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Peach drooling
I got some of our fragar peaches before the bats this morning. Rich,
aromatic, sweet and juicy, two vanished very quickly before I poured my cornflakes. Juice, and probably some saliva, was running down to my elbows. There is just no comparison with store-bought because they tend to be picked under ripe. For those who haven't tried a properly ripened peach or nectarine, even if you have room for only one fruit tree in your yard plant one. David |
Peach drooling
"David Hare-Scott" wrote in message
... I got some of our fragar peaches before the bats this morning. Rich, aromatic, sweet and juicy, two vanished very quickly before I poured my cornflakes. Juice, and probably some saliva, was running down to my elbows. There is just no comparison with store-bought because they tend to be picked under ripe. For those who haven't tried a properly ripened peach or nectarine, even if you have room for only one fruit tree in your yard plant one. David well we've been trying to join you, but having a few problems & having to eat the peaches not-quite-ripe! it is a bit frustrating. something is stinging the fruits so they have brown rotting patches as they ripen. still, the edible remainders are pretty good. those which don't have fruit-fly, that is ;-) i was also getting mad at the birds for getting into them, until dh pointed out that the birds aren't causing nearly as much damage as the bugs are. good point. i'm hoping that next year we'll be having more fruit with fewer problems (getting informed might help, eh.) enjoy your peaches! kylie |
Peach drooling
We have had a 2 apricot trees for a few years. Believe it they grew from
seed. Honestly. However we have yet to enjoy any fruit as they drop before they get to a good size. Do you think it is lack of water that's doing that? I know the birds come and could knock them down, but so many? thanks Katherine well we've been trying to join you, but having a few problems & having to eat the peaches not-quite-ripe! it is a bit frustrating. something is stinging the fruits so they have brown rotting patches as they ripen. still, the edible remainders are pretty good. those which don't have fruit-fly, that is ;-) i was also getting mad at the birds for getting into them, until dh pointed out that the birds aren't causing nearly as much damage as the bugs are. good point. i'm hoping that next year we'll be having more fruit with fewer problems (getting informed might help, eh.) enjoy your peaches! kylie |
Peach drooling
0tterbot wrote:
"David Hare-Scott" wrote in message ... I got some of our fragar peaches before the bats this morning. Rich, aromatic, sweet and juicy, two vanished very quickly before I poured my cornflakes. Juice, and probably some saliva, was running down to my elbows. There is just no comparison with store-bought because they tend to be picked under ripe. For those who haven't tried a properly ripened peach or nectarine, even if you have room for only one fruit tree in your yard plant one. David well we've been trying to join you, but having a few problems & having to eat the peaches not-quite-ripe! it is a bit frustrating. something is stinging the fruits so they have brown rotting patches as they ripen. still, the edible remainders are pretty good. those which don't have fruit-fly, that is ;-) i was also getting mad at the birds for getting into them, until dh pointed out that the birds aren't causing nearly as much damage as the bugs are. good point. i'm hoping that next year we'll be having more fruit with fewer problems (getting informed might help, eh.) enjoy your peaches! kylie Kylie, I wonder if making muslin drawstring bags to hang around the fruits might work? Muslin would allow the light and air in to swell the fruits, but would keep out all but the tiniest of creatures. You'd probably have to put the bags on while the fruits were still small and green: that is, before the insects got a whiff of them. I dunno... I've never grown stone fruits, but it might work? Do you have a Spotlight nearby? They keep muslin of different weights and also some of the sew-in interfacings would do just as well. -- Trish {|:-} Newcastle, NSW, Australia |
Peach drooling
"Trish Brown" wrote in message ... well we've been trying to join you, but having a few problems & having to eat the peaches not-quite-ripe! it is a bit frustrating. something is stinging the fruits so they have brown rotting patches as they ripen. still, the edible remainders are pretty good. those which don't have fruit-fly, that is ;-) i was also getting mad at the birds for getting into them, until dh pointed out that the birds aren't causing nearly as much damage as the bugs are. good point. i'm hoping that next year we'll be having more fruit with fewer problems (getting informed might help, eh.) enjoy your peaches! kylie Kylie, I wonder if making muslin drawstring bags to hang around the fruits might work? Muslin would allow the light and air in to swell the fruits, but would keep out all but the tiniest of creatures. You'd probably have to put the bags on while the fruits were still small and green: that is, before the insects got a whiff of them. I dunno... I've never grown stone fruits, but it might work? Do you have a Spotlight nearby? They keep muslin of different weights and also some of the sew-in interfacings would do just as well. -- Trish {|:-} Newcastle, NSW, Australia We tried paper bags this year. The organic growers society recommended them as they are cheap and you use no insecticide. The idea is you bag the fruit just after it sets and it keeps out the fruit fly, birds and bats. I was sceptical but the bags last fairly well, only now are they starting to rot and fall off having been on for 4 months, with much rain in that time. As for keeping out the vermin, two out of three might be good for some purposes but not this one. We have no fly or bird loss. The bats however are no respecter of paper bags. They are smart enough to drop by and check on the bags from time to time as the fruit develops - they know there is fruit in there. As soon as their cute little noses tell them it is ripe their cute little teeth go straight through the bag and into the fruit. Bless their little fructivorous instincts. So we have just bought a roll of netting and I will be constructing polypipe igloos over the winter to hold the net. Hopefully next year we will get all the fruit instead of about one quarter. We had some cheapo nets as a stop gap but as expected they didn't last. While releasing one of our cute little furry guests I got to check out his cute little toothy pegs. Don't let anyone tell you that only carnivores have dangerous teeth. In proportion to their size a bat has teeth better than a cat or dog and needle sharp. After they have been in a net for a few hours they will bite anything that comes into range. So I don't know if cloth bags will work if you have bats. Have you though of knitting them out of barbed wire? David |
Peach drooling
David Hare-Scott wrote:
