What have you done for garden prep so far?

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I’ve spent a third of the day cleaning out the laundry room in the pole barn. It’s insulated and is a good place to keep the dogs when it drops below 50, which is about to happen. I’ve got a bunch of old sheets, blankets and a 2” thick piece of foam pad. Perfect for the boys.
 
Remember the green beans that had sprouted?

I moved them inside and placed them by the windows next to a much larger plant so they can climb. This will be an interesting experiment.

I'm definitely not expecting them to feed us this Winter.

We shall see.
I’m a garden hack. I can make plants produce when conditions are right. A true Gardner can make something produce even when conditions are not good.
 
I need to pickle some more banana peppers. Thats the last thing Im getting from the garden and they are comming in faster than We can use them .
20181027_105921.jpg
 
Thoes leaves are on the flowers planted next to the pepper plants . We have had a couple of frost so thats probably where damaged them . If We get a hard frost or freez it will kill them . I let the dead plants stand in the garden all winter to protect the soil and till them under next spring .
 
I had huge pots of ornamental peppers and the chickens ate them all.
Birds lack the ability to sense capsaicin, which is what makes peppers hot. Capsaicin is a defense mechanism against animals that have teeth and would destroy the seeds when chewing the pepper pods. Since birds don't chew, the seeds pass intact through their digestive system.
 
In my continual effort to keep plenty of bulk seed in storage, I just ordered another 5 lbs of collard seed. That is actually quite a bit of seed and should be over 1/2 million seeds as normally there are 128,000 seeds per lb. https://www.trueleafmarket.com/pages/search-results-page?q=collards+seeds

My prepping style is to form a community of neighbors on our rural lane. To do so, we will need bulk seed. So I continually add fresh seed to my seed stores as the older seed has a lesser germination rate the older it gets. A cheap way to grow food for a lot of folks is by growing greens and by growing them almost year round. In north Mississippi I can do so by planting collards during the cool months and amaranth during the hot ones... easily 9-10 months out of the year. Both have small seed so a few lbs will grow a tremendous amount of food. If you consider that 100 collard seeds can grow 77 lbs of food, just imagine how much food 500,000 seeds can grow. Collards are a cool weather plant that can take some temps below freezing. They grow during a time of year where we always have plenty of rain. Amaranth, on the other hand loves it hot and handles dry periods very well. IMO, it is very important to plan on growing crops that you know will be able to produce in your area & climate.

Yes, I store lots of other seed, with an emphasis on the three sisters... corn, pole beans and winter squash. But since amaranth & collard seeds are so small and can produce so danged much food, IMO all preppers should keep them in storage.

Here is a single collard plant, which is around 3 feet wide. As you pick the large leaves, the plant keeps putting out new leaves from the top.

oct-collards.jpg
 
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I harvest all my greens including lettuce that way too. I just dont see pulling it all up by the root when something will continuously put on new leaves. Even when it is the end of the season I will first cut off all the leaves before pulling. Makes cleaning so much easier.
Last year was great for growing greens and I put up enough to last a few years. I let 1 bed of collards and 1 bed of curly leaf mustard go to seed. Once the pods were dried I pulled the plants and threw into an old feed sack to thresh. Once out I removed the big stuff, then put everything left into a colander and sifted the seeds out. Worked good and now I am set on seeds to last me awhile.
 
I harvest all my greens including lettuce that way too. I just dont see pulling it all up by the root when something will continuously put on new leaves. Even when it is the end of the season I will first cut off all the leaves before pulling.
You know, I don't pull any plants. When they are done, I chop them at or near ground level, using either my field hoe, a machete, or one of my Hori Hori knives. I'm a believer in not disturbing the garden soil. I want those old roots to slowly decompose and help add nutrients/organic matter back into the soil. Also as those old roots slowly decompose, they will leave channels all thru the soil. The next plant's roots will grow down those channels following the path of least resistance plus following a path of nutrition. To me, great garden soil is a living organism that needs care and feeding and in return, gives back in a bountiful harvest.

I just ordered 25 lbs of Austrian winter peas, that will soon go in my garden beds. They will stay green all winter and protect the soil. Being legumes, they will put nitrogen back into the soil. In the spring, when ready to plant again, I will cut them off at ground level & leave them where they lie. Once again, more root structure to stay in the soil and green manure on top of the soil to hinder weeds and to slowly decompose and release more nutrients. Also the leaves of the winter peas taste absolutely wonderful & make a great winter salad.
 
