Gardening

How about a new topic to get away from the politics and other polarizing threads.

My wife and I have purchased a new home with a nice yard. We are just under an acre and I have started planning the back yard. I’m thinking I would like some fruit trees (apple, pear, cherries, apricots, maybe plums and mulberry). We are also interested in planting grapes. My dad had an awesome trellis system that the grapes grew on and could supply 2 bushels or more a season. Finally I would like to have a vegetable garden. My old place I had a 12x20 raised garden bed that sufficed for our needs but now I’m thinking bigger. The kids are growing and as such are eating a hole in my wallet. I was thinking to be somewhat self sufficient. I could probably increase the garden size to about 30x40. Would love to hear anyone’s input on what they are accomplishing with their gardens. I’m not thinking that this will stop grocery store visits, I’m just trying to A. teach the kids about gardening and B. Supply my family with the freshest grown produce while in season. I’ve also have ideas of a strawberry patch and a raspberry row.

What’s everyone trying, growing? What has been working, what hasn’t?

Nows the season to be figuring this out.

Thanks

Straw or Hay bale garden

We moved in to our little slice of heaven in 2016. Previous owners had let most of the outside go. So that year I spent a lot of time clearing out mint, and various weeds that had taken over everything. I did start a strawberry patch that now produces nicely. Given some dietary things our garden is more about trying to maximize what we can eat. Each year I've played with it, trying to find the right combinations.

Red/White Onions
Potatoes
Usually two Cucumber
6 Bell pepper
Tomatoes from cherry, slicing, Beefsteak
Lots of Bok Choi, and usually two plantings/harvest once the heat is gone.
Asparagus

Plus we have an indoor garden where we grow Tomato, Bell Peppers and Bok Choi year round

This year I plan to increase the Asparagus garden, as well as add Honey Dew. Starting some seeds now.

my grandmother is around her 80s and still up in the morning at 6am everyday to go garden during the summer and spring time. main reason she doesnt want to move houses is because she loves the garden. her backyard is like an acre big alone and the whole thing is rows of vegetables, shes got a pear tree, peach tree, apple tree, mulberry tree, she does alot of zucchini, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, lettuce cucumber, beans, theres more i just honestly dont know what else shes been growing lately lol

Maybe Fox will pipe in...he's doing that now...

I did it all about 20 years back, a little of everything then gradually found effort and time wasn't worth it comparatively to what I could buy some stuff for. ie: I stopped growing potatoes...at $2.99 for a 10lb bag ..silly to waste the space in the garden and time.

Also found a few local people (neighbours) who were into self-sufficiency/sustenance farming that sold their surplus farm goods at the road side. Fresh produce for next to nothing and the money went to them, not a chain Grocery store.

After the kids left we eventually ended up just growing raised bed tomatoes and peppers. You can't buy them cheaper than growing those yourself.

There are phases to 'Grow Your Own' stuff, much like hunting. You go at it gangbusters at the beginning then taper off as the years progress.

Now were into Beekeeping...if your doing Fruit trees you might look into that..get the benefits of pollination and the by product of fresh Honey.

I would think you must be in a pretty good area with a good soil base to be planning that type of garden?

I managed to hack out a bit of a garden on my property up north which was an old settlement farm on the Canadian shield.

So soil pretty poor in the area save and except around the old home and barn area which are now gone and had been taken over by meadow grass and light bush.

So basically first year cutting stuff down and second year hiring a tractor to till the acre or so and I planted a food plot for the deer. Within a few years the grass took again and back to square one. LOL

So I cut it down to a modest small garden which I can turn with a small cultivator.

Mostly for fun I plant a big potato crop usually get 400-500lbs a year, squash on the edges, garlic, asparagus just started.

Once the potatoes are out I usually seed it into a food plot for the deer with turnip seeds.

I have planted over 15 apple tree's but its been murder to get them going as I chose a poor soil spot. So after 10 years they are now doing good and producing apples, I surrounded the orchard with some fencing otherwise the deer and Moose would have killed them.

I've always had a garden of some sort most of my life but last year presented an opportunity to build a rock garden on a south facing hill in the yard. I just got back from the hardware store with some potting mix, I'll be starting my pepper seeds this week. I began harvesting my own seeds 2 years ago and was glad I did as they were hard to come by last year. In a couple of more weeks I will start my tomatoes and then zukes & cukes a couple of weeks after them.

I like to grow the following in my rock garden
Red, Orange, Yellow Bell Peppers
Cayenne, Hot & Sweet Peppers
San Marzano & Beef Steak Tomatoes
Green & Yellow Zuchinni
Garden & Pickling Cucumbers
Green Onions and Radishes
Dill & Chives

I also have a few old wheel barrows I grow Mesculin mix Lettuce in as well as Bright lights Swiss Chard and grow a variety of herbs in pots on the deck. Last year just for the hell of it I cut a slice off a Hot House Tomatoe from the grocery store and stuck it in some dirt and had a hundred little tomatoe plants in no time, I transferred 3 of them to half oak barrel and was surprised at the amount of fruit the scraggly plants produced.

I don't grow potatoes for the same reasons as Mike PAL, they just take up to much real estate for the price of them. I trade veggies with the bee keeper on the corner for honey and give everyone I know some zuchinni. LOL Good Luck with your garden and a green thumbs up!

I have always had a very large garden and orchard - I just love working with the earth and eating fresh healthy produce - but this year it has also taken on more importance to me since the pandemic came along - yes you can buy some stuff cheaper than what you spend on your own garden but what would happen if you can't buy the food - it isn't available anymore - a garden gives you a sense of security - a pantry full of canned food - a big pile of firewood - a good supply of root crops makes one feel good - and chickens - they are a good source of protein with their eggs - I think I can live for a long time on the food I produce myself

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JoePa

- yes you can buy some stuff cheaper than what you spend on your own garden but what would happen if you can't buy the food - it isn't available anymore

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That presents a small problem in that your garden fresh veggies have a limited season. So yes you can offset you needs for a few months but your back to buying fresh veggies from the southern USA.

Women will always be on the hook for a functioning supply system...but most men can go 10-12 months without a supply of fresh veggies HaHa..

Some things might be cheaper, others not. Plus theres always the upside of knowing what fertilizer, pesticides etc.

Ignore the purple, the light isnt actually like this, it's more a function of white balance, colour temperature, nor do I feel like loading into PS to correct

Potatoes.
I take the last out of the bag with eyes and plant them in dirt. I should have a couple harvest in a couple weeks.
https://jbenphotography.ca/img/s/v-10/p2182443430-5.jpg

These will be good in tomorrows salad.
https://jbenphotography.ca/img/s/v-10/p2182443504-6.jpg

A couple pepper plants are getting older and Im just waiting for new ones to start flowing. But we pretty much have fresh Bell peppers every week.

Potatoes in the outside garden, the way I look at it. Some moo poo, some bending over. Easy peasy. I know what goes in, and what comes out.