Oh blast!

I've found the other pages now with the horse poop bits! In self defence I
plead that I'm practicing for when those senior's moments become a daily
occurance.

OK stream of thought stuff now!

One thing we've decided we need to do here Pete is to plant more big trees
to get shade. The sodding sun is a major problem here and we've noticed
that the only green bits in summer are under the exotic trees or the shade
cloth or on the south side of something like a climber or a fence or the
house etc. I know that idea won't work in a veg patch but a modification on
that theme might work. Can you grow wattles for the green slash to use as a
mulch/cover on top of the soil? The reason why I ask is because you seem to
be getting some really goos soil building going but come summer all those
poor goobies working for you in doing all the work in the soil will be baked
to a cinder.

On another strand of thought - do you have any Prickly Pear plants for the
fruit? Or is that plant a problem there? Have you or anyone else tried the
fruit? I'm thinking of giving it a go here when I can sneak a plant in past
Himself.

Fran

Farm1 wrote:
Oh blast!

I've found the other pages now with the horse poop bits! In self defence I
plead that I'm practicing for when those senior's moments become a daily
occurance.

OK stream of thought stuff now!

One thing we've decided we need to do here Pete is to plant more big trees
to get shade. The sodding sun is a major problem here and we've noticed
that the only green bits in summer are under the exotic trees or the shade
cloth or on the south side of something like a climber or a fence or the
house etc. I know that idea won't work in a veg patch but a modification on
that theme might work. Can you grow wattles for the green slash to use as a
mulch/cover on top of the soil? The reason why I ask is because you seem to
be getting some really goos soil building going but come summer all those
poor goobies working for you in doing all the work in the soil will be baked
to a cinder.

On another strand of thought - do you have any Prickly Pear plants for the
fruit? Or is that plant a problem there? Have you or anyone else tried the
fruit? I'm thinking of giving it a go here when I can sneak a plant in past
Himself.

Fran


So many questions ..... you're like a whirling dervish when ya get started.

OK The stage the rows are at now is just having gone through a summer
and still in dry conditions and mild 20 ish degree days ... I think
today will be 24 with the chance of a shower yippee, of course I've been
hand watering to break down the horse manure, the beds where the manure
has broken down properly (although it's still happening) get watered
only on a weekly basis, by one of those weeper type hoses left on for a
couple of hours or so thats all, the rows that are "fresh" are still
watered daily and quite thoroughly at times depending on the weather and
if I know I'm not going to get back to them till maybe later the
following "maybe" hot day... basically they as much water as they need
to keep em in place against any strong winds and to allow the manure to
break done or compost ... so it depends... could be different each day.

Regarding the trees/shade and wind protection ...you're rushing me,:-)
the last updates on the site gives a little insight into what will
follow the veggies and I found late yesterday a Myoporum insulare
(boobialla) that the birds have planted for me in one of the beds ( at
least it looks like one ..its tiny yet) which couldnt have been planted
in a better spot if I'd done it myself. because of the increased bird
activity I'm getting a lot of seed left around the place but this is the
first native and the first perennial plant thats popped up ...

I'll get a pic of it today and try to explain what will go where as the
whole thing progresses, I have been thinking of a shade house a bit
lower down and alongside some of the salt bush ... but thats for later,
you might be able to see in one of the pics ..the first one on page 2
I think ... there is a line of salt bush nearer the camera ... about a
dozen 6 inch high plants.... they are planted into the orrible soil and
are struggling, one has died they were originally going to be a buffer
against the strong hot northerlies.... if we get some rain most of em
will get going again and we plan to buy another tray (160 plants) this
year for planting around some new fencing I'm doing in other parts.

The camera angle on pic 1 page 2 is from the NNW so the small line of
salt bush is to the north of the rows and the house is to the south of
that pic ...or to the left just out of frame about 20 -30 metres.

