July gardens

[FarmI]

So, who is doing what in their gardens?

I'm puddling around when I should be working on my fruit cage.

I've tidied up one border and pruned the roses in it which is a bit too
early for my area, but I couldn't stand the look of it any longer.

I've started weeding the huge rose bed as it'd disappeared under weeds and a
groundcover and the roses were in danger of disappearing too.

I've bought some onion seeds as I havent' been able to buy the onion sets
that I used to be able to get after a very long trip to one nursery that
actually bothered to get sets and I've bought a dozen raspbery plants of 3
different varieties - have bunged them into polystyrene boxes till the fruit
cage is ready - prolly still be there come mid summer at the current rate of
progress on that - too bloody cold to do anything much except for a few
hours around midday.

So, who's hibernating and who's active?

[SG1[_3_]]

"FarmI" <ask@itshall be given> wrote in message
...
> So, who is doing what in their gardens?
>
> I'm puddling around when I should be working on my fruit cage.
>
> I've tidied up one border and pruned the roses in it which is a bit too
> early for my area, but I couldn't stand the look of it any longer.
>
> I've started weeding the huge rose bed as it'd disappeared under weeds and
> a groundcover and the roses were in danger of disappearing too.
>
> I've bought some onion seeds as I havent' been able to buy the onion sets
> that I used to be able to get after a very long trip to one nursery that
> actually bothered to get sets and I've bought a dozen raspbery plants of 3
> different varieties - have bunged them into polystyrene boxes till the
> fruit cage is ready - prolly still be there come mid summer at the current
> rate of progress on that - too bloody cold to do anything much except for
> a few hours around midday.
>
> So, who's hibernating and who's active?
>
>
Managed to put some nice red silverbeet in the front flower beds, they have
replaced the chillies & jalapenos. 1/2 dozen caulies in where the toms &
capsicums summered. Other than that not much. Lunch time so I will give them
a dose of tank water.

>

[David Hare-Scott[_2_]]

FarmI wrote:
> So, who is doing what in their gardens?
>
> I'm puddling around when I should be working on my fruit cage.
>
> I've tidied up one border and pruned the roses in it which is a bit
> too early for my area, but I couldn't stand the look of it any longer.
>
> I've started weeding the huge rose bed as it'd disappeared under
> weeds and a groundcover and the roses were in danger of disappearing
> too.
> I've bought some onion seeds as I havent' been able to buy the onion
> sets that I used to be able to get after a very long trip to one
> nursery that actually bothered to get sets and I've bought a dozen
> raspbery plants of 3 different varieties - have bunged them into
> polystyrene boxes till the fruit cage is ready - prolly still be
> there come mid summer at the current rate of progress on that - too
> bloody cold to do anything much except for a few hours around midday.
>
> So, who's hibernating and who's active?

I haven't been doing much. Her Indoors has been ill and between looking
after her and the boggy conditions over the last few months it has been very
hard. But both are now on the mend so I have been getting the weeds off the
brassicas etc. slowly.

We have joined WWOOF and had a young Swedish couple to stay in April who
were very pleasant and hard working, I will now try to get some more
WWOOFers to help with the stoop work. The pasture looks great for July and
the horses are all fat and sassy. The chestnut arab pulled the hook out of
the gate of the electric fence the other day and let them all into the
orchard. Serves me right I should turn it on more often. This is better
than two years ago when on the frostiest morning of the winter I got a phone
call from a neighbour at about 6AM which began "did you know all your horses
are running up and down the road ...."

I haven't touched our roses yet, I usually leave it until August.

David

[FarmI]

"David Hare-Scott" > wrote in message
> FarmI wrote:
>> So, who is doing what in their gardens?

> I haven't been doing much. Her Indoors has been ill

Will send good thoughts for her speedy recovery - no fun having to nurse and
do all chores by oneself.

and between looking
> after her and the boggy conditions over the last few months it has been
> very hard. But both are now on the mend so I have been getting the weeds
> off the brassicas etc. slowly.

"boggy"???? You lucky sod! We've had less than half our post climate
change/drought rainfall.

> We have joined WWOOF and had a young Swedish couple to stay in April who
> were very pleasant and hard working, I will now try to get some more
> WWOOFers to help with the stoop work. The pasture looks great for July
> and the horses are all fat and sassy. The chestnut arab pulled the hook
> out of the gate of the electric fence the other day and let them all into
> the orchard. Serves me right I should turn it on more often. This is
> better than two years ago when on the frostiest morning of the winter I
> got a phone call from a neighbour at about 6AM which began "did you know
> all your horses are running up and down the road ...."

Typical of an Arab - too smart by halves.

> I haven't touched our roses yet, I usually leave it until August.

I do too but in this case, I just couldnt' stand the look of the bed for one
moment longer and I couldn't get into it without savaging the roses.

Which reminds me, I have 2 x "Black Boy" climbing roses that I must plant in
the next few days.

[FarmI]

"SG1" > wrote in message

> Managed to put some nice red silverbeet in the front flower beds, they
> have replaced the chillies & jalapenos. 1/2 dozen caulies in where the
> toms & capsicums summered. Other than that not much. Lunch time so I will
> give them a dose of tank water.

Seems like we are all not doing a great deal. About now I start to long for
increasing day length and read more seed catalogues and garden books as I
wait.......

