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  Your Questions: Miscellaneous 

Click on a question to jump to its answer.
       I want to do a science fair experiment about the effect of milk on plants.
       What is a good method for staking tomatoes?
       Do you have any advice for growing potatoes?
       Tell me about: organic vs. non organic produce, and home grown vs. commercial
       Should I add rotten fruit to my compost pile?
       Who is the guy on PBS that uses dish soap and tonics in the garden?
       Where can I find information on organic gardening products?
       Can I heat my greenhouse with a compost pile?
       Why isn't my shrub (specifically forsythia) producing flowers?
     What can I do to encourage blooms?
       Do you have any tips for growing celery?
       Why are my tomato, pepper, and lettuce seeds not sprouting?
       What are some vegetables and flowers that love shade?
       What flowers will grow well under Georgia Pines (dense shade)?
       How do I know when to start seeds?
       Any problems with converting land to an organic garden?
       Should I plant flowers in my vegetable garden as companion plants?
       How far apart should my cypress trees be planted to create a wall?

Rodale's All-New Organic Gardening Encyclopedia was consulted for some of the following responses.

  I am trying to find information on feeding plants. My daughter is doing a science project using milk to feed plants, but I cannot seem to find any information. Can you tell me where to look?  

     You might want to check out this website. It's a science fair project about the nutritional needs of a plant. I would have a two step approach to the research in your project. First, I would find out what were the nutritional needs of a plant - what minerals, compounds, and elements must it get from the soil. Your best source for this information would probably be a biology or botany textbook. You probably want to consider the 3 primary elements required for healthy plant growth, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. These are the 3 ingredients in NPK fertilizers (in stores they will have labels like 20-5-5). You might want to visit this website to and send an email using the link at the bottom of the page - ask for specific information about the nutritional needs of a plant. You could also try multimedia encyclopedias (like Encarta). Next step: finding out the nutritional content of milk. Just look at the label on the back of your milk carton...it should show all the components of milk. You might also want to look up milk in an encyclopedia, for more detailed info.

  What is a good method for staking tomatoes? 

     Last year I experimented with a new way of staking my tomatoes. Basically, I took pieces of lumber 2 x 2 inch, and about 6 feet long, and I buried the ends about 1 foot deep in my tomato rows. Make sure that the supports are fairly thick and heavy, or they will be unable to support the weight of the plants. The stakes were placed about 5 feet apart, and their tops were aligned with the row of tomato plants. I then used my electric stapler to attach a heavy twine to the tops of the stakes (I had to hit the staples in further with a hammer to make the twine more secure, and to keep it taut.) Then I took my ball of string (I believe it was hemp, or some other organic fiber) and tied one end around the base (the lowest part of the stem) of a tomato plant. I made sure to make a square knot and to make a circle big enough so that the stem would have room to grow - I wouldn't want the knot to tighten and strangle the plant. Next I wound the string around the primary stem of the plant. I was careful to keep it tight, but not so tight that it would strip off branches or harm the stem tissue. When I reached the top of the plant, I extended the ball of string up to the overhanging twine. I then made a loose knot around the twine with the string - the knot should not unravel on its own, but you need to be able to take it out. I made sure that the string from the base of the plant to the twine was taut - this will support the plant. After I tied the knot, I let out about three more feet of string and then cut it. I repeated this process for all the other plants in the row. As the plants grew, I would undo the knot around the twine and wrap the string around the newly grown stem. I would then retie the knot, making sure that the string was taut. When the plants reached the twine, I pinched off the top of the main stem, halting the upward growth. I found this method to be extremely effective, as long as you keep up with the wrapping. If this method is going to work, you must stay on top of suckers. In case you don't know, suckers are the branches that grow between the main stem (which grows upward), and the leafy branches (which grow horizontally.) They usually emerge a little while after the leafy branch has grown. Suckers are basically new primary stems. If your main stem is damaged or broken off, allow a sucker to grow and it will replace it. However, if you do not remove your suckers while they are small, you will be forced to start new strings at the base of each sucker (if you don't do this, they will break or run along the ground). Overall, I recommend that you remove suckers because they draw from the vitality of the primary stem. If you do not remove them, make sure that each sucker has its own supportive string wrapped around its base (the place where it splits from the primary stem.)

