Gardening,organics,sustainable gardening,food crops,etc

[Samarkis]

Hi everyone!

I have been saying this for a while and several other mastergardeners have agreed that we need to set up a good thread.....so please......
Post great links,clips,reference,tips,pics etc!!


Here is a Square gardening

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=N5Lu-7FIj_g

clip.....: )

[tone3jaguar]

The biggest key is to avoid monostands. A monostand is where multiple plants of the same variety are right next to each other. This drastically reduces the chances of insects or diseases blighting the garden.

[Samarkis]

Here is a great link to all kind of cool green housing solutions!!

http://green.yahoo.com/topic/Design/

[dddanieljjjamesss]

My main concern right now is how to effectively grow food in New England to the point of being able to survive...

I have been looking at indoor gardening, and it seems feasible, but in the event that one can't pay the electric and heating bills there's not much you can do up here during the cold season.

I was considering buying a high pressure sodium light and transforming the pantry into a little garden. It would be enough fresh organic food to help my roommates and I get through a rough period. As far as outdoor gardening, I don't live in an area that will support it, and it isn't viable because of the weather.

Anyone want to come up with a fool proof food solution? A way to TRULY be "self sufficient?"

[bluestflame]

companion planting , back in the old days they used to do this , course things were harvested by hand ...like planting herbs among the vegies to reduce the insects also certain types of plants compliment each others growth , might see if i can find some of them farmers almanac old books

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pumpkin vines can be trailed up chicken wire fixed to a side wall the pumpkins hang down like basketballs and sit nice on the plate when cooked and cut

[Samarkis]

That's why "canning" was so popular.....one would grow things in warm times and "preserve" it for winter......Things like tomatoes,sweet potatoes,muscadine grapes....these grow like weeds and are usually hardy & then one can can them....if ya want fresh greens, learn how to grow sprouts....alfalfa,beans,other exotic greens......they usually sprout in a jar of water within 2-3 days & are fresh greens.....just rinse out two times a day so ya don't have bacteria growing amongst it......: )

Posted by dddanieljjjamesss (here)
My main concern right now is how to effectively grow food in New England to the point of being able to survive...

I have been looking at indoor gardening, and it seems feasible, but in the event that one can't pay the electric and heating bills there's not much you can do up here during the cold season.

I was considering buying a high pressure sodium light and transforming the pantry into a little garden. It would be enough fresh organic food to help my roommates and I get through a rough period. As far as outdoor gardening, I don't live in an area that will support it, and it isn't viable because of the weather.

Anyone want to come up with a fool proof food solution? A way to TRULY be "self sufficient?"

[Celine]

Foraging is a skill many of us should learn as well..

Gardening is not always a practical solution.

Top 7 Resources for Learning to Safely Forage for Wild Food...

http://www.greenjoyment.com/top-7-re...wild-food.html

[elspru]

I support seedball forest gardening.
It is simple, easy to learn the basics, highly productive,
and can sustain itself without maintenance.

seedballs:

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=dWyduWsoy8o

forest gardening:

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=u75q3KaZGy4

[Beth]

Hi all, thought I'd just add to this thread instead of starting a new one. Just wanted to share my little project with you

Our garden is doing really well so far and I plan on canning quite a bit of stuff. A customer of ours is going to give us a canning machine, which is very nice of her!



Also, I've been raising some chicks for eggs, they are growing quite fast. We also built the coop ourselves and it's almost done (thank God, lol).






Here's a pic of them as babies for all you fellow animal lovers:

[Beth]

Chicken coop is done! YAY!

[yiolas]

That's a beautiful chicken coop Yaya. I've got some of my own that I will share soon.

[Beth]

Posted by yiolas (here)
That's a beautiful chicken coop Yaya. I've got some of my own that I will share soon.

Thank you very much yiolas, it was quite a bit of work, LOL. I look forward to seeing your pics!

[HORIZONS]

Posted by yaya551 (here)
Chicken coop is done! YAY!

Well done I'd say - you could probably sell some pre-fab kits to the locals around your area.
Here are my chickens: https://youtube.com/user/xfwykklp#p/u/18/SgI9t4Fvd8E

[morguana]

The Essence of Biodynamics

A biodynamic farm functions as a strong, self-sustaining and vibrant single organism that recognizes and respects the basic principles at work in nature. It is a complete system in which all the different components of the farm are seen as parts of a greater whole. With farm animals at the centre a self-sustaining, balanced and harmonious environment is the result.

Special manure and herb-based preparations are applied to the fields and compost to enhance and stimulate the microbiological life in the soil and improve fertility. These have been shown to significantly improve the health and well being of soil, plant and animal as well as enhancing the vitality, flavour and keeping qualities of the produce for the benefit of the consumer. With the soil sequestering up to 25% more carbon than conventional farming methods, the health of the planet is also cared for. Biodynamic is a sound basis for sustainable food production.

Further to this biodynamic farmer recognizes that the life of a farm is exposed to wider as well as internal farm-based influences. The more subtle rhythms associated with the sun, the moon and the planets form the basis of an annually produced planting calendar. This guides the farmer towards appropriate times for cultivation and sowing for maximum quantity and quality.

The result is a rich and diverse farm built on sound organic principles that is embedded and sensitized to its surroundings. It produces food with such an individual quality that, as with wine, it can be described as having the ‘terroir’ of the farm – the sense of the place where it was grown.

might wish to check out bio-dynamic farming practices
where we used to live we had a veg box from our local bio-dynamic farm, the food was awsome, really tasty, this practice can be scaled to ones own needs
love m

edit to add, dont forget to keep a third of ones crop to reseed, that way the plants over time will adapt to ones own soil, environment etc

[Beth]

Posted by HORIZONS (here)
Well done I'd say - you could probably sell some pre-fab kits to the locals around your area.
Here are my chickens: https://youtube.com/user/xfwykklp#p/u/18/SgI9t4Fvd8E

You have quite a few chickens, LOL!

[HORIZONS]

Here is one of the gardens we have this year...

http://web.me.com/expanding_horizons...ns/Garden.html

We also did an onion bed, a garlic bed and a cantaloupe bed.

PS. That's WAY to many chickens - I like your setup better. LOL

[Beth]

Posted by HORIZONS (here)
Here is one of the gardens we have this year...

http://web.me.com/expanding_horizons...ns/Garden.html

We also did an onion bed, a garlic bed and a cantaloupe bed.

PS. That's WAY to many chickens - I like your setup better. LOL

Oh wow, are those sunflowers? Those are some tall plants, LOL. The tomatoes look yummy!!!!

I'll have to take a recent pic of my chick, Ladybug. She's very tame and likes to sit on my shoulder, she's very sweet

[HORIZONS]

Posted by yaya551 (here)
Oh wow, are those sunflowers? Those are some tall plants, LOL. The tomatoes look yummy!!!!

I'll have to take a recent pic of my chick, Ladybug. She's very tame and likes to sit on my shoulder, she's very sweet

I would love to see a chicken sitting on your shoulder - that would be a redneck pirate in this neck of the woods. LOL :D

[Beth]

Just got a canning book today, I have a lot to learn.

And I promise to get a pic of Ladybug on my shoulder soon, lol.

[Caren]

And don't forget the others (chickens) yaya - might we see them all? I suspect one will have a cast on it's toe, poor girl (the chicken)
Blessings,
caren