The Survival Garden: How To Start And What To Prep.

Discussion in 'Gardening' started by DirtDiva, Aug 30, 2021.

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  1. DirtDiva

    DirtDiva Master Survivalist
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    I picked the last of my gooseberries yesterday and cut up 20 pounds of onions. I have so many onions dehydrated in mylar and buckets I think I will just freeze these. Today suckered and tied tomatoes and canning gooseberries for jam and juice. Picked my first head of cabbage today also.
     
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  2. Max rigger

    Max rigger Master Survivalist
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    What do you use the Okra for? In the UK you tend to only find it in Indian food.

    Lonewolf said "we really dont need a huge garden for survival especially those amongst us with small groups, but what we do need is continuity of supply by successive plantings." spot on and this is where polytunnels give a real boost to UK winter crops and they are cheap enough to buy these days. My lad set up a 3.5m X 2m tunnel in the UK garden and it cost £60/$75. The lads loving 'his' garden, I keep getting pictures of cucumbers, toms and more off him LOL
     
    1. DirtDiva
      Okra is somewhat of a southern US staple liking wet and hot growing seasons. Where I grew up in Louisiana okra was introduced long ago by the slaves and has become part of the local cuisine. It can be pickled, cooked with tomatoes, onions and bacon (with shrimp or crayfish), added to dishes like field peas, battered and deep fried, a main ingredient in Louisiana gumbo and used for thickening the gumbo base, also stuffed and in South Carolina added to a dish called Hoppin John.
      Easily grown and hardy to the hot South.
       
      DirtDiva, Jun 26, 2022
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  3. poltiregist

    poltiregist Legendary Survivalist
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    Okra is delicious cut into about 1/2 lengths , battered and fried or added to dishes such as the field peas with okra for seasoning that I just ate about 30 minutes ago .
     
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  4. Old Geezer

    Old Geezer Legendary Survivalist
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    Once you get okra started, it will spread. And does it ever spread! Me, I've not grown it, but one friend and my family have. It is a perennial.

    I love it fried. My wife is one of those people who shun it. I is a bit "greasy", but I just love it. Fry it up in cornmeal. It's great and it is nutritious.
     
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    1. DirtDiva
      Unless you live in a very warm, wet climate, okra is not generally a perennial for most. You will have to grow it again the following year if you want to keep having okra each year. Okra is capable of growing back again if you live in the tropics but that is about it.
       
      DirtDiva, Jun 26, 2022
  5. paul m

    paul m Expert Member
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    Perennial vegetables are the way forward. My garden is huge,but my back and knees are not getting younger! 20 years ago I started perennial planting. Jerusalem artichokes,rhubarb,raspberries,blackberries,plums,apples and pears.Hazel,for nuts and bean poles.Then perennial onion,Welsh,and Egyptian,along with chives.I have two perennial kales and perpetual spinach.Then there is the herb/ medicinal garden,full of sorrel,rosemary,several mints,thyme,sage and so many others. There is scorzenera and oca as other root crops. They all just need weeding,thinning and very little water. In between,I always grow spuds ,squash and beans- all of which the seeds can be harvested each year. My rabbits and fowls provide muck for composting, which makes it a robust system,with a lot less work than a conventional garden.
     
    1. DirtDiva
      Your system sounds very similar to mine. Are you using raised beds?
       
      DirtDiva, Jun 26, 2022
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  6. lonewolf

    lonewolf Societal Collapse Survivalist. Staff Member
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    well done.
     
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  7. paul m

    paul m Expert Member
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    Yes , raised beds for the Annual crops. Straight into the ground for the perennial crops.
     
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  8. Max rigger

    Max rigger Master Survivalist
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    Sounds good, in many ways its similar to Zucchini/courgette. A 'rustic' French dish is diced courgette/Zucchini lightly fried in butter with peas, diced ham and garlic, that simple and some good bread to mop up the butter/juice and okra would work fine in that dish.
     
