Hobbits Unusual Edibles

**The Cornishman** · 13-05-17, 09:07 AM

Originally Posted by redsiel

Morning hobbit I won't bore you with my typical I love comfrey,aloe etc but I have noticed over the time since using soil that with all the pest troubles I've had in the room.
Spider mites,thrips aphids fruit flies and gnats oh and of course my little beneficial helpers they have all left the coriander plant alone it's one of the first things I potted lol i always cut it back and Mum uses it for tea I think but I'm going to make space for a bigger plant and I'm going to use this as a part of my cover crop for my raised bed next round I think!
Nothing special just thought it was very interesting regarding the pests.

I have got a couple others written down in a old diary that I kinda made note of in the hope of one day getting a garden and that still remains a ambition for now lol I'll look into them.
Blessings brother
Redz

That's a really good observation. I'll have to look at that.

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Hobbit · 14-05-17, 12:41 AM

Originally Posted by The Cornishman

Wow! Nice one. What variety of coffee bush is it?

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Its Arabica mate.

Originally Posted by redsiel

Morning hobbit I won't bore you with my typical I love comfrey,aloe etc but I have noticed over the time since using soil that with all the pest troubles I've had in the room.
Spider mites,thrips aphids fruit flies and gnats oh and of course my little beneficial helpers they have all left the coriander plant alone it's one of the first things I potted lol i always cut it back and Mum uses it for tea I think but I'm going to make space for a bigger plant and I'm going to use this as a part of my cover crop for my raised bed next round I think!
Nothing special just thought it was very interesting regarding the pests.

I have got a couple others written down in a old diary that I kinda made note of in the hope of one day getting a garden and that still remains a ambition for now lol I'll look into them.
Blessings brother
Redz

You never bore me Redz, Interesting that is. I have about 12 coriander plants scattered through my garden not for the reasons you stated but because its my favorite herb. Another little trick is to plant something that the insects do like to deter them away from another crop. One example is the diamond back moth we have here, its larvae love anything leafy. they are a small larvae that spin webs and hang about in threads. Ive discovered they prefer radishes and because radish are such a fast and simple crop they make a perfect deterrent crop. It keeps them away from my cabbages

Hobbit · 14-05-17, 12:48 AM

Originally Posted by farmshop

Have you had a look at the 'toothache plant'? Grows some really nice ball like red, black and yellow flowers. A nice addition to a salad. Grows rather wild aswell.

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Very interesting mate. Very pretty flowers it has.

**Blue** · 14-05-17, 02:59 AM

Excellent work Hobbit... I like the idea of a plant deterrent, great idea for protecting your prize plants. Enjoy the coffee buddy I'm sure Itl be worth the wait. You can't beat the homegrown freshness

Hobbit · 14-05-17, 03:20 AM

Originally Posted by Blue

Excellent work Hobbit... I like the idea of a plant deterrent, great idea for protecting your prize plants. Enjoy the coffee buddy I'm sure Itl be worth the wait. You can't beat the homegrown freshness

Cheers Blue, deterrent plants are a good idea as not only do they feed the pest insect but they help to encourage the beneficial insects. For example some lady bug larvae will feed on aphids other lady bug larvae may be fungus feeders helping to keep powdery mildew in check. The thing is if you dont have any aphids or fungi the lady bugs wont show up in the first place. So even though some things are a pest its good to have a few of them about to encourage a balanced diversity in your garden.

**The Cornishman** · 14-05-17, 08:07 PM

Originally Posted by Hobbit

Cheers Blue, deterrent plants are a good idea as not only do they feed the pest insect but they help to encourage the beneficial insects. For example some lady bug larvae will feed on aphids other lady bug larvae may be fungus feeders helping to keep powdery mildew in check. The thing is if you dont have any aphids or fungi the lady bugs wont show up in the first place. So even though some things are a pest its good to have a few of them about to encourage a balanced diversity in your garden.

Very sage words Hobbit regarding the sacrificial crop idea.

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Hobbit · 15-05-17, 02:09 AM

Originally Posted by The Cornishman

Very sage words Hobbit regarding the sacrificial crop idea.

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It saves a lot of work mate and means less use of sprays. Most sprays even organic ones are non selective to insects, they kill the good and the bad. I dont even like using pyrethrum in my garden for this reason. I will use it sparingly on thrips as they can be a nightmare to eradicate due to their breeding cycle. The other thing that bothers me is that many insect sprays are nerve poisons and Im not keen on the horrible death they must endure. An excellent product i use is marketed under different names has an active ingredient called spinetoram. It is derived from a beneficial soil bacteria interestingly enough. Its recommended not use it too often to avoid pest resistance but its a great product, Ive not had a thrip in my garden for a long time it seems to deter these guys big time.

Hobbit · 25-05-17, 06:59 AM

You gotta love a mild winter climate. My native strawberry is coming into flower as is its season. I planted lady finger bananas about 9 months back and one just threw a flower out, wish it had waited until spring tbh as it will be a slow small bunch most likely. An interesting thing is that the bannana bell is also edible and very tasty. I have tomatoes growing full steam even as it gets colder. Wonder how well the tomatoes will fruit. I planted them earlier last year and got a nice autumn crop. The passion fruits are almost ready. I started losing a few dropping off while still quite small just in the last week or so. In the pic you can see the mould and rot that is happening where the petals have rotted on the stem at the apex of the fruit due to our extremely high humidity and a bit of rain lately. I have removed all these now so I hope thats the end of that.

Hobbit · 25-05-17, 07:16 AM

I will sow more carrots this week to follow this crop. This pak choi got hammerd down by the chooks when it was ready to pick 2 weeks go. Its bounced back nicely. You can see in some pics where the chooks have pecked at anything they can get their beaks through lol they are without a doubt my most beneficial garden friend and my worst pest at the same time. The chilli plant was in great health until the spider mites decimated it. Pays to keep that loupe on the move all the time in the garden. From 1st visible damage to this damage in about 4 days. Treated it with liquid lime sulphur and its bouncing back now. Sneaky little buggers are the tiny mites. My capsicums are powering along and hopefully will fruit even in the colder months but im doubtful. If it fruits I may bang it in the chilli comp.

Hobbit · 07-06-17, 11:20 PM

A little up date on the coffee. Apart from needing to refine the de hulling process and finding a way to polish the beans all went well and coffee tastes great.