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Post by 12540dumont on Oct 8, 2011 23:29:18 GMT -5
The end of the season up-date on these is that the vile voles love them. On my farm they will have to be grown in baskets. I was looking at these since they did not need irrigation. But I already have to basket melons, cukes, squash and zukes, peas and beans.
So, end of the season tally, my row dwindled to 3 plants. I have the same amount of seed I started with. I have the same problem with Carol's Fast Lady Northern Beans. If I give them a go again, I will plant them early. (April!) while the voles are in their holes making baby voles.
So next year I'm trialing capers and sorghum as potential non-irrigated crops.
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Post by caledonian on Oct 14, 2011 15:52:00 GMT -5
Sorry to hear that. Are there any repellant plants can you use to keep the voles away?
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Post by 12540dumont on Oct 14, 2011 16:53:18 GMT -5
Girasols, Jerusalem Artichokes, Sun chokes, potatoes, all of these are effective in trapping gophers. They like them so much, that they stop to eat them and leave other plants alone. I have had them take out a full grown tree, bush, vine, the 100th day of a 150 day squash. They are evil. Folks say you can trap them, but it doesn't much work. I do a lot of digging, and not a lot of catching. I need wolf cub to come and shoot them with his bow and arrow. My female cat has been bagging one a week, but they are still here. I got one the other day with a pitchfork. (Dumb luck). And they are still here.
Wire baskets, burning elemental Sulphur, a 57 Chevy Belair with a hose attached to the gas pipe and the other end in a Gopher Hole also works.
And they are still here.
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Post by steev on Oct 14, 2011 22:19:57 GMT -5
A lot of water delivered very fast also works; they resent being drowned in their burrows.
The only thing I know that is a sure kill is a lit road flare down the hole with dirt tamped to seal it. Not good from an environmental standpoint, all that strontium that makes the pretty scarlet, you know.
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Post by oxbowfarm on Oct 15, 2011 4:19:43 GMT -5
I don't think the strontium would do any harm unless it was radioactive. The perclorate in the flare is bad for your groundwater though.
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Post by raymondo on Oct 15, 2011 6:46:50 GMT -5
We only have access to two types of chickpeas here - a large, pale brown one, the most common, found in almost every health food store. They don't pop too well. The other, a smallish dark brown one, available only from Indian grocery stores in the major cities, pops reasonably well, or the ones I've tried did at any rate. I haven't tried growing the small one and have only tried a few plants of the other just to see how they'd do. Like Patrick says, weeds can overwhelm them pretty easily and did so in my case.
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Post by 12540dumont on Oct 15, 2011 10:48:40 GMT -5
Ray, when I harvest all those (read 3 plants) thousands of poppers, I'll send them your way...
Regards, Holly
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Post by raymondo on Oct 16, 2011 2:50:31 GMT -5
Cheers Holly, but legumes are in the same category as corn as far as imports are concerned. And to be honest, I only grew them out of curiosity. I don't find them appealing enough to grow regularly. I grow beans as a dry legume and I'm planning on adding broad beans and soup peas starting this season.
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Post by 12540dumont on Oct 16, 2011 11:32:54 GMT -5
Ray, I checked right after I read that. That's it, this winter I'm going to work on this! No time for sewing right now.
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Post by kelley on Nov 24, 2011 22:31:58 GMT -5
So, what happened with those of you who grew Hannan pop bean? Did you like it popped? Or is hummus a better use of chick peas?
One of my favorite ways of eating garbanzos is as a green shelly bean boiled briefly and served in the pod like edamame.. Really really yummy. Sprinkling of lime juice and some chili powder, or just salt...
In the high plains of central Mexico we grow garbanzos and broad beans as a fall crop, so I am going to try that here in NC next year. It really does get hot way too fast most springs for either chicks or favas to do well.
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Post by 12540dumont on Nov 25, 2011 17:14:44 GMT -5
Kelley, although the were a very pretty plant, I sent all of the seed I got from them to Cortona. I didn't eat any of them, as then he wouldn't have had enough to try. If Carol has them again next year, I'm going to try to get twice as many and plant them early. I found regular old phaseolus so much more productive here. Okay, so we made hummus out of favas. Lentils were highly productive. I haven't eaten any of those either, sent them to Steev and saved enough to replant. Some years are like that. All I get is more seed  But eventually, there will be enough for all of my CSA to trial. |
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Post by raymondo on Nov 25, 2011 20:29:23 GMT -5
Okay, so we made hummus out of favas. Mmmm...my favourite bean for hummus! |
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Post by oxbowfarm on Nov 25, 2011 20:40:58 GMT -5
In our house we actually really love lentil hummus. Have to be careful not to get it too watery but it gets a sweet earthiness to it, very tasty.
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Post by raymondo on Nov 26, 2011 16:08:05 GMT -5
In our house we actually really love lentil hummus. Have to be careful not to get it too watery but it gets a sweet earthiness to it, very tasty. Will definitely try that. |
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