On Sat, 12 Jul 2008 20:30:48 +1000, SG1 wrote:

Harvested my first cut of silverbeet from Bunnings. Grown in lovely black
clay (Darling Downs) with blood & bone, chook excreta & trace elements. Will
be adding the sheep droppings in spring to other areas to aid bulking up.

Make sure you let thefaster growing plants go to see and harvest the seed
heads. Then you just ned to spread the seed next year.

"terryc" wrote in message
news
On Sat, 12 Jul 2008 20:30:48 +1000, SG1 wrote:

Harvested my first cut of silverbeet from Bunnings. Grown in lovely black
clay (Darling Downs) with blood & bone, chook excreta & trace elements.
Will
be adding the sheep droppings in spring to other areas to aid bulking up.

Make sure you let thefaster growing plants go to see and harvest the seed
heads. Then you just ned to spread the seed next year.

At the moment nothing is growing fast, too damn cool. Used seedlings to
actually get a garden as we only moved in during April. Have 1/2 fenced off
from the ferals (heeler & heinz). Will be using the rest when & if it warms
up. We have about 15m x 2m that is usable at moment but it does have a great
big gum near one end.




-- Posted on news://freenews.netfront.net - Complaints to --

"Trish Brown" wrote in message
node...
0tterbot wrote:
"Trish Brown" wrote in message
node...
Just
as an example: a garden fork costing $39 at Bunnings was $72 at the
nursery! Same brand, same size, same everything. Vastly different price!

that really only means the fork is worth $72 but you got it cheaper. by
this point everyone knows that bunnings (and so forth) do that. bringing
down the public's expectations of what things are actually "worth" is
part of the problem.

if i want cheap tools, i buy second-hand anyway. my forks were a few
dollars each :-) (probably that's all they're "worth", too g)
kylie
ROTFLMAO! Let me tell you, I had no problem at all paying $39 instead of
$72!

Yes, I understand the supermarket mentality as well as anyone, however I'm
not silly enough to stand on ceremony and fork out (Hee! I did a pun!)
almost double the amount of money for an item.

It has been my experience that things are 'worth' what the market will
bear.

no. that's just one way (of several) of setting a sale price; generally used
in conjunction with other factors. it's no reflection of "worth". bunnings
advertising insinuates they're actually performing some sort of public
service.

For example, I started working in the computer industry 'way back
when it was a pretty rarified atmosphere and needed consultants such as my
good self to ease people into their first computer purchase. We used to
make 32% in retail sales. When I left the industry in the mid-1990s, all
we could make was a bare 8% and struggled to earn extra with value-added
services. Today, I shudder to think what small businesses make compared to
the huge buying power of the chain stores. But we, the consumer, want
cheaper prices and ease of access and one-stop shopping.

well i'm a citizen & human being, not a "consumer", so apparently i don't
:-)

We certainly do get what we pay for, I find.

yes and no. further to my second-hand fork experience, i have two
second-hand ones (several dollars each) and a new one dh bought. the first
thing i did to my new fork was bent one of the tines on a hidden rock. i
suppose now it's only worth as much as its two fellow forks, isn't it?
seeing as i have no preference for any of them over the others, they are all
"worth" the same anyway, notwithstanding bent tines or not. in 5 years'
time, i'll have used the old ones as much as the newer one with the same
result (forked ground, one hopes, not bent tines!), therefore there can be
no drop in "worth" in any of them unless they become unusable.

so i would say, if you don't think a fork is "worth" wholesale cost plus
ordinary retail markup (i.e. $72), by all means don't pay it - get a second
hand one for $5. that's more clever than giving $39 to a company whose
policy is to drive out all competition (up to and including coffee & cakes,
for heaven's sake), thus enabling themselves to sell $39 forks to people who
are currently unemployed because their workplace folded under the pressure
of bunnings existence. :-)
kylie

0tterbot wrote:
"Trish Brown" wrote in message
node...
0tterbot wrote:
"Trish Brown" wrote in message
node...
Just
as an example: a garden fork costing $39 at Bunnings was $72 at the
nursery! Same brand, same size, same everything. Vastly different price!
that really only means the fork is worth $72 but you got it cheaper. by
this point everyone knows that bunnings (and so forth) do that. bringing
down the public's expectations of what things are actually "worth" is
part of the problem.

if i want cheap tools, i buy second-hand anyway. my forks were a few
dollars each :-) (probably that's all they're "worth", too g)
kylie
ROTFLMAO! Let me tell you, I had no problem at all paying $39 instead of
$72!

