Gardening Q&A

January/February 2024 California Bountiful magazine

As a California Bountiful reader, you have the opportunity to get your seasonal gardening questions answered by gardening expert Pat Rubin. Here are a few questions from our readers.

My daffodils don’t bloom, and my neighbor said it’s because they’re blind. What does this mean?

“Blind” is a term that gardeners use for seemingly healthy, well-tended plants that don’t bloom. Usually, the problem is in the way the plant is being grown. With daffodils, the problem is either they are too crowded and need to be divided or the foliage from the previous year was cut back too soon and the plant was unable to feed the bulb. Daffodils bloom on food stored in the bulb from the previous year. That’s why it’s important to not cut back the dying foliage until it is absolutely dead.

My vegetable garden was OK last year, but I didn’t get a huge harvest. What can I do to help? I have raised beds and I bought bags of soil that said they were for raised beds.

Sounds like the soil could use some help. I’d suggest adding chicken manure. It comes in bags as well. Since it can be a bit aromatic, I’d also suggest mixing it into your existing soil. A good rule when gardening: When you harvest a crop, add compost before planting the next one so you are always feeding your soil.

November/December 2023 California Bountiful magazine

As a California Bountiful reader, you have the opportunity to get your seasonal gardening questions answered by gardening expert Pat Rubin. Here are a few questions from our readers.

I haven’t picked my pumpkins yet. Is it too late?

Pumpkins need to be left on the vine for as long as possible for the best color and ripeness. As long as the rind (the skin on the pumpkin) is hard, the pumpkin is still good to pick and use. It’s best to wait until after the first frost but before freezing weather sets in to pick pumpkins (and winter squash).

What should I be doing in the garden in December?

December is a great time for garden cleanup. Remove all dead foliage, clean away any weeds. Add compost to the vegetable garden and mulch around the shrubs and trees. If you have fruit trees, now is the time to prune them. This is the time of year I start sprinkling flower seeds in vegetable and ornamental garden beds.

September/October 2023 California Bountiful magazine

As a California Bountiful reader, you have the opportunity to get your seasonal gardening questions answered by gardening expert Pat Rubin. Here are a few questions from our readers.

Do some houseplants produce more oxygen than others?

I’ve heard for years that some houseplants produce more oxygen and remove more harmful chemicals from the air than others. The best houseplants for the job include Boston fern, snake plant, aloe vera and spider plant. The nice thing about this list of indoor plants is that they are all easy to grow.

I tried to force hyacinth bulbs last year, but after I took them out of the freezer and put them in forcing jars, they rotted. Everyone says this is easy to do. What went wrong?

You put them in the freezer. That’s what went wrong. If the bulbs aren’t specially labeled for forcing (all that means is that they have been pre-cooled), then you need to put them in the refrigerator for a few weeks to give them a good cooling, not a freezing. Try that this year and you’ll have good results with your hyacinths.