Best Veg For Tunrover and Reliabilty? (Temperate Maritime: UK)

No one has mentioned rotation.

You cannot grow the same crop year after year, it totally depletes the
soil of nutrients specific to the crop and will cause major problems
after only a couple growing seasons.

You have to rotate crops, different plants require, and return, different
nutrients from/to the soil.

The only way to grow continuous is to put additives into the soil and
that also ends up causing various problems.

Here is a link to some crop rotation info:

Crop rotation

Beans do well most everywhere, and they are easy to keep dried.
With Okra, all you need is a few plants and you have lots of okra.
Asparagus will actually produce for many years, a lifetime actually. Just get it started properly.
Some varieties of tomato will come back on their own...some cherry and Roma tomatoes grow like a weed.
Just get heirloom seed, and you are off to a good start.

reply to post by Version100


With successful companion plantings, rotations are not so necessary unless we're talking about farming as opposed to gardening. The most obvious historical example, of course, being the Three Sisters plantings of Native Americans. There can be very little soil depletion with correct pairings and then only small shifts of plant layouts are necessary.

The other popular option is to plant a "green manure" crop, some of which are nitrogen fixers - Hard Red Winter Wheat, Buckwheat, Winter Akusti Rye, Hairy Vetch, or Nondormant Alfalfa - to overwinter and then til it into the garden in the spring.

Has anyone considered sprouting indoors during the winter? I haven't tried it myself but it seems like a good way to get some fresh food and vitamins to supplement the stored food during that time of year. If anyone has tried it, any thoughts on which seeds would be best for sprouting and how to supply(grow) your own? Thanks.

Originally posted by jest3r
Has anyone considered sprouting indoors during the winter? I haven't tried it myself but it seems like a good way to get some fresh food and vitamins to supplement the stored food during that time of year. If anyone has tried it, any thoughts on which seeds would be best for sprouting and how to supply(grow) your own? Thanks.

It is done, but typically through hydroponic processes. There is a bit of infrastructure involved and GOOD OLD SUNLIGHT can be hard to come by in some places during the winter.

At that point you need to produce artifical light and that requires a poer source (generator for example).

I sprout most of my garden indoors starting in January and by week 12, I have them in the ground here in New Olreans. I spent most of this past weekend turning about 30lbs of Abe Lincoln heirloom tomatos into marinara. Saved the seeds of course, to plant for my fall crops.

This is something that I have just started doing in the past 8 months. Learned to grow, save the seeds the proper way and to can my bounty.

reply to post by jest3r


Sorry for the late reply. I was thinking about that myself. It would be fairly easy to set up some indoor growing. There are loads of seed starter kits around here recently. Get the seedlings in good health and then plant them outdoors.

What I wonder is just how much soil you would need to grow some root vegetables indoors?

Originally posted by Tatreanna
reply to post by Version100

 

With successful companion plantings, rotations are not so necessary unless we're talking about farming as opposed to gardening. The most obvious historical example, of course, being the Three Sisters plantings of Native Americans. There can be very little soil depletion with correct pairings and then only small shifts of plant layouts are necessary.

The other popular option is to plant a "green manure" crop, some of which are nitrogen fixers - Hard Red Winter Wheat, Buckwheat, Winter Akusti Rye, Hairy Vetch, or Nondormant Alfalfa - to overwinter and then til it into the garden in the spring.

Im a firm believer in crop rotation, even in the home garden. Certain plants like tomatoes and peppers leave certain types of fungus and diesease that does not affect that plant species but will affect plants such as potato, onion, carrots and just about any type of berry.

It is not always the case, but if anyone is intersted in some literature, i would pick up the Gardeners Bible at your local Lowes. It is a beginners guide to planting veggie gardens and from what I have learned in my course work, a very accurate book on about 90% of what you will read. the other 10% is debatable within gardening circles and has little effect onthe novice

reply to post by Version100


I was told that adding salt(rock salt or sea salt, not the processed table salt) to the water when watering your plants is good.
Because thesalt contains many minerals which are good for plant and soil.
But you should not add much and only 2 weeks or so before harvest. Too much could 'burn' the plant and your soil can be damage for further planting.
The plant will take all the minerals from the saltwater which is good for yourself too.
Untill now i havent had any problems doing this.
Anyone know about this use?

Ooh yes also for snails and slucks, something that helps is planting garlic around them or rubbing some garlic on the plant itself.
For indoors: many herbs such as parsley, thyme, basil, mint, citronella, chive, chervil, rucola.... (these are also a good bug repellent, so you can grow them outside with your other plants)
veggies is also possible but not that easy (light and pollination) tomatoes and peppers will do ok they pollinate themselfs.
If you use external light sources you can grow almost anything, the only problem are those that will need pollination, you could do it yourself or keeping a beehive in your living room if you dont mind

Practice and test are the best way to learn

sorry for my bad english as it is not my native language

edit: radishes are also easy and fast food

reply to post by armtx


Gardener's Bible - great recommendation! I like it, along wtih The Seed Starters Handbook.

