Getting the flock out of here - a diary of a crazy chicken man

Typhoon Vinta slams into Northern Philippines

41ye.jpg


This one will have no effect on us
 
My real goal is to be able to live as cheaply but richly as possible with the resources we have within our grasps.

I have the luxury of 2.5 acres of land but the older I get the more I think how crazy it is to have plants that are just decorative. I want dual purpose everything. If you have the ability to chose, why have a pretty shrub when you can have a pretty shrub that also is edible by me or my animals? Why have a shade palm when you can have a pygmy coconut tree?

And why not use the land you have to grow animal that can give you pleasure to look at as well as the satisfaction of cooking?

The Tilapia would be perfect addition to the plan but to teach Bernie and to expect Bernie to take on another food group may be too much. When I am home I will talk with the Ag College about an intern to help Bernie. Then we can talk about pigs and fish.

Amen on the plants with a purpose thing. I HATE the whole 'lawn' culture we've gotten into in the US, it's so sad to me that folks get such a hard time for trying to grow food instead of lawns. Silly wasteful lawns. I was raised with my mom growing veggies and fruits. Every house we lived at, she would plant grape vines and fruit trees, aside from her rented community garden plot she maintained until the day she died. My mom gardened in my backyard, everytime she visited. Always her fingers in the dirt.
smile.png


I have planted a fig, a grape and a muscadine this year. I also planted the seed of a storebought mango and to my surprise this thing has flourished! It's in my bathroom now, I am scared it wont handle the colder temps
lol.png
I have fished purslane out of my neighbor's gutter, hoping it will grow in my yard. That stuff is an amazing source of omega3's... let's hope the chickens will like it if it grows. There's also a nursery in the next town that has all sorts of wonderful 'exotic' things. I hope to add atleast a plum next year, and hopefully a persimmon and a pomegranate.. they carry olives, limes, lemons and oranges that are suited for my climate though, which is tantalizing to say the least!

In a perfect world this is my retirement: LOADS of plants that provide food to either me or my chickens. Maybe a pond with edible fish. I'm 31, we've got time
wink.png
 
Quote: Mangos need zone 11 to live outside.... thats pretty much Hawaii.

Here is a write up on mangos

From other sources Mangos grown from seed take six to ten years to bear fruit. ANd the tree itself can live up to 300 years and still bear fruit. Oh and they get 120 feet tall.

I personally want as many kinds of citrus as will live in my climate.... Tangerines, Lemons, limes, Some Oranges Kumquats. My experience is in citrus. Avocados dont take frost so they wouldn't live in my neck of the woods. Of course I also want Figs apples and peaches and nectarines..... I dont have long enough frost for some varieties but others do quite well....

I also want to espalier my Citrus to make them a living hedge/barrier for people. Most Citrus has some pretty respectable thorns.
 
Mangos need zone 11 to live outside.... thats pretty much Hawaii.

Here is a write up on mangos

From other sources Mangos grown from seed take six to ten years to bear fruit. ANd the tree itself can live up to 300 years and still bear fruit. Oh and they get 120 feet tall.

I personally want as many kinds of citrus as will live in my climate.... Tangerines, Lemons, limes, Some Oranges Kumquats. My experience is in citrus. Avocados dont take frost so they wouldn't live in my neck of the woods. Of course I also want Figs apples and peaches and nectarines..... I dont have long enough frost for some varieties but others do quite well....I did

I also want to espalier my Citrus to make them a living hedge/barrier for people. Most Citrus has some pretty respectable thorns.
I did not know that citrus had thorns!!

We would SO love to add an orange tree or two, but being in upstate NY, the only way we could keep a citrus tree would be indoors or at the neighbor's green house. I think they have a lemon tree as it is.

We ARE growing a pineapple though! We cut the top off a pineapple last year and put it in a vase with water and then we kind of forgot about it, lol. Months and months and months later, my husband was like, "Oh hey!!! The pineapple top has roots!" So we planted it. Its getting nice and big! Our neighbor has one that grew a fruit on it. That would be nice!
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom