What plants/crops would you grow in a major crisis?
floridays
16 years ago
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KaraLynn
16 years agopnbrown
16 years agoRelated Discussions
What's Your Reason For Growing A Cover Crop?
Comments (15)When we first bought our little farm 9 years ago we relied heavily on buckwheat to prepare new ground for following crops. It is a great weed suppressor and soil builder and we turned under two, sometimes three crops in a year. Berry and asparagus crops benefited immensely from it; we've managed to keep ahead of the weeds since then by pulling them up by hand and using sawdust and eelgrass mulches. We also converted a large patch of sandy, gravelly lawn into a bed of lavender and other drought tolerant plants by tilling the lawn, then planting two buckwheat crops in succession for their weed suppressing capability. We used annual ryegrass in the vegetable garden for a few years but it didn't reliably winter kill, and tilling, then waiting for it to rot, delayed spring planting. So we quit using annual ryegrass. I'd like to get away from the dependence on tilling anyhow. This year I planted patches of oats, barley and flax behind rows of new blackberry bushes and tomato plants. The idea was to harvest grain to feed the chickens and get straw for the chicken coop, the remainder being winterkilled and serve as mulch. Because of heavy rains, and because (I'm guessing) the oats and barley being feed grain, were not rust tolerant varieties, we now have a fallen-over mess of rusty plants. I'm thinking of harvesting it all as hay for the chickens, if we could get a few days in a row of dry weather. Is there a problem with feeding chickens rusty grain? My next great Project is to understand and use legumes to get more nitrogen into the soil. Here's a quick link to that book. Many hours of good reading. Here is a link that might be useful: Managing Cover Crops Profitably...See MoreWhat are you all planting now for Fall/Winter crops?
Comments (4)yep same here with the cilantro! i got...maybe two small tufts of cilantro for all the seeds i planted....and now its spindly and flowers. a few weeks ago i just started some more and they sprouted fast. i think they will grow better with the later planting. its a little cooler here than there...but snow peas are defintely something i am planting now. this is a good time for them, but i can plant them whenever and they do good, or ok, any time of year. re: mulch - i have no idea if this will work better, but i am thinking it will. i think i let the sprouted carrots dry out, or??? idk exactly, but i have hard time with carrots, they are fussy. in general mulch is like magic and makes happy happy plants. =)thick mulch...freshy mulch, yeah plants really respond to this well. it also keeps it from drying out, holds in moisture, thats basically why i am thinking the carrots will like it. just to sprinkle the seeds on top. and totally with the staggered plantings, its for sure the way in this kind of climate. have keep it in mind to resist the temptation to start too many seeds of any one thing. i have a limited amount of space that is greenhouse like...so its always packed with plants.i move things around, outside and inside, and do some container gardening with that. this is the best way to get good peppers here and tomatoes.... i have a lot of potatoes in the ground, but i started some off in a big container and they are doing great. i might start off a couple of those....with different edibles. they are just plastic tub storage containers with holes drilled in the bottom. been throwing the potato bits in there as i use them, and the ones in the container are looking better than the ones in the ground. they are digging on the fluffy soil. and some of the stuff i plant would seem way out of season...i experiment a lot. and planting odd things at different times of year, some of it works and some of it doesnt. i dont always get as many sprouts but usually will get a few of each planting time (about once a month i start different seeds)...and then have some plants in different stages come spring. and i over winter whatever i can inside...get peppers ripening at variety of times....See MoreIf you had only a small garden, what would you plant?
Comments (25)That is good to know about the deer netting. Are you just catching big rattlesnakes or will it work on copperheads? Do you find them dead or have to kill them? I am interested in the herbs mentioned. I like rosemary on chicken, herbs in turkey stuffing, and cilantro in salsa, but I am very ignorant of how to use herbs. I would like to know how you all use them. For some reason many people dislike cats. Also there are discussions on the morning show about being a cat person or a dog person. I am an animal person and appreciate both. I don't expect a cat to act like a dog. Both are lots of trouble, I spent most of today fixing the radio fence that shocks my dogs through their collars when they cross it. There is a big hungry German Shepherd that is either lost or dumped. I don't need another dog and don't want it to eat my cats or Honey a small dog. It is probably a good dog but it is trouble for me. I have much more trouble with my dogs every day. The cats are no problem. I have wood rats making nests everywhere when I go without a cat. I know people in town have to put up with other peoples' animals and children. It is easier to take if you love them and they belong to you....See MoreMajor crisis -- losing the house :-( (long and sordid)
Comments (13)Back again. I think it's been resolved for the moment, but I get the feeling I've won the battle and not the war. Sensei gave me the number of another student. I called him and he came over, looked at the notice, and then called them up. It's amazing how much magic is contained in the simple words: "Hello, my name is Bob and I'm her attorney...." I really don't know what the heck they were pulling, but now that I've pulled some of the weeds in the front yard, I am now totally in compliance and I don't need to worry more about it. So why did they have to scare me to DEATH?! I'm still convince that someone around here has some kind of hidden agenda, and it's aimed at me. About six or seven houses within a half block area are totally out of compliance. My next door neighbors on one side have mulched their front lawn entirely except for a couple shrubs and a raised bed of flowers. Out of compliance. 60% of the area is supposed to be green. The neighbors next door the other side have a dog that barks constantly. The whole time Bob was here the dog barked and growled, and that's typical. They also have high weeds coming through their rocky areas. The neighbors on the corner of the cul-de-sac have nothing but evergreens on their front lawn, which have taken over the sidewalk so that you can't get through. You have to walk in the street. Waaay out of compliance. I probably should just put in a chem-lawn and be done with it. Who cares about the environment as long as the surburbanites are happy? I still haven't gotten my resume written, and I'm going to be unemployed in a couple of weeks. I'm going to be docked pay for missing today, and I don't need that right now. I'm sure there's a rock on my property somewhere. I'm going to go crawl under it....See Morenaplesgardener
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