Re: [Biofuel] This Year's Garden
No garden at all for me this year, nor last year, though maybe next year, with a little luck. Well anyway I'm green with envy, if little else. :-) Regards Keith On Tue, Sep 11, 2012 at 10:13 PM, robert and benita rabello [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On 9/11/2012 8:37 PM, Zeke Yewdall wrote: Yes, it's been weird this year. It stopped snowing in early March here (right when it's supposed to really start snowing), and we got very little moisture from March to the end of June. I was planting in April, when usually I'm still plowing the driveway well into May. Where do you live, Zeke? In Ward, Colorado, aroudn 9,300 feet elevation, just east of the Continental divide. ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (70,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
Re: [Biofuel] This Year's Garden
On Tue, Sep 11, 2012 at 10:13 PM, robert and benita rabello [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On 9/11/2012 8:37 PM, Zeke Yewdall wrote: Yes, it's been weird this year. It stopped snowing in early March here (right when it's supposed to really start snowing), and we got very little moisture from March to the end of June. I was planting in April, when usually I'm still plowing the driveway well into May. Where do you live, Zeke? In Ward, Colorado, aroudn 9,300 feet elevation, just east of the Continental divide. -- next part -- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/attachments/20120912/a0432200/attachment.html ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (70,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
Re: [Biofuel] This Year's Garden
I can only echo your comments Robert, both regarding climate change, denial and my garden. We got a bit the reverse on the weather, but equally damaging. Hot and dry spring through July. Little sprouted, and even with some watering (the rainbarrels were dry), most withered, either from the sun or just drying out. I gave up before the rains came, other than the raspberries. Darryl On 11/09/2012 3:29 PM, robert and benita rabello wrote: Yesterday, I read yet another climate change denial diatribe in the newspaper. I suspect that the people who most vehemently deny an anthropogenic cause to climate change are either employed by the fossil energy industry, or are completely insulated from reality and utterly out of touch with anything going on the natural world. We had a wet and cool spring. I shut off our boiler in late May, but my beloved complained for weeks that our house felt cold all the time. Heavy rain and endless cloud cover persisted well into June. We had one week of sunshine in those two months, and that's when I planted my garden. But not even peas would sprout in the cold and rain. When my maize finally began poking above the soil, only four or five of the more than 30 seeds I'd put into the ground came up. I always mark where I put my maize seeds with stones so that I don't inadvertently weed them when they're small. (My eyes aren't so good . . .) Before replanting, I decided to dig up the seeds I'd put into the ground and discovered, to my chagrin, that they rotted . . . I replanted three times. Of the two dozen pea plants we started, only three survived, and now only one is left. We had very poor yields for most things in the garden, aside from potatoes, blueberries and our apple tree. Tomatoes and hot peppers, planted in pots and kept under cover on our porch, shriveled at night. The tomatoes are JUST starting to produce fruit now. None of our eggplants lived through the month of July, and the half-dozen carrots we put into the best-draining soil wound up looking scrawny. But a very strange thing happened to our maize. I've been gardening for quite awhile now, and I've never seen anything like it. The stems and cobs are completely purple. This is, apparently, the result of phosphorus deficiency brought about by acidic, soggy soil and cold nights. These conditions persisted through mid-July, when the weather suddenly turned hot and we began eight consecutive weeks without significant rain. August was the driest on record for the past 82 years. The last twelve years have been progressively hotter, each year breaking records for high and low temperatures. So, we went from cold, cloudy and wet to exceedingly hot and dry. My plants are completely stressed by this and can't cope. If I had to depend on my garden for sustenance, I'd be going hungry right now. The negative impact of extreme weather like this on the food plants we depend upon should be a huge signal to everyone that we're already in big trouble. Yet our governments, like the man who wrote his ignorant letter to the editor, are in denial. With Big Money pushing for more pipelines to transport dilbit through British Columbia, the pressure on government to cave in and ignore the science implicating the burning of fossil carbon in climate change is intense. I don't know what's going to happen in my garden next year, but I'm growing increasingly concerned that we've already moved beyond a tipping point. Robert Luis Rabello Adventure for Your Mind http://www.newadventure.ca Meet the People video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txsCdh1hZ6c Crisis video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZedNEXhTn4 The Long Journey video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vy4muxaksgk -- next part -- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/attachments/20120911/f7fd9ead/attachment.html ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (70,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/ -- Darryl McMahon Project Manager, Common Assessment and Referral for Enhanced Support Services (CARESS) ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (70,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
