WHat do you need in a survivial garden?

[Dobelo17]

Hi Deberosa or any one else,

For a family of four what would you suggest as a good
basic garden. Our son will be going off to college so
he will need all the food he can get. I usually plant
tomatoe, peas, carrots,corn, cucs, peppers and
squash. With most of the animals gone I now have
a excellent fenced in 3 acre plot. So how much do you plant of each thing? My friend said she would show me how to can and make salsa. We have 3 apple trees and some strawberries and rasberrie plants but would
like to expand them also. THe other question I have is
how do you nicely ask someone to stay out of your garden when your not home? I have been planting
a garden for the last 3 yrs. WHen I am at work on Sat
mornings until noon my mother in law comes up and
cleanes out the garden of the best of everthing. Last
year I was going to learn how to make Salsa. When I
got home she had 2 5 gal buckets of my best tomatoes
in her car. SHe left the ones with splits and marks
for me. I didn't have enough left to even make one batch of Salsa. My husband is the one that tells her
she can have some stuff from the garden. WHy would a household of 2 people need 10 gals of tomatoes??
SHe then went and gave them to all of my hubands
relation that live by them. They have 5 acres of their
own land if they want a garden can't they plant thier own? SOrry to complain but I worry about our food supply and think this country is headed for some
big problems. I need to learn how to take care of
my family not supply food for some one to lazy to get
off their butts and do it them selves. They are only in their early 60's and have only miner health issues.
THey always laugh about my thinking we should be
prepared. They are old enough to know things can get
bad. Oh well I guess I will leave the electric fencer Hooked up if all else fails i'll zap them a few times and
lock the gate. >:(

[hillbillygal]

I thought I'd mention that in the description of the preparedness issue coming out Jackie Clay is going to have an artcile about a survival garden. I'm looking forward to reading that one and it sounds like it could be what you are looking for.

As far as your MIL. I'd tell your husband to tell her you are planning on canning most of your produce this year but you will gladly BRING her any extra you may have. If she doesn't take the hint, get a big dog. lol

[debbielynn]

standing by to hear input on this topic. I want to know too ! ;D

[wy0mn]

This will be my first year gardening at this altitude/latitude. But for a survival garden I would want self pollinating trees, perennial root & bulb crops. Herbs & such that I can rely upon to return year after year.
I want things that can be hung & dried, or cellared.
In my case "survival" means no artificial refrigeration. With firewood so distant canning may not be a viable option for me either. Ergo, dried or buried.
I know thats a generic oversimplified idea & I'm giving it diligent study.

[Dobelo17]

Hi Guys,
THanks for the input. I will be looking for that issue.
I think I will give drying some things a try also. My son made some excellent Venison jerky last year. I also
like the big dog idea ;D.

[beekeeper]

What do you need?

Exactly what your family consumes in a year.

[bookwormom]

MIL needs to grow her own garden, tell her you will show her how it is done and put her to work. No more freebies. My husband and I are in our sixties, well I just started, but he is getting close to seventy. She has got the nerve.

to survive you need some good basics, that will give you some calories. I grow Potaotes, sweet potatoes, winter squash, corn. Potatoes are my favorite, we need them, we can live on them in a pinch, they do not need to be processed, canned, blanched, frozen.
I also stress berries in my garden, if you have to buy them they are a luxury. strawberry and red raspberry bear a crop the second year. We have not had to buy jam and jelly for many years. I make yoghurt and kefir, put some thawed berries in the blender and mix it in, sooo good and good for you, at the price of regular milk.
Of course we also plant cabbages, broccoli, tomatoes and peppers, different kinds of radishes, different kinds of salad greens, cucumbers, lots of herbs for cooking and for teas. but no zucchini, it never does well here. I use green butternut squash as a substitute. almost forgot beans, how could I.

[annabella1]

How to keep people from harvesting your garden while you are away? Just make it well known that the "pesticide" you use will need to be neutralized in a special process to keep it from being harmful to people. You could even post signs to that effect"CAUTION GARDEN SPRAYED WITH VERBIAGE DO NOT CONSUME UNTIL NEUTRALIZED"Of course some people wont want to eat any of your veggies then.

