Category: Vegetable Gardening

Why is it that year after year my tomatoes rot on the vine before they are ripe?

I have trouble these bugs, mainly on my runner beans.
I have tried using diatomeous earth sprayed every 4 days but this doesn’t stop the problems.
Do you have any suggestions to control them?
Steve Holroyd , Tokoroa

Hi Guys,
Neil here from Thames. I’m having probs of obtaining the right kind of spray of dealing insect eating my Cabbages etc. I have been using YATES bug oil but it doesn’t appear to be doing anything. What should I use?? cheers. Neil.

Which months of the year are there likely to be little or no presence of aphids and white butterfly’s around New Plymouth?

Am a complete newbee to Vege gardening, have bed ready, but what is recommened for planing now ? keen on growing Kale is this ok now ?

Both the silver beat and spinach I grow has developed a brown colouring on the leaves that looks like rust. What is it and how do I get rid of it?

Hi there – did you know there’s currently a competition open to schools, enviro’ groups and ag clubs to win $500 towards creating or developing an edible garden. It’s run by not-for-profit organisation Soil, Food & Society. Here’s the link: https://www.soilfoodsociety.online/edible-garden-competition. Is this something you could put into your newsletters? Thank you : )

On the shortest day last winter I planted several sprouting garlic cloves – some in pots and some around the edge of a vegetable plot. In early January when the tops had dried off I harvested them and was disappointed to find they had not grown into a proper corm, dust one small bulb resembling a spring onion. Can you please explain why this has happened and how I can rectify it.

We grew stunning looking corn this year but it was not sweet tasting. How do we increase the sugar content?

Could you please tell me when its the right time to harvest pumpkin and how best to store for future use?

I will have a few pumpkins growing on my vines during the next few months. How can I tell when they are ready to harvest?

Dear sir/madam,

I have five potatoes plants growing in a stack of four tyres. One of the plants has gone yellow and is dying. I read that this means the potatoes are ready. however the other four plants are still green and one still has flowers. Can I leave the potatoes in there until all the plants yellow or will the ones ready now rot and affect the others?

please advise.

regards,
Alex

Hi i have just had a super season with tomatoes, cucumbers, etc .I am now pulling the plants out , will i have to change the soil or just add stuff to it . This is the 1st year I have had a tunnel house.

Could you please tell me what you would recommend I spray the plants in my glasshouse with, they are getting covered in tiny white fly. Initially I sprayed with a baking soda recipe, but that didn’t look at it, then I tried a bought spray that had white fly on the label. This hasn’t worked either. I am growing tomatoes, capsicums and have just pulled out the cucumbers. The tomatoes are the worst plants infested with this little blighter but the fruit aren’t affected at all – the plants are pumping out tomatoes. Thanks for your help.

One tomatoe plant in my green house has yellow at the top of the core, any idea why?

I have grown potatoes in tyres this year and they came away looking really good I thought the wind had caught one lot and all the leaves started to droop and then look as though they had died went looking for some potatoes and found a few but even though they look good they are soft what has gone wrong??