PDA

View Full Version : Today in the Garden



Pages : [1] 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

veganblue
Oct 19th, 2004, 12:52 PM
I think there would be a great many vegans out there that enjoy growing some of their own food and there are no other garden threads. Garden/food/vegan - it is nice to hear what people are doing around the world as seasons change. As it moves into Winter in the southern hemisphere in a good six or more months , I would enjoy hearing about all things green and planty, stirring in the north. Maybe some will get comfort from garden tales from the south as it starts to cool.

Actually it was yesterday but I planted many tomatoes that were shared with me at a seed savers meeting; cherry, yellow, roma, black russian and 'Mr.Stripey' (red and green stripes), plus moon and stars watermelon, spagetti marrow, squash, and loads of basil seeds, French marigold, calendula and helichrysums. I have seedlings awaiting; the redskin eggplant is very exciting - I figure what's the point growing what you can get down the markets??? Even my potatoes are blue - great with fresh rosemary.

MzNatural
Oct 19th, 2004, 01:24 PM
There is kale, collard, beet, squash, eggplant, turnip, leek, and garlic growing in the garden. The collards and kale survive the winter. I pick them daily to juice and make meals. In the herb garden I still have rosemary, mint, lemon balm, eucalyptus, and fennel. I am growing the wheat grass in the house.
It would be nice to my garden all year. I guess I would need to move to a warmer climate. ;)

Northern Lights
Oct 19th, 2004, 04:53 PM
I'm at the other end of the world- we've just finished bringing in the garden and there is over a foot/ 30cm of snow on the ground!!

My freezer is full with lots of green beans, beets, shread zuchinni, rhubarb, spinach, french cut pole beans, some corn, blueberries, strawberries and saskatoons.

I canned peaches, pie fillings, and enough apple sauce for everyweek of the year! I have cabbages in the cold room as well as potatos, carrots, onions and apples. We had fresh juice this morning from the apples and carrots. I love being able to bring out food that I KNOW what's been on it since the start.

I didn't grow the apples or potatos by the way, I 'gleaned' them from friends. Rule of thumb- always accept things from your friends. Sometimes you get things you don't want, but often you get things that are wonderful!

cowpie
Oct 19th, 2004, 05:24 PM
Veganblue, it sounds like you got heirloom tomato seeds. I'd love to try them someday. I have a small yard, so I really don't have room for a garden, but I have grown tomatoes and green peppers in large five gallon pots. I love gardening. There isn't anything more rewarding to me than being able to walk into the garden, and pick fresh vegetables. I live in South Florida, so October is the time of the year we plant. We can't grow too many vegetables in the summer....it's so hot, the sun burns the plants up. We also have a frantic insect season in the summer, so if the sun doesn't get the plants, the insects will....

veganblue
Oct 20th, 2004, 12:05 AM
Hey Cowpie! Yes, they are heirloom varieties. I did a quick check and you can get seeds from the address below in USA. I would send you some but do not know the quarrantine proceedures and would hate to inadvertantly introduce a pest into the States. There are ways you can treat seeds to ensure you are only sending the organism you want ... and I will ask at the botanic garden what are the regulations and proceedures, but for now there is the joy of starting your own seed bank the online catalogue. You can always ask around in local gardening groups or on the radio - you may find that there is a seed swap network in your area - plus they will have gardening tips for hot weather periods.
Seed Savers USA (http://www.seedsavers.org/home.asp)
For everyone else not in the USA, try
Seed Savers Web Site Links (http://www.envirotech-list.com/Top_Science_Environment_Biodiversity_Agricultural_ Seed_Savers.html)

Panda
Oct 20th, 2004, 11:36 AM
My little garden has, lettuce ,beetroot, brocoli, parsley, rocket, silverbeet and peaches.

My wonderful Mum is my other source she has: basil,thyme, coriander, parsley, rhubarb, rasberries, strawberries, snow peas, cabbage, spinach, buk choy, silverbeet, radishes, beetroot, potatoes, tomatoes, capsicum, zuchini, brocoli, lemons, carrots, garlic. and prob others that I can't think of right now.

I would like to grow wheat grass.
I'm not sure where to get it, or how to grow it.
Any advice?

ConsciousCuisine
Oct 20th, 2004, 11:45 AM
Panda, I like Whole Hard Winter Wheat Berries...you easily can sprout them yourself...

http://www.sprouting.com/wheatgrass.htm

;)

veganblue
Oct 21st, 2004, 02:42 AM
Panda, I like Whole Hard Winter Wheat Berries...you easily can sprout them yourself...
http://www.sprouting.com/wheatgrass.htm
;)

Thanks for the link CC! I sprout mine over a tray of loose soil and have had a few problems as a result - the thing about growing it outside is you can get slugs in your tray which are not nice to pick out of the grass - that was a lesson only needed once. Growing on a tray with an organic liner makes it possible to compost the exhausted roots; soil is not necessary since the seedling only requires a minimum of trace element - the rest is supplied in photosynthesis - at least for the ten day life expectancy of the crop.
What kind of wheat grass juicers do people use? I have an old hand wound fruit press that looks unfortunately like a meat mincer but the thread ends at a point and mascerates the grass past a fine mesh and extrudes the dry pulp out the other end. Gets the blood circulating first thing in the morning and is quite easy to clean.

