I moved into my home Sept 1 and planted carrots and beets from seed right away. I’ve never grown carrots or beets before. They are both growing healthy leaves but the roots themselves are tiny. The carrots are about 1-2” long and not seeming to get much bigger. I pulled a couple and tasted them and they don’t have any carrot taste they taste intensely like the soil. The beets are also staying pretty small. Did I just plant them too late and they aren’t getting enough hours of sun? Is there any chance of them growing bigger? I’ve built a hoop structure to have a hoop house through the winter but I wonder if these babies just aren’t going to get bigger. Also, I’m wondering why the carrots have such a strong soil taste without any carrot taste. Is it just because they’re too small and haven’t yet taken on their carroty-ness? Or is something else going on?

Hello! I was wondering if it is permissible to use dulce de leche as a topping/filing in any of the following cases: 1) canned dolce de leche from a store 2)canned dulce de leche made by boiling a commercial can of sweetened condensed milk for 3+ hours in a home kitchen 3) coconut based dairy-free dulce de leche from a store 4) coconut based dairy-free dulce de leche made by boiling a can of sweetened condensed milk for 3+ hours in a home kitchen. Thanks!

I have a purple cone flower plant that is currently 5' 2" in height. I was wondering if this is unusual for this species of cone flower plant to grow this tall. Per the Internet the purple cone flower plant reaches a height of 2' to 4' feet. Thanks for your input on this.

Hi! I am growing blueberries on Park Point in Duluth MN I have had them in the ground for 6 years, they look great, and they get many flowers but sadly very little fruit. I fear the problem is that they might be blooming before the bees or pollinators are active. Most of the bushes are Patriot blueberries. I can see that my bushes again have many flower buds ready to go in the spring, but I am afraid I will have another blueberryless summer. I have searched and search for an answer and the only solution I can come up with is to order some mason bees and a home for them, but I am unsure if this will work at all. I would so appreciate a workable answer. Thank you so much!

Hello! Our patio arbor structure has three old (35+ years) grape trunks growing up into it. They’re for aesthetics, not for grape production, and we believe they’re Concord grapes. 

Most years we cut the vines back during winter, but some years we just let them be.  Does it make a difference if we don't cut them back yearly?  

Again they are primarily for summer shade, and not for the grapes themselves.  I'll try to attach a photo or two.  Thanks!

Kevin Cole

Portland OR

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My house had a backyard bed that is dry under some trees. What can I grow there to make it look attractive? There is a soaker hose laid there which I can run with a timer or as needed. I'd love a few shrub and colorful perennials. Would BoBo Hydrangea work if I watered it? Thanks.

What is the strange cream colored, slightly raised bumps on my Jowey Linda dahlia tubers? Two of the three have this issue. The third has normal smooth beige tubers. Is it a sign of gall? They don’t have the wild tiny stem growth at the base like some of my obviously infected tubers, so hoping they’re ok. My Jowey Linda plants all were strong producers of beautiful flowers though and I don’t want to throw them out if they’re not infected. The second picture is of one of my Radegast tubers. I can’t tell for sure if what I’m seeing is leafy gall, or just a new “eye” for next year. Can you help me identify? Thanks.

What deer repellent would you recommend in a garden/yard?

Hi, after a recent pool install we find ourselves in need of covering the base of the tree with 3-4’ of dirt to mitigate the new slope. I planted the tree 4 years ago and want to prune the bottom 3 branches circled in red on the cropped image. Do I need to seal the cuts? Thanks!!!

Hello! I have a gorgeous, large, limelight hydrangea tree. The problem is, it’s way too big for the space I planted it. It is crowding the sidewalk to my front door. Can I relocate the tree or should I just take it down? I’m not sure how a hydrangea tree could handle being transplanted. Thanks for your help!