Survival garden in a hurry

Wednesday · Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2005 10:33 am Post subject:

oh and my mother-in-law's garden is all planted Smile

in exchange for helping her, she gave me some very nice lumber and told me embarassing stories about my husband's youthful misadventures Smile

labor in the garden: 0$
bonding with my mother-in-law: 0$
nicely cured, untreated lumber: 0$

stories to blackmail my husband with: priceless

Riverside · Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 5:35 am Post subject:

kelee877 · Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 10:42 am Post subject:

What will happen to us if we get these seeds and they are usually not a part of our normal diet and the pooh does hit the fan and we grow them and then start eating them, how will our bodies adjust..just curious..

Ludi · Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 11:16 am Post subject:

I think the best plan is to begin to grow these various new things and gradually add them into your diet, at least that's what I'm trying to do.

Wednesday · Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 12:23 pm Post subject:

i think a lot of people are expecting some cataclysmic event to signal the "beginning" of the peak oil crisis

i say its already here and im making changes accordingly

in the meantime, im striving for a more self sufficient life and learning to enjoy today, right here, right now

i will admit, some of my friends find my new interests rather odd, i focus on "preaching" self sufficiency and manage to talk about gasoline prices without ever mentioning the words "peak oil"

one of my friends asked me "are you preparing for a war?"
i answered, "sort of, im preparing for a recession"

people dont need a name for it to realize their money isnt going as far

im taking baby steps to my new lifestyle and its enjoyable so far, i find its good for me, im healthier and more active since i started growing some of my food

its also good for me spiritually, as i find green growing things make me reflective and thoughtful

i eat from my stockpile now! and follow the creedo "store what you eat and eat what you store"

if the SHTF, who really knows? i might die, but i was going to do that anyway, someday Smile

if we lose the electrical grid, its going to be tough on all of us, thats just a fact that none of us can escape, but even tho some people on this forum would label me an "optimist" im still making adjustments to my lifestyle that will serve me well in "war time"

Grimnir · Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2005 3:05 pm Post subject:

After reading this thread I decided to try planting some garlic. I ate a clove in the process just to see how I'd like it and; wow, it almost killed me. I suppose it wasn't so bad once the fire in my mouth went out, but I'll definitely have some adjustments to make if I ever need to eat the stuff regularly.

I've started a small garden this year (tomatoes, beans, carrots, peas, potatoes, squash, zucchini, lettuce, and garlic). It's not nearly enough to live on or even to make a sizable dent in the food budget (I don't have that much space), but I'm learning new skills and it feels really good to be doing something instead of just fretting all the time. Smile

strider3700 · Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2005 3:12 pm Post subject:

Pops · Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2005 3:20 pm Post subject:

julianj · Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2005 7:33 am Post subject:

Grimnir - if you want to eat a whole clove of garlic, you roast it for a few minutes, takes away the sting but leaves the taste.

oowolf · Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2005 3:02 pm Post subject:

There are many varieties of garlic, some mild, some strong:
http://thegarlicstore.com/index.cgi/INDEX.HTML

oowolf · Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2005 3:36 pm Post subject:

I would also recommend putting in some nut trees. Nuts are the major source of vegetable fat for us in the Northern temperate zone(too cool for soy). For nuts in a hurry try filberts(hazelnuts) or Chinese chestnuts(zone 5, native American hazels are hardier but produce small nuts). Get the most mature plants you can afford-4 year old at least. You can harvest worthwhile crops in 2-3 years. Nuts like black walnut, hickory, pecan, can take 7 years. I doubt that we have 7 years of business as usual. Ungrafted butternut is hardy to zone 3 but slow growing.

Grimnir · Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2005 3:45 pm Post subject:

julianj · Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2005 11:19 am Post subject:

Speaking as a girly man, I always try to avoid any pain, so post-peak I'm going to get a job as a rationing supervisor Smile

While Grimnir, no doubt, will be breaking rocks with his head on some chain gang Smile

But no doubg get macho points for doing so!

julianj · Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2005 11:42 am Post subject:

Sorry, I actually came to make a post, not trade smarty remarks. tee hee.

Hope this isn't off-topic.

I have started container vegetable gardening in my flat (apartment).

For 2 reasons:

To start to learn some horticulture skills.

To have some fresh, organic, non-air-miles produce available.

I don't expect to live off the produce, obviously. It's a nice treat.

My flat has a shady balcony which faces East, and indoors a (sunny)south and (moderately sunny)West facing window.

Here's the energy lesson for me: seeds planted at the same time grow well in the South window, medium in the West but struggle to grow in the shady balcony, and the major difference is Solar Energy.

BUT WHAT BUGS ME IS THE BUGS!

I have conceived a virulent hatred for APHIDS (black/white fruit, and indeed vegetable, flies). They seem to multiply indoors and out with frightening speed.

I want to garden organically.

So to kill them the options are:

Conventional pesticides - which I am loathe to use. Why go to all this effort when I could just go to the supermarket?

"Organic Natural sprays" - seem to contain pyrethrin...modest effectiveness if I keep up spraying.

Soapy water - totally ineffective.

Natural predators - Lacewings and Ladybirds (Ladybugs): I can buy these with their own little house:
Green Gardener

And I can certainly see myself marshalling my insectoid troops with stirring rhetoric, "Gentlemen, Ladies, Hermaphrodites, lock and load your mandibles, the only good aphid is an eaten aphid."

However I think they will fly away (deserters!), not being in a garden as such.

Even inside my flat, if one or two fruit flies get in there are soon lots more of them which is icky.

Has anybody any helpful thoughts?

Ludi · Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2005 11:48 am Post subject:

You might try getting some Reemay or other plant covering fabirc, drape it over your plants, and release the ladybugs under it, to keep them from flying away. It isn't the most attractive stuff in the world, but I'm thinking of getting some of it to cover some of my plants in the garden which have been especially picked on by bugs this year.