tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279140223556786071.post6023715079783337473..comments2023-08-08T10:59:04.188-05:00Comments on eighth acre farm: 2012's results, 2013's hopesJeff Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06285239745975791484noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279140223556786071.post-3203229768336997132013-01-12T21:49:25.770-06:002013-01-12T21:49:25.770-06:00I agree. As economies become more local, of neces...I agree. As economies become more local, of necessity, I think we may see this start to happen. I'm looking forward to seeing a McDonalds converted to a seed bank someday. Of course, saving your own seed is the best way to 'shop local' for seeds, but I can't seem to be able to do that myself, so I shouldn't preach. It's a goal for next year. Jeff Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06285239745975791484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279140223556786071.post-63027940046446408282013-01-12T10:52:36.567-06:002013-01-12T10:52:36.567-06:00I just wish there was more outlets which sold qual...I just wish there was more outlets which sold quality seeds locally rather than cheap plastic fast food or super pricey organic food. I've bought seeds from Lowe's but I'm pretty sure their quality wasn't quite as good as something from paces like <a href="http://www.seedsavers.org/" rel="nofollow">Seedsavers</a> or Fedco. If there were more accessible places like the ones mentioned above for getting quality seeds I also think people wouldn't need as much motivation to starting food forests in their front or backyards.Thardiusthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03035376894054058452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279140223556786071.post-79520970332097862013-01-01T22:31:26.122-06:002013-01-01T22:31:26.122-06:00I don't know much about hydroponics myself, so...I don't know much about hydroponics myself, so I wish I could add something to the conversation, but can't. It seems like a kind of high-energy way to provide calories in my not very well informed opinion.Jeff Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06285239745975791484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279140223556786071.post-14394786282597829582012-12-31T22:27:30.228-06:002012-12-31T22:27:30.228-06:00Hydroponics
<a href="http://www.doomstead...<a href="http://www.doomsteaddiner.org/forum/index.php?topic=1058.0" rel="nofollow"> Hydroponics</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.doomsteaddiner.org/forum/index.php?topic=1058.0"> Hydroponics</a>John D. Wheelerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16203607452410210779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279140223556786071.post-78849943447515801872012-12-31T19:59:04.327-06:002012-12-31T19:59:04.327-06:00Copied and pasted that html link language, for the...Copied and pasted that html link language, for the Diner hydroponics link. Anyone out there want to educate me? Would be much appreciated. :)William Hunter Duncanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03659156353754825272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279140223556786071.post-61708325722220705952012-12-31T19:54:56.829-06:002012-12-31T19:54:56.829-06:00Jeff,
That's great to hear about Gita. Blessi...Jeff,<br /><br />That's great to hear about Gita. Blessings to both of you this eve of 2013, and both your beautiful kids.<br /><br />As for the Calabash, agreed, PROLIFIC. Tasty and Juicy. Only thing, after washing about the fiftieth one, to arrange for about three quarts saved, I was like, not the base for saving! But nice, for depth of flavor, for sure.<br /><br />You say you want a debate: As for Provider Bush Green Bean- I say, I'll stick with my rattlesnake, thanks. Which gave me two, three week periods of harvest, two years ago; and which can't be beat for crisp juciness, I think, when they have sufficient sunlight and fertile soil, of course (which this year I didn't give either patch enough sunlight - but still prolific though.) As for keepin the seed, I found, the seed may look rattlesnake, but the second generation is diluted somehow. If that's all I planted, I'd still have to cover them, for the proximity of my neighbors bean patch, which is all hybrid. I assume the same goes for your fava. Could make for income, going forward, is what I'm sayin. Hydroponics too. Check this out at the Diner: [url]http://www.doomsteaddiner.org/forum/index.php?topic=1058.0[/url] <br /><br /><br /><br /> <br /><br />William Hunter Duncanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03659156353754825272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279140223556786071.post-43352793676104401082012-12-31T17:09:25.256-06:002012-12-31T17:09:25.256-06:00Hi John-