I have my Green Harvest cattle dog on the table waiting for me to finish
here so I'll read that when I drink my coffee.

[SG1[_3_]]

"FarmI" <ask@itshall be given> wrote in message
...
> "SG1" > wrote in message
>
>> Managed to put some nice red silverbeet in the front flower beds, they
>> have replaced the chillies & jalapenos. 1/2 dozen caulies in where the
>> toms & capsicums summered. Other than that not much. Lunch time so I will
>> give them a dose of tank water.
>
> Seems like we are all not doing a great deal. About now I start to long
> for increasing day length and read more seed catalogues and garden books
> as I wait.......
>
> I have my Green Harvest cattle dog on the table waiting for me to finish
> here so I'll read that when I drink my coffee.

I have the Grey cattle dog & her mate waiting at the back dood.

>
>

[Trish Brown]

FarmI wrote:
> "David Hare-Scott" > wrote in message
>> FarmI wrote:
>>> So, who is doing what in their gardens?
>
>> I haven't been doing much. Her Indoors has been ill
>
> Will send good thoughts for her speedy recovery - no fun having to nurse and
> do all chores by oneself.
>
> and between looking
>> after her and the boggy conditions over the last few months it has been
>> very hard. But both are now on the mend so I have been getting the weeds
>> off the brassicas etc. slowly.
>
> "boggy"???? You lucky sod! We've had less than half our post climate
> change/drought rainfall.
>
>> We have joined WWOOF and had a young Swedish couple to stay in April who
>> were very pleasant and hard working, I will now try to get some more
>> WWOOFers to help with the stoop work. The pasture looks great for July
>> and the horses are all fat and sassy. The chestnut arab pulled the hook
>> out of the gate of the electric fence the other day and let them all into
>> the orchard. Serves me right I should turn it on more often. This is
>> better than two years ago when on the frostiest morning of the winter I
>> got a phone call from a neighbour at about 6AM which began "did you know
>> all your horses are running up and down the road ...."
>
> Typical of an Arab - too smart by halves.
>
>> I haven't touched our roses yet, I usually leave it until August.
>
> I do too but in this case, I just couldnt' stand the look of the bed for one
> moment longer and I couldn't get into it without savaging the roses.
>
> Which reminds me, I have 2 x "Black Boy" climbing roses that I must plant in
> the next few days.
>
>
News of other peoples' roses is exciting! We planted fourteen (!) this
year and look forward to a wholly rosy spring! Might have to wait a year
for that, but it's worth it, IMHO. Speaking of climbing roses, I bought
a Queen Elizabeth about three years ago and especially chose a bush
plant, since I had nowhere I really wanted to put a climber. As luck
would have it, the plant I bought was mis-labelled and turned out to be
an extremely vigorous climber. We've had bushels of flowers from this
bush, which started flowering in its first year and doesn't seem to have
stopped yet! Hooray! People driving by pull up to look at our lovely
pink rose rambling across the front verandah (miners cottage). As if
that weren't enough, my daughter asked for a Mr Lincoln and the same
thing happened. The plant turned out to be a mis-labelled climber. At
the moment we have no flowers, but the long canes are behaving in
exactly the same way as the first rose. We look forward to Great Things
from Mr Lincoln!

Other than that (this pair is at the front of the house), our raised bed
contains fourteen favourites, including Double Delight, Woburn Abbey,
Lady X, Pascali etc etc. I've warned my husband that if the bed is a
roaring success, we'll be needing another one very soon. Varieties I'm
looking out for include St Patrick (yellow), Catherine McCauley (pale
pink), John F. Kennedy (white) and City of Newcastle (red).

Before I shuddup on the subject of roses, it occurred to me to ask
whether others have had much success with miniature varieties? I've been
growing roses since I was about twelve years old ('way back in the dark
ages), but I've never yet been able to keep a miniature alive past a
single season. They just seem to shrivel up and kark it, dying back and
back until there's nothing left.

???

--
Trish Brown {|:-}

Newcastle, NSW, Australia

[loosecanon]

"FarmI" <ask@itshall be given> wrote in message
...
> So, who is doing what in their gardens?
>
> I'm puddling around when I should be working on my fruit cage.
>
> I've tidied up one border and pruned the roses in it which is a bit too
> early for my area, but I couldn't stand the look of it any longer.
>
> I've started weeding the huge rose bed as it'd disappeared under weeds and
> a groundcover and the roses were in danger of disappearing too.
>
> I've bought some onion seeds as I havent' been able to buy the onion sets
> that I used to be able to get after a very long trip to one nursery that
> actually bothered to get sets and I've bought a dozen raspbery plants of 3
> different varieties - have bunged them into polystyrene boxes till the
> fruit cage is ready - prolly still be there come mid summer at the current
> rate of progress on that - too bloody cold to do anything much except for
> a few hours around midday.
>
> So, who's hibernating and who's active?
>
>
>

Here in metro west oz have some sugar snap peas at 3ft high. I am taking off
the tendrils and tieing them up with twine. Seem they travel up the bamboo
stakes quicker and gives the better support in the wind. I am expecting the
first flowers in a fortnight. Planted some more peas 9 days ago and they are
up.