I'll stand by my lack of crop rotation in the home garden. Rotation is great - in quarter-mile increments - because pest control becomes an issue at this stage of farming and crop rotation is a start to pest control, not just soil fertility. Nitrogen fixing overwinter crops, companion plantings, an understanding of what each plant likes in its soil, and homemade compost amendments are my advice to the novice gardeners out there.

BTW - I can't even express how jealous I am that you already have tomatoes. I won't for another 2 weeks, at least, and those are the plants that have been in my greenhouse! :/

Dont forget the importance of composting!

You can start now while you prepare your plot and have some lovely rich compost to dig in next year. All your vegetable waste, tea bags,egg shells, grass cuttings and weeds can go on - and if you keep chickens you can add their straw and droppings. I do this every year and now have lovely rich black soil.

(Dont add hedge clippings or any poisonous plants, and no roots such as bramble,ground elder,nettle or bindweed )

I also make a feed for my growing veggies by picking a bucketfull of nettles (I leave a patch to grow for this purpose) and stuffing them into a leg of an old pair of tights or stockings. Put this into a bucket filled with water and cover for about 2 weeks - it will get a bit smelly, but the result is a nitrogen rich natural plant food. Put about 1 part to 10 parts water in your watering can. The same can be done with Comfrey .

Originally posted by Tatreanna
reply to post by armtx

 

Gardener's Bible - great recommendation! I like it, along wtih The Seed Starters Handbook.

I'll stand by my lack of crop rotation in the home garden. Rotation is great - in quarter-mile increments - because pest control becomes an issue at this stage of farming and crop rotation is a start to pest control, not just soil fertility. Nitrogen fixing overwinter crops, companion plantings, an understanding of what each plant likes in its soil, and homemade compost amendments are my advice to the novice gardeners out there.

BTW - I can't even express how jealous I am that you already have tomatoes. I won't for another 2 weeks, at least, and those are the plants that have been in my greenhouse! :/

In about 3 weeks, it will be too hot to grow much aside from my Okra and few other veggies. we can grow just about year round in Zone 9 there are a couple of weeks in Jan that are a little cold, but typically, I get 3 crops.

Nov-Feb-are set aside for my greens...Lettuce, Brocoli...etc
Mar-July-Take your pick and it wil grow aside from the greens(Too hot for them)
August-Nov-Take your pick again

I typical can about 60 mason jars ranging from marinara to sweet corn and have canned a few jars of preserves as well...strawberries and black berries

It doesnt last all year, but I am also pulling fresh produce just about all year round.

If I could just talk the wife into letting me raise some chickens.

I already collect rain water to water the gardens, but I would love to have those fresh eggs!

Originally posted by intergalactic fire
reply to post by Version100

 

I was told that adding salt(rock salt or sea salt, not the processed table salt) to the water when watering your plants is good.
Because thesalt contains many minerals which are good for plant and soil.
But you should not add much and only 2 weeks or so before harvest. Too much could 'burn' the plant and your soil can be damage for further planting.
The plant will take all the minerals from the saltwater which is good for yourself too.
Untill now i havent had any problems doing this.
Anyone know about this use?

Ooh yes also for snails and slucks, something that helps is planting garlic around them or rubbing some garlic on the plant itself.
For indoors: many herbs such as parsley, thyme, basil, mint, citronella, chive, chervil, rucola.... (these are also a good bug repellent, so you can grow them outside with your other plants)
veggies is also possible but not that easy (light and pollination) tomatoes and peppers will do ok they pollinate themselfs.
If you use external light sources you can grow almost anything, the only problem are those that will need pollination, you could do it yourself or keeping a beehive in your living room if you dont mind

Practice and test are the best way to learn

sorry for my bad english as it is not my native language

edit: radishes are also easy and fast food

edit on 7-6-2011 by intergalactic fire because: (no reason given)

I have read and spoken to a lot of people about the use of salt and it is a mixed bag of answers. If it works for you, than keep doing it.

Garlic is a must for every garden IMO especially where you are growing tomatos and peppers. They certainly do work well as a natural repellent and toss in a weekly spraying of neem oil and I have had very little issue wih pest in my garden.

My garden was constructed for raised beds. and I break my plants up in an odd way. I keep the plants of Italy in one planter box (6x12) This is typically Tomato, Peppers, Garlic, Chive, Thyme and Basil. They are not all plants of Italy, but they are main Ingredients of Italian food.

You are 100% correct, trial and error with your gardens now ,will give you the knowledge of what you need if the SHTF does take place.

I find a large amount of joy of getting in my kayak in morning and going out and catching a few fish and than getting home and making a tomato salad:

2 tomato- Julian
1-small red onion chopped
12 Grapes sliced in half-I dont grow my own
1 Cucumber-peeled, seeded and sliced
2 tbspn of Balsamic Vinager
shred some Parmasin 1?4 of a cup

Mix together in a bowl...good living with a pan seared speckle trout fillet.

A small pan of Corn bread with some fresh strawberries mixed into the batter...delicous!