I have invited lady bugs and spiders to combat plant prey. Chickens eat the jumping worms and give you eggs. You have to mimic nature to keep the balance. Sigh. I appreciate your effort though but unimpressed. You have a Q and A but have no A.
Hi Mimzy, I can't provide answers that do not exist. Biologists are still trying to figure out how to manage jumping worms, so although there are are a lot of possible remedies, there is nothing that's certain. If biologists don't know the answers, I'm not going to pretend I do. However, I can give you an answer regarding having chickens eat jumping worms, and that answer is: Don't. Amynthus worms accumulate heavy metals from the air in their bodies, and these heavy metals can be passed along in eggs. (Citation: chippewa.extension.wisc.edu/files/2020/10/Invasive-Jumping-Worms.pdf) Mimicking nature doesn't always work with invasive species. Jumping worms are not a problem in their native Asia because they evolved alongside the foliage and fauna there.
@@TheImpatientGardener Not sure what happened, but the link is not working. I am wondering why there is assumed to be enough heavy metal floating around for birds eating worms (seems pretty natural) to be problematic. Aren't chickens originally from the same part of the world as the jumping worms? Isn't that possibly part of the natural control of the worms in their original context? I just don't understand why this obvious solution keeps being poo pooed.
I love a good Q&A - length is no issue - the longer, the more information - we could always pause or come back later if we get busy. Most Q&A's from my favorites are atleast 30 minutes. Thanks for taking the time with us Erin!
Great information as always!! I can not believe you only have 106K subscribers because you are by far one of the best garden RUclipsr’s (if that is even a thing) Your no nonsense approach to everything is fantastic!! I love that this is becoming a regular weekly video. My postcard will becoming to you very soon. Thanks for all of the useful information, and for brighting up my day.❤
I felt that deep sigh when the post office box didn't open. I don't just love your videos for the information and ideas, but also for your impeccable comedic timing 😂
Erin, I'm in 8b and when I first moved here, I had rabbits😡. I read somewhere to grate Irish Spring Soap in the garden. IT WORKS! it has to be the original scent. It must smell so strong they can't find the stuff they want. I got a cheap grater and the soap at Dollar Tree and I've been a believer ever since. Love your vlogs. Thanks for sharing all your knowledge with all of us.
Oh, Wow! I remember Erin talking about the jumping worms in Wisconsin earlier, but I hope I never have to encounter them. I guess we all have something undesirable in our gardens, but keeping the same attitude as Erin, all will be fine. Great Q A - complete with baby fox, thank you.
From one master gardener to another - great content, as usual. Soil test kits in MI average $25 - check with your state extension program first! Re: rabbits (grrr…) my neighborhood cats keep them under control, but I also use Liquid Fence which works well because it contains fox urine. Looking forward to “wine and weeds!” 🍷
Loved the discussion of ugly plastic greenhouses and using them for hardening off. I have one and I had that very same question which you have now answered. In your next Q&A, could you provide some additional information on your use of the plastic greenhouses for your dahlias, i.e. at what point in the pre-sprout process do you actually move your dahlias outdoors? Do you wait until they are a certain size? Do you wait until it’s a certain temperature? (I’m in Zone 6B.) As always, thank you so much for all you do to help make all of us better gardeners.
The foxes are soo cute, but I have to admit, the bunnies and deer sound awesome too. All you need are some talking mice and you'd be like Cinderella (from somebody with a tiny urban garden)
I love that your husband has to get your mail. 😂 My friend hasn't used the gas pump since she married 20 years ago. Clever ladies. Love your content and your humor, Erin. 💚
Q&A content is great! Your wealth of knowledge is more helpful than you can imagine. Question: As we follow you on RUclips, wondering who YOU follow on RUclips? Any recommendations on who to check out?
I love watching and learning from you. I really don’t think you should worry about time length.. go as long as you want. People can always pause or stop. Laura’s recaps are close to an hour. My opinion is the time clock popping up is kind of distracting. You are so knowledgeable and what you are sharing is valuable! Thanks 🌱🌸💗
I bought my dwarf tomato seeds last year from Renaissance farms in Bloomington Indiana. They were fabulous. He has probably 20 different types of dwarf tomatoes to choose from.
These Q&A videos are great. We usually don't have to many bunnies because hawks nest nearby. Last year, no hawks. Ugh, so many rabbits. I need a visit from Sunflower Steve.
Whenever you bring in a plant to overwinter, I highly recommend either doing just plants that were in pots and on the porch all year - ie isolated from the garden-at-large. Or: You need to fully cleanse the outside with a pest wash and then ditch and wash away all the soil in the hedgerow and with the hose and repot the bare dirtless roots in sterile soil. This is basically quarantining a plant that grew in the garden (or even touching the garden but grown in a pot) because when you take an element out of the ecosystem and out of the system of checks and balances it is subjected to, then a fungus or bug can go absolutely crazy because the bacteria or predator that normally takes care of the problem is not there to counteract the fact that it has a food/energy supply and nothing that predates upon it. Oddly, if you have this worm problem, I would invite some fisherman to harvest as many as they can. We talk about depleting a resource when we harvest too much of it, but when it comes to these species without an environment that keeps them in check like Asian carp, the jumping worms, zebra mussels, kudzu vine etc we really need to think of a product to make out of the rampant species and then just harvest it without any sort of care for its population.
I'm in western NY near Buffalo and discovered jumping worms in my gardens this past summer. You're so right they are disgusting! I've been hand picking them and solarizing them in zip lock bags because it was manageable
That fox video was amazing! More of that please. I have never seen a fox here, but I do love seeing the coyotes and hawks. They help keep my rabbit population in check. I still have to wrap my young trees in winter, though.