Yes, I understand the supermarket mentality as well as anyone, however I'm
not silly enough to stand on ceremony and fork out (Hee! I did a pun!)
almost double the amount of money for an item.

It has been my experience that things are 'worth' what the market will
bear.

no. that's just one way (of several) of setting a sale price; generally used
in conjunction with other factors. it's no reflection of "worth". bunnings
advertising insinuates they're actually performing some sort of public
service.

For example, I started working in the computer industry 'way back
when it was a pretty rarified atmosphere and needed consultants such as my
good self to ease people into their first computer purchase. We used to
make 32% in retail sales. When I left the industry in the mid-1990s, all
we could make was a bare 8% and struggled to earn extra with value-added
services. Today, I shudder to think what small businesses make compared to
the huge buying power of the chain stores. But we, the consumer, want
cheaper prices and ease of access and one-stop shopping.

well i'm a citizen & human being, not a "consumer", so apparently i don't
:-)

We certainly do get what we pay for, I find.

yes and no. further to my second-hand fork experience, i have two
second-hand ones (several dollars each) and a new one dh bought. the first
thing i did to my new fork was bent one of the tines on a hidden rock. i
suppose now it's only worth as much as its two fellow forks, isn't it?
seeing as i have no preference for any of them over the others, they are all
"worth" the same anyway, notwithstanding bent tines or not. in 5 years'
time, i'll have used the old ones as much as the newer one with the same
result (forked ground, one hopes, not bent tines!), therefore there can be
no drop in "worth" in any of them unless they become unusable.

so i would say, if you don't think a fork is "worth" wholesale cost plus
ordinary retail markup (i.e. $72), by all means don't pay it - get a second
hand one for $5. that's more clever than giving $39 to a company whose
policy is to drive out all competition (up to and including coffee & cakes,
for heaven's sake), thus enabling themselves to sell $39 forks to people who
are currently unemployed because their workplace folded under the pressure
of bunnings existence. :-)
kylie



Geez, Otterbot, did you have a punnet of Bunnings seedlings die on you
or something? You sure don't like 'em! ;-D

By all means, go ahead and choke Bunnings out of the marketplace by
purchasing your forks for $5! Until you succeed, however, I'll be a
happy customer and purchase mine for $39. The one I've got seems to be
quite stout and it'll be a while till I need to replace it.

Just for my info, where *does* one get a good second-hand garden fork?
I've never seen one! The only ones I've seen second-hand have had bent
tines or needed their handles replacing (these can be had from Bunnings
for a few dollars...)

I don't quite get your point in this discussion. You seem to be offended
by my shopping at a chain store. If I'm satisfied by my purchases, then
- erm - what are you trying to get across?

--
Trish {|:-} Newcastle, NSW, Australia

On Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:03:27 +1000 Trish Brown
wrote:

Geez, Otterbot, did you have a punnet of Bunnings seedlings die on
you or something? You sure don't like 'em! ;-D

Back on Topic! ;-)

My poppies have flowered!

At least one, anyway.

Beautiful deep rich red.

I think all they needed was a good drink.

Which reminds me - I am getting a hard earned thirst!

