Vegetable Gardening
There is nothing quite like the taste of a freshly picked, juicy, vine-ripened tomato (particularly when you compare it to the cardboard ones shipped during the winter). That fresh, chin-dripping acid sweetness only comes from your own garden. I won’t even go on about combining herbs with your garden as I’ll assume you’ll want to tuck a few here and there to complement the vegetables.
Vegetable Gardening Planning and Crop Rotation
All About Tomatoes
Starting Tomato Seed
Start your own tomato seed to make sure you get the plants you want - particularly the heirloom ones that aren't readily available in stores
Tomato Allergy
Here are the symptoms and discussion of a tomato allergy - hint it's not about the acidity of the fruit.
Tomato Hornworm
Sooner or later you're going to see leaves disappearing (almost overnight) leaving behind stripped bare stalks. Here's the tomato hornworm.
Tomato Cages
Tomato cages are easily made and support plants well enough if they are determinate plants. (fruit ripens all at the same time)
Tomato Problems
You can't think of anything more boring than gardening pots but I can tell you a good pot makes the difference between a good garden and a great garden.
Tomato a Fruit?
Is the tomato a fruit or vegetable? It depends on whether you're talking to a botanist or the US Congress
Tomato Problems
This page is the Q&A form for asking tomato questions, please ensure you've done a search before you ask in case I've answered it before.
Vegetable Seeds and Handling Them
Second stage of Seed Starting
Once the seeds have started, the second stage of seed starting is to grow them into plants properly - here's how.
How To Buy Bedding Plants
If you don't start your own, here's how to buy bedding plants so you save money and get the best plants.
Vegetable Gardening Articles
Three Sister Gardening
Three Sisters Gardening gardening method of growing vegetables is
an interesting way to combine vegetable gardening in one plot.
Vegetable Planting Times
Tips on when to plant your veggies for best performance (the "when" does make a difference!)
Raised Bed Veg Gardening
Her's a few tips on raised bed vegetable gardening compared to ground-level gardening
Vertical Vegetable Gardening
Don't forget you can grow many vegetables "up" as well as "out" in your garden to save space
Straw Bale Gardening
Here are the basics of straw bale gardening and a Q&A form answered by experienced straw-balers.
Fall Vegetable Gardening
There's no reason to stop veggie gardening at the summer, fall is a perfect time for second crops of some vegetables
Gardening Pots
You can't think of anything more boring than gardening pots but I can tell you a good pot makes the difference between a good garden and a great garden.
List of Vegetables and How to Grow Them Here
Brussel Sprouts
If you like these, you love these mini-cabbages that are one of the latest veggies in the garden
Bush Beans
I'm not sure how many varieties of bush beans we grow thanks to my heirloom loving partner but it's a lot. Love 'em in stir fries.
Cauliflower
The trick to successful cauliflower is getting the curds covered at the right time and getting your growing timing done properly.
Baby Carrots
Don't mistake baby carrots for those chopped up carrots in the supermarket bags. Here's the real deal.
Peppers: Hot
Hot peppers - our garden is filled with different varieties every year and we love growing and eating them. Here's how we do it.
Peppers: Green
There are really clear guidelines for growing these successfully in cooler climates - here they are.
Squash: Winter
Beloved of serious gardeners and cooks, here's how to successfully get more fruit from fewer vines.
Watermelon
Are you kidding me? Nothing says summer like fresh watermelon and here's how to succeed with this plant in cooler climates.
Got a Vegetable Growing Question?
If you have a vegetable gardening question (and isn't answered on the main page) then feel free to ask it here.
If you have a picture of the problem or situation, feel free to upload it here as well (keep the pic under 100K please for faster uploading)
See What Others Have Asked
Click below to see plants that we've identified for other gardeners.
Pumpkins that aren't setting fruit I have lots of beautiful pumpkin vines and flowers but there are no small pumpkins growing. Is there anything to help them set? They are getting plenty ...
getting rid of raspberries The previous owner grew an unbounded raspberry patch in our backyard, and I pulled out all the roots from the patch, but it spread underground and the ...
can you eat blight tomatoes I have tomato plants with the yellow leaves, and black spots. I have a silly question. If these plants produce fruit, is it safe to eat and process? I ...
pumpkins
I am growing butternut pumpkins and they are. Growing to big and slitting.I do not no why.
Doug says that splitting in fruit is most often caused by ...
companion planting in a raised bed My husband and I are preparing to plant our first vegetable garden in raised beds. I've read some articles on intensive gardening and the advantages of ...
don't plant vegetables together
I am told certain veggie should not be planted near each other . How or where do I find out what veggies can be planted near each other ?
Doug says ...
Container Vegetable garden Hi - in these tough economic times - my kids and I have decided to start a vegetable garden. With both limited space and resources - we have opted to ...
All Tops No Bottoms
Beets,Turnips,carrots,radishes Great tops no root.
Doug says you don't say anything about how or where you're growing these plants.
Full sun? Critical....
Onion disease Last year was the second very wet and sunless summer here in UK. I nearly lost all my shallots and onions to mildew, either downy or powdery, not sure....
feeding pumpkins
Do I fertilize the pumpkins once they start to grow?
