Anyone living off the land?

[newbie32]

Tomatoes like water. So try to water late in the evenings each day if u don't have any rain. I can 't believe u can plant vegs. this time of year. That is wild . It is getting colder every day here and winter is coming on us quickly. I will not be able to plant a garden again till April. Good luck with your little garden. Hey, by the way what did u end up using for lumber and in ur soil ?

I planted the tomato in a pot on the northeast side of the house all the way up next to it. As long as I don't plant in our soil (because it is salty sand) I can grow for 2 seasons a year. Both fall and spring will yield nicely. After mid May the temperatures start to climb drastically into the 100's. Around July they hit 120+ degrees. So summer is a no no if I want food. I am not sure what I want to plant yet. I have several different seeds that I am debating on so I will let you know. Thanks for the heads up on watering everyday. I was only watering every other day-opps!!!

I ended up using the dresser for my raised bed. After inspecting it I realized it wasn't as cheap of wood as I thought. It is actually pretty darn sturdy-although I am not sure what kind it is-it is a light wood. It is fairly heavy so I hope it works!!! I detached all the hardware today except what was holding it together. I then placed it where I want it and sectioned it off into 3 different areas.

Does anyone know if I will have to purchase new soil every year or can I FEED the soil I bought this year with egg shells and such to keep it good?

AND I was doing research and I MIGHT be able to grow Amaranth in the soil here as long as I mulch it heavily and add a little potting soil to ground it-WOOHOO!!! Anyone know anything about them? I love the colors of them but only a few varieties have good greens and grain so I will research to find the right one.

 

[ShinShien]

I can't live off the land. I have goats in my yard.

 

[newbie32]

I can't live off the land. I have goats in my yard.

Well your goats live off the land and you-probably-eat and milk your goats so that counts!!! Plus, depending on how big your yard is, you can section off a small space for raised beds. Or you can have a few dwarf fruit trees growing in pots in the front yard or even your porch if it gets enough sun. You can do a pretty raised bed made of rock in the front yard and grow 2 or 3 veggies in it. The beds can be as small as 2x2 0r 2x4. Where there is a will there is a way!! I am a first timer and I cant wait to be more healthy and self reliant!!! Plus you have chickens I am assuming-BYC?

 

[ShinShien]

Well your goats live off the land and you-probably-eat and milk your goats so that counts!!! Plus, depending on how big your yard is, you can section off a small space for raised beds. Or you can have a few dwarf fruit trees growing in pots in the front yard or even your porch if it gets enough sun. You can do a pretty raised bed made of rock in the front yard and grow 2 or 3 veggies in it. The beds can be as small as 2x2 0r 2x4. Where there is a will there is a way!! I am a first timer and I cant wait to be more healthy and self reliant!!! Plus you have chickens I am assuming-BYC?

Well, right now, they're just 5-month-old kids. They ate Dad's garden; he didn't like that. By next year, they get their own section. I do get eggs from the chickens.

 

[JesNflock]

I was able to post a few pics below...I have a lot more info and pics...info I would be glad to share via email on how to accomplish these goals...they ARE possible...!

Gypsy, what are the black things in the first picture? Btw everything looks yummy!

 

[newbie32]

Well, right now, they're just 5-month-old kids. They ate Dad's garden; he didn't like that. By next year, they get their own section. I do get eggs from the chickens.

oh I bet he was MAAADD!!! Well keep at it and next year you will have goats milk and veggies and all will be a funny memory-hopefully!

 

[newbie32]

Gypsy, what are the black things in the first picture? Btw everything looks yummy!

I think they are a melon that are being held up by cloth.

 

[J3nn]

Would it take a long time for the chemicals to leach out of the railroad ties? Is it the kriso on them that could contaminate the vegetables you grow ? Not sure on all this or the landscaping timber ideal. I sure would want any one to get sick with one of my ideals. My neighbors have used them for years also. I'm thinking I will get my garden space started this time by laying card board down to kill the weeds and grass during the winter. The ground will be easier

It's the creosote in the wood that can leach out into the vegetables. I have no idea how long it will continue to leach out-and I'm not sure at what levels it would either. But I'm assuming that a lot of folks that want to grow their own food do it because you can control what is (or is not) in your food. The information about creosote was passed along to me a while back and I'm just trying to pass the information forward!

I'm not sure on the cardboard. I put down newspaper. The paper is recycled material and the ink is soy. That's worked well for me in the past to control weeds. I wonder if the soy ink would get into the vegetables? I don't have a soy allergy, so it never crossed my mind until I typed this out.

 

[newbie32]

It's the creosote in the wood that can leach out into the vegetables. I have no idea how long it will continue to leach out-and I'm not sure at what levels it would either. But I'm assuming that a lot of folks that want to grow their own food do it because you can control what is (or is not) in your food. The information about creosote was passed along to me a while back and I'm just trying to pass the information forward!

I'm not sure on the cardboard. I put down newspaper. The paper is recycled material and the ink is soy. That's worked well for me in the past to control weeds. I wonder if the soy ink would get into the vegetables? I don't have a soy allergy, so it never crossed my mind until I typed this out.

How do you know the ink is soy? Also, wouldn't soy alter your plants genetic makeup?

 

[J3nn]

How do you know the ink is soy? Also, wouldn't soy alter your plants genetic makeup?

Nearly all modern ink on newspapers (NOT magazines) is soy. I happen to know for sure my local papers use soy ink because it's printed right on the front page. I don't worry about the soy and my plants, but that's my opinion. That concern would also carry over to printed cardboard, as it would have soy based ink as well. Unless it's coated with slick paper, then the chemicals in those inks are far worse. I guess if you really want to control the weeds and be as chemical free as possible, there's no short cut-just the hard work of pulling weeds daily!