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Post by steev on Feb 18, 2020 19:06:49 GMT -5
Sounds interesting; I always like to broaden my food base; that's why I like foraging. The local park's lawn is full of plantain; I want to transplant some to the farm.
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Post by stone on Feb 19, 2020 8:38:05 GMT -5
My dilemma with the idea of seed stewardship is that I am very very good at FINDING unusual seeds and very very bad at actually getting them to grow (defining grow as "grow until I can get seed off of them). My soil is poor (on a level where enriching it all is too expensive to be viable) my space very limited, and my critter level unbelievable. Don't feel bad... You are not unique. I'm in the Sandhills, and... Between the bottomless white sand, constant droughts, root knot nematodes, voles... Raccoons, possums, rabbits... Surprising that anything lives at all... Seems like I only get a couple years out of a plot due to the nematodes, no matter how much manure/compost I use! So... A couple years of veggies, and then... Plant walnuts.... Clear additional brush... shovel turn more sand... Still... It's a goal to find anything that will grow in these conditions... Or... Develop food crops through seed saving over time.... |
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Post by stone on Feb 19, 2020 8:48:53 GMT -5
i also have limited fence space for climbers. Have you tried tepees?   |
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Post by jocelyn on Feb 19, 2020 9:26:05 GMT -5
Let me try again, grin. I have nuts to share every fall. I am still planting nuts for us too. We are both retired already. Anyone who wants good regia walnuts, 2 trees worth sharing, can have some for the postage. Anyone who wants good ailanthifolia walnut, 3 good enough to share, can also have some. I am trialing some of the soviet walnuts, regias, and it may be 10 years till they bear. If we still live here, I will share those too. Age will eventually send us to Town, but hopefully, not soon  |
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Post by blueadzuki on Feb 19, 2020 15:39:41 GMT -5
My dilemma with the idea of seed stewardship is that I am very very good at FINDING unusual seeds and very very bad at actually getting them to grow (defining grow as "grow until I can get seed off of them). My soil is poor (on a level where enriching it all is too expensive to be viable) my space very limited, and my critter level unbelievable. Don't feel bad... You are not unique. I'm in the Sandhills, and... Between the bottomless white sand, constant droughts, root knot nematodes, voles... Raccoons, possums, rabbits... Surprising that anything lives at all... Seems like I only get a couple years out of a plot due to the nematodes, no matter how much manure/compost I use! So... A couple years of veggies, and then... Plant walnuts.... Clear additional brush... shovel turn more sand... Still... It's a goal to find anything that will grow in these conditions... Or... Develop food crops through seed saving over time.... You can always try Manchurian Walnuts. From what I have seen online, they'll take almost ANYTHING (their cold tolerant down to zone 20. ( link) |
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Post by prairiegardens on Feb 20, 2020 2:36:44 GMT -5
You can always try Manchurian Walnuts. From what I have seen online, they'll take almost ANYTHING (their cold tolerant down to zone 20. ( link) Really? Any of the Canadian nut tree vendors I have found suggest zone 4 at best, but from the breeding that appears to be going on in Russia with things like cherries peaches and pears maybe their walnuts are also hardier.. The only walnuts I have heard of on the Prairies..and those are not numerous, are the black walnut. Might be very interesting to give them a try. the vendor supposedly has a 100% approval rate. I've never bought anything through EBay. |
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Post by steev on Feb 20, 2020 3:00:49 GMT -5
I'm generally enthused about walnuts, although I've managed to kill ~six grafted trees; not sure I've enough years left to get nuts myself, but one should plant for the future, as people had planted for what benefited oneself.
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Post by philagardener on Feb 20, 2020 6:17:25 GMT -5
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Post by stone on Feb 20, 2020 8:18:59 GMT -5
At my house, planting black walnut from seed... Produced nuts relatively fast... Like in 5 years or so... Of course... That was in garden soil where I'd brought in truckloads of horse poop... Walnuts planted out where the soil hasn't been improved? Very slow growing... If you can prevent the squirrels from finding them...
Those squirrels gow down my rows... And dig up every nut! I have to trap the squirrels and replant... So... I suggest only planting half... The initial planting... Save some for the trap...
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Post by flowerbug on Feb 20, 2020 10:57:52 GMT -5
i also have limited fence space for climbers. Have you tried tepees?
i don't have sticks around that often that hold up for long. i have some taller lillies that get about 5-6ft tall, but the sticks from them are hollow.
at the moment it is ok. i have a few spots of fence i can grow things on. eventually i can put in whatever i'd like, but that won't be immediately or soon.
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Post by stone on Feb 20, 2020 13:47:34 GMT -5
I actually planted running bamboo (the "bad" kind) so that I had "sticks" for my tepees.
Isn't there a river cane or other fast growing cane around you could use?
My tepees start as tomato cages...welded wire cut into cages... The bamboo gets shoved through the wire and tied at the top.
What about trees that you can pollard?
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Post by jocelyn on Feb 20, 2020 18:09:07 GMT -5
Some of the Russian walnuts are very precocious, and I am about to find out how soon they bear.
I live in Canada, so have to get mine through CFIA, but maybe you can get some too?
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