     As you probably know, it is essential to stake tomato plants. Staking allows you to grow a large number of plants in a fairly small area and to keep the plants and the tomatoes away from the ground and the harmful organisms that live in the soil. It makes it easier to pick ripened tomatoes, and promotes healthy plant growth by allowing air and light to reach all the leaves of the plant. I suggest that you use the staking method that I recommended. It saved me a ton of work in my garden. Cleanup was even a lot easier (All that I had to do was cut off the string - with the plant on it - pull the roots out of the ground, and throw it on the compost pile.) I hope that you will have success with this technique. You can visit the gallery of my website to find pictures that will further illustrate my staking method.

  Do you have any advice for growing potatoes? 

     You asked for advice on growing potatoes. I don't know any really good advice for growing potatoes, or tips that will drastically change your success. If you have any more specific questions (about organically treating diseases, for example) please email me back. I'm including a list of some particularly good potato varieties.

  Is the mineral content consistent in non organic vs. organically grown foods? Are NPK chemical fertilizers such as the blue or green granules you buy from your local gardening center and mix with water harmful in any way? What about other man-made fertilizers used on farms? Lastly, is home grown organic food nutritionally equal to commercially grown organic produce? 

Response submitted by Tomoko Shaffer

     Dr. Wm. Peavy has written a fantastic, easy to read, down to earth (literally and figuratively), book based on 40 years of research as a soil scientist. This old guy is downright entertaining! His book, Super Nutrition Gardening, is about boosting the natural vitamin and mineral content of home-grown fruits and vegetables. According to his research, even commercially grown produce can vary astoundingly in mineral content depending on where in our country it is grown. Western and Plains states produced superior nutritional quality than in the southern and eastern US, where minerals have been leached from the soil for a longer period of time. Vegetables that he and his research staff grew using his "supercharged" soil building methods produced veggies with ten, a hundred, and sometimes a thousand per cent more nutritional value!! Of course if the soil lacking minerals, the food grown in it will be missing minerals. If we are eating these deficient vegetables, our bodies may look healthy, just like the food on the produce shelves looks OK, but both are becoming devoid of the minerals needed to sustain health. The difference between us and the veggies is that we'd like to live to a ripe old age, while the shelf life of produce need not be long. Additionally, produce picked early for shipping and not kept refrigerated can lose most of its nutritional quality by the time we buy it. Dr. Peavy found oranges that looked perfectly fine but had absolutely zero Vitamin C in them!

     His book first explains why it is so important to grow our own "supercharged" veggies and then explains how to do it. He starts with sprouts on your kitchen counter and goes through designing huge garden beds, maximizing the growing year, staggering the harvesting to avoid excessive crops, harvesting for peak nutrition, and best storage methods. No, I am not a relative or employee. Ya just gotta love this guy's dedication.

RE: NPK being harmful.

     NPK fertilizers, when applied at high rates, cause plants to absorb the fertilizers quickly and produce high yeilds. Plants grown in demineralized soil (as most of our soils are, because farmers typically use NPK fertilizers only) consume high concentrations of NPK at the expense of other nutrients that may be abundant in the soil. This is called "luxury consumption" in soil scientist lingo. The overwhelming of crops with artificial forms of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium reduces the absorbtion of other elements. The displacement of trace elements reduces the amount of protein that is constructed from the nitrogen, because these trace elements are needed to transform nitrogen into amino acids....thus, we also end up with less plant protein.

