Q. Dear Peter, We live in Graham and love to raise our own potatoes because they are fun to raise and taste better than the ones from the store. However, we got a lot of potatoes last year that are hollow and dark or rotted in the middle. We planted Kenebecks’s last year and the…
Category: Northwest U.S. Gardeners
Gardening questions from WA, OR, ID, MT & WY
Blocking Highway Noise with Evergreens
Q. When I am out in the yard, I can hear the traffic from Highway 16, foghorns, sirens, and trains. The highway noises bother me the most because they do not seem to be constant or short-lived, the trucks and motorcycles seem to be the worst offenders. Is there anything that I can plant to…
Finding Apple Maggot Damage
Q. How do I know whether my apple trees (and the apples) are damaged by apple maggot or codling moth? Nancy Pearson – Lakewood, WA A. The easiest way is to look at the damage. You’ll need to cut the apple in half (yuk) and then look at the feeding pattern. Apple maggot larvae are…
Best Mulch for Roses
Q. Dear Peter, I like to mulch my rose bushes during those months that we have lower freezing temperatures, which our area is more prone to have. Is there any difference between using fir/pine needles and using deciduous leaves (usually ground up by my mower) to mulch tender plants? Betty Jones – Graham, WA A….
Tomato Blossoms But No Fruit
Q. This year my Early Girl tomato plant had an abundance of blossoms all summer but did not produce one mature ripe tomato. Another tomato plant in the same area did fine. Walter Lachnit – Gig Harbor, WA A. Tomato blossoms are self contained with male and female parts so usually the wind or insects…