The top corner of that pic ..where the 3 tank circles are will be the
nearest point to the house and alongside the path/driveway which is used
daily to get to the horse yards, so that will have kitchen herbs and
stuff that can be picked fairly easily without trudging through the mud.
Along that fence line and further to the left there will be an archway
also accessible from the "front yard", which will lead to a path at the
end of those rows and the shadehouse will be on the other side of that
path. ... I'll try to draw a plan but my scanner isn't working so it'll
have to be done with one of the drawing progs ...paint or sumsuch, but
it'll give ya some idea of what I eventually want to achieve ... making
me divulge my secret plans early so ya can larf at me when it doesnt
work eh? ....

What were the other questions? ... oh yeah wattles,... maybe .. I only
have one a golden wattle and its not doing too well in much better soil
than I have in this patch, I will need some leguminous plants in there
but where they will go will have to be planned ... in fact any large
tree in the area of those beds will restrict the views we have now of
the Adelaide hills and the horses both of which M loves... so very
careful planning will be in order there if I'm to continue enjoying full
health.

Chooks will eventually be incorporated into the area too, and also a
meat rabbit breeding house, but the rabbits are a long way down the
track, the chooks will be introduced much earlier in the piece.

ok now ya spoiled me secret plan
I wanted ya to keep saying gosh and golly and wow and stuff.... now
yas'll all say "ha that bit didn't work did it?" .......

I wont be planting any gums thats a definite, I need every bit of rain
and although I know gums would suck up plenty of that saline water table
I can't afford for em to steal me precious rainwater.... but there will
definitely be trees both native and exotic fruiting.

I actually have prickly pear plant just to the north of this patch and
on a rise of about half a metre ... I've never had fruit off of it and
it just sits there not dying but not growing either, I've eaten the
fruit off other plants and it's not too bad...sort of sweet but not..
almost like a strawberry but yet not ... worth trying though I reckon
they would make some sort of jam or even a savoury sauce like a
cranberry sauce or used as a poultry glaze.... dunno but worth messing with.

I've tasted most of everything we've got growing around the place and
even tried smoking some of it :-) ...dont get me started ... the pigface
plants have a fruit on em which you could eat if ya really wanted
...slightly salty and not unpleasant ... but not in the same league as a
bar of choccy. and the ruby saltbush have a tiny berry that's not bad ..
trouble is you'd need a shovel full for a real snack.

Weve stolen Quandongs from next door but they have nearly always got a
bug inside em by the time we get em, so apart from a quick bite and spit
out we've not had any joy wiv em, I've tasted Quandong jam and thats
really nice.

ok have I answered everything? .... prolly not but I gotta go try to get
a pic of this little Myoporum ...

Pete

In article ,
pete wrote:

I wont be planting any gums thats a definite, I need every bit of rain
and although I know gums would suck up plenty of that saline water table
I can't afford for em to steal me precious rainwater.... but there will
definitely be trees both native and exotic fruiting.

Do you have a local melaleuca species you can use for shade? Not so aggro
with the roots as gums might be, tend to be very salt/wind tolerant, and you
can use the brush for your shade house later on. Though I think some of them
tend to prevent anything else from growing around them (is it called
allopathic?).

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

"In Melbourne there is plenty of vigour and eagerness, but there is
nothing worth being eager or vigorous about."
Francis Adams, The Australians, 1893.

Chookie wrote:
In article ,
pete wrote:


I wont be planting any gums thats a definite, I need every bit of rain
and although I know gums would suck up plenty of that saline water table
I can't afford for em to steal me precious rainwater.... but there will
definitely be trees both native and exotic fruiting.


Do you have a local melaleuca species you can use for shade? Not so aggro
with the roots as gums might be, tend to be very salt/wind tolerant, and you
can use the brush for your shade house later on. Though I think some of them
tend to prevent anything else from growing around them (is it called
allopathic?).

Hiya Chookie
The Melaleuca idea might be a winner, we have one which seems pretty
common it may be M.halmaturorum ??? they seem pretty slow growing I
"think" I have one of these outside my front window and its very hardy,
doesnt get much water and yet looks very healthy, so you may be right Thanks

This one doesen't actually have the "Brush" type of foliage like some of
the finer ones .. here is a link to a pic of one
http://www.deltaenvironmental.com.au...ra/mhalmat.htm

Pete

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
from "Farm1" please@askifyouwannaknow contains these words:

In self defence I
plead that I'm practicing for when those senior's moments become a daily
occurance.

