What have you done for garden prep so far?

[Robinjopo1]

I was tilling my 3 vegetable gardens today and thought I would ask a few questions.

1. Is gardening part of your prepping plan?
2. What size are your gardens?
3. What are your main crops?
4. Do you preserve? If so, methods?
5. How many people are you feeding via gardens?
6. Do you save seeds for the next planting season?

Thanks. I'm going to go measure and I'll give you my answers.

 

[Robinjopo1]

1. Yes
2. 38x15
22x48
76x24
3. Tomatoes (struggle due to walnut tree poisoning.)
Beans, squash, okra, zucchini, potatoes in pots,
Onions, snow peas, blackberries, strawberries ,
Gooseberries, garlic and herbs.
4. Canning, try to avoid freezing. I'm prepping for
Electrical grid collapse, I dehydrate some
5. Six family members, but share with neighbors.
6. Yes, my goal is to be self sufficient with heirloom
Seeds.

BTW, I can barely walk now.

 

[Brent S]

1. Yes
2. 38x15
22x48
76x24
3. Tomatoes (struggle due to walnut tree poisoning.)
Beans, squash, okra, zucchini, potatoes in pots,
Onions, snow peas, blackberries, strawberries ,
Gooseberries, garlic and herbs.
4. Canning, try to avoid freezing. I'm prepping for
Electrical grid collapse, I dehydrate some
5. Six family members, but share with neighbors.
6. Yes, my goal is to be self sufficient with heirloom
Seeds.

BTW, I can barely walk now.

Yeah, gardening can kick your ###! I’m glad I’m mostly done with the tilling this year. I will till the spots for potatoes and melons soon, but all the rows are done at least.

 

[Arcticdude]

I was tilling my 3 vegetable gardens today and thought I would ask a few questions.

1. Is gardening part of your prepping plan?
2. What size are your gardens?
3. What are your main crops?
4. Do you preserve? If so, methods?
5. How many people are you feeding via gardens?
6. Do you save seeds for the next planting season?

Thanks. I'm going to go measure and I'll give you my answers.

1. Yes
2. 1/2 acre. Could be expanded to any size if needed
3. Tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, potatoes, asparagus, kale, carrots, herbs, corn, radish, beans, peas, grapes, blue berries, black berries, raspberries, strawberries, apple, cherry and plum
4. Currently some. Canning and drying
5. Right now just two
6. We plan to

 

[Proud Prepper]

1. Yes
2. 25× 65, 5×185 edible plants around house, various pots, boxes, hangers and fruit tree's.
3. Tomatoes, green beans, bell peppers, green onions, okra, cabbage, jalapeno peppers, pumpkin, carrots, mustard greens, collared greens, turnips, cucumbers, zucchini, squash. Strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, huckleberry. Mayhaw trees, fig tree's, wild plum tree's, orange tree's, satsuma tree's, Asian pear tree, Japanese plum tree's, mulberry tree's, pecan tree's. Various herbs, basil, parsley, rosemary, oregano, bayleaf tree. Muscadine vines.
4. I only make jellies, jams and dehydrate. I have canned and have what U need to do so. I don't maintain a large enough garden to can. After SHTF I would expand garden and can. I have many thousands of heirloom seeds.
5. 7 family members and another on the way. 5 other family and lifelong friends that may join us in a long term SHTF.
6. I save seeds and have thousands of stored heirloom seeds, some can store for 20 years. I can be self sufficient for most situations.

 

[Robinjopo1]

1. Yes
2. 1/2 acre. Could be expanded to any size if needed
3. Tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, potatoes, asparagus, kale, carrots, herbs, corn, radish, beans, peas, grapes, blue berries, black berries, raspberries, strawberries, apple, cherry and plum
4. Currently some. Canning and drying
5. Right now just two
6. We plan to

I try to grow corn every year. It is always a disaster. Tiny ears the size of the ones in Chinese food.

 

[Robinjopo1]

1. Yes
2. 25× 65, 5×185 edible plants around house, various pots, boxes, hangers and fruit tree's.
3. Tomatoes, green beans, bell peppers, green onions, okra, cabbage, jalapeno peppers, pumpkin, carrots, mustard greens, collared greens, turnips, cucumbers, zucchini, squash. Strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, huckleberry. Mayhaw trees, fig tree's, wild plum tree's, orange tree's, satsuma tree's, Asian pear tree, Japanese plum tree's, mulberry tree's, pecan tree's. Various herbs, basil, parsley, rosemary, oregano, bayleaf tree. Muscadine vines.
4. I only make jellies, jams and dehydrate. I have canned and have what U need to do so. I don't maintain a large enough garden to can. After SHTF I would expand garden and can. I have many thousands of heirloom seeds.
5. 7 family members and another on the way. 5 other family and lifelong friends that may join us in a long term SHTF.
6. I save seeds and have thousands of stored heirloom seeds, some can store for 20 years. I can be self sufficient for most situations.