Good to know that the purple bell vine needs to be planted up indoors before moving out. I ordered some also and can't wait to grow it this year. Also, staying in Lake Geneva in May and heading to Northwind Flower Farm. Can't wait!!!
Thanks for the explanation of how you use your pop up greenhouse. I am bummed that our homeowner's association won't allow greenhouses and I have stretched our cold frame and mini hoop beds as far as I can take them. Adding a second cold frame soon! I can't grow indoors for health reasons so having this temporary tool should give me more options. Behind our shed, out of view that is! ;)
I think I found your channel at the beginning of Covid, and shared it with my best friend who lives in zone 10b. She fell in love with the Purple Bell Vine as I did, only she lives in area where it lives and thrives 12 months of the year, with zero effort. Thanks for the Q&A Erin. I don’t know about anyone else, but Winter seems to be getting longer and longer each year. Stay well.
Erin, I'm really enjoying these 10-minute-ish Q&As. Rabbits and squirrels are my worst critters problem, so I'll probably have to figure out a way to exclude them. Squirrels could present a real dilemma... how in the world do you exclude those? If anyone has tried and true methods, please share them. I grew several different varieties of dwarf tomatoes two years ago. I enjoyed growing them because they didn't take up much garden space... and my garden isn't going to be any larger than it is currently. We used to have that same kind of PO Boxes in our small town, but five years ago they remodeled our post office lobby, and I was able to purchase the front door of my PO Box... now, I need to come up with a fun way to use it! Hmm, possibly some sort of planter decoration! 😕🍅🦊
Soil tests in North Carolina are free for homeowners from April to November. The balance of the year is $4. This is good as it allows tests from all over the yard.
Hey thanks so much for answering my question, and especially in this video! I’m not gonna lie; I had to call my daughter into the room because I was fan girling! Lol You convinced me to do some soil testing, this year. Love to learn from you. You’re very down to earth, even though you are wicked knowledgeable about gardening. Thanks!
Hey There Erin! As most of my fellow gardeners,I’m itching for spring. Can you talk about what Dahlias your growing this year /what your starting from seed. Thank you 😊
Hi Erin, enjoyed your Q&A. I have never heard of Asian jumping worms, learn something new every-day. Down here we have the good old earthworms and worm farms. Loved the video of the foxes they look so cute. We don't have foxes, but we do have a possum, rabbit and deer problem. Thanks again for a great video. Jeanette, New Zealand.
I'm going to have to watch the last half of this video again because I was so distracted by the fox kits! Love them! Please keep sharing info about jumping worms (I know this isn't your favorite topic). I have them in NH, and unfortunately, not many people are aware of them, even though they're pretty common here. Many people, even at garden centers, don't know about them. Can't wait until Brad Herrick and his team come up with a solution!
I would like to know this too. I have a new puppy and he eats literally everything.. I've been told animals have a keen sense of knowing what they shouldn't eat, but not mine.
Suggestion, instead of a heater in your cold frames when the temps drop, I’ve heard to string Christmas lights….the old fashion kinds that have the bulbs you screw in that our parents used back in the day. I plan to try this this year.
I haven't had a lot of luck with Christmas lights. It might have been because I didn't use large enough bulbs, or enough bulbs, because I was afraid I could start a fire. Two things worked well for me this past December. For seedlings, using seeding heat mats worked wonders. For raised garden beds covered with garden fleece with plastic on top of that, I used hand warmers. I put them under the fleece before I went to bed and they were still warm in the morning.
Love a Q&A, any length, because I’m not tied to a chair but I can still gain all the good info. Thanks! Re: purple bell vine, I amazingly was able to grow some from seed last year and they never really took off but I was able to salvage them and they seem to be hanging on. Hoping for the best this year!
Great video! ❤️💕 Have you ever successfully overwintered a blue macrophylla hydrangea that bloomed the following year that you planted in your garden or left it potted in your shed?
Last summer, I was blown away by Fred's Tie Dye dwarf tomato! Found it at Fruition Seeds. Besides the great taste, it had excellent disease resistance! Not one sick leaf, all season long! I also loved Dr. Wyche's! I hope, I would be able to find a yellow dwarf tomato that would be comparable. Another win was Geranium Kiss, ( MIgardener). Surprisingly tasty and productive.
So glad to hear you like dwarf tomatoes. I also ordered from Renaissance Farms this year but I have not heard anything back about my order placed 2 weeks ago. So I am hopeful hearing you used them also. Love the 10-minute Q & A as so much can be covered in 15 minutes. LOL!
I have been unable to contact them and their voicemail is full now. Very strange! It's like they disappeared. I guess I'll be requesting a refund through PayPal.
New subscriber here. Gotta tell you that I LOVE the fact that you are so well-spoken. It has been a pleasure to watch and listen to you....and I am only getting started! Thanks.
Erin, The granular of the Repels-All works fairly well vs. squirrel digging. I use is to deter digging in bulb planted & newly seeded areas. Haven't tried the liquid version, tho, on fruit & the like...yet.
Erin, you inspired me to grow Dahlias and I love them. I only grew a few the first year and around 30 last year. I live in the high mountains of Colorado 9,200 feet(zone 4B) so challenged with elevation and short growing season. I start them in gallon pots inside 4-6 weeks before our last spring frost, as a result of watching you. I noticed the last two years that the dahlias flowered sooner and had more blooms in the raised beds and not in the landscape. Do you think that is because of water? I’m not sure why the dahlias in the landscape are not flourishing. I know you grow yours in the landscape, so what is your secret?