  9. DirtDiva

    DirtDiva Master Survivalist
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    As summer slips in it is time to start working on medicinal herbs for the coming year. I harvested another basket of broadleaf plantain. This is a wild herb found in most yards along areas where the ground has been disturbed. Along driveways and roads is a good place to start. I have a small patch that grows on my property that I harvest every year. It is a wonderful dried herb that I make skin salves with. If bitten or stung by insects this will immediately take the inflamation/pain/stinging away. I always make some for my grandson who handles bees. Working in the garden we always have bee and bug bites. So this is a yearly must have for us. It is a great salve for any skin irritation though including poison ivy.

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    I pick the leaves early in the morning and wash them thoroughly then lay them out on a towel to dry and completely wilt. You want them completely dry for the next step. Sometimes I let the sit on the back deck in the sun for a day or two.

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    Once the leaves are dry I add them to a quart mason jar and add a good olive oil at room temperature to completely cover the leaves. I then add a lid and allow to sit in a dark cabinet for about 8 to 12 weeks. After that time I run the oil through a colander removing all greenery. The oil will have taken on a rich green color and the oils from the plants infused into the olive oil. I then add a little vitamin E oil and a touch of coconut oil to the mixture. Then I melt a small amount of bees wax and add the the oil mixture and mix well. Once the beeswax hardens again it becomes hard and takes on the consistency of a salveor balm. I place this mixture hot while still in the liquid state into small 1/4 pint mason jars and allow to harden. In the last I also added a small amount of fresh honey for it's healing properties as well.

    So many of the plants in my gardens and properties become health aids and medicines. The mint is dried for mint tea to settle queasy stomachs.

    Elderberries are dried for a hot tea to boost the immune system.

    Blackberries, both fruit and leaves, can be made into a tea to alleviate the symtoms of stomach flus. When my children were little I made blackberry popsicles to alleviate nausea and diarreah for my kids when they had stomach bugs.

    Peach leaves are dried and used hot , either fresh or dried, to make a drawing poultice and are great for drawing out infections or foreign objects such as splinter or thorns. Also great for boils.

    So while all the plants in my gardens may not be edible those that are not edible pretty well have a medicinal property of one sort or another. Especially the flowers which bring in the pollinators but also provide medicinal salves, tinctures or poultices year round.

    In a survival situation knowing which plants to use for what could mean survival when modern medicines are in short supply.
     
    Last edited: Jun 30, 2022
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    1. TMT Tactical
      Outstanding info for those of us with black thumbs. Please keep these great posts coming.
       
      TMT Tactical, Jun 30, 2022
  10. poltiregist

    poltiregist Legendary Survivalist
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    My project for the last two days has been picking and processing sassafras leaves for " file " , to put in gumbo . This year I decided to go more primitive and crush my dried leaves with a wooden " mortar and pestle " instead of using an electric blender . --- I was once told by someone that had attended some sort of survival school that sassafras leaves were supposed to be picked on a certain month when the moon was in the right phase . I don't bother with that so perhaps I am not doing it right according to the survival class instructor , but do know my wife prefers my homemade file over the expensive store bought .
     
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    1. DirtDiva
      I actually have a sassafras tree planted in m y yard for that specific purpose.
       
      DirtDiva, Jun 30, 2022
  11. DirtDiva

    DirtDiva Master Survivalist
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    This last week has been a busy one in the garden. Picking cabbage, gooseberries, beans, squash, black currants, onions, beets, and carrots.

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    I have started processing onions. Running them through both the dehydrator and freezing some. Gooseberry bushes are loaded and I have spent many an hour tipping and tailing them to get ready for various uses. Gooseberry pie fillings, gooseberry juice to add to iced tea and used as a juice concentrate and gooseberry jam.

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    Gooseberry juice concentrate.


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    Gooseberry Jam.

    I have to be in court tomorrow for jury duty but Saturday I hope to start pcking and canning Louisiana red beans. Then I will pull the row and replant for the 4th of July. Same with cabbage I am picking now to freeze and will replant for the 4th for fall kraut along with a fall planting of carrots also.

    I have tomatoes on the vine now as well as picking yellow summer squash. Winter squash are putting on small ones as well as watermelon and cantaloupe. Cucumbers are also on the vine now. Okra coming along nicely. We got about 1.5 inches of rain earlier in the week and the temperatures are mellowing out and cooling a bit. More rain predicted for Sunday. Sweet potatoes are everywhere and growing to beat the band in the summer heat. We have managed to pretty well keep everything watered with our rain barrels so far.

