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: Sep 16, 2004 Posts: 4925 Location: Southwest WI
Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2008 6:45 pm Post subject: Re: [Food] Production Gardening, General
We have YET to hit 90F here. Amazing stuff. Doesn't look likely through the next 7 day either. I just heard sweetcorn around here is a month behind schedule. My tomatoes still don't look that impressive. _________________ Clothing should be optional.
Joined: Oct 24, 2006 Posts: 121 Location: Pacific Northwest
Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 12:32 pm Post subject: Re: [Food] Production Gardening, General
Thought I would post an update to bump this thread back up to the first page.
We are finally getting some warmer weather (not blistering hot but warm enough for the tomatoes, peppers, cukes, and zukes. The plants are all in great health this year but the heat lovers are about two or three weeks behind the normal production schedule due to the very cold spring/early summer we experienced. The good news is that they all seem ready to explode into high gear and I expect August will be my really big month of canning this year (usually mid July is the start of canning season around here).
Last weekend I cut strawberry runners and have them rooting in a big half whiskey barrel in the greenhouse. This is the third year for the strawberry bed and I intend to tear it out this fall and replant a new bed with "babies" from the mother plants. The cuttings are bouncing back and appear to be taking root. Hopefully they will be good sized by next spring and ready to transplant.
Pulled the shelling peas yesterday, harvested all of the pods, and composted the pea vines. My DD shucked all the peas for me last night while watching a movie - made short work of it and I ended up with a full gallon freezer bag full from the spring planting. I do an even larger planting in late summer/fall using it as a green manure crop AND food production crop.
Snap peas are in heavy production mode and will continue to do so for another month. About the time they finally completely crap out - the pole beans will be in full production mode to take their place on the dinner table (have to pick both crops about every three days - so they are a regular during the production season). The shelling peas and the bush beans produce our canning/freezing supply - the pole beans and snap peas are our fresh eating supply.
Onions are a bit dissappointing this year. The long storage onions just did not size up like they should have. The soil was well amended and they have gotten plenty of sun, water, and kept weed free. I just think it was prolonged cloudy/cold spring we had this year. Thankfully I have redundant crops for items we use a lot of - big patch of Leeks that will overwinter for fresh use, multiplier onions and shallots (that are looking good), and I recently planted pearl bunching onions for a late fall/early winter crop for fresh eating. Onions, garlic, tomatoes, dried beans, carrots, cabbages/brocolli, potatoes, and green beans are staple items in our regular diet - so I tend to do back up options with all of the above to ensure we do not "do without". Everything else are generally "nice to have it - but can live without if necessary" items.
Potatoes are in overdrive this year. They are the one crop that seems to have been blessed by the abnormally cold spring. I am harvesting fresh potatoes now (just in time as we used the last of the storage potatoes about three weeks ago!). The Caribe which is an early/mid season variety is the one that has the largest tubers ready at this time. I am so impressed with this variety. I grew it for the first time last year and was astounded at the productivity, good storing qualities, and excellent taste. I planted twice as much of it this year and am being similarly rewarded. They out produce the Buttes, Yukon Golds, and Red Cloud varieties by 2 to 1.
Well that is the news from the DoubleD food production garden. How are things going for the rest of you this year? _________________ Check out Our Modern "Victory Garden" - http://www.freewebs.com/kitsapfreedomgardener/
Joined: Jan 03, 2005 Posts: 1212 Location: western Wisconsin
Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 10:42 am Post subject: Re: [Food] Production Gardening, General
Our strawberries are done for the year, so I mowed them off with the rotary lawn mower, then my wife tilled up the bed, leaving rows of new runners rooted next to the old (now tilled up) row of old plants. Then a few loads of compost, and the bed can be mulched and watered to get going for next year. Some of our plants are 15+ years old, or at least the beds were started that long ago, and are still doing well, although we do the mowing/tilling thing each year, so we are actually moving the producing rows a bit each year.
Our onions are also not as big as last year, which was for us a bumper year in both quantity and quality. This year they are more like what has been an "average" year for us.
