I found the following question in my YouTube in-box and thought I'd answer it here:
From MrDreaC: I saw a video a wile back on quail. I was hoping you could answer a few questions i had. the reason i ask is because im thinking of raising some quail. i wanted to know if you had any pointers for me. such as how many birds id need (just me and my girl would be eating).# and size of cages. the best species to buy, where to buy and the like. also my wife has told me that she doesn't want the house to be full of bird squawking all the time. are the birds loud? how may meal birds can be produced by 1 breeding pair? thanks in advance. (sic - above is exactly as it was in my in-box!)
My Response: I'm not an expert by any means. You can check my blog at http://vikkisverandah.blogspot.com and search for "quail". They do make noise but it's not constant and certainly a lot less than most birds. Keep one boy and one girl together because they get jealous and will peck another of the same sex. We just moved ours into rabbit hutches with easy-to-clean pans underneath. Do NOT let a pet-store employee talk you into using a regular bird cage... they don't work for quail. Quail do not fly a lot. They jump up and often hit their heads. They don't need tall cages, just wide. Good luck.
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My goat-neighbor-son called yesterday and said he'd be over today to help construct the goat pen. Would have come over yesterday except he got his chicks in. All 400 of them! He's going to do something called "Pastured Poultry Profit" from a book by Joel Salatin. Interesting. Never heard of it. But will have to pick his brain about it. I think they have 2-3 acres, but the info I found talked about doing it with 20 acres. The reviews I saw for the book on Amazon.com brought up concerns about the lack of info on how to market the meat/eggs in today's society. Didn't discuss the internet, from what I can tell.
QUESTION: what is the best way for a small "hobby farmer" to market the meat, eggs, milk, cheese, produce, etc.?
We'll probably use most of our eggs, but would like to sell our extra quail and quail eggs. Plus we plan to sell our produce. That's why I'm asking the above question.
I got a LOT of work done on repotting my seedlings yesterday but still have lots more to do. My plants are growing so fast and we haven't even begun making the raised-bed frames for them. I have a lot of cold-crops ready to go so we need to get it done soon!
Plus I broke down the other day and bought 3 strawberry plants and a small 9-flat of lettuce plants. I just couldn't wait any longer! I want fresh greens! The lettuce got planted yesterday in a windowsill planter... plenty of space because we'll keep them "clipped". The strawberries will get planted in another windowsill planter and should begin bearing within a month.
It's so much to get done for the first year on a new property. We'll do as much as possible, but I'm thinking the strawberry pyramid will have to wait until next year. That's why the windowsill planter for this year.
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Last night I took 3 peat pellets, un-shrank them (rehydrated), and placed an organic green lentil in each.
Assuming they sprout, I'm gonna do a lot more and plant them all along a fence. I've never grown lentils so know nothing about them. I'll harvest, save to eat and to seed. Since they didn't have a name, I'll call them VC Green Lentils!
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I'm thinking that I'll put off my $2 Garden Challenge for a year. I just don't have the time, energy and strength to do more than what we had already planned. Even scaling back still won't give me that extra time. Sorry to disappoint but ... I'm sure you understand.
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Hubby, the Kid and me did get some pallets and other things moved around in the workshop/barn last night. We also moved the chicken coop in place but I'm not happy with the puddle of oil soaked into the dirt underneath. Gonna have to figure out something.
And ... Hubby tried to work on a co-worker's laptop here at home yesterday and it tried to reconfigure our modem. It's basically shot. I had to piggy-back off a neighbor's to post this morning. I'm really ticked, especially since Hubby does all of this work for free. That free job's gonna cost us a new modem. And Hubby got a promotion about a year ago but have they given him the title and new pay yet? Nope!
Ok, I'm not in the best of moods today. Maybe I should go back to bed for a little while.
