hi veg lets start a topic
your gardens 5×4.5 plus ten = 32.5sqm.
that is enough to be sustainable and is similar to uncle pete’s 6×8=48sq.m.
my figure of 210 sq.m. includes a pen that the chooks are always in and the paths –
i am currently gardening – 3×8=24sq.m.
- but i have excess capacity if i need it.
ok, I like to grow my Own seedlings. they work out alot better and when your eating it you can think to your self i grew this (type of veggie) from a seed this big.
veg gardener said:
ok, I like to grow my Own seedlings. they work out alot better and when your eating it you can think to your self i grew this (type of veggie) from a seed this big.
yes – it gives you greater variety and control if you grow your own seed.
pepe said:
veg gardener said:
ok, I like to grow my Own seedlings. they work out alot better and when your eating it you can think to your self i grew this (type of veggie) from a seed this big.
yes – it gives you greater variety and control if you grow your own seed.
yep, also means you know how old the plants are.
to produce the maximum amount of edible veges you need to prepare well.
its winter now (and you have other commitments) so spend the next few months preparing the soil and building compost heaps.
onion seedlings can be planted in the hothouse. you need a deep polystyrene box (reject brocolli packaging from s/mart rubbish bin) with drainage and good potting mix. try aquariums mix of coir seed rasing block, bentonite clay and a handful of NPK fertiliser (more details in GA forum under tips and tricks).
plant a whole packet of seed because it doesn’t matter how close they are – in spring they will be bare rooted, topped and tailed.
Also I just want to add to Pepe’s great posting on this……. it doesn’t happen all at once…… it may take a couple of seasons to understand and get everything “right” and the then the rewards are endless.
Lucky1 said:
Also I just want to add to Pepe’s great posting on this……. it doesn’t happen all at once…… it may take a couple of seasons to understand and get everything “right” and the then the rewards are endless.
its a marathon not a sprint (as they say).
pepe said:
to produce the maximum amount of edible veges you need to prepare well.
its winter now (and you have other commitments) so spend the next few months preparing the soil and building compost heaps.
onion seedlings can be planted in the hothouse. you need a deep polystyrene box (reject brocolli packaging from s/mart rubbish bin) with drainage and good potting mix. try aquariums mix of coir seed rasing block, bentonite clay and a handful of NPK fertiliser (more details in GA forum under tips and tricks).
plant a whole packet of seed because it doesn’t matter how close they are – in spring they will be bare rooted, topped and tailed.
ok, my goal is to get veggies scraps form a local fruit and veg shop, all these scraps will be feed to the chooks as well as all mine.
if you are weeding over winter – put all your weeds on a compost heap and add dry straw and a layer of manure when the heap gets to a half a metre high
pepe said:
if you are weeding over winter – put all your weeds on a compost heap and add dry straw and a layer of manure when the heap gets to a half a metre high
o ok, I was going to feed them to my chooks and then when I clean out the chook pen. I put all of it into the compost bin.
veg gardener said:
pepe said:
if you are weeding over winter – put all your weeds on a compost heap and add dry straw and a layer of manure when the heap gets to a half a metre higho ok, I was going to feed them to my chooks and then when I clean out the chook pen. I put all of it into the compost bin.
its good either way.
veg gardener said:
pepe said:
to produce the maximum amount of edible veges you need to prepare well.
its winter now (and you have other commitments) so spend the next few months preparing the soil and building compost heaps.
onion seedlings can be planted in the hothouse. you need a deep polystyrene box (reject brocolli packaging from s/mart rubbish bin) with drainage and good potting mix. try aquariums mix of coir seed rasing block, bentonite clay and a handful of NPK fertiliser (more details in GA forum under tips and tricks).
plant a whole packet of seed because it doesn’t matter how close they are – in spring they will be bare rooted, topped and tailed.
ok, my goal is to get veggies scraps form a local fruit and veg shop, all these scraps will be feed to the chooks as well as all mine.
i have a polystryrene box, and a lot of seed rasing mix so i may as well do that then.
i have a polystryrene box, and a lot of seed rasing mix so i may as well do that then.
——-
i’m not sure about ‘i may as well do that then’
(rasing= raising – my fault)
Lazy Gardening is my ideal – but its a paradox – let me explain.
If you put an armchair in your garden and sit on it as much as possible, and take your lunch there sometimes, and read a book there when you can – the opposite of laziness happens.
You will move the chair to where you feel most comfortable after observing the sun and the wind, the view and your privacy. You will get to know that patch of land better because of your intimate observations. Then when you are comfortable your mind will wonder and you will see what needs to be done to make your spot and your view better. Then you will get up and do what you have decided needs to be done.
pepe said:
i have a polystryrene box, and a lot of seed rasing mix so i may as well do that then.
——-
i’m not sure about ‘i may as well do that then’
(rasing= raising – my fault)
Lazy Gardening is my ideal – but its a paradox – let me explain.
If you put an armchair in your garden and sit on it as much as possible, and take your lunch there sometimes, and read a book there when you can – the opposite of laziness happens.
You will move the chair to where you feel most comfortable after observing the sun and the wind, the view and your privacy. You will get to know that patch of land better because of your intimate observations. Then when you are comfortable your mind will wonder and you will see what needs to be done to make your spot and your view better. Then you will get up and do what you have decided needs to be done.
unless of course it is a really, really good book and then you don’t want to put it down for anything :D
unless of course it is a really, really good book and then you don’t want to put it down for anything :D
——-
of course – at least you will be absorbing vitamin D from sunlight whilst you read.
ah well – its lunchtime – so on with the saga.
sustainability applies to everything not just gardening. and we don’t know what is sustainable. monets garden ‘Giverny’ is just a heap of flowers planted for colour and it never should have been sustainable – and yet they have restored it as a tourist attraction and it would now be one of the most sustainable gardens – although not for food purposes.
i can now imagine (some time in the future) politicians issuing an edict that every backyard must have 2.4 cabbages to make the society more sustainable. currently there are no laws as to what you can/can’t do in your garden.
the most important thing in the garden is the gardener. therefore the gardener must make sure that they can maintain their interest and fitness for a lifetime – or else the garden will disappear. the best way to do this is to create a little slice of paradise reflecting your own personality. do this – and the produce will follow automatically IMHO.