We tried paper bags this year. The organic growers society recommended them as they are cheap and you use no insecticide. The idea is you bag the fruit just after it sets and it keeps out the fruit fly, birds and bats. I was sceptical but the bags last fairly well, only now are they starting to rot and fall off having been on for 4 months, with much rain in that time. As for keeping out the vermin, two out of three might be good for some purposes but not this one. We have no fly or bird loss. The bats however are no respecter of paper bags. They are smart enough to drop by and check on the bags from time to time as the fruit develops - they know there is fruit in there. As soon as their cute little noses tell them it is ripe their cute little teeth go straight through the bag and into the fruit. Bless their little fructivorous instincts. So we have just bought a roll of netting and I will be constructing polypipe igloos over the winter to hold the net. Hopefully next year we will get all the fruit instead of about one quarter. We had some cheapo nets as a stop gap but as expected they didn't last. While releasing one of our cute little furry guests I got to check out his cute little toothy pegs. Don't let anyone tell you that only carnivores have dangerous teeth. In proportion to their size a bat has teeth better than a cat or dog and needle sharp. After they have been in a net for a few hours they will bite anything that comes into range. So I don't know if cloth bags will work if you have bats. Have you though of knitting them out of barbed wire? David Hmmm... Bunnings sells a wonderful wire netting called petnet (or similar... I disremember the exact name). It's designed for screen doors up which your cat climbs or through which your dog scratches holes. We had both problems, but the petnet fixed it quick-smart! It's got a light metal base (dunno how they achieve it), comes in black or dark green and the sharpest animal claws and fangs won't rip it. Our bull terrier has been busily scraping away at the back screen door for years now, with nary a mark in the petnet! I can also say it keeps out mice (we had a wild Dark Mouse creeping into our mouse cage and violating all my lovely pedigreed girls!!!) and, as an aside, insects. I reckon you ought to try just one (1) cloth bag, just so we can all know whether bats can smell and/or gouge their way through cloth. In the interests of furthering scientific knowledge, you understand... I have to say, I do have a soft spot for flying foxes, but how profoundly I do wish they'd stop shitting all over my dog, who is white, and who heartily dislikes me scraping melted-caramel, sour-smelling batshit off her back! I can't say I'm that overjoyed about them dropping the foul stuff on my washing, either. Or the duco of my car. But hey! Live and let live, I say! You should be careful if handling a bat! They can be carriers of a really nasty disease called Lyssavirus, so make sure you use stout gloves if you absolutely need to handle one. If you get bitten, it'd certainly be worth getting it checked out by a doctor. Lyssavirus can be fatal. Before I shuddup, can I ask how you plan to make your nets? Will you be netting the whole tree (some local people have done that, successfully, it seems), or just the clusters of fruits? I'm interested in how you plan to construct the net... Best of luck, anyway. Do let us know how you get on! :-D -- Trish {|:-} Newcastle, NSW, Australia |
Peach drooling
"Trish Brown" wrote in message ... So I don't know if cloth bags will work if you have bats. Have you though of knitting them out of barbed wire? David I reckon you ought to try just one (1) cloth bag, just so we can all know whether bats can smell and/or gouge their way through cloth. In the interests of furthering scientific knowledge, you understand... I have to say, I do have a soft spot for flying foxes, but how profoundly I do wish they'd stop shitting all over my dog, who is white, and who heartily dislikes me scraping melted-caramel, sour-smelling batshit off her back! I can't say I'm that overjoyed about them dropping the foul stuff on my washing, either. Or the duco of my car. But hey! Live and let live, I say! Well I must be a softie too 'cause when the the little bugger couldn't get off the ground after he was free I went and picked him up again and threw him up so he could fly off and then return to steal my nectarines the next night. The prevailing wisdom here is you free them from the net (and this vale of tears) with a spade. You should be careful if handling a bat! They can be carriers of a really nasty disease called Lyssavirus, so make sure you use stout gloves if you absolutely need to handle one. If you get bitten, it'd certainly be worth getting it checked out by a doctor. Lyssavirus can be fatal. I wore really heavy leather gauntlets and my offsider distracted the patient by letting him bite on a stick during the operation. Before I shuddup, can I ask how you plan to make your nets? Will you be netting the whole tree (some local people have done that, successfully, it seems), or just the clusters of fruits? I'm interested in how you plan to construct the net... The whole tree or row as the case may be. I will make a frame out of bent polypipe mounted on waterpipe stakes. The net will be pegged over the frame to the ground. I have seen nets just hung over the tree and it really doesn't work. David |
Peach drooling
"Trish Brown" wrote in message
... Kylie, I wonder if making muslin drawstring bags to hang around the fruits might work? Muslin would allow the light and air in to swell the fruits, but would keep out all but the tiniest of creatures. You'd probably have to put the bags on while the fruits were still small and green: that is, before the insects got a whiff of them. I dunno... I've never grown stone fruits, but it might work? Do you have a Spotlight nearby? They keep muslin of different weights and also some of the sew-in interfacings would do just as well. mmm, i love spotlight :-) yes, next year we are going to do SOMETHING about the bugs. for this year, our main aim was just to see what kind of fruit each tree has (the fruits didn't make it last year), what diseases have carried over, etc. any fruit we get is just a bonus for now! they're all going to be severely pruned after fruiting, as they are a mess all around. have been cleaning up & bagging the fallen fruits in the sun, to try to limit the fruit-fly invasion. this is my children's job; it makes them very cross ;-) kylie |
Peach drooling
0tterbot wrote:
"Trish Brown" wrote in message ... Do you have a Spotlight nearby? They keep muslin of different weights and also some of the sew-in interfacings would do just as well. mmm, i love spotlight :-) Don't tell me you sew??? How remarkable! When people ask 'where did you buy that?' and I tell them I made it, they look at me funny. My favourite is making kid's school uniforms for $16 when they cost $74 to buy in the shops! LOLOLOLOL! yes, next year we are going to do SOMETHING about the bugs. for this year, our main aim was just to see what kind of fruit each tree has (the fruits didn't make it last year), what diseases have carried over, etc. any fruit we get is just a bonus for now! they're all going to be severely pruned after fruiting, as they are a mess all around. have been cleaning up & bagging the fallen fruits in the sun, to try to limit the fruit-fly invasion. this is my children's job; it makes them very cross ;-) kylie Ah, I envy you that! (The fruit, not the cross children). Our block is very poorly drained and so far, any fruit trees I've tried to grow have drowned. We're hoping to do *some*thing to fix the drainage problem, but not sure what... Main push at the moment is to get rid of the 'lawn'. I have learned that lawn is a very overrated phenomenon and I no longer want any. -- Trish {|:-} Newcastle, NSW, Australia |
Peach drooling
"Trish Brown" wrote in message
... 0tterbot wrote: "Trish Brown" wrote in message ... Do you have a Spotlight nearby? They keep muslin of different weights and also some of the sew-in interfacings would do just as well. mmm, i love spotlight :-) Don't tell me you sew??? How remarkable! When people ask 'where did you buy that?' and I tell them I made it, they look at me funny. nobody has ever asked me where i got anything, ever. perhaps i am doing soemthing wrong :-) My favourite is making kid's school uniforms for $16 when they cost $74 to buy in the shops! LOLOLOLOL! i have been a negligent in my sewing activites lately :-( but i still love spotlight! Ah, I envy you that! (The fruit, not the cross children). Our block is very poorly drained and so far, any fruit trees I've tried to grow have drowned. We're hoping to do *some*thing to fix the drainage problem, but not sure what... Main push at the moment is to get rid of the 'lawn'. I have learned that lawn is a very overrated phenomenon and I no longer want any. that is bad news (about the drainage). whenever i see those diagrams of "how to make drainage trenches" in books, i feel very sad for anyone reading them with a special interest. jackie french (rather typically!!!) breezily writes that one can "plant them on mounds" if drainage is bad. our drainage is not so good, either, & we've lost a few from waterlogging. i spoke to dh about not letting the holes be "glazed" and too smooth when planting them in. he did that a few times & i think that didn't help the problem whatsoever. kylie |