Showing posts with label $2 Garden Challenge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label $2 Garden Challenge. Show all posts
Grow for Hay, Movie Review Blog and Christina Cooks
We're in the process of placing a special order for seed that we can plant in a couple of small "pastures" - just 8 x 20 plots. Maybe bigger. We haven't worked it all out yet. Will order next week from a local farm supply store.
We'll seed these in early Spring (in just a few weeks) and grow until mid-summer. A scythe or who knows what will help us cut it down, then we'll dry and put away for winter where it won't mold or get eaten before it's time. Then we'll grow it out again and let the goaties munch it all towards mid/late Fall.
They won't be allowed to eat it to the ground, tho. Most of what we'll plant is perennial, so it will grow up one more time and hopefully go to seed. That will mean more for the next year.
RABBIT: Pasture seed for Hay
(cut for Bunnies then browse ONCE for goats then allow to seed for next year. Do not rotate as some of these are perennials):
60% alfalfa
20% timothy or teff
10% orchardgrass
10% red clover
GOAT: Pasture seed for Hay
(cut for Goats , allow to regrow, goats to browse, then allow to grow and re-seed. Do not rotate as some of these are perennials):
30% orchardgrass
30% bluegrass
20% alfalfa
10% red clover
5% yarrow
5% amaranth
Assuming we let these go to seed each year, we will only need to buy seed just this first year (2010). While we usually advocate rotating crops, the best way to eliminate the need to buy seed for "hay" is to let it re-seed. These two "hay" crops are the only "fields" we plan on NOT rotating.
Again, it's our plan to be self-reliant. That means not needing to buy seed every year.
We are not under the illusion that our small plots will provide enough hay for our critters for an entire Winter and most of Spring, but it will help.
= = = =
Starting seeds tomorrow... lots of tomatoes, a couple of bell peppers, some cabbage and broccoli. Came across a neat way to do it.... at the end of last season, I had bought a lot of those peat pellets. The ones you add warm water to and they expand. I've prepared quart-sized baggies with how many seeds and of what (5 purple russian tomato, 4 broccoli, etc.). Rehydrate the peat pellets, and sow seeds. Place in baggies. Zip up tight and place in warm area (but not in sun). Check on regularly and add water as needed. When sprouts appear, open bag and place in sunny window, watering more often.
For the $2 Garden Challenge:
I haven't learned how to make newspaper "pots" yet but will use the Kid's empty yogurt containers and some dirt from the yard. I'll place a couple of the rabbits poo-pellets in the bottom before adding the dirt (they don't need to compost first). I think I'll put the yogurt cups in baggies as well, to help keep the "soil" moist to help the germination. These yogurt pots are what I'll use to start the seeds for the $2 Garden. Might not get to these seeds tomorrow, as we're kinda still buried in snow here. Might be next week.
I'll try to remember to take pictures or video of the Kid and I starting seeds tomorrow.
= = = =
One more comment added at 6:40 a.m.: I was just watching "Christina Cooks" on PBS. I like watching her cooking show because she does things a little more healthy than other cooking shows. Two things bug me about it: (1) Way too much salt, justified by saying it adds depth of flavor, especially added after each new ingredient. I have high blood pressure, and very rarely use any salt. It's not just her show... I can't think of any cooking show that doesn't add a liberal amount of salt to most every dish. (2) What is the deal with that Jon Michaels guy singing during each episode? It doesn't have anything to do with cooking, and yes, it passes the time when she's doing something mundane but still... I usually turn the channel when he starts, and also usually forget to go back to the show.
= = = =
Now... my Kid wants to start a blog of his own, doing reviews of movies. It's his passion, not that we let him watch a lot of movies. He has lots of movie/video guides, and has practically memorized the books. An absolute fanatic about the rating system. He wants to write about movies, what they are rated, his thoughts about them and such. (I've told him he has to be careful to not copy the reviews in the movie guide books.) He also wants to write about movies he HASN'T seen, perhaps inviting his readers to give their own reviews.
The Kid wants to call his blog "Mark Twain Cinema", but that name is already taken by an actual cinema. Why Mark Twain? Because he's was my grandmother's uncle (she was a Clemens), and we're quite proud of being related.
