Skip to content 
Article content
We independently choose everything we recommend. Buying through us can earn us a commission that supports our work.
Q. I have 10 tulip bulbs for potting spring flowers on my terrace. How big a pot do I use? I need it to be easily portable.
Article content
A. In pots, tulips can be planted as close as possible without touching. Among the containers you have on hand, choose one that accommodates the 10 bulbs close to each other. A 20 cm wide pot will probably do.
Article content
Place the planted pot under shelter from autumn and winter rain – against a house wall, on a porch or somewhere similar. Make sure the soil is at least minimally moistened over the winter. Bring the pot to the opening, on its display site, as soon as top growth begins to emerge.
Q. When can I safely remove the floating riding cover that protects my carrots? I let it go because I didn’t know how far into the fall the carrot rust flies would remain active. The fabric makes it uncomfortable to grab my carrots.
A. The first and most harmful generation of egg-laying carrot rust flies emerged around mid-April, but a series of further generations follow through the summer and autumn.
How far into the fall depends on the weather, but since the carrot populations are heavy in my area, I keep the carrots covered until the tops die with cold weather. Then the cover comes off and the planting is covered with soil from another part of the garden and mulched with leaves. Stakes on the plot corners mark the site for harvesting through the winter.
If a heavy frost is predicted, I continue to cover the carrots with tarps or old floating row covers.
Regarding the inconvenience of digging up carrots protected by floating row cover: I deal with this issue by holding the cover along its edges with lengths of wood heavy enough to attach the fabric well to the ground.
For harvesting, I simply put the wooden post aside temporarily, fold back the fabric and lift the carrots I need.
Read more
-
Certain odors are natural rat poisons
-
Planning the perfect tulip bed
Share this article in your social network