You're way behind, missis...if I could limit them to once a day I'd
be a happy boony, er...

Well some days do have a way of going pear shaped. I din't think it was
senior moments but then...........

On another strand of thought - do you have any Prickly Pear plants for
the
fruit? Or is that plant a problem there? Have you or anyone else tried
the
fruit? I'm thinking of giving it a go here when I can sneak a plant in
past
Himself.

Haven't they become a noxious weed in some countries (possibly yours?)
?

Yes but like a lot of plants it can be far more ramapant in some areas then
others. Hereabouts I've seen it growing very tamely and well contained. In
other places it is (or has been) simply rampant and one couldn't get a match
between plants.

Pampas grass is also a noxious weed in some places but here where it is
rather colder than in the weed zones it is a (relatively) smallish and neat
garden clump of about 6 ft high.

"pete" wrote in

OK The stage the rows are at now is just having gone through a summer
and still in dry conditions and mild 20 ish degree days ... I think
today will be 24 with the chance of a shower yippee, of course I've been
hand watering to break down the horse manure, the beds where the manure
has broken down properly (although it's still happening) get watered
only on a weekly basis, by one of those weeper type hoses left on for a
couple of hours or so thats all, the rows that are "fresh" are still
watered daily and quite thoroughly at times depending on the weather and
if I know I'm not going to get back to them till maybe later the
following "maybe" hot day... basically they as much water as they need
to keep em in place against any strong winds and to allow the manure to
break done or compost ... so it depends... could be different each day.

I had a really good experience this year with horse poop and leaves from
exotic trees/weisteria spread on one of my veg beds which has rotten soil.

I have found a fabulous non ending supply of poops already piled and all I
have to do is shovel 'em into the back of my truck. I weeded and watered
this veg bed, threw a load of poops on top and then topped that with a load
of autumn leaves (I did this in about early summer as the leaves had just
lain in a quiet corner doing nuttin all of winter - I knew summer here would
be a stinker so didn't even try to do anything in that particular rotten
bed). It got infrequent watering (prolly about once a month) and I've only
recently scraped the leaves off and dug it over and planted it with all
sorts of veg (bok choi, broccoli, English spinach, silverbeet, 2 types of
lettuce and some space left over for succession plantings of more spinach
which we love). It is full of worms and it's very ahrd to credit the
difference in the quality of the soil.

I think my experiences with this bed and some of the other observations
we've made this summer is the reason why I've been wittering on about shade.
I've written before about my water repellent soil and given how little
watering this bed got (and I know it was water reppellent at some stages as
I checked) and I've used horse poop before (but not in quite the same way)
I'm wondering about he effects of shading the soil with both the poops and
the leaves. The worms just got on with it and could operate in the dark. I
dunno perhaps I'm just ranting, but I do believe that the dark and the mulch
may have been more of a help than I could have ever thought. I was sooooooo
****ed of by this bed (and the rest of the garden in general) and soooooo
****ed off by the sort of summer we had (hot and dry, hot and dry and windy,
hot and dry etc etc etc) that I far less than I normally would have. I had
odd bursts of activity in between severe ****edoffedness attacks but I am
now very impressed with this bed and it is probably better than any others
that I have.

Regarding the trees/shade and wind protection ...you're rushing me,:-)

Sorry, but I have begun to think that it is ratehr important :-))

the last updates on the site gives a little insight into what will
follow the veggies and I found late yesterday a Myoporum insulare
(boobialla) that the birds have planted for me in one of the beds ( at
least it looks like one ..its tiny yet) which couldnt have been planted
in a better spot if I'd done it myself. because of the increased bird
activity I'm getting a lot of seed left around the place but this is the
first native and the first perennial plant thats popped up ...

Congrats! Always a thrill I find when volunteer platns appear.

( snip of future plans description.)