[MotherCharlotte]

How to keep people from harvesting your garden while you are away? Just make it well known that the "pesticide" you use will need to be neutralized in a special process to keep it from being harmful to people. You could even post signs to that effect"CAUTION GARDEN SPRAYED WITH VERBIAGE DO NOT CONSUME UNTIL NEUTRALIZED"Of course some people wont want to eat any of your veggies then.

Now that's a good idea. ;D

[Deberosa]

Wow, I often give away stuff I grow, but when someone comes and takes it that would have me steaming!!!

But for your question, The book Grow More Vegetables by John Jeavons has a complete list of what to grow for a family of 4. It's a great book for many reasons - it has planting times, companion plants, rotation schedules, seeding rates, spacing rates, and just about everything else all in one book! He uses an intensive growing method and grows for a family of 4 on less than an acre.

I narrowed down the different kinds of things I am growing this year, preferring instead to grow more of what we actually eat and preserving it. I also hope to grow lettuce all year round this year. ALready eating lettuce and basil out of the greenhouse.

[bookwormom]

quote
How to keep people from harvesting your garden while you are away? Just make it well known that the "pesticide" you use will need to be neutralized in a special process to keep it from being harmful to people. You could even post signs to that effect"CAUTION GARDEN SPRAYED WITH VERBIAGE DO NOT CONSUME UNTIL NEUTRALIZED"Of course some people wont want to eat any of your veggies then.

ROFL
smart thinking. too bad she does not have a compost toilet.

[Dobelo17]

Hi guys,
THanks for all the input. We went today and picked up
4 bareroot apple trees and some bare root plum trees.
I will stick with the basics this year for a garden and can
that. We will also be adding more berries and some herbs
I think. I got the prepared issue and am reading it as fast
as I can and keeping it close.

BEcky

[CarolAnn]

Dobelo -
Why not sit down and have a real serious talk with your husband?

No garden is going to be big enough if he gives your produce away. Grow more - they'll take more. Is he involved in the work? Perhaps if he had more of a personal investment of sweat equity he'd respect it more.

If his mom is a wheedler and power plays him into offering, - as she might be if she's such a dirt bag as to boldly make off with the best of your crop - you may need to become as bold as she is. Stick up for yourself, kid. She's treating you AND your family with major disrespect.

[Dobelo17]

Hi Carol Ann,

Yes she is treating our family with disrespect and does it all the time it is a long standing battle. I was looking
for a alternate way since talking to my husband or his
mommy doesn't work. My girl freind and I are going to
plan out the garden next week we both want to do
more canning this fall and Some drying. My husband
runs the rottiller for my garden. I was thinking of getting a smaller tiller so I can run it the one we
have draggs my butt all over the place. ANy ideas on
a good small tiller.

Becky

[WileyCoyote]

Troy Bilt. It isn't small but the tines are mounted so that it doesn't bounce your butt all over - and so that it won't dig to China in one spot, either. I am short and VERY light - can't even run a chainsaw cause I can't put enough weight behind it! - but I can run a Troy Bilt. And you cannot kill them... not with roots, not with rocks, not with heavy clay soil.

[Dobelo17]

Wileycoyote,

Sounds like just what I need. *I saw a small one advertised in the farm and fleet paper. *I wish it would quit raining
my fields are flooding again. *THis would have been the
perfect year to fill the pond we want to build behind our house. *Never got the dike built last year because it had been so dry for the last 3 yrs we thought it would never fill up. *We could have filled it *twice this spring LOL. *We want
to put in the pond so on drier years we can use it to water the garden. :-/

[DM]

Just keep in mind that the Troybilt of today isn't the same Troybilt of yesteryear. The Troybilt name is owned by MTD, and the product has went down hill accordantly.

For a smaller garden most any tiller will do fairly good, but for a tiller that will last a lifetime even with rough use, then BCS is the tiller to get. There tillers are even better than the "old" Troys... They also are expensive.