"Trish Brown" wrote in message
...
Geez, Otterbot, did you have a punnet of Bunnings seedlings die on you or
something? You sure don't like 'em! ;-D

ha! that must have sounded rantier than i intended, because i do go into
bunnings from time to time!

but having said that, no, i don't like them, & you'll find many people
don't, so i'm not some sort of freak or anything g. if they stuck to
selling hardware & tools & big garden things, and without a neurotic
commitment to "underselling" everything on earth to rout their less-funded
competition & persuade people who aren't very bright into leaving with bags
of stuff they never even wanted, i wouldn't have a problem (in fact, i still
recall my first trip to the first big hardware i ever went into - which was
home hardware btw - what a wonderland! i had to be dragged out bodily!!) but
i dislike any organisation which is only all about product creep (WHY
exactly do they have coffee shops, craft aisles and so forth?), flogging
crap you didn't come for (bunnings are big indulgers in "would you like
fries with that?", and, as alluded to, people who become unemployed because
they lost their business to undercutters have only the satisfaction of
buying garden forks for less-than-wholesale at bunnings to ease their pain.

By all means, go ahead and choke Bunnings out of the marketplace by
purchasing your forks for $5! Until you succeed, however, I'll be a happy
customer and purchase mine for $39. The one I've got seems to be quite
stout and it'll be a while till I need to replace it.

Just for my info, where *does* one get a good second-hand garden fork?
I've never seen one! The only ones I've seen second-hand have had bent
tines or needed their handles replacing (these can be had from Bunnings
for a few dollars...)

many places. most people probably start out in the second-hand-way-of-life
g via garage sales, land clearance sales, trash & treasure markets, op
shops, finding stuff on the street (still my favourite method, i must
admit - the price is absolutely right ;-) but once you start looking you
discover the second-hand builders' supplies yards & warehouses and general
household warehouses. we get this sort of thing in canberra so i can't
comment about newcastle, however since canberra has at least 3 huge general
household/building ones, at least two for building supplies only, etc etc,
you must have something there & if you find a good one you won't be sorry.
we know many people now who will offer us stuff, (which is probably taking
the whole thing a bit far - sometimes i wonder if i am perceived as a
second-hand industry all on my own!!!) there is the trading post, local
newspapers, and these days things like freecycle and e-bay. an increasing
number of municipal tips will either allow you a discreet bit of foraging or
(more commonly now) they sell all the good stuff seperately nearby -
sometimes only the really good things, antiques & whatnot, but oftimes
anything that's perfectly good but was taken to the tip by someone lacking
care & imagination. there is a whole massive second-hand economy that you
just tap into & it's all there somewhere.

I don't quite get your point in this discussion. You seem to be offended
by my shopping at a chain store. If I'm satisfied by my purchases, then -
erm - what are you trying to get across?

well, as i said - that implication that bunnings is performing some sort of
public service more holy than st vincent's, and that every other outlet is,
by implication, robbing innocent customers and rubbing their hands with glee
whilst at it. it simply is not this way at all.

first world people (or "consumers" as you called us) have a MASSIVE
multi-faceted and increasing problem that stems from overconsumption.
bunnings (amonst others, obviously!) actively participates in and
facilitates peoples' overconsumption in a particular way, and that is
ethically wrong. so i said so.

really, it's 2008 & this is all a common public debate now. i'm kind of
surprised you are even asking me. the same ethical questions lurk around
woolies, coles, mcdonalds, and so forth. it's not a question of "chain
stores" - i'm on the record as loving spotlight, for example. but i think
one thing (of many) that home gardening (esp food) does for you is to throw
a light on ethical production and gets a person thinking about wider related
issues. it's related to, for example (back on-topic) "ownership" of f1
hybrid seeds or g.m. terminator technology, and so forth; and how some
people allow themselves to become disempowered to the point where
corporations & the state literally run their lives for them. it's a very big
topic & this post is long enough as it is!!! (sorry about that). i didn't
mean to appear to be having a go, what i was doing is asking the question.
you have to answer the question for yourself like everyone does. (now that
the question is hopefully clearer! :-)

i'm glad you're enjoying starting up your veggie garden which i think is
marvellous - like i said i'd be surprised if it does not lead to bigger and
better things & a slightly different way of thinking - it does in most
people. veggie gardening has the power to change everyone's life for the
better. (really!!)
kylie