    I see a few Japanese beetles around but far fewer than we have had in years past. Blueberries and peaches are absolutely hanging in the gardens right now as are grapes. If they ripen on schedule it should be bumper crops in July. trying not to count my chickens before they hatch though. I also see a couple of the first ripe blackberries of the year ripening on the south fence line. A dozen ducks due to hatch Sunday. Elderberry blossoms are dropping and the fruit is thick.

    Consistently vigilant, thankful and busy. Hoping you all are equally blessed.
     
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    1. TMT Tactical
      If I was anymore green with envy, I would look like a bush. Great going DD. keep the post coming, it provides hope and inspiration for us beginners.
       
      TMT Tactical, Jun 30, 2022
  12. Old Geezer

    Old Geezer Legendary Survivalist
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    Interesting that you are using the leaves. I looked it up and sure enough, the leaves are edible.

    I'd dig it for my paternal grandmother who made tea with its roots. Very popular thing to do. Here in Southern Appalachia, it grows wild and there's lot's of it.

    Some are now saying that it is toxic. I find this very difficult to believe due to its being consumed so often.

    https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/sassafras-tea-benefits#what-it-is

    "The use of sassafras has become controversial over the past few decades. That’s because it contains safrole, a compound that has been banned by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) due to its potentially toxic effects (1, 2).

    "Manufacturers have started removing safrole during processing, and you can now purchase sassafras root bark without safrole at many health stores and herb suppliers in dry or powder form.

    "According to the National Toxicology Program’s Report on Carcinogens, multiple studies in mice show that safrole may induce liver cancer and tumor growth (10Trusted Source).

    "Although research in humans is lacking, the organization has classified safrole as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen” based on the results of these animal studies (10Trusted Source).

    "Also, isosafrole, a compound synthesized from safrole, is used in the production of illegal drugs like MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy or molly (11Trusted Source).

    "For this reason, products containing sassafras are highly regulated by the government, and many manufacturers remove safrole during processing to avoid trade restrictions."

    ----------------------------------------

    I call B.S. on the above. How much of this herbal tea would you have to drink!

    Saccharine causes bladder tumors in mice. For a human to get to the toxicity levels used in the studies using mice, you would have to consume 57 packs of saccharine sweetener per day. Gimme a break!!!! I perpetually use saccharine. If saccharine were toxic, people with diabetes would be dropping like flies.

    Shoot, Broccoli is toxic, if you want to get picky:

    https://www.thinkingnutrition.com.au/broccoli-bad-for-you/

    "To start with, broccoli is a well-described goitrogen. Goitrogens are chemicals that suppress the function of the thyroid gland by interfering with iodine uptake, a key mineral needed to make thyroid hormone. This blocking of iodine uptake causes the thyroid gland to enlarge; a goitre is the end result.

    "And it is not just goitrogens you need to be worrying about. Broccoli is loaded with formaldehyde, a natural by-product of oxidation and which is known to cause cancer in rats. Formaldehyde is used in the manufacturing of plastics, foam insulation, fungicides, mirrors, insecticides, petroleum, resins and industrial chemicals. No one in their right mind would eat any of these things so when you see this list, just add broccoli to it as well.

    "But the biggest thing you need to know about is what I like to call the ‘dirty little secret’ of the organic food industry. Organic food is good for you right because it doesn’t contain any pesticides? Wrong. Broccoli is overloaded with natural pesticides which are part of the plant’s natural defence system against harm. And what you’re not being told by Big Organic is that half of those pesticides when tested on laboratory animals have been shown to cause cancer.

    "Well at least organic broccoli doesn’t contain any human-made pesticides I hear you say? Sorry, but organic growers are able to use if they wish ‘natural’ pesticides and they are not required to tell you about it. Many of these natural pesticides are actually more toxic than synthetic pesticides. To make things even worse, there is no national monitoring system for these natural pesticides as is the case for the system in place for synthetic ones. Organic broccoli: you may as well be using Round-up for your salad dressing and get your toxic cancer-causing pesticide hit in one go rather than eat it.

