CCP Virus Survival Gardens?

theotherwaldo

Well-known member
My sister started a garden toward the end of February (it gets warm early down here on the Rio Grande - it was 101 degrees today) and we're already eating cukes, squash, peas, tomatoes and some other veggies out of it.
Anyone else getting the itch to get some seeds in the ground - just in case?
 
Would like to, but still getting frost hear. Like to get in as much as possible, my dad has a garden about 100x40 feet but we can make bigger if need be. I do think people who never grown stuff really should this year, we may not have seen the worst get with corona.
 

Magnum

Well-known member
Same as @Troy fairweather , still chance of frost here in the frozen lefty crap hole of Illinois.
My father in law has some sprouts going him his basement that we'll put in the ground in a week or 2. Cukes, zukes, peppers, tomatoes, carrots that sort of thing. We always grow a lot of zukes for frying and bread, don't know how it is other places but here you pretty much need to pick them when you see them. They go from pickle size to baseball bats in a few days and those big ones are no good for frying.
I have a large strawberry patch but the rabbits eat a lot and some raspberry bushes and some blackberrys that the birds have their way with but I always get some.
Weird area here because we're just suburban enough to not be able to shoot but just rural enough to have turkeys, deer, fox , yotes, woodchucks, and all the rest come through and eat gardens quick. Couple that with a short season I can't count on anything not being eaten. Rabbits eat most of my flowers but never touch the carrots- go figure.
 
We had frost this morning, we go through the garden every day and before a good rain fall. No matter how much you pick there's always that 2 foot long zucchini found late in the year. I like them, cut it half and scoop out the seeds. Cut the meat every 1/2" or so and add butter and maybe some garlic or cinnamon , cook til tender.
 

Magnum

Well-known member
Its tough getting some peppers here because they're always ready late in the year and sometimes frost kills them before they're ready unless you start them indoors during winter. Last year I had a habanero plant with tons of peppers that was killed a couple weeks before they were ready. It was enough for a years worth of chili, that's the best pepper for chili- 2 pots- one for wife and kids and one with a good dose of peppers for me, luckily they won't touch mine.
 
Its tough getting some peppers here because they're always ready late in the year and sometimes frost kills them before they're ready unless you start them indoors during winter. Last year I had a habanero plant with tons of peppers that was killed a couple weeks before they were ready. It was enough for a years worth of chili, that's the best pepper for chili- 2 pots- one for wife and kids and one with a good dose of peppers for me, luckily they won't touch mine.
yes habaneros are great in chili, we used to go to a hot dog stand and the guy made a pepper sauce with them. The flavor was great and you be in a sweat eating them, should have asked for the recipe. I'll mix a bunch of peppers together and blend up with vinegar or slick some and add a lot of vinegar in a jar.

I keep telling my self I want to get some Tabasco plants, and make the slurry and age it for 2-3 years. at

I hope to do a big batch of sauerkraut, at least a 5 gallon bucket, did not last year because there was some flooding, all the dirt in the cabbage made them unusable.
 

Magnum

Well-known member
yes habaneros are great in chili, we used to go to a hot dog stand and the guy made a pepper sauce with them. The flavor was great and you be in a sweat eating them, should have asked for the recipe. I'll mix a bunch of peppers together and blend up with vinegar or slick some and add a lot of vinegar in a jar.

I keep telling my self I want to get some Tabasco plants, and make the slurry and age it for 2-3 years. at

I hope to do a big batch of sauerkraut, at least a 5 gallon bucket, did not last year because there was some flooding, all the dirt in the cabbage made them unusable.

I usually do one batch of chili per month, freeze most and have dinner a night or two from the rest. Chili-mac, chili dogs everything's better with chili. Oh man, now I'm hungry.

I've never tried growing cabbage , the area I live in is all corn & soy bean farms and the soil is very rich and dark. I however live on pretty much the only hill (hill is a bit of an understatement , about 3 miles across) for many miles and it can be seen from 5 miles away. I guess it's a glacial thing, but the soil up here is a bit rocky and thinner than anywhere else I've lived in Illinois . I'm going to try again this year for some pumpkins but had no luck last year with them. As a kid my wife grew a pumpkin that was about 400 lbs and that was not even 10 miles from here so there's hope. Squash grow good here but I just have trouble getting them big so I kind of gave up. acorn squash are one of my favorite.

I'm going to plant some cherry trees and an apple tree in the next year or so, they grow great here too- if you can keep the birds off them. I had a North Star cherry tree about 15 years ago at my parents house that produced a 5 gallon bucket + per year of some of the best cherries I ever had, I want that again.

