Author Topic: farming? (Read 2056 times)

highwayman · « **on:** August 25, 2009, 02:09:01 PM »

i read alot about firearms and alot of other stuff at this site, but i have not read anything about what you could grow. anybody have any ideas???

Almtnman · « **Reply #1 on:** August 26, 2009, 08:06:51 AM »

It depends on what area of the country you live due to the climate and temperatures. I usually grow a lot of vegetables, corn, squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, beans, peas, etc. You can either put vegetables up in canning jars which last several years or in a freezer.

mjh · « **Reply #2 on:** August 27, 2009, 09:59:33 AM »

Don't forget drying. Farming/gardening is all part of the mix, having seeds is important. Can be labor intensive or you can do gorillia gardening and harvest what yea can. Tending to food crops tends to keep yea in one place to watch over, guard, tend to ect. Such action may or may not fit into your plans or your plans may change. Good to have seeds though as part of your overall preperations.

Graybeard · « **Reply #3 on:** August 27, 2009, 10:22:32 AM »

I don't see me going anywhere until they tote me off. If fuel is in as short supply as you'd expect under such conditions I'd not be able to drive off very far and really have no where to drive to anyway that would be better than home.

I'll defend it to the death when/if the time comes. I'm too old and in too bad health to run or to walk far and there are no real hiding places that wouldn't be over run by others already within any distance I'm capable of going.

I figure the boys will come here with their broods and we'll make a stand here. I see no better option at my stage of life.

Badnews Bob · « **Reply #4 on:** August 27, 2009, 11:31:23 AM »

If it happens I think GB has a good plan, I am gonna shoot till I can't shoot no more and hope its a bullet to the head so its over fast.

Elijah Gunn · « **Reply #5 on:** September 01, 2009, 01:24:19 AM »

There is a gardening forum here. This is my 2nd year at gardening. All I can say is that there is a lot to learn, and to have to learn it after TSHTF would be REALLY bad.

Arier Blut · « **Reply #6 on:** October 03, 2009, 04:08:32 AM »

Quote from: Elijah Gunn on September 01, 2009, 01:24:19 AM

There is a gardening forum here. This is my 2nd year at gardening. All I can say is that there is a lot to learn, and to have to learn it after TSHTF would be REALLY bad.

Very well stated. Best to learn how to do it under ideal conditions. Then through trial and error you figure out the best way. Hopefully it will pay off under bad conditions.

WD45 · « **Reply #7 on:** October 05, 2009, 07:32:53 AM »

When growing your own food to actually live off of is a good bit different than what most people think of as raising a garden. I would say most people think mostly of fresh produce and not the types or varities that either keep and store well or dried or are open pollinated and the seed can be saved and replanted. I love silver queen sweet corn but it does not keep and is not good to make flour either. Even root crops have varities that store better than others. varities that are grown by large production farms may store and transport well but are usually a hybrid and seed can not be saved and replanted. Right now 90% of what I grow is geared towards fresh tasty eating and a little bit of canning like green beans. Right now for what I can buy a sack of great northern beans it's not worth growing them. I know most of you all already know this but from a couple posts here it appears some are just getting started. Some apples keep better than others also. We used to keep apples way longer than most people think in the root cellar but they were'nt early june apples either.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #8 on:** October 05, 2009, 08:16:57 AM »

the free loaders would be like the deer now stealing from the garden . have to plan for it .

Almtnman · « **Reply #9 on:** October 05, 2009, 08:32:40 AM »

WD45, I also like Silver Queen corn and plant some of it every year. We also put a lot of it up in freezer bags and use it through the winter until the next crop comes in. So, it does keep for a good long while if you know how to prepare it for your freezer.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #10 on:** October 05, 2009, 08:35:25 AM »

seed would/could be a problem as most seed is hybrid . there are some seed suppliers that have old type seed that will produce seed but most will not anymore

Almtnman · « **Reply #11 on:** October 05, 2009, 10:26:18 AM »

Here's just one of many seed banks that you can get non-hybrid seed.
http://survivalseedbank.com/