I forgot to list the mulberry, plum, walnut and hickory but trees. Plus, the native edible plants.

 

[Robinjopo1]

Even urban preppers should store some seeds. They can always do containers in case of SHTF. Many think that food magically shows up at the markets

 

[Robinjopo1]

1. Yes
2. 1/2 acre. Could be expanded to any size if needed
3. Tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, potatoes, asparagus, kale, carrots, herbs, corn, radish, beans, peas, grapes, blue berries, black berries, raspberries, strawberries, apple, cherry and plum
4. Currently some. Canning and drying
5. Right now just two
6. We plan to

Arctic, do you have a greenhouse, hoop house or indoor lighting? I know you have a short growing season.

 

[Brent S]

I try to grow corn every year. It is always a disaster. Tiny ears the size of the ones in Chinese food.

Yeah, my corn trials didn’t go much better. One time in about ten I got some edible corn. I know it takes a lot of nitrogen, but there is more to it than just that.

 

[Brent S]

Even urban preppers should store some seeds. They can always do containers in case of SHTF. Many think that food magically shows up at the markets

Just make sure they are heirloom seeds. A lot of the big box seeds produce sterile fruit. The big seed companies like Monsanto don’t want you growing stuff again for free.

 

[Robinjopo1]

Yeah, my corn trials didn’t go much better. One time in about ten I got some edible corn. I know it takes a lot of nitrogen, but there is more to it than just that.

Last year I added way too much nitrogen (chicken poop) and my gardens had lots of green but no veggies

 

[Arcticdude]

I try to grow corn every year. It is always a disaster. Tiny ears the size of the ones in Chinese food.

Everything that we put in the ground up here grows great. Our only limiting factor is the short growing season.

 

[Arcticdude]

Arctic, do you have a greenhouse, hoop house or indoor lighting? I know you have a short growing season.

None of the above yet. A green house is on my list of building projects. This planting season I plan to use hoops over the tomato and pepper plants. We still have a foot of snow covering the garden area. And they're calling for up to a foot of new snow tomorrow, and snow for the next 7 days. I guess I have time to come up with something.

 

[Arcticdude]

Last year I added way too much nitrogen (chicken poop) and my gardens had lots of green but no veggies

When we clean out the chicken coop we use the waste as mulch around the fruit trees and berry plants. So far we haven't had any problems.
The wife wants to start raising rabbits and earthworms and collect their waste for the garden. Actually she just comes up with these ideas and I do all the work. (Just a little whining here.)

 

[Robinjopo1]

When we clean out the chicken coop we use the waste as mulch around the fruit trees and berry plants. So far we haven't had any problems.
The wife wants to start raising rabbits and earthworms and collect their waste for the garden. Actually she just comes up with these ideas and I do all the work. (Just a little whining here.)

I added fresh poop. Didn't age it at all. Live and learn.

I've read that you can make lots of money on certain types of worms.

 

[Arcticdude]

I added fresh poop. Didn't age it at all. Live and learn.

I've read that you can make lots of money on certain types of worms.

Our property is crawling with rabbits (the rabbit poop feeds the worms) and she wants to buy more. Silly girl. When I go rabbit "hunting" I grab a chair, a six pack, a .22 rifle and sit out in front of the hay stack.

 

[Danil54grl]

I was tilling my 3 vegetable gardens today and thought I would ask a few questions.

1. Is gardening part of your prepping plan?
2. What size are your gardens?
3. What are your main crops?
4. Do you preserve? If so, methods?
5. How many people are you feeding via gardens?
6. Do you save seeds for the next planting season?

Thanks. I'm going to go measure and I'll give you my answers.

1. Yes
2. 50' x 125' a total of 45 raised beds.
3. A little of everything really. We can grow year round here which is a big plus
4. Yes. Can, dehydrate, freeze dry and freezer. I have also crocked somethings in the past, but not a big fan down in the south.
5. Every day life is mainly 3, but in an emergency we are looking at 18 total so far, but the kids having kids has not finished yet. A couple have not even startrd. . . We also have 5 fruit trees along with blackberries, blueberries and a pecan.
6. Yes. I save seeds for the following harvest along with buying new seeds to introduce and see how it goes.

 

[Robinjopo1]

I only had 2 snap peas come up so I replanted yesterday. Probably too late in the season, but I'll try.

 

[Robinjopo1]

1. Yes
2. 50' x 125' a total of 45 raised beds.
3. A little of everything really. We can grow year round here which is a big plus
4. Yes. Can, dehydrate, freeze dry and freezer. I have also crocked somethings in the past, but not a big fan down in the south.
5. Every day life is mainly 3, but in an emergency we are looking at 18 total so far, but the kids having kids has not finished yet. A couple have not even startrd. . . We also have 5 fruit trees along with blackberries, blueberries and a pecan.
6. Yes. I save seeds for the following harvest along with buying new seeds to introduce and see how it goes.

15 raised beds means lots if soil to fill them. Good job. Looks like a great set up. How deep are your beds?