Planted some carrot seeds and they are up. Planted out some seedlings of
Tatsoi (Chinese whatever choy), English Spinach, silverbeet, Red Swiss
Chard, turnips and coriander. All look good except the coriander but perhaps
early days.

The Yellow mustard I planted months back has supplied us with lots of nice
feeds but alas it is wanting to flower. Which will make it bitter. I'll end
up with a good lot of greens for the compost.

Waiting for the warmer weather and have started to buy some seeds. Got some
Kale which i could probably plant now. There is also Okra (never tried it
b4), radish and I got some white sage.

Cheers

Richard

[0tterbot]

"Trish Brown" > wrote in message
...
> Before I shuddup on the subject of roses, it occurred to me to ask whether
> others have had much success with miniature varieties? I've been growing
> roses since I was about twelve years old ('way back in the dark ages), but
> I've never yet been able to keep a miniature alive past a single season.
> They just seem to shrivel up and kark it, dying back and back until
> there's nothing left.
>
> ???

i think the miniatures are more prone to fungal disease & are generally a
bit more delicate; what you describe could be fungal. i don't think i've
ever seen one that's not covered in black spot :-) but i've most certainly
seen them alive & kicking well after their first year (albeit covered in
black spot like i said). when i was in charge of someone else's, i kept them
pruned in a really open shape. never did quite cure them of their woes,
though.

concerning roses in general, i'm not a fan of them it must be said, but we
have an old-fashioned-looking thornless climbing (rambling??) one with wee
butter yellow flowers in clumps - i find it really beautiful! and because
it's been forced to look after itself for quite some time now, it's very
healthy. to celebrate this fact, i might give it a prune this winter (i let
it go a bit berserk last year with all those shoots that come off the
sides).
kylie

[0tterbot]

"FarmI" <ask@itshall be given> wrote in message
...
> So, who is doing what in their gardens?
>
> I'm puddling around when I should be working on my fruit cage.
>
> I've tidied up one border and pruned the roses in it which is a bit too
> early for my area, but I couldn't stand the look of it any longer.
>
> I've started weeding the huge rose bed as it'd disappeared under weeds and
> a groundcover and the roses were in danger of disappearing too.
>
> I've bought some onion seeds as I havent' been able to buy the onion sets
> that I used to be able to get after a very long trip to one nursery that
> actually bothered to get sets and I've bought a dozen raspbery plants of 3
> different varieties - have bunged them into polystyrene boxes till the
> fruit cage is ready - prolly still be there come mid summer at the current
> rate of progress on that - too bloody cold to do anything much except for
> a few hours around midday.
>
> So, who's hibernating and who's active?

i'm hibernating.

actually, i've made a concious decision to ignore the garden as much as i
can for winter, because otherwise it overwhelms me with
things-that-have-to-be-done. :-)

it's just too cold atm for me to even think about planting anything but i
might put in some rocket & stuff in a while if i feel like it. i'm keeping
up with the weeding to facilitate the chooks getting their greens but that's
about all i'm doing.

in autumn, i had a bucket full of coriander seed that i couldn't seem to
organise planting anywhere, so i threw it around in a few garden beds & now
we have more coriander than i think i have ever seen!

there are lots of veg kicking along nicely (things that like winter,
obviously) but for the most part i'm ignoring everything unless eating it -
there's enough rain to water them & i mulched for winter long ago of course.
anyway, i'm finding it a convenient time to be run off my feet with other
things beside the garden.

i find winter extraordinarily difficult tbh. it's just so cold here & when
there's been 3 days without sunlight i start to lose my mind.
kylie

[terryc]

On Mon, 06 Jul 2009 10:35:42 +1000, FarmI wrote:

> So, who is doing what in their gardens?

1) using a hand saw on a very long pole to cut dead branches off a dead
wattle as they are needed for kindling for the slow combustion.

2) Arranged with the neighbour to start on the WA Red flowering gum of
ours that is growing over his pool. It split and went Y shaped and is far
too big for location. So it will be replaced by a Grey Myrtle.

3) Finally cleaned(shift crap around) al the bricks, pavers and blocks so
I can start shovelling out the pit for the big plastic water pit.

4) Found out I have until september to get the 2nd bath tub out of the
ground and mounted in time for the water chestnuts.

5) Doing excellent in spinach growing with borage, comfrey and mint in
what was a awfully bare, hard garden. Simply piled on mountains of rabbit
droppings and left it for a year to mulch down.

6) Chief gardner has planted a pile of Kale surrounded by peas on a short
trellis(aka nusiance arch of slad mesh that cluttered up the place.

7) Broadbeans are going great although I am wondering just how we are
going to dig in the green mulch that they were planted into.

8) Hacked off the last of the old wood on the last rose out in the front
garden. That completes the five year plant to completely renew its wood.

9) Still to bolt together the new garden steps. these were made from old
"railway sleepers" so that people(CG mainly) does not step on tin garden
edge and bring it all down.


> So, who's hibernating and who's active?

Mostly hibernating as it gets cold and windy here at times.

The active part is turning over a five feet mound of soil that was a
2mx2m raised garden bed and was topped by a couple of cubic metres from
compost bins. I work the edge which mixes the compost bit with the old
hard garden soil from the bed. It all gets thrown onto a 1" sloping mesh
that sieves out the chunky bits that went into the compost bins.

