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Gillian Recycling to make a beautiful garden feature

I have always loved chimneas, but in the hot humid tropics any extra form of heat seems superfluous and in fact downright silly. We do however have mosquitoes, and at this time of the year always have mosquito coils burning....... along with a couple of citronella candles,....... along with personal insect repellent on really bad evenings. So.. I was eying these palm fronds that just lie around the bases of palm trees and end up in the landfill. I nabbed this one from a friend and voila - a trop… Continue

Added by Gillian on November 26, 2009 at 5:34pm — 5 Comments

Gillian Honeyeaters

I love these little birds called honeyeaters, and we have plenty of them now - they are attracted to the passonfruit flower and the cats whiskers and the bottlebrush. All of which is flowering at the moment. I know they like to start their nests on hanging things, and I have tied a few bits of string at strategic places, but these have all been ignored. Yesterday after bringing in the washing we discoverd the start of a nest on the end of a piece of underwear! My hubby carefully disentangled it… Continue

Added by Gillian on November 25, 2009 at 10:39pm — 3 Comments

Everett McDonald My father-in-Laws Garden

My father-in-law Fred Pond died ten years ago. He loved his garden and I still miss him a lot especially at this time of year when the seed catalogues start arriving. The Pond family lived on a seven acre homestead of sorts in Westford Massachusetts. They raised a few pigs for meat. Had a few chickens and muscovie ducks. There were also the apple and pear trees. But my father-in-laws pride and joy was his vegetable garden. There were actually two of them. One on each side of the driveway which w… Continue

Added by Everett McDonald on November 23, 2009 at 8:05pm — 3 Comments

marion stewart All About Dogwood

Red osier dogwood is just the best plant for this time of year – cut down some branches – you can find them in fields and ditches and then place them in garden pots or containers. Fill the over-season containers with soil to hold the stems. Attach some of those low voltage bulbs and you are all set for a fine looking decoration to brighten up those dull Winter days.

… Continue

Added by marion stewart on November 23, 2009 at 11:31am — No Comments

Glenn Fletcher What is an Allotment

Allotments are now very popular in the UK. I used to have empty ones around mine for years. This site describes what an allotment is. The main advantage of an allotment is that it does not have to be too tidy, so is ideal for trying out different methods of recycling. As long as you attend regularly and work the soil you can grow what you wish. Both vegetables and flowers. Indeed i used to be a member of the… Continue

Added by Glenn Fletcher on November 21, 2009 at 5:34am — 2 Comments

Salma Kamal Pakistan: “Home Kitchen gardening to crush hunger”.

Like the rest of the world Pakistan is also hit by severe inflation and resulting food shortage. Price of all food commodities has triple during past few years. One third of Pakistan population is below poverty line and more and more people are falling into poverty trap. Four to five people in the Pakistan commit suicide every day and a large number of these cases can be attributed to the victims’ inability to make ends meet. Unable to feed the family’s, many poor people are turning to petty cri… Continue

Added by Salma Kamal on November 20, 2009 at 10:30am — 12 Comments

Marian Worley Pumpkins!

Pumpkin is in short supply this year! Roast and store your own! Continue

Added by Marian Worley on November 19, 2009 at 8:32am — No Comments

Marian Worley Pumpkins!

Pumpkin is in short supply this year! Roast and store your own! Continue

Added by Marian Worley on November 19, 2009 at 8:32am — No Comments

Strumelia my honeybees

Pics taken inside my hive yesterday.... :)

… Continue

Added by Strumelia on November 16, 2009 at 6:07pm — 1 Comment

amna mufti And they are selling it!

