BTW can you tell me a bit more about the quinoa you grew? What conditions
does it like, how does one harvest it and prepare it to eat etc and
anything
else you can think of.


I got a small amount of seed from Plants For a Future which I planted, of
this only 3 plants made it maturity (problem is it closely resembles Fat
Hen, to which it is related, and which is endemic on my plot as a weed). I
saved most of this as seed, and the following year thickly broadcast it in
my garden, and had a really high germination rate, it was everywhere and
needed loads of thinning out... Even some soak water that I'd poured onto
the ground germinated. anyway, i harvested the heads again, used most of it
but kept some seed, however ever since have had very poor germination, maybe
it was a freak year that it did well?? I must admit that I havn't tried it
the last couple of years, tho small scale grain growing is something I'd
like to try again...


PS: send rain urgently, creek has dried to a few permanent water holes and
"they" are now saying this is the worst drought since 1902. Any bushfires
this year will be truly disasterous (AND I live in an area which is
supposedly not officially in drought).

Well your welcome to some of ours at the moment... high winds blew my shed
down last weekend and I havn't had a chance to sort it out yet.
Unfortunately it's now dark by the time I usually leave work, so I explained
to my boss that I had a 'domestic crisis' I had to deal with and he let me
leave work early to sort it out the other day (I think he found it quite
funny that I considered a shed on it's side a 'domestic crisis...'), but it
was absolutely chucking it down so all i could do was salvage a few tools
and stash them temporarily in my compost bin... Today I was hoping to get
down the allotment but again it's hacking down outside.... And I've got
loads of potatoes that need to come out.... Arrggghhh!!!!

Cheers for now Graham

There's also this from Plants For A Future's database...

http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/...opodium+quinoa

Chenopodium quinoa
A photo of this plant will appear in the forthcoming CD-ROM. Common name:
Quinoa Family: Chenopodiaceae
Author: Willd. Botanical references: 200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards: The leaves and seeds of all members of this genus are
more or less edible. However, many of the species in this genus contain
saponins, though usually in quantities too small to do any harm. Although
toxic, saponins are poorly absorbed by the body and most pass straight
through without any problem. They are also broken down to a large extent in
the cooking process. Saponins are found in many foods, such as some beans.
Saponins are much more toxic to some creatures, such as fish, and hunting
tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc
in order to stupefy or kill the fish[K]. The plants also contain some oxalic
acid, which in large quantities can lock up some of the nutrients in the
food. However, even considering this, they are very nutritious vegetables in
reasonable quantities. Cooking the plants will reduce their content of
oxalic acid. People with a tendency to rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney
stones or hyperacidity should take especial caution if including this plant
in their diet since it can aggravate their condition[238].
Range: S. America - Western Andes.
Habitat: The original habitat is obscure, the plant probably arose
through cultivation[139].
Plants For A Future Rating (1-5): 4

Other Common Names: From various places around the Web, may not be
correct. See below.
Quinoa [H,P],

Physical Characteristics
Annual growing to 1.5m by 0.25m . It is not frost tender. It is in flower
from July to August, and the seeds ripen from August to September. The
flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are
pollinated by Wind. The plant is self-fertile. We rate it 4 out of 5 for
usefulness.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and
requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic
(alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline and saline soils. It cannot
grow in the shade. It requires moist soil and can tolerate drought. The
plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.

Habitats and Possible Locations
Cultivated Beds.
Cultivar 'Dave': Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses
Leaves; Seed.
Seed - cooked[1, 2, 4, 27, 57, 97]. A pleasant mild flavour, the seed can
absorb the flavour of other foods that are cooked with it and so it can be
used in a wide variety of ways[K]. It should be thoroughly soaked and rinsed
to remove a coating of saponins on the seed surface. The seed can be used in
all the ways that rice is used, as a savoury or sweet dish. It can also be
ground into a powder and used as a porridge[37, 183]. The seed can also be
sprouted and used in salads[183] though many people find the sprouted seed
unpleasant[K]. The seed contains a very high quality protein that is rich in
the amino acids lysine, methionine and cystine, it has the same biological
value as milk[196]. The seed contains about 38% carbohydrate, 19% protein,
5% fat, 5% sugar[171].

