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Post by EponaCapaill on Jul 18, 2013 15:01:26 GMT -11
My husband and I grow as much of our own food as possible. Our garden doesn't always cooperate with us, but we try. We make and can our own sauerkraut, salsa, tomato sauce and can a crap load of tomatoes, enough of all to last until the next canning season. We also freeze tons of beans and store a couple hundred pounds of winter squash in our basement. Last year we had more than 50 pounds of potatoes, but we didn't get the seed potatoes into the ground soon enough this year. We grow and dry or freeze 90% of the herbs we use. We also have pear, apple, plum, fig and cherry trees. They are just beginning to bear fruit for us. Next year we plan to go in with a couple other families and raise a couple of pigs. And eventually we are going to raise some cattle. Our goal is to grow or raise as much of our own food as we are capable of, which may not be as much as other people. But we are trying. What do you grow? Have any tips to share? Need tips or help? Post them here. Oh, and post pictures of your garden, harvest and what you produce from it.  |
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Post by halfwaynowhere on Jul 19, 2013 7:35:34 GMT -11
I've always had a black thumb, but this year I'm trying again and not entirely failing.
We bought a ghost pepper plant, more as a novelty than anything. Didn't realize they were such temperamental plants, but we've done well with it, and it's growing lots of peppers! We'll be making hot sauce and sending it out to friends and family as a challenge.
I attempted to plant a variety of veggies, but the seeds were old and only the tomatoes did anything. We recently bought a Topsy Turvy tomato planter, and they seem to be doing well in there. We got started late in the season, so it will still be awhile before we get any fruit.
I had plans for a lot more, but it didn't work out. We're planning a potted garden in the front yard, but need to remove a bunch of rose bushes and weeds in that area first, and it hasn't happened yet.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2013 8:46:33 GMT -11
Since we live in a state park as camp hosts we have to garden in pots, which limits what and how much we can grow.  We started out with strawberries, anahiem peppers, jalapenos, mild jalapenos, red chili peppers, red bell peppers, orange bell peppers, cherry and roma tomatoes, chives and sweet basil. Did you know deer REALLY like all kinds of peppers, strawberries, basil and roma tomatoes? They don't care for cherry tomatoes, chives or jalapenos though. Go figure. |
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Post by eldricdragonsbone on Jul 19, 2013 15:44:52 GMT -11
I've got a chunk of my property that I'm slowly designing a garden for. We have a very healthy herd of deer and hares in our area, and I am loath to put up any fencing to keep them out. I want to use plants to keep the animals out of the garden, but it's difficult to figure out what to put where.
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Zee
New Member
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Post by Zee on Jul 23, 2013 16:00:20 GMT -11
My mum loves gardening and being an only child, I have been reluctantly roped into helping her dig up patches to grow her vegetables. Our soil is very clay heavy hence incredibly hard to dig (especially by someone who doesn't know how to use a spade properly). We mix chicken fertiliser, and compost with the soil to enrichen it and break it up a bit as it dries up so quickly.
We are Chinese hence we grow more chinese vegetables such as winter melon, various types of leafy vegies,string beans, taro, shallots, radishes, garlic chives, etc. They have all done very well except for the taro. Took forever for them to grow. In terms of herbs, I have thyme, oregano, basil, and sage. Sage took off very well, compared to the others.
Recently we have tried to grow snow peas, baby spinach, lettuce, and peas and other than the lettuce, none of them have done too well. The snow peas in particular started wilting after growing to about a metre high.
Our lemon tree after more than a year has only produced 3 lemons although our kumquat shrub seems to be doing better.
Would love to hear what everyone else uses as their fertiliser!
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Post by thewomanmonster on Jul 23, 2013 18:48:18 GMT -11
I was in an apartment without a balcony this spring, so no garden this year. Typically though I do container gardens of herbs, various salad greens, strawberries and tomatoes. I'm looking forward to next year, planning on finding a place with a postage stamp sized yard. hehe.
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Kaylara
Moderators 
Ich bin ein Berliner.
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Post by Kaylara on Jul 24, 2013 18:43:23 GMT -11
Halfwaynowhere, make or buy compost and then try growing things. It might be able to cancel out your black thumnb.  Epona, do you do any wildcrafting? |
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Post by eldricdragonsbone on Jul 24, 2013 22:38:16 GMT -11
Would love to hear what everyone else uses as their fertiliser! You may want to check to see if your state has an Extension service (or local equivalent). It's basically a part of your state university system in most US states and I'd expect in Commonwealth countries, and they can come out and do soil tests for you. This will let you know the composition of nutrients/minerals in your soil. With that in hand, you can find out want exactly you should add to your existing soil for different crops. Truthfully, one fertilizer is not a for all solution. For example, your soil may need fish meal or calcium supplements, and not the ammonia with is found in manures. |
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Post by EponaCapaill on Jul 25, 2013 1:15:59 GMT -11
Epona, do you do any wildcrafting? Just a tiny bit. In the spring, the purple deadnettles go crazy, I use it to make a tea that I use as a rinse for my hair. In theory, I'd like to do more, in reality, I never get around to doing it. |
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Xentor
Moderators
Forceful Pacifist
Posts: 391 
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Post by Xentor on Jul 25, 2013 5:10:44 GMT -11
I use gardening as a meditation. I meditate on how my hard work leads to the plants' demise.
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Xentor
Moderators
Forceful Pacifist
Posts: 391
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Post by Xentor on Jul 25, 2013 5:11:14 GMT -11
Though I think this year I've got potatoes growing.
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sleepycat
Full Member
Causing chaos, panic, and disorder
Posts: 271
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Post by sleepycat on Jul 27, 2013 15:33:21 GMT -11
I have an 8 X 8 foot garden in my back yard. It is a raised bed, filled with sterile cow manure, compost, and topsoil. I did it that way because Florida has almost no real soil, it's all sand.
All my veggies and herbs are grown with no chemicals.
Technically , Florida has two growing seasons. But this year it stayed cold late, then went brutally hot, with strong storms. So... My garden is covered till fall, when it cools off and gets very dry.
Till then I'll content myself with growing potted herbs, and some flowers.
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Seasin
Junior Member
Cleaning bones and skulls
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Post by Seasin on Jul 29, 2013 11:03:12 GMT -11
We raise our own livestock which we slaughter / butcher ourselves. The deer usually take advantage of any garden we put in before we get the chance to harvest anything. The main exception are the fruit trees. We usually get most of the harvest off of them before the critters beat us to it.
To get past the deer we are in the process of building a keystone garden. It will be in the same area that is patrolled by the livestock dogs in the hopes that the deer decide it's just too much work to deal with.
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Post by bansheekisses on Jul 30, 2013 11:43:46 GMT -11
   I have a herb/flower garden in front of my house. In there I have : Lavender ( 2 different varieties), Sage ( 2 different varieties), oregano ( two different varieties), Rosemary ( a tree and a plant), roses ( three different varieties), cucumbers ( they are in the tiny pickle stages atm), glads, tiger lilies, daylilies, Marigolds, Mums ( various colors and sizes), sunflowers, a purple flowering vine ( can't recall its name), snap dragons, butterfly bushes, lilacs, potato vines, and various spring flowers ( irises, tulips, daffodils, snow bells, crocuses and hyacinth). In my vegetable garden I have: Eggplants, squash, pumpkins. ( planted potatoes, tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage, radishes, carrots, celery and kale, but the rabbits and squirrels liked my garden and thought I could do without these things! I even tried a raised garden with chicken wire around it to stop them... sneaky devils got in anyways! One day they were there, and slowly they disappeared! Of course it could be the Possum family too I guess). |
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