I plan to give the Kid writing and creativity grades on his blog, to meet school curriculum requirements. He's excited about this but we're stumped on the name. Something catchy, that hopefully includes "Mark Twain". A little help, please?
We'll seed these in early Spring (in just a few weeks) and grow until mid-summer. A scythe or who knows what will help us cut it down, then we'll dry and put away for winter where it won't mold or get eaten before it's time. Then we'll grow it out again and let the goaties munch it all towards mid/late Fall.
They won't be allowed to eat it to the ground, tho. Most of what we'll plant is perennial, so it will grow up one more time and hopefully go to seed. That will mean more for the next year.
RABBIT: Pasture seed for Hay
(cut for Bunnies then browse ONCE for goats then allow to seed for next year. Do not rotate as some of these are perennials):
60% alfalfa
20% timothy or teff
10% orchardgrass
10% red clover
GOAT: Pasture seed for Hay
(cut for Goats , allow to regrow, goats to browse, then allow to grow and re-seed. Do not rotate as some of these are perennials):
30% orchardgrass
30% bluegrass
20% alfalfa
10% red clover
5% yarrow
5% amaranth
Assuming we let these go to seed each year, we will only need to buy seed just this first year (2010). While we usually advocate rotating crops, the best way to eliminate the need to buy seed for "hay" is to let it re-seed. These two "hay" crops are the only "fields" we plan on NOT rotating.
Again, it's our plan to be self-reliant. That means not needing to buy seed every year.
We are not under the illusion that our small plots will provide enough hay for our critters for an entire Winter and most of Spring, but it will help.
= = = =
Starting seeds tomorrow... lots of tomatoes, a couple of bell peppers, some cabbage and broccoli. Came across a neat way to do it.... at the end of last season, I had bought a lot of those peat pellets. The ones you add warm water to and they expand. I've prepared quart-sized baggies with how many seeds and of what (5 purple russian tomato, 4 broccoli, etc.). Rehydrate the peat pellets, and sow seeds. Place in baggies. Zip up tight and place in warm area (but not in sun). Check on regularly and add water as needed. When sprouts appear, open bag and place in sunny window, watering more often.
For the $2 Garden Challenge:
I haven't learned how to make newspaper "pots" yet but will use the Kid's empty yogurt containers and some dirt from the yard. I'll place a couple of the rabbits poo-pellets in the bottom before adding the dirt (they don't need to compost first). I think I'll put the yogurt cups in baggies as well, to help keep the "soil" moist to help the germination. These yogurt pots are what I'll use to start the seeds for the $2 Garden. Might not get to these seeds tomorrow, as we're kinda still buried in snow here. Might be next week.
I'll try to remember to take pictures or video of the Kid and I starting seeds tomorrow.
= = = =
One more comment added at 6:40 a.m.: I was just watching "Christina Cooks" on PBS. I like watching her cooking show because she does things a little more healthy than other cooking shows. Two things bug me about it: (1) Way too much salt, justified by saying it adds depth of flavor, especially added after each new ingredient. I have high blood pressure, and very rarely use any salt. It's not just her show... I can't think of any cooking show that doesn't add a liberal amount of salt to most every dish. (2) What is the deal with that Jon Michaels guy singing during each episode? It doesn't have anything to do with cooking, and yes, it passes the time when she's doing something mundane but still... I usually turn the channel when he starts, and also usually forget to go back to the show.
= = = =
Now... my Kid wants to start a blog of his own, doing reviews of movies. It's his passion, not that we let him watch a lot of movies. He has lots of movie/video guides, and has practically memorized the books. An absolute fanatic about the rating system. He wants to write about movies, what they are rated, his thoughts about them and such. (I've told him he has to be careful to not copy the reviews in the movie guide books.) He also wants to write about movies he HASN'T seen, perhaps inviting his readers to give their own reviews.
