600 billion$ VS Your $; y'all'd best be planning a garden for spring

[pbjmaker]

Quote:
How much land do you have? You dont need much. You could also do raised beds.


Rammy

Our property is ~1/4 acre and we do have a garden. Just not as big as I would like and with a black walnut tree on the border of mine and the neighbors yard, that cuts back where I can plant. (Several types of plants do not grow near black walnuts)


I just need to go down to my parents house and make a huge garden. They have 25 acres that they do nothing with themselves - the neighbor mows part of it for hay. The ground down there is just terrible though and such a pain in the rear to till up and then the deer just eat everything.

Might have to do it anyhow.

I wish I could move my chickens down there also.

 

[pbjmaker]

Quote:
Um not all of Iowa is rich, black and fertile. My parents is allllllll clay as is mine. The only reason mine is decent is years of adding stuff to it.

 

[PineappleMama]

Quote:
Canning is really quite easy, I was surprised. Takes time, sterilize everything... but it's not hard.

Now not killing every plant that enters your domain... whole 'nother ballgame.

There's a lady near here that was going to have a "Square Foot Gardening" seminar-type thing in Nov... need to get in touch with her. Supposedly green beans are idiot proof... and you can get climbers. If I hack down that sapling along the fence... and move out the little border jobbers... it's got possibilities.

So, everyone else will be grabbing OUR products... and that leaves us with less... thus the price for US to buy any of the few remaining goes up... supply and demand pricing in the US, clearance for elsewhere? Is that the correct translation or am I losing it?

 

[joebryant]

Quote:
Canning is really quite easy, I was surprised. Takes time, sterilize everything... but it's not hard.

Now not killing every plant that enters your domain... whole 'nother ballgame.

There's a lady near here that was going to have a "Square Foot Gardening" seminar-type thing in Nov... need to get in touch with her. Supposedly green beans are idiot proof... and you can get climbers. If I hack down that sapling along the fence... and move out the little border jobbers... it's got possibilities.

So, everyone else will be grabbing OUR products... and that leaves us with less... thus the price for US to buy any of the few remaining goes up... supply and demand pricing in the US, clearance for elsewhere? Is that the correct translation or am I losing it?

Well, yeah, your translation is correct; however, that does not mean you're not "losing it". Good luck!

 

[HLAC]

I post this for all of you that don't have real dirt.

neener... neener...

This area of IL doesn't have much going for it... but I can dig down two feet and not find clay. Or rocks.

However we have insect pests that are unreal.


Seriously though, for those of you with poor soil. Raised beds. Fortify them with chicken poop and compost. You'll be able to grow stuff.


edited to add: I almost spent the $ for a canner this year and then ended up being a sissy about it. Next year.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Weak dollar= More American goods and products are sold overseas, Foreign tourists visit the US and spend money here, Foreign goods and products cost Americans more so they buy more American products. All that means more jobs for Americans. Risk of inflation and imported oil costs more. Purchasing power of the dollar has dropped so the cost of living in America goes up.

Strong dollar = Fewer American goods and products are sold overseas, American tourists can better afford to go overseas on vacation, Americans can better afford goods and products from overseas. This means fewer jobs for Americans. Inflation is better under control and imported oil does not cost as much. Purchasing power of the dollar is up so things cost less if you have money.

I know this is simplistic but I don't have a degree in economics. I have to keep it simple for me. To me the tradeoff is more jobs for Americans or you can better afford things if you have a job, but fewer people have jobs.

Go ahead and poke holes in this, but please be gentle to not get us shut down.

 

[Clay Valley Farmer]

Like my username, They didn't call it Clay Valley for nothing. Raised beds help and figuring out just what grows in your soil is the trick.

Carrots short thick ones do well for us as do cabbage, beans and squash. On the other hand tomatoes and corn are hardly worth the effort and seed.

With poor soil there are options to use limited good soil to plant potatoes in tires or even in hay. A raised bed with just 6-8 inches of topping over the clay will do wonders compared to trying to grow in clay.

Trouble with the whole ecconomy is they are still trying to figure out a way to have ecconomic growth, we are hitting the wall for energy supplies and without surplus energy further grown is simply impossible. Effort would be much better spent on conserving the growth and infrastructure that has been put in place through effective energy management and cutting our losses on things that simply can't be sustained, wars on the other side of the world, 3 car families, mega sports events like auto racing profesional football, hockey,baseball. Not to say do away with it, but scale it way back taking about 2-3 zeros off the pay cheques. Stop the speculative stockmarket trading of things that don't exist or have real value.

 

[Olive Hill]

Quote:
Um not all of Iowa is rich, black and fertile. My parents is allllllll clay as is mine. The only reason mine is decent is years of adding stuff to it.

And even clay soil isn't a death sentence for gardening. Our soil is so heavy in clay when we auger fence post holes they smoke and turn white.

You can sit inside and gripe about the clay or you can go out and start improving your soil now so you're ready come spring.

 

[Clay Valley Farmer]

Weak dollar= More American goods and products are sold overseas, Foreign tourists visit the US and spend money here, Foreign goods and products cost Americans more so they buy more American products. All that means more jobs for Americans. Risk of inflation and imported oil costs more. Purchasing power of the dollar has dropped so the cost of living in America goes up.

Weak dollar also = paying more for oil which is one of the biggest imports and is needed to produce exports. Hence the cost of exports goes up due to increased energy costs which works to nullify the trade advantage.

Weak dollar does not help an import nation as the price of goods imported goes up more than the total price of good exported goes up. If they could turn the trade defficite around to a surplus that could be changed but with oil and raw material imports being so huge that would be hard to do.​

 

[Rozzie]

Quote:
How much land do you have? You dont need much. You could also do raised beds.


Rammy

All that lumber to build raised beds is kind of pricey for my wishes. I'm building mounded beds without the edging. I'll "edge" as I scavenge cheap/free stuff that is suitable. (I have enough to edge one small bed here already.)