Q. I have one persimmon tree that hasn’t produced any fruit yet. How old does a tree have to be before doing so? Do I need to have more than one tree in order to produce persimmons? – Dennis Stutler, Batesville, Ind. A. Persimmons are dioecious, which means male and female flowers are on separate plants. You need a male and female plant to produce fruit. You really can’t tell a male from a female […]
Q. This is the second year for my humming bird vines. They are supposed to have trumpet-shaped flowers but did not have any last year or this year. What could be wrong? The vines are hardy and really vine out. We do have a lot of walnut trees on our property, but none are close to the vines. Could this be a problem? Also, I need to know what flowers and vegetables will grow around […]
Q. We have moles all over our yard. I’ve tried mole beans, match heads, even moth Balls. Nothing works. We can’t walk in our yard without sinking down into a tunnel. Linda Bridges, Columbus, Ind. A. Moles eat earthworms, beetle grubs, ants and other animals that live in the soil. They generally do not eat,bulbs or the roots of plants. Still, the runways can damage our garden plants by exposing the roots to air and […]
Q: I would like to plant a red rose bush this year, but I don’t know where to start. There is lots of red clay at my house, yet I figure a few bags of topsoil will take care of that problem. When should I plant them? — Ray Padgett, via e-mail. A: Bare-root roses must be planted in the spring, but container-grown roses can be planted any time during the growing season. Dig the […]
Recent columns about animals visiting your gardens sparked a great deal of mail. I’ll print some of the letters here, but I want to remind you that many of these suggested changes may keep the animals away for only a short time. If food supplies are scarce, your garden visitors will munch on soapy, hairy or peppered tomatoes. In addition, some home remedies can be dangerous. (Imagine the oft-repeated “remedy” concerning gasoline in mole holes!) […]
Q. I just read your column addressing a question on how to keep raccoons out of sweet corn. Have you ever tried a radio? We run a long extension cord to the garden (we tried batteries, but that was too expensive), put the radio inside a garbage bag to protect it from the weather, tune in to a talk show and turn it up very loud. (We tried a music station, but that didn’t bother […]
Due to the wonders of technology, I received eight or nine questions in a less than timely fashion. If you wrote me this fall, I now have your questions and will answer them over the next couple of columns. I know one of you needed help winterizing mums and now it’s too late! Throw some mulch on them, and I’ll answer the question in more detail soon! Sorry about the delay. Q. Are there any […]
It seems Indiana gardeners were spending their time preparing for the holidays rather than reflecting on recent garden woes. That means I get a month off! Here are some often-asked questions that I have run before. Q. I didn’t get my spring bulbs planted this fall. Is it too late? A. Your best bet is to plant them as soon as possible. If the soil is not frozen, plant them immediately. When the ground freezes, mulch the […]
Q. How do you start and grow rhubarb? &emdash; Gerald Wicoff, Danville, Ill. A. Rhubarb can be planted in the spring as soon as the ground can be worked. Choose crowns of a known cultivar with at least two large buds. Valentine, Canada Red, McDonald and Ruby are recommended red cultivars. Victoria is a recommended green-stalked cultivar. Valentine tends to produce fewer unwanted seed stalks. Valentine and McDonald require less sugar in food preparation than many […]
Please tell me what I can do with squirrels? I plant flowers and tulip bulbs and other bulbs. Every day when I come home from work, my bulbs are out of the ground, and my flowers are eaten down to the roots. I just don’t know what to do. Can you help me solve the problem? – Mrs. John Bielefeldt, Chicago Heights, Ill. A. Exclusion is tricky but effective. Fencing or hardware cloth around the […]