Over the last few years we have grown (or tried to grow) a number of Blueberry plants. The first few attempts for complete failures. For a start we had them with the wrong aspect i.e. too much Sun. Just to make it impossible for them to thrive we also planted them in the wrong soil i.e. they like a bit of acidity.
After a few failures I was listening to a local radio station
1233 and the announcer
Carol Duncan mentioned she had Blueberries in pots in her back yard. That sounded like a good idea. We loaded the pots with a Rose/Gardenia/ Azalea mix and planted again but put the pots around on the eastern side of the house and had great success.
The next problem was Jean investigating Blueberries in various books and journals only to discover the varieties we had planted were really ornamental and the fruit we harvested was mediocre in flavour compared to the real thing. But they survived in our climate.
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| Sunshine Blue, Edible but really ornamental |
Jean assembled a list of desired low chill varieties and approached
Country Elegance Gardens and Gifts in Dungog. They have done a superb job and the first plant arrived this week via a circuitous route. The grower took it to Sydney and nursery owner's husband collected it in person. Now that is service. The next variety will arrive in July.
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| Misty, the real deal. 250-450 chill hours with large full flavoured fruit |
Just so we didn't waste the trip to Dungog we performed a few additional tasks to make an afternoon's fun. Dropped off some books and DVDs at the library and filled the company ute with fuel.
The vehicle in use this week is a V8 Landcruiser with two 100 litre tanks which we are temporarily driving while the boss uses the much smaller Colarado duel cab, our normal company vehicle. The Landcruiser should warm the globe on its own. Apparently it is the choice of middle east armed insurgents for mounted cannon. I don't know how they can afford the fuel. And it barely fits two in the front which is probably why you see so many masked men hanging off the tray in those news reels. The masks must be to keep the sand out of the mouth.
The highlight of the trip was the visit to the dump where we collected a whole host of useful objects such as a couple more heavy gauge galvanised pipes for fencing, a three metres of thick conveyor belting for the future cattle yards and a few kilograms of unused Tek screws of which my workshop consumes in vast amounts. Additionally there were various hand tools, bits, bobs nuts and bolts. The screws alone would be worth over $100 but our entire haul cost $30.
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| Belting and pipes |
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| Small Hand Drill and hinges |
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| Axe, chisels, Crown Seal Capper, Scissor Jack, Carpenters Pincers |
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| Miscellaneous Tek Screws |
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| More Tek Screws |
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| Yet more Tek Screws |
As I read it, you went to the dump (what we call the 'land fill' here in Canada), you picked up all those goodies and you had to pay $30. Is that right? Does the staff at your dump sort out potential good stuff and have a little 'shop' where it is displayed for sale? Here we are not allowed to scavenge for anything at the land fill and even tons of good re-usable stuff is just buried. There is minimum re-cycling from the land fill and we even have to pay $5 to take a load in a car or ute.
ReplyDeleteDavid
Hi David, Yep it is landfill. We aren't allowed to scavenge ourselves but the Dump has a big shed which the guys working there have turned into a shop. They do the scavenging and display any potentially good stuff. Pricing is dependant on which guy you ask and there are no price stickers. It pretty much depends on the size of your haul and mood of the person you deal with. Pricing is negotiable and they always ask if that sound ok to you. Anyone dumping material has to pay a fee, I think it is a minimum of $10 and goes up with bigger volumes. If you are dumping anything that is recyclable it is free as long as you sort it into the various areas. There is a huge metals recycling area which you are allowed to visit and retrieve stuff. The dump shop is well frequented and people disposing of goods now always pass it by the guys working there to see if they think there are any valuable items. Part of my haul came straight off the back of the truck of a retired builder who was cleaning out his shed. He had stopped at the shop and the stuff went straight into the shop and into my hands. Timing is everything. Most Dumps now have these recycling shops but some are just too expensive and don't shift the material quickly. Our guys have the philosophy of moving stuff out quickly by making it cheap.
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