advice re Calabrese, Tomato, herbs

barb

hi folks
I am a novice gardener and have a several questions.

how do you judge when to pick calabrese and does it produce more heads after picking or do you pull it up?

Is it best to cut off the dead flowers from sage and chives?

Should i pinch out tops of tomato plants or let them carry on growing they are about 4ft tall .

many thanks
barb

Sive · Posted: Mon Jun 28, 2010 10:23 pm Post subject:

hi barb, when the flowers on chives lose their colour, I chop the entire clump right back to ground level, and very quickly it regrows, giving you lovely fresh young tender chives again, and sometimes a second ( less vigorous) flush of flowers.
As for sage, yes, you can cut the flower stalks right back and if your plant is getting leggy and woody give it all a good pruning to revitalise it.

michael brenock · Posted: Mon Jun 28, 2010 11:58 pm Post subject:

cut calabrese when the beads are still small and compact, if left longer the beads open out and become loose and yellow. Cut off the flowers of sage as soon as the flower buds are noticed.
michael brenock horticultural advisor (retired)

Sive · Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2010 7:25 am Post subject:

hi michael, I am interested to know why you advise cutting off the flower buds of a sage plant ? Would they not be attractive to bees ? I had a large old bush in my last garden, and I loved to see it flower......

michael brenock · Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2010 1:03 pm Post subject:

I have no problem in letting flowers of any plant bloom for the benefit of the bees but where there is a query as to what would be best for the productivity of the plant to get a better yield of leaves for harvesting then I recommend deflowering so as to increase the production of leaves. Where plants are grown specifically for flower production for bees then I would have a different approach.
michael brenock horticultural advisor (retired)

Sive · Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2010 1:42 pm Post subject:

OK, I see where you're coming from, Michael,especially if a large and regular supply of sage is needed. It's a very strong herb, however, and I suspect most households only need a few leaves for the chicken stuffing !

barb · Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2010 3:03 pm Post subject:

many thanks for all the advice.
I am sure i will have lots more questions for you in the near future.
meanwhile happy gardening!