Nothing tops pure, clean, rainwater for irrigating the vegetable garden, and I’ve had one of those fancy rain barrels used for collecting runoff water from rooftops on my wish list for a while now. I always thought they would be great for conserving water and to collect a handy supply of fresh distilled water to use in my bog garden, but Kevin just sent an email which raised an issue with collecting runoff in rain barrels that I hadn’t considered:

A few weeks ago I wrote an okra article in response to questions that I received from two gardeners growing okra plants in the garden or in containers. Here’s a follow-up report that I received from Linda after recommending that she separate her container grown okra seedlings.

Here’s a gardening question about growing and harvesting broccoli that was sent in by Joyce from Inman, Kansas: “I started broccoli plants in the spring and they are now sprouting and not forming heads. From what I have read, fall broccoli is the best. Can I keep these plants alive until I want to produce in the fall, or do I need to plant again?

I received the following question from Andreas who is seeking information related to sustainable agriculture and organic farming internship opportunities in the Pennsylvania or Virginia areas. It’s been more than twenty years since my three year organic farming internship and the scene has changed but there are fundamental issues that should always be considered.

Two recent questions, both related to growing okra, addressed gardeners’ concerns over okra plants that seem to be maturing a bit too slowly. Is it just a coincidence or is there something sinister going on out in the garden plots? Here are the specifics of a couple of okra inquiries from the gardens of Lynn and Cynthia:

Kim, who gardens in sunny Southern California just shared the following strange and puzzling experience that sounds like something right out of the X-Files: “I love your gardening newsletter. I find it very helpful and full of useful information. I have a question about pepper plants.”

I received an interesting comment yesterday from an avid gardener who responded to my Top 5 Gardening Tips post. She agreed with my gardening tips for the most part, but raised an interesting question regarding the nutritional differences of food produced through organic gardening vs. conventional growing methods.

I received an e-mail today from a gardener in North Carolina who shared some concerns that many of us may have regarding the cold weather that is forecast to strike our gardens over the next few days: