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Maca
Feb 23, 2012 14:35:19 GMT -5
Post by rowan on Feb 23, 2012 14:35:19 GMT -5
As said, the seed germinates easily but I could not keep it alive in my hot, dry summer here in Aus. Last year was wetter and I got a few plants growing well but when I went to cook it, it tasted terrible - bitter and dry. I don't know why I even tried again this year. Tried to cook it many ways but I couldn't get it to taste pleasant.
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Post by rowan on Feb 12, 2012 14:41:42 GMT -5
How are you off for Australian native mentha sp? Mine are flowering right now and I can send seeds later if you like. I only have one species growing in my garden but can probably get one or two others as well.
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Post by rowan on Jan 29, 2012 1:12:40 GMT -5
No probs ;D
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Post by rowan on Jan 28, 2012 21:46:51 GMT -5
Yep, that is where I originally got them. I was lucky to get them through customs as they wern't packed properly even after I advised them on how to pack and label them. Subsequent orders were stopped by customs - naughty me, lol.
BTW, I'm a she
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Post by rowan on Jan 28, 2012 14:30:44 GMT -5
That is 'Green Bosnian'. The best tasting melon I have ever grown - the trouble is that it is impossible to tell when they are ripe. They don't change colour, soften or slip. Sometimes they get some netting when ripe. This year I am haveing a really poor harvest of all my varieties and I have already wasted two of these melons by picking before ripe. I can't afford to lose any more so I will leave a couple on the vine until they are nearly bad before collecting seeds. I may not be able to eat them still but at least I will have seeds.
Luckily they keep well on the vine so I will just have to learn to be patient.
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Post by rowan on Jan 27, 2012 18:51:29 GMT -5
I hear you. Last summer (in Southern Victoria) our weather was like that and I lost nearly all my melon plants because my place turned into a swamp for months. This summer is unusally hot and dry and I am only getting 1/4 my predicted crop and those melons that set are mostly sunburnt and ruined. My melon patch looks funny with all the fruits covered with cardboard or frost fabric to keep the sun off them- I can't win, sigh.
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Post by rowan on Jan 27, 2012 14:33:33 GMT -5
Here in Australia we pay (depending on where you live) $100 to $140 per month just to have the right to access water, whether it is connected to your place or not, then you have to pay the cost of water on top of that. It is rumoured that the costs are going to treble in the next three years I live in an area that has plenty of water luckily but some towns in dry years have to have all their water shipped to them by truck which is so expensive that they can't garden or own animals larger than cats and dogs. At least if you live on a farm you can put down a bore but The government is putting in place measures to make you pay for bore water used (Many places already have compulsory metres on their bores) and water in farm dams. Bear in mind that some areas of Aus do have plenty of water but it is all being sucked up and diverted by big industry and the capital cities.
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Post by rowan on Jan 9, 2012 3:52:45 GMT -5
I like oca and grow it for my own use but here in Australia we have a limited gene pool and I would love to buy some seeds if anyone has them for sale. I would love to try the yellow/cream types. The seeds but not the tubers can be imported into Australia as long as they are labelled correctly. Realseeds seems to only have tubers for sale on their site.
Rowan
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Post by rowan on Jan 9, 2012 3:26:22 GMT -5
Castanea - They are on my grow list for next year, I have only just got the seeds. I wasn't going to grow them because they are too similar to others but I decided to try them anyway since I was getting other seeds from seller anyway.
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Post by rowan on Jan 9, 2012 0:46:45 GMT -5
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Post by rowan on Jan 8, 2012 4:31:00 GMT -5
Hi everyone. This is the forum I've been looking for for a couple of years - where have you been hiding?
I live in Southern Australia and have developed a passion for growing melons over the last few years. I have always had an interest in genetics and am thinking of doing some breeding next year. This year has been terrible with low germination rates and hot, dry weather and I am expecting only half my usual melon yields.
Last year I trialled a few Turkish melons because I am interested in the huge genetic variation of their regional melons and am very impressed so far. Some taste glorious and my breeding work will start with them I think but I need to plan a bit more first.
It will be great getting to know you all.
Cheers, Rowan
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Post by rowan on Jan 8, 2012 4:03:11 GMT -5
I generally throw out the rest of my spaghetti squash when the new lot comes in each year but they are still good. I have kept them for 14 months but they look like they would keep much longer.
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