Leaves - raw or cooked[2, 4, 37, 57]. The young leaves are cooked like
spinach[183]. It is best not to eat large quantities of the raw leaves, see
the notes above on toxicity.

Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
None known

We have a more details factsheet on nutritional and health benifits of this
plant. Email for details.

Other Uses
Dye; Repellent; Soap.
Gold/green dyes can be obtained from the whole plant[168].

Saponins on the seed can be used as a bird and insect deterrent by spraying
them on growing plants[141]. The saponins are obtained by saving the
soak-water used when preparing the seed for eating. The spray remains
effective for a few weeks or until washed off by rain[K].

Cultivation details
An easily grown plant, it requires a rich moist well-drained soil and a warm
position if it is to do really well, but it also succeeds in less than
optimum conditions[27, 37]. Tolerates a pH range from 6 to 8.5 and moderate
soil salinity[196]. Plants are quite wind resistant[K]. Plants are drought
tolerant once they are established[196].

Plants tolerate light frosts at any stage in their development except when
flowering[57, 196].

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) is commonly cultivated as a grain crop in Chile
and Peru[46, 57]. This plant is receiving considerable attention world-wide
as a trouble-free easily grown seed crop for warm temperate and tropical
zones. It has the potential to outcrop cereals on light land in
Britain[141]. There are a great many named varieties[183, 196]. The plant is
day-length sensitive and many varieties fail to flower properly away from
equatorial regions, however those varieties coming from the south of its
range in Chile are more likely to do well in Britain[196]. Different
cultivars take from 90 - 220 days from seed sowing to harvest[196]. Yields
as high as 5 tonnes per hectare have been recorded in the Andes, which
compares favourably with wheat in that area[196].

Young plants look remarkably like the common garden weed fat hen
(Chenopodium album). Be careful not to weed the seedlings out in error[K].

The seed is not attacked by birds because it has a coating of bitter tasting
saponins[141, K]. These saponins are very easily removed by soaking the seed
overnight and then thoroughly rinsing it until there is no sign of any
soapiness in the water. The seed itself is very easy to harvest by hand on a
small scale and is usually ripe in August. Cut down the plants when the
first ripe seeds are falling easily from the flower head, lay out the stems
on a sheet in a warm dry position for a few days and then simply beat the
stems against a wall or some other surface, the seed will fall out easily if
it is fully ripe and then merely requires winnowing to get rid of the chaff.
Propagation
Seed - sow April in situ. The seed can either be sown broadcast or in rows
about 25cm apart, thinning the plants to about every 10cm. Germination is
rapid, even in fairly dry conditions. Be careful not to weed out the
seedlings because they look very similar to some common garden weeds[K].
Cultivars
'Temuco'
Very palatable small white seeds, ripening in mid-season]183]. The plant
has yellow-green seed heads (with some golden)[183]. The plant grows to 1.8
metres tall and bears abundant crops[183].Coming from a latitude of 38°
south in Chile, it is one of the best choices for maritime sites in the
Pacific Northwest of the USA[183], and should therefore also be suitable for
growing in Britain[K]. It also grows well in the southern Rockies[183].
'Multi-Hued'
Produces flowering heads ranging in colour from red through orange and
yellow topurple and mauve[183]. The plants grow to 1.8 metres tall and are
very productive in northern latitudes[183].
'Linares'
A golden-yellow, medium-size seed, its coat is high in saponins and it has
a distinctive flavour from commercial cultivars[183]. It ripens
mid-season[183]. Plants grow to 1.8 metres tall, they yield well and have
performed consistently well in both maritime and Rocky Mountain sites in
western USA[183]. It originated in Chile at sea-level around a latitude of
36° south[183].
'Isluga Yellow'
Medium-size yellow seeds produced in attractive golden-yellow to pink seed
heads[183]. An early maturing, high-yielding, somewhat taller variety, it
has grown consistently well in a variety of Western mountain and coastal
sites in the USA[183].
'Faro'
A small, yellowish-white seed[183]. The plant grows 1.2 - 1.8 metres tall
and has a light-green foliage[183]. A mid to long-season type, it performs
well at lower elevations[183]. A good-yielding, adaptable cultivar - coming
from southern Chile, it should be suitable for growing in cooler temperate
climates and was the highest-yielding of 16 cultivars tested in northwestern
USA[183].
'Dave' 'Linares 407'
The medium-size seed is yellow-brown in colour and ripens mid-season[183].
It has very colourful orange and pink seed heads[183]. A very short-season,
high-yielding Chilean cultivar, adaptable to high or low elevations[183]. It
grows up to 1.8 metres tall[183]. It has produced yields in excess of ½ kilo
per square metre on our trial ground in Cornwall[183].
'Cahuil'
A medium-size, light green seed with some variation[183]. Suitable for
lower elevations, it produces well in Washington State in USA[183] and is
therefore potentially suitable for the cooler, damper climate of Britain[K].
PFAF Web Pages
This plant is mentioned in the following web pages
a.. Alternative Food Crops