Potatoes were sown like yesterday ,and they are selling it?I was taken aback when yesterday I saw new potatoes on sale in the market.I thought it was from up north where it cools down much earlier.But then I realized its not possible due to ongoing war in those areas.So it was really local potatoes. I inquired about our own crop and viola! it is also of the same size i:e size of a chicken egg.Its marvelous to see the growth. Continue

Added by amna mufti on November 16, 2009 at 4:10pm — 4 Comments

Kathryn Green Lentils

With the cooler weather starting and the winter veggies appearing we tend to eat slightly more legumes at this time. It isnt always easy to think of ways to utilise them. I have over many years being cooking with lentils both green and red, they are very nutritious and very cheap which makes them ideal for cooking on a budget or for large meals. With these recipes you can use canned if you wish, I usually have some precooked in my freezer for times when I need to make a meal in a hurry. SALAD… Continue

Added by Kathryn on November 15, 2009 at 12:30am — 2 Comments

PiscesGirl Eggs!

We've finally got two hens out of four laying now - one Americauna (though it's anybody's guess which one), and our one and only Silver-Laced Wyandotte. Behold our lovely eggs! -

And they taste AMAZING too! :-) For more on our family's chickies, garden and winemaking adventures, come check… Continue

Added by PiscesGirl on November 12, 2009 at 12:00am — 5 Comments

Glenn Fletcher Useful Tools

I have found no specific place on KGI for identifying useful gardening tools. Everyone has their own favourite tool. It may be one that you use everytime you go in the garden, or it may be one that belonged to your parents that brings back memories, and is still working perfectly. Continue

Added by Glenn Fletcher on November 11, 2009 at 2:00pm — 3 Comments

amna mufti Pickled Mangos.

Pickled mango is the most famous and demanded pickle in our area.Almost every house hold has a different receipe.I pickle them as my aunty use to do it . Ingredients: Green mangoes(they should be the ones that have formed the internal core ,they usually comes at the mid season.)= 1kg. Turmeric powder= 1/4 KG Coriander seeds= 4 TBS Fenugreek seeds= 3 TBS Onion seeds =3 TBS Aniseed = 3 TBS Red chili powder = 5 TBS Mustered oil =1/2 kg Salt = to taste Cut the mangoes in to four halves, remove the s… Continue

Added by amna mufti on November 11, 2009 at 12:00am — 1 Comment

Gillian Tropical fruits

Oh I do love tropical fruit. I just had half a pawpaw out of my garden filled with passionfruit pulp. The cloying sweetness of the pawpaw is offset by the slightly acidic taste of the passionfruit. A match made in heaven :) There are so many mangoes everywhere - the road to work is bumpy with fallen mangoes. Most locals do not like the mangoes that grow wild and so they just fall to the ground and rot. The trees are also huge, so it is very hard to pick them, but everytime I see some within reac… Continue

Added by Gillian on November 9, 2009 at 5:26pm — 4 Comments

amna mufti Chiles.

It was cloudy in the morning,and a very little shower was received.It was holiday,due to birthday of Iqbal our national poet.I went in my kitchen garden,it was not too wet,so I decoded to transplant chilies ,tomatoes and first batch of lettuce.I took my maid .my gate keeper and my maid's daughter with me.We spent half an hour there and completed the task.I also noticed a very delicious fig hiding in the leaves,I picked it along with my harvest of radish,lemons and turnips.Today we had a lunch of… Continue

Added by amna mufti on November 9, 2009 at 6:03am — 4 Comments

amna mufti FOG

It is almost three days back that I noticed fog in the morning.In past days it increased to a thick blanket of fog.I am worried about the potato crop.My chilies in kitchen garden are also effected they are looking pale.This change is un expected.Nobody is prepared for this weather.We are having fog since 1990.Before this it was an occasional fog after two or three years.Maybe its due to pollution or any other phenomenon.But I dont like it at this time of year when all the plants are in need of b… Continue

Added by amna mufti on November 8, 2009 at 8:20am — 4 Comments

Jay O'Val Update

The rocket, bok choi and potatoes are all doing wonderfully. The potatoes came up high enough to be mulched so they are settled and the bok choi had it's first thinning which gave enough greens to fill one hand. I didn't mention at the time but I put in purple beans and snow peas as well but they never came up. I think the purple beans were probably too old, the larger seeds don't last a long time, but I don't know about the snow peas. One of the great mysteries of gardening I suppose. I'm plann… Continue

