Hi Jackie, Potatoes are perfect for digging up at any stage of growth once the full foliage and flowers have formed. If you want to pick your tubers when they are at fingerling stage then that is the time to pick...Ideally for fully grown potatoes (such as russets) you would wait until the foliage has died back completely to dig them up. I made the mistake of picking my French fingerling potatoes (literally this week) once the foliage had died back and I had two pound fingerling potatoes!! ooops! Best!~ Ian

Yes the spreading type Bamboo is a nightmare to control. It spreads finger thick shoots that are lying in wait all over a yard eventually! Spreading Bamboo is in my four top plants that are the toughest to eradicate... and the worse thing of all is that these have all been planted by us at some point! The countdown..... 4) Bermuda & Crab grass, 3) Pampas Grass- bulldozer anyone?, 2) Algerian Ivy...bye bye fence line and hello rodents!, 1) the ever special spreading bamboo! Beware my friends....beware! Best!~ Ian

Hi Prentiss! Dr. Ian is now in the house... but I digress! So yes to answer your question, you would want to have the cup submerged in the water about an inch. The holes on the bottom of the cup will allow moisture in but just enough to keep the soil wet for germination and not to drown the seeds themselves. A great method for sure... too many times people forget to keep their seeds moist and they dry out before germinating correctly. This method eliminates that from happening. I hope this helps Prentiss! Please follow up if you have any more questions about getting your seeds started! Best!~ Ian

Hello Barbara! So yes.... actually both temperatures are correct! The foliage itself is hardy to about 32 to 40 degrees F, and the root system itself is tolerant to around 15 degrees F. So even if it dies back it should rebound nicely in the springtime as long as your temperatures don't fall below this level. It is great as an outdoor plant and even better for use in a greenhouse! But probably would suffer as an indoor plant. I will submit this plant to be put into our database so you can monitor your plant in the future! Thanks so much for your inquiry Barbara and I hope this helps! Best!~ Ian

Hi Richard, Sounds gorgeous! That is an old one all right as that is about the largest size a Gardenia reaches (in all the species!). You are correct that this is the right time to prune and you can prune pretty heavily... meaning 1/3 cut back should be fine. The key to Gardenias is to make sure you still have a decent amount of full green leaves left on the plant.. so I would go with hand shears to target specific branches and not just shear off the whole outer layer of leaves. Sometimes the older Gardenias tend to just have their leaves on the outer edges of the plant with little leaves underneath.... which would result in a very bald looking shrub once its been cut back. This will leave the plant susceptible to lots of issues and probably even death if it can't undergo photosynthesis. But in my days I have even seen Gardenias cut down to within a foot of the ground and have bounced back nicely, not that I would suggest this method! Thanks for the inquiry here Richard and I hope this is helpful information for you! Best! ~ Ian

Hi Jacquelyn, Richard hit the nail on the head as far as getting more information and what you should be aware of when planting the same crops in successive years. If you have some more information about what you have been doing and want to send me some photos that would be very helpful to see what could be affecting your tomatoes in particular! My direct email is ianh@plantsense.com . Thanks Jacquelyn.... Look forward to getting your tomatoes back on track! Best! ~ Ian

Your welcome Madeline! I will make sure I get this information to Mark our plant database manager to get this information updated. Thanks so much for your input! Best!~ Ian

A quick follow up... Since it is Fava beans, you need to be aware that they are a cool weather crop that should be planted in a fashion similar to peas. So you either want to plant them in the Fall (the vast majority are planted then) or in late winter/ early spring. Early summer is just too warm of a time to get these going unfortunately! Best!~ Ian

Hello Madeline, So yes this is good advice for beans.... unless you are experiencing excessively high temperatures during the germination process... then you may need to water again. Another trick to get the beans to sprout earlier is to soak them in water overnight the night before you plant the beans. Once planted (in either potting soil in a container, or directly sowing them in your garden soil) give the soil a good soaking. This is an important step that can be under done if your soil is excessively dry or high in clay as it can take a bit for the soil to absorb the moisture. A good soaking of a spot can take as long as 5 to 10 minutes in some cases! The seeds you got should be great if they have dried correctly.... Are they from last year or this year? It might take a little longer if they have just finished drying. Best!~ Ian Hall

Hello Alex, Awesome suggestions from Eric! That is definitely a strategy that can work to dissuade your good plants from getting eaten. You can also take the approach of planting plants that are attractors of 'Beneficial' insects. One example of this is to plant Yarrow (Achillea filipendulina) to attract Lacewings to your garden. In the larvae stage they are voracious eaters of Aphids, Spider Mites, and their eggs. And honey bees love Yarrow! So although Yarrow itself is not repelling the bad insects, you essentially get the same result as it attracts the right insects to eat your pest bugs, while bees happily will visit your garden! Best!~ Ian