Gardening

[bintyonekenobi]

    Now that spring is in the air and some of us are turning our thoughts to what to chuck in the vege garden, I figured here would be a good place to talk about it, so all those gems Emsee and anyone else lets slip, it will be much easier to find.


So far my vege garden has been worked up it, has had literally a truck load of our goat shed shavings dumped in  to it along with a good sprinkling of lime and blood and bone... now it sits while the microbes do their business of breaking down all that lovely organic matter, hopefully there will be enough nitrogen in it to break down all that carbon, because it only has another couple of weeks before I start planting.  The idea is that the worms that will think they died and went to heaven will multiply rapidly, feed on all the goodies in that mix and therefore poop out a constant supply of plant food for the rest of the growing season. (Except for the gross feeding sweet corn, it'll need a side dressing)

So what goes in your vege garden?

[Stu]

I'm adding 'gardening' to the swear filters

[♦ snoopy ♥]

Hi ya Collie, what a great idea!

I havent put anything on my garden except the last years 'shed shavings' over the whole plot, (potager its called now isnt it?).  *note to self to chuck some blood and bone on, and chase the dog away*

In my garden I try and rotate things around a bit so its not let open to disease.  Certainly there is about 10 tyre mounds for potatoes, pinch the tyres from the silage stack when no-one is looking.  Compolsory are the strawberries and peas. try and have 3 or 4 rows of peas.

Lettuce, carrots, zuccini (which try their hardest to turn into marrows), cauli, broccolli, broccoflower and tomatoes, spring onions. 

I espalier my tomato plants and so generally only need two plants.  By doing this I can get the tomato plant to be about two metres wide and about 1 metre high.

Oh, and of course theres the pumpkin...  Which has to be 'garden trained' as it sprints around my plot.  I plonk the plant in one corner and then I use pigtail standards and 'train' it to go where I want it.

Havent done garlic for a couple of years, but always like to do heaps and plait it up to give away, which not only looks pretty, but is always appreciated.  But hey thats part of growing veges isnt it, giving and eating fresh veg in its abundance.


I got told only recently that if your lettuce or broccolli or whatever is trying to 'bolt' - you pull it out of the ground for an hour or so and then replant it.  It shocks it into stopping.

Love vege gardening, coz I can eat it. Not really into flower beds that much.

[♦ snoopy ♥]

I'm adding 'gardening' to the swear filters

well its a good thing I've turned my swear filter off then

[bintyonekenobi]

I'm adding 'gardening' to the swear filters

Is gardening a dirty word to you stu??

[bintyonekenobi]

Hi ya Collie, what a great idea!

I havent put anything on my garden except the last years 'shed shavings' over the whole plot, (potager its called now isnt it?).  *note to self to chuck some blood and bone on, and chase the dog away*

In my garden I try and rotate things around a bit so its not let open to disease.  Certainly there is about 10 tyre mounds for potatoes, pinch the tyres from the silage stack when no-one is looking.  Compolsory are the strawberries and peas. try and have 3 or 4 rows of peas.

Lettuce, carrots, zuccini (which try their hardest to turn into marrows), cauli, broccolli, broccoflower and tomatoes, spring onions. 

I espalier my tomato plants and so generally only need two plants.  By doing this I can get the tomato plant to be about two metres wide and about 1 metre high.

Oh, and of course theres the pumpkin...  Which has to be 'garden trained' as it sprints around my plot.  I plonk the plant in one corner and then I use pigtail standards and 'train' it to go where I want it.

Havent done garlic for a couple of years, but always like to do heaps and plait it up to give away, which not only looks pretty, but is always appreciated.  But hey thats part of growing veges isnt it, giving and eating fresh veg in its abundance.


I got told only recently that if your lettuce or broccolli or whatever is trying to 'bolt' - you pull it out of the ground for an hour or so and then replant it.  It shocks it into stopping.

Love vege gardening, coz I can eat it. Not really into flower beds that much.

Me too!! 

I have a permanent strawberry plot, well semi permanent, it gets shifted now and then, with atleast 200 plants in it, so we have a good ice cream container full of strawberries every day of late spring and summer.

