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Our FAQ's are taken directly from questions sent to "Ask Bob." These are Bob's answers...

Veggie Questions
Tomato Questions
General Gardening Questions

Veggie Questions

1. How should I care for my cauliflower plant?
   
   

2. Why, when I grow hot pepper plants, I get one pepper and then the other buds die off?
   
   

3. At what size do I pick Green & Lilac Peppers?
   
   

4. How do you dry Super Chile Pepper?
   
   

5. My Table Ace Squash is planted in a container. I have lots of flowers, but the squashes are falling off when only 1/2-1" long. What is wrong (the plant itself looks healthy)?
   
   

6. How do I make dried lanterns from Heart of Gold Squash?
   
   

7. My zucchini plant is covered with mold and my fruit is drying up and falling off the vine.
   
   

8. When your tags say 70 days to mature fruit, do you start counting the 70 days from when you plant in the ground? Does the time the plant is in the small pot count toward maturity? How do you know how long the plant has been at Home Depot?
   
   

9. We are interested in purchasing a large quantity of strawberries. Can you give us a little more detail on the life expectancy on the Eversweet and Quinault and how we can purchase these?
   
   

10. I bought strawberries at Home Depot, and I was wondering how to care of them. Any help?
    
    

11. I would like to know about shallots and how to grow them.
    
    

12. Do you have blueberry and raspberry plants?
    
    

13. When do I harvest my lettuce?
    
    

14. When do I harvest my broccoli?
    
    

Tomato Questions

1. I am having a problem with the bottom branches of my Early Girl tomato plants turning yellow. Am I over watering?
   
   

2. Are the VIVA! Early Girl Tomatoes genetically engineered?
   
   

3. I have small gnats eating the leaves on my tomato plants. What do you recommend doing?
   
   

4. I have had your tomato plants for 2 months. The large Beefmaster plant has lots of leaves and buds, but no tomatoes?
   
   

5. My tomatoes look great and have lots of fruit, but the leaves, even new ones, curl. Is it too much water or not enough? We water underground.
   
   

6. How tall does the French beefsteak tomato get? The temperatures are over a 100° now. Will this variety hold up?
   
   

7. I’m getting dark spots on the bottom of my tomatoes as they are growing. Please tell me what to do.
   
   

8. Can you please tell me a good variety of tomato to grow in containers on my deck.
   
   

9. How much pruning should be done on a cherry tomato plant and how far up the plant?
   
   

10. How can I best prune tomato varieties?
    
    

11. I cannot get tomatoes to bloom. Any suggestions?
    
    

12. I purchased 2 Tomato Patio Hybrids. Am I to assume the plant is to stay in this pot? If not what size pot would be adequate for transplanting said plant?
    
    

13. Your Better Boy tomato tag didn’t show disease information; is there any?

General Gardening Questions

1. Can you give more hints on setting up the soil and planting?
   
   

2. I need help for growing in hot weather.
   
   

3. I am a girl that kills every plant I have ever had - my mother was hopeless too - but I would really like to start a herb and veggie garden and could use some helpful hints - I have a small balcony with pretty good sun exposure... I own a condo..etc
   
   

4. How do I keep my dog out of my plants?
   
   

5. Please, could you tell me if the herbs (and vegetables) are sprayed with any synthetic pesticide or herbacide, etc.
   
   

6. I need help with coffee grounds and using them in my garden.
   
   

1. Q: How should I care for my cauliflower plant?
A: If you've got it in the garden in full sun and it is getting regular watering then you are 90% there. When you see a head starting to form, gently fold the leaves of the plant over the head and secure them with rubber bands or twine. This will keep the head out of the sunlight and will blanch it giving you a nice tight, white head.

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2. Q: Why, when I grow hot pepper plants, I get one pepper and then the other buds die off?
A: This is a common problem. All it needs is a kick-start. Try to pollinate it by hand for about a week. To do this, take a small artists paint brush and run it inside a flower and go on to the next until all of the flowers have been touched. In about a week or so you should have peppers showing up all over the plant and never have to touch it again.

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3. Q: At what size do I pick Green & Lilac Peppers?
A: Believe it or not, that's pretty much up to you. You have a few options: you can pick it green when it is the size that suits your need, or the longer you leave it the sweeter (and redder). The lilac is the same though they are pretty sweet already when they get lilac colored.

