467 useful answers · Page 15 of 20
Start seeds, grow in containers, and learn what your garden needs.
Search this topicYes, tomatoes can form roots along buried stem sections, making deeper planting an option for an overly tall transplant. Use suitable warm, well-drained soil and retain healthy foliage above the surface. Check the plant before choosing its final depth and support. This useful tomato trait is not a general rule for all vegetables, so do not apply the same treatment automatically to every transplant in the bed.
Catfacing is one possibility, especially when flowers developed during cold conditions. It produces irregularly shaped fruit and scars rather than the typical dark, sunken decay of blossom-end rot. Compare the symptoms before changing your watering or adding amendments. Later fruit may develop normally as conditions warm. Photograph uncertain damage for local diagnosis, since the appearance and timing together are more informative than a single misshapen tomato.
Mints can cross with related types, so seed-grown plants may not retain a named plant's exact aroma and flavor. Use a cutting or division from a correctly identified plant when reproducing that particular mint matters. Label the new plant and keep it contained as it grows. A different scent does not necessarily indicate poor care; it may reflect the seedling's inherited characteristics.
Variegated pineapple mint can scorch in strong sun, so a position with some partial shade may suit it better. Watch the pale leaf areas after a move and adjust exposure gradually. Keep moisture appropriate without leaving the roots waterlogged. Treat the cultivar's foliage as a useful clue rather than assuming every mint tolerates the same position simply because the plants belong to the same broad group.
True French tarragon is normally propagated by cuttings or division rather than viable seed. Seed-grown tarragon is generally the less aromatic Russian type. Buy a correctly identified plant or take a cutting from a known French tarragon when that specific flavor is your goal. Keep the botanical and cultivar information with the plant instead of relying on the broad common name on a seed packet.
Although it needs good light, French tarragon can benefit from partial shade where summer temperatures regularly exceed about 90°F. Check heat exposure and drainage together rather than compensating with constantly wet soil. An established plant needs an airy root zone and some drying between waterings. Choose relief from severe afternoon heat while maintaining useful light, especially when the same site has repeatedly stressed the plant.
Yes. Start identified culinary ginger, Zingiber officinale, early in containers and consider harvesting young baby ginger after roughly four months of growth. Mature rhizomes need a much longer warm season. A container also lets you move the plant indoors before cold weather. Handle young rhizomes gently because their thin skins bruise easily, and keep this crop distinct from unrelated plants sold under other ginger common names.
Culinary ginger can become dormant under short days and cool indoor conditions, losing its above-ground growth while the rhizome remains alive. Wisconsin Extension advises keeping leafless dormant container plants dry and resuming watering when new shoots appear. Check for firm healthy rhizomes rather than treating any leaf loss as a demand for more water. Soft, decaying tissue needs a different assessment from ordinary seasonal dormancy.
Some artichokes need adequate cool conditions to initiate flower stalks, so late planting can miss the required chilling period. Choose a variety suited to annual production when your climate will not support reliable overwintering, and plan its early start using local guidance. Leaf growth alone does not prove flower initiation occurred. Check variety and seasonal timing before assuming that more fertilizer will produce buds.
Cut the bud after it has reached useful size but before its outer bracts begin opening. Leave a short piece of stem attached and continue caring for the plant's remaining growth. A bud left longer becomes a flower, which can be attractive but is a different goal from harvesting a tender artichoke. Inspect developing buds regularly rather than waiting for the largest one to open.
Excess nitrogen while plants are young can favor leaves over flowers and pod production. Review the soil-test recommendation and everything already added before feeding again. Okra also needs adequate warmth and a suitable growing season, so evaluate those conditions together. A taller, greener plant is not necessarily a more productive one, and a weak harvest does not automatically mean the bed needs additional fertilizer.
Okra needs warm soil and can struggle when planted too early. Utah State recommends waiting for soil around 75°F and soaking seed overnight to help germination. Check the seedbed temperature and drainage rather than repeatedly saturating cold ground. In a short season, a planned indoor start may be useful, but the young plants still need appropriately warm outdoor conditions when they are transplanted.
