Australian Zucchini

10th November 2005

Sadly, it’s not terribly original to claim that I am finding Australian Idol more than extraordinarily dull this year. All over the place people are yawning and turning off. The 13 finalists all seemed like very nice people, I am sure, but there is hardly any sparkle to be spoken of. No Guy energy, no Chanel originality, no Casey dark-horse beauty (yes, yes, where is she now, I know…) and no Anthony Callea belting out the Prayer, and nobody quite as ridiculously bad but as (curiously) widely loved as Shannon Noll. I am amazed that in just three seasons they seem to have sapped Australia dry of potential talent. I still tune in every Sunday and Monday night but I really don’t care if so and so goes, or if so and so has a chance – my disinterest is evident in that this is my first Idol post for the season and we are only two weeks (or something – who cares?) away from the final. All sad but true.

Meanwhile out in my new vegetable garden there is an elimination show of another kind going on. Each night the snails come out and mercilessly destroy another seedling, which I am sure will go on until we will be left with Australia’s hardiest zucchini plant. I will have a grand final and it can sing the Prayer and then we’ll have Zucchini slice. I am off to buy some cheap beer to leave little bowls of it lying around to tempt the snails to a different kind of pastime. While Australian Idol is pretty bad, it’s not terrible enough to drive me to bad beer – just bags of jelly snakes.

Comments (21)

Responses

1 sabdha says:

10th November 2005 at 1:07 pm

i’m a dedicated organic vegetable gardener – no sprays, no artificial fertilisers – but the snails have beat me. i use snail pellets. they work. beer works too, but it’s more fiddly! good luck…

2 Fran says:

10th November 2005 at 4:51 pm

Totally agree. If Emily doesn’t win…I’m spitting my twisties.

3 Catherine says:

10th November 2005 at 8:19 pm

Snails ate my courgette/zucchini this season too :(

They say that a bottle with copper tape at the top placed around the plant will give them a mild electric shock – not enough to harm them, but enough to deter them from crossing it… I’ve never tried it, but maybe it’s worth a go? :)

4 CraftyCowCreations says:

10th November 2005 at 9:21 pm

At least you have things growing..im on the gold coast and i cant get mytomotoes to grow for the life of me

5 Jane says:

10th November 2005 at 10:56 pm

Chickens are our answer to slugs and snails, but then they do as good a job of destroying seedlings as the pests! I know we should fence off the veg to protect them – next year maybe.

I love the Ana V paper art you bought. What a great idea to buy a shared item for your anniversaries.

Thanks for the comment about the recipes – I’m really pleased you enjoyed using them.

6 Melissa says:

10th November 2005 at 10:57 pm

I have been a dedicated Idol watcher, but this year I gave up totally after the top ten show. Surely there must be more singers out there!

7 Hil says:

10th November 2005 at 11:22 pm

LOL re Zucchini Idol.
We hardly ever see snails because our ducks ate them long ago :-)

8 Lucy says:

10th November 2005 at 11:32 pm

ooooh controversial thought on Idol! hee hee. Just kidding… :) Well… the Idols sure are BORING this year – but talent wise… you can’t go past Emily! She really is amazing… better I think than Guy/Chanel/Shannon put together in terms of her vocal ability – but I guess there’s not much charm or charisma about her. (I know everyone loves Guy but man his voice is so NASAL! – and he’s such a goody-two shoes!) x

9 mamaloo says:

11th November 2005 at 2:08 am

Apparently, a low dish of beer with attract and drown the slimey buggers.

Anyone with a “You Grow Girl” to consult?

10 Adele says:

11th November 2005 at 3:52 am

I read somewhere that eggshells spread in the soil around the plants deter snails and slugs. I’m not sure if it’s a calcium thing or a texture thing…might be worth a go though.

11 misplacedpom says:

11th November 2005 at 5:14 am

My grandad used to put down his grapefruit halves after breakfast and crumbled up egg shells to keep the snails at bay. That’ll kill two birds with one stone, vitamins for breakfast and caught snails in the garden. The grapefruit doesn’t actually kill snails, they just crawl in and hangout there, you’ll have to dispose of them however you see fit…

12 anon says:

11th November 2005 at 6:55 am

We don’t have snails in my part of the world, but I heard once that dry coffee grounds or smashed egg shells sprinkled in circles around the plant keep them at bay because it hurts their soft bellies to crawl over these sharp and grainy bits.

13 Kate says:

11th November 2005 at 9:22 am

There is a non-toxic snail pellet on the market that works quite nicely – it is chelated iron (iron combined with an organic molecule, for those non-boffins) and while it kills snails, it’s not deadly for mammals including small children. And any that is uneaten by snails is eaten by your plants. Give ‘em a go.

14 claire says:

11th November 2005 at 9:29 am

broken egg shells is a proven method when i’m trying to protect our basil from the pesty snails. they looove the basil.

15 Shell says:

11th November 2005 at 10:25 am

Heh, I agree, Australian Idol is a little dull this year. I don’t really care who wins either, especially since Dan left this week. I really liked him, except I kept wishing he’d look a little more comfortable up there – they should let them play a guitar if they want to.

Anyway, I’ve been invaded by slugs. They obliterated my lettuce and my basil. I put down pellets and these seemed to have worked. I know they aren’t organic but I had had enough of the little buggers! I’ll have to try some of these other suggestions.

16 Danielle says:

11th November 2005 at 10:47 am

If theres one thing that gets me more riled up than snails, its annoying reality TV results. I totally agree with you on the Idols – B O R I N G! I think the ‘Supergroups’ theme show clinched it for me in terms of boringness: apparently Queen is the only supergroup EVER in the history of music, nevermind bands like the Beatles, the Who, ABBA, Spice Girls, Jackson 5, Crowded House etc. And how on earth EXTRA BORING ‘I punk-pop every song’ Lee is in the top 3 over Dan is beyond me…

Heres a thought: force your snails to watch Idol! They’ll be sliming away in the opposite direction in no time!! lol :)

17 beth maher says:

11th November 2005 at 11:04 am

Since I was a child, I have always hated zucchini. What’s worst about them, is that they always manage to survive in large quantites, despite all harships thrown their way. On a lighter note, these recent foodie posts have got me reminiscing about the food’s I loved as a child.

18 button says:

11th November 2005 at 11:07 am

mmmmmmmm zucchini :) my BF is not a fan (he thinks it’squeaks’ when he chews it – he’s a bit sensitive to ‘noisy’ food!) but I love it, specially sauteed till it’s caramalized YUM!

19 ARJ says:

11th November 2005 at 11:37 am

I also have found that wood ash works similarly to egg shells– if you have a fireplace, it can be handy, and helps balance out acidy soil.

20 kath says:

11th November 2005 at 12:37 pm

do you think it has something to do with kyle v’s dicko? something is just missing this year – and that punk kid annoys me – thats not punk – i really thought punk and pop were idealogically opposed to each other.

21 wilsonian says:

14th November 2005 at 10:16 am

Yep… crushed egg shells, wood ash, coffee grounds and sharp sand (from the building supply store, not beach sand) all work. Slugs travel on a carpet of slime they lay down for themselves… and can’t travel well over these kinds of things. A few handfuls poured in a ring around the base of each plant should take care of it.

Mmmmm. Zucchini bread… :)