|
|
Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Feb 26, 2011 22:21:58 GMT -5
Sunchokes would be a great staple if I could get people to eat them. They grow like crazy. They keep all winter in the ground without any fuss or freeze damage.
|
|
|
|
Post by ozarklady on Feb 26, 2011 22:27:20 GMT -5
You are right, when I have a bed fail, I dig it and find roots. Most of the time they are from locust trees, but the others like my beds too. It is hatchet time. My most common garden weed is baby trees, particularly black locusts.
But rocks also work to the surface. I go through and double dig, and sift out the rocks that are too large to go through a homemade 1/2" basket. But, next year, I can do it again and get the same amount. Again, I blame the tree roots, they may not be there, but I think they bring the rocks up or crowd them into my beds!
|
|
|
|
Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Feb 26, 2011 22:33:53 GMT -5
Certainly no one will be doing such and taking sacks of wheat berries to the farmers market anytime soon. I'll take that as a challenge. To sell a bag of land-race wheat at the farmer's market this summer, grown from feral wheat seeds that I collected last summer. I'll use only commonly available tools for growing and processing. I've never grown wheat before in my life... I'm gaming the challenge somewhat. Notice that I didn't say I'd sell it at a high enough price to get a decent return on my labor. Maybe I will maybe I won't. I'll take notes. p.s. In any case my land-lady has been suggesting for years that I aught to grow organic wheat for her. |
|
|
|
Post by mjc on Feb 26, 2011 23:46:18 GMT -5
Sunchokes would be a great staple if I could get people to eat them. They grow like crazy. They keep all winter in the ground without any fuss or freeze damage. Sunchokes are a wonderful fodder feed. You can use them for silage, you can graze cattle on them, let pigs have them (although pigs WILL dig up the roots and eat ALL of it) and so on...so who really cares if PEOPLE will eat them. They will feed livestock...so that counts, too. |
|
|
|
Post by keen101 (Biolumo / Andrew B.) on Feb 27, 2011 0:02:13 GMT -5
I will be trying to grow more varieties of crops this year too. The varieties include: Corn, Dry Beans, Amaranth, Sunflowers, Watermelon, Peas, Squash, Radish, and probably more. I do tend to favor crops that do store pretty well. I'm trying to develop my own land-races for Watermelon and Corn. Watermelon would be the ultimate prize in my opinion, if i can develop my own variety that thrives here in my garden.
I use the term landrace in an almost literal meaning. To me it means planting several distinct varieties of the same species together (usually in the same rows) in an attempt to let them race and compete with each other on the land, and using natural selection (and my selection too) to save the ones that do best in this climate. Eventually they will become adapted, in which case i would consider them no longer a landrace, because they would no longer be competing, and then would consider them a custom variety. Maybe it's a different definition than some people use, but thats mine. As we have seen through history, words (especially in English) often change meanings over time.
Whats great about the people on this forum is that everyone has such a positive outlook on things, and often seem to have an ability to be creative and work through obstacles instead of letting those obstacles stand in the way. In the past i would have never dreamed that maybe i could breed my own watermelon to do well here. I would have just given up, and relied on watermelon from the store. But, here's to trying new things, and seeing how they turn out!
...I can't wait for spring... snow, snow, go away... come again another day. :-)
|
|
|
|
Post by ozarklady on Feb 27, 2011 0:17:00 GMT -5
I found Jerusalem Artichokes at the Farmer's Market last year. $3.00 for a whole berry basket of them (quart?). I took them home and simply tasted one, and planted all the rest.
The next week, I went back for more. And told the farmer that I planted it and planned on planting another basket. He about fainted, said I would have Jerusalem Artichokes reaching to the moon. I am a bit nervous now. Since Egyptian Onions think they own the place, already!
Do they really spread that easily?
