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Post by canadamike on Aug 12, 2009 1:40:28 GMT -5
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Post by canadamike on Aug 12, 2009 1:36:12 GMT -5
I would try spraying sulfur, just in case it works, I have done it before with success, it is often too late but not all the time. Just folllow the instructions on the box....often, what people call blight is mildew: a lot of it, for me as a paper columnist, has as much to do with psychology and perception and reading properly the descriptions as it has with science. No offense my dear, but you are a new gardener. I know you are educated and intelligent and coherent and all ( and also young and very cute ) . But what do YOU call blight? Do you have pictures, there may be a lesson here, or maybe not. But at least there would be sharing, and this, in itself, is already a victory..
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Post by canadamike on Aug 12, 2009 0:50:52 GMT -5
There are 3 cucurbita maxima and one cucurbita pepo under the ''Zapallo'' name, the maximas from Bolivia and the peope from Ecuador.
Some of us could get them ;D
There would have to be some reporting on performance and pictures taken, though... seed banks are not a general store...
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Post by canadamike on Aug 11, 2009 22:37:16 GMT -5
I am having a surprising result with very some dwarf corns from Grin, others, not categoris=zed as dwarf but nevertheless smallish plants are showing inbreeding problems. But all in all, the dwarves are faring very good this year, it will be fun to share them with you people.
A few of the old ( whites, like they mostly were in these pre Golden Bantam days) we will have to regenerate, borrowing genes from close minded friends, so to say, but this journey through smaller corn plants/dwarfs, is incredibly full of promises, and, dare I say, part of the future of home grown corn to an extent we cannot totally envision, but is is there, with its smaller nitrogen requirements and the possibility to intercrop it with legumes, since it does not hide so much sun.
One of the WHITE MIDGET accessions I have ( there are 4) is giving me 2 ears on 2-3 feet plants high, I have some with 3-4 ears.
If they all taste as good as AMES 1830, we all hit the jacpot.
Anyway, AMES 1830 is the hell of a jackpot in itself, better than Golden Bantam last year. I have a friend growing it for me, I loved eating it so much last year, but felt I had more research to do, so Eric in Quebec will indulge in tasting it again this year for me, but if all goes well we should have some seeds..
Michel
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Post by canadamike on Aug 11, 2009 21:40:00 GMT -5
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Post by canadamike on Aug 10, 2009 2:57:56 GMT -5
Take care of the big pink squash in the middle of this chest of yours, the others will do nicely with a little love.
Take it easy
Michel
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Post by canadamike on Aug 10, 2009 2:54:59 GMT -5
There is a very easy way to totally screw the Scoville units of any pepper: STRESS IT.
Peppers react to stress, exactly like herbs by the way, by producing oils.
4 years ago, I have grown what must be some of the hottest jalapeno ever ( I am sure I pushed their limits) by being the KING OF ALL BITCHES, sorry for the genre confusion, I ain't a female. doing all sorts of bad thing to them, like not watering in a dry time, take a shovel and hurt the roots, no manure or fertilizer etc.
The darn things were so fiery, nowhere near any jalapeno I ever tasted.
Mind you, I did not have a lot of them on the plants, but heck, they were no sissies.
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Post by canadamike on Aug 10, 2009 2:30:54 GMT -5
Listen girl, this is the worst year ever in your neck of the woods, same here, but colder and slightly worse. I put 352 cultivars in the gound and will probably eat no more than 2 or 3 melons, IF I eat them. And I have been around them melons for a long time, if anybody comes to lecture me on how to do it I kill the bastard
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Post by canadamike on Aug 9, 2009 23:30:55 GMT -5
It is so nice to have friends By the way, sphinxeyes, how are the melons doing???
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Post by canadamike on Aug 9, 2009 19:35:04 GMT -5
I have just been asked by Kokopelli to write a few articles for their magazine, a 36 pages color process thing published in french. Is has an 80,000 copies distribution, so quality of pictures has to be high. I sent melons to a lot of you . here, it is terrible this year. Even the few healthy melons I have , out of 352 cultivars, have been stunted by the June draught, where we could not water because the well was dried up. Not good for transplants. And it's been terrible and cold ever since, but for a few days. I need pictures of some of the melons I sent all over the place, as all I can show is leaves and some flowers, mostly male. PLEASE, IF YOU CAN HELP, IT WOULD BE GREAT. All I need is a picture of the melons. But a good one. I have a 4 days grace period, it is going to press the 15th. On the other hand, it will also discuss our work , since I have to explain what we do as Alan is coming with me and Tom Wagner in Europe, and they want to know more about what we do. Tom, Alan and I will give workshops in France, Belgium and Switzerland. Tom will keep on alone in english ( I will translate in these 3 countries) in Danemark, Ireland, England, and maybe a few other ones, while Alan and I will meet seed savers, organizations and seed producers of importance in France and Belgium. Frank, I need to coordinate something with you here...show up on the radar please
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Post by canadamike on Aug 8, 2009 21:45:22 GMT -5
Funny, Johno, Nutrite is also using it as an organic herbicide in Canada. Don't ask me how it works...
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Post by canadamike on Aug 8, 2009 19:02:41 GMT -5
I should make a list next week my dear.
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Post by canadamike on Aug 8, 2009 17:20:15 GMT -5
Hiven, i now do all my canning under pressure, it takes the odds out, I can make meat sauces or anything else, acicidty isn't a concern anymore. And it is much simpler than in a water bath, less procedures, the extra heat strilizes everything. last year I went to a friend with my stuff to can there, the next day she bought a big canning presto too and said farewell to the wather bath forever.
Much simpler and much safer for non acid foods.
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Post by canadamike on Aug 7, 2009 23:55:44 GMT -5
TIME TO DO IT
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Post by canadamike on Aug 7, 2009 20:00:38 GMT -5
Well...my beautiful smilling cowgirl, thyme is one of the herbs you should be specific about. I love it like crazy, but I rely on good seed sources, RICHTER'S being by far te best in te world.
In this journey through life and gardening, I have come across some plants of ''mother of thyme '' aka creeping thyme, apparently only decorative, that tasted as good, while neighbouring plants were tasty, but only so so.
Get seeds from a good source, erbs will never be a seed saving priority for me unless something exceptional happens, I have a lot of energy to spend in the ''survival food'' department.
Michel
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