b.. Staple seed crops from perennials.
"Graham Burnett" wrote in message
...

BTW can you tell me a bit more about the quinoa you grew? What
conditions
does it like, how does one harvest it and prepare it to eat etc and
anything
else you can think of.


I got a small amount of seed from Plants For a Future which I planted, of
this only 3 plants made it maturity (problem is it closely resembles Fat
Hen, to which it is related, and which is endemic on my plot as a weed). I
saved most of this as seed, and the following year thickly broadcast it in
my garden, and had a really high germination rate, it was everywhere and
needed loads of thinning out... Even some soak water that I'd poured onto
the ground germinated. anyway, i harvested the heads again, used most of
it
but kept some seed, however ever since have had very poor germination,
maybe
it was a freak year that it did well?? I must admit that I havn't tried it
the last couple of years, tho small scale grain growing is something I'd
like to try again...


PS: send rain urgently, creek has dried to a few permanent water holes
and
"they" are now saying this is the worst drought since 1902. Any
bushfires
this year will be truly disasterous (AND I live in an area which is
supposedly not officially in drought).

Well your welcome to some of ours at the moment... high winds blew my shed
down last weekend and I havn't had a chance to sort it out yet.
Unfortunately it's now dark by the time I usually leave work, so I
explained
to my boss that I had a 'domestic crisis' I had to deal with and he let me
leave work early to sort it out the other day (I think he found it quite
funny that I considered a shed on it's side a 'domestic crisis...'), but
it
was absolutely chucking it down so all i could do was salvage a few tools
and stash them temporarily in my compost bin... Today I was hoping to get
down the allotment but again it's hacking down outside.... And I've got
loads of potatoes that need to come out.... Arrggghhh!!!!

Cheers for now Graham

There's also this from Plants For A Future's database...

http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/...opodium+quinoa

Chenopodium quinoa
A photo of this plant will appear in the forthcoming CD-ROM. Common name:
Quinoa Family: Chenopodiaceae
Author: Willd. Botanical references: 200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards: The leaves and seeds of all members of this genus are
more or less edible. However, many of the species in this genus contain
saponins, though usually in quantities too small to do any harm. Although
toxic, saponins are poorly absorbed by the body and most pass straight
through without any problem. They are also broken down to a large extent in
the cooking process. Saponins are found in many foods, such as some beans.
Saponins are much more toxic to some creatures, such as fish, and hunting
tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc
in order to stupefy or kill the fish[K]. The plants also contain some oxalic
acid, which in large quantities can lock up some of the nutrients in the
food. However, even considering this, they are very nutritious vegetables in
reasonable quantities. Cooking the plants will reduce their content of
oxalic acid. People with a tendency to rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney
stones or hyperacidity should take especial caution if including this plant
in their diet since it can aggravate their condition[238].
Range: S. America - Western Andes.
Habitat: The original habitat is obscure, the plant probably arose
through cultivation[139].
Plants For A Future Rating (1-5): 4

Other Common Names: From various places around the Web, may not be
correct. See below.
Quinoa [H,P],

Physical Characteristics
Annual growing to 1.5m by 0.25m . It is not frost tender. It is in flower
from July to August, and the seeds ripen from August to September. The
flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are
pollinated by Wind. The plant is self-fertile. We rate it 4 out of 5 for
usefulness.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and
requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic
(alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline and saline soils. It cannot
grow in the shade. It requires moist soil and can tolerate drought. The
plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.

