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Post by rowan on Jun 24, 2012 2:09:30 GMT -5
For those in Aus, there is a lady selling three colours on Ebay at the moment from Tas. I have bought two lots from her but the pink and orange are too close to be different to my eyes. I mainly wanted the cream anyway and the orange does seem to be a bit different to the pink that I have always grown.
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Post by rowan on Jun 23, 2012 1:25:48 GMT -5
You can replant some tubers immediately if you choose. I keep the tubers that I will be replanting till spring in a pot of just damp potting mix, then I rework the soil, manure it, then after a couple of weeks put the tubers in. I don't think it really matters what you do. They will be fine whatever you decide.
The reason I don't replant immediately is because I like to keep the plants separate and in tidy rows rather than having the tubers all over the place but it may not matter that much to you. I just like to start anew every year.
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Post by rowan on Jun 22, 2012 22:40:53 GMT -5
Raised beds are fine but since their roots are not very deep any barrier of 15cm or so in the soil will do. I use some roofing iron cut-off, but bricks with plastic on the inner side will suffice, as long as the soil is well drained.
They grow quite well from small tubers or from cuttings. Like many vegetative propagated tuberous plants I have found them reluctant to flower so I have never got seeds off mine.
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Post by rowan on Jun 22, 2012 15:27:05 GMT -5
I grow Chinese artichoke. I like it even though it does spread a bit. You can control it just like Jerusalem artichoke though - either make a physical barrier or, if you have room and poultry, put a temporary hen pen around it for a week. The tubers only grow just under the soil so it is easy for the chickens to scratch them out. Also, they are prone to chemical herbicides.
They are nothing at all like Jerusalem artichokes in taste, growth, anything.
Anyway... The tubers are small but they are give a lovely crunch to stir-fries and salads. You don't have to peel (luckily), just scrub and eat. They can be eaten raw or cooked and taste a bit nutty but no strong flavour. They make a nice groundcover or grow then under taller vegetables like yacon or corn (as long as you don't pull those taller vegetables before the artichoke tubers are ready.
I have grown them in full sun and part shade, even under 50% shadecloth and they bear well in all situations. Just manure before planting and keep the water up in summer. Wait till they die down in the winter before digging the tubers. I don't know if they are day neutral so if you live closer to the equator you may need to leave them as long as possible to get tubers.
I reckon this is a crop that could do with some breeding work - larger tubers, stop discolouring after being dug and, if they are day sensitive, to fix that for people in warmer areas.
I find that they are not a bother so I don't mind growing them even though the tubers are small. They give a reasonable harvest (never weighed it though) of about three handfuls per plant and are easy to get along with. They will grow and bear in large pots.
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Post by rowan on Jun 21, 2012 16:00:58 GMT -5
Replant the small tubers, they still grow full size. These were planted with pea size tubers.
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Post by rowan on Jun 21, 2012 5:32:28 GMT -5
I got a good harvest of big tubers this year.
You have to remember that the tubers are still growing as the tops die so make sure you wait a couple of weeks after they die down before harvesting. Then leave them in the air for a week or two to lose the oxalic acid. Then you can cook them Yum, I love surprising my friends and relatives with meals of them.
Also, some people pull them up in the summer thinking they are not producing but they only start to make their tubers when the temperatures cool down. You mustn't be impatient with oca.
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Post by rowan on Jun 17, 2012 15:01:20 GMT -5
I gave up of the 'usual' commercial type fruit trees years ago because of the disease and maintenance problems. I don't know about your area in the US but you could perhaps go for some trees that are easier to look after like figs or quince or other options. Maybe look into kiwifruit or hardy kiwi.
I grow chillean guava and currants - very time consuming picking the tiny fruits and not really commercially time efficient (in my opinion).
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Post by rowan on Jun 13, 2012 14:57:56 GMT -5
I hope it all works out for you. Selling plants can be a good second income and going into it slowly lets you work things out without large financial losses. I wish you well.
Message me if you need any advice.
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Post by rowan on Jun 6, 2012 15:18:53 GMT -5
Please don't be offended but I sell at markets and have done for many years so I might have some good advice for you. 1, You say you want to sell more expensive plants to make more of a profit, but then you want to sell them in milk cartons etc!!! Sorry, but if you want to make a good name for yourself you have to look professional. You will not find many people who want to buy a plant offered like that for more than a dollar. 2, I started with no money so I know where you are coming from. I know it can be a bit pricey to start with but do your sums. Each packet has dozens of seeds in it. So you don't waste them, sow them into a tray or icecream container first then prick them into your individual pots. There will be some waste, with plants there always is, but the least the better. 3, You can order pots in small quantities from places like www.danbar.com.au I get a lot of my pots and tubes from them as their factory is close to me. Also, their pots are made from recycled plastic. 4, Divided plants can look good but you have to let them settle and start growing in their pots for a while first, you can't sell them just divided. 5, Make a name for yourself as a good producer of herbs and you will do well. My herbs sell well when I bother to take them to market (It is not my main business) but then I don't have any competition. 6, VERY IMPORTANT. If you sell good plants price them accordingly. Don't try to be the lowest to compete and sell more. It doesn't work in the long run. My prices are not the cheapest at my market but I sell out before the others every time because I sell quality and it looks good and professional.
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Post by rowan on May 29, 2012 21:58:35 GMT -5
I managed to obtain one plant and grew it in a pot this year. It didn't produce many tubers and I think it may not be as productive in pots. I could be wrong though.
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Post by rowan on May 27, 2012 20:27:33 GMT -5
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Post by rowan on May 26, 2012 2:50:37 GMT -5
I grew the Russian cantaloupe 'Alushta' last summer. It is a whopper (a lot bigger than stated on the packet) but the taste was pretty bad on all three plants I grew. Most of the fruit rotted in the paddock as I couldn't bring myself to pick them after I tried to eat a few. they were about 10 kg or so.
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Post by rowan on May 26, 2012 0:06:45 GMT -5
I can't really reply as none of those characteristics is of interest to me, only the quality of the fruit. I am not sure of what results you are looking for.
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Post by rowan on May 24, 2012 15:54:49 GMT -5
I have a sort of half and half procedure. I have a small end section on each of my rows and I seed into that. When the seedlings are big enough I dig them up and transplant into the whole bed. This has really helped my overseeding problem, I can look after the seedlings better in a small area such as protect from preditors or frost with a small cover, they already acclimatised, and I don't have to have a greenhouse (my last one blew down and I haven't replaced it yet)
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Post by rowan on May 22, 2012 22:09:52 GMT -5
Oca, feijoa, Chinese artichoke, canna lily.
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