After pollination, peanuts form pegs that grow downward into the soil, where the pods develop. A barrier that prevents those pegs from entering the ground can prevent a crop. Keep the surface suitable for penetration and remove plastic mulch at flowering if it blocks that access. Weed carefully once pegs have entered the soil so you do not disturb the developing underground pods.
Peanuts can be planted in the shell or carefully shelled first; shelled seed generally germinates sooner. Preserve the thin reddish seed coat when shelling, because damage can ruin the seed. Use suitable planting seed and wait for warm soil. Handle individual kernels gently rather than treating them like a snack to peel completely, and compare your variety's maturity period with the available frost-free season.
Before frost, save a healthy section of the bulbous shoot base with roots attached and pot it for a warm, bright indoor position. A manageable division is easier to overwinter than an enormous outdoor clump. Keep the plant cared for through winter, then return it outside when conditions are suitable. This preserves living planting material rather than expecting a tropical clump to survive frozen garden soil.
Lemongrass often grows slowly until summer heat arrives, then expands much more quickly under suitable moisture, light, and nutrition. Check that the roots are healthy and the site drains, but do not assume slow cool-weather growth means the plant needs repeated heavy feeding. Give it sufficient final space. A small spring division can become a much larger clump once the weather supports active tropical growth.
Treat it as a different crop. New Zealand spinach, Tetragonia tetragonoides, is a warm-season plant that is set outside after frost danger, while ordinary spinach favors cooler conditions. Check the botanical name before following a planting calendar. This difference is useful when planning summer greens, but it also means that the early sowing schedule for regular spinach should not be transferred unchanged to the substitute.
The seed can germinate slowly and unevenly, taking two to three weeks to emerge. Soaking it for about a day before sowing can help hasten germination. Keep the prepared seedbed moist and allow enough time before deciding the planting failed. Label the row clearly, and avoid repeatedly disturbing it to search for roots while later seedlings are still working their way to the surface.
Usually not. Black salsify needs roughly a four-month growing period, so a late sowing may not produce substantial roots before your season ends. Plan it as a longer crop using local spring or suitable mild-climate autumn timing. Check the available growing window before assigning it an empty bed. Its cool-season character does not mean it matures as quickly as a small salad radish.
The roots are quite cold hardy and can remain in the garden where conditions allow access. Handle them carefully when the ground or roots are frozen because they become brittle and can break during lifting. Plan around soil accessibility as well as plant hardiness. Alternatively, lift sound roots and store them under suitably cool, humid conditions rather than forcing a fork through frozen ground.
Yes. A draining pot of suitable medium can sit in a larger container holding shallow water so the roots remain wet. Use a clean cultivated setup and replace the water regularly; Utah State suggests once or twice weekly. Keep the medium from drying out and provide suitable light. This mimics the plant's moisture needs without requiring you to collect plants from an unverified natural waterway.
No. Garden cress is usually Lepidium sativum, while watercress is Nasturtium officinale. They have different growth habits and moisture requirements, so check the botanical name on the packet or plant label before arranging a continuously wet watercress container. Common names can group several peppery greens together. Correct identification at purchase prevents a care plan designed for one plant from being applied to another.
Harvest while the fruit is firm, well developed for its variety, and still glossy. Dull skin, softness, and prominent seeds can indicate that it is past the preferred stage. Use the variety's expected shape and size because not every eggplant becomes a large purple oval. Cut the stem with suitable shears instead of twisting hard enough to damage the plant's branches.
An insulating organic mulch can keep already cool soil from warming, and eggplant needs warmth to grow well. Delay that mulch until the root zone has warmed sufficiently, then use it to conserve moisture and reduce weeds. Check soil temperature rather than deciding by the afternoon air alone. The same covering that helps during hot weather can work against a warm-season crop when applied too early.
How to grow basil in a pot20 minutes to set up
How to propagate basil cuttings in water15 minutes + rooting time
Seed-starting mix vs potting mix: what should you buy?10 minutes to compareSource checks for these answers: September 23, 2026. Product instructions and local requirements can vary.