Crop Choice

realistic - This I like . Whether they will admit it or not , I suspect the majority of people with a gardening plan would soon hit reality with the starving masses at about the same time their garden begins to produce .

 

Wally, grow radish now indoors, seed in pot to radish in mouth is around 30 days. Get a cheap seed tray and a bag of compost, they need sunlight but a window ledge is fine or the corner of a sunny room will do. Do the same with fresh herbs. I've got pots of thyme, parsley, coriander (cilantro), basil growing on my kitchen window ledge and other hardy herbs out in the garden.

Thank you lockdown for getting me into growing food

 

No, never said I was, just stated what you can do and what I've learned to do in the last 12 months, I'm still a beginner but there are plenty of videos to view and get you started.

And lots more covering all aspects of growing food at home.

So my new and ever growing skills for 2020/21 are gardening and ham radio, what have you bothered learning/expanding your knowledge base on this last year and a half? Why not contribute to a member instead of being critical of a member trying to help.

 

From observing someone else's planting from one of those seed vaults , I can say they appear to be very good quality seeds . Personally though , I store heirloom seeds that I know will grow in my area . Also I am looking at producing volume to fill an empty stomach after S.H.T.F. . Presently I like experimenting occasionally with a new plant but once things turn serious , experimenting is basically over . --- I live in a rural area but also realize starving people will walk for miles to steal food . Therefore I have already installed precautionary measures against garden thieves . I mentioned my precaution measures before and one of our members seemed appalled that I would go that far to prevent garden thieves . So to prevent a repeat I will not go into my garden defenses at this time .

 

The two most important survival plants now in my arsenal , is climbing heirloom string beans and heirloom eating type pumpkins . The string beans , because they produce a lot of food for the space taken and the entire pods are eaten not just the beans inside the pods . The pumpkins because they will keep months into the winter months with minimum attention , no canning and no freezing needed for them to last for months . Plus my wife makes one awesome pumpkin pie .---- Now that is based a lot on my present location and growing conditions . Back in the day when , we grew our basic food supply , we had a lot of good dirt and open spaces so we relied a lot on red potatoes to carry us through many months . We ate potatoes nearly every day until the rats and rot destroyed our potato supply .

 

Giving advice on growing radish is not trolling its making a positive contribution, its trying to help and not be overwhelming negative all the time.

If people chipped in with positive comments and help perhaps we'd get new members who join and actually contribute instead of joining, reading and leaving never to return. This forum is dead on its feet and needs new members because at the moment its little more than a boys club for a handful of active members.

Reading your interaction with me has done nothing to promote joining this forum and thats the truth.

 

Just to get back on track.
We grow a lot of beans and pumpkins, for greens we grow a lot of chard, pak choi, kale and leeks. We also grow our own herbs, onions and garlic. We have soft fruit bushes and grapevines, fig trees, pears, quince, plums, mirabelle plums, damsons, sloes and an apple orchard with a mix of dessert, cooking and cider varieties.

 

I have taken Rebecca's suggestion seriously and have ordered brussels sprout seeds to plant for a fall / hopefully winter crop . If they can survive a Canadian winter , I am curious on how well they could survive in the Ozarks of the U.S. . My group should have plenty of meat for the winter months but something like brussels sprouts would be a great addition to fight scurvy .

 

Anybody here pickled sprouts?

 

I know from history that England survived the WW2 by getting every one to grow Brussels sprout in their back yard, garden, front yard, anywhere something would grow. So it seem logical that it is a very good survival legume .

 

Before the D-day invasion, my dad was stationed in England. He was treated in a splendid manner and had only good things to say about the people. Often the locals brought food for the troop and my dad super appreciated it ... with one exception, brusseld sprouts. He said that b.sprouts were constantly being brought to them -- which was a horror for those who couldn't stand them. You couldn't turn them down, else you'd offend the people doing their best to be kind to you. I too hate brussels sprouts.

 

One dig that outsider bigots have towards my people is that we enjoy banjo music. Not just anyone can play the banjo as the banjo should be played. Putting down banjo music is also putting down black folk. In all likelihood, the banjo had its origins in Africa. Me, I LOVE kora music = divine! I have over a half dozen CDs and many MP3 files worth of kora music -- add that to West African Blues which is sublime, guitar and kora.

This first video will ask you to play the video on YouTube, so just click on the YouTube version -- I don't know why this is happening, but it will get you to the correct video, Bela Fleck playing with the Boston Pops.

 

The banjo music (played only by inferior Southern folk according to a troll of ours) will continue on the music thread.

 

If you live in an urban area you might think about putting a lot of effort into root plants. Potatoes, yams, sweet potatoes and peanuts are all high calory food sources and best of all most people wouldn't pay much attention to these plants mixed in with flower plants. They know what the roots look like after they are harvested but have no idea what the plant looks like. Unless you can guard your garden 24/7 when people get hungry that are going to raid your garden.

