2022 gardens

[farmer steve]

grow something , you eat. i dont care what/

https://www.zerohedge.com/economics...rtages-are-going-be-far-worse-were-being-told

I saw that on one of my farming pages. Scary to say the least. I'm trying to figure what to grow with the least input and still harvest a decent crop. Glad I have a barn full of sheep manure. Seeds on the other hand might be scarce for some. I plant soybeans in my vegetable crop rotation so i need to call my guy this week.

 

[SweetMK]

Scary to say the least. I'm trying to figure what to grow with the least input and still harvest a decent crop.

For me,, and my soil/sunlight, corn, beans, and tomatoes always produce.
That is beyond the blackberries, and apple trees, which are basically zero effort, other than harvest.

I have a total of 14 family members that are close by, and benefit from my garden efforts.
If they want more than the basic 3,, someone is gonna have to kick in some assist effort,,,

We will see who shows up,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[sonny580]

Ya, its all over the internet about food shortages worldwide. Some is probably hype BUT with more waste that people are used to doing, --food will get scarce fast.
We have always had gardens , and put up our own food to run us from 3 to 5 years. Every year we add to the supply as needed during the growing season so we always have something to fall back on if we hit a barren year, --- and we have one every so often!
Its a lot of work, but the rewards are out of this world in flavor and the massive amount of what you can grow. Quality shows!
Help is non-exist usually, so one must factor that in as well.
I have 2 Gravely model L units, but only have the mower for 1 of them.
We have 10 tillers, mostly Horses. 1 TB Tuffy, 1 Econo Horse, 1 Simplicity 7016, AC 716 with the 36" rear mount tiller, and several front enders which dont get used much. The King-Kutter 72" does the heavy work before planting and the rest cultivate.
Also have a couple David Bradleys to cultivate with along with a cub and 1 row cultivator.
The biggest problem is with weeds and they grow the biggest right between the plants making hand weeding a must! And yes we have and use hand hoes!! LOL!!

 

[sand sock]

sweeet potatoes actually grow really well in our clay based soils. you till teh soil. then take a old fashioned rake and rake up the soil into a long raised furrow . as the season progresses, you run the tiller and rake up more soil a few times, till the runners take over. this is a full season crop and you have to dig them up at where you planted them.

here is the catch on sweet potatoes. if you want them to store up. you have to get them dug up before the first frost.

 

[Mad Professor]

I saw that on one of my farming pages. Scary to say the least. I'm trying to figure what to grow with the least input and still harvest a decent crop. Glad I have a barn full of sheep manure. Seeds on the other hand might be scarce for some. I plant soybeans in my vegetable crop rotation so i need to call my guy this week.

@farmer steve .

On the topic of seed.

I don't grow as much as You do but have been doing the garden/orchards since my parents taught me when I was a toddler.

Local farm/feed store has bulk vegetable seeds which are way cheaper than the the packets, I buy by the ounce/pound. Some seeds last a long time, I buy a few years supply and store them carefully. Good to have as I remember 2020 when there was a run on seed due to covid/kung flu farce.

Get a good book on saving seeds. Some seed will last many years properly stored, others like corn don't last.

The books will also tell you about pollination and weather it's easy or a PITA to save your own seeds. This only works with heirloom/non-hybrids.

Things that are easy to save are lettuce, beans, parsley, spinach, .....tomatoes and peppers if you plant varieties a bit apart. Carrots and squashes will cross pollinate easily and are a PITA, carrots will cross with the weed, queen Ann's lace.

I just started saving asparagus seed, long term effort as the first year plants are tiny and need care.

Most brassicas are biennial except broccoli, and they can cross pollinate. The if you only grow one variety of non-hybrid broccoli you can save the seed and avoid cross pollination. I've also had good luck with kale, have same variety from my Mothers strain for many years. It's a biennial which you can overwinter ( I'm in zones 4-5). The 2nd year the kale will flower before the other brassicas get going and will produce pure seed. Two or 3 kale will produce enough seed for years (stores 5 years), and will also self seed and make "volunteer" plants you can overwinter.

Seeds that store long are: brassicas, squashes, beans, beets, lettuce, spinach, lettuce, raddish, turnip/rutabega, chard.........carrots tomato and pepper are intermediate but should be OK for at least 3 years, I've had them last longer.

Saving seed could be a whole sub-topic

 

[farmer steve]

@Mad Professor. Yes I store all my seeds in a freezer year to year. I have been saving Indian corn for at least 10 years. The Cole crops I buy plants just so I can get the varieties I want and they are ready to go in the ground. I found some grape tomato seeds that were more Than 7 years old and almost all sprouted this spring. I need to have viable seed so I'm in about a 3 year saving mode.