DM

[RNMOM]

I loved the last issue with Jackie's tips for a survival garden. We have expanded our garden this year because of the food situation we see happening. Unfortunately, we have a limited season in which to grow. We had snow yesterday! Eek. I did plant onion starts last Saturday and transplanted some strawberries. I will be getting tomatoes in this week with protection with my wall o waters.
I grow green beans, cukes, tomatoes, carrots, onions, squash. cabbage and lots of different herbs. I plan on canning everything this year that I can get my hands on. I don't usually plant potatoes, because of a lack of garden space and I live in the heart of potato country. My kids work for farmers during harvest and I get BOXES of potatoes.
What types of growing seasons do ya'll have out there? I can usually have everything in by Memorial Day, and will have a killing frost by the end of August. Wish it were longer.

[anna]

I always grow green beans, baby lima beans, beets, tomatoes and carrots for canning. Potatoes, squash, carrots, turnips and sweet potatoes for storage. Onions and peppers I dry or freeze. I also raise cucumbers for pickles and various other things for eating fresh. I raise a climbing variety of pinto beans and let them dry before picking. One garden row equals 1 gallon of beans. I've tried various bush beans in varieties for drying but we have wet fall weather and they mold/rot before drying. I'd like to find a good climbing kidney, lima and navy beans for dried bean storage to go with pintos. I do not grow corn or peas because it takes way too much space for what you get. I love fresh peas and corn and wish I had an acre so I could plant them.

[wy0mn]

RNMOM
I found this link by googling 'high altitude gardening', hope it helps. There are several sites like this
http://www.co.teller.co.us/CSUextension/Master%20Gardeners/Vegetables.htm
It snowed here last night & this morning too.
Lex

[RNMOM]

Thanks for the site WyOmn, that was helpful. I think I have a growing season just a tad longer than Teller Co. I will be able to baby the tomatoes with wall o waters and LOTS of love. I have been known to talk to them as well. Hey whatever works.

[Dobelo17]

Hi Lex,
Interesting link. We had snow here this weekend and
I was planting my apple trees in 30 degree temps
yestureday. It got down to 20 degrees last night.
I think it will warm up some day??? ??? I am going
to try my hand at canning this summer I like the list of
vegs everyone has on here . I think I will even try a couple
of hills of potatoes.

Becky

[DavidOH]

*So how much do you plant of each thing?
*\mother in law comes up and
* >:(

How to Grow More Vegetables than you ever thought possible
on less land than you can imagine.
by John Jeavons
Great book, I've got it and I recomend it.

....as for the MIL.
How about serving spagatti with NO tomato sauce!!? ;D
..........maybe they will get the point. *::)

[bookwormom]

How to Grow More Vegetables than you ever thought possible
on less land than you can imagine.
by John Jeavons
Great book, I've got it and I recomend it.

you mean you grow more vegetables than you thought possible on less land than you can imagine?
If so this is interesting.

[ceresone]

Age dosent have anything to do with it, I'm 71 in July, and will have a big garden, canning, drying and freezing it.
Sounds like my EX-family, my husband would never stand up to his mother, and the more I did, the more she took. I would'nt advise everyone to do it my way, a bit drastic, but if your husband wont stand up to his mother, YOU will have to. I'd put up a big sign-- IF YOU DIDNT PLANT IT- STAY THE HECK OUT!! And enforce it, with both your problems.

[Dobelo17]

;D Hi guys,

I think My problem with the Mother in Law might
have solved itself. We are moving the garden into
the old goat pasture. SO the fence is 4 foot tall woven that you can't get through without walking through
the cow yard and it is full of poop. I also still have the
electric fence running around the top of it. I will just spray down the poop pile when I water the garden and
keep it nice and soupy. I can just step over the fence
but Mother in law is to short. ANd hubby doesn't want to put in a gate on this side of the pasture so it should keep her out ;D. I will check out the book you mention
any help and advice is great.

BEcky