Doug says if you want great pumpkins, then yes you get to feed a little compost tea or fish emulsion ...
Cauliflower without curds Only one of my six very healthy cauliflower plants has produced curds. It's quite large and about to be harvested, but the others show no signs of producing ...
lush tomato plants, blooms, but no tomatoes This is the first year I have planted tomato plants in a new area, for the last 15 years I grew them in a different area with no problems. The new area ...
gardening on a septic system Hello. This is my very first question about my very first garden... which doesn't exist yet, but hopefully soon will be glorious:). My family is moving ...
deer resistant vegetables
What vegetable crops will deer not typically eat besides onions and garlic?
Doug says he's surprised they don't eat those things. :-)
Don't bet ...
Supporting Bush Beans
Do you need to stake bush beans to help support them?
Doug says that bush beans do not require staking at all.
Yellow Peppers
I understand now how to get the green pepper to turn red, but how do they go yellow? By staying longer on the plant?
Doug says you get yellow peppers ...
Peppers all skin no meat I have been growning Anaheim peppers for several years now and this year I have had some issues. Just would like to know what I have done wrong. Peppers ...
Delayed growth of Green Peppers Our green pepper are not growing well. The plants are green but growing very tall with very few blooms. What can we do to charge them up and get them ...
growing potatoes in straw
My grandmother always grew her potatoes in straw, how-
ever, my mom can't remember how she did this.
I have always gardened in raised beds and had my ...
Black Walnut thuggery
Hi,
We have two old, beautiful black walnuts at the back of our yard. Our compost heap is somewhat close to them-about 15 feet. If I use the compost ...
Tomatoe Blooms Dying All of my tomatoe plants this year have been growing great the plants look wonderful execpt for when they bloom the bloom will die and no fruit will be ...
Hail damage My gardens (flowers and vegatables) were hit by golf ball size hail last night. Most of the leaves have been shredded, but the plants are still standing....
tomato rot
The leaves of the plant has some spotting. But the green tomato start to "rot"? on the bottom.
What can I do?
Doug says you can read this article ...
Bad neighbor plants I've read lists of plants that are bad neighbors. It never tells me how far apart bad neighbors need to be. For ex: celery and corn, or legumes and onion ...
Pumpkins in Southeastern Ontario I want to grow a pumpkin for my daughter for Hallowe'en. I live in Ingleside, ON and this spring has been cold. It is the last week in May and still ...
ROMA TOMATO'S TIP i am an avid gardener and last year my roma's were so bountiful i couldnt eat them all. i canned many and fed the neibors and friends. i used 2 STAKES ...
Runner Beans Slow to Grow
I planted runner beans about two weeks ago for the first time. How long will it be before I see signs that they are growing.
Doug says if the soil ...
how do you kill rhubarb roots? I'm growing my first garden and rhubarb has taken over the entire area. I started to dig and chase the roots, I am exhausted. They are everywhere. So is ...
septic tanks
how far from the septic tank do you need to plants veggies?
Doug says that generally speaking you don't have to worry about it. The vegetables won'...
swiss chard
can swiss chard be started from seed indoors, and later transplanted into the main garden area?
Doug says that indeed swiss chard can be planted indoors ...
Pea planting and split peas I recently planted Early Alaska Green Peas. I was not aware of how close to plant them and I planted them 3 to 4 inches apart. Will that hurt anything,...
Walnut trees and raised beds I have just moved and there are walnut trees everywhere. My question is can I put in a raised vegetable garden that will not be affected by the toxins ...
Summer Camp Quick Grow I work at a non profit summer camp for inner city and rural maine foster-care girls. Many of these girls don't have any idea where food comes from. We'...
How many of each vegi should I plant? My garden size is 15x7 ft. I love cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, and green beans. My question is is the size appropriate enough for the types ...
Gourds Cross Pollination
will gourds cross pollinate? and if they do, how far apart should rows of different gourds be spaced?
thank you:
gene
Doug says that gourds will ...
Raised Garden Problems I have had a raised vegetable/flower garden for several years. I have improved the soil with compost but my crops are still poor. The walls are made with ...
Tomato shape distorted Here's a photo of an early girl tomato picked 15th of Aug/08 from my small garden. What causes the imperfection of the tomato? I would appreciate your ...
White powdery substance on zuchinni and butternut squash
I have never had a problem growing vegetables until now.
There is a white powdery substance that now shows on my zuchinni and butternut squash plant leaves....
Tomatoes in the fall/winter I plan on started some tomatoes in planters. But I am a little late getting started. Can I still grow them in the fall/winter or is it better to wait ...
Harvesting Arugula
when harvesting do you pull or cut?
Doug says you can do either. Just get 'em before the real heat turns and it goes really bitter and hot.
Tomatoes that split when ripe - tomato cracking
Could this be caused by too much water or sun too hot?
Doug says that splitting and cracking is a physiological problem. It is usually caused by variability ...
Onions , when can you eat them? I just planted yellow onions in my garden and I was wondering if i can harvest them thoughout the growing season and eat them (as i thin them out) the ...
Vegetable Gardening on an incline I have planted vegetable gardens for years on very flat yards. We recently purchased a new house and the back yard is quite sloped. I know good soil ...
