Fe asked, via some far distant internet avenue: Morning glory vine is taking over my garden and I want to get rid of it without also killing my grapevine. Is it possible? I answered "Yes" but also promised a more detailed response. Which is here for your "gareadening" pleasure. First of all, the Morning Glory. … Continue reading What’s the story, Morning Glory?
Category: Consultations: Q&A
Soula asked: i discovered this weird grub in my garden when i was digging up the last of the potatoes, just next to the bougainvillea trunk. there were 5-6 of them. is this a bad grub? and why would it appear? i took a photo of one So, what the hell is it? Remember when … Continue reading Grubby road – The Beetles
Caseymoira asked (via a popular social networking site): if it's this warm for the next week how will the leaves know that its time to change colours? Well, I am glad you asked, Casey. It's a good question, and the answer reveals just how complex are the apparently simple things we see. Deciduous trees, those … Continue reading The autumn leaves of red and gold
After Rebecca made her indoor garden, she threw away the mould...but it grew back, apparently. Rebecca asked: Hello Garden Doctor My indoor garden is a little ill! The soil in my indoor pots is getting mouldy, and it's not even winter yet when the problem usually arises. I have a very small dark flat with … Continue reading …so the mould says, “Hey, I’m a fun guy”
Tokes said (via facebook): got powdery mildew on [my] zucchini and may as well just chuck the whole lot out. That's a bit drastic, for something as predictable as Powdery Mildew! I'll tell you what you can do about it. Powdery Mildew on Zucchini, and the rest of the Cucurbit family, including Melons, Pumpkins, Cucumbers, … Continue reading When only the best mildew
Zoe asked Hello there, I have a question that I hope you’ll have time for. I live in Canberra and we have a large interplanted organic bed which is next to the neighbour’s fence. Having defeated the plague of earwigs and ravenous slaters with yeasty beer-brewing leavings and time, I have now got a plague … Continue reading Talking to a stranger: Friend or foe
Kara asked: Oh wise garden one….my pumpkin plants have gone crazy but I’ve only just started seeing flowers in amongst the chaos, should I be seeing fruit (I haven’t really looked too hard….) and if not should I start doing pumpkin style rumpy-pumpy? And how do I know when they reach full size? And can … Continue reading Punkin disorderly
Mel asked: My indoor potted Basil plants keep dying. This could be because, a. I don’t live in a warm climate or b. I keep going away and leaving them to die. Aside from needing to water my Basil plants more do you have any tips for coaxing growth from a cold a and frigid … Continue reading Growing out through the indoors
Kara asked: So I have an alpine strawberry plant I planted into a pot the summer before last. That first summer I had some fruit, but last summer I had no flowers whatsoever, at the end of this last winter I was surprised to find some small flowers but it was still too cold and … Continue reading Alpine for you when you’re gone…
fluffy asks: I say Dr, I’ve put broad beans in and they’ve gotten about 3″ out of the ground so far. Are they already putting nitrogen into the soil? Also, I was thinking of interplanting the rows of broad beans with parsnips. I put the parsnip seeds in deep seedling punnets in seed raising mix … Continue reading The bean that was really a pea, and the happy little bacteria
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