Smallfootprints Organic Gardening Blog - All Comments

re: Organic Gardening - Winter Update - Peruvian Ground Apple

landscape architecture sydney — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 11:37:12 GMT

Your garden is looking fantastic - glad you are over the blues. I'm particularly jealous of your flowering, which is looking fantastic.

re: Make a large, cheap compost bin very cheaply - from wooden pallets

Fred Cat — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 23:09:47 GMT

Thank you for that. Have been looking for ideas to make an easy compost bin. Cheap too. Love the baby and cat!

re: Organic Gardening - Winter Update - Peruvian Ground Apple

John Rigby — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 12:02:52 GMT

That’s great, I never thought about Organic Gardening like that before.

re: Organic Gardening - Winter Update - Peruvian Ground Apple

Penelope Aviary — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 02:59:25 GMT

I have recently heard of putting egg shells around vegetables to ward off snails etc., don't know if this works but sounds like a good organic idea. I would imagine the shells would break down and provide nutrients for the soil also.

Regards Penelope.

re: Organic Gardening - Winter Update - Peruvian Ground Apple

Ron — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 06:15:21 GMT

Organic fly trap.

I would like to share this amazing invention with you. Organic fly trap $22.00

This is the perfect way to garden in comfort without being harassed by flies.

re: Make a large, cheap compost bin very cheaply - from wooden pallets

KittyKat — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 06:32:35 GMT

What a beautiful Baby!

A good compost bin really is the missing link to the circle of life in the suburban garden. yay!

re: Organic Gardening - Winter Update - Peruvian Ground Apple

Ian — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 13:18:29 GMT

Thanks for the comments. I have lots more to add and as you state, it is brocollino season big time at the moment. I also have some cauliflowers almost ready and the cabbages can be picked any time.

As far as the sprays go, I'm not a big fan of pyrethrin. Originally organic although many derivatives of it are now synthesized. It is still a nerve agent. From Wikipedia "Pyrethrins are harmful to fish, birds, and mammals, including humans. In humans, pyrethrin irritates the eyes, skin, and respiratory systems, and it may cause other harmful effects. One study suggested a link between maternal pyrethrin use and autism in children.[4] The study indicated that mothers of autistic children were twice as likely to have washed a pet dog with a flea shampoo containing pyrethrin while they were pregnant."

I am sticking to the thumb and forefinger method for now and work to the old addage "Feed the soil, not the plant".

I have heard some organic gardeners use Dipel for control of cabbage moths. It is a naturally occuring bacteria (Bacillus thuringiensis) that affects only moths and butterflies, and doesn't affect beneficial insects like pyrethrin can. Apparently you can eat the same day as spraying with it.

re: Organic Gardening - Winter Update - Peruvian Ground Apple

molsongp — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 02:24:49 GMT

Hi Ian, Excellant, lovely to see your garden coming along... yes Pumpkin will not produce fruit until its warmer and/or masses of water arrive... I sometimes just leave some new vines (mine are jap) thru winter, so they get a good start on when spring comes, plus this year we had excellant rain in July and I got 4-5 pumpkins... Re your cabbage moths... I use on my Broccolini plants, which are now 2 years old and still producing plenty of yummy Broccolini; all year round... a product that consists of garlic, chili and pyrethrin... its works very well - after a weekly harvest of broccolini I fine spray the foliage... (it washes off with water) but keeps the cabbage moths and their caterpillers and those pesty little aphids that can spoil broccolini well away... you can buy it @ bunnings - 4 litres about $18 and after 2 years I still have 3 litres left.. Actually I have a similiar product (Garlic & chili) especially for Roses to help stop aphids, but I need it for the wallabies/ kangaroos eating my Roses, which they have really taken a liking to them... hehe

At the start of winter when green shoots were short in the bush they wiped out 30 Rose bushes over a couple of nights, much to my disappointment... Now the new shoots are coming, if the Garlic/chili does not work, my next defence is to spray the leaves with a mixture of a 'stinky' asian fish paste. hopefully this will work..

BTW love yacon... great in salads too.. Regards from Gail