I have some non-hybrid seeds for my own use that has been passed down for several generations.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #12 on:** October 05, 2009, 10:32:18 AM »

thanks

plumberroy · « **Reply #13 on:** October 10, 2009, 04:51:22 PM »

I did some experimenting this year I ad a little space left on the end of the garden I planted a three sisters garden for bean I planted black beans from walmart , the ones for cooking

there where twelve hills 4-6 seeds per hill I got a quart freezer bag as full as you can get it with black beans I also planted pintos from the grocery store and they grew . Booth could be eaten as green beans too.
winter squash is a good survival garden crop too easy to grow and heavy yields and keeps good I had about 20x 35 area in the garden for winter squash just a few plant of each of several kinds . acorn, butternut, Delicata, pink banana and a few green striped cushaw in the three sisters garden I had close to 300lbs of squash picture of the biggest in this thead
http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/topic,180412.0.html
you can start sweet potatoes from a store bought potato too
Roy

Victor3 · « **Reply #14 on:** October 10, 2009, 09:55:33 PM »

I'm a lousy farmer, but I dabble with a vegetable garden every year.

Easiest for me is potatos. If I were to make some kind of a survival garden, I'd go with a lot of them. I've dug up areas two years after not planting and still found nice ones. Same with carrots, onions and garlic on occasion.

Here in Southern CA tomatos grow like weeds. It's common to see them in landscaping around fast food joints year 'round. I just last week took out a huge grape tomato plant that sprang up in January and produced until early September. I've never planted grape tomatos; I figure it must have been from someone tossing one over the fence.

WD45 · « **Reply #15 on:** October 11, 2009, 03:53:42 AM »

ALMTNMAN,
We do the same and it sure is good when the snow is flying

I was really thinking more on the line of things that keep a fairly long time without freezing or canning. I am just thinking worse case in that there is no electric and no ability to can. As much as I love sweet corn I would rather plant a type that makes good corn flour and meal and can be replanted next year. Once you silver queen seed is gone ... Its gone

Hodr · « **Reply #16 on:** October 11, 2009, 04:21:51 AM »

Victor3,
Amen on potatoes. Potatoes were brought back to Europe from the new world. As late as the time of Vincent Van Gough they were considered something only the poor would eat. See his painting "the Potatoe Eater". What they did do was provide an edible crop that the military of the time could not destroy by burning to deny food to an enemy. They grow under ground and as tubers fire does not always destriy thier nutrition. Unless you farm most people won't take a potato field for anything but weeds. An absolutely excellent surrvival crop. Grow extra and you can grind and distill liquor from them for trade. In the history of the race, liqour has always been a premium trade good, easy to make and transport, Liquor stores longer than almost anything else you can grow easy.

blindhari

Victor3 · « **Reply #17 on:** October 11, 2009, 06:03:26 PM »

"...they were considered something only the poor would eat."

Whoever thought that probably didn't know what he was missing

I think I have more recipes for spuds than any other vegetable.

"Grow extra and you can grind and distill liquor from them for trade."

What do mean for trade? I'll keep it for myself!

fr3db3ar · « **Reply #18 on:** October 12, 2009, 02:28:46 AM »

For those who talk about freezing....remember....when SHTF...it's likely you won't have electricity either.

Dixie Dude · « **Reply #19 on:** October 12, 2009, 02:37:17 AM »

Canning and drying are the two best methods of preserving food in a SHTF situation. A root celler is good also for potatoes, carrots, any root crop, and apples. My grandmother canned on a wood stove with a pressure cooker. Just had to watch it constantly and move it sometimes to a cooler spot. They did use coal sometimes also, for a more consistant burn. She canned a lot of fruits and jellies when they were in season. Also made wine. She used wild plumbs, muskedines, strawberries, and blackberries. They also had a fig tree, and two pear trees that always over produced. They had an apple and peach tree, but they weren't as productive. They had pecans and walnuts also. They grew a lot of different veggies and chickens.

spooked · « **Reply #20 on:** October 16, 2009, 06:01:30 AM »

Quote from: Graybeard on August 27, 2009, 10:22:32 AM

I don't see me going anywhere until they tote me off. If fuel is in as short supply as you'd expect under such conditions I'd not be able to drive off very far and really have no where to drive to anyway that would be better than home.