The Kid wants to call his blog "Mark Twain Cinema", but that name is already taken by an actual cinema. Why Mark Twain? Because he's was my grandmother's uncle (she was a Clemens), and we're quite proud of being related.
I plan to give the Kid writing and creativity grades on his blog, to meet school curriculum requirements. He's excited about this but we're stumped on the name. Something catchy, that hopefully includes "Mark Twain". A little help, please?
Snow equals permaculture, soup and goats
Here I am, watching the snow blizzard onto our property. So peaceful, although preventing me from seeing my beautiful Colorado mountains. But I'm recuperating from my painful week (one or two more days should do it). My thoughts turn to getting this property from virtual wasteland to a food-producing haven.
Ah.... my list...
1. Find exact property lines and measure.
2. Decide kind of fencing.
3. Discuss fencing with affected neighbors.
4. Discuss fencing with HOA (although defunct, still necessary).
5. Install fencing around perimeter.
6. Order fruit and nut trees and bushes.
7. While waiting, mark with landscape paint where to plant them.
8. Plant them.
9. Start certain veggies indoors.
10. Make frames for veggie garden and put in place.
11. Outline and lay concrete for barn.
etc.
Now... since we're in the middle of a "blizzard", can't exactly do number 1 and we've started working on number 2. I think we'll get them done this weekend, along with unpacking. But my question... I have been searching online for info about permaculture. I had read a couple of good books several years ago, but (1) they are based on Australia and it's weather patterns and (2) I didn't have a decent property back then and (3) had to return the books to the person who'd lent them to me.
Goal (Self-Reliance): We want to use our 2 acres to the absolute most.... as many perennial edible plantings as possible while leaving room for 2 different 3-Sisters crops and other veggie plantings in the Summer. We also plan to leave room for a fire pit, 2 barns, windmill, and keep the dog run as is (for dogs and people fun). Also need 2 small pasture areas to grow "hay" for our critters' Winter feed.
I'm too cheap to take a class (there are instruction places nearby). And there are so many permaculture books available at Amazon.com but I can't find one that deals not only with the USA but also takes into account the different weather patterns and elevations here. So much to consider... micro climates, what grows here and their benefits, high winds, etc. Plus our house, workshop and future barn is on top of a ridge (hill) that slopes down both for the back acre and the front acre, so we're windy and dry on top, and wet and windy on the bottom. We have only a couple of trees (but, as you know, we plan to plant lots in the front!).
Are there any permaculture people in Colorado nearby? If you have permaculture experience and want to help us design our 2 acres, keeping our needs in mind, we'll be more than happy to recommend you to others. We'll even place your contact info on this blog's website. We plan to write a book about this experience which means your contact info will be in that too. Take a chance! Help us plan our self-reliant homestead.
= = = =
I did a lot of research today to figure out what we can plant to feed our goats, rabbits, chicken and quail without relying on store-bought products. I'll post my findings over the next several days.
Meanwhile, I am still searching for 20-cent marigold seeds for my two-dollar garden! Since we have only gotten a couple of inches of snow up here on our little hill, we might be able to get out and search for those seeds this weekend. If I don't find some soon, I might trade some other seeds for some marigolds, as those flowers are absolutely essential in helping to keep away certain pests.
Otherwise, we have more boxes to unpack this weekend, and I need to find my kitchen stuff so I can cook! I really want some soup. Oh, and where are my clothes?!?!
= = = = =
Patricia, the goat breeder we found, says our baby goats are doing great. Already put a deposit on them and the milking doe. The babies are about 3 weeks old (?) and are munching on grass already. They've had their disbudding, and the wether has been banded. Honey (the doeling) has quite a strong personality, not allowing any of the adults boss her around. Hawk (the wether) loves being with his sister; the two are best friends. We hope to have pictures next week (snowbound right now).
CM2, our milking doe, is progressing nicely with her pregnancy. Seems like it will be a long time before she gives birth and the kids are weaned. Still, looking forward to her joining Honey and Hawk before long. (If you remember, I'd originally contacted Patricia about the doe Bedazzled but she kept steering me to CM2. Hope she works out ok! Want a goat we can start milking right away.
