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Post by midtnmama on Apr 3, 2020 13:57:04 GMT
My motto and motivation for my 2020 garden is: Garden as if your life depends on it. Because it may. Watched a news segment about how farmers are really in a bind since harvests are picked almost exclusively by seasonal foreign workers. Many have been deported and the borders are now closed to Mexico and other central American countries. You would think that with so many out of work, there would be workers, but no. As one farmer said, "people just don't want to do this hard work anymore." The purpose of this thread is to post ways that people can inexpensively and efficiently grow more food.I'll start by saying that I am planting every celery, onion, carrot end (etc.) and planting every sprouted potato. Every lettuce stub and cabbage stub. This video will help you: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJuXpiEjdccwww.youtube.com/watch?v=4t58WTIJVOU
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Post by feather on Apr 3, 2020 15:12:59 GMT
I know we are going to be very vigilant about a couple things that have hurt our gardening in the past.
1. tomatoes--watch them for fungal disease with the lower leaves, water splashing up from the soil. Water at the roots and use a mulch to absorb the water. The disease moves upwards from there killing all the leaves on the way up. We will be spraying an anti-fungal. The idea is to keep the leaves as long as possible because they are the power house of producing good tomatoes. If left unchecked the leaves can succumb to the fungus before the tomatoes are ripening (mid August) reducing sweetness and volume.
2. beans and newly sprouted plants--we will be trapping small animals before the planting season even begins. The raccoons, rabbits, and deer, ate off our beans repeatedly last year and we can't have that happen again. We will be fencing off the bean areas.
3. landscaping fabric and mulch, we will be using both to cut back on having weeds. Our last few years using it have been so much easier once we invested in it, and there is upkeep of cleaning/broom it off in the fall, rolling it up, and then rolling it back out the next spring, pinning it down.
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Post by mogal on Apr 3, 2020 15:32:20 GMT
Midtnmama, I saw the same report and had the same thought re: Garden as if your life depended on it.
I noticed the name Driscoll on the shipping boxes the strawberry pickers were filling in the field. I've seen that in every grocery store in our area.
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Post by Billie on Apr 3, 2020 17:28:58 GMT
feather, something I have done the last couple of years with my tomatoes is to take a 2 liter pop bottle and cut the bottom off. I then buried it next to my plants right up to the top. Then whenever I needed to water them I put the hose in the small opening and filled it up. Water goes straight down to the roots, no splashing. My plants have loved it and produced more than they ever have in the past.
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Post by feather on Apr 3, 2020 17:30:22 GMT
Billie, good idea. I'm going to pass that idea on to mr feather, the master tomato gardener.
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Post by mogal on Apr 3, 2020 20:25:47 GMT
Billie, I've done that with milk jugs since we don't buy anything in 2 liter bottles and always put a cup of so of worm castings or compost in the bottle.
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Post by laurazone5 on Apr 3, 2020 21:10:00 GMT
I have (4) 30x3 beds. Worked 9 hours repairing them (woods rotting) and turning the dirt.
My yard is going to look like a dang jungle of food this year. Every inch of yard I can plant food, I will.
I'm going to try and figure out how to do hydroponics for indoors too........
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Post by susannah on Apr 3, 2020 22:02:29 GMT
We'll have our first raised bed this year, since we had to clear a lot of trees for the latest newest garage. The bed is built. It's gorgeous. It's...still full of snow. Sigh. But between clearing (way) more than we needed for the garage, and the destruction the bark beetles have caused, we have more sun than we did before, and room for a few more raised beds if we choose. Due to the fact that all the trees on the property make the front yard partially shady this garden will be leafy greens - lettuce, chard, kale.
My giant tub gardens on wheeled contraptions on the (sunny) back deck will continue. Safe from the deer (they still haven't learned to climb stairs or fly). Tomatoes, chives, basil...I haven't decided what else. Just that every container will be used this year.
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Post by feather on Apr 3, 2020 22:58:15 GMT
susannah, I'm excited for you to have raised gardens, and a SALAD GARDEN too! I hope you enjoy yours as much as we do. Need to go shopping? No, I'll just step out front/back, and fill a bucket with some greens, and call it shopping!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 4, 2020 2:49:43 GMT
I do a little water gardening. I use the heavy black totes with the yellow lids, without the lids. Take a piece of rigid foam insulation and make holes in for small pots to float on the water in the tote. I have them under a hoop in my seed starting bin. I use 2'x4' watering tanks with the floating foam in my greenhouse at the cabin. They are big enough to grow yellow perch too....James
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Post by Deleted on Apr 4, 2020 3:10:44 GMT
Not doing more gardening this year. Will be keeping up with the one better here at the beach cottage however. DS is doing most of the gardening at the off grid cabin. I was going to start gardening at our new cottage in town this year but probably won't now. Depends how much we get to spend in the RV this summer and if we move in there this fall or not. I think the normal amount will be plenty, even though I won't be going to the produce giveaway anymore. Was gone most of the summer last year, in the RV anyway.
I will need to can potatoes, green/wax beans, tomatoes and apple slices, freeze some corn, blueberries and peaches. Dry peaches, apples, pears and the usual herbs....James
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Post by farmchix on Apr 4, 2020 11:01:26 GMT
We are actually tilling up some of the back field not in the garden area to plant even more. There is no food at the grocery store. We are thinking about our six kids, their families, Momma and Macedonian neighbor. Plus...we want to be able to donate some produce to the food pantry. Lofty goals....
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Post by laurazone5 on Apr 4, 2020 18:49:15 GMT
Rhubarb when do I pick it? ALL BEDS ARE READY FOR PLANTING!!!! My Peach Trees ARE BLOOMING!!! This is the first time in the 3 years I have had them!! Will I get peaches this year? ?