Interesting read, Pepe.
I reckon they should never have done away with chooks in the backyard (for those who want them)…Just about everybody had chickens in the backyard in my town when I was a child: a shock to come to the big smoke and people complained to the council about roosters crowing!!!
Mr D has said I can have chickens if I build the henhouse…so I need to start digging holes…this is a far cry from “no! they stink”, believe me…
Mr D has said I can have chickens if I build the henhouse…so I need to start digging holes…this is a far cry from “no! they stink”, believe me…
——
thats very kind of Mr D.
ah well – building is like gardening – you don’t necessarily like doing it – but at the end of the day you sit and look at what you’ve done and feel well satisfied.
Staple crops.
Potatoes, onions, carrots, tomatoes and lettuce (also wheat and meat) are Australias staple foods. All of them are likely to be in short supply because ethanol fuel production is threatening to create a world food shortage. If this happens, and hunger threatens us, we will all be growing these crops for sheer survival not for sustainability.
As cooks we have mastered the use of spuds. Mashed, roasted, in patties, as chips and wedges we use the tasteless tuber every week and some use it everyday. Gardeners – its time to start planting more spuds.
Spuds cannot be grown in the same spot every year. Once a bed has grown a successful crop of spuds its seven years before you should return to that bed because of potential soil borne disease. So its likely that every place in your garden will, at some stage, be your spud bed. Potatoes do like virgin soil – so they are the ideal crop to plant in some hard patch of land that has been unused up until now. If you have such a spot going to waste just add fertiliser and plant a green manure crop now. In temperate zones August is the month to plant spuds.
PS – feel free to rave under this topic as the forum seems to have plenty of free ether time at present.
Elf wants me to try growing spuds in soil this year….. see if we can up the quota.
I think where possible (yards aren’t what they used to be) we will see more people growing foods in their backyards in the years to come.
Lucky1 said:
Elf wants me to try growing spuds in soil this year….. see if we can up the quota.I think where possible (yards aren’t what they used to be) we will see more people growing foods in their backyards in the years to come.
The nice thing about spuds is the ground they leave behind. Because the spud crop is forked out of the soil – it leaves a fertile, friable, weeded area which is ideal for follow-up crops like brassicas, peas, asian veges and all leafy crops (probably no good for root crops?).
Onions
If you’re over run by insects eating your veges – try onions. They are so pungent that nothing eats onions apart from us humans – and we love them fried as a precursor to practically every meal.
If you want to grow onions this summer – plant the seed in a deep (150mm) pot now. Its impossible to weed onions grown as seed, so always plant them out as seedlings. You need fertile potting soil because they must grow in their pot for the next three months before you plant them out. When September comes around, you lift the whole bunch of seedlings out the pot and shake all the soil off the roots, trim the roots and the tops back to (say) 30mm long and plant in trenches.
Ordinary garden soil and once-a-week watering is all onions need to be happy. Their one downside is their slowness – they take 8-9 months to mature. They can be grown both summer and winter, can be planted close together and do store well.
Carrots
Freshly picked, organic, homegrown carrots are a separate entity to the items in the shops going by the same name. Somewhere between pre-emergent herbicides, inorganic chemical fertilisers, frozen storage and lack of care, the shops have managed to destroy this vege, so that nothing but colour and shape remain.
If you have naturally sandy/loam soil you might just fork it over and plant a packet of seed. I used to grow beautiful carrots on the loam of my Adelaide hills property – but no such luck here on the clays of the plains.
The hardest thing about carrot growing is germination. The tiny seed are planted close to the surface and MUST NOT dry out for 2 weeks. Its normal to cover the seed with boards or shadecloth because keeping the top 5mm of the soil damp is practically impossible otherwise. Once they are established their taproot is very good at sucking moisture and nutrients out of the soil – so apart from germination there are not many problems.
Tomatoes
could someone else write this section please?
If you want to know how NOT to grow tomatoes – I’m your man. LOL.
Carrots
==
I so agree with you Pepe, home grown carrots are a distant relation to the shop bought ones. I sow carrot seeds every time I’ve got a little space to put them, there’s never enough!
Onions
====
I’ve got a lot of onions in now, Pepe, do you think they’ll be OK over winter? They’re about 6” tall now.
pepe said:
Tomatoes
could someone else write this section please?
If you want to know how NOT to grow tomatoes – I’m your man. LOL.
LOL!
Thanks for the other lesson’s, great info there and sometime’s the little ‘how to’ bit’s are very handy to know.Re tomatoe’s .. all I know is I have never had much sucess with the seed’s , but I get the grafted one’s and have had no problem’s with them.
orchid40 said:
Carrots
==
I so agree with you Pepe, home grown carrots are a distant relation to the shop bought ones. I sow carrot seeds every time I’ve got a little space to put them, there’s never enough!
wished i could grow them better here. oh – well one day.
orchid40 said:
Onions
====
I’ve got a lot of onions in now, Pepe, do you think they’ll be OK over winter? They’re about 6” tall now.
beautiful – no probs – as long as they get sun.
Re tomatoe’s .. all I know is I have never had much sucess with the seed’s , but I get the grafted one’s and have had no problem’s with them.
—-
go on write – you’re my current tomato guru – you taught me that they need a fertilising every week ot two during summer. there are some people who grow fabulous toms – come out – come out wherever you are.
pepe said:
orchid40 said:
Onions
====
I’ve got a lot of onions in now, Pepe, do you think they’ll be OK over winter? They’re about 6” tall now.
beautiful – no probs – as long as they get sun.
Lettuce
These leafy greens can be grown in pots on a balcony – so there’s no excuse for not growing them. They like plenty of nitrogen and water and grow fast – 6 or 8 weeks.
I don’t like ‘mignonette’ or ‘iceberg’ varieties because they can go slimy if watered overhead and there are better varieties available. Try the ‘cos’, ‘looseleaf’ or ‘mesclun’ types – they are a lot tougher and look more interesting in the salad.
The obvious downside to growing lettuce is that everything likes them – birds, snails, rodents and insects love them. So you must protect the seedlings with birdnetting, snail pellets etc.