Panda - as CC suggests, the organic wheat are the best since they are likely not to have concentrated any of the nasties used on crops including seed preservatives, but chicken wheat from the fodder store will work just as well and is markedly cheaper. If you soak the seed overnight, it gets off to a great start - you may like to wash the seed like you would rice, before soaking, but use the cleanest water possible, bottled is great, rainwater is better - depending on how clean the air is in your area - but another way of making better water is to stand the water in a bucket over night to let the chlorine evaporate. Cooled boiled water is good if it has been allowed to re-oxygenate - boiling reduces the dissolved gas concentration which is why you should never used recently cooled boiled water in aquariums without having put a bubbler through it.

Something I have never really taken to but know people do - drinking the overnight soak water. It is called rejuvelac and in my experience is for the extremely hardy souls. The sprouting seed undergoes a great deal of chemistry as it comes out of dormancy and some people feel the soak water that contains some of the by-products is good for you. I would only do it with fresh water and organic seed. It may contain antibacterial and antifungals but also other compounds I could not ensure are not anti-people... Check it out first if you are tempted.

JaredM
Oct 21st, 2004, 11:20 PM
I would love to start planiting my own vegetables. I have a big yard but know nothign about growing anything. Anyone have any good websites that have good information on growing vegetabls and/or fruit?

cowpie
Oct 22nd, 2004, 03:04 AM
Hey Cowpie! Yes, they are heirloom varieties. I did a quick check and you can get seeds from the address below in USA. I would send you some but do not know the quarrantine proceedures and would hate to inadvertantly introduce a pest into the States. There are ways you can treat seeds to ensure you are only sending the organism you want ... and I will ask at the botanic garden what are the regulations and proceedures, but for now there is the joy of starting your own seed bank the online catalogue. You can always ask around in local gardening groups or on the radio - you may find that there is a seed swap network in your area - plus they will have gardening tips for hot weather periods.
Seed Savers USA (http://www.seedsavers.org/home.asp)
For everyone else not in the USA, try
Seed Savers Web Site Links (http://www.envirotech-list.com/Top_Science_Environment_Biodiversity_Agricultural_ Seed_Savers.html)


Hey, veganblue, I've heard that the heirloom seeds aren't disease resistant. Is that true? I live in Florida, where the insects run rampant twelve months out of the year. We're advised to grow disease resistant plants here. Thanks for offering to send me some, though...hahaha....

veganblue
Oct 22nd, 2004, 03:22 AM
It's a complicated one - all plants have some level of disease resistance - the ones that don't die out. Heritage varieties are genetically vastly more diverse than modern cropping varieties and you will find that some of them contain resistances to diseases that the modern varieties are not - this is one of the reasons it is so important to have 100 varieties of tomato - not five. "Old" varieties are eagerly looked for so that some of their characteristics can be incorporated into the monocrops that we currently use to increase resistance. The problem is that a monocrop provides a huge resource for whichever organism can "access that resource" or eat it. With a huge crop you get massive population increases that can devestate the crop because there is no genetic diversity.

Some modern crops are susceptible to some diseases. Some heirloom varieties are susceptible also but not necessarily the same diseases and may also be resistant to the monoculture crop diseases.

There is no simple answer of yes or no to this one. There is a strong argument against monocultures and monocropping but I would suggest if that you are having problems with insects, look into companion planting. There are things that you can plant that encourage predatory insects, repel unwanted insects or act as a sacrificial crop. Your best bet is to plant lots, expect some loss and account for it.

There are things you can do that don't require artificial chemicals that will repel nasties but strong healthy plants often will use their own defences. My struggles are with slugs, snails and earwigs - they love my sprouting seedlings...! I am working on it though :)

cowpie
Oct 25th, 2004, 02:40 AM
Veganblue, you sure know your "stuff". I know about companion planting. We have so many problems in Florida with nematodes, microscopic worms that'll eat your plants right down to the roots. They love sandy soil, so it's suggested that we mix compost, peat moss, etc., in with the soil to discourage them. Growing vegetables in South Florida is like nowhere else in the world. Even master gardeners fail sometimes. It's a real challenge....

veganblue
Oct 25th, 2004, 12:03 PM
I used to spend hot summer days at the kitchen table reading Mum's magazines and books on gardening - she loves organic gardening and permaculture etc.
Nematodes is not a problem that I have been aware that I suffered from in a gardening sense. This said, I always grow marigolds which are renowned for deterring and reducing nematode populations. I like to intersperse them in my garden for the brilliant colour they give but for problem soils it is recommended to grow them as a bed full of flowers ready for the following years crop. I try and plant as many fragrant herbs as possible and the general idea is to keep the garden soil as well covered as possible with foliage of some type. Bare earth allows to weedy invasion, makes desirable plants a target due to the open space and soil moisture is lost. Mulch is a great idea of course but can harbour earwigs - which like to decimate seedlings and eat all sorts of things you wish they wouldn't! Lots of fragrance and colour will not only deter pests and encourage beneficial insects but will make your garden a wonderful place to be. I wish you the very best.

