Grow your own — Food Self-sufficiency for you

[nearing]

Posted by Strat (here)
This may be offtopic, but I don't want to start a new thread for this. Here is my second broccoli harvest so far (maybe the last, I'll know in a week or so):

2nd Harvest

Here is what a broccoli looks like when it is getting ready to flower. See the bulbs/heads separating? Maybe next week it will flower. I purposely left it so that I could show this to you folks.

Gorgeous! You are lucky to be in an area where you can get broccoli in February!

[Strat]

Thanks! That was my first try at broccoli and they definitely exceeded my expectations.

In about a month I'll start tomatoes, they grow really well in FL. The vines can exceed 8' in length. It's actually a bit of an issue finding ways to keep them off the ground.

[Arrowwind]

Posted by Flash (here)
AnThank you for reminding us. Everytimes I see a thread like this one, I have a tendency not to read it because most of the suggestions are for warm or temperate climates and are not relevant in a very cold climate.

What I would like to find is how to make small greenhouses in basements for example to start seeds growing and how to plant earlier in the season to avoid the seeds to freeze. And how to heat the whole stuff without any gaz or oil.

Finally, may be how to handle a rifle to be able to hunt.......lol, rifles are forbidden in Canada unless you are a registered hunter, and it takes time to get the permit.

We are in planning stages for our green house. You would love it. we are in a very cold climate with a 60 tp 70 day growing season. The green house will be about 20 x 10. The north wall will be solid and could be constructed into a earthen slope if desired but we dont have that so it will be a solid insulated wall lined with 50 gallon drums filled with water. Facing south it will have 2 doors one in the east and one in the west for good cross ventilation in the summer as I will want to grow in there in the summer as well as spring and fall. We will have an electric heater for those few days or nights in may and june and september when it may be needed. on the south side we are thinking of putting in a passive solar air panel... made out of coke cans in a about a 5 x 12 frame painted black. The heat up during the day even if its cold out, from the sun and blow with a small fan hot air up to 100 degrees into the greenhouse, heating up the soil and drums etc. Heres a site about them.. lots of videos on their construction available.. the panel may stand vertical with only storage behind it in the green house or it may go on the roof
https://youtube.com/watch?v=3KL35Z4_VFs We are hoping to extend our growing season by 6 weeks on each end of the summer.,, but I think I may be able to grow some greens up until thanksgiving... end of november.

We will not use glass but a double thick poly carbonate. One fan will also go in above a door to help keep it cool in the summer.

[Bo Atkinson]

Here is an update: Yet another experimental "insulating" of a greenhouse.... The main feature is that it kept soil well above freezing (in zone 5a). Though reduced sun angle here begs for some LED lights. Yet this size provided kale and mustard greens all winter. The point is that without added insulation, greenhouses freeze dry the plants.

I've added the concept of insulating a skirt around the greenhouse.... To help 'annualize' the summer energy, kinda. My eye lid currently is a crudely welded steel frame with two layers of bubble pack sheets, hand-rolled-seams-stapled. The rest of structure is ferrocement arches, with cardboard and scrap foam, all covered with rubber-roof-sheet. The minimum R value is maybe 2 or 3.

http://harmoniouspalette.com/EyelidG...reenhouse.html

The doubled layer poly carbide is a form of insulation. I had clad a big dome with that in 1995. Before the end of the 10 year 'guarantee' it was developing opacity (hazing-yellowing, which reduces sunlight entry). It's a shame that the plastic industry refuses advanced development of greenhouse materials. Owned buy big oil, no doubt they don't want more-durable greenhouses for the people. Ultimately i' might upgrade insulation further.

[Strat]

I thought the frost killed my broccolis but they are strong. Here is that pic I promised, a broccoli when it is flowering:

Flowering broccoli

The flowers are edible. Actually the whole plant is edible, not sure about the roots though.

The rebar in the background is one of several. When it freezes I lay plastic over the broccolis to protect them from frost. I put rebar in key points to hold the plastic up. The PVC elbow piece keeps the rebar from poking holes in the plastic.

[778 neighbour of some guy]

Bump.................