Chooks will eventually be incorporated into the area too, and also a
meat rabbit breeding house, but the rabbits are a long way down the
track, the chooks will be introduced much earlier in the piece.

Waht about moving both of those plans up a bit? They could certainly help
in your soil improvement plans given that both need to be fed but all output
goes back to the soil. (And realistically they are both more productive
than horses but don't tell your missus I said that :-))

ok now ya spoiled me secret plan
I wanted ya to keep saying gosh and golly and wow and stuff.... now
yas'll all say "ha that bit didn't work did it?" .......

Well I have lots of "didnt' work" bits round here, but if ya dont' do, ya
dont' know do you?

I actually have prickly pear plant just to the north of this patch and
on a rise of about half a metre ... I've never had fruit off of it and
it just sits there not dying but not growing either, I've eaten the
fruit off other plants and it's not too bad...sort of sweet but not..
almost like a strawberry but yet not ... worth trying though I reckon
they would make some sort of jam or even a savoury sauce like a
cranberry sauce or used as a poultry glaze.... dunno but worth messing
with.

I've got a recipe for prickly pear jam somewhere................

Weve stolen Quandongs from next door but they have nearly always got a
bug inside em by the time we get em, so apart from a quick bite and spit
out we've not had any joy wiv em, I've tasted Quandong jam and thats
really nice.

I love quandongs. I think they are one of the most superb fruits - just
wish I could get a plant or 10. I also love quinces which many people dont'
like at all.

ok have I answered everything? .... prolly not but I gotta go try to get
a pic of this little Myoporum ...

Great.

Farm1 wrote:

I had a really good experience this year with horse poop and leaves from
exotic trees/weisteria spread on one of my veg beds which has rotten soil.

I have found a fabulous non ending supply of poops already piled and all I
have to do is shovel 'em into the back of my truck. I weeded and watered
this veg bed, threw a load of poops on top and then topped that with a load
of autumn leaves (I did this in about early summer as the leaves had just
lain in a quiet corner doing nuttin all of winter - I knew summer here would
be a stinker so didn't even try to do anything in that particular rotten
bed). It got infrequent watering (prolly about once a month) and I've only
recently scraped the leaves off and dug it over and planted it with all
sorts of veg (bok choi, broccoli, English spinach, silverbeet, 2 types of
lettuce and some space left over for succession plantings of more spinach
which we love). It is full of worms and it's very ahrd to credit the
difference in the quality of the soil.

Thats hoss poop for ya.
On Saturday's we have an ABC radio, gardening, phone in, talk back
programme and the "experts" on there say horse manure is (Emphasis this
bit loudly over the microphone) Absolutely no good for gardens ....

Any poop is good poop in my book

I think my experiences with this bed and some of the other observations
we've made this summer is the reason why I've been wittering on about shade.
I've written before about my water repellent soil and given how little
watering this bed got (and I know it was water reppellent at some stages as
I checked) and I've used horse poop before (but not in quite the same way)
I'm wondering about he effects of shading the soil with both the poops and
the leaves. The worms just got on with it and could operate in the dark. I
dunno perhaps I'm just ranting, but I do believe that the dark and the mulch
may have been more of a help than I could have ever thought. I was sooooooo
****ed of by this bed (and the rest of the garden in general) and soooooo
****ed off by the sort of summer we had (hot and dry, hot and dry and windy,
hot and dry etc etc etc) that I far less than I normally would have. I had
odd bursts of activity in between severe ****edoffedness attacks but I am
now very impressed with this bed and it is probably better than any others
that I have.


Regarding the trees/shade and wind protection ...you're rushing me,:-)


Sorry, but I have begun to think that it is ratehr important :-))

Me too but ya workin me to a frazzle ...


Waht about moving both of those plans up a bit? They could certainly help
in your soil improvement plans given that both need to be fed but all output
goes back to the soil. (And realistically they are both more productive
than horses but don't tell your missus I said that :-))

I will tell her if ya don't stop sounding like her :-)

I need to give the chooks a run where they can do most good but have a
movable (by 2 peeps preferably)chook protection abode that will let me
give em a run to different areas. .... but I'll get a round tuit ...honest.


