N Thomas

Hi everybody,
I'm seeking books and websites focused on growing fruit trees in containers. Can anybody recommend some?
Also, can anyone recommend any online sellers of dwarf fruit trees?
Thanks!

Hi everybody,
I'm seeking books and websites focused on growing fruit trees in containers. Can anybody recommend some?
Also, can anyone recommend any online sellers of dwarf fruit trees?
Thanks!

Tyler Ludens wrote:Black pepper, Piper nigrum, is not in the nightshade family.

http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=d276

Hi Tyler,
Thanks for setting me straight. Now that I know black pepper isn't a nightshade, I'll give the curcumin supplements a try.

Hi everybody,
I’m interested in trying curcumin supplements with piperine added for their anti-inflammatory properties and have a question. Would such supplements make me feel worse than better? Here is the background. Every curcumin supplement I’ve seen has piperine added to it to increase the bioavailability of the curcumin. However, piperine is an alkaloid (https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/piperine) derived from black pepper, which is from the nightshade family. I’m sensitive to foods derived from nightshade (Solanaceae) plants. I assume it’s the alkaloids in nightshades that cause me problems.  I’d hate to spend money on supplements that might irritate my system. Does anybody have thoughts on whether piperine might cause me trouble?  

Try stinging nettle root or quercetin

Hi,
I'm interested in growing highbush blueberries in containers. I live in an urban area that is in USDA agricultural zone 6a. We have very limited indoor storage space, no storage shed, and a small yard. I'd like to leave the blueberry bushes outside when winter returns. Will the blueberries survive? Are special pots needed? Any other special preparations?

Hi everyone,
I'd like to use Tapioca Flour (from the Cassava root) for cooking. However, I'm wary of ingesting cyanide from the tapioca flour. I emailed a seller of the flour about my concerns & was told they have the sample lab tested for safety and that the sample was safe. They were unwilling to explain how the product is made safe. Does anyone know how that is done (e.g., boiling or fermenting)? Is there anything I can do at home to ensure the stuff is safe?

Hi everyone,
I have some questions about growing highbush blueberries & dwarf apple trees in my small urban yard. Well really it is the edge of our driveway. 1) Our neighborhood is absolutely infested with chipmunks. Last year during black raspberry season, I saw them leaping off the ground to steal raspberries off our canes. What are my organic options for protecting the blueberries & apples? 2) I'm concerned about pollination. It's my observation that we get very little in the way of honeybees or bumblebees in the neighborhood. (I know that we are within a 6.5-mile radius of a few beekeepers' hives.) I see cabbage white butterflies regularly & little else. Will we have to self-pollinate the blueberries or apples? 3) I regularly see leaf borers killing rose bushes in the neighborhood. Are they a threat to the apples or blueberries? If yes, what is the best way to manage them?

This is really interesting. Thanks everyone!

Hi everyone,
We have a sunny spot around our house in Boston, MA & I've thought of trying to grow wild grapes there next year. However, I have a couple concerns & hoping some of you have some ideas. I see wild grape vines growing all over our area but almost none of them seem to have any grapes on them. In fact, I don't recall seeing any ripening grapes on these vines earlier in the summer nor flowers on them back in the spring. If I were to grow grape vines, I'd like them to produce fruit. What is going on? Is a lack of fruit common with wild grapes?