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Post by midtnmama on Apr 6, 2020 14:49:27 GMT
Laura: I can't help you on the rhubarb, but you reminded me to find mine and plant it under a tree. I am trying some forest gardening. Saw this on Joe Gardener: If you want free wood chips, sign up at getchipdrop.com/?ref=chipdropcoWhen tree cutting companies are in your area, they will bring you their chips. www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-fOjvWJs30
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Post by midtnmama on Apr 6, 2020 17:21:01 GMT
If you don't have a garden or a tiller, you don't have to build raised beds. Do lasagna gardening to cover and kill weeds and grass. The first year, cut holes in the cardboard or paper, remove soil and plant your plants. Add compost/manure in the hole.
I did it this way the first year and in a couple seasons, by adding compost, I have the nicest, richest dirt. I didn't spend a dime on wood, soil, manure or compost.
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Post by Melissa on Apr 6, 2020 19:21:00 GMT
laurazone5, You can start picking a little rhubarb now. Pick those outer leaves first. If you get a seed head just cut it off. You first year or two you will get some peaches. Just depends on the variety of peach.
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Post by farmchix on Apr 8, 2020 10:15:18 GMT
Tilled some more area to plant.... That is in addition to the high tunnel and this....
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Post by midtnmama on Apr 9, 2020 14:16:27 GMT
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Post by Jolly on Apr 9, 2020 14:24:28 GMT
Tilled some more area to plant.... That is in addition to the high tunnel and this.... That will grow a lot of food. Since you have the land, given any thought to livestock feed?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 9, 2020 16:03:03 GMT
I plant carrots in with a quick crop like radishes, pull the radishes and let the carrots grow. Leaf lettuce works well too, just clip the lettuce when small for greens. I like putting a thin layer of compost over the seeds and keep damp. Easy to monitor the water, just enough but don't float the compost....James
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Post by grannyg on Apr 9, 2020 16:12:02 GMT
We container garden all year...just pulled up the collards which gave up the ghost...they fed us all fall and into winter...still have little onions...it breaks my heart to see the farmers having to dump all their produce and milk....times will get tough...we planted some tomatoes and peppers this week...fruit trees are showing tiny fruit, but still worry about a frost or a hail storm to take them out...blackberries are blooming...grapes look good...fig trees putting on tiny leaves around here...hopefully there will be wild plums this year...there is always wild garlic or dandelion greens...
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Post by Woodpecker on Apr 9, 2020 18:48:17 GMT
I can’t wait to see your pics of the garden, when it all fills in....it’ll be a bountiful jungle!! I admire all the hard work & hours you put into your garden.🌈
This will be the first year in 8 years that I’ll be attempting to grow a larger garden. I’m determined!!!🍅🥬🥒
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Post by Jolly on Apr 9, 2020 22:14:54 GMT
Anybody ever garden in cardboard boxes?
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Post by farmchix on Apr 10, 2020 8:29:59 GMT
Tilled some more area to plant.... That is in addition to the high tunnel and this.... That will grow a lot of food. Since you have the land, given any thought to livestock feed? We did buy some buckwheat, but that's the extent of any kind of crop like that. We are surrounded by big farms. Kevin, the farmer, has offered us corn, but we don't have any way to crack it. Pops' old hand machine has turned up missing out of Momma's barn.
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Post by farmchix on Apr 10, 2020 8:31:06 GMT
I can’t wait to see your pics of the garden, when it all fills in....it’ll be a bountiful jungle!! I admire all the hard work & hours you put into your garden.🌈 This will be the first year in 8 years that I’ll be attempting to grow a larger garden. I’m determined!!!🍅🥬🥒 You can do it!!! If you are talking about my garden, I put pics up on my blog....
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Post by Jolly on Apr 10, 2020 10:37:32 GMT
When you talking about cracking, do you mean shelling, or running it through something like a hammer mill?
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Post by laurazone5 on Apr 10, 2020 13:43:51 GMT
Hot Peppers / Bell peppers / herbs and flowers Tomatoes going in cups today!
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Post by solargeek on Apr 10, 2020 14:31:45 GMT
Don't think I posted this here?
I have started hundreds of tomatoes and at least 175 pepper plants, scores of lettuces, kales, etc. I think our families and friends will need help this summer and fall when every one is trying to "get back to normal" and as it dawns on them, there is no new normal financially, health wise, or job wise, they will also realize our food supply is deeply damaged by not having workers to plant/harvest.
I live in potato country and they have not found a substitute source of laborers (even using all the prison workers does not make up the numbers they need) for the migrant workers who are not here now.
When I put the plants out (just seeds in dirt in my garage on my setups), I will count. Might get 3"-6" snow SUNDAY! I did plant outside seeds of lettuce, kale, escarole, cabbages, brussel sprouts and cauliflower. And carrots.
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Post by laurazone5 on Apr 10, 2020 16:14:33 GMT
Indian Stripe Black Cherry Rutger Amana Orange Lincoln Adams Yellow Beefstake Zebra Stripe Black Pineapple Brandywine Roma Paste Ropreco Paste Cour di Bue Amish Paste
I put dirt 1/2 way up a solo cup. I put 2 seeds per tomato cup about 1/2 inch deep. As they come up, I add dirt. Once they lose their first leaves, I put a gentle fan on them to strengthen the stems and get them ready for real wind!
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Post by MeandTK on Apr 10, 2020 22:48:11 GMT
Over at the tater patch the rows are 110 feet long. 11 rows of taters. Today we planted 3 rows of peas and 4 of beans by them. Then we hilled up all 11 rowsof taters.
My shoulders will probably be sore tomorrow. If you hear a loud noise, it’ll probably be me groaning as I get out of bed in the morning.
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