muladzh
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The crops
Though we have lost a lot of crops to bugs, and a somewhat toxic place we planted four rows took out the entire crop there, we have has some pretty nice vegetables occasionally - nothing is managing to be ready at the same time, and things are growing rather slowly, but... a couple of weeks ago, we sprayed everything with organic fertilizer and sat back to wait and see.
Of the two rows of Golden Turnips, only one plant survived, and it was delicious, turned into baked fries. Of the white turnips, plenty have matured - we are gathering three or four daily - I love turnips, but prefer the wonderful Neep - Rutabaga to Americans. We have had two of them so far, and the others are not ready. One Wonderful Cabbage arrived on the kitchen table, and was promptly cleaned chopped and steamed for dinner. Cabbage straight from the garden is like no other.
We have maybe another dozen cabbages in good condition, fortunately we dug beds in four different places, and only one was toxic, so we have two still growing, but one has more bugs eating everything, despite the calendula and geranium that usually keep the bugs busy. Oh well, the joys of homesteading. In containers we have four persian cucumbers growing like they are in a competition - already three cucumbers have matured, and there are at least a dozen more on each plant. The persian cucumber is a gentle thin skinned variety, far superior to the cumbersome thick skinned offering sold in most stores in the US as cucumber. We have yet to mature, carrots, squash, courgettes, both yellow and green, one tomato plant, and tons of onions and garlic. Also still not doing much is a row of brussels sprouts, and some cauliflowers - the bugs on the cauliflowers are being attacked by our resident midget frog population - mature one inch long frogs are having a feast on bugs - truly organic pesticides..  fortunately the frogs are not eating the cauliflower, but tonight, the locusts arrived.. maybe by morning nothing at all will be left. Insects are a nuisance, I wonder why they exist.
Tonights dinner was great - home made chicken patties, with herbs and spices to flavor them, masses of delicious spinach - I love spinach - and white turnips made into baked fries - brushed with a little olive oil - the new stuff is great - very mild, then sprinkled with mixed herbs.. Delicious.
The midget frog population is interesting - they are mostly about an inch long, with light brown skin slightly mottled darker. They crawl about on the plants, tongues flying out to catch bugs nearly as big as themselves. I would take a picture, but they hop away when I get close enough to get them in the shot. I will try with a zoom lens tomorrow.
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7/27/2009, 5:47 am
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Saijen SilverWolf
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Re: The crops
Hopefully your frogs can whittle down your insect population. I hate when the bugs start eating away at my produce!! I with you on wondering why insects exist. Most have no purpose other than to do harm.
I hope you get a good harvest!!
--- Blessed Be,
~*~ Saijen ~*~
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7/29/2009, 6:41 pm
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TexasMadness
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Re: The crops
Wow, sounds like a great harvest! It's so much fun to watch a garden grow and prosper even in the face of toxic soil and bug invasions! Congrats on the produce!
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7/31/2009, 12:26 am
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heritage ranch
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Re: The crops
Saijen SilverWolf wrote:
Hopefully your frogs can whittle down your insect population. I hate when the bugs start eating away at my produce!! I with you on wondering why insects exist. Most have no purpose other than to do harm.
I hope you get a good harvest!!
i wonder if the bugs have the same view of us humans? 
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8/4/2009, 4:53 am
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Saijen SilverWolf
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Re: The crops
LOL heritage! Good question!
--- Blessed Be,
~*~ Saijen ~*~
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8/6/2009, 8:26 pm
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