I've got a recipe for prickly pear jam somewhere................

I would have been disappointed if you hadn't :-)


I love quandongs. I think they are one of the most superb fruits - just
wish I could get a plant or 10.

Ya know they are supposed to be planted with another plant? not one of
the ones on the block next door to us have another plant anywhere near
em, or at least not near enough to suggest the seed had been planted
alongside the roots of another plant which I thought was a bit strange
.... maybe they killed the other plant off by some parasitic feeding off
of it ????

Pete

"pete" wrote in message
On Saturday's we have an ABC radio, gardening, phone in, talk back
programme and the "experts" on there say horse manure is (Emphasis this
bit loudly over the microphone) Absolutely no good for gardens ....

I suspect that in terms of fertility it isn't much use (chook or cow being
better) but in terms of soil amendment for friability I think it's wonderful

Any poop is good poop in my book

Yup.


Sorry, but I have begun to think that it is ratehr important :-))

Me too but ya workin me to a frazzle ...

Sorry. I'll stop.

I love quandongs. I think they are one of the most superb fruits - just
wish I could get a plant or 10.

Ya know they are supposed to be planted with another plant?

Do you mean another quandong plant? But no, I didn't know that they needed
to be planted near anything.

Farm1 wrote:
"pete" wrote in message

On Saturday's we have an ABC radio, gardening, phone in, talk back
programme and the "experts" on there say horse manure is (Emphasis this
bit loudly over the microphone) Absolutely no good for gardens ....


I suspect that in terms of fertility it isn't much use (chook or cow being
better) but in terms of soil amendment for friability I think it's wonderful


Well I'm finding that it works pretty well on soil that without it would
grow nothing, though maybe that same soil would be fertile to a degree
if it wasn't saline ... which sort of proves your statement above about
friability and mine earlier about texture ...which no doubt if we tried
hard enough we could prove are the same thing :-) ....

I find chook poo is great as a Nitrogen fertiliser but is lacking in
Phosphorous and Potassium whereas most of the others have a more rounded
concentration of all 3, I find my brassica's go purple at plant out
time using just horse manure, but as it breaks down and the soil
improves they grow like wildfire, maybe the Nitrogen is unavailable
early on in the process ? or maybe its just that brassica's need more
Nitrogen than hoss poo can supply at that particular time, I'd always
assumed it was the richness or freshness that was causing the purple
colour and as ages things improve.

I always thought hoss poo was lacking in Nitrogen but lately I've been
thinking that it has enough for it to be considered a good all round
fertiliser if its incorporated with enough soil to allow the growth of
beneficial bacteria, fungi and insects to break it down sufficiently to
"allow" it to release those nutrients for plants to use when they need
it.



I love quandongs. I think they are one of the most superb fruits - just
wish I could get a plant or 10.

Ya know they are supposed to be planted with another plant?


Do you mean another quandong plant? But no, I didn't know that they needed
to be planted near anything.

They do well with lower growing stuff ... native grasses or low shrubs,
they actually feed from the roots of the host plant.

This link may be useful http://farrer.riv.csu.edu.au/ASGAP/s-acu.html

The Quandongs near us are growing in pure Shellgrit ..old stuff that's
been there probably thousands of years, it's broken down to basically
nothing more than rough sand grain size and of course has excellent
drainage but probably little else and our low rainfall doesn't help,
though if we had higher rainfall maybe it would be worse for any
nutrient would be leached through quicker.

I think dry and very well drained is the key for established Quandongs
...though young plants must be kept moist to get em started.

Ya see how edumacational this group is?

Pete

pete wrote:

I always thought hoss poo was lacking in Nitrogen but lately I've been
thinking that it has enough for it to be considered a good all round
fertiliser if its incorporated with enough soil to allow the growth of
beneficial bacteria, fungi and insects to break it down sufficiently to
"allow" it to release those nutrients for plants to use when they need it.