Re: [Biofuel] This Year's Garden
On 9/11/2012 12:40 PM, Darryl McMahon wrote: I can only echo your comments Robert, both regarding climate change, denial and my garden. We got a bit the reverse on the weather, but equally damaging. Hot and dry spring through July. Little sprouted, and even with some watering (the rainbarrels were dry), most withered, either from the sun or just drying out. I gave up before the rains came, other than the raspberries. My son just moved out to your area (Ottawa), and he can't believe the severity of your thunderstorms! I just took a walk through my maize patch because someone of double-digit intellect took a diagonal path through the garden and knocked over about six of my plants. The maize I planted late looks completely normal, but those I planted early, that had to deal with cold, wet conditions, are purple-stemmed. I opened the cobs and they're beautifully formed, but not ready for harvest. It's bad enough that we've got climate working against us. When stupid people contribute to the problem, everything worsens . . . Robert Luis Rabello Adventure for Your Mind http://www.newadventure.ca Meet the People video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txsCdh1hZ6c Crisis video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZedNEXhTn4 The Long Journey video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vy4muxaksgk ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (70,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
Re: [Biofuel] This Year's Garden
Yes, it's been weird this year. It stopped snowing in early March here (right when it's supposed to really start snowing), and we got very little moisture from March to the end of June. I was planting in April, when usually I'm still plowing the driveway well into May. Horrible forest fires -- in late June we were getting 60% ignition from dry lightning strikes, which is very high -- usually only a very few strikes actually result in a fire. It felt like you could start a fire by walking through the forest it was so dry and crackly. Then in July it started raining heavy in the thunderstorms -- 8 inches or so in the first week, then let up a bit. Bizarre... The garden really doesn't know what to make of it -- dried out, then now finally it can grow now that there's some moisture, though the moisture is still way behind compared to normal, just from the lack of snowpack last winter. The greenhouse helps some, if I actually would get it finished -- still missing part of the roof. My well has gone dry a few times this summer, though it seems to have partially recovered this week at least. The aspen leaves are starting to change already, probably because of the dryness, or maybe we're going to get an early snow? They leaved out a month early this year compared to last. Still been mostly in the 90's and upper 80's down in the plains, and hotter than normal here in the mountains too.Hmm.. right, no climate change, eh. On Tue, Sep 11, 2012 at 7:21 PM, robert and benita rabello [EMAIL PROTECTED]wrote: On 9/11/2012 12:40 PM, Darryl McMahon wrote: I can only echo your comments Robert, both regarding climate change, denial and my garden. We got a bit the reverse on the weather, but equally damaging. Hot and dry spring through July. Little sprouted, and even with some watering (the rainbarrels were dry), most withered, either from the sun or just drying out. I gave up before the rains came, other than the raspberries. My son just moved out to your area (Ottawa), and he can't believe the severity of your thunderstorms! I just took a walk through my maize patch because someone of double-digit intellect took a diagonal path through the garden and knocked over about six of my plants. The maize I planted late looks completely normal, but those I planted early, that had to deal with cold, wet conditions, are purple-stemmed. I opened the cobs and they're beautifully formed, but not ready for harvest. It's bad enough that we've got climate working against us. When stupid people contribute to the problem, everything worsens . . . Robert Luis Rabello Adventure for Your Mind http://www.newadventure.ca Meet the People video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txsCdh1hZ6c Crisis video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZedNEXhTn4 The Long Journey video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vy4muxaksgk ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (70,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/ -- next part -- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/attachments/20120911/19564a39/attachment.html ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (70,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
Re: [Biofuel] This Year's Garden
On 9/11/2012 8:37 PM, Zeke Yewdall wrote: Yes, it's been weird this year. It stopped snowing in early March here (right when it's supposed to really start snowing), and we got very little moisture from March to the end of June. I was planting in April, when usually I'm still plowing the driveway well into May. Where do you live, Zeke? Horrible forest fires -- in late June we were getting 60% ignition from dry lightning strikes, which is very high -- usually only a very few strikes actually result in a fire. It felt like you could start a fire by walking through the forest it was so dry and crackly. Here's the current map showing fire danger in BC: http://bcwildfire.ca/weather/maps/danger_rating.htm Interestingly, we've actually had fewer fires than normal, but that might have something to do with the fact that our hot weather came later in the season this year. More hot and dry weather is expected for the next few weeks, so we're still facing a serious wildfire threat up here. Then