Our new community garden plot has been a...Hi John-<br /><br />Our new community garden plot has been a really good place to test out varieties that thrive in poor soil, because it really is very poor soil. I've rarely seen worse, at least in Minnesota. The best performers in that plot were, in order: Red Calabash tomato, Winter Luxury pumpkin, Provider green bean, the random yellow potato, and the Cajun jewel okra. Everything else was pretty marginal. That said, I consider it a successful crop given what we grew it in.<br />I may try mache again, but I think our winters may be too harsh for a fall-seeded crop. Your climate may be better suited to it. Nice surprise on the winter wheat by the way!<br /><br />Ruben- <br /><br />Kudos on the rabbit project -sounds like it's really working out. I'd have a hard time butchering rabbits myself. I eat meat, so I guess I should be willing to do what it takes to produce it. If/when we get poultry that job will fall to me, so I'll learn. Maybe if I imagined rabbits as big squirrels it would be easier. <br /><br />Fava beans don't need to be peeled twice in my experience. I've seen that recommended as well on recipe sites and whatnot. Seems like a waste of time to me. Maybe if you start with dried beans- but with fresh small ones you can eat them pods and all after they have been cooked. Even the large ones with seeds that have already turned brown can be shelled and cooked and eaten in the jacket. They're tougher than other beans but not unpleasantly so. Gita mixes them into veggie or chicken curry and they're fantastic! Very meaty for a bean, with a unique nutty flavor that I really like.Jeff Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06285239745975791484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279140223556786071.post-91152128671871458582012-12-31T13:57:15.749-06:002012-12-31T13:57:15.749-06:00First off Jeff, could you tell me exactly what you...First off Jeff, could you tell me exactly what you do to prepare and eat your favas? I was told once you need to blanche and boil and peel and...and... it sounded super hard, so I have never tried to eat them. I have grown them as a nitrogen fixer and aphid trap, but never for food.<br /><br />Probably my biggest success was cutting 3.5 kg of basil from our new little greenhouse. We got lots of great beans for pickling from our Fortex seeds. <br /><br />I also grew several kinds of beans for drying, more for sentimental reasons than nutritional ones--orca beans, goat's eye beans, jacob's cattle beans. Also the Ruckle Bean, which is a West Coast variety from Salt Spring Island.<br /><br />I semi-success has been our new meat rabbit concern. We have a great doe that is just textbook, making it easier on us to follow along. We are getting better at the slaughter, and the meat is delicious. We even tanned the last bunch of hides. But a big failure is that I built them lovely runs so they could have grass and room to run around, and I was totally unprepared for the amount of crap they generate. So, they are relentlessly killing all the grass. I don't know how to deal with that.<br /><br />I was given a soil blocker this year, and am pretty convinced of its usefulness. We have the .75 and 2" blocker. There are still many things to figure out in the system, but I like it so far. Still my winter veg were not far enough along for a good garden crop. I have a little bit of lettuce, some nice turnips, and some parsley that is good. A little chard. But, I will definitely have early spring veg!Rubenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08391623908501295326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279140223556786071.post-22143418819505437642012-12-31T05:26:59.329-06:002012-12-31T05:26:59.329-06:00I presume if you didn't specify, you planted i...I presume if you didn't specify, you planted it in your home garden? I ask because I'm particularly interested in plants that do well in poor soil, like the Winter Luxury pumpkin.<br /><br />I love the comments about the parsnips and turnips. Using itch inducing properties to protect your crops, I love it! That's a great example of permaculture thinking.<br /><br />I loved mache the years I've had it, but you have to get the timing right. It's one you plant in the fall and harvest first thing in the spring, around the time crocuses bloom. Yields still aren't great, but having something truly fresh at that time of the year is wonderful.<br /><br />I had a lot of successes and a lot of failures, too many to list here. The big surprise though was my hard red winter wheat, that I harvested about 6 - 8 weeks after I planted it, instead of the 8 - 12 months I was expecting.John D. Wheelerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16203607452410210779noreply@blogger.com