    "And remember those thiocyanates I mentioned earlier? Well those too can cause bladder cancer in rats. We have graphic warning signs about cancer on cigarette packets, so why do health authorities continue to sit on their hands and take no action against broccoli?

    "Okay, so back to our normal programming. Broccoli is awesome and is super healthy for you and I rate it (along with other cruciferous vegetables) as one of the best foods you could be eating. It contains a host of nutrients linked to reducing cancer risk. On top of that, it is high in fibre, low in kilojoules and is packed with lots of nutrients such as vitamins C and K, and is a good source of vitamin A, folate and potassium.

    "So, what about all those alarming health concerns I wrote about? Ignore them. Most of them are theoretical as lack any context of dose. Just about anything will cause cancer of the everything in rats if you give it in high enough doses. Although if you have low iodine levels and were at risk of hypothyroidism, you would be wise not to be eating several kilograms of raw broccoli each day."

    --------------------------------------------------

    Hypochondriacs and hand-wringers go out of their way to find things about which to be paranoid.

    Worry about the risks in life and you won't have a life.
    --------------------------------------------------------------

    Enjoy sassafras tea!

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  13. poltiregist

    poltiregist Legendary Survivalist
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    A few days ago someone was visiting that had one of those smart phones with an app that could take a picture , scan it and identify the plant . I had them to scan a tree that I was planning to harvest the red berries from to make a spice as I thought it was a spice tree . It turns out , that I was wrong . It was a Carolina black thorn tree whose berries were not something good to eat . I don't remember the effects of eating the berries but do know it wasn't good . Another plant that I suspected might be marijuana turned out to be a medicinal plant called a black snake root plant . --- Personally I don't want a smart phone as I might decide to go to some meeting the government doesn't approve of and I don't want a phone tracking me . However many people have those smart phones so the plant identification app is something they may find useful .
     
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  14. DirtDiva

    DirtDiva Master Survivalist
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    07/07/2022

    105 approximate days till average first frost date. Eating mostly fresh out of the garden right now and canning and preserving all leftover. Picking squash, cucumbers, beets, cabbage and beans. No ripe tomatoes yet but plenty of green ones.

    Picked my first patch of Louisiana Red Beans with 3 more patches/plantings yet to harvest. Will plant one last crop for fall. Pulling cabbage and planting a new fall crop earmarked for winter kraut. Picked blueberries today and blackberries.

    Received 1.5 inches of rain yesterday and another 1.5 inches early this moring around day break. When I picked the beans I did notice some bean beetle in the larval stage but also found lots of lady bugs, assassin bugs and praying mantis moving in to control them. No spray needed. Lost some limbs in the fig trees to high wind in the storm yesterday. Was disappointed because they all had immature figs on them. All part of it I guess and this too shall pass.

    Got 7 baby Buff Orphington chicks/pullets to replace my layers which are 3 years old. When these little pullets start laying the older hens will be butchered and put in mason jars with broth. Chicken and dumplins through the winter.

    Also one of the bantum hens hatched out 11 baby ducks. Will raise to butcher the drakes and keep the hens for the flock.

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    Days are long right now and busy picking, cleaning, snapping, shelling, chopping, freezing and canning. There is something everyday this time of year and very little rest for the wicked. A good life but a busy one.
     
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  15. DirtDiva

    DirtDiva Master Survivalist
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    100_7747.JPG And to go along with those red beans and kraut we spent the weekend making and smoking homemade sausage.

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    And bratwurst patties.
     
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  16. Max rigger

    Max rigger Master Survivalist
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    What size pressure canner(s) do you use Diva? I'm starting from scratch and guessing I'll need 25l size?
     
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  17. Old Geezer

    Old Geezer Legendary Survivalist
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    That pile of green beans made me think about me as a boy on my grandmother's porch. We'd be stringing and snapping beans the better part of an afternoon at a time.
     
    Last edited: Jul 7, 2022
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  18. poltiregist

    poltiregist Legendary Survivalist
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    I had to put an electric fence around my garden this year as I was having a problem with deer eating the lush greenery they found there . I have been watering it daily as we are in a dry and hot spell . The honey bees told me yesterday that the wild carrots they have been feeding on were playing out by their new behavior of following me around . I put in internal sugar water feeders in my hive and they readily started lapping it up .
     
