all 19 comments

[–]useless_aether 8 insightful - 2 fun8 insightful - 1 fun9 insightful - 2 fun -  (7 children)

thank you, i agree 100%, this is the perfect time to start gardening, it is the beginning of the growing season.. i usually start with radish, peas, spinach.. i was weeding for the last two-three days, getting ready the garden beds. but the last key ingredient is sunshine, if you dont have six to eight hours of sun exposure daily you wont be able to grow veggies, more likely it will be just herbs and maybe some berries. so keep southern exposure in mind when planning a garden.

i manage to garden without pesticides using only liquid fertilizer i make myself from nettle and comfrey. recently i made a duck pond and the water from that should be an awesome fertilizer as well.

i do have some pests and quite a bit of slug and snail damage; i just plant a few extra buffer/sacrificial plants, so there is enough food for everybody.

i really like zucchinis, they grow fast, big, plentiful, two or three plants will be more than enough. about five to ten of each aubergines, indeterminate tomatoes and peppers should yield enough to do even some canning. i also really like the winter squash, i still have one from last year, they keep well indoors at room temp.

i also do celery, potatoes, cabbage, brussel sprouts, green peas, string beans, spinach, leeks, onion, garlic..

perennials are great for the lazy: artichokes, jerusalem artichokes, nz spinach, asparagus, all kinds of berries and herbs, all of them are medicinal.

the key for healthy plants is the soil, high carbon content with rich microbial and fungal life (aka the soil foodweb)

also, it is too easy to keep poultry for meat, eggs and pest/weed control. mine won't even use the coop, they use a ladder and a plum tree every night

[–]FormosaOolong 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (4 children)

I want to learn how to can properly. Can you recommend a reliable and uncomplicated source to learn about it?

[–]Robin 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

NATURE :-)

[–]FormosaOolong 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

I guess a peapod or a squash is nature's canning, but I'd like something a little longer-lasting...

[–]useless_aether 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

just watch a few yt videos. it can be very simple. i use a dry canning method (but some things, like meat might need a pressure cooker). it is best to check the proper canning method for each kind of foodstuff individually.

what i do:

in the (air convextion) oven i keep the cans between 80 and 100C and on the stovetop the lids and a tong in a pot of water at similar temp to keep everything pasteurized.

i always use new, screw-on lids.

when my tomato sauce, apricot jam, chicken stock or whatever are ready (they are cooked and are gently simmering on low), i use a can lifter to pull a can from the oven, ladle them almost full (use a wide mouth canning funnel), then use the tong to put a lid on and tighten it fully with my hands (i use a tea towel, it's hot). then transfer the can back in the oven and do this for all the cans.

once done, i close the oven door and keep the cans in there for an hour or two somewhere between 80 and 100C... you can't go above boiling point or the cans might explode!

optional step: from the oven i pack them into wool blankets to prolong the heat treatment (eg overnight), but this might be overkill by some. as they cool, vacuum will suck the top of the lids in, so check each one. if you find one with a bad seal, just put it in the fridge and consume within days.

always check the lips of the cans for chips or any particles that can compromise the seal before you start.

[–]FormosaOolong 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Thank you so much, it's helpful to have first-hand, specific instructions.

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Your garden sounds awesome. I spent 2 years learning the hard way that yes, you do need 6+ hours of direct sun, so great advice.

Now I'm falling back to using grow bags in my front yard where there's plenty of sun. I'm kinda bummed about tomatoes though, I don't know how well they can do in a bag without the root depth.

[–]useless_aether 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

tomatoes like rich soil, they will grow like crazy straight out of a compost heap, so use at least 5gal or more (+ dolomite for blossom end rot). once i start picking the first flush i also start giving them the liquid fertilizer every fortnight until the end.

[–]FormosaOolong 6 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 0 fun7 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Sprouts are also a really quick and easy source of fresh food, packed with enzymes and protein. You can grow them in a jar on your countertop or window sill or anywhere with a bit of light.

[–]yetanotherone_sigh 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

Potatoes, potatoes, potatoes.

Anyone can grow potatoes. They are a complete source of amino acids. If you can get your hands on tires, stack up several tires and fill with soil and plant the potatoes. When you want to harvest, you just tip the stack over and pull the potatoes out of the soil.

[–]InsufferableHaunt 6 insightful - 2 fun6 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

Tires are rubber and their carcinogens tend to leak into the soil.

[–]yetanotherone_sigh 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I thought so too. It turns out that they are really really resistant to leaching chemicals. Several studies have been done and they are safe to use in an organic garden. I know several organic gardeners that looked into it and they use them.

[–]kokolokoNightcrawler 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

The bug eating the potato leaf and I don't it's name in English..it's the most resistant sonofabitch...you simply have to either go and clean them manually off leaves every day or use pesticides...and frankly fuck pesticides in my garden. I'd rather starve

[–]yetanotherone_sigh 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

We have lady bugs here, they eat all the bugs.

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

the other day i was at the store and they ran out of egg's, and i was toying with the idea of getting a few chickens. i mean i would certainly eat the eggs, i just dont no what i would do with the creatures after the pandemic ran its course. i mean besides eat them i suppose thats always a option :)

[–]Chad_the_Larp 1 insightful - 2 fun1 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 2 fun -  (2 children)

Lmao the asshole government will tax you for making your own private farm. Someone couñd start a atom sized buisness with a front yard farm, your audiece would be your neighbors lol

[–]kokolokoNightcrawler 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

sounds like something only jews would do. Look it up just in case

[–]bald-janitor 1 insightful - 2 fun1 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

(((neighbors)))

[–]bald-janitor 1 insightful - 2 fun1 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

But vegetables are grown in supermarkets!