|
|
|
|
Post by castanea on Feb 27, 2011 0:44:14 GMT -5
Happyskunk- oh neat! Ive never heard of toon. I was chatting with Atash recently and he suggested chaya for an indoor/outdoor greens bush, I was reading about moringa and had 2 started from seed, but if successful they get a bit big to bring indoors. some Toon looks cold-hardy from a quick search. Re: molokhia- I have 2 year old seed and had no germination last year- Im going to try it again anyways but do you have any hints? Im just thinking good thoughts, not over-watering, and not giving up this year and have had success in some seeds I hadnt before. Jo: Overage isnt a bad thing if you can figure out how to store some of it.... Im hoping to have enough greens to dry some. A handful of parsley in a winter soup really perks it up, and if there is a possibility of a tough future, greens are high in calcium.... I made kale chips and some got a little burnt but are great added to pasta sauce- 1 more veggie serving! Toon has an interesting flavor. I like it. Some don't. The trick to growing just one is that if you let it turn into a large tree, it's difficult to harvest the new leaves, so some people like to cut it back and keep it small. That works fine in zones 8-10. In zones 5-6, trees that are kept small do not have as much cold resistance and can die back significantly. If you let it get large, and have more than one, you can also harvest the seeds and sprout them. I haven't tried the sprouts but they apparently have a milder taste than the leaves. When I get more land, my plan is to grow enough to let some get large and keep others cut back for ease of harvesting leaves. |
|
|
|
Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Feb 27, 2011 0:50:01 GMT -5
I found Jerusalem Artichokes at the Farmer's Market last year. ... Do they really spread that easily? You know about Morning Glory? Or Johnson Grass, how any little piece of rhizome that is left in the ground sprouts? Jerusalem Artichokes are the same way. That's why I think they would make a great staple food. Or an excellent survival food. They grow early, fast, and tall: easily out-competing any weed in my garden. One thing that I worry about is that every plant in my garden in probably a clone. That's a kinda risky endeavor. I never thought about keeping pigs in the sunchoke patch. It'd be a really clever thing to do. Maybe one of these days I'll rent a place where I can keep some animals. |
|
|
|
Post by ozarklady on Feb 27, 2011 2:04:21 GMT -5
I know how black locust, blackberries, and even rotten Egyptian onions will keep growing... only a shredder... might stop them or a fire!
Omg, I planted them in the garlic bed! Oops.
|
|
|
|
Post by mnjrutherford on Feb 27, 2011 8:11:47 GMT -5
Overages aren't bad... but when you know how to grow just enough, you can take the space and grow something else. Diversity.
I can't tell you how reading this thread, this morning, has put a joyous song in my heart!
|
|
|
|
Post by heidihi on Feb 27, 2011 9:03:41 GMT -5
OK I am not sure if I get this but I think I am already on board unintentionally ..I work as an old duffette with a hoe and shovel ..16 raised beds and a perpetual cycle of something to harvest all year long ..I have still had to purchase things during my "down seasons" ..aka NOW...
I have used dried peas and beans a lot as "flours" to replace grains I can ot grow ..other than amaranth and corn I have not tried any other grains as I can not figure out how or what I should grow...
if I have pea bean or lentil flour I do not miss grains for quite a while
I am gong to grow a lot more corn I hope this year for drying as I was stunned at what I was able to produce last year ...and have some wonderful samples to try (thanks!)
I hope I am on the right track with this?
I am a very good locavore in general eat only what is grown in our state in season .. ..aside from a few exotics I just can not live with out!
and I do a lot of trading ..and we do a lot of picking in the wild ..mushrooms, berries, greens, nuts tons of hazel nuts here in the woods if you can get them before the squirrels
also I have scored some highly productive ..no one knows they are still there due to overgrowth and green bent protection ...walnut, plum, apple and pear trees ..does that count?
|
|
|
|
Post by ottawagardener on Feb 27, 2011 9:24:47 GMT -5
I certainly want to grow much of my own food but I"m split in two directions this year. The first is to create the infrastructure of my new hardy food garden and the second to get lots of annual calorie crops in the beds. Along side with misc. things like put up deer fencing, I think I will be busy. I'm not familiar with the soil here and haven't learned about its issues. What I do know is that the traditionally planted garden bed which was sizeable was annually tilled sandy loam. Soil structure needs to be restablished and diversity added to the garden ecosystem.
Sounds fun.
|
|
|
|
Post by ozarklady on Feb 27, 2011 9:45:41 GMT -5
And while you are learning all about your new place, and getting things set up for the future; you can always grow some things in containers, to keep the calories rolling in.
|
|
|
|
Post by silverseeds on Feb 27, 2011 13:48:17 GMT -5
Certainly no one will be doing such and taking sacks of wheat berries to the farmers market anytime soon. I'll take that as a challenge. To sell a bag of land-race wheat at the farmer's market this summer, grown from feral wheat seeds that I collected last summer. I'll use only commonly available tools for growing and processing. I've never grown wheat before in my life... I'm gaming the challenge somewhat. Notice that I didn't say I'd sell it at a high enough price to get a decent return on my labor. Maybe I will maybe I won't. I'll take notes. ;D |
|
|
|
Post by silverseeds on Feb 27, 2011 13:53:14 GMT -5
I certainly want to grow much of my own food but I"m split in two directions this year. The first is to create the infrastructure of my new hardy food garden and the second to get lots of annual calorie crops in the beds. Along side with misc. things like put up deer fencing, I think I will be busy. I'm not familiar with the soil here and haven't learned about its issues. What I do know is that the traditionally planted garden bed which was sizeable was annually tilled sandy loam. Soil structure needs to be restablished and diversity added to the garden ecosystem. Sounds fun. what do you mean by create the infrastructure? Are you talking buildings or establishing the back bone for a food forest type thing??? |
|
