Gardening

[MikePal]

Not 100% sure on the tomatoe? When the good sales are on, we buy tomatoes for .88 cents/can.

Mostly for the Beefsteak...love a slice of tomato on my sandwich...

You right about canned for sauces etc.....I do that.

[mosquito]

Mosquito
I recall another thread where you gave us pointers for Morels. I wish I could get them going.

2,years ago I planted corn. It did well but tasted like crap

Blueberries.
Haven’t done well. Suspect it’s my soil. Sometimes I’m tempted to have my soils PH tested.

Anyone tried worm farming?
Basically another way to compost.

On the expense side.
We do know all of us have hunting/fishing gear? That cost waaaaay more

The slurry looks like a good way to try it if you use some dried ones or can get some old ones from someone that picks them. The success rate is 40% and it may take 2 or 3 years before they start... the kits are easier for the Lions mane or oysters :-) order, check they are ready, cut a couple small holes and spray until ready and eat :-)

Blueberries do require a particular PH and fertilizer.... and no rabbits to chew them down to the ground in a night! Screens are necessary but if determined they will push in, dig under etc.

The easiest source of tomatoes are the seeds of the one you just got from the grocery store and like. There are over a dozen cherry tomatoes in an egg carton just starting to peak out, I may be a bit too early but can try growing them indoors.

[JoePa]

To keep the deer and raccoons out of my garden area I put up a 7 ft chicken wire fence that has a plastic coating on it - on top of the fence I have 2 wires strung which are charged by a electric fence charger - so far so good - I have cherry trees that the birds eat half of the cherries - I've tried putting decoy owl in the trees - a big rubber black snake - but it doesn't take long and the birds ignore them - this year I am going to try and buy small red beads that I will string around the trees - maybe the birds will thin-k that they are cherries and get tired of trying to eat them when the beads won't come off the string - squirrels are something else - they love to grab my peaches when they are the size of a black walnut - the only way I found you can control them is to shoot them- they are persistent on coming back even after you shoot at them - I'd say that half the work I put into my garden is keeping animals away from eating everything - the fence keeps the groundhogs and rabbits way

[JBen]

One huge benefit to doing some indoors is no rabbits, chipmunks, caterpillar, aphids or insects.

I’ll look at those kits Mosquito. Thanks

[Gilroy]

One huge benefit to doing some indoors is no rabbits, chipmunks, caterpillar, aphids or insects.

I’ll look at those kits Mosquito. Thanks

My main nemesis is the potato beetle , mother nature pretty well looks after the rest.

[JBen]

Mine is chipmunks. They devoured all my outdoor beans and snap peas last season, some peppers. And no chicken wire defeats them.

[Gilroy]

Mine is chipmunks. They devoured all my outdoor beans and snap peas last season, some peppers. And no chicken wire defeats them.

The dog has taken it upon himself to patrol the cabin area and chipmunks are his nemesis, oh along with most all else.

[mosquito]

Mine is chipmunks. They devoured all my outdoor beans and snap peas last season, some peppers. And no chicken wire defeats them.

The kits generally work pretty good if you follow the directions, the company I posted the Wine Caps is where I have got some from, I was going to try Shiitake but they don't sell it so will look at other companies. After a couple harvests and the kits are done you can just dump them in the compost or garden.

Since I usually use a clippers to cut my hair I have human hair, I know it works. The rabbits love my wife's one flowers more than anything else by far and I have used screen and hair to keep them out. If not those particular flowers are chewed right to the ground!
This winter for the summer I am saving coffee to try this year, I have a big bottle and two take out trays, after making coffee I dump container 1 that is dry into container 2 to make sure it is dry, I then take the just made coffee grounds and put it in container 1 to dry. When container 2 is full I put it in the bottle, tub etc. for use in the summer. The tea bags go into an old pail to be filled with water for the acid loving plants and then later dumped in the composter.
https://www.offthegridnews.com/survi...f-your-garden/
https://plantinstructions.com/diy-ga...in-the-garden/

I don't know about some of the other plants listed above but I have a couple indoor rosemary plants that I will trim and put in water to root in a couple weeks for the garden and the oregano just takes care of itself always coming back. I cut small bunches of branches to dry the oregano for the winter use before it seeds, easy to do, just put it in a spot it won't get bumped after it is dried.

Squirrels are worse for the plants since the raspberries get broken by them climbing on them unless they are strongly tied up so I am hoping the tea or coffee work there.

Blood meal works but must be sprinkled around each week or after a heavy rain.



P.S.
I forgot the 2nd option after the mushrooms are done fruiting, start your own grow op.

[line052]

Like you we have bought 5 acres and a homestead and plan over the next 5 yrs to turn it into a market garden. Been doing lots of container gardens over the last 5 yrs and using what space we had in townhome to grow as much as we can. Lots of learning and failures.

The biggest successes have been early seed starts under grow lights which have increased our yields, plus learning the nutrient cycles of plant grow. Having a good seed start indoors has been the biggest improvement yet with understanding nutrient cycles.

I had grandiose plans for 2 acres this summer of veg, but realistically it will more of a 100 X 100 foot space we grow this year. This year we will grow for us only and share any excess. I started seed saving heirloom mixes 4 yrs ago and have had great success and will see how that goes as we scale up. Cherry tomatoes and a few beefsteak varieties will be going in, as well as peppers, snow peas, bush beans and pole beans. lots of salad greens and spinach (family cant enough of spinach) We are going to try a new method for squash, ground cover growers, zucchini, cucumbers and watermelons by clearing out 4 X 4 patches (12 ft apart) amending the soil and growing in these boxed areas for the space it will create for leaf growth and spread. This will allow for maximum space usage in proper garden rows.

The focus this year will be fresh greens and root vegetables for our family. I will start the asparagus patch this year as well. 3 to 6 Apple, pear, peach trees (still not totally set on which yet) are going on front of property as well. A big potatoes patch will be going in as FIL is planting his there as well

We cleared 4 of the 5 acres last year of the 19 yrs of fallowed overgrown land, and have lots soil amending to do to restore the organic matter. The local beef famer will give me all the cow manure/straw I can take, so I will also be starting a good compost pile or just adding to tilled (but unplanted areas), to let the manure mature over this growing season, with a couple of good tillings to mix.

Our goal is to be viable for sales in 3 to 5 yrs, and, the site plan is laid out for new building/barns/coops and goat pen...just have to build it all now. Eventually the home will be off grid as much as possible. First building going up this year is future steel bldg., which was supposed to be up last fall, but shipping delays never seen it come until late Sept. Next will be 16 X 40 open post and beam (style) open barn, 12 X 18 Amish shed (coming in May), then new road surfaces to these bldgs. (tractor and cars).

Eventually the farm layout will have wheat and corn in front half with fruit trees, a berry patch, strawberry, raspberries, blueberry, a small solar power store front near road with parking. Up to 4 beehives in back of property (2-3 yrs).

That's the plan - now to make it happen...

[Gilroy]

That's a lot of work Mark, good luck to you and be safe.