From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Knopp, Germany

Does anyone in Europe, preferably Germany, know of a company that handles this product over here?

2/11/2004 8:02:17 AM

Cologne / Germany

Hi Owen, look here: variotec.com
But it looks pretty expensive, probably nothing for a backyard gardener´s budget...)

2/11/2004 8:39:51 AM

Knopp, Germany

You're right Ingo. Too expensive.

2/11/2004 10:12:38 AM

Atlanta, Georgia

Owen,
Alaska Bounty kits are available supposedly by emailing this person. I have no further info though on pricing or anything else.
Good luck,
Michel

globalcv@planet.nl

2/11/2004 11:12:23 AM

Montoursville, PA

This is my invoice report. My whole package including shipping in US totaled $350.00. This included the Biti Bobulator from North Country Organics, a 40 lb. bag of compost, a gallon of minerals, half dozen bags of bactera and fungi for making amendments and Dr. Elaine R. Ingham's book The Compost Tea Brewing Manual, 4th edition.
.....My heaviest items were the bag of compost, the gallon of minerals and the compresser in that order.
....Could a couple of you get together and make a group purchase? Could you reduce shipping cost by using local compost and liquid minerals?

....I found North Country Organics great to work with in pre-sales communication.

2/11/2004 11:16:23 AM

Atlanta, Georgia

If you find anything out can you post it Owen?
I have enough for this year already.
Michel

2/11/2004 2:03:18 PM

Hilpoltstein, Bavaria, Germany

I would be interested in getting some of that stuff, too. I really like the idea of getting together for reducing shipping costs...
What do you think, Michel, Owen, Ingo?
Martin

2/11/2004 2:22:58 PM

Atlanta, Georgia

I found the Alaska Bounty contact email above for a european distributor at the alaska bounty website.
I think this is the first person to contact. Probably much cheaper and legal than to get it from the states.
We have superthrive and compost tea as well as the Algan water soluble seaweed extract here in Europe. Too bad a large company like WLZ won't start stocking the Neptunes Harvest for us. Anything to do with fish scares the germans from what I've experienced. Fish meal is no longer available here as well as pure bone meal.
If you are considering a group purchase of anything I would be willing to go in with you but only in March or April.
Michel

2/12/2004 1:57:43 AM

Knopp, Germany

Dwaine, thanks for the information. Ingo, Martin, Michel- I have contacted the Alaska Bounty Distributer in Europe and will let you know what he tells me. He is located in the Netherlands so I have my hopes up. Michel, thanks for the tip on Alaska Bounty, I found the same link to his email address as you did. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

2/12/2004 3:29:54 AM

Hilpoltstein, Bavaria, Germany

Owen, that sure sounds promising!
Keep us posted as soon as you get a response form him!
Thanks,
Martin

2/12/2004 5:38:44 AM

Atlanta, Georgia

Just so you all can further laugh at me, I used alaska bounty on all of my plants this year and still didn't hit 600 lbs.
Drive on!
Michel

2/12/2004 11:32:38 AM

Atlanta, Georgia

Owen,
Just from trying the Alaska bounty here I noticed that it did not ripen the way it is supposed to. Maybe it was too old or something and I would tell you to be prudent and not purchase too much of it at one time.
At least I can use the aerator to take care of some fish...
Michel

2/12/2004 11:42:08 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

OK. I know this is the European board & I'm trespassing LOL, but I have an idea. Building brewers isn't exactly rocket science. And Germans are notorious for attention to detail & well manufactured goods.

Why not manufacture & sell them to finance the hobby?

I can buy those tanks wholesale here for less than $30US. The plasctic valves, nipples, & misc. fittings aren't worth $20US. And the best aquarium pumps used to come from Germany some 30 years ago so....Seems to me you guys could build superior units for less than $100US. Mark them up 100% & charge the freight to the purchaser & you're in business.

Just a thought.

Steve

2/12/2004 12:22:49 PM

Knopp, Germany

No one is laughing at you Michel. Why do you persist to make the growers in Germany look so bad?

Thanks for the suggestion Steve.

2/12/2004 1:24:50 PM

Hilpoltstein, Bavaria, Germany

Michel,
Yes, this is really not the way to go for you in order to get more popular or successful in the sport of growing pumpkins.

2/12/2004 2:11:14 PM

Atlanta, Georgia

Martin and Owen,
What I say and do shouldn't have anything to do with making you or the other germany growers look bad. If it makes me look bad then it's not a problem to me. I just want to enjoy growing my own pumpkins and help anyone I can either get started or find good seeds.

To me it's not a matter of growing politically correct pumpkins, just pumpkins. It's also not an extreme need to be number one in Germany either....just to grow my own personal best.

I have no desire either to be popular, and my success depends on how I improve my growing methods and not how I post at this site.

2/13/2004 12:52:28 AM

Leitholm, Coldstream, Scotland

I spent much of last night reading the posts on compost tea, but in the end decided it is a lot of trouble compared to my normal organic methods used throughout the garden here.However, I regularly apply a diluted comfrey mix to most of my other plants in the garden, and have done for years with good results.Although it smells foul if merely made as normal by steeping comfrey leaves in a container of water, our local organic group now use a 4' length of 4" plastic drainpipe, mounted vertically on a wall or post with the bottom end blocked off by a screw on cap the centre of which has a 1/2" hole drilled in it and the nozzle of a mastic tube applicator pushed through from the inside so that it projects out of the bottom.
A 4" cicle of fine mesh is placed in the cap over the outlet.
All that needs to be done then is to fill the tube with fresh comfrey leaves (stalks and all) and a weight, in my case a 1 litre plastic water bottle filled with water and a length of string attached (to retreive the bottle when topping up)
Another 1 or 2 ltre bottle is placed underneath (the outlet spout going right into its neck)to catch the concentrated liquer
Because everything is fairly close there is little smell and the bottle can be sealed and replaced as required.
This concentrated liquid needs to be diluted 10:1 and can be used as a foliar feed or watered in around the roots.
At the end of the season, or earlier if the tube gets too full, simply screw off the cap and allow the weght to push out the plug of compacted leaf residue.
I can't see any benefit in the aeriating of this anaerobic product. I have never had any sort of fungal problem with it but it has worked very well for me, especially for peppers and tomatoes.
Last year was my first attempt at a big pumpkin and the comfrey liquid (tea???) will be this seasons additional effort.
Anyway, some of you may like to try it.

Alec

2/13/2004 2:38:04 PM