The Quack Shack

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Talking about that original link, I haven't read that through thoroughly either, it says: »The plant can be grown using either stem cuttings or the purple rhizomes at the base of the stalks. It will not reproduce from the tubers, which, when unharvested, rot in the ground, providing fertilizer for later crops.«

So the German Wikipedia says explicitly that Yacon cannot be grown from seeds. The English Wikipedia says it can be grown from cuttings and some special rhizomes but says nothing about seeds"

I guess i grow the seeds i receive and will see…

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Better to try and find resistant / tolerant varieties. It's the only thing that works for me since there are so many things I want to try, so many roses, fruit trees at I'd like to plant, and only so much time... Kordes Rosen in Germany specializes in no-spray and I believe they also have USA representation, for example - https://www.chambleeroses.com/catalog/roses/kordes-roses/

Over here snowdrops are almost done, the first daffodils are opening up and the apricot trees are almost ready to start.

Unfortunately there are no mold resistant variants of Currants and Gooseberries available here! - I am happy that my county has released the ban on almost all members of the Ribes family. The whole family is host to a species of blight-molds that had devastating effects on the timber industry and were literally banned and attempted to extinct here in the USA.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ribes#United_States

The fruit-trees (Peack, Plum, Apple, Cherry do have some resistance against mold, but in particular wet years (like last year) that's not enough and i had whole branches dying. Plus the copper stuff that i sprayed yesterday has an awful taste for the deer and prevents them from chewing down the fresh leaves and flower buds.

As for the roses, i could not care much less, the wife wanted them but refuses maintenance work. Yes they look nice when if full bloom, but they also grow like weeds here. I sprayed them down because i had ½ gallon left in the sprayer and just to spite the deer.

 

[Supercow]

Unfortunately there are no mold resistant variants of Currants and Gooseberries available here! - I am happy that my county has released the ban on almost all members of the Ribes family. The whole family is host to a species of blight-molds that had devastating effects on the timber industry and were literally banned and attempted to extinct here in the USA.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ribes#United_States

The fruit-trees (Peack, Plum, Apple, Cherry do have some resistance against mold, but in particular wet years (like last year) that's not enough and i had whole branches dying. Plus the copper stuff that i sprayed yesterday has an awful taste for the deer and prevents them from chewing down the fresh leaves and flower buds.

As for the roses, i could not care much less, the wife wanted them but refuses maintenance work. Yes they look nice when if full bloom, but they also grow like weeds here. I sprayed them down because i had ½ gallon left in the sprayer and just to spite the deer.

Yes, I'm familiar with the forestry problem with currants ... I'm glad the ban is ending.

As to mildew resistant gooseberries, there are nowadays several and at least the Hinnomakis should for sure also be available in the US. Then you've got Captivator and Invicta which are also thornless for good measure.

In general I find that for whichever kind of fruit bush or tree, there is often a distinct set of cultivars in English-speaking vs. Eu-Continental countries. But there are always also some "global" cultivars.

There are some peach trees that are field resistant to leaf curl and available in the US, such as for example Avalon pride or Frost. But as a lady once said at the former Gardenweb forums, "you know dear, peaches are just not that excited about life." I find this applies to the entire prunus family, especially because of monilia as you say. For us it's chiefly the sweet cherries that never miss an opportunity to develop problems.

However, apple trees should not be so problematic... You've got for example Enterprise and Goldrush (Co-op 38) which have almost plastic leaves, nothing touches them, and are also tasty and store very well. This is just 2 off the top of my head but there are many good robust cultivars.

 

[Canadian Wind]

I would not mind having a small flock of white Muscovies, 3-4 ducks, one drake. They will have plenty of ducklings and as far as i know colors will emerge very quickly.

Unfortunately, that's not how scovy genetics work. A white Muscovy has two copies of the Pied gene. To show as Pied, they only need one as it's dominant. So, both male and female will give a Pied gene, and you will always always have white babies

 

[Supercow]

Overall I believe that due to weather events becoming more and more forceful and unpredictable, from the standpoint of home-growing food one should a) diversify strongly to always have some crop regardless of that year's circumstances, and b) emphasize low-growing, quickly developing fruit such as most berries and especially same-year-growth-bearing ones (lots of raspberries are like that and some newer cultivars of blackberries). Also hazelnuts as hazel bushes will not get blown down in a storm due to general shape of the plant and the suppleness of the wood. Amaranth and sorghum for grain. "Weeds" for leaf vegetables. https://www.eattheweeds.com/ . Grow things that want to grow instead of fighting them and insisting on stuff that needs to be assisted to survive.

 

[Canadian Wind]

Unfortunately there are no mold resistant variants of Currants and Gooseberries available here! - I am happy that my county has released the ban on almost all members of the Ribes family. The whole family is host to a species of blight-molds that had devastating effects on the timber industry and were literally banned and attempted to extinct here in the USA.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ribes#United_States

The stupid and ridiculous thing about this ban is that its preventing a native species to grow in favour of imported ones.

 

[Supercow]

Talking about that original link, I haven't read that through thoroughly either, it says: »The plant can be grown using either stem cuttings or the purple rhizomes at the base of the stalks. It will not reproduce from the tubers, which, when unharvested, rot in the ground, providing fertilizer for later crops.«

So the German Wikipedia says explicitly that Yacon cannot be grown from seeds. The English Wikipedia says it can be grown from cuttings and some special rhizomes but says nothing about seeds"

I guess i grow the seeds i receive and will see…

"It’s technically possible to succeed at growing yacon from seed, but the germination rate is extremely low and not worth the time and effort" - https://morningchores.com/growing-yacon/

Truth be told I've worked with some seeds (not yacon) that require special treatment - boiling water repeatedly poured over them, then cooled off etc... And it worked out; even scarification by sulphuric acid is among the "usual" germination-enhancing techniques for certain plants. Don't know if any of that magic helps with yacon though.

 

[Muscovy Wunda]

Glad you made it, you have been missed here! - Any pictures of your new bird friends?

I will endevour to take some

 

[Supercow]

Day 6 of leaving most eggs in the house. 2 nests of about 14 eggs each. No broody ducks. Incubator in the mail. If in the next couple of days we don't get any ducks to sit, we use the accumulated eggs for food and try in April with the incubator.

 

[Muscovy Wunda]

Tried to get a nice photo of all my ducks in a row.. but the drake ran

the black bibbed ones are the new mummy hen and her two babies

her name is Cleo. Was written on her auction card. I think Cleo may have got abit snappy with the previous owners parents and thats how she ended up at auction