Life changes post coronavirus? Starting a garden?

[Andy D]

I have to admit, this pandemic has been a kick in the @ss for me, I have
been living on 20 plus acres for about four years now and have been putting
off utilizing it out of pure laziness... But now I'm full throttle into becoming as food self sufficient
as I can, for myself, family & friends.

I used to garden a lot, so I'm not a novice, if I can help anyone who wants to start one, let me know.

I was about to spend a ton of money creating raised gardens, but I heard about "hugelkultur" & plan
to go that route. It's basically very productive beds made using fallen logs, yard clippings, leaves, forest humus & every year they become more productive as everything breaks down.
It's a lot of work on the front end, but you can pretty much create a garden for only the cost of seeds.

It doesn't need to be a raised garden, but I think it's worth the trouble to make it one,
to prevent weeds and make working on it easier... Here are some good videos about it:

I like this site: it has seed packs for 99 cents - non GMO seeds, many heirlooms
https://migardener.com/category/99-seeds-by-category/all-seeds/?instock_products=in

 

[decalman]

These days buying and selling is becoming a serious problem.
You won't have any regrets whatsoever utilizing that land, and growing your own provisions.

Spinach, tomatoes , GARLIC , hot peppers , broccoli, etc.

 

[Geneva Olson]

20 acres. add a fish pond. Then you can REALLY live off the land. heck with 20 acres, you can get a couple of cows, pigs, chickens. you would be set.

 

[James Burke]

Thinking about re-stocking the pond and getting back into keeping bees.

JB

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Spinach, tomatoes , GARLIC , hot peppers , broccoli, etc.

Just be aware of the source of the seedstock. Some are GMO.

I would either do mini cows or just stick with pigs/chickens (we had chickens until a fox killed them all, about 2 weeks before everything went to pot, how is that for irony). Chickens are really easy keepers. Just be aware, some places that you get chicks source from places that give them a hormone to start laying early. Also make sure that you get chicks from places that sex them (not crude, just determine if they are hens or not), otherwise you might get 5 roosters out of your min order of 6 (some places do have a min).

 

[Snydo]

It's supposed to be a hot summer with above normal rain.....last year was awful, here in the mitten state we had frost until early June and then many cool cloudy days during the summer. Tomatoes barely flowered and never really produced much.

 

[ikarasu]

Grow some tomatoes.

We used to pay $1-1.50 per LB... Went to the store yesterday and they were $5.50 a LB. for tomatoes! Went to another store, same thing.

I doubt its as bad there... Canadian dollar is low... so all food out of season here, like tomatoes... are going way, way up. I can afford it, but no way in hell am I paying $5.50 per lb of tomato.... We're now a tomato free household.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Oh also, if you want to have year round veggies, get seedstock, grow them in pots inside (bring them out during the normal seasons), if you have a greenhouse (unless one lives in an area where dangerously low temps for these plants aren't normally a thing) keep them in there.

The key thing is when you start the seeds and how much light they get. Now peppers (despite being annum) will actually live more then a year, but if you sow seeds in the fall, they won't bear fruit in the summer and vice versa. So if want a year round supply have to plan ahead (this includes how much you pamper them given your local climate). I had a couple of Chiltepin plants for 8 yrs.

 

[decalman]

Just be aware of the source of the seedstock. Some are GMO.

I would either do mini cows or just stick with pigs/chickens (we had chickens until a fox killed them all, about 2 weeks before everything went to pot, how is that for irony). Chickens are really easy keepers. Just be aware, some places that you get chicks source from places that give them a hormone to start laying early. Also make sure that you get chicks from places that sex them (not crude, just determine if they are hens or not), otherwise you might get 5 roosters out of your min order of 6 (some places do have a min).

Been vegan 11 years. Nice not having to deal with all that carcass. I make my dogs food . I don't enjoy handling the dead flesh.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Been vegan 11 years. Nice not having to deal with all that carcass. I make my dogs food . I don't enjoy handling the dead flesh.