Eventualy I'll produce enough soil to cover a 2m x 6m area and will be
able to pull up all the side walls for the old unsuccessful raised garden
bed idea.


--

Great advances in Debian Linux; post a bug report and get spam in three
days.








--

Great advances in Debian Linux; post a bug report and get spam in three
days.

[FarmI]

"Trish Brown" > wrote in message
> FarmI wrote:

>> Which reminds me, I have 2 x "Black Boy" climbing roses that I must plant
>> in the next few days.
> News of other peoples' roses is exciting!

:-)) Don't get me started 'cos I could go in the Boring Olympics
representing Aus when it comes to roses.

We planted fourteen (!) this
> year and look forward to a wholly rosy spring! Might have to wait a year
> for that, but it's worth it, IMHO. Speaking of climbing roses, I bought a
> Queen Elizabeth about three years ago and especially chose a bush plant,
> since I had nowhere I really wanted to put a climber. As luck would have
> it, the plant I bought was mis-labelled and turned out to be > an
> extremely vigorous climber. We've had bushels of flowers from this > bush,
> which started flowering in its first year and doesn't seem to have >
> stopped yet! Hooray! People driving by pull up to look at our lovely pink
> rose rambling across the front verandah (miners cottage). As if that
> weren't enough, my daughter asked for a Mr Lincoln and the same thing
> happened. The plant turned out to be a mis-labelled climber. At the moment
> we have no flowers, but the long canes are behaving in exactly the same
> way as the first rose. We look forward to Great Things from Mr Lincoln!

I love Mr Lincoln, and Papa Meilland. The perfume of both is just drool
making.
>
> Other than that (this pair is at the front of the house), our raised bed
> contains fourteen favourites, including Double Delight, Woburn Abbey, Lady
> X, Pascali etc etc. I've warned my husband that if the bed is a roaring
> success, we'll be needing another one very soon. Varieties I'm > looking
> out for include St Patrick (yellow), Catherine McCauley (pale pink), John
> F. Kennedy (white) and City of Newcastle (red).

I haven't seen it for years but one I've alwyas loved is "Eiffel Tower" -
plae pink, long stemmed and keeps that pointy rose bud look to it. should
see if I can find it, I guess - not that I need any more - I stoped counting
when I hit 112 roses in the garden.
>
> Before I shuddup on the subject of roses, it occurred to me to ask whether
> others have had much success with miniature varieties? I've been growing
> roses since I was about twelve years old ('way back in the dark ages), but
> I've never yet been able to keep a miniature alive past a single season.
> They just seem to shrivel up and kark it, dying back and back until
> there's nothing left.

Never had a problem with them unless I plant them in pots. In the ground
they do well; in a pot they sulk and then die. You probably arent' ignoring
them enough. that's what I do with mine and just take to them with the
hedge shears now and then.

[FarmI]

"Loosecanon" > wrote in message

> Waiting for the warmer weather and have started to buy some seeds. Got
> some Kale which i could probably plant now. There is also Okra (never
> tried it b4), radish and I got some white sage.

You have been busy! But tell me, what are you planning to do with the OKra?

I too have been eyeing it off in the seed cattle dogs, but the only thing I
know about it is that its supposed to mulicaginous and that it is an
ingredient in gumbo.

Since I'm not overly mad on snot textured things and I've never tried gumbo,
I'm curious about your plans. 'Spose I can always give it some garden room
and work from there as I'm sure there'll be a Yank somewhere on usenet who'd
trip over themselves to tell me what to do with it (foodwise as opposed to
jamming it wise).

[FarmI]

"0tterbot" > wrote in message

> i think the miniatures are more prone to fungal disease & are generally a
> bit more delicate; what you describe could be fungal. i don't think i've
> ever seen one that's not covered in black spot :-)

I just raced outside to see if mine had any black spot and not a leaf to be
seen, but I'm pretty sure mine haven't been afflicted with BS.

When summer comes, come over to lunch one day and we'll check them out.

> concerning roses in general, i'm not a fan of them it must be said, but we
> have an old-fashioned-looking thornless climbing (rambling??) one with wee
> butter yellow flowers in clumps - i find it really beautiful! and because
> it's been forced to look after itself for quite some time now, it's very
> healthy. to celebrate this fact, i might give it a prune this winter (i
> let it go a bit berserk last year with all those shoots that come off the
> sides).

Sounds like a Banksia rose???

I've recently started buying Alister Clark roses - he was an Australian rose
breeder and found they are brilliant for Australian conditions.

The "Black Boy"s I mentioned previously are his and I also have a "Lorraine
Lee" climber over the chook pen fence and it is superb - just keep
sflowering and hides a rather ghastly fence very well. I did no ground prep
at all for it and its in what was formerly paddock land and hard and hungry
soil at that. It's thrived.

I'm not especially fond of many roses but I love the old ones and I love the
smell and form of some of the Hybrid Teas and i think if I could only ever
have one rose, it might have to be Cecile Brunner - such a dear little rose
but as tough as old boots.