Habitats and Possible Locations
Cultivated Beds.
Cultivar 'Dave': Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses
Leaves; Seed.
Seed - cooked[1, 2, 4, 27, 57, 97]. A pleasant mild flavour, the seed can
absorb the flavour of other foods that are cooked with it and so it can be
used in a wide variety of ways[K]. It should be thoroughly soaked and rinsed
to remove a coating of saponins on the seed surface. The seed can be used in
all the ways that rice is used, as a savoury or sweet dish. It can also be
ground into a powder and used as a porridge[37, 183]. The seed can also be
sprouted and used in salads[183] though many people find the sprouted seed
unpleasant[K]. The seed contains a very high quality protein that is rich in
the amino acids lysine, methionine and cystine, it has the same biological
value as milk[196]. The seed contains about 38% carbohydrate, 19% protein,
5% fat, 5% sugar[171].

Leaves - raw or cooked[2, 4, 37, 57]. The young leaves are cooked like
spinach[183]. It is best not to eat large quantities of the raw leaves, see
the notes above on toxicity.

Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
None known

We have a more details factsheet on nutritional and health benifits of this
plant. Email for details.

Other Uses
Dye; Repellent; Soap.
Gold/green dyes can be obtained from the whole plant[168].

Saponins on the seed can be used as a bird and insect deterrent by spraying
them on growing plants[141]. The saponins are obtained by saving the
soak-water used when preparing the seed for eating. The spray remains
effective for a few weeks or until washed off by rain[K].

Cultivation details
An easily grown plant, it requires a rich moist well-drained soil and a warm
position if it is to do really well, but it also succeeds in less than
optimum conditions[27, 37]. Tolerates a pH range from 6 to 8.5 and moderate
soil salinity[196]. Plants are quite wind resistant[K]. Plants are drought
tolerant once they are established[196].

Plants tolerate light frosts at any stage in their development except when
flowering[57, 196].

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) is commonly cultivated as a grain crop in Chile
and Peru[46, 57]. This plant is receiving considerable attention world-wide
as a trouble-free easily grown seed crop for warm temperate and tropical
zones. It has the potential to outcrop cereals on light land in
Britain[141]. There are a great many named varieties[183, 196]. The plant is
day-length sensitive and many varieties fail to flower properly away from
equatorial regions, however those varieties coming from the south of its
range in Chile are more likely to do well in Britain[196]. Different
cultivars take from 90 - 220 days from seed sowing to harvest[196]. Yields
as high as 5 tonnes per hectare have been recorded in the Andes, which
compares favourably with wheat in that area[196].

Young plants look remarkably like the common garden weed fat hen
(Chenopodium album). Be careful not to weed the seedlings out in error[K].

