*NEW* Gardening Thread: Winter
I'm no martfuncher -- heck, I didn't raise a darn thing in my garden this summer but gophers and dead plants -- but I'm willing to give it another go. So I hereby declare this the new "Gardening Thread," with the current focus being on winter gardens.
So: what to plant now? Too late to get started? Tell what you're planting, and what region you're in, if you're willing. Items you plant in the Northeast may not do well in my Sunny California location, and vice versa. And for our friends on the other side of the globe, what are you planting, now that it's Spring in your area?
My knowledge to share: really dense, clay soil + gophers = failure.
My current task: rip out the dead foliage, tear out the clay soil, refill slope with healthier soil, re-create my terraces, and plant...uh, whatever I should be planting for winter.
Also? Install lots of gopher traps.
Now it's your turn. Share your knowledge.
Beginning farmers/gardeners: look here
Today, I happened across some good links:
For those new to gardening/farming (fanofwalt looks in the mirror and nods), there's Beginning Farmers, brought to you by Michigan State University.
There's also Sustainable Farmer, which gives the beginner all sorts of information for getting started, from raising food and animals to marketing your produce to others. Articles, videos, and a forum to share and discuss ideas are there, too.
Now, here's one that's truly inspiring: Serve Your Country Food -- from their site (they write the following in all lower case):
Their about this site page says this:
Now, I don't know that I'm on the same page as them politically (take a look at their manifesto page; perhaps these folks are largely of the Democratic Party persuasion), but there is value in all people recognizing the importance of bringing ag production to local levels.
All these sites I came to via this Boing Boing article.
Bookmark
"Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters." Benjamin Franklin
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government of the people, by the people, for the people
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Hey !
I like your gardening links. Here's a quote from the boing boing article.
I heartily agree with that goal. Put food production back into the people's hands.
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The Road Less Traveled by George Strait
GREENING THE DESERT (Video) Water Harvesting Methods
I live in an apartment with
I live in an apartment with a small deck in Washington. What is something I could grow that won't take up a lot of space?
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"We will never give up. We will never give in." - Dr. Ron Paul
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"We will never give up. We will never give in." - Dr. Ron Paul
Window-ledge herb garden
In addition to small food "crops," consider a window-ledge herb garden. With limited space, focus on workhorse herbs, not herbs relegated to merely culinary service. Think lavender, chamomile, rosemary, arnica, and others. Get a good book on healing herbs and/or Google search to discover which herbs would be most helpful to you and your family.
Cherry
tomatos, cucumbers and peppers would be a good start.
OT: can anyone spare some kudzu clippings?
NO, i'm not looking for live plants.
i'm looking for clippings, a big box of them.
we'd like to do an experiment in fiber creation.
if anyone in the south can help out,
i'd be willing to pay 2 ounces of silver (at spot price)
plus shipping of course.
please reply here with an email addy if so.
thank you kindly.
3 silver eagles
And I'll box up the biggest box of Kudzu UPS will carry. You pay the shipping, just promise you won't send it back we got all we need.
odellequipment@bellsouth.net
Thank you Dr. Paul for making my act on what I already knew was right.
*May the only ones to touch your junk, be the ones you want to touch your junk.*
kudzu? OK
send mail via contact at dp.
winter?
Do you really have winter there in CA? Maybe you can just plant anything you like for the gophers. BTW, been there, done that. (I suppose you refer to the same "ground squirrels" that were our bane.)
In any case, we're a couple weeks late with the strawberries here in the southeast as winter comes on. Brassicas under the ag fleece are ready for winter. Other greens and lettuces are also in and ready to chill for the winter. Carrots are a little smaller than I'd like, but still may make. Favas are about 6 inches high. Spending time on the fence to keep the chickens out...hopefully some deer too, though it's not really tall enough for that. Hopefully, the remainder of Fall hunting will be of use with the deer.
Onions and shallots are also there, but it's strawberries going in the ground (late) this week, and then not so much after that.
Hoop Houses
Over in another thread, liveFreedom has posted some great links to create alternative greenhouses using hoop houses constructed of PVC tubing and plastic sheeting. Go check it out to extend or get an early start on your growing season. Tomatoes in December!
