User avatar
applestar
Mod
Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

6 Lbs + potatoes from 24" square spot

Do you remember this 24" square planted with chitted potato pieces from the pantry?
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image3957.jpg[/img]

DD10 and I dug up approximately 6 Lbs. of potatoes from here this week. This is IN ADDITION to 1~2 Lbs of potatoes we've harvested already.

My conclusion: There are NO EXCUSES for not planting potatoes in a Kitchen Garden.

User avatar
!potatoes!
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1938
Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2009 2:13 pm
Location: wnc - zones 6/7 line

nice. similarly, my bags-of-potatoes, while not producing a whole lot, have been an excellent supplement to the fairly large amount this household eats.

User avatar
applestar
Mod
Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Here we go -- latest on the rice paddies: The rice are growing VERY well, and right on schedule :D

The Koshihikari rice seed heads are bending down and starting to yellow. I need to redesign the water inlet so I can allow the paddy to dry (I'm installing a rain barrel at the bottom of the downspout and redirecting the water out of the overflow).
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image5208.jpg[/img] [img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image5210.jpg[/img] [img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image5258.jpg[/img] [img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image5317.jpg[/img]

The Carolina Gold rice are in full flower.
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image5244.jpg[/img] [img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image5238.jpg[/img]

Almost all the rice planted in ceramic pot covers have seed heads on them too -- it really IS possible to grow rice in a bucket! (Many Japanese blogsites show families growing a poly-bucket of rice for school and family projects). I can see though, that they didn't fill out as well as the ones growing directly in the ground. I believe the containers were too small and I should've been more attentive about fertilizing them, though they did get several applications of AACT.

[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image5236.jpg[/img] [img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image5222.jpg[/img] [img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image5223.jpg[/img]

ETA: I got the rainbarrel in place.
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image5326.jpg[/img]
Last edited by applestar on Thu Sep 10, 2009 9:26 am, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Duh_Vinci
Greener Thumb
Posts: 886
Joined: Sat Apr 11, 2009 9:58 pm
Location: Virginia

applestar wrote:...
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image3950.jpg[/img]
....
I must admit, I'm actually fascinated with simplicity and effectiveness of this design, it is like a "mini work horse" of the garden (providing it is prepared well). Just perfect for it's purpose! One area with everything you need right at your feet! I have one spot where I think I can manage to make one for 2010. It would be perfect for those "quick meals/need now" veggies/fruits.

Thanks for the idea!

Regards,
D

User avatar
applestar
Mod
Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

You won't regret it. It's been a treat to be able to step off the patio to grab that cucumber, tomato and pepper I need for the salad, or a few strawberries, parsley, basil, etc. for garnish, even in rain! :wink:

User avatar
applestar
Mod
Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

I harvested most of the Koshihikari rice last Friday (10/2).

When I test harvested on Monday (9/28 ), not all rice grains were fully ripe (some green grains on some stalks). It occurred to me that with my small paddy, I didn't have to harvest ALL the rice. I harvested about 20 well dried seed heads.

On Friday, after a week of dry weather and a rain forecast during the night and on Saturday, I decided it might be a good idea not to let the rice grains get wet since I would have to wait another 2 days or so for them to dry.

I found several websites/blogs with good visual of harvest-ready rice. These two were particularly helpful:
https://www.ktknet.ne.jp/jtbanzai/ine.html
https://www5e.biglobe.ne.jp/~hyakusyo/folderhojou/suitou4.html

Mine looked like this:
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image5610.jpg[/img]
About 2/3~3/4 of the grain head stems were completely dry:
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image5613.jpg[/img]
But the base 1/3~1/4 were still green on most of them:
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image5614.jpg[/img]
As you can see, my rice plants -- leaves, stalks, were still a bit green, but it seemed to me that the rice grain heads were ready. I decided to go-ahead with the harvest rather than risk getting them wet. I used my Japanese sickle from Smith and Hawken that looks kind of like this: [img]https://www.kaboodle.com/hi/img/c/0/0/1/e/AAAADLSyMicAAAAAAAHs1A.jpg[/img]

Photos and text on [url=https://gazoo.com/g-blog/KATASHINA_MURA005/84766/Article.aspx]this page[/url] provided a good description of how to hand-harvest rice.