0tterbot wrote:
"Trish Brown" wrote in message
...
Geez, Otterbot, did you have a punnet of Bunnings seedlings die on you or
something? You sure don't like 'em! ;-D

ha! that must have sounded rantier than i intended, because i do go into
bunnings from time to time!

but having said that, no, i don't like them, & you'll find many people
don't, so i'm not some sort of freak or anything g. if they stuck to
selling hardware & tools & big garden things, and without a neurotic
commitment to "underselling" everything on earth to rout their less-funded
competition & persuade people who aren't very bright into leaving with bags
of stuff they never even wanted, i wouldn't have a problem (in fact, i still
recall my first trip to the first big hardware i ever went into - which was
home hardware btw - what a wonderland! i had to be dragged out bodily!!) but
i dislike any organisation which is only all about product creep (WHY
exactly do they have coffee shops, craft aisles and so forth?), flogging
crap you didn't come for (bunnings are big indulgers in "would you like
fries with that?", and, as alluded to, people who become unemployed because
they lost their business to undercutters have only the satisfaction of
buying garden forks for less-than-wholesale at bunnings to ease their pain.

By all means, go ahead and choke Bunnings out of the marketplace by
purchasing your forks for $5! Until you succeed, however, I'll be a happy
customer and purchase mine for $39. The one I've got seems to be quite
stout and it'll be a while till I need to replace it.

Just for my info, where *does* one get a good second-hand garden fork?
I've never seen one! The only ones I've seen second-hand have had bent
tines or needed their handles replacing (these can be had from Bunnings
for a few dollars...)

many places. most people probably start out in the second-hand-way-of-life
g via garage sales, land clearance sales, trash & treasure markets, op
shops, finding stuff on the street (still my favourite method, i must
admit - the price is absolutely right ;-) but once you start looking you
discover the second-hand builders' supplies yards & warehouses and general
household warehouses. we get this sort of thing in canberra so i can't
comment about newcastle, however since canberra has at least 3 huge general
household/building ones, at least two for building supplies only, etc etc,
you must have something there & if you find a good one you won't be sorry.
we know many people now who will offer us stuff, (which is probably taking
the whole thing a bit far - sometimes i wonder if i am perceived as a
second-hand industry all on my own!!!) there is the trading post, local
newspapers, and these days things like freecycle and e-bay. an increasing
number of municipal tips will either allow you a discreet bit of foraging or
(more commonly now) they sell all the good stuff seperately nearby -
sometimes only the really good things, antiques & whatnot, but oftimes
anything that's perfectly good but was taken to the tip by someone lacking
care & imagination. there is a whole massive second-hand economy that you
just tap into & it's all there somewhere.

I don't quite get your point in this discussion. You seem to be offended
by my shopping at a chain store. If I'm satisfied by my purchases, then -
erm - what are you trying to get across?

well, as i said - that implication that bunnings is performing some sort of
public service more holy than st vincent's, and that every other outlet is,
by implication, robbing innocent customers and rubbing their hands with glee
whilst at it. it simply is not this way at all.

first world people (or "consumers" as you called us) have a MASSIVE
multi-faceted and increasing problem that stems from overconsumption.
bunnings (amonst others, obviously!) actively participates in and
facilitates peoples' overconsumption in a particular way, and that is
ethically wrong. so i said so.

really, it's 2008 & this is all a common public debate now. i'm kind of
surprised you are even asking me. the same ethical questions lurk around
woolies, coles, mcdonalds, and so forth. it's not a question of "chain
stores" - i'm on the record as loving spotlight, for example. but i think
one thing (of many) that home gardening (esp food) does for you is to throw
a light on ethical production and gets a person thinking about wider related
issues. it's related to, for example (back on-topic) "ownership" of f1
hybrid seeds or g.m. terminator technology, and so forth; and how some
people allow themselves to become disempowered to the point where
corporations & the state literally run their lives for them. it's a very big
topic & this post is long enough as it is!!! (sorry about that). i didn't
mean to appear to be having a go, what i was doing is asking the question.
you have to answer the question for yourself like everyone does. (now that
the question is hopefully clearer! :-)

i'm glad you're enjoying starting up your veggie garden which i think is
marvellous - like i said i'd be surprised if it does not lead to bigger and
better things & a slightly different way of thinking - it does in most
people. veggie gardening has the power to change everyone's life for the
better. (really!!)
kylie


