Q. I have hundreds of sweet alyssum volunteers coming up throughout my garden. Is there any reason it should not be used near my vegetable garden? They seem to attract a lot of beneficial insects.
A. First of all, let me congratulate you for noticing that sweet alyssum does indeed attract beneficial insects, including ladybugs (lady bird beetles). Go right ahead and transplant those alyssum volunteers throughout your garden. This tidy, low-growing annual will cover your ground in clumps of white, pink or purple flowers and has the added attraction of a sweet, honey scent. Your biggest problem may be digging up and discarding too many volunteers that spread in your garden.
Q. Our carrot seeds never seem to germinate even though we follow the planting instructions explicitly. What are we doing wrong?
A. A crust will frequently form over the top layer of soil, making it impossible for the fine carrot seeds to break through. A trick is to mix radish seeds along with yur carrot seeds when you sow. Radishes germinate faster and they'll push through the soil, forging the way for the slower-germinating carrot seeds. Within three or four weeks, the radishes will be ready to harvest. You can pull any before that time if they are crowding the young carrots.
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