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#1
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Skiting
For the first time this summer, all the vegies we ate at tea tonight were from
the garden: sweet corn white UFO squash snake beans dragon's tongue beans tomato (the first tomato we've picked and found grubless!) (the other bit was snags and chilli sauce) Yummmmmm... -- Chookie -- Sydney, Australia (Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply) "Life is like a cigarette -- smoke it to the butt." -- Harvie Krumpet |
#2
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"Chookie" wrote in message ... For the first time this summer, all the vegies we ate at tea tonight were from the garden: sweet corn white UFO squash snake beans dragon's tongue beans tomato (the first tomato we've picked and found grubless!) (the other bit was snags and chilli sauce) Yummmmmm... bet it tasted great. i would have been so proud. was the corn easy to grow? DH is in love with the idea of growing corn. -- elizabeth (in australia) DS 20th August 2002 "In these matters the only certainty is that nothing is certain." -- Pliny the Elder (23 AD - 79 AD) |
#3
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"Chookie" wrote in message
... For the first time this summer, all the vegies we ate at tea tonight were from the garden: sweet corn white UFO squash snake beans dragon's tongue beans tomato (the first tomato we've picked and found grubless!) (the other bit was snags and chilli sauce) Yummmmmm... -- Chookie -- Sydney, Australia (Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply) "Life is like a cigarette -- smoke it to the butt." -- Harvie Krumpet You are lucky - well done! My poor garden is back to completely neglected. The cooch has won and what was growing is at death's door due to DH not bothering to water as I asked him :-( I think I will eventually have to dig it all up with a Dingo and start again - maybe in raised planter beds of railway sleepers or the like. Liz |
#4
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"Chookie" wrote in message ... For the first time this summer, all the vegies we ate at tea tonight were from the garden: sweet corn white UFO squash snake beans dragon's tongue beans tomato (the first tomato we've picked and found grubless!) (the other bit was snags and chilli sauce) Yummmmmm... Well Done!!!!!! Isn't it wonderful to sit down and eat something that you have grown..... Our garden isn't as well stocked as yours but tonight we had our own broccoli and french beans For dessert we had a raspberry tart made with our own raspberries. The boys find it very exciting to go out and pick the things ready for tea lol. Aussie Lurker |
#5
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good one chookie,
and what are you saying you didn't have your own grown chilly source!!?? tut, tut, tut. but don't it taste grand hey? len snipped -- happy gardening 'it works for me it could work for you,' "in the end ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do" but consider others and the environment http://members.optusnet.com.au/~gardenlen1/ my e/mail addies have spam filters you should know what to delete before you send. |
#6
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"michelle downunder" wrote in message ... On Sat, 15 Jan 2005 20:22:45 +1100, Chookie wrote: Yummmmmm... i lvoe home grown vegies.. my tomatoes look rather stunted this year. Michelle so are ours, about 1/4 - 1/3 normal height, maybe because we planted them late??? Alissa |
#7
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Perhaps they didn't get your humour and paid you back in kind.
oops - musn't forget to "ha ha ! " LOL! ha ha !! giggle !!! I know you probably mean this in "good humor" but they are starting to sound like a grudge :-\ -- Leanne -------------------------------- There is a time for departure even when there is no certain place to go... http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/lst..._0BGCBvVMFF54J |
#8
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In article ,
"arachne" wrote: bet it tasted great. i would have been so proud. was the corn easy to grow? DH is in love with the idea of growing corn. Yep! Big seeds -- though usually impregnated with Thiram, so your DS won't be able to help plant them :-( Corn is pretty easy otherwise; it likes a bit of nutrition (I chucked some blood & bone around), but not as much water as other vegies. Mulch it to keep the weeds down and underplant it with cucumbers/squash/pumpkins/watermelons. I've spotted the first pumpkin! -- Chookie -- Sydney, Australia (Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply) "Life is like a cigarette -- smoke it to the butt." -- Harvie Krumpet |
#9
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Chookie wrote:
cucumbers/squash/pumpkins/watermelons. I've spotted the first pumpkin! Do people hand pollinate their cucurbits as a rule? |
#10
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"Chookie" wrote in message ... In article , "arachne" wrote: bet it tasted great. i would have been so proud. was the corn easy to grow? DH is in love with the idea of growing corn. Yep! Big seeds -- though usually impregnated with Thiram, so your DS won't be able to help plant them :-( Corn is pretty easy otherwise; it likes a bit of nutrition (I chucked some blood & bone around), but not as much water as other vegies. Mulch it to keep the weeds down and underplant it with cucumbers/squash/pumpkins/watermelons. I've spotted the first pumpkin! if the thiram is on them when they are seeds, doesn't it get into the crop you eat? i wonder if i could buy organic ones? sounds like fun. -- elizabeth (in australia) DS 20th August 2002 "In these matters the only certainty is that nothing is certain." -- Pliny the Elder (23 AD - 79 AD) |
#11
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if I remember correctly, Thiram is a funcicide to prevent root rot in
seedlings as they germinate. All commercial seed (that I'm aware of) comes with this as the company has no way of knowing if you are replanting your veges in the same spot year after year and prone to disease. Maize seed that you buy for farming comes like this too. It wont get into the crop - it is a surface dressing on the seed to help it germinate and grow. Having said that, if you are keen to go completely organic, I would suggest buying an open pollinated variety of corn (from Seed Savers or somewhere like that - our health food shop stocks some of this type of vege seed) and then keep your seed to grow again next year - that way you have total control over what happens. It wont work with normal hybrid varieties of corn. Also, this year at work, I have been growing a seed crop of birdsfoot trefoil (a new pasture legume) and we always have major trouble with caterpillars destroying pods and significantly reducing seed yield. However, this year I decided to try Dipel - a bacterial powder that you mix up and spray on the leaves (or fruit/veges if that is what you have) - as the little caterpillars eat it, they get sick and die. This stuff really works and it is totally safe - the only things it works on are caterpillars (not moths and other insects, grasshoppers, frogs, mammals, birds, etc). I have been amazed at how well it has worked and I recommend it to all vege growers (corn is particularly susceptible to heliothis caterpillars). I needed it because we needed something to control caterpillars but not affect the honey bees we use for pollination but I reckon it would be great in the vege garden. I'm fairly relaxed about sprays (used correctly of course) but I'm certainly pleased to find a softer alternative - better for everyone. cheers Leah "arachne" wrote in message ... "Chookie" wrote in message ... In article , "arachne" wrote: bet it tasted great. i would have been so proud. was the corn easy to grow? DH is in love with the idea of growing corn. Yep! Big seeds -- though usually impregnated with Thiram, so your DS won't be able to help plant them :-( Corn is pretty easy otherwise; it likes a bit of nutrition (I chucked some blood & bone around), but not as much water as other vegies. Mulch it to keep the weeds down and underplant it with cucumbers/squash/pumpkins/watermelons. I've spotted the first pumpkin! if the thiram is on them when they are seeds, doesn't it get into the crop you eat? i wonder if i could buy organic ones? sounds like fun. -- elizabeth (in australia) DS 20th August 2002 "In these matters the only certainty is that nothing is certain." -- Pliny the Elder (23 AD - 79 AD) |
#12
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"A & L Lane" wrote in message ... if I remember correctly, Thiram is a funcicide to prevent root rot in seedlings as they germinate. All commercial seed (that I'm aware of) comes with this as the company has no way of knowing if you are replanting your veges in the same spot year after year and prone to disease. Maize seed that you buy for farming comes like this too. It wont get into the crop - it is a surface dressing on the seed to help it germinate and grow. Having said that, if you are keen to go completely organic, I would suggest buying an open pollinated variety of corn (from Seed Savers or somewhere like that - our health food shop stocks some of this type of vege seed) and then keep your seed to grow again next year - that way you have total control over what happens. It wont work with normal hybrid varieties of corn. Also, this year at work, I have been growing a seed crop of birdsfoot trefoil (a new pasture legume) and we always have major trouble with caterpillars destroying pods and significantly reducing seed yield. However, this year I decided to try Dipel - a bacterial powder that you mix up and spray on the leaves (or fruit/veges if that is what you have) - as the little caterpillars eat it, they get sick and die. This stuff really works and it is totally safe - the only things it works on are caterpillars (not moths and other insects, grasshoppers, frogs, mammals, birds, etc). I have been amazed at how well it has worked and I recommend it to all vege growers (corn is particularly susceptible to heliothis caterpillars). I needed it because we needed something to control caterpillars but not affect the honey bees we use for pollination but I reckon it would be great in the vege garden. I'm fairly relaxed about sprays (used correctly of course) but I'm certainly pleased to find a softer alternative - better for everyone. DS has serious food allergies, so i try & make/get everything as close to natural as possible so we don't find more allergies. thanks for the comprehensive info! i'm definitely going to check out seed savers. -- elizabeth (in australia) DS 20th August 2002 "In these matters the only certainty is that nothing is certain." -- Pliny the Elder (23 AD - 79 AD) |