I've got about 25 maple trees on my property and have thought about trying to determine if any are the correct type for syrup but haven't gotten that far.

We got to stop talking about food, I just finished breakfast #1 and bound to do breakfast #2 after I get done at the chiropractor at 10:00. This virus stuff has left me home more than normal and eating like a horse. The days I have had to go to work I'm looking for breakfast , 2 lunches and a snack. Usually I don't eat breakfast on days I work and lunch is something quick and I have a big dinner. I laughed and told my wife I should gave weighed myself before and after this whole thing is over, I bet it's cost me 10-15 lbs so far.
 
I wish I had a home gym, I really need to cut a lot of weight. I actually liked going to the gym, may be rated all this corona is over I'll get a membership.

I live just on the edge of the black dirt area in ny some of the richest soil in the world, we are known as the union capital of the world. But where I live we can't have a garden, so I help with my dads upstate when I'm there.
 

theotherwaldo

Well-known member
We usually don't have to plant peppers, we usually get plenty of volunteer plants along the fences from what the birds drop.
We don't have much trouble with the birds. The dominant breed are grackles, which are as smart as magpies and know a good thing when they see one. We provide them with drinking water, bathing water and lots of bugs and they seem to protect most of the garden.
It helps to learn their language.
(The locals are sure that we are witches, which help things along in other ways.)
We also have several owls that patrol the area that take out the rats, mice and small opossums. Our dog takes out the big ones.
Our soil is pretty poor - caliche - but our garden area has been improving as we add organics and fungi to this chalky mess.
It suffices.
 

Magnum

Well-known member
I'm about 20 lbs over my fighting weight so not a lot to lose but it sneaks up on you. I've got 2 daughters under 3 years old and those kids are bottomless pits, so they eat and when they do so do I.
My wife's got a serious sweet tooth and so there's always cakes , pies and cookies here which doesn't help either. I walk a lot though and at work I'm on my feet all day (auto mechanic), so I feel the extra weight plus my backs not great from my profession and sleeping on the couch when I get caught buying guns (half joking).
 

Olon

Active member
My sister started a garden toward the end of February (it gets warm early down here on the Rio Grande - it was 101 degrees today) and we're already eating cukes, squash, peas, tomatoes and some other veggies out of it.
Anyone else getting the itch to get some seeds in the ground - just in case?

I need to replant; I ignored my ancestral intuition and put em in the ground too early...
 

Olon

Active member
We usually don't have to plant peppers, we usually get plenty of volunteer plants along the fences from what the birds drop.
We don't have much trouble with the birds. The dominant breed are grackles, which are as smart as magpies and know a good thing when they see one. We provide them with drinking water, bathing water and lots of bugs and they seem to protect most of the garden.
It helps to learn their language.
(The locals are sure that we are witches, which help things along in other ways.)
We also have several owls that patrol the area that take out the rats, mice and small opossums. Our dog takes out the big ones.
Our soil is pretty poor - caliche - but our garden area has been improving as we add organics and fungi to this chalky mess.
It suffices.

We have hordes of garter snakes which I would think should help with the bugs. It will be my first summer at this rental house though so we'll see. Smart to take advantage of nature's sentries.
 

theotherwaldo

Well-known member
This year's Covid garden took it on the chin. It was around ten degrees last week and even the aquaponics plantings died.
Ah, well.
At least the fish survived... .
 

theotherwaldo

Well-known member
Our third aquaponics system was delivered this weekend.
We lost one set of goldfish to a bit of residual chemicals in the new tank, but the second bunch is doing fine.
I do love the sound of running water.
 

theotherwaldo

Well-known member
This year we're adding several trees to the mix.
After all, we lost several to the wind storms and hard freezes.
So, a pair of avocado trees, several persimmon trees, a couple of the hardier cherry trees and several others have been planted.
Also, multiple veggies are coming up.
There are already squash blossoms, the string beans are producing and the cherry tomatoes are coming back for a second year.
Lots of green for this time of year - then again, we've had a couple weeks over 80 degrees and a few days over 90!
 

wiscoaster

Well-known member
Sorry, I have a hard enough time getting enough grass to grow to keep the neighbors from kicking me out of the neighborhood. A green thumb is not my thing, I guess ....
 

Good Ol' Boy

Active member
I don't know where you're located or what you're trying to grow Waldo, but we don't normally put anything in the ground until late April early May.

I live in rural Southwest VA and grow in a raised bed as we don't have a ton of land.

Normally peppers, tomatoes, onions and potatoes.


We just had a freeze last night so still a bit early.
 
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