You know, I don't pull any plants. When they are done, I chop them at or near ground level, using either my field hoe, a machete, or one of my Hori Hori knives. I'm a believer in not disturbing the garden soil. I want those old roots to slowly decompose and help add nutrients/organic matter back into the soil. Also as those old roots slowly decompose, they will leave channels all thru the soil. The next plant's roots will grow down those channels following the path of least resistance plus following a path of nutrition. To me, great garden soil is a living organism that needs care and feeding and in return, gives back in a bountiful harvest.

I just ordered 25 lbs of Austrian winter peas, that will soon go in my garden beds. They will stay green all winter and protect the soil. Being legumes, they will put nitrogen back into the soil. In the spring, when ready to plant again, I will cut them off at ground level & leave them where they lie. Once again, more root structure to stay in the soil and green manure on top of the soil to hinder weeds and to slowly decompose and release more nutrients. Also the leaves of the winter peas taste absolutely wonderful & make a great winter salad.
What is green manure?
 
What is green manure?
From Wikipedia:

Green manures usually perform multiple functions that include soil improvement and soil protection:

Depending on the species of cover crop grown, the amount of nitrogen released into the soil lies between 40 and 200 pounds per acre. With green manure use, the amount of nitrogen that is available to the succeeding crop is usually in the range of 40-60% of the total amount of nitrogen that is contained within the green manure crop.[2]
Average biomass yields and nitrogen yields of several legumes by crop:[3] Biomass tons acre−1 N lbs acre−1
Sweet clover 1.75 120
Berseem clover 1.10 70
Crimson clover 1.40 100
Hairy vetch 1.75 110
  • Green manure acts mainly as soil-acidifying matter to decrease the alkalinity/pH of alkali soils by generating humic acid and acetic acid.
  • Incorporation of cover crops into the soil allows the nutrients held within the green manure to be released and made available to the succeeding crops. This results immediately from an increase in abundance of soil microorganisms from the degradation of plant material that aid in the decomposition of this fresh material. This additional decomposition also allows for the re-incorporation of nutrients that are found in the soil in a particular form such as nitrogen (N), potassium (K), phosphorus (P), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and sulfur (S).
  • Microbial activity from incorporation of cover crops into the soil leads to the formation of mycelium and viscous materials which benefit the health of the soil by increasing its soil structure (i.e. by aggregation).[2]
The increased percentage of organic matter (biomass) improves water infiltration and retention, aeration, and other soil characteristics. The soil is more easily turned or tilled than non-aggregated soil. Further aeration of the soil results from the ability of the root systems of many green manure crops to efficiently penetrate compact soils. The amount of humus found in the soil also increases with higher rates of decomposition, which is beneficial for the growth of the crop succeeding the green manure crop. Non-leguminous crops are primarily used to increase biomass.
Incorporation of green manures into a farming system can drastically reduce the need for additional products such as supplemental fertilizers and pesticides.
 
What is green manure?
Let me explain maybe not so scientifically. Soil is like a bank account. You have deposits and withdrawals and at a minimum you want the account to stay in balance but would prefer the account to build up. Our crops make withdrawals, especially heavy feeders like corn. Today we mostly make deposits thru fertilizer and other chemicals added to the soil. Fail to make proper deposits and the crop is greatly reduced or fails. There are all sorts of ways where one can make deposits naturally and keep the soil account in balance. Rotation of crops, where you don't plant the same crop in the same plot over & over helps. Companion planting, such as the native American three sisters garden help, where the pole beans, a legume, add nitrogen back into the soil to help feed the corn. Allowing plots to stay unused for a year allows nature to rebuild the soil. Then cover crops, green manure, greatly help to build up that soil account. Most are legumes, so they take nitrogen from the air & store it in the ground. Their roots and above ground growth add nutrients and organic matter back into the soil as they decompose. Those same roots and above ground growth protect the soil from being washed away from the winter & spring rains. Keep in mind, these garden plots don't have a cover of grass to hold the soil in place. Short term cover crops, green manure, do that.