Here's mine :D
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image5619.jpg[/img]

Then I decided to harvest the clump grown from a single rice seedling in this ceramic pot-cover (about 2 gallon size):
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image5621.jpg[/img]

You can see the difference between the paddy-grown vs. the container grown rice here:
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image5629.jpg[/img]

I have to admit I didn't provide any extra care for the container rice. There was/is at least 1, probably 2 fish (goldfish and minnow) in the container so there was some *fertilizing* going on, but I didn't add anything extra.

I'm planning to count the number of grains on the seed heads, and take comparison photos of the grains later. A good average seed head size is supposed to be 100 grains.

A photo on [url=https://www.hananomai.co.jp/yamada/yamada_r21.html]this page[/url] gave me the idea for hanging the harvested rice in the house for safe-keeping. I strung a clothes line across the Dining Room-Living Room doorway. :wink:

User avatar
gixxerific
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 5889
Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:42 pm
Location: Wentzville, MO (Just West oF St. Louis) Zone 5B

WOW! I'm impressed, you have a very nice setup there. Looks like you are doing very well. Keep up the good work.

User avatar
applestar
Mod
Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Thanks gixxerific. :D

I found a photo of rice being dried in the field on [url=https://matsumae.exblog.jp/blog.asp?iid=&acv=2008-10-01&dif=m&opt=2&srl=9245370&dte=2008-10-02+13%3A50%3A45.000]this website[/url]. Rare scene nowadays when most are harvested and threshed by machine and dried in the dehydrator.
Notice the scarecrow in addition to the fine mesh birdnetting. :wink:
[img]https://pds.exblog.jp/pds/1/200810/02/71/f0166871_1340759.jpg[/img]

User avatar
applestar
Mod
Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Here's an update on the Carolina Gold Rice:
Back on 10/2, it looked like this:
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image5634.jpg[/img]
On 10/9, the first few seed heads started to look like this:
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image5674.jpg[/img]
and I harvested the first bunch:
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image5673.jpg[/img]

It's not so easy to tell, but the Carolina Gold Rice stems are about twice as thick as the Koshihikari Rice, and the plants themselves are at least 1 foot taller. I believe the grains are larger as well, though I haven't threshed them yet.

I started to get anxious about the rest. On 10/19, they still weren't ready to harvest. You can see that the seed head stems are still green:
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image5709-1.jpg[/img]
But we had frost that morning as well as the next morning. I got worried but the weather held warm for the rest of the week.

Then yesterday (10/23), with heavy rains forecast for today, I decided to harvest whatever was ready.
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image5717-1.jpg[/img] [img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image5722-1.jpg[/img]
I ended up with a pretty hefty harvest -- almost 1/2 the paddy:
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image5724-1.jpg[/img] [img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image5730.jpg[/img]
It doesn't quite seem like it in this photo, but I used the criteria that at least 1/2~2/3 of the seed head stems are dried.

We're looking at daytime high of 60's and night time low of 40's for the next week so I do believe the rest of the rice will have the chance to finish ripening.

As for the two containers of Carolina Gold, they have been affected with some kind of disease:
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image5704.jpg[/img] [img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image5705.jpg[/img] [img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image5706.jpg[/img]
It might be that they became stressed. I didn't realize that CG was going to be so much bigger than Koshihikari, and had planted them in smaller containers. In the future, I would plant one or two seedlings per 5 gal container, with at least 12" of good soil in the bottom.

The Helpful Gardener
Mod
Posts: 7491
Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2004 9:17 pm
Location: Colchester, CT

Could be indirectly from small root systems causing stress, but the pathogen is clearly fungal. Brown spot, normally associated with the leaves can affect grains as well; it doesn't look like rice blast, but I'm no expert. But the purplish color almost always means fungal disease... too bad. :(

But the rest of the harvest looks great and I am just impressed with the growing of rice in the first place. Closest I come to that is a pile of wild stuff in the bottom of the kayak after a late summer paddle :lol: Very nice...

HG

User avatar
gixxerific
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 5889
Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:42 pm
Location: Wentzville, MO (Just West oF St. Louis) Zone 5B

The Helpful Gardener wrote:Could be indirectly from small root systems causing stress, but the pathogen is clearly fungal. Brown spot, normally associated with the leaves can affect grains as well; it doesn't look like rice blast, but I'm no expert. But the purplish color almost always means fungal disease... too bad. :(

But the rest of the harvest looks great and I am just impressed with the growing of rice in the first place. Closest I come to that is a pile of wild stuff in the bottom of the kayak after a late summer paddle :lol: Very nice...

