Morning Light: The Fetchland Gardening Wire

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jacdaw Nov 2023 11:33am, 27 Nov 2023 4,162 posts	0 jacdaw theguardian.com
Elsie Too Nov 2023 12:16pm, 27 Nov 2023 4,935 posts	0 Elsie Too I’m quite scared at the thought of eating them now, but maybe I’ll do that test of trying a tiny bit to see if it’s bitter.
Hanneke Nov 2023 12:27pm, 27 Nov 2023 115,221 posts	0 Hanneke Slice the end of, lick it. If it is a hybrid, you will know it as it will be impossibly bitter.
Flatlander Nov 2023 12:40pm, 27 Nov 2023 2,988 posts	0 Flatlander Few people get this poisoning because the bitter taste is enough to stop them eating sufficient amounts to cause poisoning. unless you are Tim Dowling theguardian.com
Columba Nov 2023 9:40pm, 29 Nov 2023 22,366 posts	0 Columba - and Flatlander - I'm glad you gave the health warning, as it saved me from doing so. I knew nothing about the dangers of using saved seed to grow courgettes, marrows, squashes etc, until my younger daughter described an experience she had. Growing a courgette plant from seed bought at B & Q, she grew and harvested a wonderfully big fruit, cut it up, included it in a stir-fry - tasted it whie it was cooking - and oh! she said she'd never tasted anything so bitter in her life. She threw away the whole dish and spent the evening trying to get rid of the vile taste by alternately spitting, and eating strongly-flavoured sweet things. Even so she got a bit of gastric trouble. I thhk B & Q were subsequently reprimanded, as she wasn't the only one.
Hanneke Nov 2023 9:44pm, 29 Nov 2023 115,332 posts	0 Hanneke There have been issues with commercial seed. If you want to produce reliable seed, you need to grow the cucurbits by type only. As in I omly grow say kuri squashes. Then keep the polytunnel closed and hand pollinate or courgettes from 2 miles up the road could ruin it all...
jacdaw Dec 2023 12:59pm, 8 Dec 2023 4,187 posts	0 jacdaw They've "banned" Gunnera! theguardian.com
Cerrertonia Dec 2023 1:09pm, 8 Dec 2023 20,122 posts	0 Cerrertonia Overdue, tbh.
jacdaw Dec 2023 1:49pm, 8 Dec 2023 4,188 posts	0 jacdaw I have one, quite small; to be honest, keeping it alive through winter is more of a challenge than preventing it from spreading. I will murder it if we get more than one mild winter as the climate changes!
Hanneke Dec 2023 2:00pm, 8 Dec 2023 115,659 posts	0 Hanneke Mine died from it being too hot and dry in summer. Two summers killed it off. Ironically Bought to deal with excess water in the food forest!