Peach drooling
0tterbot wrote:
snip nobody has ever asked me where i got anything, ever. perhaps i am doing soemthing wrong :-) Maybe I was just lucky? Most of my sewing has been to dress a late-in-life daughter who happened to do dance as well. I pulled out all the stops for her, while the early-in-life son only got practical stuff. i have been a negligent in my sewing activites lately :-( but i still love spotlight! Yeh! My fantasy is to get locked in there over a long weekend. Three things I love to shop for: haberdashery, stationery supplies and hardware (in that order). I've got an Australian botanicals quilt rolling around in my mind for this year. I'd like to work a whole lot of lesser-known native plants (not your basic waratahs and grevilleas etc) into a very large appliqué and embroidery project. Only thing is, if I think too hard, I convince myself I'm not clever enough to do it right. Can you picture an appliqué jobbie that has a large spotted gum tree up one side with embroidered blossoms and highly textured bark? The leaves would be a challenge, but done correctly I think it'd be really spectacular. OR (light bulb moment) a Red-Flowering Ironbark!!! Ooo! I'm loikin' what I'm thinkin'... Ah, I envy you that! (The fruit, not the cross children). Our block is very poorly drained and so far, any fruit trees I've tried to grow have drowned. We're hoping to do *some*thing to fix the drainage problem, but not sure what... Main push at the moment is to get rid of the 'lawn'. I have learned that lawn is a very overrated phenomenon and I no longer want any. that is bad news (about the drainage). whenever i see those diagrams of "how to make drainage trenches" in books, i feel very sad for anyone reading them with a special interest. jackie french (rather typically!!!) breezily writes that one can "plant them on mounds" if drainage is bad. our drainage is not so good, either, & we've lost a few from waterlogging. i spoke to dh about not letting the holes be "glazed" and too smooth when planting them in. he did that a few times & i think that didn't help the problem whatsoever. kylie We've thought about it for fourteen years and *this* year, we're going to bite the bullet and plant serious trees - probably casuarinas for the grass repelling and the parrot-feeding cones and the gorgeous sound they make in a breeze. I thought if we used River Oaks, then they'd be able to cope with the seasonally boggy soil. D'you reckon? I'd have loved to put in some Buckinghamia and Hymenosporum for the blossoms, but I don't think either would last five minutes through the winter. Ah well. And then, of course, some raised beds for the veggie garden of my dreams. Do you have any good ideas for protecting Blue Tongues? Our dog has found out she can kill them and despite some pretty hairy bellowing at her, continues to do it. I thought, maybe some pipe of some description... But how to keep it clear of soil and teach the blueys to use it? The other battle is with the #)%*%^^&#^ veldt grass that's taken over the place. It looks fabulous left to its own devices, but it's nearly two foot tall now! The frogs and blueys are loving it, but it gives me a pain in the face: when you mow, the cables just rise up like spikes and refuse to be squashed! Ah, the problems of the flustered gardener! :-D -- Trish {|:-} Newcastle, NSW, Australia |
Peach drooling
"Trish Brown" wrote in message
... 0tterbot wrote: snip nobody has ever asked me where i got anything, ever. perhaps i am doing soemthing wrong :-) Maybe I was just lucky? Most of my sewing has been to dress a late-in-life daughter who happened to do dance as well. I pulled out all the stops for her, while the early-in-life son only got practical stuff. aha. dancing daughter. aha. (i haven't got one of those!) Yeh! My fantasy is to get locked in there over a long weekend. Three things I love to shop for: haberdashery, stationery supplies and hardware (in that order). gasp me too! in fact, i clearly remember when hardware warehouses were invented & we went on our first trip to home hardware in ashfield. it was a wonderland! i couldn't get enough of it!!!!!!!! then bunnings came along & ruined everything for me. I've got an Australian botanicals quilt rolling around in my mind for this year. I'd like to work a whole lot of lesser-known native plants (not your basic waratahs and grevilleas etc) into a very large appliqué and embroidery project. Only thing is, if I think too hard, I convince myself I'm not clever enough to do it right. Can you picture an appliqué jobbie that has a large spotted gum tree up one side with embroidered blossoms and highly textured bark? The leaves would be a challenge, but done correctly I think it'd be really spectacular. OR (light bulb moment) a Red-Flowering Ironbark!!! Ooo! I'm loikin' what I'm thinkin'... that would be very spectacular! although i must admit i like quilts & things heavily traditional. so maybe ask someone else :-) We've thought about it for fourteen years and *this* year, we're going to bite the bullet and plant serious trees - probably casuarinas for the grass repelling and the parrot-feeding cones and the gorgeous sound they make in a breeze. I thought if we used River Oaks, then they'd be able to cope with the seasonally boggy soil. D'you reckon? ah, yes! although - and not to be provoking aus.gardens to rise as one in an angry mob or anything like that - but i love willows. i'm pretty sure that's what _i'd_ be planting. you could make "rooms" out of pleached willows!!! it would be so beautiful!!!! I'd have loved to put in some Buckinghamia and Hymenosporum for the blossoms, but I don't think either would last five minutes through the winter. Ah well. And then, of course, some raised beds for the veggie garden of my dreams. you could also make raised beds along a suitable edge for dwarfed, espaliered fruit-trees too, because then the beds would not have to be big. regardless of teh blithe j. french, "mounds" are troublesome because they eventually are not big enough & then you can't water the tree properly when you need to (which is bound to happen eventually) - it just runs off & away. this i know because we have some fruit trees on "mounds". pah. you could also raise a few areas up (in an aesthetic manner) for smaller plants which don't like bogs, too. and of course grow celery & mint to your heart's content elsewhere :-) Do you have any good ideas for protecting Blue Tongues? Our dog has found out she can kill them and despite some pretty hairy bellowing at her, continues to do it. I thought, maybe some pipe of some description... But how to keep it clear of soil and teach the blueys to use it? no idea. my dog kills them too (he thinks lizards & snakes are the same thing, unfortunately). at the end of the day, the few blue-tongues which are foolish enough to hang around our yard have to protect themselves. my reasoning is that they have a great deal of room away from the yard (47 hectares). clearly that is where most of them live out long & alarm-free lives. i just go out & try to rescue whatever it is that he's bailed up when he does his "snake bark" (does not happen much any more). the blue-tongues just don't come around so much any more. they seem to be fast learners ime, so perhaps you could train them into pipes with fruit or meat - you just don't want to be encouraging a difficult situation though where you're just luring them to their deaths. ;-) The other battle is with the #)%*%^^&#^ veldt grass that's taken over the place. It looks fabulous left to its own devices, but it's nearly two foot tall now! The frogs and blueys are loving it, but it gives me a pain in the face: when you mow, the cables just rise up like spikes and refuse to be squashed! Ah, the problems of the flustered gardener! :-D it never ends!! i'm a fan of letting things work for themselves though - fighting it constantly is just never going to work. when you decide how to work with what you have & what you want within those limitations, it will go really well, i am sure. for e.g. i spent some time frustrated beyond belief with all the rocks we have. then i decided the rocks are a resource, not a "problem". the soil is still full of rocks, but it no longer bothers me. :-) otoh, it breaks my heart we can't have a peppercorn tree, because it gets too cold here. i love peppercorn trees insanely. but there you have it! kylie |
