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1500 questions
9
votes
5 answers
Are chemical fertilizers poisonous to people or animals?
I've been seeing a lot of conflicting information online about chemical fertilizers being poisonous and was wondering if there are any trustworthy sources of information to definitely answer this question?
Randy
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9
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2 answers
Is mulch or topsoil better for new lawn in clay soil?
We just built a new home and the back yard has quite a bit of clay in it. We are planning on seeding the yard in the next month (September). I'm trying to decide between topsoil (4-6 inches) or tilling in organic matter. The advantage of the organic…
Lance
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9
votes
3 answers
What plants can I use to reduce soil humidity?
I live in Chile where the land slopes up into the hills just a few meters from the coast. I have a garage at sea level with the back wall in the ground and there's a little river flowing inside it. I am told it's from leaking sewage tanks above and…
Mantriur
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9
votes
1 answer
Why won't my mulberry tree set fruit?
I have a mulberry tree which has been in my garden for 4 years. I bought it at a market and I think it was a seedling. It has grown to a height of 4 metres and is thriving. Each year it has flowered and the bees are in abundance. After it has…
Ann Watkins
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1 answer
How can I determine when to pick a spiny cucumber, without touching it?
We have a friend who occasionally brings us vegetable plants, as she has her own garden/farm thing where she cultivates plants to sell to restaurants. This time around, she brought us some tiny red and yellow tomatoes as well as some cucumbers. The…
Grace Note
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9
votes
2 answers
What is this succulent weed?
This guy has been growing like gang busters in a newly planted bed of ground covering sedums. It's actually kind of a nice ground cover but based on its rate of spread and the fact that I didn't plant it I'm thinking of yanking it all up.
It has…
dkackman
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9
votes
1 answer
Compost pile and bugs (2 questions)
First insect question: When I turned our compost pile yesterday, there was a lot of very rich smelling black soil, semi composted vegetables/plant/oak leaf matter, and a LOT of pill bugs. My wife said, "They're doing their job well." Are pill bugs…
Mr. Anderson
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votes
3 answers
Effectiveness of Using Wood Chips (a la "Back to Eden") as a garden mulch/covering?
This year I revamped about half of my garden space using the biodynamic method found in John Jeavon's material. I now have the other half and after seeing the Back to Eden film I am really intrigued by using this method.
I have already tracked down…
Randy
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9
votes
3 answers
Am I doing the right thing with my chilli plants?
I have four chilli plants (Cayenne F1's) that I bought from a garden centre as seedlings back in April (I am in Scotland). When I say seedlings these plants were in tiny seedling growers and started life in my house as 4-6cm seedlings with a stalk…
Kev
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9
votes
2 answers
When is it ok to prune an overgrown apple tree?
I recently bought a new house and I'm trying to get the garden in order. It has an apple tree which has lots of low branches and appears generally neglected. Some of the leaves are silvery and look ill.
It blossomed in late May and, now in late…
RobEarl
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9
votes
5 answers
How can I amend clay soil with soil, without digging?
I live in a USDA hardiness zone 5 temperate area. Our soil is definitely heavy clay. I have bags and bags of dirt that I can use to amend it, but I'm stuck as to how.
See, the clay is very heavy, and the temperature is quite hot (25-30° Celsius…
ashes999
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9
votes
2 answers
How viable will 5 year old or 25 year old bush bean seeds be?
My Grandfather bred a bush bean for my Grandma. They've been gone for years, but I would like to try and keep the breed alive for heirloom purposes. I've got two sources of seeds, 1 source is about 5-8 years old, and the other source is 25+.
What…
thomasw_lrd
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9
votes
2 answers
Is this plant Giant Hogweed?
In getting our spring landscaping underway, we've run into a bush that a family member is sure that this plant (pictured) is Giant Hogweed.
Click photo for full size
British Columbia considers this plant to be toxic (if it is indeed that species)…
tbonz
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9
votes
1 answer
Removing concrete border around stone patio
My husband and I are buying a portion of our neighbor's property. Currently, our back yard has this ugly brick wall right by the back, which we are going to tear out. I also want to pull up all the stones in the patio and lay them back down,…
Cynthia
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9
votes
8 answers
How can I weed trim without damaging a fence?
I keep damaging the bottom of my fence with my gas weed trimmer. What is the best way to prevent damage to my fence while using a gas trimmer?
dpollitt
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