How is you banana doing? Are you going to put it in the ground this year or try to wrestle it back into and then, back out of, that beautiful teak planter again? I love so many of the things you have done but oh! that banana was a showstopper. ❤
I agree with MrsBeckyDaisy you should have more followers on RUclips. I love all of your down to earth practical advice. I tried dahlias last year on your recommendation. Love them but will try shorter varieties this year! 😂 I love the art work behind you. Is that a power boat depicted? I thought you were a sailor!⛵️
You planted a large ?Lotus in your water garden in your raised garden space. Did you over winter it? If so, How? I ordered one for this year, but at the price, I want to know if I can keep it from year to year.
So much information packed into this! Thank you! BTW, sounds like you’re a master gardener? So am I (in Washington state) but always so much more to learn :-)
Our worst critter invasion comes from the wild turkeys and neighborhood peacocks who both eat all greenery and can fly into most of the areas we have to garden in. All the large pts are now wrapped in oversized gopher wire. I did buy the 6’ knob headed poles with huge swaths of nylon bird netting to cover the one large flower bed we put in last year. The deer are the easy ones to keep in now!
I forgot to thank you for letting us know where we can get the dwarf tomato seeds. Also are you going to the Garden Expo in Madison? We won't recognize you if you wear your sunglasses. Which I like. ;)
I learned about your channel from Laura of Garden Answer. I've searched and searched for other gardening youtubers to follow, but have only found 4 that I really enjoy. Love your easy-going style, your knowledge of plants, and your humor. Now for my question. My husband made me a very nice trellis for the side of my shed. Trouble is, it's the North side. Can you suggest any flowering plants I could try on it? It gets less than an hour of sun each day. I'm in Ohio Zone 6b. I was thinking I saw a climbing hydrangea in one of your videos. Do you think that would work? Thanks for any suggestions. Can't wait to see how your steps to the creek look with the new plantings on each side!
A climbing hydrangea will certainly grow in that spot but it’s probably not the best use of a trellis that you presumably want to enjoy. First off, they take ages to get going and once it does it will quickly eat your trellis alive. Shade tolerant vines are indeed tough. Clematis ‘Silver Moon’ does OK in a shady spot. Honeysuckle (Lonicera) can survive, although won’t flower particularly well. Cissus discolor (often called Rex begonia vine) is a tropical so you’ll have to bring it for winter but it appreciates a bit of bright shade.
Quick question re poppy seeds on drifts of snow - Reno, NV here...Will the native birds scoop up the seeds before they have had a chance to mix with the soil ?
It's interesting gardeners on RUclips aren't talking about the Jumping Worms. Wish you had more on your channel. Would like to know if they're still in a certain part of the garden or traveled to everywhere. I found them a couple days ago and today killed 238. Resuming tomorrow and will go over the area with Mustard Water. Then will go around and test spots. Then Tea seed meal
I have, and I just don't have a lot of luck with it. I always feel like I'd need a million milk jugs to manage the amount of seeds I grow. I also think that our very cold, very late springs are not as conducive to it because part of the reason I start seed inside is to get a jump on the season but they emerge so late in the milk jugs that I don't feel that I gain any time. But I still think it's a great method for a lot of people.
Question for you :) I'm in Quebec, Zone 5B and i have 3 raised garden boxes on my rooftop patio (4'x3'x12" high) and Ive grown cut flower gardens up there for two years now! My question is what do you do with spring bulbs planted in a raised garden box when it comes time to plant your spring / summer / fall seeds and seedlings? Do I just cut the bulb foliage back once flowered and plant around them? or do I dig them all up and put in sacks, to plant out again next fall? Thanks! **first time attempting to grow spring bulbs
Hi Erin! I tried your "winter sowing" toss-directly-on-the-soil strategy for breadseed poppies last year and had fair success. I was planning to try again this January, but I've held off because we are having much warmer than typical temperatures here in New Jersey. It has been consistently in the 40s and higher for the last several weeks, and the 10 day forecast is looking more like some 50s and 60s. (My daffodils are all emerging over a month early!) Would you advise forging ahead and tossing my poppy seeds out anyway, hoping for some colder temps in later winter? My other thought was perhaps I should stick my seeds in the fridge for a month or so to give them a cold period and then sow in mid to late March. I'd love your advice. Thanks!
Thank you for Q & A. I have learned a lot from your vids and appreciate that you share your knowledge with us. My question is that I have had tomato blight in my garden for last 2 years. Do I need to do something to amend the soil before planting this year?
I love this format. Questions and answers yes! Take that Google. Thought. Could Jumping worms improve thick hard nasty clay soil? Just a thought. One womans trash another womans treasure.
Thanks for sharing your plant experiences with us Erin. Do you have any experience with wiegela? Last year, I purchased a bareroot Sonic Bloom wiegela. It was off to a good start until a late frost, then it struggled to leaf out and never bloomed. I used Biotone when I planted it, is there anything else I can do for it? The other question is about a small Little Lime hydrangea that suddenly had what looked like brown rust spots on all leaves after a humid rainy stretch. Is there anything preventive that you would suggest? (zone 3B, northern WI) Thank you.
Live with daughter and her family, so can't start seeds inside. Have purchased Juwel cold frame for starting plants. Do you know if this will work? Zone 7B. Thanks
Cold frame in Zone 7B will do wonderfully, just be cautious of temperature inside the structure. It's a learning curve for any covered growing setup outside. 🤗 Best of luck!
Jumping worms! Never heard of them before but after our last rainfall, there was a worm that I thought was just spazzy. Only seen the one. I've been using humichar in my garden to change the structure (freaking red clay). Hopefully this won't be an issue....sigh
Hi Erin, I am in Illinois, zone 5b. My question may not have enough data to answer, but here it goes. 25 years ago, I had a landscaper/nursery landscape my front yard. All I could find was Burning Bush and Dwarf Liliac on the old paperwork. I would like to trim them down 8" on the 4' Burning Bush, and 5"-6" on the 4' Dwarf Lilac. They are healthy and continue to grow, but I missed a few years trimming. Thank you.