Peach drooling
0tterbot wrote:
"Trish Brown" wrote in message ... snip I'd have loved to put in some Buckinghamia and Hymenosporum for the blossoms, but I don't think either would last five minutes through the winter. Ah well. And then, of course, some raised beds for the veggie garden of my dreams. you could also make raised beds along a suitable edge for dwarfed, espaliered fruit-trees too, because then the beds would not have to be big. regardless of the blithe j. french, "mounds" are troublesome because they eventually are not big enough & then you can't water the tree properly when you need to (which is bound to happen eventually) - it just runs off & away. this i know because we have some fruit trees on "mounds". pah. I've seen fruit trees doing well with tractor-tyre collars. I've always thought that would be a very easy way to raise a bed for a single tree, but sadly I have no tractor tyres! you could also raise a few areas up (in an aesthetic manner) for smaller plants which don't like bogs, too. and of course grow celery & mint to your heart's content elsewhere :-) Our block becomes like sponge in the wet winter weather. I've found I can't grow anything much except native violets and even they will drown if kept wet for long enough. The lane behind our house was tar-sealed and the camber has caused water to rush down the slight tilt onto our block and just drown it. Most of our neighbours have put in concrete and pavers and had professional drainage done. Can't afford that, buggerit! I *so* love your idea with the willows and that was my first thought. However, fancy putting willows cheek-by-jowl with town water and sewage! Brrrrrrr!!! Doesn't bear thinking about! I figured casuarinas would be the nearest native alternative and I do love them too. (he thinks lizards & snakes are the same thing, unfortunately). at the end of the day, the few blue-tongues which are foolish enough to hang around our yard have to protect themselves. my reasoning is that they have a great deal of room away from the yard (47 hectares). clearly that is where most of them live out long & alarm-free lives. i just go out & try to rescue whatever it is that he's bailed up when he does his "snake bark" (does not happen much any more). the blue-tongues just don't come around so much any more. they seem to be fast learners ime, so perhaps you could train them into pipes with fruit or meat - you just don't want to be encouraging a difficult situation though where you're just luring them to their deaths. ;-) Yeah, I take your point. Our dog thinks exactly the same thing. We had a Red Belly living under the house for nearly two years (didn't see a single mouse in all that time), but sadly, the dog got him in the end. (Actually she got him in the middle and for the life of me I can't see how she didn't get bitten!) The other battle is with the #)%*%^^&#^ veldt grass that's taken over the place. It looks fabulous left to its own devices, but it's nearly two foot tall now! The frogs and blueys are loving it, but it gives me a pain in the face: when you mow, the cables just rise up like spikes and refuse to be squashed! Ah, the problems of the flustered gardener! :-D it never ends!! i'm a fan of letting things work for themselves though - fighting it constantly is just never going to work. when you decide how to work with what you have & what you want within those limitations, it will go really well, i am sure. for e.g. i spent some time frustrated beyond belief with all the rocks we have. then i decided the rocks are a resource, not a "problem". the soil is still full of rocks, but it no longer bothers me. :-) otoh, it breaks my heart we can't have a peppercorn tree, because it gets too cold here. i love peppercorn trees insanely. but there you have it! kylie Yes, I thought the same thing about the recalcitrant grass. I'm going to try to reduce the lawn area by putting 'things' in at the edges and hoping some casuarinas will deter it a bit as well. Beyond that, it can just grow! ;-D -- Trish {|:-} Newcastle, NSW, Australia |
Peach drooling
"0tterbot" wrote in message news:lJgpj.10637
"Trish Brown" wrote in message i have been a negligent in my sewing activites lately :-( but i still love spotlight! I hate the one that you and I would have access to. There are only about 3 decent staff in the place who know anything about fabric and I hate most of the fabric they have because the quality is almost universally lousy. I went in there to buy some japara that I'd seen a week before and of couse they'd done a rearrangement and I had to go through 5 staff before i found one who even knew what japara was. that is bad news (about the drainage). whenever i see those diagrams of "how to make drainage trenches" in books, i feel very sad for anyone reading them with a special interest. jackie french (rather typically!!!) breezily writes that one can "plant them on mounds" if drainage is bad. It works for Paul D. who has the mudbrick house and the trout ponds outside his balcony as that is how he plants his trees. |
Peach drooling
"0tterbot" wrote in message ... Our block is very poorly drained and so far, any fruit trees I've tried to grow have drowned. We're hoping to do *some*thing to fix the drainage problem, but not sure what... Main push at the moment is to get rid of the 'lawn'. I have learned that lawn is a very overrated phenomenon and I no longer want any. that is bad news (about the drainage). whenever i see those diagrams of "how to make drainage trenches" in books, i feel very sad for anyone reading them with a special interest. jackie french (rather typically!!!) breezily writes that one can "plant them on mounds" if drainage is bad. The soil at my place is about 15cm of silt on top of solid plastic clay. Every time I read about some new fruit or vege that I am thinking of trying it says "requires good drainage". Grrrrrrrrrrr One thing that helps is the main paddock is slightly sloping. When I do plant in raised beds I allow the rows to point slightly down slope, not on contour, this means that when the rain stops the bed drains between rows and the rows drain downslope. So far this has saved most things. our drainage is not so good, either, & we've lost a few from waterlogging. i spoke to dh about not letting the holes be "glazed" and too smooth when planting them in. he did that a few times & i think that didn't help the problem whatsoever. kylie For trees I don't plant in holes. Holes become ponds in the underlying clay. I built up a mound of topsoil and amendments (manure, compost, gypsum etc) and plant into that. Even so you cannot spend your whole life building hills. Of course trees will get their roots down into the clay eventually but it doesn't seem to matter, sitting in wet clay doesn't seem to be as bad as in a pool of water. In fact I am learning to love the clay bed as when it stops raining, whcih must happen some time, the clay will slowly give up its water for months and keep the place green. It's raining again today. This summer we have had: Nov 194 Dec 117 Jan 144 Feb 73 That's La Nina for you. I just need a magic bullet for powdery mildew and sooty mould. And the car has algae. Really. David |
Peach drooling
"Trish Brown" wrote in message
