This weeks preps check-in

[Doreena]

I can’t say I have ever eaten a rubarb, that I can remember anyways. I always say I will try anything once, twice if it’s fun!

Yum...rhubarb pie and tarts! My grand mom made some great ones!


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[Doreena]

My first plums of the season. There are 2 trees in the back yard that did nothing for the last few years, this year they are bent down with fruit! They are small but I will make a lot of plum preserves or butter... haven’t made a dent in them but made 8 half pint and one 4 oz jars yesterday.

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[Brent S]

My first plums of the season. There are 2 trees in the back yard that did nothing for the last few years, this year they are bent down with fruit! They are small but I will make a lot of plum preserves or butter... haven’t made a dent in them but made 8 half pint and one 4 oz jars yesterday.

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I have about six plumb trees, but didn’t get a single piece of fruit this year off them. We had a late freeze and it took out all the blossoms. The one thing I’ve learned is plant many different things and lots of them. Each year is a crap shoot as to what will produce. With more variety you increase the odds you’ll get something to eat. I hope I never have to survive off what I have planted, but it does supplement my food supply. Good advice is talk to a local nursery or two and find what plants grow well there. If a tree or bush is high maintenance to grow I don’t want it. My most recent additions were five pear trees. They supposedly do really well here and produce lots of fruit. I have about 50 different trees now. I had more but some disease and some chainsaw work on the high maintenance peach trees lowered the count some. My plums may take a hike one day as they are getting some diseased spots on them. They take a little maintenance, and I just am not getting out in the yard as much as I like.

 

[Maverick]

Ordered a 2500gal potable water tank to compliment my two 1500gal fresh water tanks. We finally have the 800gal tank done using the water pumped from the creek, we well use this for the garden and green house.

 

[Brent S]

Ok, calling it a bug out vehicle to tie my camper into something to do with prepping is a stretch, but I brought home a 2012 R pod camper today and am really excited! As soon as the wife recovers from some medical procedures I will take her and the dog off for a four day weekend in the Smokey mountains. I could still tent camp but she needs a little more comfort now days. I picked it up in waynesville today, and the temp was only 81deg at the elevation there. I’m dying to go somewhere where it’s cool at night right now.

 

[Doreena]

Ok, calling it a bug out vehicle to tie my camper into something to do with prepping is a stretch, but I brought home a 2012 R pod camper today and am really excited! As soon as the wife recovers from some medical procedures I will take her and the dog off for a four day weekend in the Smokey mountains. I could still tent camp but she needs a little more comfort now days. I picked it up in waynesville today, and the temp was only 81deg at the elevation there. I’m dying to go somewhere where it’s cool at night right now.

I will have to look that up, but it sounds great! Congrats! And ditto on the somewhere cool. My sis lives in Maine and even they are in the 90s and will be for at least a week.


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[Brent S]

I mashed the last of the grapes from last fall that I had frozen. I got ten gallons of pure muscadine juice that will make 5 gallons of red and white wines each. Freezing the grapes dosent change the flavor at all and makes it easier to press the grapes when thawed out. This is just in time as the concords will be ripe before long, then more muscadine after that. It’s nice to have some room in the big freezer again.

 

[Petoski]

I have about six plumb trees, but didn’t get a single piece of fruit this year off them. We had a late freeze and it took out all the blossoms. The one thing I’ve learned is plant many different things and lots of them. Each year is a crap shoot as to what will produce. With more variety you increase the odds you’ll get something to eat. I hope I never have to survive off what I have planted, but it does supplement my food supply. Good advice is talk to a local nursery or two and find what plants grow well there. If a tree or bush is high maintenance to grow I don’t want it. My most recent additions were five pear trees. They supposedly do really well here and produce lots of fruit. I have about 50 different trees now. I had more but some disease and some chainsaw work on the high maintenance peach trees lowered the count some. My plums may take a hike one day as they are getting some diseased spots on them. They take a little maintenance, and I just am not getting out in the yard as much as I like.

Our plums are the same. The previous owner said they didn't make much fruit but our first year we had 7kg off 1 tree. This year we will be lucky to get 7 plums. I am following the same logic as you. Plant lots of different types of food and go for the types that require the least amount of work.

 

[Doreena]

Our plums are the same. The previous owner said they didn't make much fruit but our first year we had 7kg off 1 tree. This year we will be lucky to get 7 plums. I am following the same logic as you. Plant lots of different types of food and go for the types that require the least amount of work.

Last two years, no fruit, this year, 49.5 pints of plum preserves!


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[SheilaT.]

