April 08, 2008
A free monthly resource from the wonderful world of gardening; giving you tips, recipes and reminders to make your garden grow!
April 2008 Issue #31
Hello What fun that you and I both love the topic of gardening. Thanks for joining me on this adventure! For any questions or feedback, just click on reply on the top toolbar of this email.
1) Positive gardening
2) Eco gardening tips
3) Chicky Dollop
Positive Gardening
This wonderful list was recently given in a quit smoking newsletter for people to think positively. They were told to put the list up where they could see it each day. Why not use it for gardeners to smile at I thought? So I've added my comments in brackets ...WORDS TO FORGET WORDS TO REMEMBER
I can't ... ... ... ... ... ... ..I can (get these last seeds planted before dark)
Impossible ... ... ... ... ... .Possible (to eat all these zucchinis, if I stuff, bake, grate, freeze, some each day)
I'll try ... ... ... ... ... ... ...I will (remember not to plant more than one zucchini plant next year)
I, me, my ... ... ... ... ... ..You, your (back is more tired than mine dear.)
I have to ... ... ... ... ... ...I want to (go and give those snails a new home over the fence)
Worried ... ... ... ... ... ... .Interested (to see if those snails climb back over the fence before a car comes along)
Stressed ... ... ... ... ... ...Motivated (to get the spuds dug before the ground freezes)
Should have ... ... ... ... ..Will do (not fall asleep in front of TV, but go to bed early so I can get up early to dig those spuds.)
Could have ... ... ... ... ... My goal (more spuds, less zucchinis, less snails, more sleep, snzzzz)
If only ... ... ... ... ... ... ..Next time (I'll have a garden without oxalis and couch grass)
Yes, but ... ... ... ... ... ... I understand (oxalis and couch are only weeds because they are such successful plants.)
Someday ... ... ... ... ... ...Today (Today I'm going to... my goodness the garden looks lovely this morning, I'll think I'll just sit right down here and enjoy it.)
Difficult ... ... ... ... ... ... .Challenging (to not keep pulling up all the sweet baby carrots to eat.)
Problem ... ... ... ... ... ... .Opportunity (to move the cold frame - could take some zucchinis over to the new neighbours and ask them to give me a hand.)
Hate ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .Love (the rain because my garden gets to drink and my anticipation builds up ready for the moment I can get out to my plants again.)
Eco Gardening Tips
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Paper and inks : Last newsletter I mentioned an eco tip about waterless printing inks in newspaper. If you are in doubt about the ink in the papers you use on your garden, see if you can find a moving company and grab their discarded unprinted wrapping paper. Alternatively watch out in your neighbourhood for new people moving in and stroll along, introduce yourself, and offer to take away their wrappings.
With my overseas move, the price gave me the option of the moving company unpacking and removing all the paper, bubble-wrap and cartons, or I could unpack myself then call them to collect it all. So far I'm happily re-cycling most of it myself.
- Slow watering: Let's say you have some small seedlings and let's say you don't want them to dry out on a particularly hot day. Full a plastic bottle with water, poke a pin hole in one side and one in the other side, lay the bottle down with one pin hole on the earth alongside the seedlings and it will drip away for a few hours, keeping surroundings damp. Let the soil dry a bit late arvo and at night if you can, to stop fungus, then put out your full bottle again in the morning. A large soda bottle takes 3 hours to empty, slowing down for the last hour due to less water pressure.
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Things grow better with coke: It was reported in The Guardian that Indian farmers are foregoing the expensive chemical pesticides and saving themselves over 9500 rupees per acre by spraying their crops with Coca-Cola. The bugs apparently think that coke is the real thing and die happy.
Soft drinks are very acidic due to the citric and phosphoric acids that are added to the sugar and water, so this would make a good fungicide possibly too. It's cheap, no need for dilution, safe to handle... give it a go... and let me know. I just can't bring myself to buy this stuff, and some people even drink it!
This chickpea dish brings out different flavours than the usual hummus... in fact it almost tastes like chicken.
Chicky Dollop
Ingredients
- ½ cup dried chickpeas (or 1 tin chickpeas)
- 1 large stick of celery sliced med/fine
- 1 medium onion chopped finely (red onion is milder if you wish)
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise or unsweetened yogurt
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Soak dried chickpeas in plenty of water for 8-24 hours, drain, cover with water and cook for 1 hour. Or use tin of chickpeas.
Blend chickpeas in processor or mash with spud masher and mix with yogurt or mayo.
Stir in rest of ingredients, and can add others such as grated or chopped carrot, zucchini, cucumber, capsicum, shallots etc, if desired.
Scoff with some bread or pita pockets, dollop on lettuce, or use as an accompaniment for meat.
Preparation time: 20 minutes.
Happy gardening!
Megan