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  19. poltiregist

    poltiregist Legendary Survivalist
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    The drought has effected a huge swath of the planet this year . Massive crop failures are being reported . I was wondering how our members were faring with the drought . My garden is doing fine , but only because I water it nearly every day . Right now we are deep into harvesting .
     
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  20. lonewolf

    lonewolf Societal Collapse Survivalist. Staff Member
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    yep, same here, we are eating our own Potatoes, Raspberries, Broad Beans and Tomatoes. watering every day. will be taking a feed off our own Rhubarb soon. Apples are doing well.
     
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  21. DirtDiva

    DirtDiva Master Survivalist
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    My garden is keeping me busy as well. Picking squash, beans, okra, cucumbers, tomatoes soon, blueberries and peaches. Mr DD is down with pneumonia so I am a solo act right now keeping up with the garden, canning and mowing on my own. No rest for the wicked!
     
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  22. paul m

    paul m Expert Member
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    Broad beans( I think you call them Fava), Borlotti, French and runners. Perpetual spinach, tomatoes,potatoes, kale, chicory, lettuce, and carrots at the moment.

    However, the heat here has not done the garden good. Watering may well be an issue in the future. That’s why I am moving quickly towards perennials. Half the garden is already.
     
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  23. DirtDiva

    DirtDiva Master Survivalist
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    August 15. 2022
    Garden Update

    I am now 60 days out from my average first frost date. Those last cool weather and frost tolerant crops of turnips, mustard greens, cabbage, beets and lettuce have gone in any blank spots in the garden. The garden is lush with growth as rain has been really plentiful for the last few weeks which is odd weather for August which is traditionally our hottest and driest month. Not this year though!

    Right now we are harvesting something on a daily basis and my canner, dehydrator and freezer are getting a workout. In the vegetable garden we are harvesting tomatoes, summer squash, zucchini, cucumbers, peppers, cantaloupe, watermelon and okra. We also have several more pickings of beans. Winter squash are hanging on the vines and the sweet potato patch is thick and green with growth. I see lots of sweet potato pie and butter nut squash on my Thanksgiving table.

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    Fruit wise we are harvesting grapes, elderberry, blackberry and the first few figs of the season. The figs will now continuously ripen until frost and have plenty of fruit yet to go. Lots of fruit being frozen, dehydrated or made into jams.

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    Blueberry Jam
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    Home Canned white grape juice
    Days are long and busy and most meals these days are heavy with servings of fresh vegetables and fruits picked fresh that day. Bacon and tomato sandwich season is upon us and is one of my favorites. Suppers most days consist of just a steak, pork chop or chicken on the grill with grilled squash and baked potatoes or maybe fresh beans and sliced tomatoes and cucumbers. Lots of bowls of fresh melon for desserts. Good clean eating fresh from the gardens.

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    Twice baked potatoes for the freezer with lots of home grown bacon, sour cream and cheese
    Food is plentiful this time of year and the pantry fills up fast. With grocery prices what they are I am making like the little red hen and stuffing my pantry daily. Every harvest is a blessing and every bumper crop appreciated!

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    Canned smoked pork, onions and pinto beans
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    Canned dill relish for potato salads
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    Home grown and canned Louisiana red beans
    The young pullets I am raising are doing great and soon I will butcher the older hens to make way for the new generation that should provide eggs for the next 3 to 4 years. The older hens will be made into chicken and broth to go into jars for winter soups and dumplings. Six Buff Orphinton hens should be more than enough to provide eggs for 2 people. My oldest daughter came to visit recently and brought me some chickens for the freezer alrady butchered. She and her husband raised meat builders this year. They also brought me fresh pork for the freezer from their pigs that they raised.

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    Farm fresh smoked pork and chicken
    The Khaki Campbell duckling hatch was really good. I set 12 eggs and got 11 ducklings. I have sold 8 of them and have kept 3 little hens to add to my duck flock. That will give me a total of 6 little hens and a drake. More than enough for my small acreage and gardens.

    So that is it for the August garden. The vegetables are plentiful and the weeds are still growing faster than I can pull them but we continue to pursue keeping them under control.