= = = = =
And for those of you who e-mailed, I'm doing better. My new med and herbal supplement regimen is really helping to break up the stones. I should be back functioning again this weekend. Hope hope hope!
= = = = =
Note added at 6:40 p.m.: Unbelievable. Bit into an apple and started to chew. A cap/crown/whatever on a tooth that was just put on in Dec/Jan came off. Great. Guess I don't eat again until it's fixed, and can't call to get an appointment until Monday. Oh fun fun.
Ah.... my list...
1. Find exact property lines and measure.
2. Decide kind of fencing.
3. Discuss fencing with affected neighbors.
4. Discuss fencing with HOA (although defunct, still necessary).
5. Install fencing around perimeter.
6. Order fruit and nut trees and bushes.
7. While waiting, mark with landscape paint where to plant them.
8. Plant them.
9. Start certain veggies indoors.
10. Make frames for veggie garden and put in place.
11. Outline and lay concrete for barn.
etc.
Now... since we're in the middle of a "blizzard", can't exactly do number 1 and we've started working on number 2. I think we'll get them done this weekend, along with unpacking. But my question... I have been searching online for info about permaculture. I had read a couple of good books several years ago, but (1) they are based on Australia and it's weather patterns and (2) I didn't have a decent property back then and (3) had to return the books to the person who'd lent them to me.
Goal (Self-Reliance): We want to use our 2 acres to the absolute most.... as many perennial edible plantings as possible while leaving room for 2 different 3-Sisters crops and other veggie plantings in the Summer. We also plan to leave room for a fire pit, 2 barns, windmill, and keep the dog run as is (for dogs and people fun). Also need 2 small pasture areas to grow "hay" for our critters' Winter feed.
I'm too cheap to take a class (there are instruction places nearby). And there are so many permaculture books available at Amazon.com but I can't find one that deals not only with the USA but also takes into account the different weather patterns and elevations here. So much to consider... micro climates, what grows here and their benefits, high winds, etc. Plus our house, workshop and future barn is on top of a ridge (hill) that slopes down both for the back acre and the front acre, so we're windy and dry on top, and wet and windy on the bottom. We have only a couple of trees (but, as you know, we plan to plant lots in the front!).
Are there any permaculture people in Colorado nearby? If you have permaculture experience and want to help us design our 2 acres, keeping our needs in mind, we'll be more than happy to recommend you to others. We'll even place your contact info on this blog's website. We plan to write a book about this experience which means your contact info will be in that too. Take a chance! Help us plan our self-reliant homestead.
= = = =
I did a lot of research today to figure out what we can plant to feed our goats, rabbits, chicken and quail without relying on store-bought products. I'll post my findings over the next several days.
Meanwhile, I am still searching for 20-cent marigold seeds for my two-dollar garden! Since we have only gotten a couple of inches of snow up here on our little hill, we might be able to get out and search for those seeds this weekend. If I don't find some soon, I might trade some other seeds for some marigolds, as those flowers are absolutely essential in helping to keep away certain pests.
Otherwise, we have more boxes to unpack this weekend, and I need to find my kitchen stuff so I can cook! I really want some soup. Oh, and where are my clothes?!?!
= = = = =
Patricia, the goat breeder we found, says our baby goats are doing great. Already put a deposit on them and the milking doe. The babies are about 3 weeks old (?) and are munching on grass already. They've had their disbudding, and the wether has been banded. Honey (the doeling) has quite a strong personality, not allowing any of the adults boss her around. Hawk (the wether) loves being with his sister; the two are best friends. We hope to have pictures next week (snowbound right now).
CM2, our milking doe, is progressing nicely with her pregnancy. Seems like it will be a long time before she gives birth and the kids are weaned. Still, looking forward to her joining Honey and Hawk before long. (If you remember, I'd originally contacted Patricia about the doe Bedazzled but she kept steering me to CM2. Hope she works out ok! Want a goat we can start milking right away.
