Comments on: Homesteading, Part 2: If You Eat It, You Should Grow It

By: Gigi

Gigi — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 21:19:42 +0000

I’m loving your blog this week, it is motivating me just right. Regarding the maca, when I was researching it a few years ago, I saw a tidbit somewhere the mentioned the elevation that it was grown at and I believe that there were multiple varieties each selected for the elevation that it was grown in. I don’t know much about the Peruvian mountains, but I do remember it saying that the majority of the priced maca was grown quite high. Perhaps if you were to look into the sources that sell the maca starts/seed, then they would know the elevation they got it from??

Also, as for fruits. I have learned that the more native varieties (specifically those closer to their native wild counterparts) often have better success with larger harvests and more complex makeup (think nutrients and characteristics in apples described in Botany of Desire and the amazing squashes Indians grew – http://www.nativeseeds.org/) …This would include Blackberries and grapes such as concord for much of the country. (trees of antiquity is a good source of plant names/info although I’ve never ordered from them so don’t know more about them)
I’ll leave the research to you, but to be short so that you have key words in case you are interested:
Concords are slip skin (a characteristic that they are American grapes vs European grapes and are so have been less developed away from their native roots (pun:). Muscadane (sp?) grapes grow wild in the SE )
And Blackberries/Boysenberries can be thorn-less or not, erect or trailing. (my vote is on thornless and erect.)
You can propagate both plants easily so you can have more plants without ordering more. Blackberries are done by tip and Grapes are done by stems that have a bud(s) before it has decided if the bud is to be roots or leaves. Grapes do NOT like to be moved/transplanted, they like their roots to be left alone.

By: Fight Back Fridays May 8th | Food Renegade

Fight Back Fridays May 8th | Food Renegade — Thu, 14 May 2009 18:49:38 +0000

[...] (Easy Eggs & Sweet Potatoes)9. Kimberly -NAIS Problems10. Re-Imagining Community Gardens11. Shannon (garden plans for 2009)12. charlotte (vaccine risk symposium)13. Kitchen Stewardship (Do Microwaves Denature Food?)14. The [...]

By: Tara

Tara — Wed, 13 May 2009 22:02:54 +0000

I just added my link to my blog. The last two entries are about buying and using a local, natural turkey.

By: Ruth

Ruth — Mon, 11 May 2009 08:09:48 +0000

My partner and I just bought our first home and I’m working hard on the garden with the idea of becoming self sufficient (as much as possible given that we both work full time!). As it’s moving into winter here I’m growing cabbages, broccoli, broad beans, silver beet, leeks, parsnips and salad greens. I’m also trying to design my permanent garden layout so I can launch into it come spring. (A blueberry hedge will feature prominently!)

By: Cathy

Cathy — Sat, 09 May 2009 03:22:52 +0000

So far I’ve got strawberries, pole beans, several varieties of heirloom tomatoes, several varieties of lettuce, Swiss chard, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, various squashes, beets, bok choy, carrots, dill, basil, thyme, lovage, chives, rosemary, sage, oregano, and tansy. Also French and Provencal lavenders and some comfrey. And a producing mulberry tree and some newly-planted raspberry bushes.

We’d love to grow ALL our produce, but I learned the hard way to work on it gradually. Each year we add a few more raised beds and fruit bushes. We’re not sure this is our “forever” house so we hate to do too much in the way of trees and bushes.

By: FoodRenegade

FoodRenegade — Fri, 08 May 2009 17:27:20 +0000

YAY for you. This all looks great! It’s already in the mid-90s here, so we’re ready for all our hot veggies. I think I’ve seen the last of the spinach until fall.

Thanks for sharing this in today’s Fight Back Fridays carnival. I can’t think of a better way to fight back against the dominate food supply than GROWING YOUR OWN!!

Cheers,
KristenM
(AKA FoodRenegade)

By: zoe

zoe — Fri, 08 May 2009 15:46:11 +0000

oooh, I’m hoping to get started on my veggie garden this weekend or early next week.

By: Buffie

Buffie — Fri, 08 May 2009 14:26:15 +0000

We live in a townhouse and have a VERY small yard so I have to do my gardening in pots on my deck. That limits me so right now we only have lettuce, tomatoes and basil. I plan to add some more stuff but don’t have my list finalized yet. I’m thinking zucchini, rosemary and peppers. I’m not sure how well all of these will do in pots either. I guess we’ll find out this year.

By: Shannon

Shannon — Thu, 07 May 2009 10:20:13 +0000

Denise – Yes. We do everything by seed. What fun is it if you don’t get to watch the miracle of little seedlings pop through the soil? Also, this way we know exactly where it came from – no GMOs, no chemicals.

By: Shannon

Shannon — Thu, 07 May 2009 10:19:12 +0000

Jessie – Fruit is our dilemma. I am considering trying out a few dwarf trees. When berry season kicks in we’ll be picking like mad at the u-pick farms around here and I know I can get fruit from local orchards, so I will do that. We do have a few wild black raspberry bushes in our backyard, but clearly we need more.