[margaret zanoni]

Thanks for the tip Myrna - as soon as the weather lets up a bit I'll pop down to the Herbalist Shop in town to give it a try.

I was given a Kalanchoe at Christmas time nicely presented in a fancy watering can (ornamental one) in a deep red colour. I stood it on top of the kitchen cupboard and to my shame forgot all about it.............only on Saturday did I remember it when I finally got around to doing my own cooking again. I got it down and all the tiny flowers which had been in bud when it was abandoned were now in full bloom and the leaves glossy and healthy (although dusty I must admit). I gave it a little water and it is now in pride of place on the coffee table! I know thar Kalanchoe is the proper name but it is commonly known as 'Flaming Katy'....kind regards to everyone .............Margaret

[oil painter]

Margaret: Check your pharmacy too. That's where I buy mine. It's cheaper than the herb store, at least here

[Tuppence2]

Hello everyone.

Horrible news about the heat and fires, Yvonne. Hope they die down very soon.

A friend uses Glucosmin & Chondroitin and gets them cheaper from an internet pharmacy.
I tried them a few years ago and they did a lot of good but I read about side-effects of staying on them for long periods and didn't continue taking them. Perhaps they have less side-effects now.

My potatoes arrived this morning:

Red Duke of York
Celine
Coleen and
Hermes.

They're in the outside lavatory where it's cool until planting time.

[oil painter]

Hi All:

Bob-- I have never heard of any side effects of Glucosamine and Chondrotin and none have been proven. Just what were they? Perhaps some have allergic reactions either to it or some of the other compounds that make it into a pill. I know I have a friend who can only take one form of pain reliever(like asparin) because she is allergic to one of the compounds that make the others into a pill.

I myself as I said have been on it for 5 years and never had any side effects just relief from pain.

On a planting note--I took all my geranium cuttings this morning and they are now on newspaper callusing over. I'll start them next week. I ended up with 30 cuttings and then I trimmed and shaped the mother plants. I'll take my hanging ones when I start the others. They don't need to callus over. My pots and beds should look good. I have various shades of pinks that I saved from last year. They were getting pretty wild with long shoots so now we can see out the kitchen window.

Bob do you order seed potatoes every year or use some from the year before? My husband saves some of the smaller ones for seeding and buys just a few new ones to try. As a result we have 4 or 5 varieties growing in one season. Of course we have a big garden and my husband loves his potatoes. He likes Red Chieftan for when we get a wet season, Yukon gold and Superior for a dry summer and of course Kenebecs for just about any weather. They always produce.

Last year we had a very wet summer and the Red Chieftan did the best--very well in fact--nice and large and no hollow centers.

It would be interesting to know what varieties do best for you.

[Farmgirl22]

Chamomile is also supposed to be a good pain reliever, you might give that a try.

[Tuppence2]

This is what I was thinking of, Myrna, but I see that it's thought that the benefits outweight the possible side-effects.

Side Effects of Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate
Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate is well tolerated by most of those on clinical trials. In very rare instances the following side effects have been noticed.

-- Motor uneasiness
-- Feeling of tightness in the throat and chest
-- Slight breathing difficulty
-- Rash
-- Mild headache
-- Nausea
-- Diarrhea
-- Gastrointestinal pain
-- Slightly elevated blood pressure

All of these side effects could occur, but in very rare cases. The most common of glucosamine side effects that almost everyone faces is increased intestinal gas and soft stools.

Animal studies have shown that glucosamine could worsen insulin resistance, one of the major causes of diabetes. No such problem has been found in humans, but a diabetic on these supplements must monitor blood-sugar levels regularly while on the supplement.

Those who intend taking these supplements and also are on blood-thinning medication or aspirin therapy should consult their physician before taking these supplements.

........................................................................... .......................................................

Regarding potatoes, I always get new sets and don't plant ones I've grown. That way, disease is kept to a minimum, apparently. I think I remember Bob saying he doesn't grow his own these days, but could be wrong.

[oil painter]

Thanks for the info Penny
I've never had any of those symptoms and no gas and my stools are just like they've always been. If you are in pain though-- I would rather be a little bit Gassy than have the pain. Anyway if you get any of those symptoms you can always quit. I guess each person has to weigh the pros and cons and do what's best for them. For me I'll stick with it.

You are right about disease and potatoes, but scab will live in the soil for a while. Our varieties are rotated every year and replaced about every 5 years. Not every variety is resistant to the same things, so this way we keep things fresh. It would cost a fortune to buy seed potatoes every year for such a large plot. My husband puts in about 6-- 75 foot long rows. Enough to supply us with potatoes almost until we start using the new ones. We give away a lot too. Actually our garden is too big for just the 2 of us and Bill tends to plant too much.

[oil painter]

Penny, Bob, and Margaret-- You might want to read this book The first part is the summary of the Book., followed by the title and author who is a medical doctor.

This is where I first discovered Glucosamine and Chondrotin.

Four decades of medical research from around the world has shown that two nutritional supplements - glucosamine and chondroitin sulfates - can halt, reverse, and even cure osteoarthritis." "After combing the medical research and analyzing his own study results, Dr. Theodosakis has, in this book, provided a complete approach to the treatment of arthritis. In The Arthritis Cure, you will find the complete nine-step Arthritis Cure program, a full (and understandable) analysis of the reams of medical research, and a seven-step strategy for preventing osteoarthritis. Moreover, Dr. Theodosakis has listed invaluable information on dosage and the products currently on the market. He also tells you the truth about painkillers, gives you realistic diet and exercise programs to follow, and helps you overcome the blues that come with any chronic condition."--
BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

The Arthritis Cure : The Medical Miracle That Can Halt, Reverse, and May Even Cure Osteoarthritis
by Theodosakis, Jason; Adderly, Brenda D.; Fox, Barry

[Tuppence2]

Thanks, Myrna. The book looks very interesting. I'll see if I can get it at my local library.

