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1500 questions
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How do I know when winter rye seed is ready to harvest?
I planted some winter rye last fall to hold a patch of soil over the winter. Planned to mow it, but spring came, summer came, and I still haven't cut it down. It's got beautiful fat seed heads on it now.
How do I know when these are ready to harvest…
bstpierre
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2 answers
How do I prune a cork-screw willow?
I would like to have a small "cork-screw' willow in my front yard. I don't want it as a bush, but with a strong middle trunk.
It currently is about 1.5 feet tall. It has three fairly equally tall trunks. One is very bent. The other two are fairly…
Joseph Barisonzi
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How can I discourage wasps?
We built our house last fall, and I've already found one wasp next in a corner of the eaves. I know that one of our neighbors has a huge problem with wasps, and has a large amount of exterior exposed wood (multiple decks, wood trim, a large…
Scivitri
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1 answer
How can I drain lawn with very little slope?
I have a depression on the side of my lawn where rain and sprinkler water collects. There used to be a plastic lined pond and a lot of rock (for the last 5-8 years) that I suspect blocked the water from draining properly on that side. I'm going to…
webXL
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2 answers
What is a sucker and how does it differ from a water sprout or branch?
In a post about renovating mature pear trees there is a diagram (below) showing tree nomenclature as it pertains to pruning. In it, the letter "A" indicates suckers, and "E" marks shaded interior branches. What's the difference?
Another diagram I…
That Idiot
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12
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1 answer
Which types of broccoli are cut-and-come-again?
I grew two types of broccoli this year. One was monaco I think, and the other one I'm not sure about (maybe calabrese?).
We started harvesting the monaco more than a month ago and per this question we have been getting a good crop of secondary heads…
Tea Drinker
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12
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3 answers
What is the effect of streetlights on plants?
This may be totally off the wall, but the sunflowers growing around my garden are bigger the nearer they are to the street light. I've seen documentaries with marijuana labs in California where they grow their plants all day and all night under the…
Peter Turner
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3 answers
How to Keep Compost "Hot" in Winter?
I live in Pittsburgh (i.e., Zone 6) and I started a compost bin in the 2nd week in October. (I know, I should have started earlier...)
It has a lot of kitchen scraps, maybe 60-70%, but I've also been composting leaves, dead plants from the fall…
Geoff Hutchison
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Which inks which can safely be added to vermicompost bins?
I've heard that the inks used on newsprint are generally soy-based and thus suitable for use in vermicomposting bedding. Presumably the ink used to mark corrugated cardboard boxes is also safe, since this is another commonly recommended bedding…
intuited
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12
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3 answers
What are some good vegetables for a beginner, and how do I find quality seeds?
I have taken a recent interest in gardening, particularly growing herbs and vegetables.
I don't know much, but I'm going to wing it and learn from trial and error.
I have a few questions that I really need answered in order to advance with my new…
Lone Wolf
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1 answer
Will these Chili plants have enough time to flower and produce chilis?
I'm worried I might have planted my chilis too late. This is what they look like now, and there are 5-6 weeks left of summer here. Will they have enough time to produce chilies?
Dan
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What animal is eating my cherry tomatoes and strawberries?
My garden (first ever!) has been doing great. Yesterday I harvested my potatoes, which left half the garden open and bare. Some critter seemed to view this now-open landscape as an invitation to come and dine.
Whatever it was, it ate all my…
Caffeine Coma
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How can I remove a bush whose roots are breaking concrete?
In our backyard there is a bush growing up the side of a wall, using a drain pipe to crawl up.
Its trunk has grown to be relatively thick (~ 10 cm) and it is now causing the concrete to split on the floor. I'd like to remove it altogether. What's…
Joel H
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5 answers
What causes cucumber leaves to turn yellow, brown, wilt, die, and the plants to stop producing?
Every year it seems my cukes will go gang busters then suddenly the leaves turn yellow (starting with yellow spots), then turn brown, wilt and slowly die off. This all happens from the root crown and works its way out. I have pictures of early…
Bill
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How can I encourage a jade tree to grow a strong trunk?
I have spindly jade plants. They don't much look like the tightly packed, overgrown one in this related question, but they are delicate, spreading out almost like vines. This is a problem any time I need to move things on the windowsill, as pieces…
aedia λ
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