I don’t like ‘mignonette’ or ‘iceberg’ varieties
————————
I don’t agree with you Pepe. I only really eat Icebergs. Love their fleshiness and crunchiness. Don’t much go for the other crinkly and purple types. I do admit they look good in a salad but are mostly flavourless and often bitter. IMHO.
pepe said:
Lettuce
These leafy greens can be grown in pots on a balcony – so there’s no excuse for not growing them. They like plenty of nitrogen and water and grow fast – 6 or 8 weeks.Try the ‘cos’, ‘looseleaf’ or ‘mesclun’ types – they are a lot tougher and look more interesting in the salad.
The obvious downside to growing lettuce is that everything likes them – birds, snails, rodents and insects love them. So you must protect the seedlings with birdnetting, snail pellets etc.
Could I plant them straight into horse manure? Seriously. I have a bed full of the stuff which I am watering to break it down…and more on the way….
pepe said:
Re tomatoe’s .. all I know is I have never had much sucess with the seed’s , but I get the grafted one’s and have had no problem’s with them.
—-
go on write – you’re my current tomato guru – you taught me that they need a fertilising every week ot two during summer. there are some people who grow fabulous toms – come out – come out wherever you are.
lol.. well all I can tell you is that the area was very dry to start off with, but I added whatever I could get my hands on, old potting mix, manures by the barrow load, worm cast’s , heap’s of soiled chicken straw ,BB , potash ,dynamic lifter and dug it all over, watered it all in and let it sit for a couple week’s, keeping it moist . When I planted the grafted tom’s I added diluted worm wee and kept adding it every week.
I think a lot depend’s on the variety too, the grosse lisse didn’t do well at all, but the beefcake tom’s were big, as you saw, very solid and very sweet. Nicest tom’s I’ve had in a long time.
I have variable results with tomatoes but always try to grow some.
pomolo said:
I don’t like ‘mignonette’ or ‘iceberg’ varieties
————————
I don’t agree with you Pepe. I only really eat Icebergs. Love their fleshiness and crunchiness. Don’t much go for the other crinkly and purple types. I do admit they look good in a salad but are mostly flavourless and often bitter. IMHO.
I often think its because they are left too long before they are harvested……. my little coloured loose lettuce leaves are so tender and some aren’t as long as my finger…..just so tender…
Dinetta said:
pepe said:
Lettuce
These leafy greens can be grown in pots on a balcony – so there’s no excuse for not growing them. They like plenty of nitrogen and water and grow fast – 6 or 8 weeks.Try the ‘cos’, ‘looseleaf’ or ‘mesclun’ types – they are a lot tougher and look more interesting in the salad.
The obvious downside to growing lettuce is that everything likes them – birds, snails, rodents and insects love them. So you must protect the seedlings with birdnetting, snail pellets etc.
Could I plant them straight into horse manure? Seriously. I have a bed full of the stuff which I am watering to break it down…and more on the way….
Go for it Dinetta ! That’s what I did and have 15 lettuce’s growing straight out of horse manure and they taste wonderful. Now I have almost an unlimited supply of horse manure .. I rang a local riding school and they said they put bag’s of it out for free all the time and I can go load up with as much as my car can carry often as I want ! I’ll take a load of bags to them and bring back what I can tomorrow :D
pepe said:
Onions
If you’re over run by insects eating your veges – try onions. They are so pungent that nothing eats onions apart from us humans – and we love them fried as a precursor to practically every meal.
If you want to grow onions this summer – plant the seed in a deep (150mm) pot now. Its impossible to weed onions grown as seed, so always plant them out as seedlings. You need fertile potting soil because they must grow in their pot for the next three months before you plant them out. When September comes around, you lift the whole bunch of seedlings out the pot and shake all the soil off the roots, trim the roots and the tops back to (say) 30mm long and plant in trenches.
Ordinary garden soil and once-a-week watering is all onions need to be happy. Their one downside is their slowness – they take 8-9 months to mature. They can be grown both summer and winter, can be planted close together and do store well.
Must try that. Thanks Pepe. MrP has gotten quite interested in doing the vegie patch. Even growing his own seedlinga as well.
pepe said:
Carrots
Freshly picked, organic, homegrown carrots are a separate entity to the items in the shops going by the same name. Somewhere between pre-emergent herbicides, inorganic chemical fertilisers, frozen storage and lack of care, the shops have managed to destroy this vege, so that nothing but colour and shape remain.If you have naturally sandy/loam soil you might just fork it over and plant a packet of seed. I used to grow beautiful carrots on the loam of my Adelaide hills property – but no such luck here on the clays of the plains.
The hardest thing about carrot growing is germination. The tiny seed are planted close to the surface and MUST NOT dry out for 2 weeks. Its normal to cover the seed with boards or shadecloth because keeping the top 5mm of the soil damp is practically impossible otherwise. Once they are established their taproot is very good at sucking moisture and nutrients out of the soil – so apart from germination there are not many problems.
Cut it out Pepe. I can’t throw all that @ MrP. He’ll think I have a plan. I have too but I don’t want him to know that just yet.
comments are good – i thought i was in a vacuum for a while.
and pomolo – i’m glad to hear you made it home safe. MrP should grow a few onions then – i love them as a plant. you shouldn’t mulch them in your area – a bit too humid. i am growing a few mignonette lettuces.
HP – thanks for the hints on toms and growing lettuces in manure heaps – you’re getting fabtab soil there aren’t you?
Happy Potter said:
Dinetta said:
pepe said:
Lettuce
These leafy greens can be grown in pots on a balcony – so there’s no excuse for not growing them. They like plenty of nitrogen and water and grow fast – 6 or 8 weeks.Try the ‘cos’, ‘looseleaf’ or ‘mesclun’ types – they are a lot tougher and look more interesting in the salad.
The obvious downside to growing lettuce is that everything likes them – birds, snails, rodents and insects love them. So you must protect the seedlings with birdnetting, snail pellets etc.
Could I plant them straight into horse manure? Seriously. I have a bed full of the stuff which I am watering to break it down…and more on the way….
