h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Lovely to read you again Ol' Cranky

My new container garden is born out of necessity. No ground on which to grow vegs (steep slope, sanddune, rented flat) means that I've had to be inventive about containers for vegs.

I'm afraid I haven't thought about what looks good as the priority is to get some food growing

Unused vegetable transport boxes or fish boxes (with holes punched in the bottom) are brilliant for growing deep-rooting things, like beans, peppers (capsicum), tomatoes etc. And because they're made of polystyrene (styrofoam), they insulate the soil from extreme heat or cold

I have also bought 80c plastic buckets from the Dollar Store, punched holes in the bottom, raised them onto a couple of planks of wood (better drainage) and have courgettes, sqaushes and cucumbers growing beautifully in them

One point about containers and pots. The terracotta ones are always favoured by gardeners. However, if they are not glazed they lose moisture from the soil within them faster than any other kind of container.

Of course you need to be extra diligent with water and fertilisers when container growing because the plant roots have relatively little soil from which to suck up their requirements.

Oh I do love gardening


Fb

There is a complany in Florida, I think, that makes and sells these special containers for growing vegetables. They have a reservoir for water and fertilizer and a wicking mat that keeps water at the roots of the plants. They are really expensive. I'm thinking of buying one of them and then tearing it apart to see if I can reproduce it for a lot less money.

I'm glad you're finding a way to garden. You're like me - miserable when you can't grow things.

company - not complany.

But you can grow vegetables in buckets, for goodness sake

Actually, the very best container gardening I've ever done was using regular (cheap) plastic containers (with holes in the bottom), sitting on a tray with a lip of about 2cm. As long as the tray had water in it, the plants were happy. And, boy, did they grow Simple, cheap technique that has never failed

Empty pickle buckets from restaurants are good for growing tomatoes. They're the perfect size. I used to have a source for them, but don't any longer.

Have you adjusted to the climate?

The climate's

I know that I am going to miss the defined seasons that we have in Scotland. You can grow stuff all year round here, which is great from the fresh fruit and veg point of view, but there is a large part of me which a) likes the 'off-time' that winter brings and b) the harvest in the autumn and the hectic preserving that has to happen

It's one of the main reasons I'm not at all sure I'll make Australia home for good if I'm honest. My life is increasingly in tune with nature, seasons etc and it's all completely different here. It makes me feel quite insecure

Hey. Perhaps I'm just having a homesick day? They happen.

I have never been to Australia. But from what I've read about it, I think I would rather live in Scotland. Because of the mountains, for one thing.

I have set myself a mental exercise. I am tryng to decide where I would settle if I could afford to live absolutely anywhere I wanted. Scotland is on my list of possibilities.

GO THERE!

Was that a GO THERE you'll love it or a GO THERE and find out why I left? I wanted to visit there, but ran out of time.

It was a GO THERE for both those reasons. Aaah, I do miss it. But then the sun comes out again here. Then I go shopping and can buy about twice as much as I can afford in the UK and I remember why I'm here.

Here for now at least

Have just potted on four pepper plants, two chillis, six tomatoes, dozens of tarragon and basil

Happy again.

It is good to be able to read about gardening on hootoo. Are you going to have time to do it as well as being a benevolent President?

Fb

I am assembling a large staff to do all of the actual work. I plan to just loll around and look important.

You should have an easier time raising peppers in Australia. Aren't they wonderful? One of my favorite foods.

Most of the places on my dream list are in the US. I seriously doubt if I would be contented living outside the US. Too old and too used to things the way they are. But I would adore some extended vacations.

salad recipe! I managed to understand everything but the cilantro - what's that?

And personally, I prefer my garlic finely chopped.

When I worked in a hotel, I regularly heard our food & beverage manager and head chef arguing over mostly everything - the only thing they always agreed upon was that garlic must be finely chopped, never crushed.

Crushing the cloves releases some kind of... of... was that acid? that tastes a bit bitter.

Ti, cilantro is corriander leaves. We call the leaves 'cilantro' and the seeds 'corriander'. Don't have a clue why.

I use a garlic press most of the time. It gives me the fine chop without the work. I didn't know if folks in other parts of the world use garlic presses or not, so I settled on crushed. I have never noticed any bitterness. My taste buds must not be as refined as an actual chef's. and I find that crushed garlic flavors salad dressings more than chopped - the oils come out better so you need less of it.

I have been in discussions with people who absolutely refuse to use dried herbs. But I like them. It's all what you get used to, I suppose.

I used to use a garlic press all the time, until I heard them agreeing that chopping the cloves was the only way to go.

I thought it wouldn't make *that* much of a difference, but considered it worth a try - and nowadays I always chop my garlic cloves...

Corriander, eh? Thanks!

I agree that crushed garlic releases the flavours more than chopped. I compromise: squish the garlic with the flat of a big bladed knife and then chop the resulting flattened cloves!

with me!