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Ed Hume Answers Your Gardening Questions

Ed Hume cannot answer all of the garden questions he receives, but questions of general interest will be answered here every month.  Email your questions to HumeSeeds@aol.com.  Please note: we do not accept attachments.

Before submitting a question, be sure to check the index of previous questions and answers or search our site using key words.  Many questions have already been answered here on the site.

Other August Links

Wild Sweet Peas

Sweet peas are my favorite flower and I have grown them, not particularly successfully, in the past. An aggressive aphid invasion did them in. I now live outside Albany, New York, and have found a thick, roadside bank of these flowers which must be a perennial variety. They haven't the wonderful scent of the annuals, but they are thick and beautiful in pinks and whites and last forever when cut. They seem to last well into the summer with absolutely no attention whatsoever. One summer some idiot mowed them all down, but, mercifully, they came back a few years later. I have been given permission by the owner of the property to dig up a few plants, but they are extremely dense and profuse and I would rather leave them be. I cannot find any information on the perennial variety of this plant. Can you tell me where I can buy the plants or seeds?

I agree with your comments about perennial sweet peas, but they are considered a pest in most gardens. They are difficult to control, so I doubt you will find any seeds available. They will go to seed on the vines, however, so you can collect your own seeds. Keep in mind, they are apt to become a terrible nuisance in the garden.

More Deer Solutions

I already have many many plants that the deer like to eat. I try to dicourage them by putting out corn and salt licks for them. There is enough food in the area for them to feed on.So I know they arn't hungary., neverless they eat my plants. Is there an inexpensive way to discourage them? I have heard of pepper spray, but don't know anything about it.

It is reported that the pepper spray or products like 'Ropel' discourage deer. The problem we have in the Northwest is that our rains tend to wash them off of the plants that deer eat.

Dried 'Blood Meal' hung in nylon socks or fine mesh bags will often help discourage deer, but on four acres it would be expensive.

Motion sensor sprinklers seem to be working quite well, but cost about $100 each.

See Also:  Plants that Deer Do Not Like

Broccoli Browning

My husband and I live in Minnesota, and had planted broccoli in our garden this year. We have been quite successful at growing the plant, and have just cut the first head off of one of the plants. We noticed that the leaves of all the plants are beginning to turn brown all over, even with regular (but not heavy) watering. What can this be from? We did fertilize with a 'Miracle' Fertilizer, a few weeks ago, and this seemed to help the plants growth. Could this have caused this?

I doubt the fertilizer would have hurt the plants unless it was mixed too strong. Broccoli is a cool weather crop and if you have had prolonged heat, it could affect the plants a little. If high temperatures persist, you might want to give the plants a little shade protection.

Mole Traps

We were listening to the program last week and they were talking about a  brand of trap for moles that you recommend which will catch moles going either direction in the tunnel. We did not catch the name of this trap but would like to know as we are having a problem with the one direction traps. Please send me an e-mail with the name of the trap Mr. Hume and the lady that called in were talking about.

Mole Ranger Half Barrel tunnel trap. Joe & Dorothy Massett, PO Box 346, Custer, WA 98240 are the folks that import this trap from England. Their phone (360) 366-5345.

See Also:  Discouraging Moles (and other small animals)

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