Go for it Dinetta ! That’s what I did and have 15 lettuce’s growing straight out of horse manure and they taste wonderful. Now I have almost an unlimited supply of horse manure .. I rang a local riding school and they said they put bag’s of it out for free all the time and I can go load up with as much as my car can carry often as I want ! I’ll take a load of bags to them and bring back what I can tomorrow :D
Gee thanks for that Happy Potter…do you break all the little round ball things up, or just move them aside and plant into the broken-down layer? Seedlings or seeds?
We get through a lot of lettuce, especially in the summer. I remember when we lived in town, a neighbour who grew vegetables called me over one day, cut a lettuce there and then with a machete and handed it to me, dripping sap and all…it was wonderful…
I’ve just got the one pony, he needs to be locked up again as he is dodging me and needs his medication for Cushings…like all equines he is a great hayburner…terrific production…
Sorry about the big long post just now…still getting the hang of this quote thing…
pepe said:
comments are good – i thought i was in a vacuum for a while.and pomolo – i’m glad to hear you made it home safe. MrP should grow a few onions then – i love them as a plant. you shouldn’t mulch them in your area – a bit too humid. i am growing a few mignonette lettuces.
HP – thanks for the hints on toms and growing lettuces in manure heaps – you’re getting fabtab soil there aren’t you?
You bet Pepe..I love recycling and putting manure in the soil is just recycling..what it does for growing veges fast, is a nice bonus :)
I will be putting the manure I get into a big pile for a little rest before I get stuck into it and spread it willy nilly. The vege bed’s are gradually becomming quite built up with the manure’s . By this time next year I’ll need to put side’s on it!
Do you have any advice re pumpkin’s ? My butternut pump’s foliage is severely cold affected , the small fruit are pale yellow , they are about 3/4 the size of bought one’s and I’m not sure wheather to leave them alone , dig them in, or pull it all out and compost it. The qld blue is growing well, the fruit the size of a basketball but only 2 on the vine and green.
Next lot will be grown in the right season lol.
Gee thanks for that Happy Potter…do you break all the little round ball things up, or just move them aside and plant into the broken-down layer? Seedlings or seeds?
We get through a lot of lettuce, especially in the summer. I remember when we lived in town, a neighbour who grew vegetables called me over one day, cut a lettuce there and then with a machete and handed it to me, dripping sap and all…it was wonderful…
I’ve just got the one pony, he needs to be locked up again as he is dodging me and needs his medication for Cushings…like all equines he is a great hayburner…terrific production…
Dinetta, I get the bag of manure , take straight from car boot to garden bed , open it up and tip it on, usually . I simply don’t have the time to do otherwise… But this next lot of manure I will leave to rest a bit but only because I have lot’s of appointment’s re giant son, and will add them to whatever bed when I have the time. ( I’m trying to make wednesday’s my ‘day off’ with no appt’s or cooking or visitor’s , I was told make a specified time to do the thing’s I want to do, so I am )
I have the iceberg lettuce’s and they are beautiful and crunchy. I love to pick a leaf, sprinkle a little sugar on it, roll it up and eat . Bliss!
I get seedlings from B shop or nursery for the same reason , no time. I will get there though as I want to grow thing’s that way, eventually.
Great stuff come’s from ponies, that’s all I know about horses …put stuff in one end and collect what come’s out of the other end lol… good luck with growing the lettuce’s, let us know how you go ok ?
the mixed salad mix seeds i bought in early autumn have produced a wonderful bounty, which is used for dinner and for ducks and chickens as welcome greens. it doesn’t seem to be available at the moment in shops but, when it re-appears, i’ll definitely plant this same (italian brand big packet) again.
Do you have any advice re pumpkin’s ? My butternut pump’s foliage is severely cold affected , the small fruit are pale yellow , they are about 3/4 the size of bought one’s and I’m not sure wheather to leave them alone , dig them in, or pull it all out and compost it. The qld blue is growing well, the fruit the size of a basketball but only 2 on the vine and green.
Next lot will be grown in the right season lol.
———
frost will decide – mine are late like yours.
i have picked three before they fully finished – they were very sweet. so like the onions – pick them one at a time rather than buying any – the stem needs to die off (turn brown) before they are ready to store.
pepe said:
Do you have any advice re pumpkin’s ? My butternut pump’s foliage is severely cold affected , the small fruit are pale yellow , they are about 3/4 the size of bought one’s and I’m not sure wheather to leave them alone , dig them in, or pull it all out and compost it. The qld blue is growing well, the fruit the size of a basketball but only 2 on the vine and green.
Next lot will be grown in the right season lol.
———
frost will decide – mine are late like yours.
i have picked three before they fully finished – they were very sweet. so like the onions – pick them one at a time rather than buying any – the stem needs to die off (turn brown) before they are ready to store.
Oh that’s right, wait till the stems wither.
Right, lock it in Eddie. Uploaded now and wont be forgotten. Lerrrvvve roast pumpkin.
Thanks Pepe :)
aquarium said:
the mixed salad mix seeds i bought in early autumn have produced a wonderful bounty, which is used for dinner and for ducks and chickens as welcome greens. it doesn’t seem to be available at the moment in shops but, when it re-appears, i’ll definitely plant this same (italian brand big packet) again.
i bought a brand of seed once (not sure about name) but it had six smaller packets of seed in it. mustard it was. i will check the brand name in the light tomorrow. great idea because it encourages succession planting.
pepe said:
aquarium said:
the mixed salad mix seeds i bought in early autumn have produced a wonderful bounty, which is used for dinner and for ducks and chickens as welcome greens. it doesn’t seem to be available at the moment in shops but, when it re-appears, i’ll definitely plant this same (italian brand big packet) again.
i bought a brand of seed once (not sure about name) but it had six smaller packets of seed in it. mustard it was. i will check the brand name in the light tomorrow. great idea because it encourages succession planting.
the “italian” brand seed packets are sometimes stocked by smaller produce stores. packets are cheap, and contain lots of seeds, unlike local packets. also like the varieties of the vegies, which are a bit different to the usual and grow very well, at least here in melb climate.
Oh that’s right, wait till the stems wither.
