>> I think Rick C does sow them in spring, allowing them to flower and produce seed for future sowing.

I did that once by mistake, then really enjoyed eating some of the mildly-spicy pods and collecting the seeds. The roots were just some small threads supporting a huge flowering bush!

In later years, there was some volunteer reseeding. Those "knew when to germinate" in order to produce big roots. But they were HOT!

Cindy,
No need to try it. My dirt is fairly loose. My Dad should try it tho. He has thee black gumbo. He lives in the opposite end as me and he and one other place have the gumbo. We think it was brought in rather than natural.

Rick,
I think the show I saw they fed them to cows? Maybe pigs.

Traditionally, daikons have been used to break up/till soil. Some of them grow to 2 ft. Sounds easier than digging hard clay!

Hazelnut,
My daikons were about a foot long.

Sally - that's a respectable size. What is black gumbo?

Cindy,
It's black clay. Almost looks jellied when turned with a tractor. It can dry hard as a rock and get cracks 13'' deep. Rich soil, but the devil to work. My soon to be 87 year old Dad still plants garden and hoes it.

Kudos to your dad for working with it for so long. Sounds like it would be very nutritive soil though.

If he had dug compost or leaves into it over the years it would be primo. It still grows good corn and even melons for being so tough.

I was wondering about that.

gumbo. We had that in Santa Barbara. Black clay. Things will grow in it though. Alkaline.

And my Dad grew up on sandy soil two miles from town. They grew a lot of melons and potatoes.

Wow - that's quite a switch from sandy soil to black gumbo. Does he have a preference?

I don't think so. He just likes to be in the garden and enjoys hoeing. Me I hate hoeing!

Good for him!

hazelnut said:For me its an opportunity to recycle bones. I also sometimes gather them all up and cook them down into bone broth--not for me but for them to mix with dry dog food. What's left is soft bones, and they go into the garden. Those racoons will figure out just about anything you do to outsmart them. I forgot and left my new box of cat food with the ring pop lids outside. That coon figured out how to open the cans, and helped himself to a good share of the whole box. He watches me through the window glass to see if Im coming out the door, and he wont leave unless I actually open the door. If he hears the door latch, then he scoots.

Hi Koch Koch. What kind of gardening soil do you have in Pakistan? What do you grow?

It's a busy time of year here. This is when the seaweed washes in and piles up on the beach. We can collect it and use it to remineralize the soil here. katie

Katie - how does warm water seaweed compare to north Atlantic seaweed? I've always heard of a preference for the cold-water type but don't know why.

I don't know. All we get is warm water, though our winters are chilly which might make a difference. I used a lot of this seaweed at my last home and the soil was greatly improved. The soil is sandy and rocky here and tropical storms tend to wash all the topsoil back to the sea. As I added lots of local seaweed more of the rain soaked into the soil, rather than running down to the river/sea.

I've no idea how mineral contents compare.

Tony and stood in the back yard today and admired all our plants. Citrus, mangoes, dragonfruit, one large (and blooming) schotia to be followed by a flame tree or two. There were two almost-dead trees here when I moved in. I am happy with what we have accomplished, happy we have a lot we can share now and really happy that the land will go to Tony and his family when I'm gone.

I've ordered a lot of tomato seeds. My goal is to have locally grown tomatoes here year-round. Almost all that we get now are typical store-bought. We know lots of gardeners so I think we can get an informal cooperative going. Besides being perhaps the best home-grown vegetable (I know, its' a fruit - never mind) for our use, Americans who are where will be happy to pay for them. My gac fruit plants are growing well. I've never had them but have been told they can be added to most any tomato dish and will up the nutritional content considerably.

And, as of yesterday, I have a lot of little golden gardenia plants sprouting.

katie

Katie - it does sound like the seaweed was a much-needed amendment for your garden. How cool to grow tomatoes year-round. Definitely jealous since I can only get local tomatoes 4 months of the year.