This is the kind of rejuvenation pruning that’s best done over a few years. The rule of thumb is to not remove more than one-third of a plant’s branches in a single year. These are both super tough plants so you might be able to hack them with no problem, but I’d still recommend doing it over three years, removing a third of the branches almost the way to the ground each years.
I love your show!! thanks..I am in NJ zone 7-A, I tried winter sowing for the first time this year and I had some baby poppies actually sprout...but.. then we had the polar vortex feels like -17..and they died..so I replanted.. My question is how do I carefully move them out into the garden as I have heard that poppies do not like to be transplanted? thanks again! Polly
Hi Erin, I have 5 hillside black beauty snakeroots in my yard-all in part sun locations. They have been planted for 5 years. Every year they put up multiple bloom stalks but the frost takes them out before the buds can open. This year as we also had a beautiful fall they opened up in early November and it was such a pleasant surprise! I bought them from my local garden centre. They are a zone 5 plant-grown in Canada. I live in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada zone 5b. I have asked at 4 garden centres for suggestions and they all recommended fertilizer-that hasn't helped them to bloom earlier. Is there anything I can do to get these buds to open before it frosts? Thank you-Jennifer (I also sent a postcard!)
Hi Erin I just love what you do you really are very knowledgeable about gardening..I think I wrote to you before but being knew to trying to grow seeds in a zone which I did not I was in ..Finally I was reading and found out here in St.Catharines Ontario we grow peaches,cherries pears grapes so what is my growing zone ,,well found out that I am in zone 7A…My question than is this I bought a small portable greenhouse about 5’by3’ so do yo think I could start my seeds in there ..I can’t do them inside for health reasons.would love to grow some dalias ,cosmos portullacca ..And of course tomatoes eggplants zucchini.basil etc..Please need your advice on when to start my seeds.. Thanks Maxine from Canada 🇨🇦 Ontario
QUESTION: If I find jumping worms in my garden would it do me any good to have a pail of soapy water to throw them in to drown them? I can imagine it might be like trying to empty Lake Michigan with a teaspoon but if I drown every one I find that’s one less to make more baby worms. ❄️💚🙃
It absolutely is a good idea to pick them when you find them. You can definitely make a dent in the population given their reproductive prowess. The recommended method is to put them in a plastic bag and let them cook in it. Sounds horrible, looks worse, but somebody, somewhere devised that method as being the safest to avoid any chance of them spreading.
I really enjoy this format! Thanks for introducing me to dwarf tomatoes-I was about ready to stop growing tomatoes altogether but this seems like a great idea. Question- my cup and saucer vine never bloomed last year. The foliage was wonderful though. Do you need to start them super early like now? I found jumping worms about 3 years ago-I’m pretty sure they came from bulk mulch. I was so disappointed but like you said you just have to keep gardening. 😊
Yes! You need to start those cup and saucer vines super early. Give them a pretty good chop when they are a few feet tall, but early is key. They take forever to bloom.
I have invited lady bugs and spiders to combat plant prey.
Chickens eat the jumping worms and give you eggs.
You have to mimic nature to keep the balance. Sigh. I appreciate your effort though but unimpressed.
You have a Q and A but have no A.
Hi Mimzy,
I can't provide answers that do not exist. Biologists are still trying to figure out how to manage jumping worms, so although there are are a lot of possible remedies, there is nothing that's certain. If biologists don't know the answers, I'm not going to pretend I do.
However, I can give you an answer regarding having chickens eat jumping worms, and that answer is: Don't. Amynthus worms accumulate heavy metals from the air in their bodies, and these heavy metals can be passed along in eggs. (Citation: chippewa.extension.wisc.edu/files/2020/10/Invasive-Jumping-Worms.pdf)
Mimicking nature doesn't always work with invasive species. Jumping worms are not a problem in their native Asia because they evolved alongside the foliage and fauna there.
Well Minzy, you got an answer now didn’t you. How rude!
@@TheImpatientGardener Not sure what happened, but the link is not working. I am wondering why there is assumed to be enough heavy metal floating around for birds eating worms (seems pretty natural) to be problematic. Aren't chickens originally from the same part of the world as the jumping worms? Isn't that possibly part of the natural control of the worms in their original context? I just don't understand why this obvious solution keeps being poo pooed.
@@kiafreeman8778 i just tried the link. There is a ) at the end that apparently doesn't belong there. if you delete that ) then the link works.
Mimzy Love - What a rude comment. Erin DID answer the questions. Just because you didn't like the answers doesn't mean she didn't provide them.
I love a good Q&A - length is no issue - the longer, the more information - we could always pause or come back later if we get busy. Most Q&A's from my favorites are atleast 30 minutes. Thanks for taking the time with us Erin!
I agree. When I saw the video was just under 20 minutes I thought that would be perfect. But when I got to the end I wanted more. 😀
Great information as always!! I can not believe you only have 106K subscribers because you are by far one of the best garden RUclipsr’s (if that is even a thing) Your no nonsense approach to everything is fantastic!! I love that this is becoming a regular weekly video. My postcard will becoming to you very soon. Thanks for all of the useful information, and for brighting up my day.❤
I felt that deep sigh when the post office box didn't open. I don't just love your videos for the information and ideas, but also for your impeccable comedic timing 😂
And you know that I made that video to send to Mr. Much More Patient to say "It's NOT working!"
10 minutes, 15 minutes, an hour would be great for me. I love the live videos you have done although I only ever see them as a later post
I have started the dwarf tomato route. I watched Growing a Greener World, and he got me interested. They are prolific producers.