in July it started raining heavy in the thunderstorms -- 8 inches or so in the first week, then let up a bit. Bizarre... The garden really doesn't know what to make of it -- dried out, then now finally it can grow now that there's some moisture, though the moisture is still way behind compared to normal, just from the lack of snowpack last winter. This is where I think the disconnect comes in. People who don't grow gardens may not be aware of how much evidence exists for climate change in their own region. I can remember driving through the Fraser Valley in late August, some 25 years ago, astonished at how much snow remained on the mountains. (They're MUCH lower around here than those north of Los Angeles, where I grew up.) Now, the snow is gone by mid-July, and we're not getting the heavy snowfalls in winter that used to characterize this climate. Yet people still rant about how climate change is something caused by the sun, actual evidence notwithstanding. The greenhouse helps some, if I actually would get it finished -- still missing part of the roof. My well has gone dry a few times this summer, though it seems to have partially recovered this week at least. That's one thing I'm glad I don't have to worry about! The aspen leaves are starting to change already, probably because of the dryness, or maybe we're going to get an early snow? Ours are changing, too. I bought a maple tree for my sweetheart three years ago. It stands in our front yard, and it's been so dry the leaves have actually WILTED on that tree before I put the garden hose inside its drip line. They leaved out a month early this year compared to last. Still been mostly in the 90's and upper 80's down in the plains, and hotter than normal here in the mountains too.Hmm.. right, no climate change, eh. I shake my head as yet another commercial for a full-sized truck comes on the television, or a single occupant races his two-ton machine up the hill where I live. I took my Ranger in for an oil change (and transmission fluid change, as my eldest son was quite fond of grinding gears while learning how to drive), and the attendant was astonished that I haven't changed my engine oil since 2008. It's not that I've been negligent--I'm quite serious about vehicle maintenance--I just haven't been driving . . . People just don't get it. Robert Luis Rabello Adventure for Your Mind http://www.newadventure.ca Meet the People video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txsCdh1hZ6c Crisis video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZedNEXhTn4 The Long Journey video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vy4muxaksgk ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (70,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
Re: [Biofuel] This Year's Garden
Robert, thank you so much for the post about your garden! I remember raspberry and blackberries from my summer in B.C. in 1966 - fond memories. My garden fared poorly this year, mostly from neglect (I was out of town until early July, then swamped with work from multiple sources, and spent pretty much all of August recovering from minor surgery). Also fond memories of cherry, apple and other fruit trees from summers in the Annapolis Valley. However, I have to echo Doug's comments regarding the weather here in Ontario this summer. Many have told me I picked a good year not to invest much effort in a garden. I fear I also need to prune back hard on some trees to let more sun onto my little urban patch of ground, and repair my greenhouse so that it is effective for next spring. I am hoping that the fall crop of raspberries is abundant, as I am awash in new canes this year (a result of not being here in the spring to corral them). I was in the Philadelphia PA area this past weekend to visit museums (electric cars, trolleys and interurbans), and even as a short-term tourist with an unrelated agenda, the howling to which you referred was inescapable. It came up even in casual conversation within earshot. My wife and I thorougly enjoyed our rides on the South East Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA) electric trains into and out of Philadelphia though. Being in the U.S. on 9/11/2009 was an odd experience. While one poll indicated a large fraction of U.S. citizens didn't even remember which year the WTC towers were taken down, the mass media was so whipped up in the hysteria of their own making eight years after the fact that they reported on a story that didn't happen. Surreal was the word that came to mind, but it did not do justice to the scene in the little breakfast room in the hotel we were in, shared mostly by seniors. It seemed ironic that the generation entitled to Medicare benefits were hotly opposed to health care reform that would open up some of the same benefits to those younger than them. Our visits to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell were inspiring! The courage of those people in the 1770s and 1780s to stand up for what they believed to be right stand in stark contrast to what purports to be governance at the federal levels in Canada and the U.S. today. The contrast saddens me, as do the antics of my 'representatives'. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights ... (Continental Congress Declaration of Independence) and We the People ... are words that continue to speak to me without reference to statehood. Now I need to summon up the energy to go do something of value myself. Robert, thanks again for your positive post - most heartening! Darryl robert and benita rabello wrote: Hello everyone! With all the grim news associated with the economic downturn, with all the howler monkey nonsense going on with respect to health care reform in my country, it's a real pleasure to get outside and work with plants. After a long and bitterly cold winter, through which many of our outdoor plants did not survive, we had a very wet spring, followed by the hottest, driest June on record. In early July, our faithful compost-enhanching bunny died, so now the only manure that goes into the compost is what I bring up the hill from the horse barns. Our fruit trees did astonishingly well this year. The cherry tree, which normally drops the majority of what little fruit it produces, was absolutely laden this season. We picked cherries endlessly, it seemed, and they were the sweetest and juiciest cherries I've ever eaten! (Plenty for the birds, too!) The same has been true of our apples and plums. We've had so little trouble with aphids on our plum trees, this is the first year I've not sprayed soap on them to control an infestation. We had better than 2 weeks of temperatures in the high 30's and low 40's in July. It was humid and miserable here, but the plants seemed to take it all in stride. Our garden produced enough to keep two of our neighbors, two of my sweetheart's friends, my in-laws and my own family in fresh vegetables and fruit all summer long. We had HUGE blackberries and monster, hydra-headed sunflowers that towered nearly 4 meters in height. (One of those plants had 18 flowers on a single stem!) It's curious how cross-pollination works. This is the first year we've had multi-headed sunflowers in our garden. Not everything did well. I can't seem to grow melons to save my soul. We've had NO squash this year, and our grape vine didn't flower. Also, though we've had some of the sweetest maize I can remember, we wound up with an earwig infestation and most of the cobs we pulled off were not completely formed. They tasted good, though! So, I hope the
Re: [Biofuel] This Year's Garden
Darryl McMahon wrote: Robert, thank you so much for the post about your garden! You're welcome! I remember raspberry and blackberries from my summer in B.C. in 1966 - fond memories. My garden fared poorly this year, mostly from neglect (I was out of town until early July, then swamped with work from multiple sources, and spent pretty much all of August recovering from minor surgery). Also fond memories of cherry, apple and other fruit trees from summers in the Annapolis Valley. Trees have been problematic for me up here. As a child in California, the citrus simply grew and produced fruit without much effort. I used to throw avocados at my friends as ammunition in our war games. But here, trees vex me. It's supposed to be a good climate for growing fruit, but trying to do so WITHOUT spraying everything isn't easy. However, I have to echo Doug's comments regarding the weather here in Ontario this summer. Many have told me I picked a good year not to invest much effort in a garden. I fear I also need to prune back hard on some trees to let more sun onto my little urban patch of ground, and repair my greenhouse so that it is effective for next spring. Sigh . . . I have a lot of work to do too! I am hoping that the fall crop of raspberries is abundant, as I am awash in new canes this year (a result of not being here in the spring to corral them). You get raspberries in the fall? Most of the farmers around here have ripped out their raspberries and replaced them with more profitable blueberries. We had an abundant crop this year, but I can't help wondering what would happen if all the spraying that goes on suddenly became ineffective. It seems like the situation is hedging toward disaster if the plants get attacked by something unforeseen. I was in the Philadelphia PA area this past weekend to visit museums (electric cars, trolleys and interurbans), and even as a short-term tourist with an unrelated agenda, the howling to which you referred was inescapable. It came up even in casual conversation within earshot. It's disgusting. It makes me embarrassed to admit I'm an American! My wife and I thorougly enjoyed our rides on the South East Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA) electric trains into and out of Philadelphia though. What happened to trolley systems in North America is a shameful example of local political neglect, greed and marketing. However, if the systems were once dismantled, we can rebuild them once a groundswell of political will permits this. Being in the U.S. on 9/11/2009 was an odd experience. While one poll indicated a large fraction of U.S. citizens didn't even remember which year the WTC towers were taken down, the mass media was so whipped up in the hysteria of their own making eight years after the fact that they reported on a story that didn't happen. Really? I knew people were oblivious, but that seems strange, given that we've heard 9/11 ad nauseum during the last president's administration. Surreal was the word that came to mind, but it did not do justice to the scene in the little breakfast room in the hotel we were in, shared mostly by seniors. It seemed ironic that the generation entitled to Medicare benefits were hotly opposed to health care reform that would open up some of the same benefits to those younger than them. It's all about fear. People are misinformed, terrified and cowed by an exceedingly effective spin machine. I'm on the mailing list for right-wing political activism, and some of the e-mails I've received are downright maddening. We're being told what to think and what to do by those who know what's best for us. Congressman Wilson is truly representative of how low the intellectual bar has fallen in my country. Our visits to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell were inspiring! The courage of those people in the 1770s and 1780s to stand up for what they believed to be right stand in stark contrast to what purports to be governance at the federal levels in Canada and the U.S. today. The contrast saddens me, as do the antics of my 'representatives'. That revolution created both my country and yours. The people who came up here had just as much passion and desire to do what is right as the patriots who fought against the Brits (with considerable help from the French), but in both countries, responsible government (to use that oft' cited Canadian term) has been subverted by powerful, corporate interests. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights ... (Continental Congress Declaration of Independence) and We the People ... are words that continue to speak to me without reference to statehood. Jefferson was certainly inspirational, even though he owned slaves who were not fully counted