Do you have any good ideas for protecting Blue Tongues? Our dog has found out she can kill them and despite some pretty hairy bellowing at her, continues to do it. The only thing I have heard that worked was someone who flogged his dog thoroughly with a dead Bluey. I was astounded when this person told me what he had done as he is a mild mannered person who absolutley loves his dog, but one day, the death toll of Bluey's fianlly just got to him and he freely admits that he did his nut at the dog and just picked up the latest corpse of a particularly big and fine Bluey and whaled into the dog. Apparently the dog avoids Bluey's like the plague now and there have been no new corpses over several years. I thought, maybe some pipe of some description... But how to keep it clear of soil and teach the blueys to use it? Aggie pipe held down with rocks/logs into which you roll snails. |
Peach drooling
FarmI wrote:
"0tterbot" wrote in message news:lJgpj.10637 "Trish Brown" wrote in message i have been a negligent in my sewing activites lately :-( but i still love spotlight! I hate the one that you and I would have access to. There are only about 3 decent staff in the place who know anything about fabric Yep, standard spotlight staff. and I hate most of the fabric they have because the quality is almost universally lousy. SWMBO'd agrees. I went in there to buy some japara that I'd seen a week before and of couse they'd done a rearrangement and I had to go through 5 staff before i found one who even knew what japara was. Real japara? |
Peach drooling
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message
... "0tterbot" wrote in message news:lJgpj.10637 "Trish Brown" wrote in message i have been a negligent in my sewing activites lately :-( but i still love spotlight! I hate the one that you and I would have access to. There are only about 3 decent staff in the place who know anything about fabric and I hate most of the fabric they have because the quality is almost universally lousy. it's entirely NOT the best one i've been to, that's for sure! however, if _i_ know what i want, i can make it work. the staff are terrible! I went in there to buy some japara that I'd seen a week before and of couse they'd done a rearrangement and I had to go through 5 staff before i found one who even knew what japara was. (i don't know what japara is... ;-) that is bad news (about the drainage). whenever i see those diagrams of "how to make drainage trenches" in books, i feel very sad for anyone reading them with a special interest. jackie french (rather typically!!!) breezily writes that one can "plant them on mounds" if drainage is bad. It works for Paul D. who has the mudbrick house and the trout ponds outside his balcony as that is how he plants his trees. undoubtedly, he had the foresight to create miniature tablelands, rather than tiny silly mounds! :-) kylie |
Peach drooling
"Trish Brown" wrote in message
... I've seen fruit trees doing well with tractor-tyre collars. I've always thought that would be a very easy way to raise a bed for a single tree, but sadly I have no tractor tyres! heh. i have some. i also have a tree (not a fruit tree) that some ninny planted into a car tyre. now the tyre won't come off & can't be cut either (steel belt). sigh!!! the trunk is as big as the hole in the tyre. we are flummoxed! I *so* love your idea with the willows and that was my first thought. However, fancy putting willows cheek-by-jowl with town water and sewage! Brrrrrrr!!! Doesn't bear thinking about! I figured casuarinas would be the nearest native alternative and I do love them too. hm, are willows a problem in that context though? i thought they only give people the shits if they're near a watercourse & bits can break off & go downstream & root everywhere.(?) having said that, i personally think feral willow is 4 million times better than nude eroded banks anyway! but of course, the "native alternative" is going to sit better with everyone. (he thinks lizards & snakes are the same thing, unfortunately). at the end of the day, the few blue-tongues which are foolish enough to hang around our yard have to protect themselves. my reasoning is that they have a great deal of room away from the yard (47 hectares). clearly that is where most of them live out long & alarm-free lives. i just go out & try to rescue whatever it is that he's bailed up when he does his "snake bark" (does not happen much any more). the blue-tongues just don't come around so much any more. they seem to be fast learners ime, so perhaps you could train them into pipes with fruit or meat - you just don't want to be encouraging a difficult situation though where you're just luring them to their deaths. ;-) Yeah, I take your point. Our dog thinks exactly the same thing. We had a Red Belly living under the house for nearly two years (didn't see a single mouse in all that time), but sadly, the dog got him in the end. (Actually she got him in the middle and for the life of me I can't see how she didn't get bitten!) most dogs get lucky a few times. The other battle is with the #)%*%^^&#^ veldt grass that's taken over the place. It looks fabulous left to its own devices, but it's nearly two foot tall now! The frogs and blueys are loving it, but it gives me a pain in the face: when you mow, the cables just rise up like spikes and refuse to be squashed! Ah, the problems of the flustered gardener! :-D it never ends!! i'm a fan of letting things work for themselves though - fighting it constantly is just never going to work. when you decide how to work with what you have & what you want within those limitations, it will go really well, i am sure. for e.g. i spent some time frustrated beyond belief with all the rocks we have. then i decided the rocks are a resource, not a "problem". the soil is still full of rocks, but it no longer bothers me. :-) otoh, it breaks my heart we can't have a peppercorn tree, because it gets too cold here. i love peppercorn trees insanely. but there you have it! kylie Yes, I thought the same thing about the recalcitrant grass. I'm going to try to reduce the lawn area by putting 'things' in at the edges and hoping some casuarinas will deter it a bit as well. Beyond that, it can just grow! ;-D well, if it likes the bog,....! kylie |
Peach drooling
"David Hare-Scott" wrote in message
... One thing that helps is the main paddock is slightly sloping. When I do plant in raised beds I allow the rows to point slightly down slope, not on contour, this means that when the rain stops the bed drains between rows and the rows drain downslope. So far this has saved most things. slopes help! drainage not the problem it might have been here because nothing is flat! it helps a lot. It's raining again today. This summer we have had: Nov 194 Dec 117 Jan 144 Feb 73 That's La Nina for you. I just need a magic bullet for powdery mildew and sooty mould. And the car has algae. Really. well, i can't comment on your car (do you need to borrow some sea creatures?) but i finally got round to trying the milk solution for powdery mildew on the curcurbits. omg, it seems to have worked!! (i can't believe it could be that easy). however, it's not made a dent on the powdery peas whatsoever. i'm just completely over bloody peas & all the bloody hassle & then in the end you get hardly any pea for your trouble anyway. as a last resort i am trying dwarf peas so at least there's no hassle with soemthing for them to grow up. sorry, i've interrupted myself with a rant about peas. it's been raining like the bejesus here as well. it won't stop. we don't need any more rain at our house. i'm frantic about the erosion i know is going on about the place & i'm too scared to look. i'm sure all of this is terribly ironic in some way i can't put my finger on exactly. whereabouts are you? (although i think the entire eastern seaboard is awash.) kylie |
Peach drooling
0tterbot wrote:
