Q. I am eight years old and I need to grow pure vegetables because I read on the internet about chemically infected food. I got seeds for lettuce and radish because they are supposed to grow fast but I haven’t grown anything before. Please tell me how. I live near Rawalpindi.

A. You have made good choices for your first home-grown, organic (chemical free) vegetables: both are quite fast and simple to grow. Lettuce seeds are very small and care should be taken not to sow them too close together. Sow them just under the surface of good quality soil / compost. Try to sow them two to three inches apart and, when the seedlings have four to six leaves, transplant every other one so that all the plants are six inches apart which gives them room to grow.

Alternatively, start off the seed in a seed tray / wooden crate, then transplant into the garden. Water the seeds / seedlings in evenings only. Keep the soil / compost damp but not soaking wet or else they will die. As temperatures are already rising, grow them in partial shade not full sun. There are lots of seeds per packet but do not sow them all at once. Sowing a few each week will give lettuce for a longer time.

Radish seed is larger and should be sown, one seed every one inch or so, no more than quarter of an inch deep in rows four to six inches apart. They also like good soil / compost and need regular, evening, watering. Keep your plants free of weeds and you should have both lettuce and radish to eat within four to six weeks.

Q. There is a huge bush against the outer boundary wall of our house. It gets covered in large, yellow bells, hanging downward. These bells are exceptionally fragrant during the evening, night and until just after sunrise. Can you identify it? How can it be multiplied and can it be found in other colours?

A. Brugmansia is the most likely answer. These evergreen or semi-evergreen shrubs are spectacular from late spring through until the end of autumn. Colours include lemon yellow, deep gold, white, pink, apricot and orange / red, and the flowers may be single or double. They are propagated from semi-ripe cuttings in early to late summer.

*WARNING: All parts are poisonous. Wear gloves when handling.

Q. How can I dry hibiscus flowers for use in tea? Which other flowers can tea be made from and how to dry them?

A. Flower teas can be made from carnations, roses, jasmine / motia, geraniums, lavender, chamomile, bergamot, agastache, citrus blossom and many others, including hibiscus as long as they are free from chemical sprays. Multi-petaled flowers, like carnations and roses, are best pulled apart, the petals spread out on drying trays / baskets, in full sun or partial shade in an airy place. Hibiscus can be dried whole as can jasmine / motia. Small flowers, like lavender, chamomile, etc. are usually cut with long stems attached, tied in bunches and hung up to dry. When completely dry, clean off any plant debris, store in airtight containers in a cool, dry place.

Questions and queries about gardening, starting with one from a budding gardener!

Q. Is it possible to grow tangerine trees on my farm outside Islamabad? If so, where can I find saplings? We grow a lot of good citrus in Pakistan and I wonder why not tangerines.

A. An enterprising gentleman in Swabi is growing tangerines successfully after importing his own saplings. The only reason they are not widely cultivated is that, for some unknown reason, saplings have never been made available.

Q. It seems to me that people in other countries have far more varieties and plants and seeds to select from in wonderful nurseries stocked with all manner of gardening items right through to outdoor furniture, bird feeders and ornamental items. Why are such nurseries not found here? Surely there is a market.

Juicy tangerines

A. Quite frankly, I haven’t a clue! There is definitely a market demand. Let us all hope that it happens and soon.

Q. We have an eight-year-old rubber tree, in a large clay pot, on our glass-enclosed, west facing balcony. It has always been trouble-free, was full of leaves and kept making new ones until recently when it suddenly dropped all but three leaves. It is over six feet tall and has five branches. It has never been disturbed and is watered with bottled water. The pot has also turned green on the outside. How to get the leaves back?

A. Whoops! The ‘green’ pot is a giveaway. The plant roots have probably blocked the drainage hole in the base of the pot: it is surprising this didn’t happen sooner. Rubber plants Ficus elastica shed their leaves to protest overly wet – or overly dry – conditions. The ‘green’ pot says it all. Try re-potting or – and this may be best – prune back, re-pot the rooted section, take stem-tip cuttings, as many as possible, from the pruned off branches and have a go at propagating these.

Please continue sending your gardening queries to zahrahnasir@hotmail.com. Remember to include your location. The writer will not respond directly by e-mail. E-mails with attachments will not be opened.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, March 8th, 2015

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