Right, lock it in Eddie. Uploaded now and wont be forgotten. Lerrrvvve roast pumpkin.
—-
my mother always said – ‘ pick the first fruit of the vine as soon as its ripe – because by picking it – the others will ripen quicker’. i think she was right.
that basketball size pumpkin should have been picked earlier i think.
the withered stem bit is only for storage.
the “italian” brand seed packets are sometimes stocked by smaller produce stores. packets are cheap, and contain lots of seeds, unlike local packets. also like the varieties of the vegies, which are a bit different to the usual and grow very well, at least here in melb climate.
——
i used to save seed for the next season and still do a bit. the trouble is you get so many packets of old seed you end up with more than you plant left in the packet.
so this year i planted out all my mesclun seed. i am now the proud father of about a150 small mesclun seedlings – same for celery. what a joke – i couldn’t eat them if i tried.
it has one advantage – the pests can take as many as they want – i’ll still have plenty.
Great stuff come’s from ponies, that’s all I know about horses…put stuff in one end and collect what come’s out of the other end lol…
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Oh you crack me up!
:D
Lucky1 said:
Elf wants me to try growing spuds in soil this year….. see if we can up the quota.I think where possible (yards aren’t what they used to be) we will see more people growing foods in their backyards in the years to come.
How about digging up the front lawn, if the back yard is short on space? Then after the spuds are dug up, you can plant out lots of luvly flowers !?!?!?
pepe said:
Re tomatoe’s .. all I know is I have never had much sucess with the seed’s , but I get the grafted one’s and have had no problem’s with them.
—-
go on write – you’re my current tomato guru – you taught me that they need a fertilising every week ot two during summer. there are some people who grow fabulous toms – come out – come out wherever you are.
Put tomato scraps in compost bucket, then in compost heap. After a number of months, spread compost in garden. Voila, huge tomato crops!
Well, that’s how it works for me :)
Just like rhubarb grows really well here (tee-hee-hee!!)
Wheat and meat.
There was a time in Australian history when every little town had its own flour mill. Then we learnt to remove the germ from the grain and the big mills took over and ‘spiked’ all the old stone mills and centralised the flour industry. It is possible that small mills will spring up in every little town again and you will be able to swap your grain for flour, but until that happens – reaping, threshing and winnowing is too difficult, and grain is only grown in backyards as livestock food.
Chooks, ducks and rabbits are our most likely source of backyard meat. In a period of food shortage, we will be knocking the roosters on the head quick smart. Chooks are definitely part of any future drive to be more self sustaining in the home. Eggs are a brilliant source of nutrition and we have mastered cooking with them.
morning all
rain this morning and most welcome.
I’m glad to here the waters are subsiding at your place VG.
Yeehah said:
Lucky1 said:
Elf wants me to try growing spuds in soil this year….. see if we can up the quota.I think where possible (yards aren’t what they used to be) we will see more people growing foods in their backyards in the years to come.
How about digging up the front lawn, if the back yard is short on space? Then after the spuds are dug up, you can plant out lots of luvly flowers !?!?!?
Somehow I think the local would think its a free market:(
Just like rhubarb grows really well here (tee-hee-hee!!)
————————————
Not listening……;P
pepe said:
Chooks are definitely part of any future drive to be more self sustaining in the home. Eggs are a brilliant source of nutrition and we have mastered cooking with them.
Chooks also have the smallest “footprint” of any meat animal. They require less food and space per kilo of meat.
pepe said:
Wheat and meat.There was a time in Australian history when every little town had its own flour mill. Then we learnt to remove the germ from the grain and the big mills took over and ‘spiked’ all the old stone mills and centralised the flour industry. It is possible that small mills will spring up in every little town again and you will be able to swap your grain for flour, but until that happens – reaping, threshing and winnowing is too difficult, and grain is only grown in backyards as livestock food.
Chooks, ducks and rabbits are our most likely source of backyard meat. In a period of food shortage, we will be knocking the roosters on the head quick smart. Chooks are definitely part of any future drive to be more self sustaining in the home. Eggs are a brilliant source of nutrition and we have mastered cooking with them.
Demeter Farm Mill in Breeza produces stoneground organic and biodynamic flour, they have their own mill. West of Tamworth NSW, so (relatively) local for me! They also sell a mill (and I’m sure many other suppliers do too) so that you can process your own grains, whether home grown or purchased.
How about digging up the front lawn, if the back yard is short on space? Then after the spuds are dug up, you can plant out lots of luvly flowers !?!?!?
I recall seeing some lovely vegetable beds at Spring Hill in Brisbane: Spring Hill is borderline CBD. Truly stunning and they looked just right…
Dinetta said:
How about digging up the front lawn, if the back yard is short on space? Then after the spuds are dug up, you can plant out lots of luvly flowers !?!?!?
I recall seeing some lovely vegetable beds at Spring Hill in Brisbane: Spring Hill is borderline CBD. Truly stunning and they looked just right…
Sorry, still haven’t got this “quote” thing right…
Lucky1 said:
Yeehah said:
Lucky1 said:
Elf wants me to try growing spuds in soil this year….. see if we can up the quota.I think where possible (yards aren’t what they used to be) we will see more people growing foods in their backyards in the years to come.
How about digging up the front lawn, if the back yard is short on space? Then after the spuds are dug up, you can plant out lots of luvly flowers !?!?!?
Somehow I think the local would think its a free market:(
Josh planted a front garden of veges in Perth on one of his segments. I wonder if he got to harvest them?
?
?
bluegreen said:
pepe said:
Chooks are definitely part of any future drive to be more self sustaining in the home. Eggs are a brilliant source of nutrition and we have mastered cooking with them.
Chooks also have the smallest “footprint” of any meat animal. They require less food and space per kilo of meat.
True but you need a lot more of them to feed the same amount of people as a bullock would.
Lucky1 said:
Just like rhubarb grows really well here (tee-hee-hee!!)
————————————
Not listening……;P
my rhubarb seems to have died back – is that normal for this time of year?
pepe said:
Lucky1 said:
Just like rhubarb grows really well here (tee-hee-hee!!)
————————————
Not listening……;P
my rhubarb seems to have died back – is that normal for this time of year?
