Desert Island Garden

[arpoet]

Here i am in frozen Yorkshire thinking of warmer climates... Then it came to me....
What if i were cast away on a desert island?

I'm sat on the beech wondering how i am going to cope and see a packing case being washed ashore.
On the side it says, Garden Supplies. I crack it open and find 8 garden related products.
What would you like to find?
Could be tools, seeds, books, or any combination?

Of course there would be 5 years back numbers of Grow your own, including the free seeds.

So, will you get your thinking caps on and give me some suggestions as what you would like to find.

Roger

[noviceveggrower]

Hmmm bit of a tricky one for 8 picks but here goes

1. Poached Egg plant seeds. Got some last year in the VSP. Such happy plants
2. A clematis cutting. Just like them and the stunning flowers.
3. Sun flowers. Just so happy
4. A thick permanent marker. Many uses. I use mine as a dibber.
5. String.
6. Decent bag of compost to start everything off
7. Pots
8. A decent gardening book like my readers digest book to refer to

I would request a very nice Viking type person to be in the chest to help me dig and plant the Island up but then realised if I did then I wouldn't be on a desert Island

[WPG]

Good question arpoet. Just in case I'm marooned for a long time, I'd hope to find:

1. Gardening gloves, in case there's scorpions in the soil
2. A garden fork
3. Pack of seed potatoes
4. Comfrey root
5. A watering can
6. For something to look forward to, some melon seedlings
7. For something to read, a copy of Monty Don's 'Jewel Garden' biography
8. Like NVG, I'd also hope for some sunflowers - to cheer me up, and to eat the seeds

[mothhawk]

here we go, then...

1. a multi-purpose Swiss army garden knife tool - priceless on a desert island

1. garden netting, for fishing

2. a bucket

3. stout garden gloves

4. polypropylene garden twine - useful for lots of things, including fishing line, (used with a bent nail from the packing case)

5.a big roll of garden fleece - as sunshade, blanket, carry bag

6. & 7. two lightweight garden spades

8.and finally, a pre-formed pond liner like this

Then I'd load up my "boat" with dried fish, dried seaweed, coconuts, breadfruit and bananas, fishing net, bucket bailer, put on the gloves (blister prevention) and row home with the spades

[Bill HH]

1. A bucket to use for the obvious watering uses but also to wear as a hat, (because of dropping coconuts and albatros poo)

2. A saw. for cutting wood but also to play Hawian music.

3.Selection of veg seeds including tobacco and cannabis.

4. Huge roll of debris netting (Thanks Mothhawk)

5. A parrafin greenhouse heater with endless parrafin and lighter (can get cold at night) and also to cook on.

6. Garden twine obviously for the garden but also for tying up pirates etc.

7. An invoice for the the entire crate to remind me of the fact I got it all free and to remind me of all the invoices back home that wont get paid.

8. An apple tree, eventualy for food and shade and maybe a swing.

[Lumpy]

Can I have please

1. NVG viking twin brother who is also a hunter gatherer chef, a do it your self expert and can give a good foot and back rub.
2.. Bill HH's seed supply
3. A dog for company - did I mention that the Viking could hear but not speak... and it could help keep any tropical varmints away from me veggies
4. A complete raised bed selection.
5. Endless compost & soil mix for the raised beds
6. A big floppy hat
7. String - multiple uses as hanging baskets, dog lead, fishing, holding my shorts up etc.
8. Access to the Vine.

[Jay-ell]

Hmmm

1. As it's a desert island I'd need a high volume solar powered water desalinator so I can water the garden and have something to drink
2. lots of large bamboo canes
3. a full toolkit for all occasions(including all the odds and ends like screws, nuts and bolts, wire, etc)
4. several tons of well rotted manure
5. solar powered multimedia player with 1 terabyte or more of movies and gardening programs (sd format to get a wider choice) plus ebook reader with a library of gardening books and others
6. barbeque and tones of charcoal
7. hammock on a frame
8. and of course a girl friday

This would need a very large crate so after setting up the desalinator, setting up the beds and sowing I'd get around to turning it into a desirable two bed detached beach side residence. And a garden shed of course.

[Verinda]

How about a few hens for company and eggs? And one of those wind up radios for music and gardening programmes. And a couple of guard dogs in case pirates attempt to steal your produce

[Sheneval]

1 suitable tool to open coconuts.
2 years supply of suntan lotion
1 kind hearted woman to rub the suntan lotion into my old bones and collect fallen coconuts

[Bigmallly]

All I can say is "No wonder the bladdy ship went down with the size of some of those packing cases"...........

[Sheneval]

All I can say is "No wonder the bladdy ship went down with the size of some of those packing cases"...........

Its alright for you - you've got built in sun protection and you can just swing through the tress picking up coconuts as you go

[Bohobumble]

I think the desert island would have to have a tropical interior and a fresh water source, trees for fires, bamboo for poles, indigenous herb and spice plants etc... on that basis:

1. my parang aka the 'credit card of the jungle' to cut wood, make twine, fashion utensils etc. make a tree shelter
2. bag of rice seed
3. pea/bean seed selection including soya; I will have to learn to make tofu and soy milk!
4. coffee seeds
5. tomato seed selection
6. squash selection
7. one of those hoes that has a cultivator on the other side
8. mozzie repellant

I reckon that would be a pretty good mix nutritionally and enough to keep the diet tasty, especially added with the ginger and chillies and coconut I would find in the jungle! Plants were also included for their aesthetic value of course, legume and squash flowers are spectacular!

Mozzies just love me so repellant would be in any essential gardening kit of the area, as would coffee seeds no...?!

I'd have a fab time of it

[ioan]

1 large bag of Moroccan woodbines. ( good gear only )
2 bottle of finest whisky. ( large )
3 deluxe version of inflatable bimbo ( not to large )
4 endless supple of hot dogs ( go large )
5 luxurious lounger with straw parasol ( large remember I might be doubling up )
6 sorry I started this ( I'm at that age )