Added by Jay O'Val on November 7, 2009 at 3:42pm — 2 Comments

Marian Worley Do not ever give up

Because you never know what will come of your efforts. I am so grateful for the fall plants I just threw out in the garden after an exhausting summer season of gardening, harvesting, preserving, and WEEDING! But the fall crops are so wonderful and it is such a pleasure to still be getting fresh food straight from the earth to the table. It will not last too much longer, but for now any green or colorful fresh food is a gift from God. Continue

Added by Marian Worley on November 5, 2009 at 9:02pm — 2 Comments

Kathryn Olives

Have been to the Bazar and bought several kilos of Olives. The ones they sell are green, havent seen any black at the local bazars. I came home and cut into all the olives and have started the leaching. In about a months time I should have some olives ready for the table. I took a knife and cut 2 vertical cuts into each one, then using several containers added water. You then change the water every day for about a month until all the bitterness has left. Then you use a brine solution. It is ver… Continue

Added by Kathryn on November 4, 2009 at 6:00am — 3 Comments

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Barbara Lockyer Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving~wishing all who celebrate it, a very special Christmas! May you be richly blessed!
1 hour ago
Barbara Lockyer Here's hoping everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you are able to enjoy beautiful weather like we are...my kind of weather!!!
1 hour ago
amy Another beautiful day!
2 hours ago
amy updated their profile
2 hours ago
amy left a comment for kate copsey
2 hours ago
Lisa Moll commented on Joy Williams's group 'Vermiculture'
Does anyone else have a problem with fruit flies? I have my worm bins (2) in my laundry room, and I started having fruit flies this summer. It's too cold here to leave the bins outside, but I take them out on sunny days and shoo the fruit flies aw...
2 hours ago
Meghan Rosenbaum replied to Meghan Rosenbaum's discussion 'Iron Chef'
It's on Food Network (a cable channel). You might be able to find the episode on Hulu, or Foodnetwork.com, after it airs.
7 hours ago
Penelope replied to Meghan Rosenbaum's discussion 'Iron Chef'
I haven't seen this. What network is it on? I only get free TV.
8 hours ago
Meghan Rosenbaum added a discussion
Iron Chef
Has anyone seen the commercial for a special episode of Iron Chef America that will air on January 3? The white house executive chef will be paired with Bobby Flay, and the commercial says that the secret ingredient and the special guest will be o...
9 hours ago
Deborah Gore is now a member of Kitchen Gardeners
Welcome Them!
9 hours ago
Meghan Rosenbaum replied to Penelope's discussion 'Feeling Stuck'
I have found myself starting to over-analyze the foods I use, in terms of their "organicness" or "sustainability". Wondering whether to buy the organic potatoes (or whatever) from 800 miles away, or the non-organic from 50 miles away can really su...
10 hours ago
Kathryn commented on Gillian's photo 'pawpaw and passionfruit'
oh so jealous
13 hours ago
Glenn Fletcher commented on Glenn Fletcher's photo 'The Old Chimenera'
Hello Gillian It seems to be getting warmer every winter so maybe soon it will be superfluous.
16 hours ago
Glenn Fletcher commented on Glenn Fletcher's photo 'The Old Chimenera'
Good Morning Amna The plant in front is a papyrus. Its likes to have its feet in water but is not frost hardy. I take it out of the pond in late autumn and keep it in a bucket of water, in the shed. To propogate it you put a frond upside down in a...
16 hours ago
Maggie commented on Gillian's photo 'pawpaw and passionfruit'
Yum!
17 hours ago
Gillian added a photo
pawpaw and passionfruit
19 hours ago
Gillian commented on Glenn Fletcher's photo 'The Old Chimenera'
oooh lovely - you get cold enough to enjoy a proper chimnea
19 hours ago
Gillian commented on Glenn Fletcher's photo 'Winter Passionfruit'
wow - I wonder why, they look healthy and the fruit is a good size.
19 hours ago
Sheryl Stewart joined Gillian's group
COMPOST
This is so universal a subject, and so important I think it deserves its own space!
21 hours ago
Sheryl Stewart commented on andy Petro's group 'Ontario Gardeners'
Hi Carol I grew up in Waterdown above the escarpment. We used to find them just outside the Freelton Bog. Not sure if they are still there. I raised my children on Garth Street and my grandkids on Cannon Street.
22 hours ago

