Viewer Submissions

Dave would like to post your gardening success stories and tips here on the website! To submit your ideas, tips, and comments, please send an email to Dave's assistant, Jen.

Feel free to attach photos of your own beautiful garden (but please keep the file size of any attachments reasonable, and we'd like photos in the JPG format.) We would appreciate if you would include your name and location; we will contact you if we choose to post your submission.

Please note that Dave is not able to accomodate requests for personal garden makeovers.

Kenneth writes: "Attracted by a package of cosmos seeds and remembering the glorious cosmos flowers I saw in California, I purchased a pack.  Not being a gardener and living in a townhouse in New Jersey, I planted the seeds in an old barrel filled with garden soil.  A few weeks later, I separated the seedlings in three inch pots, anticipating the day when I could plant them in my flower borders in the front and rear of my townhouse.

By July, the individual plants measured two feet but not a sign of flowers.  I watered and fertilized them faithfully.  Soon I had three times as many six inch pots than I could possibly use, so I gave them to friends, planted them secretly in neighbor's gardens for a surprise and used the rest for gifts to gardening acquaintences.

In late August, all the cosmos plants were doing well -- so well that they must have been crossed with Jack and the Beanstalk since they were by now four feet tall and growing fast.  Not a bloom in sight, though.  Perplexed neighbors, cut them down, pruned them mercilessly, and called me up to ask if I was sure of the name of the plant I gave them.

By September, my cosmos plants reached five feet high and finally produced a flower.  Pink, with delicate tubular petals, I quickly photographed the blossom to prove to my friends that it indeed was a flowering plant!  Most of my friends finally ripped them out, thinking they were weeds.  My wife used three of the plants as a screen, the rest were thrown out.  One day I happened to visit a friend to whom I gave a cosmos plant.  Evidentually, he didn't feel it was right to cut down a gift because, there in his front yard was the end result of my gardening endeavors: a seven foot high, umbrella shaped cosmos plant covered with large, pink flowers!  It looked a little ridiculous, towering over the roses, daylilys and assorted begonias but I took a picture for posterity."

Alan in Chandler, AZ was kind enough to share his tips for growing roses organically:

"My techniques are really simple. Lots of organic in the cooler months, I use fish emulsion, alfalfa pellets, any organic fertilizer I can find on sale, Hickman's is good, and always fresh coat with Natures Way Mulch, each year. Right after pruning I use Epsom salts to encourage new canes. The more canes you have the more blooms you get. I do not really fertilizer through the HOT months, July, August, September, as I don't want to burn the roots of the roses. I do spray them with water about once a week, late in the evening, in hot summer, to wash off the dust. If I see problems of spider mites surfacing, I use jet mode on my water wand to get the undersides of the leaves really good. And that is about it. Sometimes if I see leaves yellowing I will use a little chelated iron."

We received a science project from Sydney, a fifth grader who wanted to research the effects of different diets on plant growth. In her tests, she used Extreme Juice as well as an assortment of other diets... Read on to find out her results!

Umi in Chandler, AZ says:

"I grew up in my mother's garden picking strawberries and playing with ladybugs. One year ago, she helped me build a garden at my new home in Chandler. Following Dave's advise, we went to a local dairy farm and hauled four truck loads of cow manure to mix into the soil to build our beds. I spent hours digging up the hard soil and sifting it along with the manure using a sifter my husband made with four pieces of wood and chicken wire. We built five raised beds and started a compost pile. We follow Dave's advise to control the bad bugs naturally and promote good ones. Here is the result!!
Thank you..."

"Here is a question complete with 2 attached photos. I found this ugly guy munching away on a citrus tree. It is a mystery citrus tree in the sense that in the 2 years I have lived in my new/previously owned home this tree has yet to bear fruit or buds. It has grown taller and has 1"+ thorns and now this thick guy. What the heck is it and is safe for the tree? It chews the leaves down to the stems so I have re-located him until I hear from you."

Dave responds:

"It is a Orange Dog Caterpillar and does not usually require any type of control along with that it turns into a beautiful butterfly..."