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4. Q: How do you dry Super Chile Pepper?
A: For any red chile, cut the entire whole chile plant at its base and hang upside down, or harvest individual peppers and string them from the stem ends onto a strong thread (which is known as a Ristra). Hang up to dry in a cool, dry, airy place.

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5. Q: My Table Ace Squash is planted in a container. I have lots of flowers, but the squashes are falling off when only 1/2-1" long. What is wrong (the plant itself looks healthy)?
A: That is a perfectly normal thing for squash plants to do. They usually slough off the earliest fruits and then the following ones will start to stay on.

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6. Q: How do I make dried lanterns from Heart of Gold Squash?
A: I don't believe they can be used for that. They are too fleshy and meaty compared to the other gourd types that are usually used for craft and decorative purposes. Bake it, boil it, mash it, butter it, eat it - leave the lanterns to the gourds.

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7. Q: My zucchini plant is covered with mold and my fruit is drying up and falling off the vine.
A: It sounds like a massive case of mildew. This could be caused by excessive rain and humidity. If that isn't the case then you might be over watering so cut back a bit. It also isn't unusual for the first small fruits to dry up and fall off and then the next ones will start staying on and growing.

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8. Q: When your tags say 70 days to mature fruit, do you start counting the 70 days from when you plant in the ground? Does the time the plant is in the small pot count toward maturity? How do you know how long the plant has been at Home Depot?
A: The days to maturity is from the time the seed was planted, so by the time you buy the plants you can figure they are already 4-6 weeks old. There's no good way to tell how long they have been in the store. You might be there the same day they came in, or they may have been there already for a week or so.

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9. Q: We are interested in purchasing a large quantity of strawberries. Can you give us a little more detail on the life expectancy on the Eversweet and Quinault and how we can purchase these?
A: As far as life expectancy, the plants should be perennial and go on for years. Mulch them with a thick layer of straw in the fall for them to winterover well. Remember they will also be sending out runners and making new plants as well that you can sever from the main plant and relocate them where you want.

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10. Q: I bought strawberries at Home Depot, and I was wondering how to care of them. Any help?
A: Strawberries grow best in well-drained soil that has been amended with organic matter. Strawberries should not be planted near eggplants, peppers, potatoes, raspberries, or tomatoes because strawberries are susceptible to verticillium wilt. It is also advisable to move strawberry beds whenever verticillium wilt appears. Strawberries need to be protected from freezing during the winter months. In addition to mulching strawberries, planting strawberries at the top of a gentle slope helps minimize winterkill and frost damage to blossoms. Strawberries can be planted in rows or hills. The base of the crown of the plant should be set at soil level (buried crowns will rot). Plants that are set too high will dry out and die. Strawberry plants live two or three years. The will bear fruit in their second season. Healthy strawberry beds will yield five to ten quarts of strawberries for 10 feet of planted bed. Strawberries need 1 to 2 inches of water per week while the plants are blossoming and until the end of the harvest.

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11. Q: I would like to know about shallots and how to grow them.
A: Shallots are like onion sets in that they are grown from small bulbs rather than seed. However, instead of getting one large onion from one small bulb planted, shallots give you 8-12 small bulbs. They have a milder flavor than larger onions and are easier to grow. In the case of the VIVA! shallot, the set has been already started for you and it just needs to be transplanted out into the garden slightly deeper than the level it is in the pot. Plant in full sun in well-draining soil and water regularly. Weed carefully and often. Around 4 months after planting your shallot leaves will start withering and go yellow-brown. Harvest a couple of weeks later and try to avoid watering them. Carefully lift the bulbs, leaving them in a dry place for a while (anywhere from a week to 3 weeks depending on where you keep it). When the bulbs are completely dry, remove the dirt and leaves. Store in net bags in a cool, dry place.

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12. Q: Do you have blueberry and raspberry plants?
A: Thanks so much for checking out our vivagarden.com. Sorry to say though, we don't have a line of berries - it doesn't mean we won't in the future. We are always looking at different items to spice up the offerings. There are quite a few mail-order sources that would carry them. Try web sites like Burpee Seed or Johnny's Seeds for starts. Keep in mind, too, that while raspberries will do fine where you are, blueberries are a different story and usually grow in colder places like New England and the mid-Atlantic region. There may be some available now that have been developed for warmer climates, so do your homework.

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13. Q: When do I harvest my lettuce?
A: You can pick lettuce at any stage you want. The best way to prolong your crop is to gently pick off the outer leaves from the plants as you need them, and leave the main plant to keep growing. If you know you are going to need to use a whole head of lettuce now or over a few days you can take a sharp knife and cut the head right off at the soil level.