Mine has gone too Pepe. Yes it’s normal, more’s the pity
bluegreen said:
pepe said:
Chooks are definitely part of any future drive to be more self sustaining in the home. Eggs are a brilliant source of nutrition and we have mastered cooking with them.
Chooks also have the smallest “footprint” of any meat animal. They require less food and space per kilo of meat.
i just did a quick calculation – my chooks cost me – $3/month/bird (wheat and mash).
the eggs of each hen are worth about $6 per month to us
Demeter Farm Mill in Breeza produces stoneground organic and biodynamic flour, they have their own mill. West of Tamworth NSW, so (relatively) local for me! They also sell a mill (and I’m sure many other suppliers do too) so that you can process your own grains, whether home grown or purchased.
—-
small mills, small cheese makers and small brewers are beginning to appear – its a good trend and we should probably support them.
Mine has gone too Pepe. Yes it’s normal, more’s the pity
—-
good – thanks pomolo.
i’m glad you got in quick – lucky would have said – ‘why do you think i like winter?’ – you know how she is LOL.
pomolo said:
pepe said:
Lucky1 said:
Just like rhubarb grows really well here (tee-hee-hee!!)
————————————
Not listening……;P
my rhubarb seems to have died back – is that normal for this time of year?
Mine has gone too Pepe. Yes it’s normal, more’s the pity
Then how come mine is growing ok ? After my last invasion of the plant it’s better than ever with heap’s of new leaves..scratches head :/
Well I was looking for info and came across this site..wow, all you wanted to know about rhubarb but was afraid to ask ..
http://www.rhubarbinfo.com/
Well I was looking for info and came across this site..wow, all you wanted to know about rhubarb but was afraid to ask ..
—-
its an american article but under ‘how to grow – growing season’ it says rhubarb is a summer vege.
i’m sorry HP but this just confirms your garden is not normal LOL.
pomolo said:
bluegreen said:
pepe said:
Chooks are definitely part of any future drive to be more self sustaining in the home. Eggs are a brilliant source of nutrition and we have mastered cooking with them.
Chooks also have the smallest “footprint” of any meat animal. They require less food and space per kilo of meat.
True but you need a lot more of them to feed the same amount of people as a bullock would.
per animal, yes, but I was talking by the kilo. So 100kg of chicken uses less resources to produce than 100kg of beef.
Josh planted a front garden of veges in Perth on one of his segments. I wonder if he got to harvest them?
————————————————-
There are fruit trees in a few front yards where we walk…I often wonder who gets to eat the food.
pepe said:
Lucky1 said:
Just like rhubarb grows really well here (tee-hee-hee!!)
————————————
Not listening……;P
my rhubarb seems to have died back – is that normal for this time of year?
yep, goes dormant in winter.
pepe said:
Lucky1 said:
Just like rhubarb grows really well here (tee-hee-hee!!)
————————————
Not listening……;P
my rhubarb seems to have died back – is that normal for this time of year?
(Pumps arm in the air and does a little jig)…… sorry couldn’t help myself….LOL
pepe said:
bluegreen said:
pepe said:
Chooks are definitely part of any future drive to be more self sustaining in the home. Eggs are a brilliant source of nutrition and we have mastered cooking with them.
Chooks also have the smallest “footprint” of any meat animal. They require less food and space per kilo of meat.
i just did a quick calculation – my chooks cost me – $3/month/bird (wheat and mash).
the eggs of each hen are worth about $6 per month to us
To feed my gang and the poxy free loaders…..$20 a month for them all…. heaps of eggs and I seel egs and get $12.00 a fortnight… more when duck eggs are being sold.
pepe said:
Mine has gone too Pepe. Yes it’s normal, more’s the pity
—-
good – thanks pomolo.
i’m glad you got in quick – lucky would have said – ‘why do you think i like winter?’ – you know how she is LOL.
Hey good point…if its winter all year round… I can retire from murdering the poor plants:D
pepe said:
Well I was looking for info and came across this site..wow, all you wanted to know about rhubarb but was afraid to ask ..
—-
its an american article but under ‘how to grow – growing season’ it says rhubarb is a summer vege.
i’m sorry HP but this just confirms your garden is not normal LOL.
LOL.. nothing’s normal here lol.
Well we haven’t had a decent frost yet , so it might decide to go to sleep when we do.
Or it might just be so shit scared of me that it stand’s to attention the minute it see’s me comming lol.
To feed my gang and the poxy free loaders…..$20 a month for them all…. heaps of eggs and I seel egs and get $12.00 a fortnight… more when duck eggs are being sold.
————————————————-
Bugger got that all wrong as well as the spelling…..:(
$20 bag (40 kilo ) a fortnight.
$12.00 minimum a fortnight on egg sales.
Happy Potter said:
pepe said:
Well I was looking for info and came across this site..wow, all you wanted to know about rhubarb but was afraid to ask ..
—-
its an american article but under ‘how to grow – growing season’ it says rhubarb is a summer vege.
i’m sorry HP but this just confirms your garden is not normal LOL.LOL.. nothing’s normal here lol.
Well we haven’t had a decent frost yet , so it might decide to go to sleep when we do.
Or it might just be so shit scared of me that it stand’s to attention the minute it see’s me comming lol.
I could come and touch it if ya want it to look sick like:D
$20 bag (40 kilo ) a fortnight. $12.00 minimum a fortnight on egg sales.
———
-plus the eggs that you eat yourselves?
i was only calculating savings at 30 cents per egg.
pepe said:
$20 bag (40 kilo ) a fortnight. $12.00 minimum a fortnight on egg sales.
———
-plus the eggs that you eat yourselves?
i was only calculating savings at 30 cents per egg.
I haven’t worked out how much the eggs are broken down to in $$$ value. Also I think we should include chicken manure, eating scraps and clearing weeds up in the garden.
Then I think the eggs would come out costing us nothing.
Lucky1 said:
Happy Potter said:
pepe said:
Well I was looking for info and came across this site..wow, all you wanted to know about rhubarb but was afraid to ask ..
—-
its an american article but under ‘how to grow – growing season’ it says rhubarb is a summer vege.
i’m sorry HP but this just confirms your garden is not normal LOL.LOL.. nothing’s normal here lol.
