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Some one recently spoke of practicing things NOW and I thought of gardening, I think so many people feel like you just put some seeds in the ground and then you have all the food you can eat.
Back ground; I grew up in the country in the southeast. At the age of 12 helped with an 1/2 acre garden and had 2 acres of okra that was mine that I sold wholesale to A&P grocery store. As a adult I had many gardens in different areas of the S.E.
This year I decided to plant heritage veggies, I have never used GMO however I usually use newer hybrids that are nematode resistance and breed for back yard gardens.There is nothing " wrong" with this except next year you may not have access to seeds. You can not keep the seeds of hybrids and expect a decent result. That is the whole reason for using heritage breeds, they reseed "true".
Well, I have had poor results with most of the seeds. Some were complete failures (carrots and radishes). I have enough Squash, Corn, Peas, Beans and melons to at lest get more seeds and maybe eat a few items. I also experimented with growing wheat, it was pretty decent. Just remember with wheat you need to plant 1 lbs, to get 9 or 10 lbs. harvest.
So my take away is even if you "think" you know how to have a garden I would suggest trying some heritage breeds this year and get experience growing the old breeds and saving seeds.
Solarman
Lots of variables on the road to successful crops. It's easy enough to start the seeds but raising a plant that thrives and produces food that doesn't get flooded by too much rain or eaten to the core by bugs is another matter.
ReplyDeleteSo far I've had great success cloning tomatoes by rooting the suckers with CloneX. Sure beats starting from seed every time and waiting for them to germinate!
Upper thirties and still had leaf damage from frost on the third best looking potato plant ( all but one at least have SOME growth )
Delete@ Solarman,
ReplyDeleteI applaud your efforts. We all need to be doing what you are doing right now. Practice makes perfect. If you learn from failure, then it wasn't a 'failure'.
One important point though: okra is not food. It is wood.
okra is not food. It is wood. LOL you ain't from the south.
DeleteI always thought it was Snot On A Stick.
DeleteNever tried fried okra, but I’ve had the pickled okra in the jar. It’s actually not that bad. You can get it in a grocery store, even here in the west. It’s usually with the pickles.
DeleteI’ve only tried gardening one time, and had success. But to be fair, that was with turnips. And those grow easier than Candida, in Madonna’s cooter (Okay, sorry. I guess I’m in a leftwing celebrity bashing mood today :D )
Every day is a good day for leftwing bashing. Carry on
DeleteHa! Just picked the first okra today and it ain't wood but yeah, it's a southern thang. Sliced, rolled in flour and cornmeal and fried in bacon grease. Better slimy okra than pink slime burgers.
DeleteI'll take pink slime, thanks. Even without bacon or flour, it still tastes good by itself. Well, good-ish
DeleteNewbie interested here. I may go the route of the seed lady in a novel of Bracken I think. Rat hole and stock a healthy supply of a wide variety of seeds. I may be a dinky amatuer container or hobby gardening on a low scale, but laying in seeds like ammo may be prudent these days. Question: Is there an industry standard labelling so as to identify the packages specifically, like gmo, heritage, heirloom, hybrids etc ?? Is there certifications or some regimen of grading so folks get what is advertised?? Just curious before blowing money at the unicorn prepper outfits on survive and thrive versions of seeds. Thanxs, good posting.
ReplyDeleteI use Baker Seeds they are all heirloom seeds...so that is no GMO also.
DeleteYes, they're almost (in my limited experience) always clearly labeled as hybrid, GMO or heritage/heirloom. I say "almost" only from a vague memory of not seeing any such label on some seed packet.
DeleteStores here (just outside Portland OR) run out of corn pretty fast. Seed suppliers might be better stocked.
https://www.victoryseeds.com/ specializes in heirloom species and does offer quite a few types of corn in stock.
I used to think Baker seeds were kinda pricey but I've had good germination rates from their seeds that I bought 8 years ago...so good value in that respect. Willhite in Poolville, TX has been good at fulfilling online orders during Corona-chan.(family-owned like Baker)
DeleteCorn is not real efficient in using space/yield. But corn on the cob taste makes up for it unless limited space.But plant several rows even if short. My son's first garden he planted one 30' row. Harder for it to pollinate better to have 5 6' rows in a square.
DeleteStore butter, then, because without it, corn on the cob just ain't right.
DeleteThanks for the article Solarman. Good advice trying varieties now to see what actually works for you. That being said, even for varieties suitable to your area not every year is a home run.
ReplyDeleteI have found nemotode resistance in some non-hybrid varieties that work for me. My main source of seed is Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. Their varieties tend to work well in the South and Gulf Coast Areas (talkin to you Spud).
Variety is one part of the battle against harmful nematodes, soil building is another: crab shell & eggshells in largish quantities, plenty of organic matter, cover crops with properties allopathic to harmful nematodes (sun hemp, certain marigolds, mustard), crop family rotation.
Experimented successfully with biochar soaked in anti-nemotocidal neem oil along with fish based tea.
I'm excited James is now growing a few things.
Don't get too excited. Let's see if I harvest above the weight I planted. Bringing back memories of childhood, and a welcome relief away from the digital world, though
DeleteJust about got the first batch of sweet potato slips ready to plant this year's crops.
DeleteI just can't bring myself to try a sweet potato. I hate Thanksgiving dinner, and that nasty looking crap with marshmallows just haunts my sleep. Of course, I went a long time thinking pineapple looked too gross, also. And avocado's. Love pineapple, refuse to try the green snot ball.