[FarmI]

"0tterbot" > wrote in message

> i'm hibernating.
>
> actually, i've made a concious decision to ignore the garden as much as i
> can for winter, because otherwise it overwhelms me with
> things-that-have-to-be-done. :-)
>
> it's just too cold atm for me to even think about planting anything but i
> might put in some rocket & stuff in a while if i feel like it. i'm keeping
> up with the weeding to facilitate the chooks getting their greens but
> that's about all i'm doing.
>
> in autumn, i had a bucket full of coriander seed that i couldn't seem to
> organise planting anywhere, so i threw it around in a few garden beds &
> now we have more coriander than i think i have ever seen!

Ditto! Mine self seeded all over the end of one bed and into the path at
the end of last summer and its growing beatifully ATM.
>
> there are lots of veg kicking along nicely (things that like winter,
> obviously) but for the most part i'm ignoring everything unless eating
> it - there's enough rain to water them & i mulched for winter long ago of
> course. anyway, i'm finding it a convenient time to be run off my feet
> with other things beside the garden.
>
> i find winter extraordinarily difficult tbh. it's just so cold here & when
> there's been 3 days without sunlight i start to lose my mind.

Yep. All that sodding cloud and not a drop of real rain - **** ghastly
mizzle at the best!

Today I weeded the asparagus bed and half of one of the veg beds. tomorrow
I'll spread horse poop and leaves on the weeded veg bed and give the
asparagus a dose of dolomite.

[David Hare-Scott[_2_]]

FarmI wrote:
> "Loosecanon" > wrote in message
>
>> Waiting for the warmer weather and have started to buy some seeds.
>> Got some Kale which i could probably plant now. There is also Okra
>> (never tried it b4), radish and I got some white sage.
>
> You have been busy! But tell me, what are you planning to do with
> the OKra?
> I too have been eyeing it off in the seed cattle dogs, but the only
> thing I know about it is that its supposed to mulicaginous and that
> it is an ingredient in gumbo.
>
> Since I'm not overly mad on snot textured things and I've never tried
> gumbo, I'm curious about your plans. 'Spose I can always give it
> some garden room and work from there as I'm sure there'll be a Yank
> somewhere on usenet who'd trip over themselves to tell me what to do
> with it (foodwise as opposed to jamming it wise).

If you pick them small (about 5cm) before they get stringy they are great
fried whole in egg and breadcrumb. You get the flavour which is really good
in a package that is soft inside and crunchy outside. Add a touch of salt
and squeeze of lemon and they walk off the plate.

David

[loosecanon]

"David Hare-Scott" > wrote in message
...
> FarmI wrote:
>> "Loosecanon" > wrote in message
>>
>>> Waiting for the warmer weather and have started to buy some seeds.
>>> Got some Kale which i could probably plant now. There is also Okra
>>> (never tried it b4), radish and I got some white sage.
>>
>> You have been busy! But tell me, what are you planning to do with
>> the OKra?
>> I too have been eyeing it off in the seed cattle dogs, but the only
>> thing I know about it is that its supposed to mulicaginous and that
>> it is an ingredient in gumbo.
>>
>> Since I'm not overly mad on snot textured things and I've never tried
>> gumbo, I'm curious about your plans. 'Spose I can always give it
>> some garden room and work from there as I'm sure there'll be a Yank
>> somewhere on usenet who'd trip over themselves to tell me what to do
>> with it (foodwise as opposed to jamming it wise).
>
> If you pick them small (about 5cm) before they get stringy they are great
> fried whole in egg and breadcrumb. You get the flavour which is really
> good in a package that is soft inside and crunchy outside. Add a touch of
> salt and squeeze of lemon and they walk off the plate.
>
> David

Wanted to try in a Indian curry where they are known as Bhindi. Plan to pick
them when they snap rather than bend from what I have read that is less than
7.5 cm. Also the research has said to wash them throughly and dry them with
paper towels to reduce to stickiness. I am told you can eat them raw and
that you can deep fry them. The mature seeds are used as a coffee
substitute. I figure if I don't like them to give some to the neighbours who
hail for southern USA so they can have gumbo. I also have a asian store that
sells herbs and spices and has fresh produce so will swap for goodies there
if they are happy with the arrangement.

I want to try these after having a chat to an Indian lady one day about
Drumstick curry. I have access to a moringa tree which produces 30 - 40 cm
pods. They are delicious and I look forward to having them for the 3 months
they are in season. She told me that if I like the drumsticks I would love
okra.

You won't be restricted to those from the USA for liking these. Those on the
subcontinent will eat the with relish and I am told those from the middle
east love them. There is a "but" though and that is if they are picked at
the right stage. So being a virgin okra grower this year is going to be an
experience!

I am also told you have to pick them at the right time or they mature to
fast and the plant decides it is time to shut down just like beans. Oh and
also the leaves can bring out rashes on people so you have to tread lightly.
As I do gardening work the list of plants I have to avoid is growing.
English ivy kills me, Rosemary and lavendar are not far behind. So I will be
extra careful handling okra.

Richard

[David Hare-Scott[_2_]]

Loosecanon wrote:
>
> I am also told you have to pick them at the right time or they mature
> to fast and the plant decides it is time to shut down just like
> beans. Oh and also the leaves can bring out rashes on people so you
> have to tread lightly. As I do gardening work the list of plants I
> have to avoid is growing. English ivy kills me, Rosemary and lavendar
> are not far behind. So I will be extra careful handling okra.
>
> Richard

Yes timing is critical they go from soft and tasty to overblown and stringy
in a couple of days.