Well we haven’t had a decent frost yet , so it might decide to go to sleep when we do.
Or it might just be so shit scared of me that it stand’s to attention the minute it see’s me comming lol.
I could come and touch it if ya want it to look sick like:D
I don’t think mine has ever completely died back but definately looks sad during winter.
Then I think the eggs would come out costing us nothing.
—-
my calculation says my little feathered friends are each saving me $3 per month – not counting their tireless garden work.
pepe said:
Then I think the eggs would come out costing us nothing.
—-
my calculation says my little feathered friends are each saving me $3 per month – not counting their tireless garden work.
I haven’t bought animal manure for years…between the chooks and the sheep manure from my sister’s place…….
Lucky1 said:
Yeehah said:
How about digging up the front lawn, if the back yard is short on space? Then after the spuds are dug up, you can plant out lots of luvly flowers !?!?!?
Somehow I think the local would think its a free market:(
Fair dink, how many people would know what a potato plant looks like???
Of all the people who drive or walk place your house, about, um, two maybe. And are they likely to bring a shovel and dig up some free spuds? Not on your nelly!
Go the spuds on the nature strip, I dare you!!!!
http://www.rhubarbinfo.com/
I want a site like this for every food plant!!
Thanks for the link :)
“Go the spuds on the nature strip, I dare you!!!!”
Now that Yeehah, is a very good idea !
I’ll need a digger for my front nature strip..it’s compacted and never been used..
Are there any bloody pipe’s out there ? lol
Happy Potter said:
Now that Yeehah, is a very good idea !
I’ll need a digger for my front nature strip..it’s compacted and never been used..
Are there any bloody pipe’s out there ? lol
yep – pipes and conduits, telstra and water mains.
what a night. apparently a rise high telstra tower in the city had a block sewer main here too. its very unusual i wonder whats going on.
write a book HP – you certainly have some very exciting tales to tell.
and my best wishes – i hope you can shake off the trauma and go forward logically – although i would be upset if it were me.
I saw a few Italian and Greek backyards full of veges on my trip to Europe in 06.
In summer these vege patches are vertical. Everything seems to be growing on trellises or bamboo tripods. I guess this gives better use of land and easier picking, less bending. Old people mostly doing this type of thing – you see the olds with their hoe idly tending the patch in retirement. There is virtually no mulching but the hoeing and shade from the high growth cools the roots.
A Greek salad is practically all tomato so they have less reliance on the potato than we do.
pepe said:
Happy Potter said:
Now that Yeehah, is a very good idea !
I’ll need a digger for my front nature strip..it’s compacted and never been used..
Are there any bloody pipe’s out there ? lolyep – pipes and conduits, telstra and water mains.
what a night. apparently a rise high telstra tower in the city had a block sewer main here too. its very unusual i wonder whats going on.
write a book HP – you certainly have some very exciting tales to tell.
and my best wishes – i hope you can shake off the trauma and go forward logically – although i would be upset if it were me.
Ok scratch that Idea..I don’t want to break any pipe’s or lines. Thanks Pepe for the tip.
The thing that upset’s the most was their attitude..come in like jack booted storm trooper’s and worry us with threat’s to rip out the whole back yard, knowing they can try other thing’s first. They could have been a bit gentler.
I have been out and re planted Lucky’s garlic, I had only planted it out the day before and strike a light they had already got good root’s on them and green tip’s , they are near the lime tree now, all safe, I hope they re take.
Some big border rock’s have been knocked out of place by the hose , hubby said he will put them back , lawn’s a mess, and it won’t re grow until spring. O well.
I am writing a book, an autobiography and not for publication ,it’s for my kid’s and their kid’s ect, It’s turned out to be rather a tragi-comedy. I have let a couple friend’s sneak read it and it emitted quite a lot of belly laugh’s lol.
I am writing a book, an autobiography and not for publication ,it’s for my kid’s and their kid’s ect, It’s turned out to be rather a tragi-comedy. I have let a couple friend’s sneak read it and it emitted quite a lot of belly laugh’s lol.
——
good – i must admit that from afar – if it weren’t so serious – there is some humour in how you tell it – bluddy storm troopers with shovels and no idea of diplomacy.
Happy Potter said:
“Go the spuds on the nature strip, I dare you!!!!”Now that Yeehah, is a very good idea !
I’ll need a digger for my front nature strip..it’s compacted and never been used..
Are there any bloody pipe’s out there ? lol
On grass, under straw, and keep piling it up. Have you seen Pete on Gardening Australia’s Patch From Scratch DVD? That’ll show ya!
Yeehah said:
Happy Potter said:
“Go the spuds on the nature strip, I dare you!!!!”Now that Yeehah, is a very good idea !
I’ll need a digger for my front nature strip..it’s compacted and never been used..
Are there any bloody pipe’s out there ? lolOn grass, under straw, and keep piling it up. Have you seen Pete on Gardening Australia’s Patch From Scratch DVD? That’ll show ya!
Oh that’s right, yes build up, heck I can do that easy peasy. I didn’t think of it..Ok the spud’s are back on the menu lol.
I’ll keep a pile of newspaper ect.
I can’t help thinking we have lost a lot of our natural abilities through urbanisation.
Looking at Hughie Whathisname and Ebenezer Howards ‘green cities’ and remembering what pa had in his backyard I have concluded we were once a lot more sustainable than we are now.
My grandfather ‘pop’ had about a 1,000 sq.m. of land with a smallish house. His backyard had a pergola covered in edible grapes, a big almond tree, a vege patch the size of Petes, a chookhouse full of ducks and chooks, a massive figtree and a shed where he did his blacksmithing. And they did a massive amount of preserving in the ‘copper’ in the laundry.
To be sustainable we just have to look backward.
they didn’t have a choice back then, my grandparent’s had a similar set up and my Pop was a miner who worked during the week and Nana tended the garden’s. I helped a lot with the vege’s and preserve’s and that’s where I got some of my knowledge from, observing what they did. They only had to buy some meat, milk, sugar ,flour and tea. I would love a bigger piece of land to grow everything I want, to keep us in fruit and veg at least.
