Questions tagged [vegetables]

Any edible plant or part of a plant. For questions if an unknown plant is edible use the [edible] tag.

Vegetables are plants. Technically they exclude actual , although many so-called vegetables (e.g. peppers, , and ) are the fruit of the plant in question. Questions about anything typically grown in a vegetable garden are on-topic for this tag.

For questions about a particular vegetable, use in combination with a tag for the specific vegetable you're asking about (e.g. or ).

If you're having a problem with a vegetable (leaves turning yellow, plants die, etc), use in addition.

This tag can also be used for general questions about vegetable gardening (getting started, mulching, fertilizing, watering, etc), so please add the appropriate tags for these questions too.

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Can snail pellets be safely used in a vegetable garden? If not, any safer alternatives?

Is it safe to use snail pellets in a vegetable garden bed or will these slowly leach into the soil? Is there a safer alternative that will keep snails out, but won't be absorbed by the vegetables?
going
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What is brix, and should I care?

I've read some sites that talk about Brix levels in vegetables, and how we should aim to reach high levels in the edibles we grow. What is brix, and is it something we can inexpensively measure at home? And if it's good, how do we increase levels?
Graham Chiu
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Should I earth up my radishes to prevent them from being eaten or should I pull them out?

My back yard lacks a bit of sunshine so things don't grow as fast, but they do grow. I've recently planted radishes for the first time and they have already started pushing out of the ground, however they are not very large, maybe half the diameter…
going
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Do brassicas like to be transplanted deeper than the previous pot?

I know that tomatoes should be transplanted deeper than they were in the previous pot. When I'm potting up broccoli and cabbage, are they the same way? Can I bury part of the stem when I go from a 6-pack to a pot, or from a pot to the garden? (I'm…
bstpierre
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What sort of feeding schedule should I use for pepper plants?

I've been trying to find out about feeding my peppers plants. So far the information I've found is very inconsistent, so I'd like something as definitive as possible. When should I start feeding my pepper plants? And from then, how frequently should…
DMA57361
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Is rust from a steel rainwater barrel harmful to edible plants?

We are using a used steel drum barrel as a rainwater container. Someone else in our house brought it from work, and we haven't bothered replacing with a plastic one yet. Supposing that there is no harmful residue of the previous content in it: It…
anderas
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How often should I fertilize vegetables?

I only ever add fertilizer after I remove a previous crop and break up the soil a bit, but should I be adding fertilizer to vegetables that take 10 or so weeks to grow, such as zucchini? How frequently should I add fertilizer? Are there particular…
going
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What is the best way to grow vegetables without using chemical insecticide?

I am looking for tips and recommendations because I do not want to use any pesticides. I am in Jamaica where insects are a big problem. I am using a combination of dish soap and hot pepper. Any suggestions as what to mix with the soap? I have a…
Gardening Directions
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How can I grow my own sweet potato starts?

I have always used pre-grown sweet potato slips, but since the source of sweet potatoes I have been using is unreliable, I am looking for how to grow my own in fairly large quantities. How should I do this if I am using a cold frame?
J. Musser
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What's the best way to thin delicate seedlings?

When thinning seedlings (salads, beetroots, spinach etc) I will normally pull out the entire plant (root included) of the discarded seedlings. Like it's a weed. Where my seedlings are densely packed this is nearly impossible to do without…
Tea Drinker
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How can I speed up germination of habanero chili pepper?

I planted some habanero seeds a week ago. Most of the websites said it need 2 weeks to 3 weeks to germinate. What is the best condition for its germination? I am in Hong Kong and having a 29 degree Celsius temperature on average. How much water does…
lamwaiman1988
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How long does it take to start sweet potato slips?

@Om Patange asked this in a comment on this sweet potato question and I'm curious about the answer: How long does each step [in starting sweet potato slips] take? I ask to know how long before spring I should start the process so that I have…
bstpierre
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What to do with 250 seeds!

I bought a packet of seeds that comes with 250 seeds! There's no way I have the space to plant 250 Silverbeet plants in my backyard, 10 plants maximum. What should I do with the 240 leftover?
Joao Noch
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How and for how long can home-grown onions be stored?

How should I prepare home-grown white or yellow onions for long-term storage? This answer says the ideal conditions for storing onion sets for re-planting and storing mature onions is the same, but it doesn't mention some important details I have…
Adam Wuerl
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Why are the blooms dropping off my zucchini without fruiting?

As you can see from the pictures the blooms look as if they just release themselves and leave the beheaded stalk. There doesn't seem to be any fruit growing at all. Is there something that I am doing that could cause this? Is there something that I…
DiBobble
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