Erin, I'm in 8b and when I first moved here, I had rabbits😡. I read somewhere to grate Irish Spring Soap in the garden. IT WORKS! it has to be the original scent. It must smell so strong they can't find the stuff they want. I got a cheap grater and the soap at Dollar Tree and I've been a believer ever since. Love your vlogs. Thanks for sharing all your knowledge with all of us.
I have watched you since u had 20K + subs….so happy that your viewership is growing. I love your no nonsense and humble approach.
Thanks for sticking with me!
Oh, Wow! I remember Erin talking about the jumping worms in Wisconsin earlier, but I hope I never have to encounter them. I guess we all have something undesirable in our gardens, but keeping the same attitude as Erin, all will be fine. Great Q A - complete with baby fox, thank you.
I hope I never have to encounter them either, but I wonder if the moles eat them? I have a never-ending battle with moles in my yard
Chickens
From one master gardener to another - great content, as usual. Soil test kits in MI average $25 - check with your state extension program first! Re: rabbits (grrr…) my neighborhood cats keep them under control, but I also use Liquid Fence which works well because it contains fox urine. Looking forward to “wine and weeds!” 🍷
Any length of video is great, Erin, as long as it comes with those baby foxes. 🥰 Love these Q&As, thank you!
Loved the discussion of ugly plastic greenhouses and using them for hardening off. I have one and I had that very same question which you have now answered. In your next Q&A, could you provide some additional information on your use of the plastic greenhouses for your dahlias, i.e. at what point in the pre-sprout process do you actually move your dahlias outdoors? Do you wait until they are a certain size? Do you wait until it’s a certain temperature? (I’m in Zone 6B.) As always, thank you so much for all you do to help make all of us better gardeners.
Good job of describing F1 hybrids.
The foxes are soo cute, but I have to admit, the bunnies and deer sound awesome too. All you need are some talking mice and you'd be like Cinderella (from somebody with a tiny urban garden)
I love that your husband has to get your mail. 😂 My friend hasn't used the gas pump since she married 20 years ago. Clever ladies. Love your content and your humor, Erin. 💚
Q&A content is great! Your wealth of knowledge is more helpful than you can imagine. Question: As we follow you on RUclips, wondering who YOU follow on RUclips? Any recommendations on who to check out?
Love the baby fox! Thanks for showing again!
"I checked my seed supply before I tell you my favorites", LOL, good idea!
I love watching and learning from you. I really don’t think you should worry about time length.. go as long as you want. People can always pause or stop. Laura’s recaps are close to an hour. My opinion is the time clock popping up is kind of distracting. You are so knowledgeable and what you are sharing is valuable! Thanks 🌱🌸💗
So glad you supplied info about the dwarf tomatoes. I just placed an order with victory seeds. They had a huge selection, hurry and get your order in!
I bought my dwarf tomato seeds last year from Renaissance farms in Bloomington Indiana. They were fabulous. He has probably 20 different types of dwarf tomatoes to choose from.
Hello Susan how are you doing,
where are you from?
These Q&A videos are great. We usually don't have to many bunnies because hawks nest nearby. Last year, no hawks. Ugh, so many rabbits. I need a visit from Sunflower Steve.
Whenever you bring in a plant to overwinter, I highly recommend either doing just plants that were in pots and on the porch all year - ie isolated from the garden-at-large. Or: You need to fully cleanse the outside with a pest wash and then ditch and wash away all the soil in the hedgerow and with the hose and repot the bare dirtless roots in sterile soil. This is basically quarantining a plant that grew in the garden (or even touching the garden but grown in a pot) because when you take an element out of the ecosystem and out of the system of checks and balances it is subjected to, then a fungus or bug can go absolutely crazy because the bacteria or predator that normally takes care of the problem is not there to counteract the fact that it has a food/energy supply and nothing that predates upon it.
Oddly, if you have this worm problem, I would invite some fisherman to harvest as many as they can. We talk about depleting a resource when we harvest too much of it, but when it comes to these species without an environment that keeps them in check like Asian carp, the jumping worms, zebra mussels, kudzu vine etc we really need to think of a product to make out of the rampant species and then just harvest it without any sort of care for its population.
I'm in western NY near Buffalo and discovered jumping worms in my gardens this past summer. You're so right they are disgusting! I've been hand picking them and solarizing them in zip lock bags because it was manageable
That fox video was amazing! More of that please. I have never seen a fox here, but I do love seeing the coyotes and hawks. They help keep my rabbit population in check. I still have to wrap my young trees in winter, though.
Good to know that the purple bell vine needs to be planted up indoors before moving out. I ordered some also and can't wait to grow it this year. Also, staying in Lake Geneva in May and heading to Northwind Flower Farm. Can't wait!!!
When you google simply “purple bell vine” your video on RUclips comes up first! … looove it!
Irma New Albany, IN 6b
Thank you for explaining about seeds. It’s good to know why things work a certain way 😊🌱
Thanks for the explanation of how you use your pop up greenhouse. I am bummed that our homeowner's association won't allow greenhouses and I have stretched our cold frame and mini hoop beds as far as I can take them. Adding a second cold frame soon! I can't grow indoors for health reasons so having this temporary tool should give me more options. Behind our shed, out of view that is! ;)
I think I found your channel at the beginning of Covid, and shared it with my best friend who lives in zone 10b. She fell in love with the Purple Bell Vine as I did, only she lives in area where it lives and thrives 12 months of the year, with zero effort. Thanks for the Q&A Erin. I don’t know about anyone else, but Winter seems to be getting longer and longer each year. Stay well.
