Pole Beans

Cynara scolymus

I want to relocate my five year old asparagus patch. I have read that it's best to move them in early spring and then not to harvest the first year. Is this correct?

Are bush string beans self-pollinating? I have covered my beans with a mesh netting to prevent the deer from eating them, thus preventing bees from getting to the flowers. Will I get beans?

Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris

I’ve long admired the delicate flowers that sprout up around our Cincinnati, Ohio home each year. The plant appears at the first sign of warm weather and grows rapidly before dying back in fall. I call it a “pea bush” because the blooms and leaves remind me of the peas from my mom’s garden. Can you tell me its real name?

Brassica rapa var. chinensis

Boltonia asteroides

Brassica oleracea var. botrytis

Phaseolus vulgaris

Brassica oleracea var. capitata

Why did my carrots all grow deformed and bitter-tasting? I’ve heard the soil may need copper—true? If so, when and how should I add it?

Daucus carota var. sativus

Ricinus communis

Clematis

I have a full healthy clematis.  I cut it back to 6 inches in the fall.  The problem is it only produces flowers on the top.

I need to put my clematis on a larger trellis.  The one I have now is too small to support the plant. I live in zone 5 and don't know quite how to go about doing it.

Rosa x hybrida

My lawn is filled with clover. Someone told me I better treat the lawn or it will be ruined. I kind of like the flowers. Should I be concerned?

My rather small backyard bluegrass lawn is being taken over by clover. The lawn is bordered by perennial flower gardens. Can I safely use some kind of weed killer on the lawn without causing damage to my flower gardens? The weeds seem impossible to control naturally.

Campanula glomerata

What can be done to keep bugs and worms from attacking root vegetables?

Zea mays

I am growing cucumbers in a container this summer. The leaves suddenly developed brown spots. The plant is still producing cucumbers.

Cercis canadensis

I want to try to extend my vegetable garden season here in Chicago. Suggestions please.

Baptisia australis

Akebia quintata

Allium sativum var. sativum and ophiosco

I started growing Concord grape plants this year. Since it’s their first year (there were no grapes), I’m wondering how far back to prune them in the fall. What about the next couple of years?

Our green beans are being rampaged by bugs. They are grayish-brown with black dots and remind me of lady bugs. How can we control these hungry pests?

My honeysuckle vine is outgrowing its trellis.  Can I cut it back?

Lablab purpureus

Gymnocladus dioicus

Actinidia species

My vegetable garden is located near the canopy of some large shade trees. The daily allotment of sunshine is limited. I've been trying to grow tomatoes, carrots, onions, peppers, and a few other vegetables, but everything gets stunted or doesn't grow at all. What kinds of vegetables could I plant that thrive in limited sunshine in my Midwest garden?

Can you tell me some names of tomato varieties that are more "low acid" than others?

Mandevilla

Cucumis melo

Allium cepa var. cepa

I have two large Oriental poppy plants. They’re in the center of my flower beds and after they’re done blooming, their leaves get huge and smother out anything I try to grow nearby. What do you suggest?

Vines are useful and attractive additions to any size landscape.  They can be used to reduce heating and cooling costs, soften harsh structural features, screen or divide areas in the yard, mask unsightly views while adding color and interest to the landscape.

Pisum sativum

Capsicum annuum

I just moved to a new house in Chicago area and want to plant a vegetable garden. Is June too late to plant and still get something to harvest before the fall frost?

My daughter and I just tilled a new garden and are very much new to this. The garden is 34x34 and is in the open with all sun exposure. My question is which direction is best for rows if there is one?

I planted potatoes in my mulch pile. They took off like weeds. I left them alone to do their thing. As the mulch pile broke down, I noticed a potato showing and promptly mounded up more mulch on top of them. I kept my eye on them and mounded the pile up once more. When I dug the potatoes up, the once exposed potato was somewhat green on the topside. The others looked pretty good. After harvesting I left them in the sun in a plastic milk crate on my picnic table for a couple days to let the skin dry a little. When I went to check them, they all turned green. I have never had this happen in the past out of the garden. Is something different, because they were in the mulch pile? Can I eat them? Will they turn brown at all? Do I need to toss them out?

Rheum x cultorum

Lupinus 'Russell Hybrid'

Phaseolus coccineus

Do you have any suggestions for a screening shrub that will tolerate medium shade in zone 5?

Beta vulgaris subspecies circla

The ends of my tomatoes are turning black. This happens every year. What am I doing wrong?

My tomatoes are ripening but they are rotten on the bottom half. What can I do organically to correct this problem ? The plant is in a container (half whiskey barrel ) since we live in the desert and the soil here is not good.

We have been trying to grow beets, radishes and carrots for several years. The radish bulb never forms and the carrots and beets are very small.

We have planted watermelon in a small garden.  They are over running everything.  Can they be pinched off to keep them under control?  

I planted a wisteria on the south side of my house in full sun.  I want it to make an arch over the entrance to my front porch and then wrap around the top of the porch.  Will this grow into my siding and soffit and cause problems.  If so, what is the best way to control wisteria.  I've heard they can be pretty invasive.

My neighbor has a beautiful wisteria vine growing on their arbor and offered me a cutting to put on our newly constructed arbor, but I do not know how to take a proper cutting without affecting their vine.

Some type of worm or grub is eating my potatoes, beets and carrots. I plant potatoes in two different gardens and they both are affected.