http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/gardening-blog.html Hi - this is the place to get all the latest gardening blog articles, gardening questions and answers and notices of photography posted on this site. en-us gardening Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:04:58 GMT Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:04:58 GMT simplegiftsfarm.com http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/dying-tomato-plants.html this is the third year. My tomato plants do so good till the weather turns hot then plants start turning yellow then brown at the bottom of the plant Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:04:49 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/brown-black-spiked-bug.html 8/28/2008 at 4pm in Southern California. They were not there yesterday. I have never seen this bug before and I have been gardening for years. It Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:02:47 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/three-inch-green-leaf-like-insect.html Reno, NV. This insect's body looks exactly like a leaf. I can't tell if it has wings but it has two antennae you can't see in the picture. It has Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:00:16 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/pure-black-and-pure-white-beetle-looking-insect.html This incredibly interesting Insect was spotted on a walk near the Bandon Oregon Coast this July. The Body of it was about 1 and a half inches long Tue, 02 Sep 2008 13:59:04 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/annual-flowers.html Annual Flowers and gardening questions answered by garden author Doug Green Fri, 29 Aug 2008 16:04:10 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/bright-orange-with-black-spots-legs-antenna.html Never seen these before. They are all over the butterfly weed seed pods but sure aren't butterflies! Also seem to like the pink zinnias Mon, 25 Aug 2008 19:09:32 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/centipedemillipede-scat-in-michigan-garden.html There are areas of the garden with tiny round balls of earth (like mini scat) which we have written off as worm castings. Upon close inspection, Fri, 22 Aug 2008 11:41:17 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/raspberries-wilting.html I have a raspberry patch in a garden box 10 x 4'. I transplanted neighbors starts 2 years ago. Last summer I noticed tall seemingly good condition Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:30:23 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/leaf-spot.html I have three tub fuschia's that appear to have black spots on then. they are Princess Dollar and Marinka. The new shoots do not appear to have been Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:27:16 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/fungus-on-rose-bush.html Our rose bush has some black powdery stuff on one of the stems and a lot of the leaves are turning yellow. The black stuff looks like it came from a Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:24:59 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/making-compost.html Let's not beat about the bush with making compost, this page describes my e-book on Mon, 18 Aug 2008 20:03:18 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/growinglavender.html I don't want to waste your time away from gardening with lavender so let me tell you that this is an e-book about how to grow lavender successfully Mon, 18 Aug 2008 19:39:58 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/split-and-cracking-tomatoes.html im growing cherry tomatoes and they grow very well, problem is right as they start to turn red they start to split, and i dont know why,,,,, pls help Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:25:11 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/hardy-rugosa-shrubs-yellowing.html I have two of these and they have done well until this year. One in particular has been dying back and turning yellow. This year I have had an Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:17:14 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/gardeningebooks.html Gardening ebooks written by garden author Doug Green Sat, 16 Aug 2008 12:23:34 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/how-to-compost.html One of the problems I'm having in describing how to compost in this e-book is trying really hard not to sound like compost is the ultimate gardening problem-solver . Sat, 16 Aug 2008 12:01:22 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/weeds-around-flowers-bushes.html How about the vinegar? does it work, how much where to put it? Doug says that using household vinegar doesn't really work on weeds. It usually Fri, 15 Aug 2008 13:16:17 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/tell-us-what-you-think-right-here.html Tell us what you think of the newsletter. It doesn't appear right away - one click will do it. Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:01:42 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/tomatoe-vine-wiltblight.html some of my tomatoe vines are just starting to wilt and die, starting at the end of the tomatoe stems and comtinueing back. i have pinched off the Wed, 13 Aug 2008 10:43:04 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/everblooming-cyclamen.html I have a Cyclamen that has been blooming continuously for years - at least six that I can remember. It just never stops. Moved from Arizona, to Wed, 13 Aug 2008 10:37:40 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/turning-the-compost.html If the compost is 4x4x4 in size do you turn this over and if you do how do you do this. It seems like a lot of work to me. Doug says it is a lot of Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:26:26 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/peppers-not-forming-on-container-plant.html I have an jalpano plant growing in a container It will get lots of blossoms on it but never any peppers why Doug says it's not being pollinated. Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:24:29 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/black-and-white-south-american-insect.html Black and white, with 6 legs, doesn't look like it can jump at all, the habitat is in Peru, South America, in the Amazon. Insect was on a leaf. Doug Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:16:30 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/allardii-lavender-wilting-and-dying.html , I live in the south of Italy and I have an Allardii Lavender. I really don't know how, but 4 days ago its leaves got flebby. Some leaves have some Wed, 06 Aug 2008 12:27:16 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/black-spots-on-green-tomatoes.html My green tomatoes now have tiny black spots on them. This does not look like blossom end rot. What could it be? Doug says that black spots on Wed, 06 Aug 2008 12:23:24 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/compost-pile-not-heating-up.html Hi If you have a compost box and put garden waste in it over a period of time, how do you get it to heat up. I am a member of a community garden. We Wed, 06 Aug 2008 12:17:57 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/pansies-in-the-south.html Is there a type of pansy that can be planted in Spring? Doug says that all pansies can be planted in spring BUT in Texas, the heat of summer is going Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:41:14 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/propagating-lavender.html Can you help me with a step by step method of propagating cuttings of lavender? Doug says that lavender takes from cuttings easily. And yes, all the Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:38:02 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/leaf-like-bug.html winged white/green cocoonish fat body and the size of a small bat, 4 brown stick like antenni and 4 Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:30:11 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/thin-and-dwarfed-plants.html My father planted his tomato plants on May 20. The plants are very thin and most of the leaves at the top are very curly but very green. Most of the Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:59:19 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/john-cabot-rose-and-yellowing-leaves.html I have a John Cabot rose bush and the leaves are turning yellow. I use a 20-20-20 fertilizer and water 2 - 3 times a week. Is there anything I can do Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:53:26 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/cutting-and-rooting-rose-bush-clippings.html I've tried to do this several times with no success. Do you have any info and picture of where to clip the cutting, and then what to put it in to get Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:48:25 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/container-flowers-are-dying.html My container flowers are dying; they are watered and cared for but they are not doing well. Doug says the harsh reality is that you've done Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:44:46 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/hummingbird-moth-at-my-forget-me-nots.html Is this a hummingbird moth feeding in the afternoon Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:39:30 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/woodchips.html I just had 2 tree stumps ground, maple and box elder. The woodchips are pretty chopped up and do contain some soil I was told I could not use these on Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:48:28 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/compost-and-cat-litter.html can i put cat litter/waste into compost? i use a litter that's 100 corn, no clay or additives. Doug says NO. Cat and dog excretia do not belong in Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:44:48 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/red-wine-barrel-planters.html Hello, Please, Do I need to treat the inside of these old oak barrels, I have seen plastic liners for them and also was told that I could tar the Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:41:56 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/black-and-brown-striped-spider.html Apx. 4 long. Fuzzy and hiding under my Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:51:33 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/some-kind-of-bee.html Looks like a bumble bee, but longer and skinnier with a fan shaped black tail and long black antenni. I found it browsing on a butterfly bush and then Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:24:29 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/coneflower-flowers-turning-black.html i was wondering if the flowers r susposed to turn black after awhile and if u are susposed to cut them off? Doug says - yes, the flowers fade and Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:29:46 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/topsy-turvy-tomato-planter.html going away for a few days. how do i keep them watered without asking neighbor and using a drip system? Doug says you don't. A tomato has to be Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:26:25 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/cosmos-with-white-on-leaves.html Last year I planted cosmos and, for the first time, had bushy, gorgeous growing plants. Great cut flowers! (I hadn't planted Cosmos in years!) I Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:24:33 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/ugly-bug.html I've been picking bugs of my zucchini and saw this monster Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:21:11 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/peonies-in-the-south.html When I pruned my father's peonies, I saved pods that were left from some of the bloons on what I believe were double peonies. I have not been Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:10:33 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/tomato-volunteer-plants.html can a volunteer tomato plant bear fruit? Doug says that if it starts growing early enough in the season to produce flowers - and those flowers have Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:50:35 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/green-worms-in-roses.html I have a bed of hardy roses, there are many(Mordens, Frontenac , Wpg. Parks) have many leaves that have turned light beige spolotches and the leaves Sun, 13 Jul 2008 16:53:13 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/green-wingedsixleggedone-inch-long.html found in a bunch of bananas bought from major grocery store.Resembles a large affid,six legged,green winged,about one inch long,triangular head.Viewed Sun, 13 Jul 2008 16:47:16 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/perennial-hibiscus.html Hello.... would you please explain to me the correct way to propagate hibiscus...? Thx! Doug says it's easily done from seed, division or tip Sun, 13 Jul 2008 12:51:31 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/funky-beetle-on-raspberry-plant.html i've got these now greying, formerly very bright orange and black leggy alien looking beetles on the fruiting end fo my raspberry plants. they don't Fri, 11 Jul 2008 21:11:21 GMT http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/spider.html velvety- black and brown striped (argyle?) . The same markings on lower body but solid color velvety black on the upper part. 4-5 inch leg span Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:33:46 GMT