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Post by canadamike on Aug 6, 2009 0:08:17 GMT -5
It is even worse here than it was last year, one month of draught in June before constant rain starting July first around noon, Canada Day. I do not even have five yet. On the other hand, given the 3 hailstorms and cold nights, I have about 10 plants out of over 350 that are doing relatively OK, they deserve lots of respect, they have been through many nights close to the freezing point, have been covered in hailstorm ice 3 times when very young...
This is frustrating from a production standpoint but wonderful from the scientific one.
Michelle, as I am more and more amazed at my old indian and ''close'' to indian corn cultivars, while my 2 acres field of modern corn is totally lost to the June draught, you are more and more in my hearth my friend, I talk to you in my mind very often , everytime I am in my field really, and I imagine both of us thanking life and the ''great spirit'' for what we got.
You have no clue on how spiritual this journey is for me and how often I think of you and imagine us praying and celebrating nature and the wiseness of the ancients together.
Bless you
Michel
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Post by canadamike on Aug 4, 2009 19:06:11 GMT -5
I have been foliar feeding for over 20 years, some years less than regularly, like this year, but in ANY year where I have done it OFTEN I had record years. We are talking almost 25 years here. Despite what they say, twice or three times a week, in a small garden ( impossible to do with acreage like now) has brought me record deserving harvests. My garden used to be a few feet from the road, and EVERY day people would stop to ask my trick,
I also used SPRAY-N-GROW, an organic catalyst of plant chemistry. sprayed once with it and 2-3 days later with kelp. My average spanish onion weight was 2.5 pounds, my beat over 3.5.
I have always used foliar feeding since, sure helps get rid of diseases, but for super harvest, forget recommandations, I seriously think they are designed NOT to make people afraid of work.
When it is possible to NOT follow their advice of a twice a month spraying (average), do it twice a week, with organic SPRAY-N-GROW or another catalyst of chemical reactions as an in between,, one spraying of one, then the spraying of the other, and the results will be mind blowing. Impossible to do it anymore on my scale.
In a farm setting, like I have now, success is only measured in plant helth.
But in a home garden...anybody can really beat the production average of a farm easily.
By a HUGE margin. Really, really huge. Like in ''many many times over''. And it is so freakishly easy.
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Post by canadamike on Aug 4, 2009 9:15:23 GMT -5
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Post by canadamike on Aug 3, 2009 23:36:00 GMT -5
I hope you enjoy being part of our bunch of crazy gardeners. Happy birthday to you, and have a great one today.
Michel
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Post by canadamike on Aug 3, 2009 21:40:17 GMT -5
I have grown Chires Baby, and although you get loads of tiny ears, it takes forever to silk and make pollen. Last year,I started it in flats, grew it to a nice size, not just baby seedlings, put it in the ground weeks before I seeded a nearby bed of white sweet corn for cross pollination, and it never happened. Chires Baby silked way after all my other corns, it still was the last one to do so.
Patience might be in order here. I suspect the plant waits to make the last ears way up the stalks before pollinating anything, and it takes time.
However, yours is a different one and might still be earlier than Chires, if so, I would much appreciate some seeds.
Patience my friend, patience...
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Post by canadamike on Aug 3, 2009 21:32:22 GMT -5
If it is the case, Jo, I suggest you compensate with foliar feeding of kelp and compost tea, the micro-nutrients could help compensate for the problem in the root zone.
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Post by canadamike on Aug 3, 2009 2:49:06 GMT -5
Can I ask for a lil'generosity from our friends from the south...these days, with our november fall night's temperature...I find you a lil' cruel Other than that, I plan to grow it next year, and KAISER ALEXANDER, for their keeping qualities. Kaiser is probably better for the north, but it is only a preconception, I have long learned you cannot totally rely on these things..if there is one thing I learned from trying to grow undreds of melons, it is you never really know.
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Post by canadamike on Aug 2, 2009 6:32:56 GMT -5
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Post by canadamike on Aug 2, 2009 5:27:09 GMT -5
Well my dear, these are definitely F-1 of Puerto Rico Wonder, not the true ones, which are about 4 inches long and 1.5 large, and they are VERY numerous on the plant. At least those I got from Dave. And they look like 2 different crosses. Amazing. It is the first time it happens to me here in more than 20 years. I never had cross pollination with peppers, never. I know some people say they are promiscuous, but here they, up to now, have always been quite virtuous Could you self pollinate them? You would be on your way to create your own cultivars. And maybe keep me some seeds of the f-2...
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Post by canadamike on Jul 30, 2009 3:43:12 GMT -5
Since I strongly suspect I am the source of the Puerto Rico Wonder pepper ;D ( they came from Dave) , did you say it is a bell? Like a square pepper, blocky and all, or do you only mean sweet pepper??
'cause my Puerto Rico wonder were small sweet peppers perfect for filling with cheese or else, absolutely delicious ( and wonderfully prolific) , and had the advantage of freezing exceedingly well, their thin flesh not making too much water once thawed and being favorites of the kids on pizza....
If they are a bell, they were cross pollinated, something that had never happened to me here, and you might be onto something. A picture would help for sure...
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Post by canadamike on Jul 30, 2009 3:17:34 GMT -5
You lucky you. My plants are very strong, they look incredibly healthy for the most, apart from 10 or so, but on so many plants, it's peanuts, but I am still waiting to post pictures like these....it's gonna be another late season here....
tell us about Thessaloniki please, taste wise, once you put it in your mouth...
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Post by canadamike on Jul 30, 2009 0:32:33 GMT -5
Am I your friend ?? ;D ;D ;D
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Post by canadamike on Jul 29, 2009 22:12:01 GMT -5
Kaaren my dear friend, please move this thing to a new thread, as I think it deserves consideration and anyway is far from rye or wheat. I knew that you were more than a flower girl Love, Michel
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Post by canadamike on Jul 28, 2009 21:43:00 GMT -5
Welcome to the bunch Dan. Anything you need, just say it.
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Post by canadamike on Jul 27, 2009 13:59:10 GMT -5
Bunkie, these are the only 3''types'' we got. The project was kind of vague at the beginning, not knowing the participation. In fact, you have more than 6, as Tim created pools. You do not have 3 types, you have 3 pools, many types. I think the number 6 was a guestimate by Tim, not more than that.
Some seeds had to be increased to a manageable volume, that is what I understood from Tim
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