Anybody that truly enjoys handling dead flesh, I have to wonder about them. I don't even know butchers that say that they enjoy handling the dead flesh (at least what they tell me)

Also, as someone whose undergrad was in Equine Nutrition and dealt extensively with Pearson's Square, I certainly hope you are formulating everything that your dog needs and they aren't deficient in anything (and still being alive and after so many years doesn't in of itself mean that they (or you) are getting everything that one needs).

On a side note, my sister makes her own dog/cat food as well. It's a process unto itself and my sister has far more science in her background then I do.

 

[Val47]

Grow some tomatoes..

I just planted some starts! in my make-shift green house. I don't have tons of property, so I would like to create a raised/stacked series of planters. I just have my little inner city yard.
...My mom on the other hand, is an amazing gardener, with acres of land and she grows a lot of goodies, from vegitables to her fruit bushes and trees. Then there is the livestock looking forward to a portion of one of her bovine, and she's doing pork this year as well. So, moms garden, plus her bounty of canned goods - and meat. She has chickens as well. I only wish we lived closer. An hour and a half drive. but right now - distancing ya know. soon. very soon I will get to go shopping at moms and raid her huge pantry again

 

[mkmie]

Hey Andy,
How did the garden go? Update?

 

[Andy D]

Hey Andy,
How did the garden go? Update?

Pretty badly
But I'm not deterred, I have had great years and bad years with my gardens in the past & I know what I did wrong.
I rushed it and didn't amend the soil correctly, our soil is very acidic and I didn't give the lime enough time. I also tried to put way too many different types of vegetables into too small of an area.

This year, Im building a large hoop house & In my climate, I should be able to grow year round... I will post pictures.
Thanks for asking.

 

[Val47]

Pretty badly
But I'm not deterred, I have had great years and bad years with my gardens in the past & I know what I did wrong.
I rushed it and didn't amend the soil correctly, our soil is very acidic and I didn't give the lime enough time. I also tried to put way too many different types of vegetables into too small of an area.

This year, Im building a large hoop house & In my climate, I should be able to grow year round... I will post pictures.
Thanks for asking.

keep us posted!

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

We had big plans of a vegetable garden last spring. I build boxes and planted tomatoes, carrots, squash, onions and potatoes. The only thing I got out was onions and some cherry tomatoes...everything else was eaten by bunnies or died because I stopped watering it. This was the second attempt at a garden and both times failed. Hopefully my wife gets the hint that I'm not good at gardening and stops asking me to do this.

 

[Gino]

We had a very good year. Canned about 35 or 40 quarts of tomatoes, got lotsa onions (still have about 50 left), still have eggplant, peppers and a little rhubarb. The corn never made it. Will start on it early march.

 

[myront]

There ought to be a type of communal garden whereby "members" tend to it and in return get to harvest just for their needs. Maybe something like his does exist. I have a very small lot in a somewhat urban neighborhood. I have a section of raised beds and various pots I grow veggies in but I'd still be willing to put in my share of labor to be able to get fresh supplies as needed. I grew up on a 50 acre "hobby farm" we mainly had animals but no crops per say. Sure we had a garden but...

Might be something to consider as we know it can be very laborious work especially if it's not your means of income. Trying to hold a full time "paying" job then coming home to work the crops. I, for one, love pulling weeds, spreading manure, tilling, or picking fruit.

I've often thought fruit trees should be planted within city sidewalks but then I instantly realize some yahoo would screw that up and scarf up every but of it to sell form themselves.

 

[Andy D]

If anyone is interested in building a (comparably) inexpensive hoop/green/growing house, check out this video.
He has 4-5 videos showing the whole build, this one is in the middle.

 

[Gino]

Likes like a frickin' tornado just ripped through the background there.

 

[Andy D]

Likes like a frickin' tornado just ripped through the background there.

In the video?