= = = = =
And for those of you who e-mailed, I'm doing better. My new med and herbal supplement regimen is really helping to break up the stones. I should be back functioning again this weekend. Hope hope hope!
= = = = =
Note added at 6:40 p.m.: Unbelievable. Bit into an apple and started to chew. A cap/crown/whatever on a tooth that was just put on in Dec/Jan came off. Great. Guess I don't eat again until it's fixed, and can't call to get an appointment until Monday. Oh fun fun.
The 2 Dollar Garden Plan
I've researched companion planting, and come up with the following for my inexpensive "two dollar garden". Each square has 4 squares in it. I have 2-foot boards that I will hammer together, making 2 x 2 squares, and giving me 4 square feet per "Square". I'll just kinda jiggle them into the dirt after we've raked and hoed it out. Basically just for framing purposes.
The above pic is for the bell peppers. According to square foot gardening, one can plant 16 carrots per square foot. Because I have the bell pepper, a marigold and a pumpkin in each square foot, I figure 10 carrots will fit just fine. I'm going to do as many of these squares as I can.
The Kids LOVES carrots!
I don't care much for cabbage but Hubby does so I'm going to make him some kraut. The dill helps to keep pests away and later I can use it in the kraut. Pumpkins again in the corner. This will probably be only one square (2 x 2 = 4 square feet).
My biggun! As many of these squares as I can create because we love carrots, and tomatoes are essential to our daily diet. I have the lettuce to the north because the tomato will shade them, preventing them from burning and bolting. I have a few carrots to the north of those because the lettuce will be kept picked, so there shouldn't be any shade over the carrots. Marigolds are an absolute MUST for tomato plantings. Keep away from the cabbage squares.
The above is my badly-drawn rendition of my "Three Sisters". I didn't get corn seeds because I have heirloom corn in my regular garden, and didn't want cross-pollination, but this works with the mammoth sunflowers too. 1 sunflower per square foot, 2 beans, 2 cukes, and a pumpkin in the corner. Of course, dill helps keep down pests. I plan on doing as many of these as I have seeds, space and energy!
The above pic is for the bell peppers. According to square foot gardening, one can plant 16 carrots per square foot. Because I have the bell pepper, a marigold and a pumpkin in each square foot, I figure 10 carrots will fit just fine. I'm going to do as many of these squares as I can.The Kids LOVES carrots!
I don't care much for cabbage but Hubby does so I'm going to make him some kraut. The dill helps to keep pests away and later I can use it in the kraut. Pumpkins again in the corner. This will probably be only one square (2 x 2 = 4 square feet).
My biggun! As many of these squares as I can create because we love carrots, and tomatoes are essential to our daily diet. I have the lettuce to the north because the tomato will shade them, preventing them from burning and bolting. I have a few carrots to the north of those because the lettuce will be kept picked, so there shouldn't be any shade over the carrots. Marigolds are an absolute MUST for tomato plantings. Keep away from the cabbage squares.Now... is it Spring yet?
The 2 Dollar Garden Challenge
I got my monthly issue of Backwoods Home Garden last week (or the week before?) and with great interest read the article about the $1.00 garden. The author and her mother had been hearing about how expensive it can be to garden enough to produce food for a family to eat fresh AND to put away. They figured there had to be a cheaper way and conducted an experiment using cheap seeds and very little else. With the exception of basil, all produced wildly. Their experiment was done on a relatively small plot - I think it was about 32 square feet.
This got me thinking. I've spent so much on seeds for our 2010 garden. Yes, I have a lot more property this year, and I really prefer heirloom seeds, which are always more expensive, but next year will be cheaper because I plan to save seeds this year. Meanwhile, could it indeed be done using cheaper seeds? Saving for the next year wouldn't really be possible (never know what mutant would grow) but still... can we help figure out how to do it cheaper?
