the variety. You want to dry them until the stalks and outer skin of the onion are completely dry and papery. Then you can safely cut off the stems and store them. I would keep them in a cool, dark place such as a basement, garage or closet. Squash: You should be able to leave your butternut squash on the vine until it frosts. They can usually handle a light frost but I would keep them out for a heavy frost as that can damage the skin and flesh of the squash, thereby affecting its storage potential. If you saw my video today, you know about the “thumbnail test” to determine if a squash is mature. If you haven’t seen it, here’s a link: Everyone Can Grow A Garden #27: When to Harvest.
Q: About 2 months ago, I planted a packet of Ed Hume “French Cinderella” pumpkin seeds in my garden on the South Hill. Lovely vines sprouted with multiple yellow flowers (which hosted bees aplenty). I have only one well-developed pumpkin, about ready for harvest. I’m hoping 2 babies will keep on maturing. Otherwise, I can’t understand why most of the flowers dried and shriveled on the vine. Can you figure why so few developed? Earwigs? Heat? I didn’t over-water or fertilize. M, Spokane
A: I think there were two big challenges this season: heat and drought. It sounds like the latter wasn’t a problem since you were good about watering your plants regularly. But
when it’s so hot for so long, plants that need to flower and set fruit just don’t function normally. It doesn’t sound like a pollination problem to me, since you commented on having so many bees on and around the flowers. So I would have to say that the heat may have caused primarily male flowers to bloom, and perhaps not so many female flowers. If that was the case, then the flowers that dried and shriveled up were male flowers
and pollination didn’t take place.
Q: I planted a 12 foot row of turnips and another one of spinach in the same raised bed in May, separated by 12 inches. I got no usable items from either. The turnips were full of small worms. It was not like an onion or radish that might have a small hole that you cut away to use the rest. It was totally unusable. The spinach, rather than making leaves that we eat, grew tall and flowered. SS, Spokane
A: Regarding the turnips, it sounds like they had root maggots in them. Next time you grow them, you might try covering them with some floating row cover as soon as you plant them in order to keep the adult fly from laying its eggs on them.There is an information page in my Organic Pest Control Guide that explains how row covers work. Regarding the spinach, it could be that the weather was just too darned hot for them. Spinach is a cool-season crop, so it’s best to grow it in the spring or fall. When a plant creates flowers, that’s its way of making seed so there will be a next generation… and it certainly sounds like the heat caused the spinach plants to bolt to seed.
Q: My wife and I enjoyed the recent video tour of your garden. I noticed
you use a red weed barrier covering for one of your raised beds. Why
red? And where did you get it? JP, Spokane
A: It’s called red plastic mulch, tomato mulch or “SCRM” mulch.
It serves 2 functions: it is a part of the color spectrum that reflects the
maximum amount of sunlight up into the plant, and it also increases the soil
temperature. I primarily use it on my tomato bed, but also like to use it
for growing melons, peppers, eggplants and winter squash. When I switched from using black plastic mulch to red, I easily had about a 30% increase in the plants’ productivity, which was very impressive! So I’ve used it ever since. This year, I’m also testing a green-colored mulch just to see how it performs. You should be able to locate the red plastic mulch locally, at a well-stocked garden center such as Northwest Seed & Pet in Spokane. Online sources include: Lee Valley.com, HarrisSeeds.com, JohnnySeeds.com and GardensAlive.com.
Q: Susan, do you know of any organic spray to stop leaf miner activity? I forgot to put a floating row cover over the pony-pack of chard, and now the leaves are being eaten up one at a time. TM, Spokane
A: That’s a shame! I don’t know of any organic spray that will work, esp. since the leaf miners are in between the cell layers of the leaves. Maybe you can pull off the infested ones, cover the plants, and see if they’ll do OK from that point on? And for next year, be sure to use a floating row cover as soon as you plant your chard (or spinach or beets, for that matter) so you won’t have to deal with those pesky insects.