The seed is not attacked by birds because it has a coating of bitter tasting
saponins[141, K]. These saponins are very easily removed by soaking the seed
overnight and then thoroughly rinsing it until there is no sign of any
soapiness in the water. The seed itself is very easy to harvest by hand on a
small scale and is usually ripe in August. Cut down the plants when the
first ripe seeds are falling easily from the flower head, lay out the stems
on a sheet in a warm dry position for a few days and then simply beat the
stems against a wall or some other surface, the seed will fall out easily if
it is fully ripe and then merely requires winnowing to get rid of the chaff.
Propagation
Seed - sow April in situ. The seed can either be sown broadcast or in rows
about 25cm apart, thinning the plants to about every 10cm. Germination is
rapid, even in fairly dry conditions. Be careful not to weed out the
seedlings because they look very similar to some common garden weeds[K].
Cultivars
'Temuco'
Very palatable small white seeds, ripening in mid-season]183]. The plant
has yellow-green seed heads (with some golden)[183]. The plant grows to 1.8
metres tall and bears abundant crops[183].Coming from a latitude of 38°
south in Chile, it is one of the best choices for maritime sites in the
Pacific Northwest of the USA[183], and should therefore also be suitable for
growing in Britain[K]. It also grows well in the southern Rockies[183].
'Multi-Hued'
Produces flowering heads ranging in colour from red through orange and
yellow topurple and mauve[183]. The plants grow to 1.8 metres tall and are
very productive in northern latitudes[183].
'Linares'
A golden-yellow, medium-size seed, its coat is high in saponins and it has
a distinctive flavour from commercial cultivars[183]. It ripens
mid-season[183]. Plants grow to 1.8 metres tall, they yield well and have
performed consistently well in both maritime and Rocky Mountain sites in
western USA[183]. It originated in Chile at sea-level around a latitude of
36° south[183].
'Isluga Yellow'
Medium-size yellow seeds produced in attractive golden-yellow to pink seed
heads[183]. An early maturing, high-yielding, somewhat taller variety, it
has grown consistently well in a variety of Western mountain and coastal
sites in the USA[183].
'Faro'
A small, yellowish-white seed[183]. The plant grows 1.2 - 1.8 metres tall
and has a light-green foliage[183]. A mid to long-season type, it performs
well at lower elevations[183]. A good-yielding, adaptable cultivar - coming
from southern Chile, it should be suitable for growing in cooler temperate
climates and was the highest-yielding of 16 cultivars tested in northwestern
USA[183].
'Dave' 'Linares 407'
The medium-size seed is yellow-brown in colour and ripens mid-season[183].
It has very colourful orange and pink seed heads[183]. A very short-season,
high-yielding Chilean cultivar, adaptable to high or low elevations[183]. It
grows up to 1.8 metres tall[183]. It has produced yields in excess of ½ kilo
per square metre on our trial ground in Cornwall[183].
'Cahuil'
A medium-size, light green seed with some variation[183]. Suitable for
lower elevations, it produces well in Washington State in USA[183] and is
therefore potentially suitable for the cooler, damper climate of Britain[K].
PFAF Web Pages
This plant is mentioned in the following web pages
a.. Alternative Food Crops

b.. Staple seed crops from perennials.
"Graham Burnett" wrote in message
...

BTW can you tell me a bit more about the quinoa you grew? What
conditions
does it like, how does one harvest it and prepare it to eat etc and
anything
else you can think of.


I got a small amount of seed from Plants For a Future which I planted, of
this only 3 plants made it maturity (problem is it closely resembles Fat
Hen, to which it is related, and which is endemic on my plot as a weed). I
saved most of this as seed, and the following year thickly broadcast it in
my garden, and had a really high germination rate, it was everywhere and
needed loads of thinning out... Even some soak water that I'd poured onto
the ground germinated. anyway, i harvested the heads again, used most of
it
but kept some seed, however ever since have had very poor germination,
maybe
it was a freak year that it did well?? I must admit that I havn't tried it
the last couple of years, tho small scale grain growing is something I'd
like to try again...


PS: send rain urgently, creek has dried to a few permanent water holes
and
"they" are now saying this is the worst drought since 1902. Any
bushfires
this year will be truly disasterous (AND I live in an area which is
supposedly not officially in drought).

Well your welcome to some of ours at the moment... high winds blew my shed
down last weekend and I havn't had a chance to sort it out yet.
Unfortunately it's now dark by the time I usually leave work, so I
explained
to my boss that I had a 'domestic crisis' I had to deal with and he let me
leave work early to sort it out the other day (I think he found it quite
funny that I considered a shed on it's side a 'domestic crisis...'), but
it
was absolutely chucking it down so all i could do was salvage a few tools
and stash them temporarily in my compost bin... Today I was hoping to get
down the allotment but again it's hacking down outside.... And I've got
loads of potatoes that need to come out.... Arrggghhh!!!!

Cheers for now Graham

The message
from "Graham Burnett" contains these words:

There's also this from Plants For A Future's database...

http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/...opodium+quinoa

Chenopodium quinoa (snip)

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and
requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic
(alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline and saline soils.It
requires moist soil....

Well which does it "prefer"....light or heavy; sandy or clay; acid or
neutral or alkaline? Does it require well drained, or moist soil?

