Distressed times garden tactics..

[pinner420]

With the world cycling insane events daily.. what are your new garden allocations looking like for 2023?

 

[Deleted member 2835]

With the world cycling insane events daily.. what are your new garden allocations looking like for 2023?

I wouldn't mind getting two more lights. A mini-split air-conditioner would be awesome too.

 

[pinner420]

I wouldn't mind getting two more lights. A mini-split air-conditioner would be awesome too.

Im thinking solar power action to keep stuff rolling and a light dep..

 

[H.A.F.]

Personally, I am rethinking life in general. Self sufficiency is the key, and not just with weed. I got two 3-rack shelves of t-5's set up to start tomatoes and peppers - but after that I will work on a lettuce/microgreen rotation for starters.

I tried several indoor things this winter and the surprise was an "Orange Hat" tomato. half gallon pot, plant grew 6" tall but spread out a bit, and I got about 40 cherry tomatoes from it. It was a novelty, but a whole shelf of them is winter tomatoes. At least enough to have a few regularly.

Herbs are good too, but now I am just doing wild stuff to see what takes. I start them indoors but once they are out they seem to come back every year.

Outside I hired a dude with a skidsteer to clear and level an area about 30' x 60'. For now it's cover crops and lots of mulch from all over the yard. This spring it gets some pumpkins, melons and squash to make bio mass, and because they only need a little mound and spread from there. Eventually it'll be row crops like beans and corn for real food. It's also large enough for a greenhouse ifI want to go that route.

 

[Fiddler's Green]

I have big dreams for a garden expansion and orchard, here are some doodles I've made to capture ideas.


Our garden currently stops at the greenhouse but I want to add a solar powered well for irrigation and new greenhouse in the future. This year I'll be adding a chicken run/compost area along side the greenhouse to entice the chickens to stay in there and put in work vs shitting everywhere and laying eggs in the woods. I'll be staking out locations for the orchard and buying more fruit trees/bushes this year also.

Fermentation experimentation with what we get out of the garden this year will be fun.

Resilience is the plan not just for us but for the neighbors if needed. Trying to keep things internal and have systems that work together (meat chicken tractor inside the garden, wide variety of flowers with different bloom times for maximum pollinator presence, mixed cover crops). I'm saving my pesos for a freeze dryer to make my own spices, emergency food and *ahem* you know..

I wish I had a tractor or skid steer

 

[H.A.F.]

I wish I had a tractor or skid steer

I was thinking about that - and that isn't even an option for me. Not a mechanic, so other than changing the oil and plugs it's gonna cost me down the road. Parts, fuel and lubricants, etc. just make it more not worth it for me. I do have a battery powered tiller that is perfect for "hoeing" a row of seeds, and it it can work the top 4-6" of soil in a given area pretty well. Fuck the neighbors. If I have extra they can have some. I'm just growing for me so that is probability.

I am looking more at having a decent size area that I can fit lots of stuff in, but that isn't more work than I can handle as I get older. If I start no-tilling now it's just going to get better. I have a 15 x 25 area behind the house - might be different this year after I get done - and the aforementioned larger garden that ain't a garden yet. The smaller one is fence protected from larger rodents like the woodchucks and bunny's so that's where my peppers and tomatoes go - and whatever can companion plant with them, beans and cukes on the fence, etc.

The larger one I want for rows of bulk food crops. Corn, beans, grains for me and the grow, melons, etc. Then I need to start on fall crops in the summer like I haven't been doing...

I was never raised around a seasonal gardening farm-style set up. I need a good 365-day calendar for what to do that is adjustable to the zip code or something.

 

[H.A.F.]

I planted a bulb of Early Italian Purple spring garlic today. It divided up into a single little pot for inside, a 5-clove two gal pot, and a windowsill box with 8.

That's 14 cloves mid summer from one. That is sustainable. I got 6 cloves with my order so I think one more in some well worked soil in the garden setting, then the other 4 are getting mistreated around the property to see where they take off wild.

I need some good permanent plant tags that aren't eye-sores for all the random shit I plant egverywhere.

 

[Deleted member 2835]

I'm planning on recycling my coco into the outdoor garden soil. Definitely need to get a fence or a solar powered animal repellent. Thinking about getting a greenhouse just not alot of yard for it with all of my other shit I have outside. But yeah tomatoes hot peppers (basket of fire and ghost varieties) cucumbers, carrots, marigolds for pest prevention, just an average suburban garden.