I was searching for Quandong stuff and got sidetracked and found this
site which deals with mycorrhiza fungi.

http://www.ffp.csiro.au/research/mycorrhiza/intro.html

Which I found particularly interesting cos I reckon the fungi I am
finding in the horse poo enhanced rows (I showed the fungi in one pic on
my web site) are the reason things are growing.

Also this site http://www.global-garden.com.au/burnley/may97dte.htm

....below are a couple of quotes form that site


" Fungi are organisms consists of very fine filaments called hyphae that
can spread for metres through the soil taking up nutrients. Plants in a
mycorrhizal relationship have increased uptake of nitrogen, phosphorus,
micronutrients and water due to the large surface area of the fungal
hyphae. The result of this increased uptake is larger and healthier
plants. Unlike plants, fungi do not contain chlorophyll and therefore
need a source of energy. In return for providing nutrients to the plant
the fungi receive sugars."

and

"Soil chemistry and structure

Mycorrhiza can improve plant growth and reduce the need for large
amounts of fertiliser but have other benefits as well. Mycorrhizal fungi
can influence soil chemistry and structure. They produce an array of
chemicals such as enzymes and organic acids that are secreted into the
soil. These chemicals break down otherwise unavailable minerals that are
then absorbed by the fungus and transferred to the plant. The structure
of the soil is improved by the presence of mycorrhizal hyphae as they
spread through the soil binding particles and reducing soil erosion. The
presence of mycorrhiza and the production of the chemical residues help
to form stable soil aggregates that bind organic matter and associated
nutrients, improving soil structure and stability"

I knew I was on the right path with the soil Structure thing but I had
no idea of the proper names for what was happening.

Hope you find it as interesting as I did ....if not ... if it's actually
very boring..... it just proves what a nerd I am dunnit?

Pete

"pete" wrote in message
Farm1 wrote:

I suspect that in terms of fertility it isn't much use (chook or cow
being
better) but in terms of soil amendment for friability I think it's
wonderful


Well I'm finding that it works pretty well on soil that without it would
grow nothing, though maybe that same soil would be fertile to a degree
if it wasn't saline ... which sort of proves your statement above about
friability and mine earlier about texture ...which no doubt if we tried
hard enough we could prove are the same thing :-) ....

Prolly :-))

I always thought hoss poo was lacking in Nitrogen but lately I've been
thinking that it has enough for it to be considered a good all round
fertiliser if its incorporated with enough soil to allow the growth of
beneficial bacteria, fungi and insects to break it down sufficiently to
"allow" it to release those nutrients for plants to use when they need
it.

I like to use it with the odd sprinkle of Dynamic Lifter added now and then.
I also add the odd bit of cow manure when I can be bothered to go out with
my wheelbarrow (whcih is when it isn't stinking hot)

I've come to like dynamic Lifter a lot as it really seems to give the plants
a bit of a kick along but I don't use much of it. I do tend to use a bit of
liquid "Black jack" and the odd bit of seaweed emulsion but both of these
tend to be as and when I remember them rather than as a regular thing.


Do you mean another quandong plant? But no, I didn't know that they
needed
to be planted near anything.

They do well with lower growing stuff ... native grasses or low shrubs,
they actually feed from the roots of the host plant.

This link may be useful http://farrer.riv.csu.edu.au/ASGAP/s-acu.html

Most interesting - thanks for the link. I'd love to get some so may try
with some fo the rare palant nurseries this winter.

Ya see how edumacational this group is?

I've always known that :-))

"pete" wrote in message

I was searching for Quandong stuff and got sidetracked and found this
site which deals with mycorrhiza fungi.

I knew I was on the right path with the soil Structure thing but I had
no idea of the proper names for what was happening.

Most interesting. I do know however that mushroom fungi has a nasty effect
on grass leaving the spot where the fungi is as bear as a badgers bum.