Erin, I'm really enjoying these 10-minute-ish Q&As. Rabbits and squirrels are my worst critters problem, so I'll probably have to figure out a way to exclude them. Squirrels could present a real dilemma... how in the world do you exclude those? If anyone has tried and true methods, please share them.
I grew several different varieties of dwarf tomatoes two years ago. I enjoyed growing them because they didn't take up much garden space... and my garden isn't going to be any larger than it is currently.
We used to have that same kind of PO Boxes in our small town, but five years ago they remodeled our post office lobby, and I was able to purchase the front door of my PO Box... now, I need to come up with a fun way to use it! Hmm, possibly some sort of planter decoration! 😕🍅🦊
Hi! A little tip. Mothballs have always worked for me against squirrels. Yes, they stink but that keeps the squirrels away.😁
@@trinityloewen8141 Thanks, Trinity, I'll have to check that out!
Really love your QandA’s. You give some information that I’ve never heard. Thank you.
Soil tests in North Carolina are free for homeowners from April to November. The balance of the year is $4. This is good as it allows tests from all over the yard.
Great info, would love to see how you use that little greenhouse, maybe even shorts. Thanks for the motivation!
Hey thanks so much for answering my question, and especially in this video! I’m not gonna lie; I had to call my daughter into the room because I was fan girling! Lol You convinced me to do some soil testing, this year. Love to learn from you. You’re very down to earth, even though you are wicked knowledgeable about gardening. Thanks!
You could show that fox video every time and I’d never get sick of it.
Same.
Loving these q and a's!!! A great way to get us all thru the winter!!! Thanks, Erin.
You always have such good information, thank you!!
Hey There Erin! As most of my fellow gardeners,I’m itching for spring. Can you talk about what Dahlias your growing this year /what your starting from seed. Thank you 😊
Hi Erin, enjoyed your Q&A. I have never heard of Asian jumping worms, learn something new every-day. Down here we have the good old earthworms and worm farms. Loved the video of the foxes they look so cute. We don't have foxes, but we do have a possum, rabbit and deer problem. Thanks again for a great video. Jeanette, New Zealand.
I'm going to have to watch the last half of this video again because I was so distracted by the fox kits! Love them! Please keep sharing info about jumping worms (I know this isn't your favorite topic). I have them in NH, and unfortunately, not many people are aware of them, even though they're pretty common here. Many people, even at garden centers, don't know about them. Can't wait until Brad Herrick and his team come up with a solution!
To help control Jumping Worms ~ My chickens LOVE worms!! ~ plus the eggs are a bonus, in these times of high egg prices
excellent info as always, except i can't recall a thing you said while there were baby fox kits in the frame
Question - how do you keep your dogs out of your gardens? Any suggestions for dog proof plants (zone 4)?
I would like to know this too. I have a new puppy and he eats literally everything.. I've been told animals have a keen sense of knowing what they shouldn't eat, but not mine.
Suggestion, instead of a heater in your cold frames when the temps drop, I’ve heard to string Christmas lights….the old fashion kinds that have the bulbs you screw in that our parents used back in the day. I plan to try this this year.
I haven't had a lot of luck with Christmas lights. It might have been because I didn't use large enough bulbs, or enough bulbs, because I was afraid I could start a fire. Two things worked well for me this past December. For seedlings, using seeding heat mats worked wonders. For raised garden beds covered with garden fleece with plastic on top of that, I used hand warmers. I put them under the fleece before I went to bed and they were still warm in the morning.
Erin, thumbs up for your thumb nail😺😺😻!!!
Loving this format!
Love a Q&A, any length, because I’m not tied to a chair but I can still gain all the good info. Thanks! Re: purple bell vine, I amazingly was able to grow some from seed last year and they never really took off but I was able to salvage them and they seem to be hanging on. Hoping for the best this year!
Raised bed gardener here too....gonna try one of these dwarf tomatoes this year!
Great video! ❤️💕 Have you ever successfully overwintered a blue macrophylla hydrangea that bloomed the following year that you planted in your garden or left it potted in your shed?
Well that could have lasted a little longer and I wouldn’t have minded. ❄️💚🙃
Last summer, I was blown away by Fred's Tie Dye dwarf tomato! Found it at Fruition Seeds. Besides the great taste, it had excellent disease resistance! Not one sick leaf, all season long!
I also loved Dr. Wyche's! I hope, I would be able to find a yellow dwarf tomato that would be comparable.
Another win was Geranium Kiss, ( MIgardener). Surprisingly tasty and productive.
Ooh great suggestions! I will look into those. Thank you.
So glad to hear you like dwarf tomatoes. I also ordered from Renaissance Farms this year but I have not heard anything back about my order placed 2 weeks ago. So I am hopeful hearing you used them also. Love the 10-minute Q & A as so much can be covered in 15 minutes. LOL!
Did you ever get your seeds? I also placed an order with them this year and haven't gotten anything back from them yet!
@@stetrick612, yes, I received them and planted them up.
@@cufflink812 awesome, I may have to call them and see where it's at
I have been unable to contact them and their voicemail is full now. Very strange! It's like they disappeared. I guess I'll be requesting a refund through PayPal.
Great content
And a few chuckles
Question. Should I prun a honeysuckle in winter or spring to get more flowers?
Great info. I'm hoping I can find the dwarf tomatoes as seedlings.
I'm doing a lot of micro dwarf tomatoes this year.
I think those greenhouses do better in a protected area.
I love dwarf tomatoes! ✌️
New subscriber here. Gotta tell you that I LOVE the fact that you are so well-spoken. It has been a pleasure to watch and listen to you....and I am only getting started! Thanks.
Hi Marie! Thank you for saying hello!
Erin,
The granular of the Repels-All works fairly well vs. squirrel digging. I use is to deter digging in bulb planted & newly seeded areas.