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14. Q: When do I harvest my broccoli?
A: Your broccoli should develop 1 or 2 heads on sturdy stalks. When they are at the size you would like, cut the stalks off about 1/2 way down the plant. In a few weeks there will be several new smaller stalks that will grow from where you made the original harvest giving you a second crop!

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1. Q: I am having a problem with the bottom branches of my Early Girl tomato plants turning yellow. Am I over watering?
A: It is fairly normal for the lowest, bottom leaves and branches to turn yellow, as they are the oldest. Go ahead and prune them off. If this continues aggressively up the plant then there may be additional problems.

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2. Q: Are the VIVA! Early Girl Tomatoes genetically engineered?
A: No they are not, at least in the modern, strictest sense of the word. The Early Girl Tomato and nearly every fruit or vegetable we eat have been genetically engineered in a sense. By selecting specific parent plants with specific traits and cross pollinating (hybridizing) them, the hope is the new seeds from this cross will produce plants that express the selected, desired traits. This has gone on for centuries. Nothing strange has been done to create the Early Girl, just some good selective breeding.

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3. Q: I have small gnats eating the leaves on my tomato plants. What do you recommend doing?
A: The best thing is to get a product that contains BT (Bacillus thuringensis a bacteria harmless to the environment and humans) that will kill the gnats. Check with your garden center, most carry it, as it is a safe product to use on food crops.

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4. Q: I have had your tomato plants for 2 months. The large Beefmaster plant has lots of leaves and buds, but no tomatoes?
A: Many times plants need a kick-start. The best way is to get a product at your garden center called "Blossom Set". It is an aerosol spray specifically for tomatoes. Follow the directions. By giving the flowers a spritz you will start to see tomatoes before too long.

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5. Q: My tomatoes look great and have lots of fruit, but the leaves, even new ones, curl. Is it too much water or not enough? We water underground.
A: This is a condition called leaf roll and is common and seldom a cause for concern, though it is most prevalent on poorly drained soil.

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6. Q: How tall does the French beefsteak tomato get? The temperatures are over a 100° now. Will this variety hold up?
A: It is an indeterminate variety so it can grow to a huge size -- up to 3 Lbs. It should handle the heat if it gets proper watering. If you start to notice any burning you might want to use a light shade cloth to get through some of the hotter times.

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7. Q: I’m getting dark spots on the bottom of my tomatoes as they are growing. Please tell me what to do.
A: What you have is called "blossom end rot" and it is not an uncommon condition. It is primarily due to a lack of calcium in the soil, or incorrect watering that causes the calcium not to be absorbed properly by the plant. When a rapidly growing fruit is deprived of necessary calcium, the tissues break down, leaving the characteristic dry, sunken lesion at the blossom end. Soil moisture fluctuations reduce uptake and movement of calcium into the plant. Rapid, vegetative growth due to excessive nitrogen fertilization can also cause the condition. Here are some tips to help avoid the problem. Not all of them may apply. It might just be a matter of more careful watering - that seems to often be the case:
1. Maintain the soil pH around 6.5. Liming will supply calcium and will increase the ratio of calcium ions to other competitive ions in the soil.
2. Use nitrate nitrogen as the fertilizer nitrogen source. Ammoniacal nitrogen may increase blossom-end rot as excess ammonium ions reduce calcium uptake. Avoid over-fertilization as side dressings during early fruiting, especially with ammoniacal forms of nitrogen.
3. Avoid drought stress and wide fluctuations in soil moisture by using mulches and/or irrigation. Plants generally need about one inch of moisture per week from rain or irrigation for proper growth and development.
4. Foliar applications of calcium, which are often advocated, are of little value because of poor absorption and movement to fruit where it is needed.

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8. Q: Can you please tell me a good variety of tomato to grow in containers on my deck.
A: There is actually a variety called "Patio Tomato" designed specifically for container growing and -it has a compact habit. Besides that, any determinate tomato with small to medium fruit will do just as well.

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9. Q: How much pruning should be done on a cherry tomato plant and how far up the plant?
A: You really don't need to prune at all. You can remove some of the older yellow or brown leaves at the bottom and pinch off a few of the smaller side shoots toward the bottom to put more energy into the main plant. Cherry tomatoes are usually indeterminate and keep on growing like a vine --that's one of the reasons they are so prolific. I wouldn't fuss it too much and just stand back and get ready to harvest a great crop!