Last year for the first time i planted red onions, they will be a permanent on my list from now on - so easy and such nice onions... my spring oinions from last year are still in the garden... flowering, kinda pretty those purple flowers 

My garden is sort of a communal plot, I grow the potatoes for the three familys living on the farm plus for my parents that live in town, same goes for the pumpkins and sweet corn... woe betide anyone other than my immediate family that gets caught in my strawberry or raspberry patch 

[homey]

my stinking strawberries did NOTHING last year and I must have had about 30 bloody plants... I'm starting again and getting a different variety this year 

3 of my silverbeet plants are still alive out there at the moment, one potato was left in the ground from the last one grown so it might pop up and have 2 ready to get planted.

Last year I had lettuce (Pete HATES them) brocolli, courgettes which I let turn into marrows (more to eat, tastes the same hehehe) one potato, 6 tomato plants that were planted too late and they didn't get a chance to ripen before the cold weather and tomato eating things got them.  Leeks, silverbeet, carrots for the horses and a pumpkin that did pretty well but I should have helped fertalise more flowers on it 

oh and it's all in nothing but horse s**t with some dolomite...

[♦ snoopy ♥]

how do you guys stop the birds eating your strawberries if you have so many plants?????

[homey]

after I figured the buggers were getting them, I chucked bird netting over them (from mitre 10)

[bintyonekenobi]

Graeme built a 'bird cage' as one friend teasingly called it (so the name stuck) over the patch... high enough to stand up under (and covered it with that silage wrap netting , ugly as sin but it works a treat!  My strawberry plants are the comercial variety (it is not what you know but who you know ), the home varieties they sell are crap producers, doesn't matter what you feed them with.

[homey]

scrap the fudge chuck me a couple of little strawberry plants then 

[bintyonekenobi]

scrap the fudge chuck me a couple of little strawberry plants then 

Next winter I'll send you as many as you like - New ones. Just say the word.  Too late to shift now, they are growing and sending up flowers.

[♦ snoopy ♥]

    and any other gardening cyber mates you have????

[bintyonekenobi]

   yes, of course mc, just remind me about the beginning of June that I promised ok   

[bytey]

   crazy b***hes

I lived in a house once with a vege garden that was maybe a metre wide by 4 long......

took us a whole day to clear all the mini trees and grasses that had grown when i moved out 

[homey]

collie I think that means bytey wants some too 

[bytey]

collie I think that means bytey wants some too 

wants some what?

[homey]

you'll have to read the thread and see! 

[bytey]

strawberries? nah (not that keen on strawberries - although mr bytey loves them)....

but I saw the word fudge mentioned Ill have some of that 

[bintyonekenobi]

I make the best fudge ever too, but only my special friends (ie the bribable ones) get given my fudge   

[Skoorb]

Ohhh Collie, you can send me some too if you want?? The strawberries that is.

[bytey]

I make the best fudge ever too, but only my special friends (ie the bribable ones) get given my fudge   

ahh well...guess i miss out then. Ill have to live with chocolate.

[bintyonekenobi]

  figured you wouldn't be bribeable, Ibyte.

Those of us who grow our own veges aren't really mad, we just care about the fact that, well  ok, speaking for myself,  that there are no herbicide, no pesticides, no mitacide etc residues on my plants (food), the ground does have a plentiful supply of All the nutrients for the plants to pick up, not just the macro-nutrients that would be in the commercial crops.  Also I pick /dig.. bah, I HARVEST my veges and then they go straight into the pot (or mouth  ) so I know they are Fresh.

Then there is one other thing and it is not a small one, it is the pure pleasure of producing it all by myself, the sense of accomplishment it gives, but then perhaps I'm just a tad on the mad side but I get a real kick out of producing an evening meal I didn't have to buy.

[homey]

oooh yeah, I'm a tight wad I love calculating how much I've just saved when I go out to grab something from the garden for dinner 

[♦ snoopy ♥]

ok       I just love being out there hanging out.  good place to collect your thoughts, peaceful almost.  And yes eating it all too......

[bintyonekenobi]

    yep it is peaceful isn't it, you can kinda zone out and listen to the voices... of the birdies etc 

[homey]

did they let you take your cuddly jacket home when you left collie???

[bintyonekenobi]

  awww, now that wasn't very nice.... they never gave me one!!!   

Have you never listened to all the sounds around you don't normally hear when you are too busy with your head, with gardening your brain is disengaged... eeek or is t that only with me??   

   somebody go get me a nice snug jacket!!

[Lisa]

I hate gardening. Worms live in the soil. But I did grow some tomatoes, leeks, corn,silverbeet, and rhubarb last year.