I have huge fairy rings in our "lawn" and even when the rest of the grass is
lush in spring, I can see where the fariy rings are (I'm not going to do
anything about it though because I can have a meal of lovely fresh mushrooms
just from wandering round the lawn)

Farm1 wrote:
"pete" wrote in message

Farm1 wrote:


I suspect that in terms of fertility it isn't much use (chook or cow

being

better) but in terms of soil amendment for friability I think it's

wonderful

Well I'm finding that it works pretty well on soil that without it would
grow nothing, though maybe that same soil would be fertile to a degree
if it wasn't saline ... which sort of proves your statement above about
friability and mine earlier about texture ...which no doubt if we tried
hard enough we could prove are the same thing :-) ....


Prolly :-))


I always thought hoss poo was lacking in Nitrogen but lately I've been
thinking that it has enough for it to be considered a good all round
fertiliser if its incorporated with enough soil to allow the growth of
beneficial bacteria, fungi and insects to break it down sufficiently to
"allow" it to release those nutrients for plants to use when they need
it.


I like to use it with the odd sprinkle of Dynamic Lifter added now and then.
I also add the odd bit of cow manure when I can be bothered to go out with
my wheelbarrow (whcih is when it isn't stinking hot)

I've come to like dynamic Lifter a lot as it really seems to give the plants
a bit of a kick along but I don't use much of it. I do tend to use a bit of
liquid "Black jack" and the odd bit of seaweed emulsion but both of these
tend to be as and when I remember them rather than as a regular thing.



Do you mean another quandong plant? But no, I didn't know that they

needed

to be planted near anything.

They do well with lower growing stuff ... native grasses or low shrubs,
they actually feed from the roots of the host plant.

This link may be useful http://farrer.riv.csu.edu.au/ASGAP/s-acu.html


Most interesting - thanks for the link. I'd love to get some so may try
with some fo the rare palant nurseries this winter.


Ya see how edumacational this group is?


I've always known that :-))

Sorry I'm a bit incommunicado at the moment Fran ... I have a new
grandson who is taking all my attention

I can't wait to get him in the garden, his mum says I have to use one of
them sling thingies ... papoose?? to carry him around while I'm
planting stuff ...being the sensitive new age guy that I am, I just hope
he doesn't mind the fag burns on his forehead ....

Pete

Janet Baraclough wrote:

Congratulations Grandpa :-)

TY he's a little ripper ...pretty cute for a skinny kid.


I can't wait to get him in the garden, his mum says I have to use one of
them sling thingies ... papoose?? to carry him around while I'm
planting stuff ...being the sensitive new age guy that I am, I just hope
he doesn't mind the fag burns on his forehead ....


More like his feet, I dimly recall from bending over wearing a baby
in a slingthingy....

I wondered bout that ... I was thinkin maybe some bailing twine, or
perhaps a bit of chain with dog clips to fasten us together I could cut
a bit off the length I keep on the tractor for pulling star droppers,
that should hold him.

Of course later on he'll fit in the barrow, but at less than 2 kilo's at
the moment ya could drop him in the potato trench and wonder where he's
gorn.

Pete

Janet Baraclough wrote:

True story. My friend's feckless husband, alone in the kitchen of
their topfloor flat, holding their newish baby, was taken by surprise
by myself ringing on the downstairs bell. I followed him back up the
stairs just in time to see him retrieve the baby from a coatpeg, where
he'd suspended it by the romper straps :-(

You say that like it's a bad thing :-)

Less than 2 kilos? Put him inside your jumper, Pete..he's not cooked
yet :-)

5 weeks undercooked, but Daughter has renal failure so things were
getting pretty dangerous, he had to have the salad tongues to get him
out and the cord was round his neck, so it didn't go very well as he was
bungy jumping back in ...

They had him in a pie warmer and under grow lights ... I reckon ya could
start seedlings off pretty well in one of them ....
He was 1.83 kilo's when born but he's just topped 1.925 kilos today...
so he's getting to be a big lad ... a couple of weeks and he'll be home,
he's already in with the big kids.

He's eating well and looking great, he's got a big belly and nothing
below it ... just like his grandad really :-)

I'm looking forward to the burping and farting contests, I used to have
em with his Mother but she grew out of em.

Pete