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1500 questions
28
votes
5 answers
How should I properly prepare a raised bed vegetable garden?
When building a raised bed for a vegetable garden, what do I need to do to properly prepare the soil? It is going to be mixed with different types of vegetables and herbs that I will rotate out all year long.
Should I buy the more expensive garden…
Jacob Schoen
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28
votes
2 answers
My second year garlic has flowers. Is it safe to eat?
Apparently I didn't find all my garlic bulbs last fall and they grew to 4 feet tall this spring. They have a large, white flower head. I want to try cooking with it, but don't want to risk my family's health.Does anyone know if the different parts…
agent-j
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28
votes
2 answers
How do I help my kitchen window herb garden thrive?
For the last couple of years, I've been nursing along a sort of kitchen window herb garden consisting of cilantro, parsley, basil and chives. What I've done is bought live herb plants at our local grocery store and re-potted them in individual pots…
Jon Ericson
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28
votes
1 answer
What woods shouldn't be used for hugelkultur?
I have a yard this year for the first time and I'm attempting various methods of building beds. For my first bed, I used double digging. But that was an insane amount of work and I'm not all that happy with the bed that resulted. I've been…
Daniel Bingham
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28
votes
5 answers
What is "Compost Tea" good for?
I have read that you can get a tumbler type of composter and collect the "juices" from the composter. This is referred to as "compost tea".
Does anyone know what the real usage of this is? Some perusal of the Internet would suggest that holds some…
Randy
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28
votes
2 answers
Why do my upside-down tomato plants curve up and break?
When I try to grow "upside-down" tomatoes, they always curve back up towards the sun and eventually break, causing massive damage. Could I be doing something wrong, or is there a way to avoid this?
Emrikol
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28
votes
3 answers
Why has my mint plant gone all woody/sparse/stringy?
I grew my mint plant in a pot to contain the roots, and that has worked well for 3-4 months. However, the plant is not really producing fresh leaves now. Is there anything I can do?
Dan
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28
votes
3 answers
Do legumes provide nitrogen to their companions?
It's common knowledge that legumes (clover, beans, etc) can (with the help of Rhizobium bacteria) fix nitrogen from the air and hold it in the soil.
Much is made of this fact -- advice that we should plant clover in our lawn to give the grass a…
bstpierre
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27
votes
3 answers
In The Martian, Mark keeps the largest potatoes for his food supply and replants the smaller ones. Doesn't this cultivate smaller potatoes?
I was watching The Martian, and there is a scene with Mark harvests his potatoes and says that he keeps the larger ones for his food supply and replants the smaller ones.
Wouldn't this create a genetic propensity for the next harvest to favor…
Zhro
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27
votes
4 answers
Should I stop adding fruit and vegetable seeds to my compost
I put all my fruit and vegatable scraps in my compost including seeds. This spring is my first time adding my own compost to my garden. Now all those seeds are germinating. I got a good chuckle but now I want to know what I'm doing wrong. I figure…
pduey
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27
votes
11 answers
What is an easy vegetable to grow in a hot, dry summer / cool, wet winter climate?
I want to try growing vegetables. What is an easy veggie to start with? I live in a climate with hot, dry summers and cool rainy winters.
Jonathan
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27
votes
6 answers
What plants will deter mosquitoes?
Does anyone have any plant recommendations that could deter mosquitoes? The location is North Texas, and I am looking for something that could be used on or around the deck. This might make the deck more comfortable in summer, but it may also deter…
winwaed
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27
votes
7 answers
Which leaves should I harvest in a mint plant?
I am trying to grow mint. I did repot the plant cutting away excess roots. I placed the plant where it gets direct sunshine for about half a day and water the plant occasionally. It does pretty well with leaves showing up in a few weeks.
The…
Doc
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27
votes
7 answers
What is this vine-like weed and how do I kill it?
I have a viney weed growing in my yard. Weed and Feed doesn't seem to affect it. It's slowly spreading to more and more of my yard every year. What is it, and how do I kill it?
antony.trupe
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27
votes
9 answers
How to keep chipmunks out of my garden?
Forget rabbits, I have a fence around the garden, my real pest problem is chipmunks. I've got a fence, with some below ground barriers, to keep larger pests out and to keep them from digging but the chipmunks still get in. Chicken wire doesn't…
MichaelF
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