Q: I just planted my tomatoes last week and have floating row cover on them. How long should I keep it on? RM, Spokane
A: To give my warm-season crops a nice start, I like to cover them with floating row cover right after transplanting them into the garden. I leave it on for 2 to 3 weeks, depending on what the weather is doing. But for any of these crops (melons, cucumbers, pumpkins, winter squash and tomatoes), the cover needs to be removed when they start blooming so the pollinators can get to the flowers.
Q: I don’t understand what half strength dilution means referring to the
fish fertilizer. Could you tell me how much to use per gallon of
water? OLR, Spokane
A: When I fertilize young seedlings with fish fertilizer, I like to use it half-strength to avoid burning or overfeeding them. This means using half as much fish fertilizer from what is recommended on the label. So, for example, they recommend 2 tbsp. of fish fertilizer to a gallon of water for vegetables, bedding plants, bulbs and annuals. That means I will use 1 tbsp. of fertilizer to a gallon of water.
Q. I was wondering where you get all your seeds. I have looked at NW Seed and cannot find a lot of the seeds you listed in the paper. JD, Spokane
A: While I do order a lot of them online, I stay in touch with the gal who orders the seeds for Northwest Seed & Pet’s Sprague & Altamont store. She does a great job of ordering the ones I write about. If you can’t find them there, do a web search on the name of the variety to see who carries them.
Q. Do you rotate (the plantings in your) beds every year or use the same ones and amend the soil yearly?
A: Yes, I am very careful to rotate what’s planted in the beds (by plant family) to cut down on the chance of insect and disease problems. I also amend the soil yearly, based on what will be growing in each bed. For example, if onions or other root crops will be planted in a bed, I add bone meal to the soil to increase the amount of phosphorus to help with root development.
Q: Could you write about the difference between hard- and soft-neck garlic? There are so many choices out there – what should we look for in our area? RM, Spokane
A: My husband is a garlic aficionado and plants our garlic every year. He prefers hard-neck garlic, specifically ‘German Red’ and ‘German Porcelain’, because they have large cloves. You can’t braid together hard-neck garlic, though, so if that something you want to do, you would go with a soft-neck variety. Bill says that ‘Inchelium’ is the go-to variety for soft-neck. It has small cloves, which works well for recipes that call for small cloves.
Q: I’m growing onions for the first time this summer. My Walla Walla Sweets are ahead of the red and yellow as their tops are drooping over. I gently fingered the bulb part and they are a somewhat smaller than a tennis ball. Maybe like a big golf ball. So is this the time to reduce watering? Will they continue to get larger? BN, Coolin, ID
A: When the tops flop over, that’s when you should stop watering them. Just pull up the bulbs and leave them on top of the soil to dry out a bit. If there’s the threat of rain, move them to a protected area so they won’t get wet. You’ll want to use up the Walla Wallas first since they don’t keep well. The red and yellow varieties will take a bit longer to mature than the Walla Wallas. If all 3 types of onions are growing in the same bed, though, I wouldn’t cut back on watering the reds and yellows. If the WWs haven’t completely fallen over, keep watering them till they do.
Q: How can you tell when your watermelon is ripe, what’s the trick? KW, Spokane
A: I’ve heard that the area of the melon that was lying on top of the ground turns yellow when it’s ripe. I’ve heard other people swear by “thumping” on the melon; if it sounds kind of hollow, it’s supposed to be ripe. Those are the only 2 methods I know of!
Q: My ‘Early Girl’ and ‘Sweet 100’ cherry tomatoes are growing a bit wild,
bushy and about 4-5 feet tall. Should I snip the new shoots to
channel growth into the green tomatoes I see? JT, Spokane
A: I usually don’t start trimming my tomato plants back until the first week of August. I just shorten the plants a bit with the first pruning. Then I’ll do another pruning about 2 weeks later, removing a bit more. And then in Sept., I really remove a lot of growth so what’s left are the branches with the tomatoes on them, pruned right above. I think you can coast a bit longer before “terrorizing” your plants!