Mark asks…
I want to start growing my own dipping tobacco and i am wondering what would be the best type to grow?
GardenersCardiff answers:
I grow English Burley , Virginia Bright and also seeds from last years crop , what ever may develop . It is the curing and treatment which makes it a dipping use . I really enjoy the Burley.
Lisa asks…
Anyone on here know how to grow tobacco and then turn it into chewing tobacco?
I have always been interested in making my own chew.
How do I grow the plant? I know nothing about it…
I’ve heard it is a leaf when grown.. But It starts out as a seed right?
Can someone tell me about tobacco?
GardenersCardiff answers:
These sites will tell you how to grow it:
http://www.newhopeseed.com/tobacco_growing.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultivation_of_tobacco
And this one will tell you everything you need to know from seed to chew:
http://www.howtogrowtobacco.com/forum/index.php
Nancy asks…
Is growing my own Tobacco and smoking with no added chemicals better then buying it from the store?
So, i’m looking into growing my own tobacco and I want to know, will it be better for me than buying it from a gas station. It’ll be smoked, most likely it’ll end up being a cigar, but it’ll be straight from the plant, no added chemicals. Will it be better and still addictive?
GardenersCardiff answers:
You may be undertaking a little more then you may want to.
I mean the tobacco in gas stations may be crap but it has been honed over years and years to be as crappy as it is today. The curing process alone is mind-boggling. Fun! But mind-boggling. Your tobacco may not taste good the first few plants. Especially if you have never grown a plant before. As for it being better, as i said tobacco companies took years to make their stuff and your just starting. They do all types of soil testing and ph testing. So it would be hard to say. As for the nicotine, cigarettes contain 10% nicotine. Tobacco naturally grows with any where from .05% to 3% Nicotine, depending on the strain. The other is added by the company along with other chemicals. So your first cigar probably wont taste good, smell good, and will have less nicotine. Overtime you should be able to make something more palatable but thats the fun of growing your own.
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Richard asks…
How do you start a veggie garden?
I would like to start a vegetable garden. Our soil is rocky and poor quality, so I plan on building a soil box. How deep do I need the soil to be? Should my garden box have a bottom or should I line it with bark or something else? Once I have a box, what ind of soil should I buy – is it best to use different types of soil at different layers?
GardenersCardiff answers:
Hello and excellent question!
First, you have made a wise choice in building a raised bed (soil box). When your soil is rocky or poor quality, a raised bed can make the difference between disappointment and a nice harvest.
How deep your soil needs to be kind of depends on what you plan to grow, and how much soil you actually have underneath that you can use — the rocky part is the problem. In general, 12 inches is the least I would go for a great harvest. If you can build your bed even deeper, your beggies will thank you for it. 
As long as you’ve cleared out the weeds and removed some of the rocks, you don’t need to line your raised bed box. In fact, you can start by mixing what soil you do have with compost, to make your poor soil a bit better.
Personally for the raised beds I grow, I like mostly compost — bagged is fine. I will also usually add in some (don’t laugh) potting soil to make the soil a bit more porous; easier for new roots to grow. I just mix it all up.
Once you’ve planted your veggies, don’t forget to mulch them well. I like hay (the cheaper the better) the best, but you can use bark chips, newspaper or plastic garden mulch.
Best of luck with your garden!
Joseph asks…
What is a good thing to build that is easy and fun to do?
I am bored and want to build something. It has to be easy to build yet, fun. Please give me ideas.
GardenersCardiff answers:
There are blogs and websites that can help you. The crafts page on American Made Yes shows pictures of things you can make and the instructions and where you can buy craft kits and supplies.
There are two projects offered without charge on the website, with pictures and full instructions.The free instructions are for an easy to make planter and an easy to make miniature satiny bed for a doll house. The satiny bed uses ordinary things like an old cd which cut in half makes the headboard. It is very clever. Then there is the planter which uses a straw basket. It makes a nice gift filled with plants and is easy to do and practical.
There is also a feature for making a cold frame, with a link to the free instructions, and pictures of the cold frame under construction. This is, of course, a project requiring a fair amount of skill but fun to do and very useful indeed.
Some super websites that offer kits are Greenleaf Dollhouses with wonderful miniatures you can make, birdhouses that can be hung in the garden, and crafts kits from Janlynn, Toner Crafts, Wildwood Crafts, and others. You’ll find all these listings with pictures on http://americanmadeyes.com/crafts.html
Lizzie asks…
What can i do to reduce the amount of time i spent working in my garden?
i am always so busy working in my garden i never have time to enjoy it. what can i do to reduce my labor time?