My Response

     About the consumer-bought fertilizer granules...these have not been proven to have any negative effects on humans. Their influence on the ecosystem, however, can be devastating. For example, these fertilizers enter the water because they are soluble; they are carried through streams and rivers to the oceans and bays. Once they are deposited in the stationary water, the real havoc begins. For example, algae blooms (enormous clumps of algae) developed in the Chesapeake Bay because an abundant amount of nitrogen had been deposited in the water (via commercial and consumer NPK fertilizers). The algae, which flourishes with abundant nitrogen, had grown out of control and taken over much of the water. These algae blooms utilized oxygen from the water in their natural processes. Soon, the levels of oxygen in the water had become dangerously low. As a result, large numbers of fish began to die. As you can see, man made fertilizers can have grievous effects on the ecosystem.

  I have just purchased a new home with a wonderful yard and I want to start composting. The property has several large fruit trees and the fruit is falling on the ground (peaches, crabapples, pears). My neighbor has complained that the fallen fruit attracts rats and other vermin. I have raked up the fruit and would like to know if it is advisable to add this to the compost pile that the former owner graciously left behind. 

     Definitely add the fallen fruit to your compost pile. Before you do that, though, I have a couple of suggestions. First, you want to cut up the fruit into small pieces. Basically, this process exposes more surface area to the organisms behind decomposition (primarily the bacteria), allowing them to work faster. After this is done, throw the fruits into your compost pile. I have a note of caution for you. Fruits obviously contain fruit seeds. If you are not careful, the seeds will survive the winter in your compost pile. When you till the compost into the soil in the spring, you'll also add hundreds of fruit seeds. These seeds will sprout, and you will have to weed them out. To avoid this problem, you must get a "hot" compost pile. By "hot," I mean a pile that is at least 150 degrees F. in the center (the seeds die at 150 degrees.) To get a hot pile, your compost pile should be composed of at least one third green stuff (green leaves, freshly cut grass, rotten fruit and vegetables, manure, etc.) The rest is brown stuff (autumn leaves, sawdust, hay, newspaper). You can have as much as one half green stuff, but no more than that. You also need to create a large pile. Large piles insulate themselves better, and generate more heat (a result of having more material to decompose). Your pile should be about 4 to 5 feet high. Next, you must keep your pile constantly moist. I'm not talking soaking; it should be as wet as a wrung out sponge. You may have to water it occaisionally. Lastly, you need to stir up the pile at least two times a week. Pull out your garden fork and turn the whole pile over. Through this process you allow oxygen to enter the center of the pile (the decomposers need lots of oxygen to work). Do these things and your compost will be free of pesky fruit seeds by the spring. For more information, visit my compost page.

  There is this guy on PBS that offers various solutions to lawn pests such as "dish soap" and water, use of mineral oil and urine to rid yourself of moles and chipmunks. What is his name? What books does he have available?  

     His name is Jerry Baker. He has numerous books, including 101 Great Gardening Tips (The New Garden Line Series Volumes I Thru VIII), The Impatient Gardener, The Impatient Gardener's Lawn Book, Jerry Baker's Happy, Healthy House Plants, and Flower Power!. To purchase these books, go to Amazon.com
At this point, I am unsure about the effectiveness of his methods.

  Do you have any information on organic gardening products?

     The following websites sell organic gardening products:


  I am a new (inexperienced) gardener and I heard somewhere that I might be able to heat my greenhouse with my compost. Is this possible?  

     Yes, this definitely would be possible. The bacteria that cause decomposition release large amounts of heat. These bacteria are abundant in compost piles. If you have ever been in the countryside in the winter and seen a large pile of hay, you probably noticed steam coming from the top of the pile. Sometimes these piles become so hot that the hay will spontaneously combust. A smaller compost pile also emits a significant amount of heat. Placing a compost pile in your greenhouse would definitely serve to raise the temperature, and it is an excellent idea. In your greenhouse compost pile, only use plant materials like leaves and grass - No manures. Use 2/3 to 3/4 leaves and the rest grass. No manure and low grass content prevent the pile from becoming to "stinky": since the pile will be enclosed, you want to limit the amount of odor emitted. For more information on composting, visit my compost page.