IMO, such natural gardening practices make perfect sense even today but will be life saving during an extended crisis. Another benefit from these green manures is that they help provide food for the wild game, during a time of year where little else grows. Around here farmers use a lot of clover, hairy vetch and winter peas in their fields. They especially use the winter peas when they want to feed the deer during the winter as they keep growing even when the temp drops to 10 degrees. My winter peas grow during the fall and early winter, stay pretty static during the cold winter and then have a huge rush of growth in the spring.

Here is one of my beds where I am cutting the winter peas.

tomato-bed1.jpg


And now in that bed, I'm planting tomatoes with my trusty Hori Horo knife & the dead peas will provide mulch and will slowly break down & add nutrients back into the soil. Note other bed with winter peas.

tomato-bed.jpg


Random pics of winter peas... green manure.
AustrianWinter3.jpg


awpea.jpg
 
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I forget to roll up all the garden hoses, so now they're frozen solid. Maybe I'll drag them out in the sun later today so they can thaw out. About every day or so I pull plants out of the garden and give to the pigs. Last week I turned the hens out. They're loving being free again, and I'm loving not having to feed them as much. I need to run electric out to the hen house so I can use a heater to keep their water from freezing. Last year I hauled hot water out every day from the cabin.
That is a real pain to haul hot water, I did that for ducks one year. Then I bought a heated dog dish and that worked as long as I could keep them from trying to swim in it. It was pretty comical seeing them all trying to squeeze into a dog dish and take a bath. but the mess wasn't so funny.
 
You know, I don't pull any plants. When they are done, I chop them at or near ground level, using either my field hoe, a machete, or one of my Hori Hori knives. I'm a believer in not disturbing the garden soil. I want those old roots to slowly decompose and help add nutrients/organic matter back into the soil. Also as those old roots slowly decompose, they will leave channels all thru the soil. The next plant's roots will grow down those channels following the path of least resistance plus following a path of nutrition. To me, great garden soil is a living organism that needs care and feeding and in return, gives back in a bountiful harvest.

I just ordered 25 lbs of Austrian winter peas, that will soon go in my garden beds. They will stay green all winter and protect the soil. Being legumes, they will put nitrogen back into the soil. In the spring, when ready to plant again, I will cut them off at ground level & leave them where they lie. Once again, more root structure to stay in the soil and green manure on top of the soil to hinder weeds and to slowly decompose and release more nutrients. Also the leaves of the winter peas taste absolutely wonderful & make a great winter salad.
That is a good thing to think on.
 
Let me explain maybe not so scientifically. Soil is like a bank account. You have deposits and withdrawals and at a minimum you want the account to stay in balance but would prefer the account to build up. Our crops make withdrawals, especially heavy feeders like corn. Today we mostly make deposits thru fertilizer and other chemicals added to the soil. Fail to make proper deposits and the crop is greatly reduced or fails. There are all sorts of ways where one can make deposits naturally and keep the soil account in balance. Rotation of crops, where you don't plant the same crop in the same plot over & over helps. Companion planting, such as the native American three sisters garden help, where the pole beans, a legume, add nitrogen back into the soil to help feed the corn. Allowing plots to stay unused for a year allows nature to rebuild the soil. Then cover crops, green manure, greatly help to build up that soil account. Most are legumes, so they take nitrogen from the air & store it in the ground. Their roots and above ground growth add nutrients and organic matter back into the soil as they decompose. Those same roots and above ground growth protect the soil from being washed away from the winter & spring rains. Keep in mind, these garden plots don't have a cover of grass to hold the soil in place. Short term cover crops, green manure, do that.

IMO, such natural gardening practices make perfect sense even today but will be life saving during an extended crisis. Another benefit from these green manures is that they help provide food for the wild game, during a time of year where little else grows. Around here farmers use a lot of clover, hairy vetch and winter peas in their fields. They especially use the winter peas when they want to feed the deer during the winter as they keep growing even when the temp drops to 10 degrees. My winter peas grow during the fall and early winter, stay pretty static during the cold winter and then have a huge rush of growth in the spring.

Here is one of my beds where I am cutting the winter peas.

tomato-bed1.jpg


And now in that bed, I'm planting tomatoes with my trusty Hori Horo knife & the dead peas will provide mulch and will slowly break down & add nutrients back into the soil. Note other bed with winter peas.

tomato-bed.jpg


Random pics of winter peas... green manure.
AustrianWinter3.jpg


awpea.jpg
Thank you! I am a beginner harder with one raised bed... but one day I hope to have much more.
 

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