 

[Zaphod420]

I want to try building a proof of concept Wally this year and see what kind of temps I can keep in both summer and winter. If It proves out I plan on trying to integrate some aquaponic elements the next year and hopefully never want for fish and veg again. Oh and there will probably be a few weed plants in there as well.

 

[H.A.F.]

I want to try building a proof of concept Wally this year and see what kind of temps I can keep in both summer and winter. If It proves out I plan on trying to integrate some aquaponic elements the next year and hopefully never want for fish and veg again. Oh and there will probably be a few weed plants in there as well.

For all that time money and effort he put into it he ain't growing shit! I wonder how long it'll take to make it worth it - or will the polycarb be yellow and opaque by then?

This looks like a great stating idea for a MUCH smaller scale project.

 

[H.A.F.]

Actually I read that when you factor in replacement cost and how often each type of stuff needs it the plastic films like on hoop-houses is actually cheaper by a long shot. This is an example - not looking up prices for specifics. If the plastic film is 1/10th the cost but only needs to be replaced in 1/4 of the time of the solid panels, it's a no brainer. So if the panels last 10 years, but the film only lasts 3 years you are still winning, as long as replacement is something you can do yourself.

 

[Zaphod420]

Actually I read that when you factor in replacement cost and how often each type of stuff needs it the plastic films like on hoop-houses is actually cheaper by a long shot. This is an example - not looking up prices for specifics. If the plastic film is 1/10th the cost but only needs to be replaced in 1/4 of the time of the solid panels, it's a no brainer. So if the panels last 10 years, but the film only lasts 3 years you are still winning, as long as replacement is something you can do yourself.

Cost is definitely a concern for me so if I do one it will be a bit smaller and I plan on rocking the much more affordable 2 layers of poly film w/ a fan and leave the poly sheeting for people who have money to burn. Much cheaper and a 5 R value instead of 2. I plan on having a couple of outlets in my Wally anyways for some improved air flow and eventually some pumps and air stones for the fish.

 

[Fiddler's Green]

@Zaphod420
I've been looking at that concept for a hoop house. The only thing missing for me is a way to make it solar powered. I've also wondered if it would work double layering the clear plastic panels

This vato has the right idea

 

[H.A.F.]

@Zaphod420
I've been looking at that concept for a hoop house. The only thing missing for me is a way to make it solar powered. I've also wondered if it would work double layering the clear plastic panels

This vato has the right idea

I don't live in the great white north. I can grow stuff without cover. Today I planted two packs of quinoa. Supposed to be very colorful flowers so I planted them in the front in a flower bed I also have some assorted barley, amaranth, buckwheat, millet, and a few other grains to see what works here. If they don't work for me-food they can work for birdseed.

One thing I noticed was todo this well I need to know what to plant when. Some of the grains said wait for late spring, almost summer, the quinoa said plant it before frost. Who knew... I plan to be reading some seed packs and writing shit down...

I am saving garden space for garden stuff. Tomatoes and peppers, then the carrots that can be companion planted betweeen the tomatoes.

 

[Zaphod420]

@Zaphod420
I've been looking at that concept for a hoop house. The only thing missing for me is a way to make it solar powered. I've also wondered if it would work double layering the clear plastic panels

This vato has the right idea

Yeah it's safe to say when you have citrus trees dropping fruit in the middle of winter when it's -28F outside you have your shit DIALED. The double layering of the clear plastic panels would totally work but that is going to cost a very pretty penny. If your going to drop that much on it you might just consider watching your local craigslist and snag some sliding glass doors or find somebody that is replacing all their houses windows and selling their old ones on the cheap and roll with real glass.

Solar keeps coming down in price but how long that continues to be the case who knows. The tech keeps getting better though and you can get one of those all and one units with a couple of nice sized solar pannels for around $2500 if you are going to build this thing where there is now power.

 

[Deleted member 2835]

Have you ever grown poppies? They're trick af starting them but once they go they really go.

 

[H.A.F.]

Have you ever grown poppies? They're trick af starting them but once they go they really go.

I dropped some today by the quinoa LOL That's just too fucking wierd! Poppies and pink dandelions.