  I have two forsythia bushes that did not bloom this year. They have lots of shoots coming up the middle of the plant.
     I compost big time. I have 5 piles that I keep going all winter even in Ohio. I layer with leaves and I sift and turn. I use this black gold on the bushes. What have I done wrong? I do put grass clipping in the compost pile that are not organic. We live in one of those neighborhoods, if you know what I mean.

     First, give your bushes time. They new shoots may produce flowers this year. If the new growth doesn't produce flowers, then you must ask yourself a question: Is the new growth attractive and contained within the bush, or is it unattractive and shooting out far beyond the range of the other branches. If the answer is the latter, then you should consider pruning. If there are many other branches in the vicinity of the new shoots, you may want to simply cut off the shoots at the base of the plant. If there is relatively little growth around the shoot, then cut the shoot off so that it is the same length as the other branches. Don't worry, the new shoots will definitely produce flowers next year.
     Judging from the information you provided, I can guess about the origin of your shoots and your missing blooms. The plants (considering that they were put in by a landscaper) may have been too yound to produce blooms. In adjusting to your soil, they may have devoted all their energy to producing a larger root system and more branches (which would explain the new shoots). Additionally, since they were probably small, young plants...they may not have been ready to produce flowers and may have needed a period of growth (example: I planted a flowering pear tree and it did not produce flowers its first year). Oh yeah, and make sure that you do have forsythia bushes. They were put in by a landscaper - and they will often substitute similar looking plants. It's easy to be mistaken in bush identification.
     There is a second possible explanation. You said that you use compost generously. If you used a high percentage of grass clippings (50% or more) in your compost pile - especially if they were coated with residue from NPK fertilizers - your compost may have been super abundant in nitrogen. The surplus of nitrogen pushes plant leaf, stem, and root develop...and DISCOURAGES flower development. Therefore, excess compost in the soil could also have been the source of the absence of blooms. With gardening and with life, everything must come in moderation. If you applied too much compost, you may see negative results.
     Hope that you get blooms next year.

  I am growing celery for the first time. Do you have any advice on caring for these plants? 

     I recommend buying a young plant from a local nursery. Buy plants that are strong and healthy, with vibrant foliage and extensive roots (additionally, look for varieties that are resistant to insects and disease). Set the transplants 6-8 inches apart in rows 2-3 feet apart. Do not plant them deepter than they grew in the pots (the stem should be entirely above ground after transplanting). Water the plants immediately after transplanting and fertilize lightly. Then apply 3 inches of mulch.

     Make sure that your celery gets enough water. The plants should get one inch of water per week (you can find out how much you have watered by placing a can in your garden and measuring the height of the water in the can). Fertilize the plants every two weeks. If night temperature dip below 55 degrees F, gently cover your plants with cloth, cardboard, or plastic.

  I have planted a raised bed garden, but I am concerned because the cucumbers, melons, watermelons and raddish are coming up, but I have not seen any of the other plants I put in the same soil (tomatoes, peppers, lettuce)? Is there something different that I need in the soil? 

     Do not worry: there is nothing wrong with your soil. The three plants that are not sprouting - tomatoes, peppers, and lettuce - all need to be started indoors. Two to four weeks after the seeds have germinated you can transplant outdoors. These plants will not germinate outside. The other plants that you named (cucumbers, melons, watermelons and raddish) can be seeded in the soil outside. It's a bit late in the game to start lettuce, tomato, or pepper seeds, but you can definitely find transplants at your local garden supply store.

  I am planning a bed on the side of my house. The location is in shade for the whole day. I would like to plant some flowers and vegetables in this new bed. Do you have any suggestions for plants that would do well in this shady environment? 

     For the flower bed, there is one obvious choice. IMPATIENS. These plants are very prolific. They are annuals and can grow to be the size of small bushes. They produce many beautiful flowers and are available in a variety of colors. They also bloom for the entire summer and flourish with lots of shade and moisture. For your vegetable bed, I have fewer suggestions. Almost all vegetables require lots of sunlight. You might consider lettuce or some other leafy vegetable. Their success in shade is uncertain, however. If I were you, I would just plant one giant bed of flowers.

