Q: What are the best tomatoes for growing in a container? — Sue T., email
A: Make sure it says "determinate" or "bush type" on the label. Determinate tomatoes grow to a smaller size, although they stop producing in midsummer. Otherwise, you'll have a tomato vine 10 feet tall, which would be too big for a container. Make sure your container is large. A half whiskey barrel is good for one or two plants.
Q: The UGA website lists 'Legacy' blueberry as a Northern highbush type. Your website says it's a Southern highbush. Since I live in South Georgia, I need to know what type will grow best here. — Amanda Taylor, email
A: I'll have to break out my Latin (many thanks to my high school teacher, Inez Hames!) for an explanation. Northern highbush blueberry is Vaccinium corymbosum and its hybrids. Southern highbush blueberries are various other blueberry hybrids that have been bred to grow well in the South. In this case, 'Legacy' is a hybrid of Vaccinium darrowi, a native Southern blueberry, and one of the University of Florida Blueberry Program cultivars. Therefore, I consider it a Southern highbush type. In general, rabbiteye-type blueberries would be better for you in South Georgia. I have details on choosing and growing blueberries at bit.ly/GAblueberry.
Q: My flower garden was flooded and 4 inches of sand was deposited over it. It is too much to shovel off. When it dries out, should I get someone to blow off the sand or try to dig it in? — Barbara Gilbert, Gilmer County
A: I think you're headed in the right direction, but much depends on how much silt was mixed with the sand when the flooding occurred. Scoop up some of the deposited material and mix it into in a quart jar of water. Shake it up and see how it settles out overnight. If there is a relatively thin layer of sand in the bottom of the jar and lots of silt above it, then you have a problem. The silt will slowly suffocate plant roots underneath it in your garden and your plants will really struggle. I think you will eventually need to dig everything up and replant. Better to do it sooner rather than later.
Q: I have a 20-foot-tall 'Candy' pecan. There's a large 'Stuart' nearby. Last year, the branch tips died back and there were no pecans. They all turned black when small. Does this sound like scab or maybe a zinc deficiency? — Charles Lee, email
A: A deficiency of zinc in the soil and in the leaves can certainly cause tip die-back, but scab disease could cause nut drop, too. Lack of zinc also causes rosettes of thin twigs at branch tips. Low zinc levels are not always a problem with pecans, but you could treat the leaves with zinc sulfate solution now. It would be great to have the soil tested by the University of Georgia (georgiasoiltest.com) before you apply anything. It's hard to find zinc sulfate at local nurseries, so you may have to go online. Be sure to spray when the leaves are young: that's the best time for zinc absorption. You also can apply zinc fertilizer to the soil for a longer term solution.
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