[tanabutler]

one of my tomato plants has tiny holes in the leaves closer to the soil. i did what any green-friendly, organic gardener would do and bathed the plant in toxic pesticides. then i laughed loudly and drove my humvee over the neighbours' kids.

You spell "neighbors" with a "u", Professor? This is Amurrica.

[SRD]

Some friends were over yesterday, touring "the grounds" and one, who is a serious gardener, was shocked by my lack of weeds and was sure I was spraying something naughty. After a lot of back and forth, we realized the difference was she has horses and uses the manure directly on the ground and it's must be loaded with seeds. She said, "It's not so bad. I only have to weed about 20 minutes a day." Fool, woman! I haven't weeded yet since i put my things out on 5/15 or so. She gets her her fertilizer free and I spend about 50 bucks this year. But 20 minutes a day! And she says the nuisance weeds are deep rooted grasses.
I think you can add the horse manure to a compost and if it gets hot enough, it kills the seeds but what a bother.

Proper composting should always be used on animal manure, not just to kill the seeds but also other organisms. It makes a better treatment for the ground. If you don 't compost properly it's just idleness for which you will be repaid tenfold with further problems. Compost is easier to handle too.

[Behemoth]

A new Papaver Somniferum 'Drama Queen' does not perform as billed, alas, though its colors are intense. It's a single-petalled variety, and the heads are small. (Heads are useful when dried, as they can be ground and made into an analgesic tea that is quite pleasant when consumed. Dreamy, even. And perfectly legal.)

I thought that the growing of is legal, but the drying of is still illegal. Or is there more than one kind of papaver somniferum? Pretty, in any case.

[Behemoth]

OK should have wiki'd first. There are low morphine varieties. That flower is really pretty, maybe I should send my mom some seeds.

[rancho_gordo]

Some friends were over yesterday, touring "the grounds" and one, who is a serious gardener, was shocked by my lack of weeds and was sure I was spraying something naughty. After a lot of back and forth, we realized the difference was she has horses and uses the manure directly on the ground and it's must be loaded with seeds. She said, "It's not so bad. I only have to weed about 20 minutes a day." Fool, woman! I haven't weeded yet since i put my things out on 5/15 or so. She gets her her fertilizer free and I spend about 50 bucks this year. But 20 minutes a day! And she says the nuisance weeds are deep rooted grasses.
I think you can add the horse manure to a compost and if it gets hot enough, it kills the seeds but what a bother.

Proper composting should always be used on animal manure, not just to kill the seeds but also other organisms. It makes a better treatment for the ground. If you don 't compost properly it's just idleness for which you will be repaid tenfold with further problems. Compost is easier to handle too.

She's lovely but lazy. I put my chicken manure in the compost and it it's not used for 6 months. I suspect all winter she shovels the horse manure over her plots and lets them fall apart. I can't believe she'd use it "hot". But the seed thing is pretty amazing.

[tanabutler]

I thought that the growing of is legal, but the drying of is still illegal. Or is there more than one kind of papaver somniferum? Pretty, in any case.

Simply put: you cannot score the green heads for the ooze.

Petals fall off, heads dry, and then look at eBay for the "poppy heads." They are dried. $1 a pop in some cases, if I remember correctly, and listed under "arts & crafts."

Our other poppies are prettier yet, especially the pom-pom variety. These flowers are as almost diverse as dahlias.

EDIT: if your mom is in the States, I can send her a bunch of seeds of the mystery (but all beautiful) variety. Just PM me if you want.

[fantasty]

Our cherries are getting sweeter and plumper every day. They should be perfect by the weekend.

[omnivorette]

How do I turn blooming poppies into something.....interesting?

[helena]

Our cherries are getting sweeter and plumper every day. They should be perfect by the weekend.

this is great - no birds or squirrels feasting on berries?

[fantasty]

It's possible that the squirrels are snacking, but there are enough to go around. And at least one squirrel seems more interested in the strawberries.

I don't remember squirrels being a pest in the gardens when I was a kid. Groundhogs, yes. Squirrels, no. I wonder if it's because we had a mighty hunter cat who kept them in line.

[Behemoth]

How do I turn blooming poppies into something.....interesting?

Quite simply, allow the pods to dry out, and then use them in tea. It is a very mild form of narcotic, but still something you should be very careful with. There was an article in Harper's a while back about this. I am quite certain it is still technically illegal to dry the pods though, regardless of what is showing up on ebay.

Here's wiki on the subject: poppy tea

[Behemoth]

How do I turn blooming poppies into something.....interesting?

Quite simply, allow the pods to dry out, and then use them in tea. It is a very mild form of narcotic, but still something you should be very careful with. There was an article in Harper's a while back about this. I am quite certain it is still technically illegal to dry the pods though, regardless of what is showing up on ebay.

Here's wiki on the subject: poppy tea

I should add, the poppies have to be of the sort you get bread-seed from, ie papaver somniferum.

[Behemoth]

I hate this admin no-editing business.

Okay, I was wrong, according to wikipedia you can dry the plants. The Harper's article was from 1997, so either the law changed in the meantime or one of the articles is incorrect. Err on the side of incaution, I say. *angel_emoticon*

[Behemoth]

I hate this admin no-editing business.

Okay, I was wrong, according to wikipedia you can dry the plants. The Harper's article was from 1997, so either the law changed in the meantime or one of the articles is incorrect. Err on the side of incaution, I say. *angel_emoticon*

I really shouldn't joke about this, it is potentially extremely dangerous. Plus god knows I can't spare the brain cells, never mind all the other health risks involved.

[buona forchetta]

Visit a local horse farm. Fill several large, black plastic bags with manure. Bring it back and throw it on the garden clippings.

Um, um, um....no.

Comon! Butch it up, Omni! Even I do this at my friend Eileen's stable. How big is the garden? I bet one bag would do you.
You can spread the poo chips throughout the garden if you do it now and things will be great by spring.
re: the compost, you can leave it in a pile but it's more efficient to put it in some kind of container so it can build up heat. Three wooden pallets hammered together would work or you can buy one of those $40 black plastic composters which are good because the rain won't leech all the goodness out.
When you got to a Starbucks or any coffee place, ask for their spent coffee grounds for your compost.
Manure tea is next!

I realize that I'm replying to a post from over 2 years ago, but I can't seem to find the answers I'm looking for no matter what search I do.

We have been collecting our kitchen scraps and making a compost heap in a far corner of our garden for about a year (on and off), but it doesn't seem to be doing much. So we thought we'd actually invest in a container and then add all the goodies I've read about here ( grass clippings, horse manure, etc.) - but in researching the actual composters I have become mighty confused.

Here are links to the two that seem most promising:
http://www.goestores.com/catalog.aspx?stor...95&detail=1
http://www.goestores.com/catalog.aspx?stor...17&detail=1

Does anyone have any advice?