  Do you have a list of flowers that will grow well under tall Georgia pines? I have not been able to get any flowers to flourish under the pine trees.  

     I am assuming that there is very dense shade under your pine trees. There are many flowers that will tolerate partial/filtered shade, but very few will tolerate dense shade - this observation is probably the reason for your lack of success. The following flowers tolerate full shade:

     I recommend the impatiens. I planted impatiens next to my house, where they were under shade throughout the day. Very little sunlight filtered to them. The impatiens flourished in that location. They became very large and produced hundreds of beautiful flowers. Impatiens are one of my favorite plants, and I strongly recommend that you choose them. Go to the gallery to see a GREAT picture of my impatiens - they are so gorgeous!

  I'm paying the price for not starting all my seeds in December or January - I started them in March and some things took off but the peppers and tomatoes and herbs are still pretty tiny! How do I judge when to start the seeds? (I got them from a local seed store - not the packaged kind at the store that tells germination to harvest time...I suppose I'll just make notes from this first season). 

     Look at the label on your seed packets. Usually it mentions the number of weeks from seed planting to transplanting outside. For tomatoes, pepper, and herbs, you want to start your seeds (indoors) so that transplanting time is after the danger of frost (typically mother's day where i live - PA). The typical time between seeding and transplanting is eight weeks, so I would plant my tomato seeds around March 4th. You may even want to give your plants a little more time so they can be fairly large and sturdy when they go into the soil. Also, don't forget about hardening off!

  I'm looking at some land that has been a Christmas tree farm. I would do organic gardening. What are the problems that are connected with old Christmas tree farms. I already know about the stumps.  

     Try to find out more information about the Christmas tree farm. Talk to the owners: Were pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides used? If not, how were the trees kept healthy? There are many different ways to run a tree farm - in a brief search, I uncovered one farm where a piece of black plastic was used to keep out weeds, and another farm where herbicides were used. If chemicals were used, then the plot may still contain residual chemicals. Try to find out how long it has been since chemicals were last used. Three years should be sufficient (at least for non-commercial purposes) to call the land organic. If no chemicals were used, then there is no need to worry. You can create an organic field right away.

  I am new to gardening. This year I want to plant an organic garden. I want to do some companion planting. Do many other flowers besides marigolds benefit the vegetable garden? I am going to plant calendula, verbena, lavatera, poppy, cosmos, and sunflower. Should I plant any of these within the vegetable garden?

     None of these flowers are specifically used in companion planting. I can make one recommendation, however. If you are planting a vegetable that needs shade you can use one of the above plants to block out some sun. Your garden is probably in full sun, so plant a row of sunflowers, some lavatera (which I believe grows to be fairly tall), or a trellis of cosmos (a climber?) on the south side of your shade-loving veggies. These plants will protect your shade plant from the sun's rays.

  While this is not necessarily an "organic" gardening question, I thought you might be able to help me or to point me to someone who can. I would like to plant a line of Leland Cypress trees along one edge of my property to serve as a "wall" between me and my neighbor. Leland Cypress can grow very tall - as much as 60 feet - although I'm told you can keep them pruned back. The question is: how far apart should I plant them so that they will grow together to form a "wall", yet be far enough apart to allow proper growth? I have received conflicting answers from two nurseries- one said 3.5-4' and the other said 8'. Any idea where I might find more of a "textbook" answer? 

     I am currently working at the Temple University College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture. I consulted my coworkers and they agreed that the cypress should be planted 3 - 4 ft apart. Try to find out how high your variety of Leland Cypress will grow: while some can reach 60 feet, others peak at 3 to 15 feet. If the plants will grow extremely tall, 4 feet should work well. If they are shorter, 3 feet between plants will be adequate for a dense hedge.



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