David

[FarmI]

"David Hare-Scott" > wrote in message

> If you pick them small (about 5cm) before they get stringy they are great
> fried whole in egg and breadcrumb. You get the flavour which is really
> good in a package that is soft inside and crunchy outside. Add a touch of
> salt and squeeze of lemon and they walk off the plate.

My mouth is watering just reading the recipe. thanks for that. I will
certainly try to grow some this year.

[0tterbot]

"FarmI" <ask@itshall be given> wrote in message
...
> "0tterbot" > wrote in message
>
>> i think the miniatures are more prone to fungal disease & are generally a
>> bit more delicate; what you describe could be fungal. i don't think i've
>> ever seen one that's not covered in black spot :-)
>
> I just raced outside to see if mine had any black spot and not a leaf to
> be seen, but I'm pretty sure mine haven't been afflicted with BS.
>
> When summer comes, come over to lunch one day and we'll check them out.

all right, that will be lovely! (and clearly whether or not there is black
spot i shan't mind either way ;-)

>> concerning roses in general, i'm not a fan of them it must be said, but
>> we have an old-fashioned-looking thornless climbing (rambling??) one with
>> wee butter yellow flowers in clumps - i find it really beautiful! and
>> because it's been forced to look after itself for quite some time now,
>> it's very healthy. to celebrate this fact, i might give it a prune this
>> winter (i let it go a bit berserk last year with all those shoots that
>> come off the sides).
>
> Sounds like a Banksia rose???

? not sure! but i like it.

of course having said that, i haven't given it a haircut yet. everything has
got on top of me so i'm having august off from much of my usual activities &
the past few days i've been out in the garden finding myself again.

> I've recently started buying Alister Clark roses - he was an Australian
> rose breeder and found they are brilliant for Australian conditions.
>
> The "Black Boy"s I mentioned previously are his and I also have a
> "Lorraine Lee" climber over the chook pen fence and it is superb - just
> keep sflowering and hides a rather ghastly fence very well. I did no
> ground prep at all for it and its in what was formerly paddock land and
> hard and hungry soil at that. It's thrived.
>
> I'm not especially fond of many roses but I love the old ones and I love
> the smell and form of some of the Hybrid Teas and i think if I could only
> ever have one rose, it might have to be Cecile Brunner - such a dear
> little rose but as tough as old boots.

some roses are just lovely. but i can't seem to want to commit to any of
them & that is ok.
kylie

[0tterbot]

"FarmI" <ask@itshall be given> wrote in message
...

>> in autumn, i had a bucket full of coriander seed that i couldn't seem to
>> organise planting anywhere, so i threw it around in a few garden beds &
>> now we have more coriander than i think i have ever seen!
>
> Ditto! Mine self seeded all over the end of one bed and into the path at
> the end of last summer and its growing beatifully ATM.

i'm going to put more seed out seeing as how i still have loads of seed, and
one new garden bed i was starting up last autumn seems to have all gone
wrong after the frosts - i put in a few plants that were going wonderfully,
but it looks now like they are completely dead. it is most exasperating as
it's unusual for any new thing i put in here to start off so well!!! (that
must have been the problem!!) so i might as well cover it in coriander for
now while i have a think.

also, i think any of us could do worse than have things like rocket or
coriander self-seeding about the place - you can eat it, the plants look
good when they go to seed, and it keeps the ground covered while you think
about what you would like to do. (and frankly i'm a huge fan of any plant
that does all the work for you).

> there are lots of veg kicking along nicely (things that like winter,
>> obviously) but for the most part i'm ignoring everything unless eating
>> it - there's enough rain to water them & i mulched for winter long ago of
>> course. anyway, i'm finding it a convenient time to be run off my feet
>> with other things beside the garden.
>>
>> i find winter extraordinarily difficult tbh. it's just so cold here &
>> when there's been 3 days without sunlight i start to lose my mind.
>
> Yep. All that sodding cloud and not a drop of real rain - **** ghastly
> mizzle at the best!

it is becoming rather exasperating (probably not as exasperating as in
victoria atm though). whenever it does rain, the dam level simply does not
change.

> Today I weeded the asparagus bed and half of one of the veg beds.
> tomorrow I'll spread horse poop and leaves on the weeded veg bed and give
> the asparagus a dose of dolomite.

i'm just in the process of moving all of my asparagus down the back. the
young ones i've got in pots are fine, although i wasn't really thinking
about how many i have (24 or something) & i don't have the bed space!! and
will have to quickly sort something out. the older ones are 2.5 years now, &
are staggeringly difficult to dig out!!!!! mainly, i hope i don't kill them
in the process - that would be a bugger :-) so i've decided not to hope for
any asparagus this year in case the big plants are still recovering (or are
dead ;-) & the small ones too small. they've started shooting already
although of course the shoots die when it frosts, so they are clearly not
dormant still. but, once they are moved & settled it is nice to think
there'll be asparagus every spring with no special work on my behalf, 3
cheers for perennials eh.
kylie

[FarmI]