I like radishes, onions, garlic, tomatoes, cucumbers and such but most of them are not very calorie filled. It would be a lot like trying to live on rabbits. A slow way to starve to death. I've never had much luck with Brussel sprouts but here squash corn and pole beans are big. The Native Americans cold them the Three sisters and grew them together. Corn and quinoia are about the only grains that we can grow here. Beans and peas though flourish.

What you grow is very dependent on where you live and what sort of soil you have.

 

Another WW2 health drive was the collection of Rose Hips which were made into a syrup for children. High in vit C it was ideal for them since oranges were not available for five years.



The wartime food rationing system actually improved the health of many children from poor backgrounds, they ate a better balanced diet under rationing.

 

There you go, british banjo/uke music at its best, might bring back childhood memories for you

 

In WW2 the average American soldier was taller and heavier than brit troops, the Americans had grown up with a better diet.

Move on 60 years and when Band of Brothers was made the genuine large size WW2 uniforms sourced were too small for modern men again through better diet since the war.

Problem now is some folk don't know when to stop shoving food in their mouths. The sight of young overweight girls bulging out of skin tight leggings in your local supermarket does not help develop a positive shopping experience IMO

 

Just a reminder for those that like Cajun food . In many areas it is now time to be picking your sassafras leaves for making file . I picked , roasted , and blended up a batch yesterday and enjoyed a little of it in my gumbo for my evening meal . You can't beat fresh .

 

This is an interesting topic. Here in Central England,we grow potatoes and climbing beans mainly.A few tomatoes in the greenhouse,and the rest of the garden is taken up with perennials. Best thing I ever did was planting these.Every year,up they come, with very few problems regarding pests and diseases.Various fan- trained fruit trees,fruit bushes,artichokes ( globe and Jerusalem),kales,herbs,and onions,amongst other things. A perfect survival garden.

 

As a novice grower I've tried three types of toms this year, standard Money Maker, Crimson and Veranda Red. I've got all three on the go in my cheapo polytunnel and the last two varieties growing outdoors as well and they are all doing fine. The Veranda Red are a brit variety and happy with our climate and a determinate type so no pruning needed. They are a cherry variety growing to about 2' tall bush, happy in a 2 litre pot so I'll let you know about the flavour in the months ahead. I came across this variety online and its got really good reviews.

I put peas in around four weeks ago and they are growing like crazy, think I'll put in anther 20 and see if its too late or not to sow. I'm starting a new contract shortly so I'll be leaving things in my lads hands for a couple or three weeks.

 

ummm isn't brussel sprouts a cruciferous plant and not a legume? BTW they stink to high heaven when cooked can't really stand them....

 

I love brussel sprouts but they are not legumes. Brussel sprouts are in the brassicacae family. I especially like them in vegitable soup. When I was a kid if it could be grown in a garden we probably grew it at one time or another. For us it was a fall and winter garden plant...such as we have winter some years. I've gone swimming in January several times.

 

I was thought about planting some b sprouts but then looked them up 26 to 31 weeks to grow .
Hell i would be planting in the snow and trying to harvest in the snow , my growing season is june until end of august. but it would be good for our Sothern neighbors.

 

2021 has been a good year for us in the garden. Spring and summer crops grown potatoes, cabbage, asparagus, mustard greens, green peas, onions both spring and storage, garlic, tomatoes, green beans, beets, squash both summer and winter, basil, pepper, okra, sweet potatoes, melons and purple hull peas.

Large crops of plums, bumper crop of blueberries, elderberries, gooseberries, black currants, rhubarb and blackberry. Awaiting figs to ripen.

Crops lost to late frosts Nanking cherry and peaches.

Immature crops not old enough to bear as of yet: Cornelian cherry, juneberry/saskatoon. American highbush cranberry, pawpaw, mayhaw, apricot, mulberry.

Fall crops planted in zone 6b/7a for the fall are mustard greens, turnips, cabbage for winter kraut, beets, green peas, carrots, romaine lettuce and green onions.

Average first frost October 15.

 

Where I was raised a lot of years you plowed your summer garden under in the spring because we never had a freeze and the plants just kept on producing all winter. That has happened once here and people had tomatoes and peppers still growing in March an April. That always brought forth the question of whether to replant or keep them going. I've tried both and it seems to be about the same. The plants are anuals and don't seem to produce in year two like they did in year one. The nice thing is having tomatoes earlier in the year though.

 

I know what you mean. I grew up in southeastern, Louisiana. Like you I think they do better when you start over every spring and grow the plants as true annuals.

 

I was raised in Beaumont and my wife lived in the country between Fannet and Hampshire. Winter was more of a wet season than a cold season most years. I live about a hundred miles farther north now so we have a little bit more winter but not too much. I have gone swimming in the lake in January more than once when we just skipped winter all together. One year it was so warm in January that the bass were spawning because the water was almost 70 degrees. The fishing was great but a cold front in early February probably killed off the early spawn.

