Like the illusion of Wall Street, with its vast and powerful investment banks, now shuttered, China too is an illusion perpetuated by the Globalists that gave us the 15,000 mile Caesar salad, poisoned cat food and lead based paint on babies' pacifiers. Like the illusion that money would come from thin air to always push housing prices higher, China has spent a generation pursuing its illusion. Pursuing an unattainable dream to be like the West, while 6000 years of its carefully shepherded top soil blows into the sea.
Joined: Apr 03, 2004 Posts: 7018 Location: My Grandkids' Farm
Posted: Fri May 27, 2005 12:54 pm Post subject:
You are probably right Wed.
Don’t get me wrong; my belief is that manure (green or brown) and compost is the best medicine aside from experience. I try to use few chemicals simply because they make a poorer garden in the long run – especially broad-spectrum insecticides and high nitrogen fertilizers. I'm no fanatic since my body is more of a honkytonk than a temple, I just prefer lots of mulch to the hoe and I hate digging so I build raised beds.
Back on topic, actually it’s hard to believe someone with little experience in getting their hands dirty could grow much of anything in a bind. I’ve had a garden for years but have to relearn most of it this year since I’m in a new climate with new weeds and bugs and diseases. So far I’ve planted some corn too early and shallow, learned about flea beetles and potato bugs the hard way and had a washout on some pumpkins.
Probably the best idea if you can ever imagine yourself in such a ‘survival’ situation is to start gardening this weekend and start learning.
Pick up a gardening book of your choice, whether you take the meditating swami route or the round-up and Miracle Gro route doesn't matter, you will be amazed what you can learn through failure. Either way putting a tiny something in the ground and then eating a big bunch of it later becomes somewhat addicting. _________________ Make a plan and work it:
Note the antiviral properties. In light of the ever distressing info being posted in the "Influenza Pandemic" thread, it may be prudent to get some EXTRACT now:
http://www.yahwehsaliveandwell.com/lycium.html
Joined: Aug 18, 2004 Posts: 694 Location: SF Bay Area, Calif
Posted: Fri May 27, 2005 3:03 pm Post subject:
Pops wrote:
Probably the best idea if you can ever imagine yourself in such a ‘survival’ situation is to start gardening this weekend and start learning.
Amen!
It's funny that when we're in a tight situation we often look for tools that kill (guns, pesticides, resource wars). We're willing to be ruthless and take away the lives of other beings -- but we aren't willing to learn the basic skills of meeting our own needs.
Sometimes I feel that way when the snails have decimated by baby plants. I find a few culprits and squash them underfoot.
Then I observe a little more and see that it wasn't the snails at all, but the birds. My killing spree was for naught.
And most of the time I could have avoided the problem entirely with some foresight.
Joined: Dec 27, 2004 Posts: 13158 Location: naive idiot fantasy world
Posted: Fri May 27, 2005 3:37 pm Post subject:
I agree it is quite foolish to think one could suddenly become a proficient gardener just because one needs to be. I've been gardening on and off since childhood and I'm still only capable of raising a small fraction of my food needs currently. Putting a lot of effort and attention into it recently still isn't producing instant results, because of some poor planting decisions and some new gardening areas with poor soil.
Plus, the darn squirrels ate my wheat.
I tell ya, I'm gonna start eating squirrel one of these days....
If you're interested in growing your own food, you might check out some of the Permaculture books, websites and email lists. Those folks are fanatics on the subject! Lots of good stuff.
Joined: Apr 17, 2005 Posts: 2758 Location: Vancouver Island
Posted: Sun May 29, 2005 4:11 pm Post subject:
Pops wrote:
Back on topic, actually it’s hard to believe someone with little experience in getting their hands dirty could grow much of anything in a bind. I’ve had a garden for years but have to relearn most of it this year since I’m in a new climate with new weeds and bugs and diseases. So far I’ve planted some corn too early and shallow, learned about flea beetles and potato bugs the hard way and had a washout on some pumpkins.
Probably the best idea if you can ever imagine yourself in such a ‘survival’ situation is to start gardening this weekend and start learning.
I must be getting damn lucky then. I ignore my garden other then to water it or take out the obvious weeds that get tall enough I notice them from the inside of the house. I planted everything too early according to everyone I talked to. I don't have enough sunlight, the nights where too cold, my soil is crap, I planted the wrong things... I've heard everything imaginable about my garden (which is my first garden) so far this year.
Having said that the tomatoes are already getting heavy and I hope to be eating the first of them by the end of june.
The potatoes are doing a great job of crushing the weeds around them.
The zukini is growing so much I originally thought it was a weed.
The pumpkins are starting to come through and I already know I have too many for my little patch of garden.
The onions, and garlic have been growing great since early march and I can already say they are damn tasty.
I've also discovered that $4 worth of onion bulbs goes a long long long way, I have extras growing in the sudo flower garden as well. The flowers aren't coming up at all but the onions are growing just fine. I almost never water it, and it doesn't have dirt, It's half composted mulch that I pulled the plastic out from under and turned it. My guess is that onions grow anywhere that they get some sun, some soil and some water.
the strawberries haven't been productive but the first batch basically rotted off of them due to the rain. The second batch is starting to develop.
The spinach is good, the carrots are just starting to be noticable but I started them as seeds outside.
the beans and cucumbers I planted too late but are starting to come up.
Hell even the peppers are adding 4 inches per week and I was told they wouldn't grow at all before dying.
I have to say that so far gardening on this scale is trivial. I've had almost no bug issues, I burnt the tent catapillars out of the apple tree and thats it. Hell other then the 6 hours of planting time, pulling the weeds that get taller then the potato plants and the watering when I remember all I've done is look at the garden and eat parts of it. _________________ shame on us, doomed from the start
god have mercy on our dirty little hearts
I haven't read the entire thread so my appologies if i'm saying something redundant.
During the the winter of '44 we had something called the "Hunger Winter"
as result of german economic sanctions,for cheering to loud when Market Garden happened.
As a result many may managed to survive on tulip and other flowerbulbs.
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
News
Discussions
Resources
Members
Forum FAQ
Search
Usergroups
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