Can the Leeds author distinguish an arse from an elbow, one wonders?

:-)

Janet.

The message
from "Graham Burnett" contains these words:

There's also this from Plants For A Future's database...

http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/...opodium+quinoa

Chenopodium quinoa (snip)

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and
requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic
(alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline and saline soils.It
requires moist soil....

Well which does it "prefer"....light or heavy; sandy or clay; acid or
neutral or alkaline? Does it require well drained, or moist soil?

Can the Leeds author distinguish an arse from an elbow, one wonders?

:-)

Janet.

I had thought that quinoa grew in cold climates(needed), but I see from your
PFAF info that its is primarily a temperate/equatorial plant. I have tried
to obtain some seeds in Oz but no luck. Tara gave me a contact in NZ but
they did not respond to a letter. probably its too difficult to pack and pay
for import into oz.

Winds: In South Oz we have been having a lot of strong winds which is drying
up the small amount of rain we have had this year. I read that in 'El Nino'
periods winds are stronger. Graham , losing your shed is a problem with
winter not too far away, I hope its righted now.

Cheers

Wes

BTW can you tell me a bit more about the quinoa you grew? What
conditions
does it like, how does one harvest it and prepare it to eat etc and
anything
else you can think of.


I got a small amount of seed from Plants For a Future which I planted, of
this only 3 plants made it maturity (problem is it closely resembles Fat
Hen, to which it is related, and which is endemic on my plot as a weed). I
saved most of this as seed, and the following year thickly broadcast it in
my garden, and had a really high germination rate, it was everywhere and
needed loads of thinning out... Even some soak water that I'd poured onto
the ground germinated. anyway, i harvested the heads again, used most of
it
but kept some seed, however ever since have had very poor germination,
maybe
it was a freak year that it did well?? I must admit that I havn't tried it
the last couple of years, tho small scale grain growing is something I'd
like to try again...


PS: send rain urgently, creek has dried to a few permanent water holes
and
"they" are now saying this is the worst drought since 1902. Any
bushfires
this year will be truly disasterous (AND I live in an area which is
supposedly not officially in drought).

Well your welcome to some of ours at the moment... high winds blew my shed
down last weekend and I havn't had a chance to sort it out yet.
Unfortunately it's now dark by the time I usually leave work, so I
explained
to my boss that I had a 'domestic crisis' I had to deal with and he let me
leave work early to sort it out the other day (I think he found it quite
funny that I considered a shed on it's side a 'domestic crisis...'), but
it
was absolutely chucking it down so all i could do was salvage a few tools
and stash them temporarily in my compost bin... Today I was hoping to get
down the allotment but again it's hacking down outside.... And I've got
loads of potatoes that need to come out.... Arrggghhh!!!!

Cheers for now Graham

I had thought that quinoa grew in cold climates(needed), but I see from your
PFAF info that its is primarily a temperate/equatorial plant. I have tried
to obtain some seeds in Oz but no luck. Tara gave me a contact in NZ but
they did not respond to a letter. probably its too difficult to pack and pay
for import into oz.

Winds: In South Oz we have been having a lot of strong winds which is drying
up the small amount of rain we have had this year. I read that in 'El Nino'
periods winds are stronger. Graham , losing your shed is a problem with
winter not too far away, I hope its righted now.

Cheers

Wes

BTW can you tell me a bit more about the quinoa you grew? What
conditions
does it like, how does one harvest it and prepare it to eat etc and
anything
else you can think of.


I got a small amount of seed from Plants For a Future which I planted, of
this only 3 plants made it maturity (problem is it closely resembles Fat
Hen, to which it is related, and which is endemic on my plot as a weed). I
saved most of this as seed, and the following year thickly broadcast it in
my garden, and had a really high germination rate, it was everywhere and
needed loads of thinning out... Even some soak water that I'd poured onto
the ground germinated. anyway, i harvested the heads again, used most of
it
but kept some seed, however ever since have had very poor germination,
maybe
it was a freak year that it did well?? I must admit that I havn't tried it
the last couple of years, tho small scale grain growing is something I'd
like to try again...


