RE: People who know about gardening?

Collarspace Discussion Forums

Home Login Search

RE: People who know about gardening?

View related threads: (in this forum | in all forums)

Logged in as: Guest

All Forums >> [Casual Banter] >> Off the Grid >> RE: People who know about gardening?

Page: << < prev 1 [2]

Message

<< Older Topic Newer Topic >>

RE: People who know about gardening? - 8/6/2013 11:59:15 AM

MalcolmNathaniel

Posts: 1394
Joined: 9/20/2010
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: DarkSteven

4. All seeds are edible, and all winter squash seeds as well.

This is not true. There are some seeds that are deadly poison. Any domesticated plants will have edible seeds, but it is incorrect to say that all seeds are edible.

(in reply to DarkSteven)

Profile

Post #: 21

RE: People who know about gardening? - 8/6/2013 12:05:28 PM

MalcolmNathaniel

Posts: 1394
Joined: 9/20/2010
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: AthenaSurrenders

Some quick tips if you don't mind?

-Can I/should I hand-pollinate pumpkins? And it seems like male and female flowers aren't blooming at the same time - I have tons of male and the female ones aren't ready to open yet. Are they ever going to be on the same schedule?
-Are pumpkin flowers edible like courgette/zucchini?
-Heavy rains have left my garlic in soggy waterlogged soil. Is there anything I can do to help them before they drown? They're not ready to come up yet.
-Are all sunflower seeds edible or only certain varieties?

Thank you to anyone who knows any answers!

1) Males and females aren't ready at the same time. Pull the other one! You can hand pollinate flowers. It has been done for centuries, especially for vanilla.
2) Yes, pumpkin flowers are edible.
3) If your garlic isn't totally spoiled it's probably moldy. Cut your losses and run.
4) Was answered better than I could.

(in reply to AthenaSurrenders)

Profile

Post #: 22

RE: People who know about gardening? - 8/6/2013 1:23:48 PM

KMsAngel

Posts: 17415
Joined: 4/13/2007
Status: offline

for bees, i've heard borage is a bee attractor. they're pretty little flowers too.

_____________________________

20 fluffy points!

flightless cherub

(in reply to mnottertail)

Profile

Post #: 23

RE: People who know about gardening? - 8/6/2013 1:56:34 PM

kalikshama

Posts: 14805
Joined: 8/8/2010
Status: offline

quote:

The thing is called Colony Collapse Disorder. Perfectly good hives abandoned. A relatively new phenomenon, getting worse rapidly. Nobody has proven conclusively what causes it, but there's a lot of speculation.

The main direct causes have been held to be the Varroa mite, and a kind of pesticide family called nicotinoids.

EU bans BASF pesticide over bee health fears

* Fipronil use restricted due to link with falling bee numbers

* Decision follows earlier EU ban on widely used pesticides

* Scientists divided over pesticides' role in bee deaths (Recasts lead, adds BASF reaction, details, background)

By Charlie Dunmore

BRUSSELS, July 16 (Reuters) - The European Union added a pesticide made by German chemical firm BASF to its blacklist of substances suspected of playing a role in declining bee populations.

Member governments banned the use of agricultural insecticide fipronil to treat maize and sunflower seeds, the European Commission said.

The restrictions take effect from Dec. 31 but seeds which have already been treated can be sown until the end of February 2014.

The ban follows similar EU curbs imposed in April on three of the world's most widely used pesticides, known as neonicotinoids, and reflects growing concern in Europe over a recent plunge in the population of honeybees critical to crop pollination and production.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/16/eu-pesticides-bees-idUSL6N0FM2H620130716

_____________________________

Curious about the "Sluts Vote" avatars? See http://www.collarchat.com/m_4133036/mpage_1/key_/tm.htm#4133036

(in reply to DarkSteven)

Profile

Post #: 24

RE: People who know about gardening? - 8/6/2013 2:01:23 PM

kalikshama

Posts: 14805
Joined: 8/8/2010
Status: offline

FR,

No one's mentioned the bane of gardeners - weeds. I like mulch for weed control and have been driving by a yard that has piles of wood chips after some trees were cut down. I left a note asking if I could have some and he called back and said sure, so yesterday T and I went over with his truck and filled two trash barrels. I've mulched half the front flower bed I've been working in and only have a quarter barrel left - need to go get more before the truck comes and removes the wood chips.

_____________________________

Curious about the "Sluts Vote" avatars? See http://www.collarchat.com/m_4133036/mpage_1/key_/tm.htm#4133036

(in reply to AthenaSurrenders)

Profile

Post #: 25

RE: People who know about gardening? - 8/6/2013 6:09:35 PM

DarkSteven

Posts: 28072
Joined: 5/2/2008
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: MalcolmNathaniel

quote:

ORIGINAL: DarkSteven

4. All seeds are edible, and all winter squash seeds as well.

This is not true. There are some seeds that are deadly poison. Any domesticated plants will have edible seeds, but it is incorrect to say that all seeds are edible.