Thanks for the tip, liveFreedom.
Detailed Plans (Free)
Here is another link to detailed plans and a parts list! Not sure how old the article is but they estimate the cost at +/- $100 for materials.
http://www.bae.ncsu.edu/programs/extension/publicat/postharv...
Have fun!
-LF
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"Let the good heart speak words of true peace, not inciting others to further war." -- B.I.S.
Winter Garden Update
I am happy to report that Victory Garden 2.0 is going much better than my summer attempt at growing food! Most everything is from heirloom seed; a few are simply organic (not necessarily heirloom).
The other day, it was time to thin out my broccoli which has reached 2" - 3". I got out the few little "pony pack" sprout pots that I'd held onto from past gardening attempts, so I'd have some place to tuck in the thinned out plants.
Oh my. My two pony packs, which each hold six plantings, weren't quite enough. So at the gardening store, I picked up some Jiffy pots -- these are small (Dixie cup-sized) pots made out of a sort of permeable cardboard mixture that allows water and air through, but holds your plant and soil intact; you can pop these guys right into the ground or a larger pot of soil, and your plant's roots will grow safely right through the Jiffy pot into the surrounding soil, so they're very handy for transplanting.
I transplanted over 150 thinned-out broccoli spouts into these Jiffy pots. And that's in addition to however many are still left in the original growing plot, which is probably another 90-100.
Next, I'll need to thin my carrots, but I don't think those will work well in the Jiffy pots, since carrots need plenty of depth to grow.
Also now sprouting and growing: green beans, soybeans, shelling peas, snow snap peas, four different kinds of lettuce, Italian flat red onions, a tomato plant that fruits in the fall/winter, strawberry plants that fruit fall/winter, and a variety of herbs, including stevia for natural sweetening. I also just picked up an aloe vera plant (anyone know how to propagate more of these from an original plant?).
Freshly planted and awaiting sproutage are the bunching onions and the spinach.
Thankfully, I've done these in pots instead of directly into the ground (with the exception of the broccoli, but most of those are now in pots, LOL!), which means my mini-farm is transportable to a new residence. Potting your veggie garden is an important consideration for anyone who thinks there might be a possibility of expected (or unexpected and sudden) relocation in the near future.
Oh, and the solar powered gopher-be-gone sonic stake? I took that puppy back to the store. It worked great, BUT, man, that sucker was loud. I thought it would just vibrate or quietly hum, but discovered that its operation depended upon making a long, loud beeeeeeeeep every 30 seconds. Inside my bedroom, upstairs, with the windows closed and my iPod playing in my earbuds, I still heard that thing all night long, which means my neighbors certainly heard it, too. If there's a sonic/vibrating/whatever gopher stake on the market that is silent, I'd love to hear about it.
excellent fanowalt
read your post back when you were having doubts with VC 1.0.
happy to see that you decided to get back into it!
good luck with the silent gopher getters.
Four Season Harvest Book
Somebody recommended this book: Four-Season Harvest by Eliot Coleman. "Organic vegetables from your home garden all year long". ISBN 978-1-890132-27-9. I ordered it, haven't had a chance to look at it yet.
he's in northern US (maine)
If you are south of TN or south of Oregon, his book will be hard to follow. he talks about typical winter daytime temps in his area of -30 to -10.
his methods might work in Alaska, I don't know (they have very short daylengths).
I haven't read that book specifically. I got his books about commercial production.
Here's a quote
I heard from the man himself:
We build large plastic sheeting green houses, so that when we step inside in the winter, we are in Pennsylvania. Inside the greenhouses, we use two
layers of agricultural fleece to obtain the environment you all have here in the southeast.
His four season harvest works well for us, it's just a lot easier here. Basic Summary: Grow fall crops that can stay in the ground and remain fresh (protected by various covering) throughout the winter; the growing is done before winter cold and short days prevent it. The plants you have won't grow during the winter, but you can still harvest them, and you will obtain a product of superior quality. Superior, for example, to the greens coming from CA.
Remember...
Encourage Paulination and reap more bounty!
In north Florida
between zones 8 and 9.