Nothing on the scale of Danil, but I picked my first couple of yellow squash and enough beans for dinner on wednesday, there are more squash coming on and I have plenty of beans for the next couple of days.
I'm pleasantly surprised at how good everything is looking and how well it's all cropping in planters. I'm really won over.

 

[Danil54grl]

Nothing on the scale of Danil, but I picked my first couple of yellow squash and enough beans for dinner on wednesday, there are more squash coming on and I have plenty of beans for the next couple of days.
I'm pleasantly surprised at how good everything is looking and how well it's all cropping in planters. I'm really won over.

I'm sure if I had to container all my produce id probably kill them.. . . eventually anyway. This is why I don't grow housrplants. Stick it in the ground, most times I'm ok. Sounds like you are doing good with your and able to eat fresh produce. Nice to be able to cut down on that grocery bill.

 

[SheilaT.]

I'm sure if I had to container all my produce id probably kill them.. . . eventually anyway. This is why I don't grow housrplants. Stick it in the ground, most times I'm ok. Sounds like you are doing good with your and able to eat fresh produce. Nice to be able to cut down on that grocery bill.

LOL, normally I'm much the same, especially with houseplants. The move thwarted my garden this year so I decided to have a go in a few planters that can be moved along with us when we eventually go. I lifted the Garlic this morning too and it's done really well, I have it curing now and then I'll choose the best 3 or 4 bulbs to keep for next years planting and plait the rest for the kitchen.

 

[Danil54grl]

LOL, normally I'm much the same, especially with houseplants. The move thwarted my garden this year so I decided to have a go in a few planters that can be moved along with us when we eventually go. I lifted the Garlic this morning too and it's done really well, I have it curing now and then I'll choose the best 3 or 4 bulbs to keep for next years planting and plait the rest for the kitchen.

I'm actually considering digging up some peppers and maybe a tomato e when it starts cooling down this fall or winter. You just never know when we will get cold. Half the time we wear shorts at Christmas. Wondering if I might be able to keep them going by bringing in the house at night and cold days. I do have one of those collapsible greenhouses but during the day time it would probably be too hot. Probably have to do like seedlings. . . Open and close it up a few times a day. Amazing what we can do when we put our minds to it

 

[Brent S]

I'm actually considering digging up some peppers and maybe a tomato e when it starts cooling down this fall or winter. You just never know when we will get cold. Half the time we wear shorts at Christmas. Wondering if I might be able to keep them going by bringing in the house at night and cold days. I do have one of those collapsible greenhouses but during the day time it would probably be too hot. Probably have to do like seedlings. . . Open and close it up a few times a day. Amazing what we can do when we put our minds to it

I know a guy that’s kept an orange tree alive a few years now here. It lives in the basement over winter with just a fluorescent light. Not sure if he gets fruit or not, but it’s alive anyways.

 

[Brent S]

I'm actually considering digging up some peppers and maybe a tomato e when it starts cooling down this fall or winter. You just never know when we will get cold. Half the time we wear shorts at Christmas. Wondering if I might be able to keep them going by bringing in the house at night and cold days. I do have one of those collapsible greenhouses but during the day time it would probably be too hot. Probably have to do like seedlings. . . Open and close it up a few times a day. Amazing what we can do when we put our minds to it

The biltmore house in Asheville has an amazing greenhouse. They grew vegetables all year. Of course he had a whole staff that their sole job was to tend to it, heating or venting as needed. Luckily today we can buy automatic vents and watering systems. I still have not seen an automatic weeding machine yet though!

 

[Danil54grl]

The biltmore house in Asheville has an amazing greenhouse. They grew vegetables all year. Of course he had a whole staff that their sole job was to tend to it, heating or venting as needed. Luckily today we can buy automatic vents and watering systems. I still have not seen an automatic weeding machine yet though!

When you find one let me know !

 

[Doreena]

I know a guy that’s kept an orange tree alive a few years now here. It lives in the basement over winter with just a fluorescent light. Not sure if he gets fruit or not, but it’s alive anyways.

My mom had an orange tree that got to be about 4 feet tall for years in Michigan. Never produced any fruit though. In when it was cold out, out for the summer


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[SheilaT.]

I have an automatic weeder, it only works intermittently, does an OK job ....it's a son. runs on beer and home baking so can be a bit expensive.

 

[Arcticdude]

We just finished weeding our garden today. We let the weeds get a little out of hand and it took two days get it all weeded. I tilled another section of the garden so we can plant some garlic and more onion sets. Got the orchard mowed and everything watered.
Yesterday was hot and miserable. The temp hit 87 degs with 19% humidity, and it only cooled down to 65 last night. That's more like August weather. Today is more normal at 62.

 

[DrHenley]

87 degs with 19% humidity is what we call mild dry heat. LOL.