"0tterbot" > wrote in message
> "FarmI" <ask@itshall be given> wrote in message
>> "0tterbot" > wrote in message
>>
>>> i think the miniatures are more prone to fungal disease & are generally
>>> a bit more delicate; what you describe could be fungal. i don't think
>>> i've ever seen one that's not covered in black spot :-)
>>
>> I just raced outside to see if mine had any black spot and not a leaf to
>> be seen, but I'm pretty sure mine haven't been afflicted with BS.
>>
>> When summer comes, come over to lunch one day and we'll check them out.
>
> all right, that will be lovely! (and clearly whether or not there is black
> spot i shan't mind either way ;-)

I hope not with free food on offer! :-))

>>> concerning roses in general, i'm not a fan of them it must be said, but
>>> we have an old-fashioned-looking thornless climbing (rambling??) one
>>> with wee butter yellow flowers in clumps - i find it really beautiful!
>>> and because it's been forced to look after itself for quite some time
>>> now, it's very healthy. to celebrate this fact, i might give it a prune
>>> this winter (i let it go a bit berserk last year with all those shoots
>>> that come off the sides).
>>
>> Sounds like a Banksia rose???
>
> ? not sure! but i like it.

Well when you come, I'll shove some rose books under your nose and we can
check if it is a Banksia. Common as muck old things, but tough.

> of course having said that, i haven't given it a haircut yet. everything
> has got on top of me so i'm having august off from much of my usual
> activities & the past few days i've been out in the garden finding myself
> again.

I know what you mean. I'm just itching for some Spring action and am bored
shitless with reading catalogues. I want action and I want it now. All I'm
doing is weeding and faffing about. Gives me the poops! Mind you, I could
do somethign constructive like give the propogating area a good clean out
but that is too dull.

>> I've recently started buying Alister Clark roses - he was an Australian
>> >> rose breeder and found they are brilliant for Australian conditions.
>>
>> The "Black Boy"s I mentioned previously are his and I also have a
>> "Lorraine Lee" climber over the chook pen fence and it is superb - just
>> keep sflowering and hides a rather ghastly fence very well. I did no
>> ground prep at all for it and its in what was formerly paddock land and
>> hard and hungry soil at that. It's thrived.
>>
>> I'm not especially fond of many roses but I love the old ones and I love
>> the smell and form of some of the Hybrid Teas and i think if I could only
>> ever have one rose, it might have to be Cecile Brunner - such a dear >>
>> little rose but as tough as old boots.

> some roses are just lovely. but i can't seem to want to commit to any of
> them & that is ok.

Yep. I can't ever warm to Azaleas. They leave me cold and especially if
they are Magenta coloured. Totally gross.

[FarmI]

"0tterbot" > wrote in message
> "FarmI" <ask@itshall be given> wrote in message

>>> in autumn, i had a bucket full of coriander seed that i couldn't seem to
>>> organise planting anywhere, so i threw it around in a few garden beds &
>>> now we have more coriander than i think i have ever seen!
>>
>> Ditto! Mine self seeded all over the end of one bed and into the path at
>> the end of last summer and its growing beatifully ATM.
>
> i'm going to put more seed out seeing as how i still have loads of seed,
> and one new garden bed i was starting up last autumn seems to have all
> gone wrong after the frosts - i put in a few plants that were going
> wonderfully, but it looks now like they are completely dead. it is most
> exasperating as it's unusual for any new thing i put in here to start off
> so well!!! (that must have been the problem!!) so i might as well cover it
> in coriander for now while i have a think.
>
> also, i think any of us could do worse than have things like rocket or
> coriander self-seeding about the place - you can eat it, the plants look >
> good when they go to seed, and it keeps the ground covered while you think
> about what you would like to do. (and frankly i'm a huge fan of any plant
> that does all the work for you).

So am I. My garden is very messy because I strew seeds around all over the
place and love volunteer plants even if its just mustard. At least it
provides chook greens.

Last year I had some Mullein come up right in the middle of a path in the
Veg garden and it looked glorious. Head of Home Affairs kept threatening to
pull them out and I kept threatening him with castration if the plants
suddenly disapeared.

>> there are lots of veg kicking along nicely (things that like winter,
>>> obviously) but for the most part i'm ignoring everything unless eating
>>> it - there's enough rain to water them & i mulched for winter long ago
>>> of course. anyway, i'm finding it a convenient time to be run off my
>>> feet >>> with other things beside the garden.
>>>
>>> i find winter extraordinarily difficult tbh. it's just so cold here &
>>> when there's been 3 days without sunlight i start to lose my mind.
>>
>> Yep. All that sodding cloud and not a drop of real rain - **** ghastly
>> mizzle at the best!
>
> it is becoming rather exasperating (probably not as exasperating as in
> victoria atm though). whenever it does rain, the dam level simply does not
> change.

But at least the pathetic amount we have had seems to have left reasonable
soil moisture levels. At least in cultivated areas. If the soil is not
well cultivated it's still as dry as a chip only a couple of inches down,
but if it has been well prepared then lovely moisture!
>
>> Today I weeded the asparagus bed and half of one of the veg beds.
>> tomorrow I'll spread horse poop and leaves on the weeded veg bed and give
>> the asparagus a dose of dolomite.
>
> i'm just in the process of moving all of my asparagus down the back. the
> young ones i've got in pots are fine, although i wasn't really thinking
> about how many i have (24 or something) & i don't have the bed space!! and
> will have to quickly sort something out. the older ones are 2.5 years now,
> & are staggeringly difficult to dig out!!!!! mainly, i hope i don't kill
> them in the process - that would be a bugger :-) so i've decided not to
> hope for any asparagus this year in case the big plants are still
> recovering (or are dead ;-) & the small ones too small. they've started
> shooting already although of course the shoots die when it frosts, so they
> are clearly not dormant still. but, once they are moved & settled it is
> nice to think there'll be asparagus every spring with no special work on
> my behalf, 3 cheers for perennials eh.