HG
Scott what were you doing kayaking through a rice paddy? :P :lol:

Apple sorry to see your rice go bad, I'm still impressed and slightly, okay pretty, jealous of what you got going on there.

The Helpful Gardener
Mod
Posts: 7491
Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2004 9:17 pm
Location: Colchester, CT

Ahh, Selden Creek is a favorite paddle and and it is LOADED with our native [url=https://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ZIAQ]Zizania aquatica[/url] or wild rice. This was a staple for the natives in my area, but not to be confused with the stuff you all are used to seeing in your pilaf, Zizania palustris, which in your pilaf is usually [url=https://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ZIPAI]Z. p. var interior[/url], not to be confused with the northern wild rice from our area, Zizania palustris va. palustris. Of course they CAN hybridize, but I'm pretty sure the beds at Selden are Z. aquatica from the grains...

There, all cleared up... :lol: Now I want to paddle; perhaps tomorrow...

HG

User avatar
applestar
Mod
Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Thanks HG and Gix! I'm really pleased with the results overall. I'm pretty sure I'll try again next year. If I can start them earlier indoors, I also might plant some Water Chestnuts in the larger paddy along with Koshihikari, since the growing requirements seem similar. (Who knows, I might even enlarge the paddy :cool: )

So, HG, have you ever gathered enough wild rice to eat? I understand spreading a canvas tarp in a canoe and beating on the rice works -- I wonder how you can set up some kind of a catch net in a kayak....

User avatar
gixxerific
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 5889
Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:42 pm
Location: Wentzville, MO (Just West oF St. Louis) Zone 5B

applestar wrote: (Who knows, I might even enlarge the paddy :cool: )
Might huh? :P You can't fool us, I'll be interested to see how much bigger it gets. :)

The Helpful Gardener
Mod
Posts: 7491
Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2004 9:17 pm
Location: Colchester, CT

I haven't tried seriously harvesting, although there are the old native pits they carved in the rock on the south end of Selden Island (they would fill the pit with coals, get the pit hot, then sweep out the coals and toast the rice. All this after collecting in a birch bark canoe mind you. But the whole tribe did it together until the harvest was done... I guess if we ever do it we should go old school... :lol:

Nice to think we gardeners still follow the same rythms and cycles other cultures did here a thousand years or more back... Continuity is the best we can hope for in a society or an ecosystem. 8)

HG

User avatar
applestar
Mod
Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

gixxerific wrote:Might huh? :P You can't fool us, I'll be interested to see how much bigger it gets. :)
:wink:


HG -- About harvesting wild rice -- Sam Thayer makes it sound easily do-able. He even sells foraged wild rice [url=https://www.foragersharvest.com/products.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=32&Itemid=37]on his website[/url].

User avatar
Ozark Lady
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1862
Joined: Tue Jan 05, 2010 5:28 pm
Location: NW Arkansas, USA zone 7A elevation 1561 feet

My goodness, Apple, you are a very busy young lady.
After reviewing this post, I do think the pond can be made where it will flood and possibly drain. If the weather does its usual of rain early and drought in August.
I found it interesting that your melons went into your paddy, not by your choice. I didn't even consider growing melons on the pond bank... but they do tend to be water hogs when I grow melons, so why not try them there too!
Quite an inspiration! One question.... do you ever sleep? With so much going on in the garden, so much posting, and fantastic photos... do you have any time left over... for Apple?
How did the rice harvest end up? Did you get them threshed and winnowed? Come on this is better than a soap-opera... give the rest of the story!

User avatar
gixxerific
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 5889
Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:42 pm
Location: Wentzville, MO (Just West oF St. Louis) Zone 5B

Have you thought about the "One Straw Revolution" style of rice growing?

The Helpful Gardener
Mod
Posts: 7491
Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2004 9:17 pm
Location: Colchester, CT

Scary when Gixx and I are doing the same reading and having the same thoughts :P

Do you know what he means?

HG

cynthia_h
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 7500
Joined: Tue May 06, 2008 7:02 pm
Location: El Cerrito, CA

(I think what both of you mean is that you missed AppleStar's posts in the "One Straw" thread under Permaculture....going away now....)

