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Mella, we've been enjoying major yummy cukes...no stockings or bugs bothering them! They are trellising (??) fine on the bamboo trellis we are using.
Oh yeah - the gal I work with that has a greenhouse told me that she uses her lilikoi hulls after she juices them and just throws them around her bananas, then puts shredded papers on top...she said her bananas love it and it keeps the bugs down and it all composts by itself. I'm going to try this.
Carrie Rojo
"The sun and moon collide. Isn't gravity a funny thing? The universe explodes apart. All the children sing..." Todd Rundgren
Carrie Rojo
"Even the smallest person can change the course of the future..." Galadriel LOTR
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For those who are open bin composting, laying length of perforated septic drain abs pipe in the bottom will improve air flow, cut down odor and raise the compost temp significantly. Nice and hot with sufficient air. Cheap and reuseable.
dick wilson
dick wilson
"Nothing is idiot proof,because idiots are so ingenious!"
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Yesterday I discovered how dead easy bamboo shoots are to make. We have big clumping bamboo (as well as the nasty smaller running bamboo) in the backyard. Yesterday there was a big shoot coming up from the clumping bamboo and I was bending it over wondering how far the stuff would bend and if I could get it to grow into an odd direction or knot or something when the tip broke off. The top thirty inches of it and it has a cross section of about four inches so it was a pretty big bamboo shoot. Figured I'd try cooking it just to see how it went. 'Tain't hard at all! Peel back the leaves and where ever it is easy enough to cut with a knife it is tender enough to eat. Cut back a leaf, trim that section off and then peel the outer layer off. I used a sharp knife. I ended up with about eight big circles of bamboo. Boiled them in a pot of water for twenty minutes, changed the water and boiled them again. Voila! Bamboo shoots! Pig & bamboo stir fry! Yum! Now I'm gonna try canning or freezing some of the stuff for when the bamboo isn't shooting. Anyone else eat bamboo?
"I like yard sales," he said. "All true survivalists like yard sales."
Kurt Wilson
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Yes, absolutely, bamboo is wonderful. I've planted two sections of Hirose on my property, which is both a fine timber bamboo and a fine edible. It's not to be recommended for everyone, as while it's a clumping type can still go nuts on you, and it's dang big anyway, reaching 60 feet or better.
Most bananas have an edible core which is similar, for those who don't know, and is a good excuse to whack 'em if they're getting out of control.
Dick's idea with the perf pipe is good. I'm planning on putting perf in the midst of every raised bet or row to improve drainage. Again, I think a compost pile is a redundant un-needed complexity in the area, as the main purpose of the pile is to keep the ground temp above 65 degrees, something we by and large don't need to worry about. I've simply started to rotate rows, composting in the idle ones, and it's working great.
In spite of things that haven't grown, I'm on the 3rd garden this year! Hard to believe that!
I cannot over-recommend planting 'Uala especially of the "piko" type, as it's nice looking, slug-proof, has fine edible greens, and goes gangbusters. It starts easily from cuttings. I think it alone would provide a minimalist survival garden.
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Just googled uala. What a useful plant, and drought resistant, too. Looks like clippings are the way to get started.
It never occurred to me that composting in a bin in Hawaii would be a non-value added process. Tilling directly into the soil obviously removes the interim process. Assuming results are the same it's a beautiful and elegant IE improvement. Just wondering if the direct tilling method would attract more rodents/pests, and how bad the smell would be. (My garden is located right next to my house.)
Tim
A superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions--Confucius
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Jay, I was re-reading this thread (it's a good one, for sure!) and noticed you said you had planted papaya, and that you're at 2500 ft. elevation..... I thought papaya wouldn't produce fruit at even my elevation of 1800'..... are you planting a particular kind? Would totally love to think that papaya would grow here in Eden Roc, but haven't seen any around.
Also, is the uala you're recommending the same thing as the purple sweet potato we can buy at the market? I've never seen the leaves for sale, but that sounds like a win-win if you can use both the leaves and the tubers.... again, any particular kind?
Katie
Wherever you go, there you are.
Wherever you go, there you are.
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I definitely believe composting in a bin is a non-value added process. I've had no problem with rodents or anything other than dogs, but an electrified gate has solved that problem. As for smell, as long as you aren't composting meat wastes and the like, there won't be any. Really, when I'm saying that stuff won't last two weeks, I'm not kidding. The worms eat it right up, and the chickens eat them.
As for papayas, I have no idea if they will bear or not, but the plants are flourishing. You must remember that I follow the global warming/climate change press very closely, and I fully expect a real bump in temperatures in the next couple of years. It's sensible to plant thinking of a 2 to 4 degree average daily temperature rise in the next 5 years--so if you're planting with a few in the future, plan for hotter. As it takes 5 to 7 years to get fruit trees bearing, think ahead!
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Andrew,
You mentioned Bufu toads, well it seems a big male has taken up residence in Julie's little pond. At night he makes this weird croaking mating call, and he has had some success, there has been some smaller ones in there with him at night.
I see today there are strings of eggs everywhere, I wonder if the few Tilapia I threw in there out of my FT will eat the eggs or tadpoles.
So any way looks we may be over run by toads pretty quick, look out slugs.
Scott
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Hey Scott:
Cool. I hope that you don't have a dog or cat that might try to eat the toads. If not then your slug population should take a hit for sure.
I would like to know if the Bufos eat Coquis. That would be a great bonus!!
I found 2 smallish toads in the last few days. Must be the mating season??
Andrew
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Chinese curse "May you live in interesting times".
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I'm starting a new blog on the "homestead" project out here for those of you who are interested. I'm going to try to update it more or less daily. It will be preachy, but hopefully useful as well.
http://sanityandsimplicity.blogspot.com/
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