Isn't this the very epitome of self-sufficiency?
So while we were at Wal-Mart yesterday, I saw their seeds were already out, and this year, they actually had the cheapo seeds too! Those by American Seed/Plantation Products, that are 20 cents a pack. I usually find them at the Dollar Tree, and sometimes towards the end of the Summer for only 10 cents a package. For this year's special garden ... here's what I bought:
-Cabbage (Early Golden Acre)
-Cucumber (Poinsett 76)
-Dill (Long Island Mammoth)
-Lettuce (Grand Rapids - Leaf)
-Pepper (Grand Bell Mix)
-Pole Bean (Kentucky Wonder)
-Pumpkin (Small Sugar)
-Carrot (Chantenay)
-Sunflower (Mammoth Russian)
The cucumbers are slicers, not the pickling kind but should do well anyway, especially as ice-
box pickles. The dill will be used to pickle the cucumbers, and also to make kraut out of cabbage. Both good for storage. The lettuce will be eaten fresh. The bell peppers (a mix of all colors) will be eaten fresh but also dehydrated. The beans will be eaten fresh (some) but mostly frozen or canned. I might even dry some to shell for "dried beans" during the winter. The pumpkins will store well in the basement or a root cellar for winter consumption, and we can also eat the seeds for protein. The carrots will be eaten fresh right away, canned or dehydrated for winter use, and we'll try to store some in hay to eat fresh in winter. The sunflowers provide beauty but also seeds for winter protein.
The above seeds cost $1.80, 9 packages at 20 cents each. I couldn't find any tomatoes (the seeds were picked over already!), but realized I knew someone who just got a free package of heirloom roma tomato seeds for a large order of heirloom seeds. We're trading! For the package of 10 roma seeds, I'm giving half my cabbage and half my dill. I'm holding back that last 20 cents for when I find a packet of marigold seeds. Marigolds are a great companion plant because lots of bugs hate the smell.
The roma tomatoes are a good paste tomato, so I'll dehydrate most of them and can some of the rest. I can think of so many combinations of using these veggies. Of course I'll need to buy onions and garlic and potatoes and quinoa, but if I'm thrifty, I can still get away with spending almost nothing at the grocery. So, yeah, I believe a person could definitely live off of these, if s/he HAD to.
Soon after we get settled in, we'll mark off our $2 garden plot, and start adding our rabbit's poop, some of the hay she tosses out of her crate (she's weird!), and anything else we can do to amend our soil without spending money. The sellers of this house left behind some wood, and maybe I can use some yarn (triple or quadruple thickness) to make some kind of a trellis for the beans. The sunflowers will provide a strong support for the cukes. Gonna have to figure out something for the tomatoes. We'll let the pumpkins ramble out of each corner.
When I have updates, I'll post them about how our $2 Garden is going.
BUT... Here's the challenge. It's Spring. The perfect time for planning a garden and hunting down seeds. So... I challenge you to find a supplier of cheapo seeds, and spend no more than $2.00 for a variety of items. Then make a small garden area in your backyard, or even in containers, using NO special potting soil or anything else that you need to buy. Starting compost to use right now is acceptable. Lasagna and square foot gardening not only acceptable but encouraged! If you need a trellis for your cucumbers or tomato plants, perhaps you can barter a few seeds or something else for those. Maybe barter on Craigslist? Start your seeds early in pots you make out of newspaper (more on that another time). Then grow grow grow and then harvest harvest harvest! Let's spend this 2010 Summer growing enough to feed ourselves for the Summer and to put away for Fall and Winter on just $2.00. Can you do it? I believe you can!
Do you accept this challenge?
= = = =
Pass the word about this challenge! Use this tiny url: http://tinyurl.com/yd874hr to get other people to this posting. Thanks!