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

its realy early here to be even thinking garden yet. i want to try to do a better job mulching this year, so i dont need to weed. i have a bunch of loose straw up in teh mow. i'm thinking about backing a flat bed wagon in there, filling it up. then driving over tomatoes and laying the straw down, right after planting and see how that goes, for weed control.
plans for this year, is to put out a full flat of c alifornia wonder bells. maybe 12 tomato plants. other stuff gets added in as i can.

fertilizer is up 400% over last year locally. teh big guys are loading up a few acres of composting chicken manure. to put down for field corn this year for a nitrogen source. what ever is in my chicken coups, needs shoveled out and put on the corn fields. i have my piele on my feed lot of cow manure.to spread on my fields. i just need to selectively target my corn fields this year.

hi ss - think the weather channel said OH got over 15" snow.... omg

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

I have a TB Horse,, but, when I am REAL lazy,, the Gravely seems to be easier on me,, to operate.

The one on the left is a cultivator, which is what I use, mostly.
The one on the right is a rotary plow,,,,,,

interesting

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

Get a good book on saving seeds. Some seed will last many years properly stored, others like corn don't last.
Saving seed could be a whole sub-topic

couple seasons ago i planted lima beans that were over 20 year old... solid germination, great beans. kept them in refer all those years....

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

my garden took a bit of hit due to cold temps/29f last nite. potatoes and bok choy limp. glad herbs in pots, they got brot in. but the brussles... lol, they seem to be saying... 'colder, please!'

oregano seems unbothered, too.

cilantro covered, but cold rains now frozen... time will tell for them

 

[sand sock]

hi ss - think the weather channel said OH got over 15" snow.... omg

We had sustained drifts of 12 to 15. Maybe 8 real inches

 

[sonny580]

We had probably 8" total of snow, but drifts are something else! We have everything from bare ground to 12 feet deep, so no way to really say how much for sure other than a guess! lol!

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

my carrot patch. some tops of carrot quarter size now...

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

Texas 1015 onions doing well, too....

few days back. now thicker, larger and greener, too.

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

bok choy

 

[sonny580]

Lookin good there! ---we just got over 3" of snow last night and tonights low s'posed to be 6* ! lol! I did get part of the onion garden raked off and ready to till when it dries off again. Onion plants will come the week of the 23'rd. --- may have to store them for a few days this year! lol!

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

thanks!

other day i got a surprise! packet said Brussels. got some time ago, but kept in cold storage...

maybe it was a typo... lol
nope, not brussels

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

last harvest from the sugar snaps patch... took close to an hr to be sure i got them. prob missed one or two. it was time, too... lol

they have been on the dinner menu past couple nights....

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

Ya, its all over the internet about food shortages worldwide. Some is probably hype BUT with more waste that people are used to doing, --food will get scarce fast.
We have always had gardens , and put up our own food to run us from 3 to 5 years. Every year we add to the supply as needed during the growing season so we always have something to fall back on if we hit a barren year, --- and we have one every so often!
Its a lot of work, but the rewards are out of this world in flavor and the massive amount of what you can grow. Quality shows!
Help is non-exist usually, so one must factor that in as well.
I have 2 Gravely model L units, but only have the mower for 1 of them.
We have 10 tillers, mostly Horses. 1 TB Tuffy, 1 Econo Horse, 1 Simplicity 7016, AC 716 with the 36" rear mount tiller, and several front enders which dont get used much. The King-Kutter 72" does the heavy work before planting and the rest cultivate.
Also have a couple David Bradleys to cultivate with along with a cub and 1 row cultivator.
The biggest problem is with weeds and they grow the biggest right between the plants making hand weeding a must! And yes we have and use hand hoes!! LOL!!

thanks for the glimpse!

i have only one Horse! lol... still starts in less than one rev... and ticks over on idle sweetly and just purrs... B/S, swell machines...

(file pix)

 

[Stonesforbrains]

Finally got started on this years garden. Pepper seed started in the house and the wife has some herbs started. I have been growing a small batch of cabbage for the last couple years and those pesky cabbage worms have been really bad. Last year I tried the BT spray and it worked ok except for the rain washing it away. My wife bought me a used book last year called “Build it Better Yourself” I believe from the 70’s. Lots of great ideas in it and one of them was using a nylon mesh on a frame to keep those little white butterflies away from the cabbage heads. I used their idea to make my own type of mesh frame. I could not find nylon mesh so I got some fiberglass screen door mesh, $10 for a 4’x25’ foot roll. Built a frame from some scrap wood from my father in laws garage build and other crap laying around. Used a soaker hose to water with out having to disturb the mesh. I have know idea if it will work or if my effort was a complete waste of time. Planted 6 heads of cabbage and six cauliflower and some onion sets.