 

I was raised in Tangipahoa parish Louisiana on the banks of the Manchac swamps. My father raised green peppers, strawberries, citrus and tomatoes commercially.

 

I know a great deal of the country has experienced record heat this year. I am atop the Northern Upper Cumberland of Tennessee. We have reached in the 90 degree range about 3 times this year. At 2,000 feet above sea level heat temperatures are not quite as bad as down in the valleys below. It balances out that we tend to have more ice and snow than the valley and poorer soils. We struggle with late frosts and freezes.

 

I planted butter nut squash this year, It has been very warm up north . Just shy of 100 f.
the squash loves it , I will be getting a bumper crop .

 

My garden has done well also this year. I grow plenty of crops that thrive in the hot humid southern heat. Tomatoes, peppers, okra, sweet potatoes, purple hull peas. All heat loving plants.

 

My garden did well this year " by my standards " but admit my garden doesn't look near as productive as the above photo . What kind of tomatoes are those ?

 

Determinate paste tomato of unknown variety. Been saving the seeds for about 30 years. Maybe I ought to name it??

 

You are lucky ,

 

I usually experiment with something new in my garden each year . This is partly due to the fact that I was raised and lived in the far Southern region of the United States and then moved to the mid western portion of the United States so I am continue to learn about different growing techniques and different plants . This winter I experimented with growing a winter garden . In it I planted " giant winter spinach " and " brussels sprouts ". They both survived the winter with the low being around 8 degrees for the lowest temperature so for . --- The brussels sprouts however haven't produced any sprouts but we did experiment with eating the brussels sprouts leaves which were fair eating but is not high on my menu . --- The spinach however is delicious . I have been working and expanded my garden to be larger . I plan to plant an even larger amount of spinach in my new expanded garden . According to one seed company this spinach can be grown year around . As I haven't yet had my spinach growing for a full year ' will be waiting to see if it will live through the summer months . --- A year around crop of something as healthy as spinach would be a huge thing for preppers / survivalist . --- If this pans out some might want to consider ripping up a portion of their lawn and replacing it with winter spinach .

 

It is very intelligent to experiment with varying vegetables in one's garden. One uses test kits for acidity; and hey, that gives one some data, however, trying differing crop types is the gold standard.

Thomas Jefferson went TURBO OCD when it came to experimenting with crops at Monticello. Been there at least twice and one of the many things that deeply impressed me was how much data he collected on what crops did best in the soils of Virginia -- especially on his family's lands.

If one were to study Jefferson's agricultural studies, that would be one very long read / adventure. Like I said, he went totally obsessive about this science. The man was far beyond brilliant.

"Thomas Jefferson, agricultural researcher"

https://www.farmprogress.com/farm-life/thomas-jefferson-agricultural-researcher

“'Agriculture … is our wisest pursuit, because it will in the end contribute most to wealth, good morals and happiness….' — Thomas Jefferson, 1787, in a letter to George Washington, from Paris.

"Jefferson considered himself a farmer. Writing to Thomas Pinckney from Monticello in 1795, he said, 'I am entirely a farmer, soul and body, never scarcely admitting a sentiment on any other subject.'

"The grounds and gardens of Monticello served as an agricultural experiment station of sorts. According to a visitor’s guide, Jefferson’s vegetable garden included '330 varieties of some 99 species of vegetables and herbs. This was a revolutionary American garden and Jefferson’s most enriching horticultural achievement.'"

Old Geezer's take: Holy sh##!!! '330 varieties of some 99 species of vegetables and herbs"

I had read these numbers before, but reading them again, takes my breath away. There are aggie colleges who haven't put in that much research. It is simply staggering to the mind -- especially to anyone who has ever raised crops. Plus, he kept copious records of his work. Think about how much knowledge he passed forward to future generations of southeastern farmers!

Beside the Monticello home lies his "little" gardens. Been there, the gardens are massive.








https://anyflip.com/fkpvo/yfgb/basic

https://rotunda.upress.virginia.edu/founders/default.xqy?keys=TSJN-print-01&mode=TOC

Here are pages of notes from T.Jefferson. Select a page. When shown, one can zoom-in on the individual pages. My search was for "agriculture".

https://www.masshist.org/thomasjeff...t&archive=all&query=agriculture&submit=Search

His farm book:

https://www.masshist.org/thomasjeffersonpapers/doc?id=farm_c2

.

 

I started several crops indoors about two weeks ago. most have now come up. I have to do this if i want to have a decent harvest. if i push hard i will plant half of them that are delicate to frost may 24 weekend. If i lose some so be it , then plant the rest ist week of june once the all clear is sounded . of Couse some can handle cold weather like cool-season vegetables: asparagus, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, chives, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, Swiss chard, kale, leek, lettuce, onion, parsnips, peas, radishes, spinach, and turnips