Spring 2010 Cornish Gardener 9

Your questions answered

Q

All the basil varieties I sowed last year failed because the

stems on the new seedlings rotted at the bottom. I tried twice. They were grown in a propagator and other seeds didn’t seem to suffer. What was the problem?

The damping off of seedlings which keel over from the bottom is a plant condition and can be treated with sprays, but I don’t like using sprays on edible leaves. Too humid an environment may exacerbate this condition. Basil will usually come from seed in a plant tray or pot on a sunny windowsill. Keep the compost just moist. As some basils are very tender and difficult to transplant, it is best to sow a few seeds in little pots and then transplant these if you want to grow it outside. Or just use it straight from the pot.

A Q

west, especially near the coast, frost is fairly rare and many ‘exotic’ plants do thrive. In the eastern part of the county, however, it is colder and frosts are more frequent. One of the main concerns is damp. Many plants can withstand the cold, but damp coupled with extreme cold and icy wind is often a killer. Pelargoniums are one example. They enjoy dry conditions, preferably hot dry conditions in summer, but they can withstand cold weather unless they are saturated and then frozen, then they will be killed. It is always a good idea to check on the hardiness factor of all plants (you’ll find the RHS Encyclopaedia of Garden Plants an excellent reference

A

Having moved to Cornwall from the South East, I am

rather surprised to find that I have lost plants in my garden over the winter. I had never previously had to put them under cover and they used to remain outside whatever the weather. I thought that the warmer temperatures down here would allow me to grow more exotic things too, but it doesn’t seem to be the case.

It really depends on where you live in Cornwall. In the far

VINCA Minora offers a good solution if you want something pretty for ground cover

book for this). Anything which is described as ‘frost tender’ should be kept in a frost-free place in winter. Half-hardy plants in the garden can sometimes be protected by being given a heavy mulch during winter. Patio pots can be wrapped in sacking or fleece and put in a sheltered place. Having said this, this last winter has been exceptionally cold with long periods of frost. Hopefully this is a bit of a one-off.

Q A

Please recommend a ground cover plant for a bank

alongside my drive. It’s quite shady, has mature trees in it and rockery plants at the front.

The vincas spring to mind, either major or minor. These

periwinkles have pretty blue flowers (or there are white ones), dark green evergreen foliage and spread well. They do, however, need management to prevent them spreading. The variegated vincas are prettier but are much slower growing and do like the sun.

Q

sunny weather. It is particularly important to dig in a lot of bulk compost to keep up the moisture in the soil, but the immediate problem can be solved by making a drill about an inch deep and filling this with a seed compost, preferably John Innes type. Firm down and then sow the seeds into this. You could mix a little vermiculite with the compost too, this also helps to keep the moisture level up. I expect you find that only very small seeds such as lettuce, carrot, cabbage etc are a problem. Larger seeds will be just that little further down. Mixing the little seeds with fine sand often helps and makes them easier to sow.

A

I have very light soil and find great difficulty when

sowing small seeds such as carrots. The surface of the soil dries out so quickly and doesn’t give the seeds a chance to germinate, even if I water the ground twice a day. I have lost several rows of seeds already this year. Can you suggest anything I can do?

This is a problem with light, often sandy, soil especially in periods of

Q

I doubt if the variety had anything to do with the problem, which was either that the shallots didn’t have enough sunshine or that the soil you planted them in was not good enough. The onion family is not, contrary to popular belief, very easy and needs a balanced combination of food, moisture and sunshine to succeed. If you want to try again, dig out a bed and enrich with well-rotted garden compost, firming down well. The soil should be rich, moist but not waterlogged and the situation should be open and in full sun. Keep the ground firm, they don’t like loose soil, and water well even in winter if there are dry periods. Sadly, you’ve lost out another year because shallots need planting in late winter.

A

I planted shallots last year, buying a special red variety from a

seed company, but the results were very poor with only very small bulbs on each plant, some so small they weren’t worth pulling. I followed all the

instructions, planted them at the end of December and initially they produced a lot of leaf. What went wrong and should I try another variety? Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32