DeleteSame food value and more than regular spuds. Not to mention they are a tropical plant that loves hot sunny places with sandy soil. Actually not even the same species as normal potatoes which are of the night shade family and sweet potatoes come from the Morning glory group.
DeleteAnywho sweet ones grow good down here where russet spuds just will rot from too much water and nematodes...
Right, got the part about rotting in the tropics. I'm surprised anyone can grow anything there, besides tropical.
DeleteCan eat sweet potato leaves also
DeleteDo they taste as good as the potato looks? :)
DeleteForget the stupid marshmallows and they have much better flavor than spuds. Not to mention the leaves are good greens too.
DeleteI'll consider girding my loans for a taste test
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ReplyDeleteMother nature knows better than us-I think your method is sound. Gentle suggestions rather than heavy handed changes
DeleteGood topic. My son and I were discussing this the other day.
ReplyDeleteDisclaimer: I am all for the whole organic compost/poop pile and all. Definitely work on improving your soil.
But stocking the Dakin way if I may call it that. 10-10-10 fertilizer, the stuff that won't be able to be made post oil. It is pelletized so i plan on getting decades worth for a large garden. Its pretty cheap relatively speaking. Lay in some fencing and posts so you're not feed the critters although that can give meat collection opportunities. Store some seeds, heirloom and hybrid both. Seven dust! a great product and works on most pests. Perennials, asparagus, rubarb, horse radish, fruit and nut trees and bushes. you get the idea. Plant those yesterday.
I love chickens as a food source. An egg a day or so and meat when they quit laying. Make alot of fertilizer too but you need to age it a little.
Even if I was in the dead desert I would still have a few bucket plants to supplement.
Like Jim says stock the oil age supplies to buy some time.
The artificial fertilizer not only buys time, it is a great insurance policy if you must overwork the soil one year in an emergency ( unexpected mouths, say ) and the regular organics aren't enough to compensate. I must give credit to the minion that harped on the Stock Oil Age Goods-I don't think that was my idea ( pretty sure-memory is a bit hazy ). I steal good ideas all the time, but try not to act like they are mine.
DeleteActually, James, you did say stock the commercial fertilizer, I remember reading it, youre the one. I would add that people stock up some plastic for greenhouses, there is some good stuff out of Canada called Super poly that is super tough. You can put it over an old portable garage tent type frame and have an instant greenhouse. Ive had luck with seeds from Walmart, Lowes, Home Depot, even the dollar store. Believe it or not some of the older cheaper seed varieties are openpollenated (non-hybrid) because those are easier to grow for the seed companies and Ive found most of the cheap dollar store seeds of squash, pickles,pumpkins,beans, herbs are ALL OP (open-pollenated, non-hybrid). The quality and quantity are okay, but if you can invest in better ones, do it. Maybe even as a "commercial grower" to get larger quantity from any company. Also stocking up on manure that you can dig for free, chips, leaves, even old firewood that you can use in a hugelculture mound (sticks, decaying logs, brush, dirt, sand piled in a mound, some good topsoil or garden soil on top. Plant seeds or started vegetables, water and the thing breaks down over years but supplies the plants with free fertilizer. Thats like Demented Guys idea for Sheer Total Utter Neglect system. He's got a great plan. Dont be afraid to start. You'll have winners and losers every year but you will get something.
DeleteI could have swore someone else came up with insulation, plastic sheeting, windows, etc. No big deal, I just try not to practice early dementia.
DeleteWatch the manure many animals are fed hay from fields sprayed with grazon
DeleteTheir manure carries the poison and may ruin your garden as the poison persists it is from Monsanto makers of roundup
Now I'm hungry for oatmeal
DeleteGreat article, Solarman, thank you for your spending the time and effort to write up this excellent reminder. Too many people believe that all you have to do is push a seed into the dirt, add water and time, and watch the fresh veggies roll in. Anyone who, like me, has dirtied their hands with gardening knows better. That eye-opening experience led me to stockpile wheat in a hurry.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing that grows effortlessly is weeds. If we just ate those, this survival thing would just be stroking our plastic poodle shooters.
DeleteAround these parts, there's a local guru that gives classes on gathering and identification of edible weeds in your local area. It is surprising just how many weeds are edible.
DeletePlus, a side of gator.
DeleteFYI..the seeds I had trouble with this year DID NOT come from Baker Seeds. Not bashing any seed company, as was stated above, sometimes it just don't work. That's nature getting even with us every once in a while. I may try DG method.
ReplyDeleteMother Nature hates me personally. Many times, weather interferes with scheduled activities, as if She know
DeleteIf you look at solely your amino acid breakdown of certain legumes/grains You can get your complete profile by eating corn and black beans. However, I think black bean yield is slighlty lower compared to field peas and the such. Btw, just searched and couldnt find the oil age stocking list, anybody care to link? I figure shoes/ foul weather gear and such, (although if you can make a halfway decent pair of flip flops in trinidad from a tire why bother?)
ReplyDeleteI don't know that we have a list ( do we? Sorry, they all blur together ). It is just stuff that has absolutely no replacement. Plastic sheeting, foam sheet insulation, window glass ( the energy requirement is far too high, post-oil ), motor/lubricating oil ( you'll be needing to eat food oil, not use it on firearms, etc ). You could probably make a very extensive list
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