PS: send rain urgently, creek has dried to a few permanent water holes
and
"they" are now saying this is the worst drought since 1902. Any
bushfires
this year will be truly disasterous (AND I live in an area which is
supposedly not officially in drought).

Well your welcome to some of ours at the moment... high winds blew my shed
down last weekend and I havn't had a chance to sort it out yet.
Unfortunately it's now dark by the time I usually leave work, so I
explained
to my boss that I had a 'domestic crisis' I had to deal with and he let me
leave work early to sort it out the other day (I think he found it quite
funny that I considered a shed on it's side a 'domestic crisis...'), but
it
was absolutely chucking it down so all i could do was salvage a few tools
and stash them temporarily in my compost bin... Today I was hoping to get
down the allotment but again it's hacking down outside.... And I've got
loads of potatoes that need to come out.... Arrggghhh!!!!

Cheers for now Graham

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The message
from "Graham Burnett" contains these
words:

There's also this from Plants For A Future's database...

http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/...opodium+quinoa

Chenopodium quinoa (snip)

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils
and
requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic
(alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline and saline soils.It
requires moist soil....

Well which does it "prefer"....light or heavy; sandy or clay; acid or
neutral or alkaline? Does it require well drained, or moist soil?

Can the Leeds author distinguish an arse from an elbow, one wonders?

:-)


Blimey you mean somebody actually READS that stuff I copy and paste!! Well
done! The 'Leeds author' was probably Ken Fern, however I think I might just
pass your comment back to the PFAF yahoo list and see if they can spin
doctor their way out of that colemanballism....

Cheers Graham

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The message
from "Graham Burnett" contains these
words:

There's also this from Plants For A Future's database...

http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/...opodium+quinoa

Chenopodium quinoa (snip)

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils
and
requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic
(alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline and saline soils.It
requires moist soil....

Well which does it "prefer"....light or heavy; sandy or clay; acid or
neutral or alkaline? Does it require well drained, or moist soil?

Can the Leeds author distinguish an arse from an elbow, one wonders?

:-)


Blimey you mean somebody actually READS that stuff I copy and paste!! Well
done! The 'Leeds author' was probably Ken Fern, however I think I might just
pass your comment back to the PFAF yahoo list and see if they can spin
doctor their way out of that colemanballism....

Cheers Graham

Blimey you mean somebody actually READS that stuff I copy and paste!! Well
done! The 'Leeds author' was probably Ken Fern, however I think I might
just
pass your comment back to the PFAF yahoo list and see if they can spin
doctor their way out of that colemanballism....

Cheers Graham


In fact I might even send it to Lord Gnome Himself and see if I can win a
fiver...

Blimey you mean somebody actually READS that stuff I copy and paste!! Well
done! The 'Leeds author' was probably Ken Fern, however I think I might
just
pass your comment back to the PFAF yahoo list and see if they can spin
doctor their way out of that colemanballism....

Cheers Graham


In fact I might even send it to Lord Gnome Himself and see if I can win a
fiver...

"Graham Burnett" wrote in message

I got a small amount of seed from Plants For a Future which I planted, of
this only 3 plants made it maturity (problem is it closely resembles Fat
Hen, to which it is related, and which is endemic on my plot as a weed).

I don't know this "fat hen" stuff (we probably have it here but probably use
a different name for it - will do a search later to see if I can figure out
what it is).

I
saved most of this as seed, and the following year thickly broadcast it in
my garden, and had a really high germination rate, it was everywhere and
needed loads of thinning out... Even some soak water that I'd poured onto
the ground germinated. anyway, i harvested the heads again, used most of
it
but kept some seed, however ever since have had very poor germination,
maybe
it was a freak year that it did well??

That is quite an amazingly differing rate!

I must admit that I havn't tried it
the last couple of years, tho small scale grain growing is something I'd
like to try again...

I picked up a 2nd hand book at our last library booksale day about growing
wheat: I've never gotten around to trying to grow wheat but I can
understand why you are interested.

Were you put off trying to grow the quinoa again because of the results of
the germination tribulations or because the product isn't worth the effort?