3 weeks ago we planted:
carrots
onions
sugar snap peas
red romaine
5 color beet greens
cauliflower
arugula
put some cracked corn in the deer feeder too ;-)
thanks for the reminder...i have to water today!
North Florida too
We are building our greenhouse this weekend and will attempt a winter garden. I am so excited, just finished my plans yesterday and sent my hubby off with a lumber list. Can't wait!
!!!Truth is treason in the EMPIRE OF LIES!!!
" Single acts of tyranny may be ascribed to the accidental opinion of they day; but a series of oppresssions...pursued unalterably, through every change of ministers, too plainly proove delibrate, systematical plan of reducing us to slavery..."
Tho
in high springs here
how about you?
Anyone know the best way to store potatoes?
I have a chance to buy 50 pounds for $15 but I don't want them to rot. They're now in a large paper storage bag made for potatoes. I'm thinking the garage or basement would be best. Anyone ever store them underground? I know cabbage, carrots, etc., can be stored underground.
a produce retailer here...
a few things:
Unclassified means seconds or culls. They might not last very long.
in March through July, the quality will be low- only buy "New" potatoes during those months.
we have a "cold cellar" (dirt/brick floor, insulated from the rest of the house).
I would prefer to store the potatoes in a cardboard box (protect them from light with a lid. Your basement would probably be better than your garage.
When you switch them from the bag to the box check for bad ones (and try to salvage the good parts). If you really use them slowly, repeat the process every two weeks.
for other produce-- get it out of that plastic bag. tomatoes, apples, beans, zucchini, etc will last twice as long (at least for me) if they aren't in the plastic bag. If you have room in the fridge, then the bag doesn't matter as much.
bag of construction sand
put them in there and store in a cool, dry place
bag of construction sand
put them in there and store in a cool, dry place
Worm castings tea, that is a
Worm castings tea, that is a cheap and organic(read: natural) way to fertilize your plants and veggies well!
I"m glad there is a gardening thread on here, we should be supporting self-sufficient living. . .
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Host, The Next Step Podcast
http://thenextstep.podomatic.com
Given what's heading our way
This thread is not so much Better Homes and Gardens as it is Survivor.
Personally, I tend to think of it as Green Acres, and I'm Mrs. Douglass, wrenched out of city-style living and hurtled into countrified ways. So far, I'm just about as adept as Mrs. Douglass, too. But all these tips help!
Someone mentioned a pressure cooker (hm, that might have been in another thread). Anyway, I *adore* my pressure cooker. You can take the cheapest cuts of meat, toss a little seasoning in there, pressure away, and soon, you have meat that melts like butter in your mouth. Amazing.
I'm hoping there are some really good recipes for the winter crop stuff, because, honestly? Beets, radishes, kale and other winter-garden-friendly stuff haven't been so much on my regular shopping lists since, well, ever. I need to convince myself (and my young'uns) that this farm-fresh food is mmm-mmm good! So feel free to toss in some recipes here, while y'all are at it.
Hey, I said "y'all" -- that's countrified, ain't it? ;)
the more I learn about kale
the more I learn about kale the more I want some!
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Host, The Next Step Podcast
http://thenextstep.podomatic.com
We extracted and strained our
honey harvest yesterday and today. Now we will wait a couple of days for the air bubbles to rise to the top before we pour the honey into jars. The house smells like honey.
Even though we have not had problems with "colony collapse disorder", and the hives are healthy and thriving, they hardly made any honey this year. Out of 8 hives it looks like we will be getting only about 20 - 25 lbs of honey, when we ought to get at least 360. I guess all those little girls, who appeared to be as busy as bees, were really sitting around drinking tea and gossiping. Some other people in the area didn't get any honey at all.
We canned many gallons of our fruit (cherries, blackberries, raspberries, and pears) in the forms of syrup, jam, jelly, hot packs, and pie filling. It's fun to admire rows of full canning jars on their shelves.
The next new skill we need to learn is canning vegetables and meat with a pressure cooker. Buying a pressure cooker is one of the things on our "to do" list.
The dehydrators were put away today, after months of use, but if I take a notion to make jerky.......
Our winter garden is hydroponic and indoors.
You say potato...
...I say, "How and when do you plant them?"
Russets, sweet, yams, etc. -- who's got the skinny on taters?