The Veggie Thread...for news items regarding ALL aspects of food production.

[KichigaiNeko]

RE Apples...get an excerpt from "Botany of Desire" there a bit in there about a literal forest of "ancestral apples" I'd pay good money (or shoot good people) to have seen myself.

Take that "aquaponics" setup, go vert, enclose it in a shut in gas well heated greenhouse - and you have my business model. You know what I've found to be the best growing media? "Coco-peat" shaved shredded coconut husk. It doesn't degrade very quickly, it's sterile, it holds water, it's chemically inert (from the pov of the consumer-the plant), it's "all-natural"......you should give coco peat and aquaponics a try, tailor made for Australia (and it's a great excuse for a hobby koi pond).

http://www.aces.edu/dept/fisheries/educa...system.pdf

My thought exactly Rhythm! Currently using the coconut husks as organic matter to boost a very sandy soil. Would normally use pine back to increase moisture and fertiliser retention but it is getting way too expensive for our current budget. There is also sugar cane mulch that I am currently trialing which seems ok but not ideal. Pleased to announce that I am currently cropping Roma tomatoes .... No they are not as big or sweet and juicy as summer harvest but for our meagre needs they are enough.

The question of aquaponics for me is just where I can squeeze it into my tiny outdoor area. Got some ideas but allot more has to happen to finish off our house before I can find funds to go that route. Bought myself a Blueberry bush yesterday! Zen is very pleased as we both love the tiny blue fruit. A quick bit of research stipulated ( from one company) that manure should not be used.... I am guessing that they mean FRESH manure. My greatest successes have come from aged/ composted cow poo.

Loving the idea of a Koi carp pond as the base for the aquaponics though.

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Just finished "Botany of Desire" and agree with you. All our apples in the major food chains have been harvested and cold stored for at least six months (if not more) A good point raised in that book is also the issue of storage and distribution adding to the cost of food and I personally would love to see food towers in all our capital cities. The best that we have at the moment is Community Gardens and some adventures into sidewalk veggie patches. Sadly our major cropping areas have had very little rain and are doing poorly, which is why I scoff at the vegan utopian ideal..... At least for Western Australia.

The one thing we cannot do is crop grains at home of an amount to even satisfy a family's needs year round.