Category: Article

Specific Fruits Blueberries: Pollination Figs: Pruning tall fig tree. Lemons: Growing lemons in Victoria Pear tree: Fire blight treatment Quince: How to tell when quince are ripe. Raspberries: Raspberry canes die back, Planting raspberries Rhubarb: Central growth in rhubarb Large holes in rhubarb leaves General: Food producing shrubs for Victoria climate Return to: You Asked…

Specific Vegetables (alphabetical) Back to You Asked Us Question topics.

Is Arbutus the name in Canada for Manzanita? How are Arbutus propagated? The name Manzanita refers to Arctostaphylos columbiana (hairy manzanita). It hybridizes where their ranges overlap with Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (kinnikinnik). It is a low evergreen shrub found on dry sunny rocky spots with slightly acid soil on low elevations on the southwest coast of…

August 2022 Something is going on with my raspberries. For 2 seasons they produce berries but then seem to die back. I dug around the roots and found what looks like grubs under the soil. What could be going on? The culprit is most likely the raspberry crown borer (Pennisetia marginata). This is a borer…

January 2023 Can I grow heather in a pot and then transplant it? There are both heaths and heathers which have similar growing needs but are botanically different. Heathers (Calluna vulgaris) are larger and have flat scale like foliage. Heaths (Erica) are smaller than heathers and have needle like leaves. Heather or heaths grown in…

January 2023 Do I need to cover carrot crops? To grow great carrots insect barriers are effective. A good barrier can protect carrots from pests such as carrot rust fly (psila rosea), pillbugs and slugs. Cover the crop before the seeds germinate and make sure the edges of the fabric are held down with boards…

General Food-producing shrubs for Victoria area Vegetables Carrots: Do I need to cover carrot crops? Peas: Edible peas and sweet peas Fruit Quince: How to tell when fruit is ripe. Raspberry: Raspberry canes die back Herbs

February 2023 Water lily not producing flowers. Why? Water lily is the common name given to flowering plants in the botanical family Nymphaeaceae. Not to be confused with lotus flowers (Nelumbo), another aquatic plant species. Water lilies are flowering pond plants that grow from tubers planted in the soil in a body of water. They…

Is it better to start edible peas indoors or out and is it the same for sweet peas? Edible Peas (Pisum sativum) are a member of the Fabaceae family and are cool weather plants. There are various types – shelling peas, sugar peas and snow peas which are eaten at different stages of development. The…

Oct 2022 I want to leave one of my large vegetable beds ‘vacant’ for now to give it a rest. What is the best way to do this? If I understand this correctly, you want to give the bed a rest but don’t leave it empty! By leaving soil empty you run the risk of…