This got me thinking. I've spent so much on seeds for our 2010 garden. Yes, I have a lot more property this year, and I really prefer heirloom seeds, which are always more expensive, but next year will be cheaper because I plan to save seeds this year. Meanwhile, could it indeed be done using cheaper seeds? Saving for the next year wouldn't really be possible (never know what mutant would grow) but still... can we help figure out how to do it cheaper?
Isn't this the very epitome of self-sufficiency?
So while we were at Wal-Mart yesterday, I saw their seeds were already out, and this year, they actually had the cheapo seeds too! Those by American Seed/Plantation Products, that are 20 cents a pack. I usually find them at the Dollar Tree, and sometimes towards the end of the Summer for only 10 cents a package. For this year's special garden ... here's what I bought:
-Cabbage (Early Golden Acre)
-Cucumber (Poinsett 76)
-Dill (Long Island Mammoth)
-Lettuce (Grand Rapids - Leaf)
-Pepper (Grand Bell Mix)
-Pole Bean (Kentucky Wonder)
-Pumpkin (Small Sugar)
-Carrot (Chantenay)
-Sunflower (Mammoth Russian)
The cucumbers are slicers, not the pickling kind but should do well anyway, especially as ice-
box pickles. The dill will be used to pickle the cucumbers, and also to make kraut out of cabbage. Both good for storage. The lettuce will be eaten fresh. The bell peppers (a mix of all colors) will be eaten fresh but also dehydrated. The beans will be eaten fresh (some) but mostly frozen or canned. I might even dry some to shell for "dried beans" during the winter. The pumpkins will store well in the basement or a root cellar for winter consumption, and we can also eat the seeds for protein. The carrots will be eaten fresh right away, canned or dehydrated for winter use, and we'll try to store some in hay to eat fresh in winter. The sunflowers provide beauty but also seeds for winter protein.The above seeds cost $1.80, 9 packages at 20 cents each. I couldn't find any tomatoes (the seeds were picked over already!), but realized I knew someone who just got a free package of heirloom roma tomato seeds for a large order of heirloom seeds. We're trading! For the package of 10 roma seeds, I'm giving half my cabbage and half my dill. I'm holding back that last 20 cents for when I find a packet of marigold seeds. Marigolds are a great companion plant because lots of bugs hate the smell.
The roma tomatoes are a good paste tomato, so I'll dehydrate most of them and can some of the rest. I can think of so many combinations of using these veggies. Of course I'll need to buy onions and garlic and potatoes and quinoa, but if I'm thrifty, I can still get away with spending almost nothing at the grocery. So, yeah, I believe a person could definitely live off of these, if s/he HAD to.
Soon after we get settled in, we'll mark off our $2 garden plot, and start adding our rabbit's poop, some of the hay she tosses out of her crate (she's weird!), and anything else we can do to amend our soil without spending money. The sellers of this house left behind some wood, and maybe I can use some yarn (triple or quadruple thickness) to make some kind of a trellis for the beans. The sunflowers will provide a strong support for the cukes. Gonna have to figure out something for the tomatoes. We'll let the pumpkins ramble out of each corner.
When I have updates, I'll post them about how our $2 Garden is going.
BUT... Here's the challenge. It's Spring. The perfect time for planning a garden and hunting down seeds. So... I challenge you to find a supplier of cheapo seeds, and spend no more than $2.00 for a variety of items. Then make a small garden area in your backyard, or even in containers, using NO special potting soil or anything else that you need to buy. Starting compost to use right now is acceptable. Lasagna and square foot gardening not only acceptable but encouraged! If you need a trellis for your cucumbers or tomato plants, perhaps you can barter a few seeds or something else for those. Maybe barter on Craigslist? Start your seeds early in pots you make out of newspaper (more on that another time). Then grow grow grow and then harvest harvest harvest! Let's spend this 2010 Summer growing enough to feed ourselves for the Summer and to put away for Fall and Winter on just $2.00. Can you do it? I believe you can!
Do you accept this challenge?
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Pass the word about this challenge! Use this tiny url: http://tinyurl.com/yd874hr to get other people to this posting. Thanks!
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