[Biofuel] This Year's Garden
Hello everyone! With all the grim news associated with the economic downturn, with all the howler monkey nonsense going on with respect to health care reform in my country, it's a real pleasure to get outside and work with plants. After a long and bitterly cold winter, through which many of our outdoor plants did not survive, we had a very wet spring, followed by the hottest, driest June on record. In early July, our faithful compost-enhanching bunny died, so now the only manure that goes into the compost is what I bring up the hill from the horse barns. Our fruit trees did astonishingly well this year. The cherry tree, which normally drops the majority of what little fruit it produces, was absolutely laden this season. We picked cherries endlessly, it seemed, and they were the sweetest and juiciest cherries I've ever eaten! (Plenty for the birds, too!) The same has been true of our apples and plums. We've had so little trouble with aphids on our plum trees, this is the first year I've not sprayed soap on them to control an infestation. We had better than 2 weeks of temperatures in the high 30's and low 40's in July. It was humid and miserable here, but the plants seemed to take it all in stride. Our garden produced enough to keep two of our neighbors, two of my sweetheart's friends, my in-laws and my own family in fresh vegetables and fruit all summer long. We had HUGE blackberries and monster, hydra-headed sunflowers that towered nearly 4 meters in height. (One of those plants had 18 flowers on a single stem!) It's curious how cross-pollination works. This is the first year we've had multi-headed sunflowers in our garden. Not everything did well. I can't seem to grow melons to save my soul. We've had NO squash this year, and our grape vine didn't flower. Also, though we've had some of the sweetest maize I can remember, we wound up with an earwig infestation and most of the cobs we pulled off were not completely formed. They tasted good, though! So, I hope the rest of you who grow things experienced similar success. We've already started taking our garden out. I'm going to be composting the trees before they lose their leaves. We're expecting an El Nino winter, which means lots of rain and little in the way of snow. I'm already thinking about NEXT year's garden. Howler monkeys notwithstanding, isn't that optimistic? robert luis rabello The Edge of Justice The Long Journey New Adventure for Your Mind http://www.newadventure.ca Ranger Supercharger Project Page http://www.members.shaw.ca/rabello/ -- next part -- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/attachments/20090914/d30364ba/attachment.html ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (70,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
Re: [Biofuel] This Year's Garden
Hi Robert, Please send our Southern Ontario summer back home where it belongs. We don't like this summer swap here (but you can keep the humidity and the howler monkeys if you like). Glad you enjoyed it. Doug in Hamilton -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of robert and benita rabello Sent: Monday, September 14, 2009 4:43 PM To: sustainablelorgbiofuel@sustainablelists.org Subject: [Biofuel] This Year's Garden Hello everyone! With all the grim news associated with the economic downturn, with all the howler monkey nonsense going on with respect to health care reform in my country, it's a real pleasure to get outside and work with plants. After a long and bitterly cold winter, through which many of our outdoor plants did not survive, we had a very wet spring, followed by the hottest, driest June on record. In early July, our faithful compost-enhanching bunny died, so now the only manure that goes into the compost is what I bring up the hill from the horse barns. Our fruit trees did astonishingly well this year. The cherry tree, which normally drops the majority of what little fruit it produces, was absolutely laden this season. We picked cherries endlessly, it seemed, and they were the sweetest and juiciest cherries I've ever eaten! (Plenty for the birds, too!) The same has been true of our apples and plums. We've had so little trouble with aphids on our plum trees, this is the first year I've not sprayed soap on them to control an infestation. We had better than 2 weeks of temperatures in the high 30's and low 40's in July. It was humid and miserable here, but the plants seemed to take it all in stride. Our garden produced enough to keep two of our neighbors, two of my sweetheart's friends, my in-laws and my own family in fresh vegetables and fruit all summer long. We had HUGE blackberries and monster, hydra-headed sunflowers that towered nearly 4 meters in height. (One of those plants had 18 flowers on a single stem!) It's curious how cross-pollination works. This is the first year we've had multi-headed sunflowers in our garden. Not everything did well. I can't seem to grow melons to save my soul. We've had NO squash this year, and our grape vine didn't flower. Also, though we've had some of the sweetest