User avatar
applestar
Mod
Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

:lol: :wink:

User avatar
Ozark Lady
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1862
Joined: Tue Jan 05, 2010 5:28 pm
Location: NW Arkansas, USA zone 7A elevation 1561 feet

I have absolutely no clue what is meant by one straw revolution.
And the clues afterward didn't change the mystery a bit...
Who needs mystery shows? Gardening is a mystery everyday!

User avatar
gixxerific
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 5889
Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:42 pm
Location: Wentzville, MO (Just West oF St. Louis) Zone 5B

The Helpful Gardener wrote:Scary when Gixx and I are doing the same reading and having the same thoughts :P

HG
Don't know if I should offended or happy there. :P

OL "One Straw Revolution" is a book READ IT do yourself a favor it's a very intriguing read . But basically if I can get this right from memory. He grew rice in fields without any weeding or cultivating. Just by throwing seeds down into the mulch of straw leftover by previous crops, as well as not keeping his fields flooded with no pesticides or fertilizers per say. All of these and maybe a few other things I missed were/are totally against everything the Japanese were doing with rice farming, yet had as good or better yields.

User avatar
Ozark Lady
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1862
Joined: Tue Jan 05, 2010 5:28 pm
Location: NW Arkansas, USA zone 7A elevation 1561 feet

Sounds like my kind of gardening.

I rewatched the Ruth Stout videos on You tube.

I still can't help but wonder... was her soil simply wonderful to begin with?

But, I like her methods... no till, no weeding, no fertilizing, no spraying, no composting, no watering... just plant, mulch and harvest.... my kind of gardening.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9ReIotPNVM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyyVVdg_1Z0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQv6KX7h0QM


These are Ruth Stout videos... man, she looks uncomfortable to me, just stooping over to garden... I end up sitting and getting into what I am doing! Ha ha... But, she was what 95? I hope I am so active at 95!

User avatar
Ozark Lady
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1862
Joined: Tue Jan 05, 2010 5:28 pm
Location: NW Arkansas, USA zone 7A elevation 1561 feet

I found this pdf, and downloaded it.. 225 pages.

Is this the one that you mean?

https://gyanpedia.in/tft/Resources/books/onestraw.pdf

User avatar
gixxerific
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 5889
Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:42 pm
Location: Wentzville, MO (Just West oF St. Louis) Zone 5B

Ozark Lady wrote:I found this pdf, and downloaded it.. 225 pages.

Is this the one that you mean?

https://gyanpedia.in/tft/Resources/books/onestraw.pdf
Exactly :D

:Edit: Just watched those videos on Stout. What an amazing women, I truly admire her.
The more I stick around this place the more I find that I am a permaculturalist hidden in someone else's body. I do some things like Ruth, she answered my question to what I should do with the potatoes I had all winter on the fridge among other things we have in common. While reading One Straw I realizes he an I did a lot of things alike. There are way too many rules in life some things just need to be done the way that feels right.

Wait I'm not a permaculturalist I am me. :D

Thanks for the vids, now back to the topic at hand.

The Helpful Gardener
Mod
Posts: 7491
Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2004 9:17 pm
Location: Colchester, CT

Ruth Stout, Fukuoka-sensei... :D

Gixx, the fact that you are already doing things these folks did, and the fact that I was doing some of this before I knew who these people were, just supports the fact that we are on the right road, and we should keep our eyes and ears open to hear what our gardens have to say, and stay aware for the next wise person who wanders into our lives with lessons we need to move forward. And trust ourselves to know the difference.

Quite the koku of rice you've opened up here AS... :D

HG

User avatar
rainbowgardener
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

I just got around to watching the Ruth Stout videos! Oh wonderful! I love her! How did I not know about her, and her a Quaker lady too!? (like me, for people that haven't gotten that part yet)

Her gardening is revolutionary (how does she get away with not watering in her seeds?), but she is just such a free thinker and blithe spirit!

A lot of the gardening stuff I read (sometimes even here :) ) my reaction is wow, they are working too hard at it; it doesn't need to be so complicated! Now I can say Ruth Stout said so!