I have, in these modern days of building small houses with almost non-existant gardens, a large back garden, but I'm sure it's nowhere as big as yours. I put in three raised beds last year (wooden ones) and plan to put potatoes in them and there are other beds available, too.
Really looking forward to planting the potatoes. I didn't earth them up last year. I expect your husband does and gets a bigger crop that way. Does he have a favourite variety. I particularly like "Red Duke of York". I was wondering whether I could grow sweet potatoes in this climate and will look it up on the internet. Does he have a rotavator or does he do the digging himself?

[Tuppence2]

p.s. I found the book at "Green Metropolis" where I get my second-hand books, and also one by the same author, "Maximizing the Arthritis Cure".

ISBN: 0712679375

[oil painter]

Heavens Penny--
There is no way he could dig it by hand. Our garden is 75 feet by 75 feet or 5625 square feet. We have raspberries growing along the back of the garden facing south and pines along the east and and west and the north edge faces our house. We usually plant tomatoes or alternately onions along this north edge, because we read that onions keep diseases away from tomatoes and they were good crops to alternate. I don't know if it works but we do it anyway.

The center 50 or so feet is devoted to vegetable crops with about half devoted to potatoes which he moves from side to side on alternate years.

He has a 4 horse power tiller or rotovator as you call it. He bought it the summer after we moved into this house in 1972 and it has served us well. He had to take it in to the shop for a small repair last year and the fellow couldn't believe its age for the condition it was in. My husband takes care of his tools.

He tills the whole garden 2 or 3 times, before planting and he has the hoe marked with how far apart the rows should be and he uses this for all the rows. Then he digs a trench about 3 times the depth of the potato with the hoe and plants his potatoes. As the potatoes(and everything else) are growing, he will take the 2 outside tines off and till in between the rows. When the potatoes have grown about a foot he hills them up from the space in between the rows.

The tilling keeps the weeds out and it must work because we have very few weeds in the garden

As for that variety you mentioned Penny it is not one that is available here but we have Red Chieftan which is probably much like it. They do well in wet weather and I like them best. They have a red skin and very white flesh and are not dry like some varieties.
Now you can tell me about your gardens and planting methods. I know they won't be the same because you plant in raised beds but that doesn't matter. Gardening is gardening

[Tuppence2]

Hello, Myrna.

I've never been able to afford to buy a little rotavator so dig manually. As I've got older and my back complained more, I decided to try the non-dig method of gardening, where I hoe and just turn over the top few inches of soil. Having the raised beds enables me to do this. I use spade and fork to dig over the other beds in the garden,a need to dig a trench for
beans when the soil's in a suitable condition. I've got a row of canes and string ready for them and added manure last year. There are bags of manure still to be spread but I find them very heavy to move and can only do that when my back allows. I'll probably open them in situ and use a bucket to take the manure to the beds. Last year I had a load of stable manure delivered, this time I've bought bags from the garden centre where I volunteer.

Using an annuity a few years ago, I had half of the grassed area in the back garden put down to gravel and fenced off with trellis and wire fencing, and that's a flower garden. I have climbing roses growing on the trellis and plants in pots on the gravel. There's a little wild-life pond and a slightly bigger one, too. The greenhouse is on the patio outside the house.

My bramley apple tree had grown very big so I pruned it last year and also coppiced a stand of hazel to allow more light into the vegetable garden.

The little front garden is used for flowers and shrubs.

[telecom69]

Originally Posted by Tuppence2

........................................................................... .......................................................

Regarding potatoes, I always get new sets and don't plant ones I've grown. That way, disease is kept to a minimum, apparently. I think I remember Bob saying he doesn't grow his own these days, but could be wrong.

Hi everyone, Nothing wrong with your memory Penny,I dont grow potatoes these days,mainly because I dont have room for them ...the only spare room I have is shared betwen Dahlias and Beans ...

Somehow the storm forecast for last night missed us,thank heavens its been above freezing all night and the slow thaw continues we can at last see the footpaths and lawns again ...it did come but was mainly down South East I think ...

[oil painter]

Hi Penny and Bob:

Penny----- have you ever heard of a marvelous tool called the garden claw. It has a circle of tines about 6 inches around, a long handle with something like handle bars across the top. You push the tines into the soil and twist on the handlebars. Very easy on the back and does a great job of digging and mixing the soil. I paid about $20 for mine and I wouldn't be without it. Once the top layer is broken up it's very easy to go deeper.

I use it in my flower beds to turn the soil and mix in manure, peat moss, compost or lime whatever I am amending the soil with. I also have a small dolly that I picked up at a garage sale that I use for moving bags of things.

My flower bed on the far side of my driveway is about 4 feet by 40 feet and it used to be a week long job to work and amend the soil so it was ready for planting. My husband couldn't till it because of the perennials in there. With the claw I whip through it in a day.

My son has raised beds and he uses one in them. The only part that may have to be dug are the very edges.

I envy you being able to grow roses. I have tried but even the most hardy ones don't last more than a couple of years here, even if they are covered and mulched.

We put in beans in our garden too, both the yellow ones and a variety called royal burgandy, a purple bean that turns bright green when it's cooked. Both are bush beans but yours sound like the climbing variety. We grow corn, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, peas,cucumbers,onions and salad greens. I may have forgotten something. not hard to do when you are making a list. During our years of gardening we have tried many other things too.

I freeze the peas, corn and peppers for the winter and I can tomatoes and make tomato juice. The onions get dug, dried and hung in mesh bags for winter use.

[oil painter]

Here's a picture of the garden claw