25 plants! You'll have to provide a restaurant with that many :-))

And they seem to be very tough to kill.

I think I've moved my asparagus bed at least 3 times and somehow I always
leave at least one plant behind. 2 ended up being in areas which became
compacted bare paths and each year they still come up. I really should
rescue them I suppose.

[0tterbot]

"FarmI" <ask@itshall be given> wrote in message
...

> So am I. My garden is very messy because I strew seeds around all over
> the place and love volunteer plants even if its just mustard. At least it
> provides chook greens.
>
> Last year I had some Mullein come up right in the middle of a path in the
> Veg garden and it looked glorious. Head of Home Affairs kept threatening
> to pull them out and I kept threatening him with castration if the plants
> suddenly disapeared.

is mullein the one with the big hairy leaves?

> But at least the pathetic amount we have had seems to have left reasonable
> soil moisture levels. At least in cultivated areas. If the soil is not
> well cultivated it's still as dry as a chip only a couple of inches down,
> but if it has been well prepared then lovely moisture!

but, once they are moved & settled it is
>> nice to think there'll be asparagus every spring with no special work on
>> my behalf, 3 cheers for perennials eh.
>
> 25 plants! You'll have to provide a restaurant with that many :-))

well i could do worse. there are more than 25, that's just the little ones.
i think there must have been 50 seeds in the packet or something :-)

> And they seem to be very tough to kill.

that's lucky because i made a mess digging up the bigger crowns, they were
stuck in like anything, & a number of them broke so i hope they don't die.
then i got dh to do the rest because i don't like digging (no wonder).

> I think I've moved my asparagus bed at least 3 times and somehow I always
> leave at least one plant behind. 2 ended up being in areas which became
> compacted bare paths and each year they still come up. I really should
> rescue them I suppose.

having had that experience (of how difficult it is to dig them up!!) i have
no intention of moving the bed again!!!!! you must have been eating your
spinach
kylie

[FarmI]

"0tterbot" > wrote in message
> "FarmI" <ask@itshall be given> wrote in message

>> Last year I had some Mullein come up right in the middle of a path in the
>> Veg garden and it looked glorious. Head of Home Affairs kept threatening
>> to pull them out and I kept threatening him with castration if the plants
>> >> suddenly disapeared.
>
> is mullein the one with the big hairy leaves?

Yeah, aka Verbascum. Old cottage plant where the spire used to be used as a
form of candle and the leaves were used to line holey shoes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbascum_thapsus

>> 25 plants! You'll have to provide a restaurant with that many :-))
>
> well i could do worse. there are more than 25, that's just the little
> ones. i think there must have been 50 seeds in the packet or something :-)
>
>> And they seem to be very tough to kill.
>
> that's lucky because i made a mess digging up the bigger crowns, they were
> stuck in like anything, & a number of them broke so i hope they don't die.
> then i got dh to do the rest because i don't like digging (no wonder).

If it was only the roots that broke then no worries, it it was the crown,
then it depends on how much damage you did. In reality, I think it'd be
very hard to kill a big crown based on what I've done to them in the past.
>
>> I think I've moved my asparagus bed at least 3 times and somehow I always
>> leave at least one plant behind. 2 ended up being in areas which became
>> compacted bare paths and each year they still come up. I really should
>> rescue them I suppose.
>
> having had that experience (of how difficult it is to dig them up!!) i
> have no intention of moving the bed again!!!!! you must have been eating
> your spinach

Nah. If it lives it lives, if it doesn't then it (and any other thing I
move) was in a place where I didn't want it anyway.

[0tterbot]

"FarmI" <ask@itshall be given> wrote in message
...

>> is mullein the one with the big hairy leaves?
>
> Yeah, aka Verbascum. Old cottage plant where the spire used to be used as
> a form of candle and the leaves were used to line holey shoes.
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbascum_thapsus

well there is everything i ever needed to know about mullein...!

i have some of that. normally, i pull it out before it gets big.

>> that's lucky because i made a mess digging up the bigger crowns, they
>> were stuck in like anything, & a number of them broke so i hope they
>> don't die. then i got dh to do the rest because i don't like digging (no
>> wonder).
>
> If it was only the roots that broke then no worries, it it was the crown,
> then it depends on how much damage you did. In reality, I think it'd be
> very hard to kill a big crown based on what I've done to them in the past.

all the roots broke, but not all of the crowns (although some did, 2 or 3 i
think). fingers crossed!!

>> having had that experience (of how difficult it is to dig them up!!) i
>> have no intention of moving the bed again!!!!! you must have been eating
>> your spinach
>
> Nah. If it lives it lives, if it doesn't then it (and any other thing I
> move) was in a place where I didn't want it anyway.

that is fair enough.
kylie
>
>