maize I can remember, we wound up with an earwig infestation and most of the cobs we pulled off were not completely formed. They tasted good, though! So, I hope the rest of you who grow things experienced similar success. We've already started taking our garden out. I'm going to be composting the trees before they lose their leaves. We're expecting an El Nino winter, which means lots of rain and little in the way of snow. I'm already thinking about NEXT year's garden. Howler monkeys notwithstanding, isn't that optimistic? robert luis rabello The Edge of Justice The Long Journey New Adventure for Your Mind http://www.newadventure.ca Ranger Supercharger Project Page http://www.members.shaw.ca/rabello/ -- next part -- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/attachments/20090914/d30364ba/attachment.html ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (70,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/ __ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus signature database 4425 (20090914) __ The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. http://www.eset.com ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (70,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
Re: [Biofuel] This Year's Garden
Thanks for the update Robert, Ah how I wish we were so far into spring myself, We still have snow on the ground but the winter sun is dying and giving over to the spring sun and hope comes of new life once again. Best of Blooms, Jim robert luis rabello wrote: Two weeks ago we had snow here. Since then, however, we've had warm days and our trees and shrubs are in a riot of blossoming. The pear tree that I was CERTAIN wouldn't make it through last summer is literally covered in buds, and the two Italian prunes that were so badly infested with aphids last season are putting out their new leaves already. My boys and I have been getting rid of winter weeds. This morning I'm going to the bovine auction barn to pick up at least one load of composted barn litter. Hopefully, the owners of the place haven't had the oldest and best material carted off to a landfill somewhere! I do, however, have quite a pile of compost that's been brewing over the winter. I intend to put that material into my raised beds and see how things go there this year. By the way, while I was cleaning out the compost bin day before yesterday, my youngest son told me he saw a rat inside. I didn't believe him until I dug out a bit more material, and suddenly, the rat appeared! It was a rather healthy looking specimen, I'd say, but I'm really glad my sweetheart wasn't there to see it! So I'm hoping that all of this composting will help my trees ward off infestation this summer. I noticed that the predatory wasps are back now, but there doesn't seem to be a lot for them to eat. We have robins hunting for worms in our yard, songbirds nesting in our neighbor's cedar hedges, and overall, our lot seems almost anxious to be productive again! (Though the horsetail hasn't come up yet, and I'm just WAITING for that to happen!) We have brand new seed, rather than someone else's cast offs, and it will be interesting to see if we get more vigorous growth this time around. One of the really nice things about planning and planting a garden, is that it's an intrinsically optimistic activity. Despite all the bad news in the world, there are good things happening in my soil. robert luis rabello The Edge of Justice Adventure for Your Mind http://www.newadventure.ca Ranger Supercharger Project Page http://www.members.shaw.ca/rabello/ ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/ ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
[Biofuel] This Year's Garden
Two weeks ago we had snow here. Since then, however, we've had warm days and our trees and shrubs are in a riot of blossoming. The pear tree that I was CERTAIN wouldn't make it through last summer is literally covered in buds, and the two Italian prunes that were so badly infested with aphids last season are putting out their new leaves already. My boys and I have been getting rid of winter weeds. This morning I'm going to the bovine auction barn to pick up at least one load of composted barn litter. Hopefully, the owners of the place haven't had the oldest and best material carted off to a landfill somewhere! I do, however, have quite a pile of compost that's been brewing over the winter. I intend to put that material into my raised beds and see how things go there this year. By the way, while I was cleaning out the compost bin day before yesterday, my youngest son told me he saw a rat inside. I didn't believe him until I dug out a bit more material, and suddenly, the rat appeared! It was a rather healthy looking specimen, I'd say, but I'm really glad my sweetheart wasn't there to see it! So I'm hoping that all of this composting will help my trees ward off infestation this summer. I noticed that the predatory wasps are back now, but there doesn't seem to be a lot for them to eat. We have robins hunting for worms in our yard, songbirds nesting in our neighbor's cedar hedges, and overall, our lot seems almost anxious to be productive again! (Though the horsetail hasn't come up yet, and I'm just WAITING for that to happen!) We have brand new seed, rather than someone else's cast offs, and it will be interesting to see if we get more vigorous growth this time around. One of the really nice things about planning and planting a garden, is that it's an intrinsically optimistic activity. Despite all the bad news in the world, there are good things happening in my soil. robert luis rabello The Edge of Justice Adventure for Your Mind http://www.newadventure.ca Ranger Supercharger Project Page http://www.members.shaw.ca/rabello/ ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