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10. Q: How can I best prune tomato varieties?
A: Unless you are trying to grow a giant tomato for a state fair or something, I wouldn't. The one case where you might want to prune is if your plants are tied to stakes. The side shoots that come out of the crotches where the leaves meet the main stem will eventually need their own stakes. By taking these off you will only have to deal with the one plant and one stake. The harvest yield will be smaller but the fruits will be larger. That's an individual choice.

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11. Q: I cannot get tomatoes to bloom. Any suggestions?
A: That is always a tough question as there are so many things that might be the cause. The most common reason would be that you are treating it too good - too much water and/or too much fertilizer. If this is the case, try cutting back on both and it will click it into survival mode, which means making flowers to make seeds.

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12. Q: I purchased 2 Tomato Patio Hybrids. Am I to assume the plant is to stay in this pot? If not what size pot would be adequate for transplanting said plant?
A: They should definitely be moved into a larger container, the bigger the better. It depends on how much room you have. A 5-gallon container would be as small as I would try, but a 15-gallon can or a half oak barrel should be great.

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13. Q: Your Better Boy tomato tag didn’t show disease information; is there any?
A: The disease resistance on the Better Boy is V,F,N. Thanks for the heads-up - we are continually updating our tags and will include this information in the future.

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1. Q: Can you give more hints on setting up the soil and planting?
A: The best thing you can do is to be sure to dig in plenty of organic material. This could be compost, peat moss, manure, or any combination of those items. Over time, the yearly addition of organic material makes the soil so rich and loose that the plants can't hardly help but grow successfully. If you treat the soil that way, pick a spot that gets as much full sun during the day as possible, and water thoroughly according to the directions for any given vegetable or herb, your garden will likely be a great success.

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2. Q: I need help for growing in hot weather.
A: That's a pretty broad statement so here are some suggestions. Be sure to choose plants suitable for your area. Read up on the plants you would like to grow and see if they fit in your hot weather scenario or if they need special considerations. Here's a great book to get: The Vegetable Gardeners Bible by Edward C. Smith. Watering may be an important factor as well. You may find drip irrigation a more reasonable answer than hand watering. If you are growing in an area that gets extreme direct sun, consider using some type of light shade protection like a shade cloth. On the lighter side, don't forget to take care of yourself - sunscreen, big floppy hat and lots of lemonade!

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3. Q: I am a girl that kills every plant I have ever had - my mother was hopeless too - but I would really like to start a herb and veggie garden and could use some helpful hints - I have a small balcony with pretty good sun exposure... I own a condo..etc
A: My best advice is to check out the container gardening info on the VIVA! Garden website at www.vivagarden.com. Any advice I would give you, you can find there, except for one thing - don't be timid! Some things are going to die. You just have to keep trying until you find the right combo for you.

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4. Q: How do I keep my dog out of my plants?
A: There are very few options I know of - the obvious are tie up the dog, which I know I wouldn't want to do, or fence in the plants, which doesn't always solve the problem and often doesn't look very good either. There are products available (sprays) that are not harmful to the dog and are supposed to work. Go to www.google.com and type in: dog garden repellent. You will find several listings.

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5. Q: Please, could you tell me if the herbs (and vegetables) are sprayed with any synthetic pesticide or herbacide, etc.
A: No, we are not certified organic, however it is a very rare occasion that we need to spray them at all. Herbs grow very fast, so by the time they are planted and up to size for selling, they really haven't had time to get any pests. Likewise, many herbs just aren't prone to pests and some just naturally repel them. If we ever find ourselves in a situation that we need to spray, we go with the least toxic and problematic solution which is insecticidal soap.

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6. Q: I need help with coffee grounds and using them in my garden.
A: Coffee grounds and coffee are a rich source of nutrients. They contain nitrogen, tannic acids and other nutrients. Acid-loving plants especially respond to coffee grounds. In general they are a wonderful addition to the health of the garden soil and all the plants. Feel free to sprinkle them on the surface of the soil, applied directly to a garden's acid loving plants such as azaleas, roses or hydrangeas. The acidity of the grounds can be countered with leaves and dried grass for other plants creating a rich source of nutrients. You can also dig them directly into the soil and especially add them to a compost pile. Coffee grounds are also a favorite food of earthworms, and incorporating the grounds into the soil will increase the earthworm population as well.

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