[homey]

I get that picking up horse doodies LOL, gardening I'm too busy concentrating, I'm too new at the game!

[homey]

not so bad eh chick... just stick em in the ground, water them and enjoy the bounty 

[bytey]

so collie....what exactly would the bribe be?

I did used to work at a vege shop and i must admit i got free fresh veges and i must also admit i did love them!

[Lisa]

and take photo's cos you're so stoked you can actually grow them.    I know, I'm a dork.

[bintyonekenobi]

so collie....what exactly would the bribe be?

I did used to work at a vege shop and i must admit i got free fresh veges and i must also admit i did love them!

   hmmm let me think, but while I am thinking, I warn you my fudge is the best... so firm but when you put it in your mouth, it melts so cold and soooooooo smooth in your mouth with the most divine explosion of that lovely chocolate flavour to the taste buds... pure heaven!   

[bintyonekenobi]

and take photo's cos you're so stoked you can actually grow them.    I know, I'm a dork.

Hell no that is not being a dork, that is being rightly proud of your achievements!     

[bytey]

so collie....what exactly would the bribe be?

I did used to work at a vege shop and i must admit i got free fresh veges and i must also admit i did love them!

   hmmm let me think, but while I am thinking, I warn you my fudge is the best... so firm but when you put it in your mouth, it melts so cold and soooooooo smooth in your mouth with the most divine explosion of that lovely chocolate flavour to the taste buds... pure heaven!   

Cant I just buy some?

[homey]

LOL the photo I took was of my corn that failed to thrive!!!  It was very sad!

[bintyonekenobi]

LOL the photo I took was of my corn that failed to thrive!!!  It was very sad!

    Now THAT is sad!!!

[bytey]

so collie....what exactly would the bribe be?

I did used to work at a vege shop and i must admit i got free fresh veges and i must also admit i did love them!

   hmmm let me think, but while I am thinking, I warn you my fudge is the best... so firm but when you put it in your mouth, it melts so cold and soooooooo smooth in your mouth with the most divine explosion of that lovely chocolate flavour to the taste buds... pure heaven!   

Cant I just buy some?

AHEM

[bintyonekenobi]

no

[bintyonekenobi]

  It would lose its value as a bribe, but if you pm me, we might do a deal 

[homey]

It would lose its value as a bribe, but if you pm me, we might do a deal 

 

LOL the photo I took was of my corn that failed to thrive!!!  It was very sad!

    Now THAT is sad!!!

It was while I was preggers and lots of the mummies due at the same time were having a rough time so I thought I'd give them something to laugh at ... it worked 

they laughed at me 

[bintyonekenobi]

see how sad I am..... I take a photo of my grape vine every year... please note my prioites, I am very food orientated - the grape vine is loveingly attended to but the flower garden under it???  hmmmm

[Skoorb]

figured you wouldn't be bribeable, Ibyte.

Those of us who grow our own veges aren't really mad, we just care about the fact that, well  ok, speaking for myself,  that there are no herbicide, no pesticides, no mitacide etc residues on my plants (food), the ground does have a plentiful supply of All the nutrients for the plants to pick up, not just the macro-nutrients that would be in the commercial crops.  Also I pick /dig.. bah, I HARVEST my veges and then they go straight into the pot (or mouth  ) so I know they are Fresh.

Then there is one other thing and it is not a small one, it is the pure pleasure of producing it all by myself, the sense of accomplishment it gives, but then perhaps I'm just a tad on the mad side but I get a real kick out of producing an evening meal I didn't have to buy.

I just like the fact that I dont have to go buying them!! LMAO

[Lisa]

I'd say nice vines there collie but after working in a vineyard a person kind of gets an aversion to grapes. 

I forgot to mention I grew strawberries last year too.

[bintyonekenobi]

   can't say I blame you and unlike in vineyards, that is only ONE vine...and when they are ripe they are so sweet it almost makes your mouth hurt.

Were your strawberries nice?

[bytey]

yum - grapes

[Lisa]

me strawberries were the best collie. 

[homey]

that's cause them mangy cats kept the bloody birds off them!  Same freaking plants as mine and mine had next to nothing by the time them birdies got at them (and the plants just seemed to grow and grow and grow and not have much fruit instead!)

[Lisa]

   I'll grow some for you this year Home since I can