    On a personal note Mr. DD continues to recover from an awful bout of pneumonia but is getting better. I have missed my help.

    Hoping for continued plentiful rain and mild temperatures. As my grandmother used to say
    " If the good Lord is willing and the creek don't rise!".
     
    Last edited: Aug 15, 2022
    1. Old Geezer
      Your canning regimen reminds me of my paternal grandmother's ethic. Do you jar jams an jellies?
      Gosh, those taters w/sour cream & bacon are making my mouth water. DirtDiva is EVIL!
       
      Old Geezer, Aug 19, 2022
  24. DirtDiva

    DirtDiva Master Survivalist
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    I started digging sweet potatoes yesterday and think I should have dug them a little sooner. My gracious some of them got large!

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    These I grew from slips from a potatoo from the year before that I rooted in a jar of water. I planted 2 wire rings 3 foot high and 3 foot in diamter and filled with soil. It worked great. I put the rings in between two young pear trees in full sun and will pull the wire rings up now and spread the soil out to enrich the soil in the area.

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    Some huge, some medium and some small. I will take the small ones and cook and mash then add apple juice and maple syrup and then dehydrate as sweet potato bark. Kind of like fruit leather but with sweet potatoes.

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    This is my experiment growing sweet potatoes in a small box along the fence. It actually did really good.

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    The sweet potato variety is Beauregard.
     
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  25. DirtDiva

    DirtDiva Master Survivalist
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    I did a little experiment this year in my garden with cheap growing boxes. I wanted to experiment with these because it is a excellent idea for fast boxes for say a BOL or when you want to plant a crop temporarily but do not want to invest in permanent boxes. I will say that the box experiments were a success.

    The first one was with a wire ring with black plastic trash bags as lining. I wanted to grow sweet potatoes up above the ground because in past years I have had problems with voles chewing on them. The other reason is I have rocky soil that can present problems with underground crops that are not in raised beds. I placed the rings between young pear trees that I planted the year before. As the pear trees grow in future years they will shade these rings out so they are definitely temporary.

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    I Placed 3 homegrown sweet potato slips in each ring. I planted 2 of these wire rings.


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    By July they had completely filled out the ring.

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    And yesterday when I dug the potatoes not one had been chewed on by voles. My only regret is that I wish had dug them a bit earlier as some of them are really big. They were easy digging though and in good rich soil I never fertilized them once. In a bug out situation it would be a good way to have temporary raised beds until you could build something more permanent. I was just usng these as bonus growing area tucked in ot of the way places. Now I will take them down and spread the dirt in the bed rather than reuse it.

    Out of two rings I harvest 4 large 5 gallon buckets of sweet potatoes. Not bad!
     
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  26. DirtDiva

    DirtDiva Master Survivalist
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    Another experiment I did was to tuck some small cardboard boxes out along my fence lines with plants that could run on the fences. Additional growing space without having to add more growing beds on existing perimeter fencing. Also saving space in my main beds and boxes because these vines tend to take up lots of space.

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    This is a variety of heirloom cantaloupe planted on my North fence called "Minnesota Midget"


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    Great variety that is the perfect size for 2 people. loaded with small melons that tend to turn yellow when ripe so it is easy to know when to pick.

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    Second experiment was this box on the south fenceline planted with a winter butternut squash. I don't know the variety because I saved the seed from a squash purchased in the supermarket the year before.

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    Again another success with large butternut squash curing on the vine tucked oout of the way until ready to pick.

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    The other experiment was this Beauregard sweet potato. Again the vines trained on the north perimeter fence out of the way all season.

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    And pleasantly surprised yesterday when I dug the box and found a nice mess of potatoes for a very small box. The cardboard boxes I collected and threw in the worm bed for the worms.

    No pots or grow bags to store over winter and cardboard boxes are asy to come by. Who says gardening has to be expensive. Another plus is that because the small plants were tucked inside of boxes I had no spring rabbit damage to the seedlings and no voles chewing on the sweet potatoes. I think next year I am going to try this with some cucumbers.
     
    Last edited: Aug 19, 2022
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  27. lonewolf

    lonewolf Societal Collapse Survivalist. Staff Member
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    old tyres make good beds too, and cost nothing.
     