User avatar
gixxerific
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 5889
Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:42 pm
Location: Wentzville, MO (Just West oF St. Louis) Zone 5B

The Helpful Gardener wrote:Ruth Stout, Fukuoka-sensei... :D

Gixx, the fact that you are already doing things these folks did, and the fact that I was doing some of this before I knew who these people were, just supports the fact that we are on the right road, and we should keep our eyes and ears open to hear what our gardens have to say, and stay aware for the next wise person who wanders into our lives with lessons we need to move forward. And trust ourselves to know the difference.

Quite the koku of rice you've opened up here AS... :D

HG
Amen to that I think my main non traditional gardening fault of before was using (chemical) pesticides and fungicides in the garden, I always used organic fertilizers when I did use them (call me lazy) and planted however and whenever I wanted. The yard and me and chemicals we won't talk about that but change is gonna come there. Maybe we should write a book? :lol:

User avatar
rainbowgardener
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

Maybe we should write a book?

Aren't we? It would be very easy to organize these forums into chapters, cull some of the duplication and turn it into a book. HG?

The Helpful Gardener
Mod
Posts: 7491
Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2004 9:17 pm
Location: Colchester, CT

Find your voice, man. Anything built by committee ends up an elephant that was supposed to be a horse. Forums are choruses, books are solos. Both have their place (but can be nice together :wink: )

Sorry RBG; posted on top of each other. I think you see my answer. Besides, how would we split the royalties :?:

:lol:

HG

mbunny
Full Member
Posts: 12
Joined: Sun Apr 04, 2010 5:32 pm
Location: charlotte

Has anybody worked on projects to get school children to grow this type of garden? I would love to hear about it. Also has anyone ever just thrown hay on the soggy part of their yard and planted stuff? I think I will try that.

User avatar
applestar
Mod
Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Posting a last update for the Rice Growing Project 2009.
You know how things you plan to do don't always turn out that way? Well, I didn't get to plant barley last fall because it turned out that they don't overwinter in my area, and I didn't do the rice seed clay balls back in December OR in early spring. I DID scatter clover seeds last fall and early spring, but it turns out that the paddy gets too flooded and the clover failed to grow. :roll:

I also didn't scatter the rice straw, and I'll tell you why: The bundles of rice hung in the doorway to the Playroom, unprocessed, ALL WINTER LONG. :roll: :oops: Most annoying for the kids who had to duck under it every time they went by. (Bad Mommy! :wink:)

Well, the onset of spring has renewed my interest :> and the arrival of the latest possible seed planting time has forced me to finally cut off the seed heads and weigh them.

KOSHIHIKARI RICE: Total unthreshed weight = approx. 1.5 LBS. or 680 g.
CAROLINA GOLD RICE: Total unthreshed weight = just short of 1 LBS. or 430 g.

I don't know what the threshed weight would be -- there's probably some % rule of thumb. Not bad, considering (I think there were something like 15 plants of Koshihikari and 10 plants of Carolina Gold altogether), and plenty for seed grain if I had the space and inclination to actually plant whole fields/paddies of the stuff for family consumption, etc.

Alas, I don't have room to expand my little paddies much more, though I might whittle out another couple of square feet in each. Now I that I've successfully grown them once, I can concentrate more on implementing Fukuoka Sensei's methods. I'll start a [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=24875]new thread for Rice Growing Project 2010[/url] later. :-()
Last edited by applestar on Sat Jul 03, 2010 9:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.

mbunny
Full Member
Posts: 12
Joined: Sun Apr 04, 2010 5:32 pm
Location: charlotte

applestar wrote:Posting a last update for the Rice Growing Project 2009.
You know how things you plan to do don't always turn out that way? Well, I didn't get to plant barley last fall because it turned out that they don't overwinter in my area, and I didn't do the rice seed clay balls back in December OR in early spring. I DID scatter clover seeds last fall and early spring, but it turns out that the paddy gets too flooded and the clover failed to grow. :roll:

I also didn't scatter the rice straw, and I'll tell you why: The bundles of rice hung in the doorway to the Playroom, unprocessed, ALL WINTER LONG. :roll: :oops: Most annoying for the kids who had to duck under it every time they went by. (Bad Mommy! :wink:)

Well, the onset of spring has renewed my interest :> and the arrival of the latest possible seed planting time has forced me to finally cut off the seed heads and weigh them.