[seleka]

ok I saw this earlier. Did a search on PA for walipini which showed none and then greenhouses and I think this is the right thread for this, if not, let me know. This can be made for $300 it says.
http://www.bensoninstitute.org/Publi...s/Walipini.pdf
http://www.trueactivist.com/build-a-...und-gardening/

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=qB8AE_H_YTc

[risveglio]

Posted by karika (here)
ok I saw this earlier. Did a search on PA for walipini which showed none and then greenhouses and I think this is the right thread for this, if not, let me know. This can be made for $300 it says.
http://www.bensoninstitute.org/Publi...s/Walipini.pdf
http://www.trueactivist.com/build-a-...und-gardening/

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=qB8AE_H_YTc

This is pretty sweet, thanks.

[Conchis]

Ok...so this is probably going to make some of you guys think that I've lost it, but I encourage all of you to read a book called The Humanure Handbook by a guy named Joseph Jenkins. (I have NO financial interest in this thing.) I starting reading it because I am interested in building a super-adobe home on a little piece of land that I design using permaculture techniques. Of course, one of the tenets of permaculture is to work with the process and not against it. The use of a composting toilet is a part of that whole concept. After reading this book I have to say that I've become convinced that this is indeed a necessary change that everyone should consider in their own lives.

[sunflower]

http://humanurehandbook.com/instructions.html

This is a valuable site if you want to watch videos, download the book and get instructions on how to proceed to build your own "lovable loo"!

[Ron Mauer Sr]

Posted by sunflower (here)
http://humanurehandbook.com/instructions.html

This is a valuable site if you want to watch videos, download the book and get instructions on how to proceed to build your own "lovable loo"!

The sawdust toilet would become very valuable when electricity is not available for pumping water.

Although I've not tried this experiment, only heard that it worked, this may be a way to avoid building compost bins. Place a trash compactor bag (it is heavy duty plastic) inside the holding bucket. When removed, place the full bags in direct sunlight next to the garden for a few months. Composting is done inside the bag. No odor when complete.

[Carmen]

I've built a glasshouse on to my verander, enclosing a large patch of garden. It's brilliant. I got two big windows from a friend and the rest is glasslike plastic. Sorry can't remember the proper name for it. I got the idea from a book called Solviva. At the moment I have about forty tomatoes plants, several rows of potatoes, (I had those already in the ground, the glasshouse was built around them) grape, cucumbers, peppers, lemon, lime and egg plant. So, my harvest should be good. It's also so handy having everything at my fingertips. The verander is brilliant for propagating and seed nursery. A warm, sunny, sheltered spot to work in.

[Conchis]

Posted by Ron Mauer Sr (here)

Posted by sunflower (here)
http://humanurehandbook.com/instructions.html

This is a valuable site if you want to watch videos, download the book and get instructions on how to proceed to build your own "lovable loo"!

The sawdust toilet would become very valuable when electricity is not available for pumping water.

Although I've not tried this experiment, only heard that it worked, this may be a way to avoid building compost bins. Place a trash compactor bag (it is heavy duty plastic) inside the holding bucket. When removed, place the full bags in direct sunlight next to the garden for a few months. Composting is done inside the bag. No odor when complete.

Ron I haven't done this either, yet, but I think it's in my future. I've watched multiple videos on youtube and read this book and it appears that if this is done correctly (which everyone says is simple), there is no odor at any point in the process. I like your idea though because it would get the temps up and hold them there for a period which would be beneficial. The guy that writes the book says that this step is not necessary, he does say, that people act like they should don a hazmat suit to perform the tasks associated, but in reality, wiping one's ass proves to be more direct contact than any of the associated tasks and he doesn't advocate that people avoid that chore.....hahahaha....he's pretty funny.

[Conchis]

Posted by Carmen (here)
I've built a glasshouse on to my verander, enclosing a large patch of garden. It's brilliant. I got two big windows from a friend and the rest is glasslike plastic. Sorry can't remember the proper name for it. I got the idea from a book called Solviva. At the moment I have about forty tomatoes plants, several rows of potatoes, (I had those already in the ground, the glasshouse was built around them) grape, cucumbers, peppers, lemon, lime and egg plant. So, my harvest should be good. It's also so handy having everything at my fingertips. The verander is brilliant for propagating and seed nursery. A warm, sunny, sheltered spot to work in.

Hi Carmen, is the plastic, plexiglass? I'd love to have a greenhouse. I have a little sort of lean to kind of plastic seed starter. I'd love to see a photo of what you put together.

[Tigger]

Bumping this thread. It’s way more important than tracking political shenanigans