My error. I had misread her question as her asking about pumpkin seeds being edible, when in fact she was asking about sunflower seeds. I meant to say that all pumpkin seeds were edible.

_____________________________

"You women....

The small-breasted ones want larger breasts. The large-breasted ones want smaller ones. The straight-haired ones curl their hair, and the curly-haired ones straighten theirs...

Quit fretting. We men love you."

(in reply to MalcolmNathaniel)

Profile

Post #: 26

RE: People who know about gardening? - 8/6/2013 6:15:53 PM

DomKen

Posts: 19457
Joined: 7/4/2004
From: Chicago, IL
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: ChatteParfaitt

I thought some crab apple seeds were poisonous. Am I wrong? I don't remember where I got that from.

In any case I should have said, don't eat them raw. I know some crab apples are good for jelly, but I really thought there were types to avoid.

Not that I've ever heard of. The decorative trees are bred for factors other than quality of the fruit but I've never seen anything saying not to eat or cook with crab apples.

(in reply to ChatteParfaitt)

Profile

Post #: 27

RE: People who know about gardening? - 9/4/2013 7:12:29 PM

ARIES83

Posts: 3648
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: AthenaSurrenders

I don't know about Britain as a whole, but yes my garden has a lot of clay. Most of our veg are growing in planters and gro-bags anyway since it's a rented house and we can't dig up the lawn or flowerbeds. I guess I will have to wait til next year for some garlic - it was only a few plants anyway.

Can't wait to see Aries' garden.

Well, I couldn't wait either heh... Apparently theres been 6 weeks with no rain down here, and a lot of my plants are pretty sick, I pulled out half of them and the rest weren't being harvested so were all overgrown... I spent some time last night slug hunting/getting rid of their hiding places etc... But I have a few pics.

Attachment (1)

_____________________________

530 DAYS

(in reply to AthenaSurrenders)

Profile

Post #: 28

RE: People who know about gardening? - 9/4/2013 7:19:26 PM

ARIES83

Posts: 3648
Status: offline

Hmm, thats not going to cut it...
Trying to get the file sizes down on my iphone......

_____________________________

530 DAYS

(in reply to ARIES83)

Profile

Post #: 29

RE: People who know about gardening? - 9/4/2013 7:27:43 PM

DesFIP

Posts: 25191
Joined: 11/25/2007
From: Apple County NY
Status: offline

Actually all apple seeds are theoretically poisonous but you would have to eat 10 pounds of them at once to notice any effect. When I make apple butter I cook them skins, seeds and all and strain it out afterward.

Kids and pets being smaller will be hit harder by smaller quantities.

< Message edited by DesFIP -- 9/4/2013 7:30:07 PM >

_____________________________

Slave to laundry

Cynical and proud of it!

(in reply to ARIES83)

Profile

Post #: 30

RE: People who know about gardening? - 9/4/2013 7:31:42 PM

ARIES83

Posts: 3648
Status: offline

You need to use the facetime camera...

Attachment (1)

_____________________________

530 DAYS

(in reply to ARIES83)

Profile

Post #: 31

RE: People who know about gardening? - 9/4/2013 7:35:09 PM

ARIES83

Posts: 3648
Status: offline

Celery! Apparently immune to drought... Who knew.

Attachment (1)

_____________________________

530 DAYS

(in reply to ARIES83)

Profile

Post #: 32

RE: People who know about gardening? - 9/4/2013 7:37:57 PM

ARIES83

Posts: 3648
Status: offline

I use marigolds, pyrethrum and garlic as well as herbs to keep pests down.

Attachment (1)

_____________________________

530 DAYS

(in reply to ARIES83)

Profile

Post #: 33

RE: People who know about gardening? - 9/4/2013 7:40:39 PM

ARIES83

Posts: 3648
Status: offline

Carrots!

Attachment (1)

_____________________________

530 DAYS

(in reply to ARIES83)

Profile

Post #: 34

RE: People who know about gardening? - 9/4/2013 7:47:08 PM

ARIES83

Posts: 3648
Status: offline

The mother of all lettuce!

_____________________________

530 DAYS

(in reply to ARIES83)

Profile

Post #: 35

RE: People who know about gardening? - 9/4/2013 7:48:44 PM

ARIES83

Posts: 3648
Status: offline

Attachment (1)

_____________________________

530 DAYS

(in reply to ARIES83)

Profile

Post #: 36

RE: People who know about gardening? - 9/4/2013 8:01:09 PM

ARIES83

Posts: 3648
Status: offline

The raised bed is only 10cm above ground level at the moment inside but can hold about 30cm, if I were to keep adding compost to it, over years it would eventually get that high.

I had a row potatoes and a big tomato plant behind the celery, but decided to cut my losses...

Dark Steven!
Have you ever tried pyrethrum flowers to attract bees? They smell like honey haha!

_____________________________

530 DAYS

(in reply to ARIES83)

Profile

Post #: 37