Haven't tried the liquid version, tho, on fruit & the like...yet.
Erin, you inspired me to grow Dahlias and I love them. I only grew a few the first year and around 30 last year. I live in the high mountains of Colorado 9,200 feet(zone 4B) so challenged with elevation and short growing season. I start them in gallon pots inside 4-6 weeks before our last spring frost, as a result of watching you. I noticed the last two years that the dahlias flowered sooner and had more blooms in the raised beds and not in the landscape. Do you think that is because of water? I’m not sure why the dahlias in the landscape are not flourishing. I know you grow yours in the landscape, so what is your secret?
That's the type of PO box we have too! lol
How is you banana doing? Are you going to put it in the ground this year or try to wrestle it back into and then, back out of, that beautiful teak planter again? I love so many of the things you have done but oh! that banana was a showstopper. ❤
Great content and length, thanks
I agree with MrsBeckyDaisy you should have more followers on RUclips. I love all of your down to earth practical advice. I tried dahlias last year on your recommendation. Love them but will try shorter varieties this year! 😂 I love the art work behind you. Is that a power boat depicted? I thought you were a sailor!⛵️
I loved that fox video! Wow, how cool to watch them!
15:01 What was the name of the plant in your garden that was covered in butterflies? Where did you find it?
Great information!
Love it thanks
We are 5b here in Ontario Canada 🇨🇦 thank you for the q&a!!
PS. I was surprised to find that the soil tests in arkansas are free
You planted a large ?Lotus in your water garden in your raised garden space. Did you over winter it? If so, How? I ordered one for this year, but at the price, I want to know if I can keep it from year to year.
Hello from gloomy Ny 5b!! Love all the great info!! So fun!!
P.s no jumping worms here.. thankfully!!
So much information packed into this! Thank you! BTW, sounds like you’re a master gardener? So am I (in Washington state) but always so much more to learn :-)
Great video!! Zone 6 North West Arkansas, soil test is free 🎉🎉
Our worst critter invasion comes from the wild turkeys and neighborhood peacocks who both eat all greenery and can fly into most of the areas we have to garden in. All the large pts are now wrapped in oversized gopher wire. I did buy the 6’ knob headed poles with huge swaths of nylon bird netting to cover the one large flower bed we put in last year. The deer are the easy ones to keep in now!
I haven’t had peacocks but turkeys can be very destructive!
I forgot to thank you for letting us know where we can get the dwarf tomato seeds. Also are you going to the Garden Expo in Madison? We won't recognize you if you wear your sunglasses. Which I like. ;)
I learned about your channel from Laura of Garden Answer. I've searched and searched for other gardening youtubers to follow, but have only found 4 that I really enjoy. Love your easy-going style, your knowledge of plants, and your humor. Now for my question. My husband made me a very nice trellis for the side of my shed. Trouble is, it's the North side. Can you suggest any flowering plants I could try on it? It gets less than an hour of sun each day. I'm in Ohio Zone 6b. I was thinking I saw a climbing hydrangea in one of your videos. Do you think that would work? Thanks for any suggestions. Can't wait to see how your steps to the creek look with the new plantings on each side!
A climbing hydrangea will certainly grow in that spot but it’s probably not the best use of a trellis that you presumably want to enjoy. First off, they take ages to get going and once it does it will quickly eat your trellis alive. Shade tolerant vines are indeed tough. Clematis ‘Silver Moon’ does OK in a shady spot. Honeysuckle (Lonicera) can survive, although won’t flower particularly well. Cissus discolor (often called Rex begonia vine) is a tropical so you’ll have to bring it for winter but it appreciates a bit of bright shade.
Quick question re poppy seeds on drifts of snow - Reno, NV here...Will the native birds scoop up the seeds before they have had a chance to mix with the soil ?
Hello Sheila how are you doing,
where are you from?
It's interesting gardeners on RUclips aren't talking about the Jumping Worms. Wish you had more on your channel. Would like to know if they're still in a certain part of the garden or traveled to everywhere.
I found them a couple days ago and today killed 238. Resuming tomorrow and will go over the area with Mustard Water. Then will go around and test spots. Then Tea seed meal
These Q&A's are great! You mentioned using Biochar in your soil...could you explain that a little more & where you get it? Thanks
Love your vids
Erin, have you tried the winter sowing method? Would help out with you not having to harden off all those seedlings 😁
I have, and I just don't have a lot of luck with it. I always feel like I'd need a million milk jugs to manage the amount of seeds I grow. I also think that our very cold, very late springs are not as conducive to it because part of the reason I start seed inside is to get a jump on the season but they emerge so late in the milk jugs that I don't feel that I gain any time. But I still think it's a great method for a lot of people.
Question for you :) I'm in Quebec, Zone 5B and i have 3 raised garden boxes on my rooftop patio (4'x3'x12" high) and Ive grown cut flower gardens up there for two years now! My question is what do you do with spring bulbs planted in a raised garden box when it comes time to plant your spring / summer / fall seeds and seedlings? Do I just cut the bulb foliage back once flowered and plant around them? or do I dig them all up and put in sacks, to plant out again next fall? Thanks! **first time attempting to grow spring bulbs
Hi Erin! I tried your "winter sowing" toss-directly-on-the-soil strategy for breadseed poppies last year and had fair success. I was planning to try again this January, but I've held off because we are having much warmer than typical temperatures here in New Jersey. It has been consistently in the 40s and higher for the last several weeks, and the 10 day forecast is looking more like some 50s and 60s. (My daffodils are all emerging over a month early!) Would you advise forging ahead and tossing my poppy seeds out anyway, hoping for some colder temps in later winter? My other thought was perhaps I should stick my seeds in the fridge for a month or so to give them a cold period and then sow in mid to late March. I'd love your advice. Thanks!
