I live in Saint Helens, Oregon and have two tomato plants that are in raised garden beds. One is called Early Boy (i think) and the other is a small cherry variety. The leaves are green and both plants are producing fruit. My question is regarding the Early Boy. I have a few leaves that are curling and the top of the green tomatoes have some grooves in them right at the stem from where they are growing. Please let me know if you need more info. I am just getting in growing veggies so pretty excited to learn about resources I can use to learn more. Thank you, Sandi

What are your recommendations for a tree that appears to have walnut twig beetles and cankers? It is about 40 years old.

I had some questions about tall fescue and perennial ryegrass. I'm about to overseed my lawn. Its a. 25 acre lot about 10,000 sq ft of turf. The only shade is coming from my house and the neighbors. Not much shade coming from plants and trees as they are all pretty young.. this is a new neighborhood next to a golf course so its very open as of now. My existing grass is kentucky bluegrass mixed with ryegrass. But I don't like the flowering/seeding that the ryegrass does so much and then when you cut off the stalks dies and leaves dead stalks in your turf all mixed in. Doesn't happen with all ryegrass blends? I know there are pros and cons to each. I know some grass types require a little more care but that's not bother me. I dont mind getting to work on my lawn. I just want a professional looking lawn. I do have irrigation and I do frequently fertilize with organic liquid and granular fertilizer. I did do a soil test with the U of M so I'm only putting what needs to be in the lawn. I'm so torn between ryegrass and tall fescue. Please help! -Matthew Mhseven@hotmail.com

I have been gardening organically in Anchorage (hillside) in raised beds for 20+ years. My garden is usually pretty productive, but in the last couple of years my zuchinnis have not been producing well. I thought I would give that bed a rest year. So I moved everything to another bed. Well the zukes are doing worse. The plants are tiny and there are a few fruits, but they are not growing well. A few have blossom end issues, but not all. They are just not growing! I am trying to keep the soils moisture more even and they are definitely greener than they were. They are in a more shaded spot, and stuck between the broccolli and the scarlet runner beans, which are quite happily growing. Do you think they might need more sun? Should I try moving them to the sunnier "rehab bed" at this late date? Is there a nutrient or additive I should try? I am concerned that I am somehow unable to grow a darned summer squash in Alaska anymore! But the whole garden seems slow this year. Is it the weather? Everything seems a bit slow this year.

Hello Master Gardeners, I just moved to Ohio in spring. This summer i am trying to rid the yard of several spreading vines and pachysandra to make room for a native plant landscape that supports pollinators, butterflies, and birds. So far, I am pulling out the undesirables and sheet mulching. I have some ideas on ferns and other native plants for zone 5, and would love to speak to a master gardener regarding how successful my ideas will be in practice. I am from Alaska so am not very familiar with Ohio native landscaping though I have tried to google quite a bit. If possible, I would love to have a master gardener walk my shade and partial sun yard here in Stow. Thanks for your time and thoughts. -Lori

What are my options for getting rid of wite grass? I cardboarded and wood chipped last fall and it worked until early summer. Now the wire grass if overtaking.

Our freezer door was left open overnight for about eight hours. I know now that some thawing took place because the ice cream is still soft after the door has been closed for three hours. Is the food safe? I'm mainly concerned about the meat, but do you have information about how long different types of food are safe when thawed.

Hey Skip,

I've got a client having trouble with his Red Tip Photenias. Could it be fire blight?

Thanks!

Hello! It looks like something is munching on all my Honey berry plants. I only observe this type of damage on this crop, all plants (3) are in the same bed and are all affected. This year we actually got a decent amount of honey berries, as opposed to every previous year, and the leaf damage seems to have occurred after the fruiting period. It does look like the leaf damage is impacting the overall health of the plants at this point. If possible, I’d like to know what is doing this damage and what I should do about it. Thank you

Hi- We have purple raspberries that seem to be very blahh in taste......not sweet at all. We live in NEK Vermont and these are established plants growing on the south side of our house getting mostly morning sun. What can we do to sweeten them up? Tim and Brenda Plastridge