A hearty ROTFLMAO from me, Otterbot! I hope you won't be offended if I
say you're preaching to the converted? I was converted about thirty
years ago when I studied Landscape/Amtosphere systems and learned about
energy transfer. Like you, I tend to get pretty ranty about it and like
you I am the Queen of the Second-Hand Shops and Council Pickup Day.
Sadly, I have never ever seen a decent garden fork for sale in such a
place, but there's always a first time. You'll hear me cheering when I
find one!

Yes, I do take your point about Bunnings, but (and I say this in all
sincerity) they are just small fry compared to the biggies like Coles
Myers and Woolworths. I mean, people only spend a percentage of their
incomes at places like Bunnings or Home Hardware or even Spotlight, but
everyone has to eat and everyone, like it or not, has to spend their
grocery dollar at supermarkets because that's all there is.

Now, before you start telling me about local growers' markets and
independent butchers etc: I KNOW. I also know about excessive
consumerism and overservicing and energy wastage. I have extremely
strong feelings about the *******isation of our economy by petro-dollars
and competition from US growers who've been heavily subsidised by a
powerful government.

Those opinions don't belong here, though.

Someone complained about Bunnings and I simply replied that I was
satisfied with my purchases and their service. I dunno about your local
Bunnings, but ours is just a big hardware warehouse with a nursery
section. I don't know what you mean about craft aisles and coffee shops.
Again, if you want to complain about overservicing and undercutting,
then look at the supermarkets before you have a shot at Bunnings!

Don't get me wrong. I'm not defending the overconsumption/overmarketing
stance, just saying that Bunnings is simply filling a niche in the
marketplace (like everybody) and that it's much 'cleaner' than the
supermarkets to whom we look for our daily bread (which is white and
overprocessed and square usually far too sweet - because the supermarket
Said So).

Getting back toward the topic, though, can you tell me when it's time to
plant celery? I made a massive batch of celery soup last week and I'm
thinking I can't wait until I can make it from my own home-grown celery!

--
Trish {|:-} Newcastle, NSW, Australia

"Trish Brown" wrote in message
...

A hearty ROTFLMAO from me, Otterbot! I hope you won't be offended if I say
you're preaching to the converted? I was converted about thirty years ago
when I studied Landscape/Amtosphere systems and learned about energy
transfer. Like you, I tend to get pretty ranty about it and like you I am
the Queen of the Second-Hand Shops and Council Pickup Day. Sadly, I have
never ever seen a decent garden fork for sale in such a place, but there's
always a first time. You'll hear me cheering when I find one!

:-) well, keep your ear to the ground concerning advances in 2nd-hand
supplies in your area & you'll be set!

Yes, I do take your point about Bunnings, but (and I say this in all
sincerity) they are just small fry compared to the biggies like Coles
Myers and Woolworths. I mean, people only spend a percentage of their
incomes at places like Bunnings or Home Hardware or even Spotlight, but
everyone has to eat and everyone, like it or not, has to spend their
grocery dollar at supermarkets because that's all there is.

well, not really - only if you live somewhere really useless... but that
might be a discussion for another day. bunnings does actually use the exact
methodology that supermarkets use, though - have you noticed that?

I dunno about your local
Bunnings, but ours is just a big hardware warehouse with a nursery
section. I don't know what you mean about craft aisles and coffee shops.

christ, you're lucky. pray the store doesn't get an "upgrade". the one i
(unfortunately) go into from time to time even has a playground. they're
trying to turn it into a stand-alone suburb!!!

the
supermarkets to whom we look for our daily bread (which is white and
overprocessed and square usually far too sweet - because the supermarket
Said So).

not to be defending woollies - but i've not been in a supermarket for a long
time which doesn't sell some sort of decent bread! of course, we get ours
from the local baker runs away tittering ;-)

