Botany and Mycology :)

I have tried the last three years to grow food but I don't have a great deal of success. I think the problem is I forget about it and so don't keep enough of an eye on things. Last year I couldn't get the seedlings out because of such strong winds and the rain was so bad last year. Previously I have had success with cabbages. I planted nastersiums aroud the bed and that kept them free of catterpillars, but the slugs got them last year. The other thing I previously had success with was blueberries as they don't really need much attention - just netting when the birds show an interest (and a dose of eracasious feed).

 nature is a place of peace for me, I have an allotment which I find is functional good for me, I just love planting bulbs and seeds. Planting makes you appreciate the seasons and being in the cycle of life. I love to read about the plants and to be honest I love to observe the smallest detail and learn the most oddest of facts about a plant or a creature.

For example mushrooms contain spermadine which is linked by the oxford university long- life research as a substance which prolongs human life the most, as it determines the shield thickness of each cell. You also get spermadine in, probiotic cheese, Peas and grapefruits and some sea food.

True be told,, I am a peusdo scientist at heart which bores the *** of normal NT's people. I need to stop trying to speak or share knowledge with the zombies. Only kidding or am I.

I have spend my whole life looking for a real intellectual conversation, I am human information sponge who makes up the total model of the existence in this head, half the time I don't even know what I am talking about until I have said it. lol  

micki82, your mushroom collection sounds amazing,, I love the fact that the soil has a total mycelium network within it and it feed nutrients towards the plant roots, it has been said by scientists that the world is one big mushroom brain with a biosignal network around the world, I can believe that. If you break the soil by digging you break the links and this is the reason why soil erosion is happening. Mushrooms are symbiotic. The latest research is to use mushrooms to  extract mineral/metals out the ground. Mushrooms even help retain water in areas to keep plants alive during drought. I could get lost in a mushroom  world.

Hope you enjoyed the information

hi micki82 - thanks for giving me such useful advice + the mushroom link.  Will leave the magic mushrooms to those who are interested in them.  I'll put your advice  into practice in the spring. With the bad weather and winter upon us, everything's so wet that not much can be done.  Even so, all the autumn colours look good.  A couple of years ago we had miner bees - they're solitary, but interesting, as are mortar bees.  Wasps I don't like, but I think everything on the planet has a function so I don't kill anything.  I'll let you know how I get on.   

micki82 said:

Plants and mushrooms are my passionate hobbies, and i love to grow things that I can eat, and which allow my scientific side to research these experimental growth assays.

I also like to paint, and badly play a few instruments, but the cultivation is my top obsession

 

Anyone want to know more or share similar interests?

 

I volunteer for a nature conservation charity in my spare time (for the past 16 years).  

I do not grow my own food or forage for food, but I am interested in the topic.  I have numerous books on the topic of growing fruit, veg, herbs and spices, including preservation and storage.  I also have numerous books on wild food foraging.  I keep these more as reference books for post-apocalyptic tabletop roleplaying games!  

Hi, sorry for taking so long, and thanks for your reply.

I do think that large tubs would be fine for your veg, although would make sure they are well drained (good holes in the bottom with some gravel), as another summer like this one and everything will be washed out!  They can also dry very easily, so it is more important to monitor each tub individually, with things like water and feed ratio being adapted to suit how much rain has washed through them.  I also like to water a container, let its soak in, and then feed it so it doesn't wash straight through and poorly feed the plants.

My garden is not too big, and I grow the majority of the veg in 3 raised stone borders, although will be expanding next year.  You really don't need too much space, and I grow organically, so cram things in a bit and feed heavily with liquified chicken manure (great but absolutely stinking, not loved by the neighbours!).

Your garden sounds lovely, and its nice to see you are gardening for wildlife too, I would like to plant more things like that next year inbetween the veg.  I'm also going to have a go at growing some field type mushrooms in the ground too, apparently they fixate many nutrients and make the veg bigger!  At present I grow the mushroom in the house, in bags of straw or wood chips, and fruit them in a large clear toy box.  Here is a link for a good website about growing mushrooms and has a good forum section; www.shroomery.org/.../Gourmet-Mushrooms (I have directed it to the gourmet section, as many of the people on that site are growing magic mushrooms and talking about drug experiences!).

I hope you are well and to hear more about your gardening ventures soon :)

hi micki82 - thanks for such a comprehensive reply.  You've certainly grown a great variety.  I think we all wage a war against the slugs, snails + caterpillars.  There isn't much space left in our garden to grow a lot of veg.  Most of it's occupied by bushes, trees, flowering plants + a pond which attracts loads of wildlife such as water snails, frogs, newts etc.  We grow flowers which bees + insects like.  The bees like the blossom on the bushes + then the berries later on.  I'm considering growing some veg in large containers as we have a paved area which I'm hoping would be satisfactory.  I'd like to grow various lettuces, carrots, radishes, onions + tomatoes.  Do you think growing in large containers would suffice?  You've grown a lot, so do you have a large garden?  Where do you grow your fungi.

I'm so pleased to hear you share similar interests, and that you desire to eat what you grow, which is just wonderful!

In 2012 I have grown, Leeks, red onions, spring onions, celeriac, jeruselam artichokes, globe artichokes, florence fennel, pak choi, potatoes, kale, broccoli, runner beans, broad beans, french beans, spinach, rocket, swiss chard, canary chard, rhubarb, courgettes, strawberries, lots of herbs, and many flowers to fill the gaps and attract the insects.  It has been a war against slugs, snails, and later catterpillas, and rain, but well worth the battle!

In fungi, which is a little more difficult (aseptic technique required), I am currently growing; Shiitake, Grey Oyster, King Oyster, Elm Oyster, Reishi, and a selection of other store bought cloned specimens, which I don't have the names to hand.  It is a great hobby, and really allows the scientist in us to come out (sterilising everything in a pressure cooker and innoculation in a glove box, it's like biohazardous lab stuff :).

If you ever need some tips on anything, just ask, although planning is the key to it all, with the winter being the perfect time to plan your garden for the spring sowings, and if the mycology tempts you, then researching the equipment needed and the stages of spawning, substrates (like seed compost-Grain, to potting soil-wood chips/straw..), and growing parameters, like humidity and temperatures for fruiting.

You sound like a budding cultivator in the making, and it is so enjoyable, even when the insects have beaten you to the harvest!!!

What would you like to be growing? 

hi micki82 - I also like plants.  I think some fungi, including mushrooms, can be attractice + interesting.  There are so many varieties of plants + fungi.  We've got lots of plants in our garden but I'm not good at growing things we can eat.  I think it gives a good feeling when we cultivate something, especially from seed + then eat it.  There's something special about that.  Do you grow a lot of things?