I'll defend it to the death when/if the time comes. I'm too old and in too bad health to run or to walk far and there are no real hiding places that wouldn't be over run by others already within any distance I'm capable of going.

I figure the boys will come here with their broods and we'll make a stand here. I see no better option at my stage of life.

I'm with Graybeard, Don't plan on leaving my little farm. to old an crippled to run, but not to shoot..

WD45 · « **Reply #21 on:** October 18, 2009, 06:56:10 AM »

About these seed banks, I have not checked into them but do they send you the seed now or do they hold it some where and send it to you after crap hits the fan and there is no mail man to deliver it ?

Almtnman · « **Reply #22 on:** October 18, 2009, 08:03:43 AM »

Quote from: WD45 on October 18, 2009, 06:56:10 AM

About these seed banks, I have not checked into them but do they send you the seed now or do they hold it some where and send it to you after crap hits the fan and there is no mail man to deliver it ?

What you want in seed is heritage or heirloom seed. There's several places that sells it and it produces a crop and any seed from your crop can in turn be used as seed the following year. They don't hold it for you as you need to order your seed and have it on stock for your use. You can store seeds in your freezer for long periods of time. It keeps good when frozen. But it would also keep for a good long time in a sealed container as some heritage or heirloom seed has been passed down from generation to generation. Not the actual seed but seeds from the original seeds. As a matter of fact okra seed which seems to take forever to come up when planted seems to me to sprout a little faster if it was frozen before planting. I store any heritage or heirloom seed that I have in my freezer and it keeps until I need it. Hybrid seed makes more produce, but unfortunately you cannot use any of what you produced as seed for the following year, whereas with heritage or heirloom seed, you have a steady supply of seed year after year.

My state produces a farming newsletter once a month and individuals have ads in there with heirloom seeds for sale. So check with your state and if they have a newsletter, you might want to subscribe to it. The farm newsletter in my state is free to a state resident and ads can be placed in it for free. Your state might have a similar service.

WD45 · « **Reply #23 on:** October 18, 2009, 08:39:51 AM »

I completely understand the need for open pollinated heirloom type seeds to save from year to year. We have done it for years. I was actually wondering about these so called seed banks they advertise on radio and so forth.I don't need them I have my own seed bank. It appears to me that a lot of people may be investing in something they really do not understand and may never get or have access to if crap hits the fan

Almtnman · « **Reply #24 on:** October 18, 2009, 08:53:47 AM »

I'm not sure how those seed banks work, but like yourself I keep my seeds stored here at my place so they are there when I need them.

Arier Blut · « **Reply #25 on:** October 18, 2009, 10:39:00 AM »

I save seeds from just about everything I grow. That's just the way granddad taught me to do it. When I want to try something new I go with an heirloom type from places like this. http://www.heirloomseeds.com/ Root crops stay in the ground as perennials and taken when needed. The root crop patches are just here and there and don't stick out, they just grow with grass and weeds so they will be my staples in bad times. I might have 20 patches of them, most in little clearings in the woods. The main thing to do is mow them over very early spring so the land doesn't turn into a briar patch or sapling overgrowth. But from time to time I have let them go 3 or 4 years without care and still get crops out of them.

mrbigtexan · « **Reply #26 on:** October 18, 2009, 05:19:14 PM »

beefsteak tomatoes are of a heirloom variety.

Hodr · « **Reply #27 on:** October 18, 2009, 08:53:27 PM »

I believe beefsteak is a type, not a variety of tomato. The words you are looking for are heirloom or heritage, after that look for variety or type. Best tomato for sustanence is probably a paste or small tomato.

blindhari

WD45 · « **Reply #28 on:** October 19, 2009, 03:11:33 AM »

blindhari is correct. Not all beefsteak maters are heirlooms. Other than heirloom the other key words to look for are open pollinated.