Getting back toward the topic, though, can you tell me when it's time to
plant celery? I made a massive batch of celery soup last week and I'm
thinking I can't wait until I can make it from my own home-grown celery!

now here is a timely question! the short answer is: spring or autumn into
punnets, plant out when big enough.

longer answer: my celery's been dreary for 2 years running - winter celery
because it's meant to be frost-hardy. but dammit, i am having to accept it's
not. i have seed "stringless" from digger's. the weird stalks just MUST be
frost-damaged because i did everything else right, it's time i accepted it
:-) other cultivars may well be hardier.

consulting my planting chart, the answer is aug-dec for my area (cold) with
the band moving forward a few months each for "warm" and "hot" (jan-june)
zones. not sure if newcastle is warm or hot via digger's method. so i'm
going to plant some punnets in august or september & see how that goes
instead - you might want to wait until mid-spring in your area, and maybe
another lot in summer to be ready for late autumn/winter if you are feeling
adventurous (you can only learn by trying). if it's not too hot (they love
water & will go all funny texture-wise without enough of it; also dryness
will make them bolt) and there's no frost either, you should be set - they
grow regardless of cold, unlike some things. also, avoid wallabies g -
when i was plagued with them, i found the plants found it very hard to
recover from having their growing points eaten out - everything survived,
but it's all growing flat :-)

what about celeriac too? planting etc is exactly the same apparently, i've
never tried it though. as my gardening gets more adventurous so does my
eating, but apparently i need to do it in that exact order. g
kylie

0tterbot wrote:

snip

consulting my planting chart, the answer is aug-dec for my area (cold) with
the band moving forward a few months each for "warm" and "hot" (jan-june)
zones. not sure if newcastle is warm or hot via digger's method. so i'm
going to plant some punnets in august or september & see how that goes
instead - you might want to wait until mid-spring in your area, and maybe
another lot in summer to be ready for late autumn/winter if you are feeling
adventurous (you can only learn by trying). if it's not too hot (they love
water & will go all funny texture-wise without enough of it; also dryness
will make them bolt) and there's no frost either, you should be set - they
grow regardless of cold, unlike some things. also, avoid wallabies g -
when i was plagued with them, i found the plants found it very hard to
recover from having their growing points eaten out - everything survived,
but it's all growing flat :-)

what about celeriac too? planting etc is exactly the same apparently, i've
never tried it though. as my gardening gets more adventurous so does my
eating, but apparently i need to do it in that exact order. g
kylie



Thanks for that! Yeah, I'd like to try celeriac too! I've seen seeds
advertised on ebay, but I'm a bit leery of starting things from seed
just yet. I've never had any success at it and so I'm intending to do
seedlings until I get my eye in. For now, my rainbow silverbeet is
hurtling along and soon I'll be able to make a Spinach and Feta Pie from
it! Hooray!!! ;-D

We don't get wallabies, thankfully, but our dog is a bull terrier (get
that? 'Terrier'?) She likes to dig wherever she finds freshly turned
earth and has already had a shot at the potting mix in my styrofoam
tubs. Blasted dog! I've been squirting her with a spray bottle (set on
'jet') every time she does it and she's finally starting to leave off.
She is a strange dog and really enjoys eating things like tomatoes and
capsicums. I'll have to be vigilant once my garden really takes off!

--
Trish {|:-} Newcastle, NSW, Australia

"0tterbot" wrote in message

an increasing
number of municipal tips will either allow you a discreet bit of foraging
or (more commonly now) they sell all the good stuff seperately nearby -

Our local tip has lots of signs saying "No Scavenging" but we still do it as
do lots of others. And, if you can't find what you want, you put in an
order with the tip attendant and he usually produces it next time you go
there.

My husband gave his bike pump away to some dopy Dutch tourist who had a flat
at our front gate (miles from the nearest garage and with no puch bike pump
on her bike). It took 2 weeks for the tip attendant to produce a pump, just
after my husband had bought a new one.

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

an increasing
number of municipal tips will either allow you a discreet bit of foraging
or (more commonly now) they sell all the good stuff seperately nearby -

Our local tip has lots of signs saying "No Scavenging" but we still do it
as do lots of others.