Every thing that we managed to get mulched before the middle of June is still moist under the mulch, but later crops are wilting a bit. Our temps are in the mid to high 80s many days, and we have only gotten 3/4 inch of rain in the last 2 weeks--last good rain was 2 1/2 inches on June 11th. Better than many parts of the country, but still not what we normally used to get. Glad that we put in those rainwater storage tanks a few years ago.
Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 10:51 am Post subject: Re: [Food] Production Gardening, General
It's Allium season here in the PNW. Over the weekend harvested 10 gallons of french shallots, about the same of elephant garlic, about 5 gallons of several types of standard garlic and a couple bushels of Walla Walla sweet onions. The winter storage onions got in late so have quite a ways to go yet.
Tomatoes are covered with flowers and starting to set fruit, tomatillos the same. Started digging potatoes for use, guess my timing is good as a coworker this morning told me she'd just paid $1.50 / pound for potatoes at the grocery store.
Eating cherries, blueberries, mulberries and strawberries as they ripen. Good time of year but starting to get dry, had to do some watering over the weekend.
Joined: Sep 16, 2004 Posts: 4925 Location: Southwest WI
Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 2:53 pm Post subject: Re: [Food] Production Gardening, General
Looks like i have a quite a few Opalka tomatoes. I also let a few volunteers grow and they are flowering. Blackberries have some flowers and the cantaloupe vine is everywhere. Trying to get it to grow up, but it would rather spread out on the ground.
Already planning an expansion on a couple of my beds. _________________ Clothing should be optional.
Transplant young, vigorously growing plants in early spring. Plants that remain too long in seed flats may produce "button" heads soon after planting. For fall crops, buy or grow your own transplants or plant seeds directly in the garden. For fall planting, start seedlings in midsummer for transplanting into the garden in late summer. To determine the best time for setting your fall transplants, count backward from the first fall frost in your area and add about 10 to the days to harvest from transplants.
Joined: Sep 16, 2004 Posts: 4925 Location: Southwest WI
Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 9:06 pm Post subject: Re: [Food] Production Gardening, General
I started a some about a month ago up here. I've been told that it does better up here as a fall crop...so we shall see. _________________ Clothing should be optional.
Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 10:50 pm Post subject: Re: [Food] Production Gardening, General
joelcolorado wrote:
Lack of non hybrid seeds will be a real issue post peak oil. Cant replant them.
Actually most hybrid seeds will grow just fine, They just won't all be to type. You will have a larger variation is the plants. If you plant more than one strain of squash, or tomatoe in your garden and keep seed you are probably keeping some hybrid seed. If insects work the flower you are probably getting a % of cross-pollination,ie hybrid seed. Most of the apples raised in the world are a result of cross pollination.
Joined: Dec 04, 2004 Posts: 2415 Location: perpetual state of exhaustion
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 1:04 am Post subject: Re: [Food] Production Gardening, General
My broccoli has already been going for over a month now. I don't garden these, I use containers so I can move them. They are starting to form heads now. Have noticed a bit of eating by catapillars, but nothing to really worry about. I will be starting another more numerous crop soon.
My snow peas didn't do well, but I am starting another crop this weekend. Reg. Peas are being harvested now. sure wish I had the space to do more. I think there is something wrong with my soil, the container versions of plants are doing great but the plantings in the beds are smaller and not thriving as much.
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 8:02 am Post subject: Re: [Food] Production Gardening, General
EVERY time i transplant a young plant into the garden, I dig out a hole and put in Miracle Grow slow release dirt. THAT really helps out and keeps them growing all season long. About a good gallon of dirt for a tomato plant and pepper is what i use now. helps ammend the soil too over time as I have clay soil here.
Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 12:42 am Post subject: Re: [Food] Production Gardening, General
frankthetank wrote:
I started a some about a month ago up here. I've been told that it does better up here as a fall crop...so we shall see.
I attended a class today on planting a fall/winter garden. The Master Gardener mentioned that broccoli grows better in the fall. The reason is that as soon as the spring weather turns warm, broccoli immediately goes into flower mode regardless of how large the head is at the time. With a summer planting and fall harvest, you can get the large heads like you see in the store.
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