Thank you for Q & A. I have learned a lot from your vids and appreciate that you share your knowledge with us. My question is that I have had tomato blight in my garden for last 2 years. Do I need to do something to amend the soil before planting this year?
I love this format. Questions and answers yes! Take that Google. Thought. Could Jumping worms improve thick hard nasty clay soil? Just a thought. One womans trash another womans treasure.
I don't think so. They don't burrow down like earthworms. They live in the top layers of the soil.
What is the minimum temperature that dahlias can take in your greenhouses? When do you need the space heater?
Thanks for sharing your plant experiences with us Erin. Do you have any experience with wiegela? Last year, I purchased a bareroot Sonic Bloom wiegela. It was off to a good start until a late frost, then it struggled to leaf out and never bloomed. I used Biotone when I planted it, is there anything else I can do for it? The other question is about a small Little Lime hydrangea that suddenly had what looked like brown rust spots on all leaves after a humid rainy stretch. Is there anything preventive that you would suggest? (zone 3B, northern WI) Thank you.
Last time i checked, soil tests in my area are $38. I'd need 5 of them. (Massachusetts)
Can’t wait to try the dwarf heirloom tomatoes. Do the companies ever sell plants. I’m only looking for 2-3 plants, as I live in a tight community.
Live with daughter and her family, so can't start seeds inside. Have purchased Juwel cold frame for starting plants. Do you know if this will work? Zone 7B. Thanks
Cold frame in Zone 7B will do wonderfully, just be cautious of temperature inside the structure. It's a learning curve for any covered growing setup outside. 🤗 Best of luck!
Have you ever thought about buying a super cute small greenhouse??? Would look so beautiful on your property!!
Jumping worms! Never heard of them before but after our last rainfall, there was a worm that I thought was just spazzy. Only seen the one. I've been using humichar in my garden to change the structure (freaking red clay). Hopefully this won't be an issue....sigh
Hi Erin, I am in Illinois, zone 5b. My question may not have enough data to answer, but here it goes. 25 years ago, I had a landscaper/nursery landscape my front yard. All I could find was Burning Bush and Dwarf Liliac on the old paperwork. I would like to trim them down 8" on the 4' Burning Bush, and 5"-6" on the 4' Dwarf Lilac. They are healthy and continue to grow, but I missed a few years trimming. Thank you.
This is the kind of rejuvenation pruning that’s best done over a few years. The rule of thumb is to not remove more than one-third of a plant’s branches in a single year. These are both super tough plants so you might be able to hack them with no problem, but I’d still recommend doing it over three years, removing a third of the branches almost the way to the ground each years.
@@TheImpatientGardenerThank you! Have a wonderful day!
I love your show!! thanks..I am in NJ zone 7-A, I tried winter sowing for the first time this year and I had some baby poppies actually sprout...but.. then we had the polar vortex feels like -17..and they died..so I replanted.. My question is how do I carefully move them out into the garden as I have heard that poppies do not like to be transplanted? thanks again! Polly
I'd love a video on baby weeds. This winter has been very kind to my weeds. If you have a suggestion for a plant identifier app I'd appreciate it.
Hi Erin, I have 5 hillside black beauty snakeroots in my yard-all in part sun locations. They have been planted for 5 years. Every year they put up multiple bloom stalks but the frost takes them out before the buds can open. This year as we also had a beautiful fall they opened up in early November and it was such a pleasant surprise! I bought them from my local garden centre. They are a zone 5 plant-grown in Canada. I live in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada zone 5b. I have asked at 4 garden centres for suggestions and they all recommended fertilizer-that hasn't helped them to bloom earlier. Is there anything I can do to get these buds to open before it frosts?
Thank you-Jennifer (I also sent a postcard!)
Hi Erin I just love what you do you really are very knowledgeable about gardening..I think I wrote to you before but being knew to trying to grow seeds in a zone which I did not I was in ..Finally I was reading and found out here in St.Catharines Ontario we grow peaches,cherries pears grapes so what is my growing zone ,,well found out that I am in zone 7A…My question than is this I bought a small portable greenhouse about 5’by3’ so do yo think I could start my seeds in there ..I can’t do them inside for health reasons.would love to grow some dalias ,cosmos portullacca ..And of course tomatoes eggplants zucchini.basil etc..Please need your advice on when to start my seeds.. Thanks Maxine from Canada 🇨🇦 Ontario
QUESTION: If I find jumping worms in my garden would it do me any good to have a pail of soapy water to throw them in to drown them? I can imagine it might be like trying to empty Lake Michigan with a teaspoon but if I drown every one I find that’s one less to make more baby worms. ❄️💚🙃
It absolutely is a good idea to pick them when you find them. You can definitely make a dent in the population given their reproductive prowess. The recommended method is to put them in a plastic bag and let them cook in it. Sounds horrible, looks worse, but somebody, somewhere devised that method as being the safest to avoid any chance of them spreading.
@@TheImpatientGardener have you tried diatomaceous earth? Maybe sprinkling that might help
@@amm7862 I have this question also.
I really enjoy this format! Thanks for introducing me to dwarf tomatoes-I was about ready to stop growing tomatoes altogether but this seems like a great idea. Question- my cup and saucer vine never bloomed last year. The foliage was wonderful though. Do you need to start them super early like now? I found jumping worms about 3 years ago-I’m pretty sure they came from bulk mulch. I was so disappointed but like you said you just have to keep gardening. 😊
Yes! You need to start those cup and saucer vines super early. Give them a pretty good chop when they are a few feet tall, but early is key. They take forever to bloom.
@@TheImpatientGardener thanks! I’ll start them now.