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    1. Old Geezer
      Just kick them over to gather taters.
      When a boy, digging potatoes out'a red clay (a.k.a. red concrete) with a spading fork was terrible. Would get yelled-at if I damaged the taters. Got good soil here. Had great soil in midwest. When you have concrete/clay soil, plant on top of it. Creating decent soil out'a red clay is beyond a bugger. One has to take a heavy mattock to red clay -- often, a rototiller will bounce off of it. Old tires = major work saver.
       
      Old Geezer, Aug 19, 2022
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    2. Old Geezer
      Old tires filled with your favorite dirt recipe (I always add peat moss) allow fabulous percolation, plus holds moisture in periphery (inside tire bottoms). Thunder storms -- excess water flows out the bottom. In America's South, our weather swings are dynamic, sometimes strange -- drought to flood to drought to ... you can be sweating in the heat and look up at snow covered mountains. Warm spring rains melt mountain snow = floods. Creeks become rivers.
       
      Old Geezer, Aug 19, 2022
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  28. Max rigger

    Max rigger Master Survivalist
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    They can but be careful, being black they soak up more heat than some crops can handle.

    Great post as usual Diva, I mentioned those cheap grow bags earlier, the few we used worked well and I'll be using the large size raised beds here in Spain next year when I eventually get the garden here sorted; it will make laying an automatic watering system easier I think.
     
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  29. Old Geezer

    Old Geezer Legendary Survivalist
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    Most folk paint them white.
     
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  30. lonewolf

    lonewolf Societal Collapse Survivalist. Staff Member
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    what the heck for? thats just making work.
     
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    1. Old Geezer
      Old Geezer, Aug 21, 2022
  31. lonewolf

    lonewolf Societal Collapse Survivalist. Staff Member
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    :D
     
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  32. DirtDiva

    DirtDiva Master Survivalist
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    In many states including the state that I live in it is illegal to have used tires sitting around on your property. They fine you and make you dispose of them. I will see if I can find some info on it.
     
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  33. lonewolf

    lonewolf Societal Collapse Survivalist. Staff Member
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    crazy! when I lived at our last place I could just pick them up at the side of the road, they were everywhere.
     
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    1. Old Geezer
      People in the South often burn them. Bad thing, that. Everybody knows the phrase, "Tire burnin' and whiskey drink." That's a cultural thing for rednecks, but it sure isn't for hillbillies. Big difference. Hillbillies are NOT ignorant and reward their children for making good grades in school. Education has always been prized up in the hills. I was MIGHTILY encouraged to do good in school.
       
      Old Geezer, Aug 21, 2022
  34. DirtDiva

    DirtDiva Master Survivalist
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    https://www.tn.gov/environment/program-areas/sw-mm-waste-tire-program.html

    A rural property owner down the road for some reason stacked tires along the road as a privacy fence. The state came along and fined him and gave him so many days to remove the tires and have them properly disposed of at his expense or more fines.

    Truthfully I do not personally know if they would say anything for one or two? Maybe there is a number that are allowed but if so I do not see the info anywhere on the .gov website.
     
    Last edited: Aug 20, 2022
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  35. DirtDiva

    DirtDiva Master Survivalist
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    It is also illegal to burn tires! Huge fine for that :eek:
     
    Last edited: Aug 20, 2022
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  36. lonewolf

    lonewolf Societal Collapse Survivalist. Staff Member
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    looks like its more to do with dumping tyres or leaving them on a public road than having them on your own property.
     
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  37. DirtDiva

    DirtDiva Master Survivalist
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    Probably right but not sure!
     
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  38. DirtDiva

    DirtDiva Master Survivalist
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    Tennessee is really strict on litter, dumping, burning and garbage disposal!

