Are there any backyard veggie gardeners here?

[achookwoman]

Love the idea of growing peanuts.  More info please!

[judydawn]

That’s different cookie.  I’ve never seen a peanut plant before.

[cookie1]

We have grown peanuts before but it was many years ago. Last year I bought some raw peanuts but we ate them before I planted them! They need heat and humidity to grow and I planted them in December. You just plant raw peanuts about 2cm deep. We had almost 100% germination. Apparently they form the roots within a day or two. About 4 weeks later they have yellow flowers which only last a couple of days, then where the flower was they send a peg down into the soil and this is where the peanuts form.
They have to be dried out completely. This can be done naturally or by roasting. If any get mouldy they have to be thrown away as it is bad for you.
I will try to get a photo of a flower ( when the rain stops!) and then the peg that goes into the ground. It's great fun

[Cornish Cream]

Very interesting Cookie. The only things I know about Peanuts is Jimmy Carter made his fortune growing them and peanut butter tastes delicious.

[achookwoman]

Agree with CC,  Cookie that is very interesting. Thanks.
I am worried that my tomatoes will not survive the heat next Thursday and Friday.

[djinni373]

I was intrigued by your peanuts picture Cookie. The family farm where I grew up in central Queensland was in a peanut growing area. Your bush sounds different though. I remember lots of little yellow flowers on the bushes at our farm and the peanuts grew in a bunch under a bush. That variety was called Virginia Bunch for that reason I guess. Sadly we didn't get rich because all the peanuts grown had to be sold to the then Peanut Marketing Board who set the price they would pay, and then paid the grower in instalments, if my long term memory is correct Not sure if such practices would be allowed today.

[cookie1]

Until very recently WA had a Potato Marketing board that did that Gayle! It was disbanded less than 12 months ago.

[K Atie]

Came home to find our best red apple tree with cores only left !! The birds are devouring all the fruit trees . Sad , the trees are so big you could not get a net over them . Have to work on getting netting for next year . The kids think I have lost it when I squirted them , the birds , with the hose . Never have they done this before , will be sad that we have no pears but no way am I travelling hours in this heat to try and get netting . Seen it on the internet but knowing my luck I would get the wrong one . They are green rosellas , lorikeets !

[Cuilidh]

We hardly get any fruit off our trees - the birds generally get to them before they are ripe

[cookie1]

K Atie how disappointing for you.

[achookwoman]

Katie, the parrots are very destructive.
We covered just one branch of the Peach tree and did get some peaches. We picked the Apricots before they were ripe. There were so many Cherry Plums it didn’t matter.  The parrots are pecking little holes in the green apples.

[astarra]

Reading this makes me extra thankful to live down here in Tassie - our fruit trees get mainly left alone - the odd piece of fruit may get a bird peck it or a grub invade it, but in general, we get to eat the fruit our trees produce. 
I can't begin to understand the devastation you ladies get    Your fruit 
 

[cookie1]

We don't grow any fruit trees here as you have to constantly spray for fruit fly or your fruit is destroyed completely.

[cookie1]

Our olive tree is laden this year.  I'm not sure if there will be many left after the Corellas have finished. They are fascinating to watch, I don't know how they can eat them as they are so very bitter. We usually pick up 1/2-3/4 bucket each day that they drop or knock off. Lucky we hadn't planned to process any this year.

[achookwoman]

The parrots eat the green apples. I pick up the ones that they knock off. Don’t use any that have been pecked.
The veggie garden is in full production. Will take a photo tomorrow.