#13
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"arachne" wrote in message ... "A & L Lane" wrote in message ... if I remember correctly, Thiram is a funcicide to prevent root rot in seedlings as they germinate. All commercial seed (that I'm aware of) comes with this as the company has no way of knowing if you are replanting your snipped... I'm fairly relaxed about sprays (used correctly of course) but I'm certainly pleased to find a softer alternative - better for everyone. DS has serious food allergies, so i try & make/get everything as close to natural as possible so we don't find more allergies. thanks for the comprehensive info! i'm definitely going to check out seed savers. -- elizabeth (in australia) DS 20th August 2002 "In these matters the only certainty is that nothing is certain." -- Pliny the Elder (23 AD - 79 AD) I have read about your DS' allergies - must be very very difficult. If you do grow your own veges (and using your own seed is a great way to go - seed savers has heaps of old open-pollinated varieties that taste great) - think seriously about using the Dipel against the caterpillars. A lot of the time, these old varieties are better than the ones we have now - they just dont transport and store so well which is not an issue if you are growing it for yourself. There is nothing worse than finding grubs in your veges and fruit (BTDT) and this stuff is completely natural - developed from a bacteria found naturally in the soil anyway and it *only* works on caterpillars. All the scientists have done is to isolate the bacteria and powderise it so you can add it to water and spray it around - no tricky genetic engineering. Very very safe and green. Can you tell I hate caterpillars !! cheers Leah |
#14
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"Missy Me" wrote in message t... In article A & L Lane thought carefully before sharing... I have read about your DS' allergies - must be very very difficult. If you do grow your own veges (and using your own seed is a great way to go - seed savers has heaps of old open-pollinated varieties that taste great) - think seriously about using the Dipel against the caterpillars. A lot of the time, these old varieties are better than the ones we have now - they just dont transport and store so well which is not an issue if you are growing it for yourself. There is nothing worse than finding grubs in your veges and fruit (BTDT) and this stuff is completely natural - developed from a bacteria found naturally in the soil anyway and it *only* works on caterpillars. All the scientists have done is to isolate the bacteria and powderise it so you can add it to water and spray it around - no tricky genetic engineering. Very very safe and green. Can you tell I hate caterpillars !! me too ( They get into everything !! I used to buy my greens from a farmer's market, but got sick of the bugs, dirt, and longevity of the vegetable. Everything was as fresh as fresh, but it seemed like I would have to scoff it all within 3 days ( not good if you wanted to stock the fridge ! ). Now I feel guity whenever I buy from Coles ( instead of supporting the local growers ), but it lasts, and it bugless ( except sometimes the broccoli** ) ** Is there something about broccoli BTW ? Given that I sometimes get bugs in my Coles broccoli, but the farmers market broccoli was RIDDLED with bugs !! yes - any cruciferous plant (broccoli, cauliflower, etc) tends to be loved by bugs and hate to say, but the stuff from Coles has probably been sprayed a lot to make it bug-free. Not criticising because that is what I buy, but when customers demand clean (ie. no bug holes, blemishes, etc), then the farmers will provide it that way even though it is probably better for all of us if we put up with a few bugs now and then. Not a criticism as we are farmers and we do use chemicals when we feel we must so dont want to chuck rocks when I'm living in a glass house on this particular issue. cheers Leah |
#15
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In article ,
"arachne" wrote: if the thiram is on them when they are seeds, doesn't it get into the crop you eat? i wonder if i could buy organic ones? sounds like fun. As Seanang said, it's a surface fungicide. I don't know that it would get into the plant as it's only on the outside of the seed, which is not part of the developing seedling. I mainly buy seeds from Diggers, who are pretty eco-friendly, and they use Thiram. Just looked up the Australian Materials Safety Data Sheets (www.msds.com.au), and you can get skin sensitisation if you handle it a lot (however, I imagine that like me, you would not allow your DS to handle any poison, on principle). It's not particularly dangerous (though you shouldn't eat it), and has a field half life of less than a day. Dad always used to save his corn in a jar with a handful of lime, which keeps it dry in storage and IIRC decreases the risk of "damping off" (the fungus that kills young seedlings). -- Chookie -- Sydney, Australia (Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply) "Life is like a cigarette -- smoke it to the butt." -- Harvie Krumpet |