(ahem) me too.
apparently the signs are for legal reasons - once you've read that you're
not allowed to forage, then you can go ahead & do so when nobody's looking
g

And, if you can't find what you want, you put in an
order with the tip attendant and he usually produces it next time you go
there.

it's quite a service!
i rather thought the tip should combine with that "men & sheds" thing
someone is trying to get up - one of their projects could be
restoring/making things out of all the good stuff!
kylie



My husband gave his bike pump away to some dopy Dutch tourist who had a
flat at our front gate (miles from the nearest garage and with no puch
bike pump on her bike). It took 2 weeks for the tip attendant to produce
a pump, just after my husband had bought a new one.

"Trish Brown" wrote in message
...
0tterbot wrote:

snip

consulting my planting chart, the answer is aug-dec for my area (cold)
with the band moving forward a few months each for "warm" and "hot"
(jan-june) zones. not sure if newcastle is warm or hot via digger's
method. so i'm going to plant some punnets in august or september & see
how that goes instead - you might want to wait until mid-spring in your
area, and maybe another lot in summer to be ready for late autumn/winter
if you are feeling adventurous (you can only learn by trying). if it's
not too hot (they love water & will go all funny texture-wise without
enough of it; also dryness will make them bolt) and there's no frost
either, you should be set - they grow regardless of cold, unlike some
things. also, avoid wallabies g - when i was plagued with them, i found
the plants found it very hard to recover from having their growing points
eaten out - everything survived, but it's all growing flat :-)

what about celeriac too? planting etc is exactly the same apparently,
i've never tried it though. as my gardening gets more adventurous so does
my eating, but apparently i need to do it in that exact order. g
kylie

Thanks for that! Yeah, I'd like to try celeriac too! I've seen seeds
advertised on ebay, but I'm a bit leery of starting things from seed just
yet. I've never had any success at it and so I'm intending to do seedlings
until I get my eye in.

hmm! sometimes it can be difficult (parsley in punnets = waste of time, for
e.g.). the main problem is moisture - they dry out very quickly & need
watering 2-3 times a day mostly. it's a good idea to keep them covered so
the moisture stays in, until germination or until they've got some size to
them, e.g. in a mini-greenhouse or other clear plastic box, or just with
plastic or glass over the top until they germinate. OR, use soil in a big
foam box - that won't dry out so fast. but i don't have any spare soil worth
digging up, so i use potting mix (ideally, mixed with a bit of dried horse
poo, i reckon that is the best i've found so far).

one excellent product (bunnings might have them! g! at any rate digger's
does, & nurseries do) is a little watering head you screw onto an empty
plastic drink bottle - it waters them very gently & is easy to give them all
a squirt a few times a day that way without knocking them out.

planting direct into the garden - they still need care 2x daily if it's hot
(much easier in winter - less care) but there are some things you can't grow
in punnets. recently i saw carrots in punnets for sale. this is criminal!
anyway, good luck.

For now, my rainbow silverbeet is
hurtling along and soon I'll be able to make a Spinach and Feta Pie from
it! Hooray!!! ;-D

We don't get wallabies, thankfully, but our dog is a bull terrier (get
that? 'Terrier'?) She likes to dig wherever she finds freshly turned earth
and has already had a shot at the potting mix in my styrofoam tubs.
Blasted dog! I've been squirting her with a spray bottle (set on 'jet')
every time she does it and she's finally starting to leave off. She is a
strange dog and really enjoys eating things like tomatoes and capsicums.
I'll have to be vigilant once my garden really takes off!

dogs like veggies! fortunately, staying out of the garden is one of the few
things my dog does fairly well. weirdly, he will eat veg out of his bowl
that he won't touch when he sees it in the garden(?!)
kylie