snip i also have a tree (not a fruit tree) that some ninny planted into a car tyre. now the tyre won't come off & can't be cut either (steel belt). sigh!!! the trunk is as big as the hole in the tyre. we are flummoxed! Ergh!!! Hacksaw? I *so* love your idea with the willows and that was my first thought. However, fancy putting willows cheek-by-jowl with town water and sewage! Brrrrrrr!!! Doesn't bear thinking about! I figured casuarinas would be the nearest native alternative and I do love them too. hm, are willows a problem in that context though? i thought they only give people the shits if they're near a watercourse & bits can break off & go downstream & root everywhere.(?) having said that, i personally think feral willow is 4 million times better than nude eroded banks anyway! but of course, the "native alternative" is going to sit better with everyone. As I understand it, willow roots will wrap round your pipes and squeeze them. Or, they'll infiltrate them and clog them up. Dunno if that's an old wives' tale, but the local people are very anti-willow! I know you're not allowed to plant one in our council district. I love willow too, but I think it deters other native flora and absolutely takes over riverbanks to the extent that nothing else will grow there. If willow out-competes your normal flora, then it's stuffing up an awful lot of habitat for fauna as well. I've been told the reason for a lot of the parrots we're seeing in towns lately is the lack of native tucker (including casuarinas) to eat farther inland. While it's awful in terms of The Drought, I can't say I mind having the parrots to gawp at! In my childhood, you threw a party if you saw a galah on its own. Now, we have flocks of galahs and SC cockies and corellas, oh and even lorikeets of several varieties. AND, I, myself, personally have seen a flock of Yellow-tailed Black cockies flying over my very house!!! Never in a million years would I have thought I'd see that! -- Trish {|:-} Newcastle, NSW, Australia |
Peach drooling
"0tterbot" wrote in message ... It's raining again today. This summer we have had: Nov 194 Dec 117 Jan 144 Feb 73 That's La Nina for you. I just need a magic bullet for powdery mildew and sooty mould. And the car has algae. Really. well, i can't comment on your car (do you need to borrow some sea creatures?) but i finally got round to trying the milk solution for powdery mildew on the curcurbits. omg, it seems to have worked!! (i can't believe it could be that easy). however, it's not made a dent on the powdery peas whatsoever. i'm just completely over bloody peas & all the bloody hassle & then in the end you get hardly any pea for your trouble anyway. as a last resort i am trying dwarf peas so at least there's no hassle with soemthing for them to grow up. sorry, i've interrupted myself with a rant about peas. Peas are a hassle for what you get. Great big bushes and when you pick and shell them two cups of peas. At least the bushes make good compost be lugumes. I don't grow them in summer, I will plant mine in a week or two. it's been raining like the bejesus here as well. it won't stop. we don't need any more rain at our house. i'm frantic about the erosion i know is going on about the place & i'm too scared to look. The only erosion problem I have is the banks of one of the little creeks, I cannot get anything to grow there to stablise it. I need some earthwork done to flatten down high banks so stuff will grow all over not just on top. Too wet for earthworks now. i'm sure all of this is terribly ironic in some way i can't put my finger on exactly. whereabouts are you? (although i think the entire eastern seaboard is awash.) Wards River. David |
Peach drooling
"Terryc" wrote in message
FarmI wrote: "0tterbot" wrote in message news:lJgpj.10637 "Trish Brown" wrote in message i have been a negligent in my sewing activites lately :-( but i still love spotlight! I hate the one that you and I would have access to. There are only about 3 decent staff in the place who know anything about fabric Yep, standard spotlight staff. and I hate most of the fabric they have because the quality is almost universally lousy. SWMBO'd agrees. I went in there to buy some japara that I'd seen a week before and of couse they'd done a rearrangement and I had to go through 5 staff before i found one who even knew what japara was. Real japara? Yes, but the unoiled one whihc one uses for feather pillows/doonas etc. I was gobbsmacked that they actually had something I really wanted. I went home and measured up and then went back. I should have just bought the whole roll when I saw it and been done with it as I could have used it to remake doonas etc till I drop off the twig. |
Peach drooling
"0tterbot" wrote in message
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message "0tterbot" wrote in message news:lJgpj.10637 "Trish Brown" wrote in message i have been a negligent in my sewing activites lately :-( but i still love spotlight! I hate the one that you and I would have access to. There are only about 3 decent staff in the place who know anything about fabric and I hate most of the fabric they have because the quality is almost universally lousy. it's entirely NOT the best one i've been to, that's for sure! however, if _i_ know what i want, i can make it work. the staff are terrible! Yup. I sent He who Thinks He Should be Obeyed in to buy me some cord and plastic rings for a Roman blind I'm making. You should have seen the shit they sent him home with and it won't be of any se at all I went in there to buy some japara that I'd seen a week before and of couse they'd done a rearrangement and I had to go through 5 staff before i found one who even knew what japara was. (i don't know what japara is... ;-) It comes in a number of weights and can be oiled or not. It's a closely woven fabric and you would know oiled Japara as Driz-a-bone. the one I saw was unoiled though and it is used for doona covers and feather cushion covers. that is bad news (about the drainage). whenever i see those diagrams of "how to make drainage trenches" in books, i feel very sad for anyone reading them with a special interest. jackie french (rather typically!!!) breezily writes that one can "plant them on mounds" if drainage is bad. It works for Paul D. who has the mudbrick house and the trout ponds outside his balcony as that is how he plants his trees. undoubtedly, he had the foresight to create miniature tablelands, rather than tiny silly mounds! :-) No -many silly little mounds but they are allowing him to grow his trees OK. |
Peach drooling
"0tterbot" wrote in message
"Trish Brown" wrote in message I've seen fruit trees doing well with tractor-tyre collars. I've always thought that would be a very easy way to raise a bed for a single tree, but sadly I have no tractor tyres! heh. i have some. i also have a tree (not a fruit tree) that some ninny planted into a car tyre. now the tyre won't come off & can't be cut either (steel belt). sigh!!! the trunk is as big as the hole in the tyre. we are flummoxed! Angle grinder and long extension cord or a generator? |
Peach drooling
FarmI wrote:
Yes, but the unoiled one whihc one uses for feather pillows/doonas etc. I was gobbsmacked that they actually had something I really wanted. I went home and measured up and then went back. I should have just bought the whole roll when I saw it and been done with it as I could have used it to remake doonas etc till I drop off the twig. 'Remake doonas'? Did I hear you say 'remake doonas'? This is something I desperately need to do. The stitching of the channels in nearly all my doonas has deteriorated and the feathers want redistributing evenly. Since I don't really need to do a tar-baby impression a this stage of my life (dignified, thank you), I'm a bit chary of emptying out the feathers when I remake. Fear, I have! Got any hints for me? ;-D -- Trish {|:-} Newcastle, NSW, Australia |
Peach drooling
FarmI wrote:
_i_ know what i want, i can make it work. the staff are terrible! I think that's part of the job description at spotlight stores. I get far more help from other women standing in line than I do from the staff. And 'friendly'? Hah! More like 'fiendly'! Have you ever been to a Home Yardage store? They're quite excellent, IMHO. Yup. I sent He who Thinks He Should be Obeyed in to buy me some cord and plastic rings for a Roman blind I'm making. You should have seen the shit they sent him home with and it won't be of any use at all Is that the pre-made Roman blind tape? I've used that and it actually does what it's supposed to! Much easier than making the assembly from scratch (I've done both). Or, just use the pre-made tape across the top and use your rings down the length of the blind? It comes in a number of weights and can be oiled or not. It's a closely woven fabric and you would know oiled Japara as Driz-a-bone. the one I saw was unoiled though and it is used for doona covers and feather cushion covers. Oo! Have you ever seen the oiled stuff for sale? My extra-large-giant-economy-size husband needs a raincoat... -- Trish {|:-} Newcastle, NSW, Australia |
Peach drooling
"David Hare-Scott" wrote in message ... big snip And the car has algae. Really. I have moss growing on my (old: 1985-model) car. On the window rubbers. Any suggestions for removing it that won't take the duco off? Harold David |
Peach drooling
"Harold" Harold.and.a.bit.more@clotmail wrote in message ... "David Hare-Scott" wrote in message ... big snip And the car has algae. Really. I have moss growing on my (old: 1985-model) car. On the window rubbers. Any suggestions for removing it that won't take the duco off? Harold David eucalyptus oil |
Peach drooling
"Harold" Harold.and.a.bit.more@clotmail wrote in message ... "David Hare-Scott" wrote in message ... big snip And the car has algae. Really. I have moss growing on my (old: 1985-model) car. On the window rubbers. Any suggestions for removing it that won't take the duco off? Harold Bleach, detergent and hot water, and a bristle brush, hose clean. David |
Peach drooling
"Trish Brown" wrote in message
FarmI wrote: Yes, but the unoiled one whihc one uses for feather pillows/doonas etc. I was gobbsmacked that they actually had something I really wanted. I went home and measured up and then went back. I should have just bought the whole roll when I saw it and been done with it as I could have used it to remake doonas etc till I drop off the twig. 'Remake doonas'? Did I hear you say 'remake doonas'? This is something I desperately need to do. The stitching of the channels in nearly all my doonas has deteriorated and the feathers want redistributing evenly. Since I don't really need to do a tar-baby impression a this stage of my life (dignified, thank you), I'm a bit chary of emptying out the feathers when I remake. Fear, I have! Got any hints for me? ;-D The easiest way would be to take them to one of the businesses which remake them but given that you live in such a warm climate they might be a bit rarer than they are round here (which is a cold climate area). I have a huge sun room attached to my house and this has the requirements for doing doonas/cushions ie can be closed completely so no draughts, has hard surfaces so can be defeathered easily if there are any flying feathers. The other thing I would mention is a spray bottle so that you can mist recalcitrant feathers and stuff them slightly damp into whatever you're stuffing. I wash all my feather doonas in the bathtub as I don't think dry cleaning actually "cleans" anything and I do this is hot, high summer so don't be wary of wetting the feathers. I line dry them over 2 or more wires till I can't feel any wet spots but if I roll the feathers around in the doona, it will produce damp spots. I then stuff them in my clothes dryer with half a dozen tennis balls (this makes a shocking noise but redistributes and fluffs the feathers up) and I stay near it as the dryer is so stuffed when I put in my big deep winter queen doona that it really is a fire hazard. I give it 5-10 minute bursts (and I have a cooking timer which has a clip on it and I attach this to myself so that when it goes off I can't forget what I'm up to) and then pull it out, turn it a bit and rest it and then stuff it in again for another 5-10 mins. You can pull out handfuls of feathers and restuff them into the new case then use a vaccum cleaner with a disposible bag to get out the feathers/down that gets stuck in corners etc. Put the bag into the new casing and rip it open inside the new casing. Use pegs or bulldog clips and fold off the end of each channel as you complete it. Handd tack it before you drag it to the sewing machine. Use flat felled or other forms of doubled seams. If you don't have a room like my sun room, then do it outside ona totally still day and do it slowly, deliberartely and cautiously, then clean up :-)). |
Peach drooling
"Trish Brown" wrote in message
... FarmI wrote: _i_ know what i want, i can make it work. the staff are terrible! I think that's part of the job description at spotlight stores. I get far more help from other women standing in line than I do from the staff. And 'friendly'? Hah! More like 'fiendly'! Have you ever been to a Home Yardage store? They're quite excellent, IMHO. I din't write that comment it was Otterbot but I agree completely. Yes, I used to love Home Yardage, but the only one in this area closed years ago. Yup. I sent He who Thinks He Should be Obeyed in to buy me some cord and plastic rings for a Roman blind I'm making. You should have seen the shit they sent him home with and it won't be of any use at all Is that the pre-made Roman blind tape? I've used that and it actually does what it's supposed to! Much easier than making the assembly from scratch (I've done both). Or, just use the pre-made tape across the top and use your rings down the length of the blind? No it was the rings (too big not the nice little ones) and the tape (not the fine sort but big thick stuff). Absolutely clueless staff who must have not read any of Spotlights own publications which they sell to customers who make Roman blinds. It comes in a number of weights and can be oiled or not. It's a closely woven fabric and you would know oiled Japara as Driz-a-bone. the one I saw was unoiled though and it is used for doona covers and feather cushion covers. Oo! Have you ever seen the oiled stuff for sale? My extra-large-giant-economy-size husband needs a raincoat... No, but there was a company who used to sell it - the Victorian high country IIRC. I'll see if I can find the details, but you should see my sewing room! Oh well, it needs a good cleaning up. |
Peach drooling
FarmI wrote:
"Trish Brown" wrote in message FarmI wrote: Yes, but the unoiled one whihc one uses for feather pillows/doonas etc. I was gobbsmacked that they actually had something I really wanted. I went home and measured up and then went back. I should have just bought the whole roll when I saw it and been done with it as I could have used it to remake doonas etc till I drop off the twig. 'Remake doonas'? Did I hear you say 'remake doonas'? This is something I desperately need to do. The stitching of the channels in nearly all my doonas has deteriorated and the feathers want redistributing evenly. Since I don't really need to do a tar-baby impression a this stage of my life (dignified, thank you), I'm a bit chary of emptying out the feathers when I remake. Fear, I have! Got any hints for me? ;-D The easiest way would be to take them to one of the businesses which remake them but given that you live in such a warm climate they might be a bit rarer than they are round here (which is a cold climate area). I have a huge sun room attached to my house and this has the requirements for doing doonas/cushions ie can be closed completely so no draughts, has hard surfaces so can be defeathered easily if there are any flying feathers. The other thing I would mention is a spray bottle so that you can mist recalcitrant feathers and stuff them slightly damp into whatever you're stuffing. I wash all my feather doonas in the bathtub as I don't think dry cleaning actually "cleans" anything and I do this is hot, high summer so don't be wary of wetting the feathers. I line dry them over 2 or more wires