From the KGI Main Site

More photos from KGI's first global gathering

Gardeners Have the Power!

Braised brussels sprouts with pine nuts

Garden Q & A: extending the salad season

New White House kitchen garden videos

KGI is going to the White House (and we want to take you with us)

Optimal timing for your garlic harvest

Garden Q & A: Harvesting tomatoloons

Roasted potatoes with basil vinaigrette

Garden Q & A: Organic pest controls

Notes

HOW TO - ADD A LINK

Several people have experienced difficulty putting working links into comments and blogs etc and I know it is clumsy.... so here is how you do it.....

First type the text you want to appear....  ie  IAN'S PAGE

Then go back and highlight the link text.

Then hit the hyperlink button...a pictogram of a chain link.

Your browser may intervene and request permission to allow temporary scripting or some similar message.   Allow it and go back and highlight the text again

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Created by Ian Jun 7, 2009 at 7:28pm. Last updated by Ian Jun 8.

Forum Policy

Hi, I'm starting to put together a few guidlines on using the discussion forum on here.

I would be happy to hear any comments you may have.  This is very much a work in progress so plese feel free to ask me to add anything you think is needed.

I don't want to make our community hide bound by rules and regulations but I think that, as the community has grown, some explanation of what is expected is needed.

Administration

You can refer any que

… Continue

Created by Ian May 23, 2009 at 1:55am. Last updated by Ian May 25.

Climate maps

Hi following recent discussion I have put climate maps of the USA, Australia and Europe on here for reference..

 Climate map of the USA

Climate map of Australia

Climate map of Europe

 

… Continue

Created by Ian Sep 12, 2008 at 6:20pm. Last updated by Ian Apr 14.

Recipes, Recipes, Recipes

Hi Everyone,  I've started to collect together recipes from various posts on the site and put them all together here.

If you have a recipe you want to add on here, just post it on the site and leave a comment on my page telling me where it is and I'll go and fetch it back here.

They are organised in Contributor Order but I'm open to better suggestions!

BEVA'S RECIPES

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Created by Ian Jun 2, 2008 at 9:54am. Last updated by Ian Apr 13.

US STATES ABBREVIATIONS

 

US STATE ABBREVIATIONS

AK - Alaska               AL - Alabama              AR - Arkansas
AZ - Arizona              CA - California           CO - Colorado
CT - Connecticut          DC - Dist of Columbia *   DE - Delaware
FL - Florida              GA - Georgia              GU

… Continue

Created by Ian Jan 27, 2009 at 4:27pm. Last updated by Ian Jan 27.

HOW TO - MAKE COMPOST

Recently there was an excellent discussion about composting. I’ve pulled together all the various comments here. You can also watch KGI's video on composting here.

 

 

KATE’S ADVICE

I used to have a tumbler that we made from a wine-barrel but

1 you have to fill it up all at once

2. it seemed mostly

… Continue

Created by Ian May 30, 2008 at 5:29am. Last updated by Roger Jan 15.

Notes Home

Welcome to Notes.

To view notes that are in the system hit the "all notes" button above.

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Created by Ian May 28, 2008 at 12:10pm. Last updated by Ian May. 30, 2008.

A Note about Notes

I have just written this note so that I can see what we can achieve by using this new feature.

If you read this and have any suggestions then please leave a comment on my page or email me.

Ian

Continue

Created by Ian May 28, 2008 at 6:19pm. Last updated by Ian May. 28, 2008.

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