Survival Gardening

[MajorBolex]

I am very interested in how much knowledge people have growing their own food. I have recently moved to NC and have been getting used to growing food here. This year is the second year I have been growing and will probably produce about $3200 worth of food in my backyard.

I am very interested in swapping stories and tips. My garden is hidden from the road, so it makes a great little self-sufficient place to feed myself and family.

Thanks for your help and time.
Major

[Lostinoz]

Major, I want to answer your post in more detail later as I am working at the moment, but I wanted to say that the Garden Claw has been one of our better investments. It is great for going between plants to loosen soil and remove weeds. We also use it to break up the soil to shallow plant some seed. I guess we have had ours for a couple of years now with no problems.

Here is the link..

[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Garden-Weasel-Gold-Cultivator-91306/dp/B00004RA1S[/ame]

We bought ours at either Home Depot, Lowe's or Ace Hardware..can't remember exactly. :o

[unswydd]

Hi Major,
I'm in Illinois and have really good soil. I compost heavily all year around. I am able to sustain myself and many others. I am a Horticulturist and love doing the work. Maybe some of the people in your area will pick up on this thread and give it a whirl.
I grow everything from herbs to greens, carrots, just about everything. This year has been really terrible because of the rain and I haven't been able to get in the ground hardly at all. I will not have a good garden this year. In years past it's been great tho.

[teach]

Major, I live in Iredell County and also garden. It is small, around 50x50 but we do pretty well. We also have blueberries, strawberries, grapes, a few blackberries and a peach and apple tree and a fig bush. I think in the gardening thread is a pic of our rainwater system for irrigation. I am sure your garden is like mine and could really use a little less rain and a lot more sunshine.

[Lostinoz]

Gardening has been a bit of a challenge this year. :( We have lost several squash plants, okra plants, and beans to all of this rain. Our corn was beaten down from a storm.

On a good note, I have frozen, canned, and dehydrated several items from the garden already including broccoli, spinach, turnip greens, bell peppers, mustard, and banana peppers. Our tomatoes are starting to come in, however the cherry tomatoes have been producing for a couple of weeks now.

I do use Sevin dust to keep the bugs off of the tomatoes and other plants.

Our strawberry patches are doing okay, though the rain has had a toll on them as well. Our raspberry bushes did not make it. :( The new fruit trees are holding up well, of course they are staked and tied.

We have been putting in a good supply of canning jars and lids while Walmart has them in stock. :rolleyes:

I do need to stock up on more string to tie up the plants. We have enough for this year, but.... :)

[Lostinoz]

Oh and Major, I meant to ask what all you have planted this year. :)

[herbalpagan]

I have raised beds but everything got planted late...or had to be planted again this year. What is it that you are growing and did you preserve it all or sell some of it?

[lady_banjo]

Major, What is your soil like? Have you started a composting pile? What do you have planted so far?

[MajorBolex]

Oh and Major, I meant to ask what all you have planted this year. :)

We have had lettuces all winter long. Right now we are getting beans and pea tendrils for freezing and canning. Squash, hot peppers and zuchinni are comprising most of our diet right now. Tomatoes are coming as are okra, corn, cantaloupe, and pumpkins.

We also buy our meat from local farmers so it compliments our produce. We got our side of beef (220 lbs) this year.

[MajorBolex]

Major, What is your soil like? Have you started a composting pile? What do you have planted so far?

We have heavy clay soil that tends to to be acidic. So we have been added lime to balance, compost and loom to lighten and NPK as necessary. In North Carolina, the state university lab does soil analysis for free to residents so it has been helpful in building our UFO.

[MajorBolex]

I have raised beds but everything got planted late...or had to be planted again this year. What is it that you are growing and did you preserve it all or sell some of it?

I have a combination of raised beds and flat planting. I have been setting aside money every month so, at the end of the season, I can buy enough loomy top-soil to cover the 25x75 area with 4 inches to help improve the garden. I figure that investing in productive land will give me a better return than any other vehicle.

Down here in the piedmont, we have been getting a large amount of rain which is good for the garden and rain barrels, but it is also growing the trees/vines on my property so quickly, I have had to cut them back twice to get full sun on the garden.

[MajorBolex]

Major, I live in Iredell County and also garden. It is small, around 50x50 but we do pretty well. We also have blueberries, strawberries, grapes, a few blackberries and a peach and apple tree and a fig bush. I think in the gardening thread is a pic of our rainwater system for irrigation. I am sure your garden is like mine and could really use a little less rain and a lot more sunshine.

I hear you about the rain. We have been getting lots down here on the NC/SC border. The rain has required I cut back the trees on my property line to keep the sun on the garden.

[Lostinoz]

We have heavy clay soil that tends to to be acidic. So we have been added lime to balance, compost and loom to lighten and NPK as necessary. In North Carolina, the state university lab does soil analysis for free to residents so it has been helpful in building our UFO.

Our local ag office will also test well water for free. I had them come out and inspect my apple trees as I couldn't figure out what was happening to the leaves. They gave me the diagnosis and treatment information. I am so glad we have an ag center who cares and goes out of their way to help. :)

We also planted a lot of lettuce, though I doubt we plant as much next time as we can't eat it fast enough before it wilts and dies.

We are looking for a hog for slaughter, but none are ready yet, so that is on hold for the moment. We are talking with someone about splitting another side of beef with us, due to cost issues. Did you freeze and can your beef?

[MajorBolex]

Our local ag office will also test well water for free. I had them come out and inspect my apple trees as I couldn't figure out what was happening to the leaves. They gave me the diagnosis and treatment information. I am so glad we have an ag center who cares and goes out of their way to help. :)

We also planted a lot of lettuce, though I doubt we plant as much next time as we can't eat it fast enough before it wilts and dies.

We are looking for a hog for slaughter, but none are ready yet, so that is on hold for the moment. We are talking with someone about splitting another side of beef with us, due to cost issues. Did you freeze and can your beef?

The extra lettuce is great if you have some chickens that will eat it. Rabbits are good for converting lettuce into a great dish, the French can't get enough of them.

We freeze the beef, though my wife will dry a little for jerky sometimes. She is a chef and is a bit of a snob when selecting meat, though she can make any cut into something special given time, spices, and her pans.

[Lostinoz]

Yes, spices can definitely make a difference when the cut isn't that great. Which spices retain their effectiveness the longest? I find I have to replace a lot of mine on a regular basis due to flavor loss. I can grow a few, but not all. :(