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Local Columns

Many factors affect tomato production

Q: I noticed last year that I didn’t get nearly the same number of tomatoes that I had harvested in previous years. I have a raised bed with a blend of about 4-to-1 cheap compost and our desert soil. Each year I have continued adding compost from my own yard and vegetable scraps. Last year the tomato plants themselves grew well and I saw lots of flowers, but the tomatoes just never developed.

Iron sulfates can stain several surfaces

Question: My husband used a fertilizer that stained our pavers and the bottom of our pool in spots. Do you know of a solution to remove those stains?

Aphids should disappear when temperatures rise

Q: I attempted to grow watermelons for the first time last summer and everything was looking good until it got hot. These tiny black specks appeared on the back of some of the leaves. I was told it was aphids but they weren’t sure. I hope you can see them clearly from the picture I’ve attached. Should I use insecticidal soap as recommended or something else? 

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Garlic stores well, must be eaten fast if fresh

Question: I know garlic will keep four to six months in cooler climates. Because I don’t have a root cellar, what are my options for storing garlic?

Book helps kids deal with a parent having cancer

Truthfully, the bad news came as no surprise. Your Mom hadn’t been feeling well lately and for weeks, you’d heard your parents whispering.

Pedestrian warning flashers an answer to crosswalk prayers

Who said the city doesn’t respond to a wake-up call? It may take a while to figure out how to shut off the alarm clock, but eventually it all comes together, in this case thanks to the traffic engineers in the city of Las Vegas’ Public Works Department.

Soft-skinned fruits can be wasted on the ground

Question: I purchased an assortment of tomatoes, and they are doing well. Folks like to put them in cages, but I have always found them more bother than they are worth. So I let them sprawl and go where they want.

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