KOSHIHIKARI RICE: Total unthreshed weight = approx. 1.5 LBS. or 680 g.
CAROLINA GOLD RICE: Total unthreshed weight = just short of 1 LBS. or 430 g.

I don't know what the threshed weight would be -- there's probably some % rule of thumb. Not bad, considering (I think there were something like 15 plants of Koshihikari and 10 plants of Carolina Gold altogether), and plenty for seed grain if I had the space and inclination to actually plant whole fields/paddies of the stuff for family consumption, etc.

Alas, I don't have room to expand my little paddies much more, though I might whittle out another couple of square feet in each. Now I that I've successfully grown them once, I can concentrate more on implementing Fukuoka Sensei's methods. I'll start a new thread for Rice Growing Project 2010 later. :-()
FYI: Monsanto was voted the most unethical corporation in the world so before you plant GMO seeds or use ROUNDUP or any of their products. Check out what they say about it on the organicconsumers.org website. I saw this documentary called THE WORLD ACCORDING TO MONSANTO and it was a real eye opener. Check it out here: https://wideeyecinema.com/?p=105 :shock:

User avatar
applestar
Mod
Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Thanks for the warning, but I really don't think my Carolina Gold is the gold-colored Monsanto-modified rice. I bought the seeds from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, and they posted this link for additional description: https://hoppinjohns.net/carolinagold.aspx

Hmm. they're not offering Carolina Gold seed this year. I *will* email them and ask, although they have a [url=https://www.southernexposure.com/gmo.p.html]NO GMO POLICY.[/url].

mbunny
Full Member
Posts: 12
Joined: Sun Apr 04, 2010 5:32 pm
Location: charlotte

applestar wrote:Thanks for the warning, but I really don't think my Carolina Gold is the gold-colored Monsanto-modified rice. I bought the seeds from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, and they posted this link for additional description: https://hoppinjohns.net/carolinagold.aspx

Hmm. they're not offering Carolina Gold seed this year. I *will* email them and ask, although they have a [url=https://www.southernexposure.com/gmo.p.html]NO GMO POLICY.[/url].
I would be interested to find out if it is the same kind, I hope you find the time to view the documentary as it is extremely well done and informative. Did u hear about them trying to patent pigs? LOL, I guess they figure it will go well with the rice :lol:

tunia923
Newly Registered
Posts: 8
Joined: Sat May 01, 2010 11:42 pm
Location: California

Wow! To watch the progress of this garden is amazing! A rice paddy, I never would have imagined.
I am intrigued by the keyhole kitchen garden, but in all my years of gardening, I've never heard of this before. :o
Can anyone point me to some resources? There was a mention that some of the problems could be from overcrowding. Ideally should only certain crops be in this kind of garden?
I want to make one of these. It's clever, and so convenient for cooking. And it looks good too. Visual presentation is one of the reasons I've never had my kitchen garden very close to the house.
I still can't get over the fact that you grew RICE! I mean to the point that you got the little rice sheaves (or whatever they are called)!!

The Helpful Gardener
Mod
Posts: 7491
Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2004 9:17 pm
Location: Colchester, CT

I love [url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/3482845/How-to-make-a-Keyhole-Garden-East-African-style]this how to[/url]and the wonderful examples...

mbunny thanks for the link to The World According to Monstersanto; I've been looking for a version not broken into ten minute segments... :roll: GREAT movie...

HG

mbunny
Full Member
Posts: 12
Joined: Sun Apr 04, 2010 5:32 pm
Location: charlotte

The Helpful Gardener wrote:I love [url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/3482845/How-to-make-a-Keyhole-Garden-East-African-style]this how to[/url]and the wonderful examples...

mbunny thanks for the link to The World According to Monstersanto; I've been looking for a version not broken into ten minute segments... :roll: GREAT movie...

HG
Hi Steve, You're welcome I wish EVERYONE had to view that documentary. Here is the link to :PATENT FOR A PIG-THE BIG BUSINESS OF MONSANTO https://wideeyecinema.com/?p=110 and did you see the article about the alarming decline of the bee population? Here is the link to that article. https://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/05/02-1
without the bees we are in a lot of trouble! :cry:

gros michel
Full Member
Posts: 15
Joined: Fri Feb 18, 2011 10:52 am
Location: NJ USA

This is just too cool AS. Now I have a new project in mind. Any seeds for trade?



Return to “Permaculture Forum”