GardenersCardiff answers:
I know how you feel. Or should I say I KNEW how you feel. I lived on the end of an out-of-the-way cul-de-sac. In the spring I’d get cars coming by every day just to check out my yard. I enjoyed the attention, but after a few years I started feeling the pressure not to disappoint. It got to the point where if my family wanted to spend time with me they came out to “visit” with me in the garden. The only time I saw my pool was when I was fussing with the plants that surrounded it. It was time to do something to free up some time to enjoy my work. I made some simple changes and managed to cut my garden time in half. These are some of the steps I took.
1st. I installed a good agricultural grade micro-drip system with automatic fertilizer injector. Electric valves on a good, easy to use automatic irrigation controller. The controller was a modular design. I could program it at my desk & just walk it out to the garage & snap it into the pre-wired wall mount & I was done.
2nd. I started using larger, colorful, low maintenance perennials & shrubs in the outer areas, away from the house. Lots of salvia, ceanothus, rock rose, penstemon, verbena, westringia, nandina and the like and went heavy on fields of hybrid repeat blooming daylilies in shades from cream to deep plum.
3rd. I buried the entire property under 6 inches of mulch. Some areas got as much as a foot of mulch.
Suddenly I had time to be a parent volunteer in my son’s kindergarten class. Time to see the pool from the inside. Time to go back to school & get my Masters Degree… In fact I had time to get two Masters.
I was spending 50% less time in the yard, and the traffic still came every spring.
Just a few adjustments in your normal way of doing things can really save you time in the garden.
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Linda asks…
Why did God make my garden of heavy clay?
Today I was digging in my garden which consists of very heavy clay mixed with flint and I wished it had been like my previous garden, 20 miles away, that was chalky and easy. I got to thinking, why did God make so many different types of soil all over the world, when he could have made it all of a rich loam. I noticed that the flora and fauna were subtly different in my current garden than it was in my previous one. I thought at first it was because God wanted to make different varieties of flora and fauna but then I realised God could make many different ones on loam if he so wished.
I read through Genesis but could find no answer. Is it possible that geologists and evolutionists are correct or have I missed something?
jd: roses hate clay, it gives them black spot.
Spiky: Of course I can speak for myself as long as God tells me how.
GardenersCardiff answers:
God thinks you are an Atheist
Joseph asks…
I would like to start a garden for my preschool, is it too late in the season?
I work for a preschool and we just made space outside to start a small garden. Is it too late to start one in California? It will get enough sun and we are hoping it will last into the fall / winter. What are some easy plants that young children can help us to plant, hopefully from seeds or small spouts? We already have strawberries, tomatoes and herbs. Also, if anyone could help me with step by step directions to start a small compost, I would appreciate it! We also have a rabbit, how could we use it’s manure? Thanks!
GardenersCardiff answers:
Now is the perfect time to plant pumpkins and various squash. The kids will have little jack o lanterns for Halloween!
Lisa asks…
Growing Potatoes First time! Am I doing it right!?
Hi I have heard that growing potatoes are very easy, So I thought I would try them out, for the first time. I Have made a “No Dig Garden” bed, Using lots of compost and sugar cane mulch.
With Soil on top of the” No Dig Garden”, I then planted my seed potatoes, and then put some more Sugar cane mulch over them.
I have been watering them every day, but am I giving them too much water? Do they like wet soil? Do Potatoes like a warm or cool climate? I had a look at what was going on this morning and the potato seed is very soft, I am a bit worried that they might rot! How long until you see the first signs of growth? I hope I am doing it right, but any advice would be great!
Thanks!
Hi Thank you for the answers so far!
I live in Australia and it is early spring now. Thanks!
GardenersCardiff answers:
Potatoes http://easybloom.com/plantlibrary/plant/potato-9 need to grow before (or after frost). Depending on where you are, you could still get a late harvest (potatoes usually take 80-90 days) If the potatoes freeze, they’re inedible.
So back to your planting–your soil should be moist, but “wet” and watering every day sounds like you are overdoing it. Back off a bit.
Potatoes like a “temperate” climate-60s at day, 50s at night, is ideal.
[Added: oh, Australia! My advice was for the States]
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