Hi Shirley! What kind of vegetables can I grow on a hillside? And also is there an inexpensive way to do this? Thank you so much!!!
There is no limit to the vegetables you can grow on a hillside if the area is in full sun and have access to water. You will need to terrace, or create flat areas along the bottom of the hill by cutting into hillside and building a retaining wall.
You can build an inexpensive retaining wall using repurposed concrete pieces that you stack like stone. You can also use cedar or redwood lumber and rebar stakes. Add compost to your soil before planting vegetables.
I have a hard time determining what are weeds and what are sprouting veggies when I start my veggie garden each year and probably end up pulling up my plants when weeding...is there an easy way to identify weeds vs. plants?
There is no “easy” way to identify weeds unless you allow some to grow along with your seeds and become acquainted with them.
Some practical steps to avoid removing a plant you want instead of a weed:
A. Plant seeds in straight row and lay a piece of string along the row to identify the area that your seedling will grow. Plants outside of the line are most likely weeds.
B. Allows add a plant market immediately after planting.
C. Plant seeds in small grow pots like the coconut coir pots and transplant into a clean and prepared garden bed when a little taller. This will help you distinguish from real plants and the weeds that emerge from the soil.
I have beautiful hydrangeas and one thing my father would do was take a clipping, put it in a pt and bring them to me with a smile on his face! He is no longer here and I try with no luck! There must be a way to cut hydrangeas and transplant them!
Hydrangea in the morning when it’s still cool and immerse into a pitcher or bucket of water. Take inside and place each cut stem into a cup of water. Take inside and place each cut stem into a cup of water that has been boiled and leave for 1 minute then cool and arrange. You may also dip your hydrangea cutting in Alum, a spice
Florida has nothing but sand!! What type of above ground gardens could I possibly make to grow some simple vegetables?
You can make easy, no construction raised garden beds like we have here at H & F.
Add compost to your soil, mound it to 8”-inches and shape. Cover with landscape fabric and make holes where you will plant.Or, you can buy a ready made raised garden kit at the garden center.
How do I get rid of poison ivy without harming our dogs and wild bunnies?
If you want to go chemical free, suit up in a Tyvek or painters jumpsuit, cover your feet with plastic, use gloves and pull the poison ivy out. After physically removing the poison ivy, dispose of it in the green cutting trashcan. Apply cardboard or black plastic to the ground to smother upcoming new growth and remove by hand again. This is called a “grow and kill” period.
I would like to know how to get my asparagus to produce. I thought they were 2-year-old plants but they could have been 1-year plants. One grew about 5 ft tall and is thick. Should I cut down now or wait until winter when it dies off? How do I get more production?
Newly planted asparagus should be allowed to grow for at least 4 seasons before spears are harvested. Asparagus needs to grow its ferny leaves to sustain plant and give energy to produce food. Also, make sure that you plane male hybrids, which don’t produce berries like the female asparagus. Instead, the male hybrids produce the spears.
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