Growing your own food: April 2012

[jbschickens]

We have been adding raised beds each year - up to 13 3 X 30' with 8 more 50' going up in next couple of weeks for tomatoes, peppers and potatoes. They are so much easier to keep up with weeding, wish I'd done it years ago! Love that we don't have to keep tilling- just add a little more dirt and compost as they settle a little each year. We have lots of lettuce, spinach, beets, chives and peas up and growing. Potatoes going in as soon as rain lets up! Lots of seedlings growing bigger by the day that will go out as soon as it ever warms up. Seems strange that we had so much warm weather earlier and now it's colder than normal. We're running a little behind because we put a lot of time in building a greenhouse that will also have a couple of raised beds in it for winter harvesting.
My favorites to order from are Fedco, Johnny's, Pinetree, Select Seeds for flowers, and Territorial.
Happy Gardening to you all!

That's awesome! I hope I have that much garden space one day! I've just started composting too, so by next season I'll be able to add some the the beds I already have.

 

[flgardengirl]

Some of my favorite places to order are from
-wintersown- http://wintersown.org/wseo1/YourChoiceTomatoSASE.html - you can get about 6 pkg of free tomato seeds for the cost of postage once a year. They run out quick so order early in the spring. They usually give you some freebe flower seeds or other vegetables as well. You can learn how to save your own tomato seeds here too.
-Seed Savers http://seedsavers.org/
-Totally Tomatoes- Has good pepper and tomato seeds http://www.totallytomato.com/
- Echo seeds. Uses proceeds to help fight hunger and has programs to help people plant their own crops. http://www.echonet.org/content/SeedBank

 

[deek]

I love SeedSaversExchange.com I bought most of my seeds from them this year. I got all organic, heirloom, open pollinated. I am really going to try to save more seeds this year. I saved enough green beans and sugar snap peas from last year to not have to buy any this year. yay!

Thank you Kathryn 4629!

 

[deek]

Some of my favorite places to order are from
-wintersown- http://wintersown.org/wseo1/YourChoiceTomatoSASE.html - you can get about 6 pkg of free tomato seeds for the cost of postage once a year. They run out quick so order early in the spring. They usually give you some freebe flower seeds or other vegetables as well. You can learn how to save your own tomato seeds here too.
-Seed Savers http://seedsavers.org/
-Totally Tomatoes- Has good pepper and tomato seeds http://www.totallytomato.com/
- Echo seeds. Uses proceeds to help fight hunger and has programs to help people plant their own crops. http://www.echonet.org/content/SeedBank

Thank you!!

 

[larca83]

This is making me hungry. This year is my first garden that consists of more than just a few pots on a balcony. Planning and starting raised beds for:
Tomatoes, a few varieties
Bell peppers
Jalapeno peppers
Green beans
Zucchini
Pumpkins
Onions
Carrots
Rosemary
Parsley
Thyme
Strawberries

Trying our hand at sweet corn, too. We'll see how that goes.

 

[chickundercover]

Quite the variety of plants going on this board!
This is my first year doing a garden, and I am failing pretty miserably at it. I got impatient and started my seeds WAY too early, and they all were root bound by the time it warmed up enough outside. Im still trying to save a couple of tomato plants, bush beans, cucumbers. Hopefully I will do better with the lettuce, carrots and beets!
For seeds I recommend seed savers, It seems that every single seed I planted came up with them. Totally suprized me!
Eventually I would love to replace all of our lawn with garden, but first I need to get the basics down!

 

[chickenrun1020]

Im growing my seeds inside corn, cucumber and tomatoes. It's to cold to plant outside right now. last year I planted a peach tree I dont get much fruit from it yet, but hopefully soon. I bought blue berry bushes (6) and Rasberry bushes just havent had a chance to plant them yet. I havent found the perfect place yet.

 

[kmatt87]

Im growing my seeds inside corn, cucumber and tomatoes. It's to cold to plant outside right now. last year I planted a peach tree I dont get much fruit from it yet, but hopefully soon. I bought blue berry bushes (6) and Rasberry bushes just havent had a chance to plant them yet. I havent found the perfect place yet.

for your peach tree... you should trim 1/3 of the tree every yr. Peaches only seem to grow on either 1 yr or 3 yr (can't remember) growth. If you prune the tree you should have at least 1/3 of it producing every yr for you.

Raspberries and blueberries will take at least 3 yrs to produce once planted.

 

[BusyBlonde]

Great thread - I love what everyone is growing!

I have two gardens and six raised beds. I have an asparagus bed, and have planted/will be planting two kinds of potatoes, six different kinds of peppers, peanuts (first attempt), ambrosia corn, zucchini, yellow squash, acorn squash, butternut squash, peas, sugar snap peas, romaine & mesclun lettuces, pak choi (a baby bok choi), carrots, radishes, three or four kinds of beans, two kinds of watermelon, cucumbers, ten (I think) different heirloom tomato varieties, artichokes (I have about 15 on the two plants now), onions, garlic, shallots, grapes, raspberries, blueberries, and herbs - parsley, sage, thyme, rosemary, tarragon, dill, basil, cilantro, cumin. I had horrible luck last year with my broccoli & cauliflower; and I didn't start the plants soon enough this year to take advantage of the spring. I think it's too late to get them in this year, I'll have to do a fall crop, along with spinach.

Now that I look at that list, I didn't realize just how much I was growing, LOL! I love going down to the gardens in the summer and cooking food within minutes of picking it. There's no comparison.

 

[loanwizard]

Geez! I haven't even tilled yet lol! Last year was my very first garden and it failed spectacularly! I took a grassy area, tilled it under, bought flats of plants.... too many and planted all of them about 10 inches apart lol! Weeds took over and I got cucumbers the size of golf balls and tomatoes even smaller.

Last fall, I put 2 hogs in the garden. They spent til February tilling weeding and fertilizing my space. Planning to til in the next week or so. This year I plan to space at least 24 inches and go with the mantra that less is more. Debating the use of plastic although the hogs rooted very well and the area is barren. I also added many scoops of composted horse manure.

Anyhow, the reason I am posting is I have a little different take on "What type of food do you plan to grow this year?"

I am growing meat chickens, processing roosters, will have feeder pigs as well as breeder stock, and plan to get a few ducks and turkeys. We don't have the space for beef but a neighbor does, so our intent is to grow our own meat this year.

I bought a canner earlier this year and plan to grow potatoes, beans, tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage, onions, etc...

Wish me luck, I will need it.

I would like to grow grapes and strawberries, but honestly haven't researched it. I would love to can those so off to the farm market when the season comes.