Homesteaders

[KlopKlop]

My goal is to reduce what we buy by half if I can.  

At the auction you are bidding on a unit price. If you win you can buy and many units for that price as you want. So for onions a unit is a 5 lb bag. If you wait and don't mind not having pick of the bin you can get them cheap that it almost isn't worth growing them! Of course we still like growing them took

 

[RustedOak]

Right now they're in a basket in the kitchen which is colder than the reset of the house. However I plan to try to grow onions this year. I've been asking DW how many pounds we go through each year.

I watched a Video, "Homestead Blessings, The art of gardening". It was okay but one thing I noted was the way they planted taters.

She just laid newspapers down then the taters and then a layer of straw/hay. She said to add another layer after the first has settled and the taters come up. Then she just pulled back the hay/straw and picked the taters. She also said you could use compost. She didn't say what kind of taters she used.

Who plants onions and what kind do you plant?

That's my method for taters as well, except I used bagged fall leaves. Worked very well.

 

[KlopKlop]

That's my method for taters as well, except I used bagged fall leaves. Worked very well. 

I have watched several YouTube videos about doing it that way. Do you put a thin layer of compost or soil on top of the paper?

 

[RustedOak]

I have watched several YouTube videos about doing it that way. Do you put a thin layer of compost or soil on top of the paper?

Actually, what I do is lay the potatoes directly on the soil and newspaper around them. That way they get direct soil contact but the paper acts as a weed suppressor and later worm food when it begins to break down

 

[KlopKlop]

Actually, what I do is lay the potatoes directly on the soil and newspaper around them. That way they get direct soil contact but the paper acts as a weed suppressor and later worm food when it begins to break down

Very cool! Thanks for sharing. I think I may try several types of potato methods this year. One in straw, one in a tower with soil, and then my old tried and true hill rows

 

[KlopKlop]

I am ready to start looking at seed catalogs now but none have come yet!

I am excited that this year will be my first year planting seeds I saved. I have pumpkin, butternut, and sunflower. And hopefully seed potatoes but I'm not holding my breathe for them to make it.

 

[duluthralphie]

I have about 3 Kloppers..

I was "happy" if that is the right word to say when you said your onions were small. I can never get decent size ones, I even tried the large Walla Walla last year I bought 400 sets the 3 that lived made it to 3/4 of an inch across.

 

[rancher hicks]

nope not renters. We paid cash so we don't even have a mortgage company. That's why everything is breaking, it's a 36 year old mobile home that was neglected for the last 33 years. That's also why we were able to pay cash, all we were charged for was the land and the buildings were thrown in free.

Don't get me wrong, I love my busted broke ugly tri color house. Its mine and no one can have it. However it's broke which makes for lots of fixing.

Sounds like a deal to me. Now you just need to fix the things and you're doing it for yourself. It doesn't hurt to get some advice from the experts and then do the work or as much as you can of the work yourself.

Get lots of "free" estimates.

Plus since you're doing the fixing you can do it right the first time.

 

[KlopKlop]

I have about 3 Kloppers..

I was "happy" if that is the right word to say when you said your onions were small.   I can never get decent size ones, I even tried the large Walla Walla last year I bought 400 sets the 3 that lived made it to 3/4 of an inch across.

I think that the growing season is just too short up here in the north. I have watched and read a ton and everyone with big onions started them in a greenhouse then transplanted them. AND they all lived down south.

I did also learn that you should tie up the shoots. When the shoots fall over and crimp, it indicates to the bulb to stop growing.
Recommendations were to put up fence posts at the ends of the rows and run twine back and forth between them to make a sort of grid for the shoots to go into for support

 

[duluthralphie]

I think that the growing season is just too short up here in the north. I have watched and read a ton and everyone with big onions started them in a greenhouse then transplanted them. AND they all lived down south.

I did also learn that you should tie up the shoots. When the shoots fall over and crimp, it indicates to the bulb to stop growing.
Recommendations were to put up fence posts at the ends of the rows and run twine back and forth between them to make a sort of grid for the shoots to go into for support

So you're saying I should just buy onions... rofl