"0tterbot" wrote in message
...
"Trish Brown" wrote in message
...
0tterbot wrote:

snip

consulting my planting chart, the answer is aug-dec for my area (cold)
with the band moving forward a few months each for "warm" and "hot"
(jan-june) zones. not sure if newcastle is warm or hot via digger's
method. so i'm going to plant some punnets in august or september & see
how that goes instead - you might want to wait until mid-spring in your
area, and maybe another lot in summer to be ready for late autumn/winter
if you are feeling adventurous (you can only learn by trying). if it's
not too hot (they love water & will go all funny texture-wise without
enough of it; also dryness will make them bolt) and there's no frost
either, you should be set - they grow regardless of cold, unlike some
things. also, avoid wallabies g - when i was plagued with them, i
found the plants found it very hard to recover from having their growing
points eaten out - everything survived, but it's all growing flat :-)

what about celeriac too? planting etc is exactly the same apparently,
i've never tried it though. as my gardening gets more adventurous so
does my eating, but apparently i need to do it in that exact order. g
kylie

Thanks for that! Yeah, I'd like to try celeriac too! I've seen seeds
advertised on ebay, but I'm a bit leery of starting things from seed just
yet. I've never had any success at it and so I'm intending to do
seedlings until I get my eye in.

hmm! sometimes it can be difficult (parsley in punnets = waste of time,
for e.g.). the main problem is moisture - they dry out very quickly & need
watering 2-3 times a day mostly. it's a good idea to keep them covered so
the moisture stays in, until germination or until they've got some size to
them, e.g. in a mini-greenhouse or other clear plastic box, or just with
plastic or glass over the top until they germinate. OR, use soil in a big
foam box - that won't dry out so fast. but i don't have any spare soil
worth digging up, so i use potting mix (ideally, mixed with a bit of dried
horse poo, i reckon that is the best i've found so far).

one excellent product (bunnings might have them! g! at any rate digger's
does, & nurseries do) is a little watering head you screw onto an empty
plastic drink bottle - it waters them very gently & is easy to give them
all a squirt a few times a day that way without knocking them out.

planting direct into the garden - they still need care 2x daily if it's
hot (much easier in winter - less care) but there are some things you
can't grow in punnets. recently i saw carrots in punnets for sale. this is
criminal! anyway, good luck.

For now, my rainbow silverbeet is
hurtling along and soon I'll be able to make a Spinach and Feta Pie from
it! Hooray!!! ;-D

We don't get wallabies, thankfully, but our dog is a bull terrier (get
that? 'Terrier'?) She likes to dig wherever she finds freshly turned
earth and has already had a shot at the potting mix in my styrofoam tubs.
Blasted dog! I've been squirting her with a spray bottle (set on 'jet')
every time she does it and she's finally starting to leave off. She is a
strange dog and really enjoys eating things like tomatoes and capsicums.
I'll have to be vigilant once my garden really takes off!

dogs like veggies! fortunately, staying out of the garden is one of the
few things my dog does fairly well. weirdly, he will eat veg out of his
bowl that he won't touch when he sees it in the garden(?!)
kylie

If you put it in the bowl from a plate or saucepan then it is people food.
Dogs LOVE people food. Or at leat our heeler & heinz do.






-- Posted on news://freenews.netfront.net - Complaints to --

On Thu, 17 Jul 2008 22:48:40 +0000, 0tterbot wrote:

it's quite a service!
i rather thought the tip should combine with that "men & sheds" thing
someone is trying to get up - one of their projects could be
restoring/making things out of all the good stuff!

Agree with your idea about men's shed.
Unortunately, around the city, they definitely do not allow scavenging and
it costs to enter. bummer/. Another growing problem is that so much
metal stuff is being thrown out that a few people are making a
living driving the street and picking up any metal, so by the time
it gets to the tip, it really is trash.

"SG1" wrote in message
...
dogs like veggies! fortunately, staying out of the garden is one of the
few things my dog does fairly well. weirdly, he will eat veg out of his
bowl that he won't touch when he sees it in the garden(?!)
kylie

If you put it in the bowl from a plate or saucepan then it is people food.
Dogs LOVE people food. Or at leat our heeler & heinz do.

no, it's probably right to say dogs love people food! that must be the
secret :-)
kylie