blue
Oct 25th, 2004, 12:42 PM
I don't have a garden, but would love some tree's that produce fruit.

veganblue
Oct 28th, 2004, 04:33 AM
My delightful rabbity friends decided to take a romp in the garden this morning, neatly halving my seedling count, felling a bean plant and romping on the newly tilled seed bed. I am sure that they had a wonderful time but don't know how to impress upon them; no seedlings - no yummy plants...
Somehow I think they like lawn better anyway...

veganblue
Oct 28th, 2004, 11:57 PM
Growing mangos from seed (http://www.veganforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=15529#post15529)

I think that you both, blue and cowpie, are in regions that will support mango trees - Florida definately, but Texas - possibly also with some protection and a lot of water. If you were after an amazing fruit tree blue, the mango would have to be top of my list, closely followed by avocado, nectarines and a range of citrus. Have you ever tried blood oranges? They look a little disturbing from a vegan perspective but eh flavour is wonderful and the texture also. When I have my own place one of the first things I will be doing is putting in the biggest fruit and nut trees that I can afford; a whole range of nuts, almonds, pecans, macadamias, pistacio's, walnuts etc. Blood oranges, pink grapefruit, valencias, sevils navels, imperial mandarines, kaffir and regular limes, plums, peaches, apricots and nectarines, apples, persimons and pears...
Think I am going to rename the 'car' savings account as 'fruit trees' - this is a much better investment!!!

mysh
Oct 29th, 2004, 12:07 AM
We have a scrawny old grapefruit tree that doesn't have much of a yield anymore, but the ones that we have had were gigantic and delicious!
We also have an orange tree (honeybell tangelo, to be specific), which produces absolutely fantasticly sweet oranges - they make the best juice, bar none! This tree was enormous, but sadly it got blown over in hurricane Frances, and they had to chop off most of the branches to be able to stand it back up again. And we lost the entirety of this year's crop. :( About 100-200 oranges.
But, Florida being Florida, in a month and a half it already has double the amount of leaves and branches it did after the trimming!
And the bananas that grow just outside the fence are kind of bitter, but they make pretty good banana bread.

I grew up with a back garden that grew apples, pears, sour cherries (yummy!), strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, gosseberries, rhubarb, red currants, white currants, chives, and, best of all, quinces.

I love having food-bearing plants in my garden! :D

PinkFluffyCloud
Oct 29th, 2004, 12:09 AM
Back to Reproduction again.....(sigh) :D

Mystic
Oct 29th, 2004, 06:36 AM
Last week I enjoyed bok choy from my garden in a stir-fry. I also have some beautiful parsley and thai coriander. Sometimes I get a broccoli floret, but that is all...

I have also entered the wonderful world of sprouting

PinkFluffyCloud
Oct 29th, 2004, 08:53 PM
I have just started 'sprouting' too, Banana! How were yours? Mine were delicious - next time I would like straighter ones though!!

Mystic
Oct 29th, 2004, 11:47 PM
I will let you know later coz I am having my 'raw' hummus for the first time for lunch today!!!!

Now I am sprouting some lentil seeds. I only started this morning - I hope they work :)

veganblue
Nov 3rd, 2004, 09:14 PM
It's raining heavily today and the garden is loving it. I slept in the loungeroom next to the window where I could best hear the rain and the wind in the pine trees out the back. If it lets up a little (even if it doesn't) I will run around poking more seeds into the ground as this will give them a great start.

blue
Nov 4th, 2004, 06:35 AM
This thread really makes me want to do some investigating on getting some trees. The problem is, waiting on the first yield of fruit!

veganblue
Nov 4th, 2004, 06:57 AM
This thread really makes me want to do some investigating on getting some trees. The problem is, waiting on the first yield of fruit!

Don't forget the delicate pink blossoms of the almond that suddenly erupt with a sweet pink fragrance and herald the start of the warm weather then are gone within a week. Soon the tips swell and the tree is covered in a mist of green shoots. You can pick the last of the loquots, while waiting on the apricots and juicing Valencias or the last of the winter navel oranges.

Suddenly the house is full of buckets of ripe fruit demanding drying and bottling for winter delights. Clouds of vinegar flies hover in the warm air over the bucket with an over-ripe bruised fruit going unpleasantly liquid at the bottom of the bucket releasing a tangy sugary smell.

As the leaves fall you can sometimes find a missed apple that the birds and bugs have not found amongst the leaf litter, the bare branches expose the now empty nests of the black birds and the occasional pigeon raft of twigs that seem ill-advised to hold round eggs.

There are many nuts still to be found beneath the pecan tree and the macadamia that were missed earlier and the jerusalem artichokes are ready for digging up and eating fresh and raw, scrubbed like carrots in the backyard.

There is always so much in the garden. Plant so that you will always be just on the edge of harvesting something; it keeps the excitement alive all year round.

blue
Nov 4th, 2004, 07:12 AM
When I was growing up, we had a fig tree, and a pecan tree, it was wonderful! I've always missed it!