Question: I purchased a cottage and the garden has a lot of forget me nots in the garden beds. I’ve been removing invasives aggressively and successfully but I kept the forget-me-nots thinking that they were native. They did not bloom in 2023. This year I will want to pull them out if they don’t bloom […]
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Question: We’ve experienced serious erosion in recent storms with topsoil washing away leaving exposed clay. What can I plant to prevent further erosion and to make the bank look less like a war zone? Answer: Jonathan Foster, Home Horticulture Outreach Professional I will offer a couple of fantastic resources on choosing plants for erosion control, […]
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Question: Late frost last year meant zip peaches. This year could be a huge crop. After thinning the tiny fruit, how do we physically support the still heavily laden branches? I can easily envision tripod supports for near horizontal branches, but what to do for the not-so-horizontal branches? I’m thinking the trees will look like […]
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Question: I am purchasing pots of grasses for our seaside home. When can we plant them outside? Answer: Jonathan Foster, Home Horticulture Outreach Professional The estimated last frost date for your town is May 2 this year, so you’re very likely to be fine planting then. I will note, for full disclosure, that these dates can’t be […]
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Question: Branches from our lilac tree broke off leaving a large scar. I assume will heal on its own but is there something I should be doing to prevent bird/insect damage and promote healing? I did make a pruning cut where the wood was still attached. Answer: Jonathan Foster, Home Horticulture Outreach Professional Generally speaking, […]
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Question: Is it safe to use pressure-treated lumber for raised garden beds? If not, what are the alternatives to help prevent the wood from rotting? For example, a plastic lining does not seem to me to be a good alternative. Answer: Jonathan Foster, Home Horticulture Outreach Professional It’s a complicated question because the fact of […]
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Question: How long should it take for true leaves to appear on tomato seedlings? Can I rescue these seedlings? I planted tomato and pepper seeds on 3/1 using an organic seed-starting mix & following the instructions of your excellent seed starting video. I placed them on a heat mat. Within 4 days, the tomato seeds […]
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Question: Is it safe to use rainwater harvested from an asphalt shingled roof to water my raspberry garden? I am not so much concerned about the bacteria, but wondering about the chemicals from the shingles. Answer: Jonathan Foster, Home Horticulture Outreach Professional The short answer is that it’s complicated and different credible sources I found […]
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Question: I have two small flower gardens in my yard. I would like to have native pollinator-friendly flowers, but I am struggling to find greenhouses/plant sales that have specifically native grown plants. Any ideas? Answer: Jonathan Foster, Home Horticulture Outreach Professional My first advice is always to call local greenhouses and nurseries to see if […]
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Question: I have a 23-year-old crabapple tree. This past summer and fall the leaves were spotted with black and brown. It only produced small shriveled black fruit. Is there a disease I should be treating for? Answer: Jonathan Foster, Home Horticulture Outreach Professional Last year was a challenge for all kinds of fruit-bearing trees in […]
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