There’s a few thing’s I can do, rip off the shade cloth cover to the fernery and replace it with a grape vine is one. Other thing’s I will work out as I go along. My mini orchard is a start.
i think 1,000sq.m. (quarter acre) is about the right size – a 25 × 40m block would be semi sustainable.
growing tomatoes, capsicums, cucumbers, eggplant and beans on tightly packed rows of trellises has possibilities for better utilisation of land.
pepe said:
I can’t help thinking we have lost a lot of our natural abilities through urbanisation.
Looking at Hughie Whathisname and Ebenezer Howards ‘green cities’ and remembering what pa had in his backyard I have concluded we were once a lot more sustainable than we are now.
My grandfather ‘pop’ had about a 1,000 sq.m. of land with a smallish house. His backyard had a pergola covered in edible grapes, a big almond tree, a vege patch the size of Petes, a chookhouse full of ducks and chooks, a massive figtree and a shed where he did his blacksmithing. And they did a massive amount of preserving in the ‘copper’ in the laundry.
To be sustainable we just have to look backward.
bubba louie said:
pepe said:
I can’t help thinking we have lost a lot of our natural abilities through urbanisation.
Looking at Hughie Whathisname and Ebenezer Howards ‘green cities’ and remembering what pa had in his backyard I have concluded we were once a lot more sustainable than we are now.
My grandfather ‘pop’ had about a 1,000 sq.m. of land with a smallish house. His backyard had a pergola covered in edible grapes, a big almond tree, a vege patch the size of Petes, a chookhouse full of ducks and chooks, a massive figtree and a shed where he did his blacksmithing. And they did a massive amount of preserving in the ‘copper’ in the laundry.
To be sustainable we just have to look backward.
Sounds like my Ma and Poppa on Mum’s side. They had a poutry farm, grew all their own vege and kept goats. Most of my Aunts and Uncles on that side of the family were on the land and grew or raised most of their food. It was heaven to a city kid like me, especially seeing there were 7 of us cousins all born the same year. We were a real rat pack and ran wild.
In fact they grew enough to run a roadside vege stall as well.
It was heaven to a city kid like me, especially seeing there were 7 of us cousins all born the same year. We were a real rat pack and ran wild.
————————————————-
i hope you had gloves and face masks on. LOL.
my Pop had a wood chopping block out the back of the chookshed and i bet it was a butchers block as well. can you imagine the health warnings that would go with that these days.
pepe said:
It was heaven to a city kid like me, especially seeing there were 7 of us cousins all born the same year. We were a real rat pack and ran wild.
————————————————-
i hope you had gloves and face masks on. LOL.
my Pop had a wood chopping block out the back of the chookshed and i bet it was a butchers block as well. can you imagine the health warnings that would go with that these days.
i where gloves and where a face mask when i play with potting mix.
pepe said:
It was heaven to a city kid like me, especially seeing there were 7 of us cousins all born the same year. We were a real rat pack and ran wild.
————————————————-
i hope you had gloves and face masks on. LOL.
my Pop had a wood chopping block out the back of the chookshed and i bet it was a butchers block as well. can you imagine the health warnings that would go with that these days.
i where gloves and where a face mask when i play with potting mix.
veg gardener said:
i where gloves and where a face mask when i play with potting mix.
where = wear
eg. Where is my ball? I wear funny hats.
bluegreen said:
veg gardener said:
i where gloves and where a face mask when i play with potting mix.
where = wear
eg. Where is my ball? I wear funny hats.
i know i am on a different pc i miss my keyboard and i noctied it when i press the submit button should have an edit button.
pepe said:
It was heaven to a city kid like me, especially seeing there were 7 of us cousins all born the same year. We were a real rat pack and ran wild.
————————————————-
i hope you had gloves and face masks on. LOL.
my Pop had a wood chopping block out the back of the chookshed and i bet it was a butchers block as well. can you imagine the health warnings that would go with that these days.
Oh yes, the old wood stump.LOL
I was chased by many a headless chook. My one uncle always thought it was funny to let one go when us kids were around.
It’s a wonder we survived, we climbed every tree, played around the dam (we weren’t really supposed to but we did), made halters out of baling twine and used them to catch poddy calves that we dragged around until Poppa made us let them go.
Had persimmon fights and sat in the shed with hundreds of fluffy yellow chicks. They were barn raised and semi free range, every shed had a big run attached and they were let out every day into the paddocks to pick. They had this fantasic black kelpie cross who could seperate the white chooks from the black and put them back into the right pen.
Everything was done by hand, the eggs were collected and then cleaned in the shed before being hand packed. They even had a hand operated chaff cutter.
The only place we really were forbidden to go was into the billy goat’s pen but he was so disgusting I doubt we ever wanted to anyway.
Oh Bubba, what a wonderful childhood you had!
orchid40 said:
Oh Bubba, what a wonderful childhood you had!
yes i think she did have a great childhood.
orchid40 said:
Oh Bubba, what a wonderful childhood you had!
That part was but it wasn’t so great at home. :(
bubba louie said:
orchid40 said:
Oh Bubba, what a wonderful childhood you had!
That part was but it wasn’t so great at home. :(
We didn’t live very close so it was only a weekend thing about once a month. One Aunt and Uncle lived just up the road from my grandparents and he was a long distance truckie, so when I got older I’d sometimes catch a ride with him on his way home and spend holidays there.
bubba louie said:
bubba louie said:
orchid40 said:
Oh Bubba, what a wonderful childhood you had!
That part was but it wasn’t so great at home. :(
We didn’t live very close so it was only a weekend thing about once a month. One Aunt and Uncle lived just up the road from my grandparents and he was a long distance truckie, so when I got older I’d sometimes catch a ride with him on his way home and spend holidays there.
They had this fantasic black kelpie cross who could seperate the white chooks from the black and put them back into the right pen.
——————————————-
impressive !
nice stories bubba.
pepe said:
They had this fantasic black kelpie cross who could seperate the white chooks from the black and put them back into the right pen.
——————————————-
impressive !
nice stories bubba.
A lot of people didn’t believe it but I saw him in action. You could even tell him which ones to get, black or white.