    Reason:

    Almost 3/4 of Tennessee is forests and timberland. Tennessee has 56 State parks, 13 National parks and receives almost 10 million visitors a year. Tennessee makes $970 million in tourist dollars per year (2020) which pays for our roads and schools in many cases. Nobody pays money to come and visit garbage dumps is the thought of the day. If you put garbage in the back of your truck and it blows out on the highway you get a ticket. If caught dumping garbage on rural roads you get a huge ticket and fine. You must have a permit for outdoor backyard burning with a size restriction on fires. You are limited to burning yard waste only. During the summer campfires are allowed. After August 31 you must have a permit for all burning to reduce forest fires. This is in effect until May of each year. Each town or community has a trash collection location for recycling and bins for simple household trash. There are special collection areas for old appliances, metals etc. These are free to taxpayers and property owners in each county of residence. Your property taxes and state funding provide these services. For my community the trash collection bins are about a 5 minute drive away and is manned during business hours. They unload my trash bags for me from my SUV. Not sure if that is for everyone or because I am an old gray haired lady?? If you put it in the back of a pickup truck your trash must be covered by a tarpolion and tied down.
     
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  39. lonewolf

    lonewolf Societal Collapse Survivalist. Staff Member
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    we have similar free waste and recycling service in the UK, but if you take tyres to the recycling centres you have to pay as it is classed as business waste.
     
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  40. DirtDiva

    DirtDiva Master Survivalist
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    When you buy new tires here you pay a disposal fee to the store for the disposal of your old tires. It is part of the price.
     
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  41. poltiregist

    poltiregist Legendary Survivalist
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    I used old tires to line my outhouse pit to prevent cave ins . The outhouse is for when SHTF and water is not available for flushing an inside toliet .
     
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  42. lonewolf

    lonewolf Societal Collapse Survivalist. Staff Member
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    same here.
     
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  43. lonewolf

    lonewolf Societal Collapse Survivalist. Staff Member
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    I grew potatoes in tyres on my allotment when I had one.
     
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  44. DirtDiva

    DirtDiva Master Survivalist
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    When I lived further south I had neighbors that tried growing potatoes in tires. They finally gave ot up because they tended to attract fire ants that built their nests in them because they were high and dry. I will admit that I have never tried it but I do not see why it would not work. For those of us with shallow and rocky top soil or those gardening in hard clay I think anything that allows you to make a bed and make your soil not only deeper but also better works. Pots, bags, raised beds, tires, or boxes. The principal is sound and whatever is easiest to come by just makes sense.
     
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  45. lonewolf

    lonewolf Societal Collapse Survivalist. Staff Member
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    growing potatoes in tyres in South West UK seems to reduce blight which those grown in the ground seem to get more easily, all the years I grew potatoes in tyres I never got blight.
     
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  46. paul m

    paul m Expert Member
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    I found that tyre -style beds held a lot of slugs. Also,the earlier comment about the blackness absorbing heat is true. As I have mentioned,next years crops will be mainly perennials with less water needed. I have just ordered some Bangladeshi Green Amaranth seeds. It needs little water.We have a Bangladeshi neighbour who has given us meals in the past with this particular vegetable,and it is rather nice! I told her that I will let her have some,as long as I am successful with it!
     
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  47. lonewolf

    lonewolf Societal Collapse Survivalist. Staff Member
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    its not so much slugs down here, the main pest is snails!
     
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  48. Max rigger

    Max rigger Master Survivalist
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    Also, best not to plant vegetables in tire pots because of chemical leaching into the vegetable roots, just use them for ornamental plants.
     
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  49. lonewolf

    lonewolf Societal Collapse Survivalist. Staff Member
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    What rubbish. making problems where there are none, I grew stuff in tyres on my allotment in Somerset for 10 years without any ill effects.
    I was especially successful growing potatoes in Tyre "towers"-3 high which gave the required depth - never had a bad harvest and didnt get the blight that people growing them in the ground seemed to get regularly.
     
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  50. Max rigger

    Max rigger Master Survivalist
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    1. Styrene [1]
    2. 1,3-Butadiene [2]
    3. Benzene [3]
    4. Phthalates [4]
    5. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) [5]
    6. Dibenzopyrenes (High Molecular Weight PAHs) [6]
    A used tyre, left outside in sunshine and rain will weather and will eventually leach these chemicals, and others like mercury, lead, cadmium, into the soil. The older the tyre gets, the more it will deteriorate and the more some of these chemicals might find their way into your allotment or garden soil which means they could eventually find their way into the food you grow and eat.
    https://www.growlikegrandad.co.uk/a...The older the tyre gets,food you grow and eat.
     
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