I guess with such a touchy germination/production rate it is much easier to
give the space and effort to something where you know htat the results will
be more rewarding.


PS: send rain urgently,

Well your welcome to some of ours at the moment...

We'll have some please!

high winds blew my shed
down last weekend and I havn't had a chance to sort it out yet.
Unfortunately it's now dark by the time I usually leave work, so I
explained
to my boss that I had a 'domestic crisis' I had to deal with and he let me
leave work early to sort it out the other day (I think he found it quite
funny that I considered a shed on it's side a 'domestic crisis...'),

Bummer - still, it's better than your dunny lying on its side.

but it
was absolutely chucking it down so all i could do was salvage a few tools
and stash them temporarily in my compost bin... Today I was hoping to get
down the allotment but again it's hacking down outside.... And I've got
loads of potatoes that need to come out.... Arrggghhh!!!!

Well if you send us some rain you should have enough of a break to get those
pratties under cover )

"Graham Burnett" wrote in message

I got a small amount of seed from Plants For a Future which I planted, of
this only 3 plants made it maturity (problem is it closely resembles Fat
Hen, to which it is related, and which is endemic on my plot as a weed).

I don't know this "fat hen" stuff (we probably have it here but probably use
a different name for it - will do a search later to see if I can figure out
what it is).

I
saved most of this as seed, and the following year thickly broadcast it in
my garden, and had a really high germination rate, it was everywhere and
needed loads of thinning out... Even some soak water that I'd poured onto
the ground germinated. anyway, i harvested the heads again, used most of
it
but kept some seed, however ever since have had very poor germination,
maybe
it was a freak year that it did well??

That is quite an amazingly differing rate!

I must admit that I havn't tried it
the last couple of years, tho small scale grain growing is something I'd
like to try again...

I picked up a 2nd hand book at our last library booksale day about growing
wheat: I've never gotten around to trying to grow wheat but I can
understand why you are interested.

Were you put off trying to grow the quinoa again because of the results of
the germination tribulations or because the product isn't worth the effort?

I guess with such a touchy germination/production rate it is much easier to
give the space and effort to something where you know htat the results will
be more rewarding.


PS: send rain urgently,

Well your welcome to some of ours at the moment...

We'll have some please!

high winds blew my shed
down last weekend and I havn't had a chance to sort it out yet.
Unfortunately it's now dark by the time I usually leave work, so I
explained
to my boss that I had a 'domestic crisis' I had to deal with and he let me
leave work early to sort it out the other day (I think he found it quite
funny that I considered a shed on it's side a 'domestic crisis...'),

Bummer - still, it's better than your dunny lying on its side.

but it
was absolutely chucking it down so all i could do was salvage a few tools
and stash them temporarily in my compost bin... Today I was hoping to get
down the allotment but again it's hacking down outside.... And I've got
loads of potatoes that need to come out.... Arrggghhh!!!!

Well if you send us some rain you should have enough of a break to get those
pratties under cover )

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message The
message from "Graham Burnett" contains
these words:

There's also this from Plants For A Future's database...

http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/...opodium+quinoa

Chenopodium quinoa (snip)

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils
and
requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic
(alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline and saline soils.It
requires moist soil....

Well which does it "prefer"....light or heavy; sandy or clay; acid or
neutral or alkaline? Does it require well drained, or moist soil?

Can the Leeds author distinguish an arse from an elbow, one wonders?

Thanks for the cite Graham, but must admit I also did a double take at the
preferences. :-)) Surely it would have been much easier to say that it
tolerated all soils.

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message The
message from "Graham Burnett" contains
these words:

There's also this from Plants For A Future's database...

http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/...opodium+quinoa

Chenopodium quinoa (snip)

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils
and
requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic
(alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline and saline soils.It
requires moist soil....

Well which does it "prefer"....light or heavy; sandy or clay; acid or
neutral or alkaline? Does it require well drained, or moist soil?

Can the Leeds author distinguish an arse from an elbow, one wonders?

Thanks for the cite Graham, but must admit I also did a double take at the
preferences. :-)) Surely it would have been much easier to say that it
tolerated all soils.