till I can't feel any wet spots but if I roll the feathers around in the doona, it will produce damp spots. I then stuff them in my clothes dryer with half a dozen tennis balls (this makes a shocking noise but redistributes and fluffs the feathers up) and I stay near it as the dryer is so stuffed when I put in my big deep winter queen doona that it really is a fire hazard. I give it 5-10 minute bursts (and I have a cooking timer which has a clip on it and I attach this to myself so that when it goes off I can't forget what I'm up to) and then pull it out, turn it a bit and rest it and then stuff it in again for another 5-10 mins. You can pull out handfuls of feathers and restuff them into the new case then use a vaccum cleaner with a disposible bag to get out the feathers/down that gets stuck in corners etc. Put the bag into the new casing and rip it open inside the new casing. Use pegs or bulldog clips and fold off the end of each channel as you complete it. Handd tack it before you drag it to the sewing machine. Use flat felled or other forms of doubled seams. If you don't have a room like my sun room, then do it outside ona totally still day and do it slowly, deliberartely and cautiously, then clean up :-)). Gee, thanks for that Farm1. Lots of great tips and I did love the 'then clean up' at the end! LOL! -- Trish {|:-} Newcastle, NSW, Australia |
Peach drooling
"Trish Brown" wrote in message
FarmI wrote: (snip) If you don't have a room like my sun room, then do it outside ona totally still day and do it slowly, deliberartely and cautiously, then clean up :-)). Gee, thanks for that Farm1. Lots of great tips and I did love the 'then clean up' at the end! LOL! Indeed. But housewifes actually did manage to stuff pillows and eiderdowns etc, in the past so we must be able to do it today. :-)) A Dyson Vacuum cleaner would be a good machine to have to do this, but I don't have one of them. |
Peach drooling
FarmI wrote:
Indeed. But housewifes actually did manage to stuff pillows and eiderdowns etc, in the past so we must be able to do it today. :-)) A Dyson Vacuum cleaner would be a good machine to have to do this, but I don't have one of them. LOL! Yeah, but they were superpersons! I wouldn't mind one of those Dyson jobbies either, but I think I'd have to sell me firstborn to afford one. I need the firstborn more, I think. ;- -- Trish {|:-} Newcastle, NSW, Australia |
Peach drooling
In article ,
"0tterbot" wrote: well, i can't comment on your car (do you need to borrow some sea creatures?) but i finally got round to trying the milk solution for powdery mildew on the curcurbits. omg, it seems to have worked!! (i can't believe it could be that easy). however, it's not made a dent on the powdery peas whatsoever. i'm just completely over bloody peas & all the bloody hassle & then in the end you get hardly any pea for your trouble anyway. as a last resort i am trying dwarf peas so at least there's no hassle with soemthing for them to grow up. sorry, i've interrupted myself with a rant about peas. It's bit early for peas (here, at least). I've just planted a dwarf variety but am not sure if they will come up, as it's been so wet. -- Chookie -- Sydney, Australia (Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply) http://chookiesbackyard.blogspot.com/ |
Peach drooling
In article ,
Trish Brown wrote: 'Remake doonas'? Did I hear you say 'remake doonas'? This is something I desperately need to do. The stitching of the channels in nearly all my doonas has deteriorated and the feathers want redistributing evenly. Since I don't really need to do a tar-baby impression a this stage of my life (dignified, thank you), I'm a bit chary of emptying out the feathers when I remake. Fear, I have! Got any hints for me? ;-D the only sensible ones I haave heard were in an LM Montgomery book. Anne is refilling a feather-bed and it was done on a still day in a quiet place wearing old clothes and with her hair covered. -- Chookie -- Sydney, Australia (Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply) http://chookiesbackyard.blogspot.com/ |
Peach drooling
"Chookie" wrote in message
news:ehrebeniuk-9AEEF3.12594210022008@news... In article , "0tterbot" wrote: well, i can't comment on your car (do you need to borrow some sea creatures?) but i finally got round to trying the milk solution for powdery mildew on the curcurbits. omg, it seems to have worked!! (i can't believe it could be that easy). however, it's not made a dent on the powdery peas whatsoever. i'm just completely over bloody peas & all the bloody hassle & then in the end you get hardly any pea for your trouble anyway. as a last resort i am trying dwarf peas so at least there's no hassle with soemthing for them to grow up. sorry, i've interrupted myself with a rant about peas. It's bit early for peas (here, at least). I've just planted a dwarf variety so did i, so enraged am i about the whole pea issue! (my thinking is that with dwarfs, one irritating element of the whole issue is nonexistent). previously i had been putting in greenfeast, which are ok for summer (they certainly were for me, anyway, except for the "too much trouble for too few peas" issue). but am not sure if they will come up, as it's been so wet. yes, exactly. i couldn't get sugar snaps coming up during the hot weather, but that seems to have passed now ::-) i don't find sugar snaps to be troublesome though - either they come up or they don't, either way it's no trouble. kylie -- Chookie -- Sydney, Australia (Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply) http://chookiesbackyard.blogspot.com/ |
Peach drooling
"David Hare-Scott" wrote in message
... The only erosion problem I have is the banks of one of the little creeks, I cannot get anything to grow there to stablise it. I need some earthwork done to flatten down high banks so stuff will grow all over not just on top. Too wet for earthworks now. our worst erosion gully is just shocking, & when we came here it wasn't even on our property - but it's travelled, so now it is. being in a difficult location, we haven't decided exactly what to do. it needs to be filled though - it's not a creek (or at any rate, it _wasn't_ ;-) we did a bit of discreet trespassing to look at the worst of it. omg..! the other, we are filling up with branches, newspaper, etc etc. mainly we just don't want the problem to become worse anywhere else. i'm sure all of this is terribly ironic in some way i can't put my finger on exactly. whereabouts are you? (although i think the entire eastern seaboard is awash.) Wards River. never heard of it! :-) kylie |
Peach drooling
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message
... Yup. I sent He who Thinks He Should be Obeyed in to buy me some cord and plastic rings for a Roman blind I'm making. You should have seen the shit they sent him home with and it won't be of any se at all (i'd probably have been suspicious of that happening, & gone myself!) I went in there to buy some japara that I'd seen a week before and of couse they'd done a rearrangement and I had to go through 5 staff before i found one who even knew what japara was. (i don't know what japara is... ;-) It comes in a number of weights and can be oiled or not. It's a closely woven fabric and you would know oiled Japara as Driz-a-bone. the one I saw was unoiled though and it is used for doona covers and feather cushion covers. learn something new every day! It works for Paul D. who has the mudbrick house and the trout ponds outside his balcony as that is how he plants his trees. undoubtedly, he had the foresight to create miniature tablelands, rather than tiny silly mounds! :-) No -many silly little mounds but they are allowing him to grow his trees OK. give me a few years & i might withdraw the silly mounds opinion. not yet though!!!! of course, i came across our mounds when it was as dry as anything & because of them couldn't seem to get any water going onto the actual trees. now it's wet, things are different. argh! kylie |
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