Posted on 09/20/2013 12:16:53 PM PDT by greeneyes
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I don't know either. Or when the ones that do well need to be started. You will figure it out. Then you will be a PhD candidate for your particular microclimate. It's a lot like that.
People that think a sealed can of 'open pollinated' seeds, and no experience, will save them if the SHTF are going to die disappointed.
/johnny
As for growing plants in? Nah. Not enough structural strength and the UV breakdown means you wind up with roots that grow through the rotting styrofoam.
When you raise earthworms, you keep that stuff in the shade.
/johnny
I have back pain and shoulder pain and use these type of things that provide heat using the microwave. I have had great satisfaction with these:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_4_8?url=search-alias%3Dhpc&field-keywords=bed+buddy+neck+wrap&sprefix=bed+budd%2Chpc%2C214
Hope you feel better soon.
I never have much luck with pumpkins, watermelons, cantaloupes, or squash, but I just decided I want to try to grow square watermelons, or pumpkins next year..
http://www.wikihow.com/Grow-a-Square-Watermelon
Beans: For instance, one of the foods needs to be beans of some sort, whatever kind grows better for your space.
Tomatoes: The kind that grows best for the space.
What foods after those top two?
See, if I had a list of the best survival foods, I could eliminate others and find the survival strains that would grow best in my space. Do you understand?
You have to have proteins. They need to be balanced. Beans fall short of being complete. Corn completes beans.
Gotta have Vit. C. Tomatoes and peppers work well for that.
Seriously, I go with what folks in Texas were cooking 1000 years ago, 200 years ago, etc... 3 sisters (beans, corn, squash), tomatoes, peppers and some spices can get you a long way in Texas or NM. And that mix has a track record.
/johnny
/johnny
Gosh, Medina Lake is even worse than last time I saw it. I heard Steve Browne, the channel 12 weather guy say one time that Medina is a "leaky lake"..that it doesn't hold water very well..
I guess I'm wondering why since it is so low right now, why the the Bexar/Medina/Atascosa whatever it's called doesn't do some work on the lake bottom..is it because it's purpose is agricultural, not recreational..that it would cost too much?
Since that's your neck of the woods, perhaps you know..
(Caveat: That assumes that you are an average person with an average metabolism. There is a portion of the population that cannot survive on a vegetarian diet, for such people adding eggs or meat will help tremendously.)
After those three, I'd suggest tomatoes, potatoes, and some kind of greens.
Personally, I'd also grow beets, cucumbers, melons, amaranth, millet, sunflower, wheat, herbs, and a whole slew of berry bushes. And I'd also make sure there were enough extras to keep a small rabbit colony, because I know for a fact that I'm missing the enzymes needed to obtain protein from vegetable sources.
Working on expanding my garden so I can do all that.
Yes, I understand. We have talked a little about this. It is kind of an individual decision. Just like the food that you have chosen to stock up on is.
If you look at your book eating off the grid-it tells you what you need for a bare bones survival diet. That is what you need to grow plus whatever else that you happen to like to eat to avoid monotony, and give you a little enjoyment. At least that is my thinking.
You know you need protein. Pinto Beans are a good source of protein, and potassium, but not a complete protein. A slice of wheat bread makes a complete protein. So you’ll grow beans and wheat, both of which will be part of your dry storage-no refrigeration required.
Myself, I can live on Beans, taters, maters, cornbread, onions, wheat bread and a little veggie soup. Here’s a plan that supposedly has all you need for a balanced diet from the grow biointensive project:
67% diet and compost, 22%for your diet, income crops and/or diet.
Fall/Winter garden:Wheat, Rye, Fava Beans, Clover or Vetch
Plant 5 weeks before the first frost-when they get to 18 inches, trim them back to 1 inch and add trimmings to compost pile. Don’t trim after Feb 1- let them mature and harvest the seeds.
Winter/Spring: Early spring, trim 1/3 of garden, and prepare and plant potatoes at appropriate time for your area(a little sooner if you have green house cover) let the other 2/3 mature.
Summer: Sunflowers Fava Beans and vetch or clover These will also yield lots of compost material.
Early bunching onions, Mangels, and Lettuce can also be income crops.
Diet Crops: Grain Amaranth, Millet, Dried Beans, Sweet Potatoes, Winter squash, Peanuts.
Prior to summer planting, fertilize the beds by adding finished compost.
Three weeks after the first hard frost, plant the fava beans and sunflowers in flats. Transplant to garden at appropriate time.
Start peanuts 3 weeks before last soft frost date transplant when 3” tall.
Sprout sweet potatoes in flats 3 months before last soft frost date. After about a month fill flats with soil. When leaf sprouts are 3 inches long, they can be nicked out and planted.
Acorn squash gives better yield than butternut. Sow in flats 3-4 weeks before last soft frost date. Transplant when they have 3 true leaves.
Sow Amaranth in flats 6 weeks before last soft frost date. Transplant when 4-6 inches high.
Sow millet in flats 3 weeks before last soft frost date. Transplant when 2 inches tall.
Plant dried beans in a flat 1 week before the last soft frost date. Transplant when they have 2 true leaves.
Sow mangel seeds in flats 3-4 weeks before you plan to plant them. plants and roots will be 2-3 inches high when you transplant.
Lettuce: For winter plant little gem or other cold hardy lettuce. Spring and Summer black seeded simpson are good.
Sow last 6 weeks of winter, last 4 weeks of spring and fall to get yield for the next season.
Evergreen early bunching onions are winter hardy and can be grown year round. You can get 2 crops every 4 months.
Tree Collards may also be grown, and are IIRC a good source of calcium.
Other crops to substiute: Parsley, Celery, Basil,English Lavendar,Garlic,Cumumbers. Most are also good income crops.
Well, that’s just one plan in a nut shell. Like I said, you may want to plan out the meals to make sure you will get your nutrients.
The LDS classes have you write down 7 breakfasts(one week), 14 mid day meals(2 weeks). These are then rotated and the amounts you need figured from that. Supper is bread cooked in solar oven, broth or soup and a glass of milk or other high calcium food.
Hope this gives you some ideas to start your own planning on what is best for you.
All grains are already in #10 professionally hermetically sealed cans (can’t grow grains here). Menus for a month of diversified professionally hermetically sealed canned foods were figured and that month repeated 12 times, and stored.
None of that is fresh food.
The container garden is the source of fresh food or home canned food. The closer the fresh food is to furnishing what the body needs in a day, the better off the body will be.
Spent a few hours this afternoon replacing summer plants and planted mums and violas in their places. Temperatures are cooling down and waiting for some rain. Making lots of pesto, drying oregano leaves.
“Mint, lemon balm”
Thanks, I’m copying all this about herbs so I’ll know what to buy and where to plant it in this 8’ long planter with part of it in the sun and part not.
How are you feeling today?
I don’t feel neck pain. I’m being careful not to lower my head into that neck bent, looking down, book reading position.
I went outside and took covers off the plants and it is cool out there, like a cold front with dry air, has come through. Haven’t felt cool weather like this since last winter. If the weather stays this cool for several days, I could work outside within a couple of days giving the neck those days to recover more from this problem.
Are you sleeping all night in the bed now instead of the chair?
Yes, I am in the bed all night now, since about Monday night. I seem to be 100% now, just the usual ongoing health problems related to age, weight, genetics, that aint going away.
Those microwave neck wraps are pretty good, so is a Tens unit. Wife and I swap the Tens back and forth pretty regular since we got it; its the best $20 we have spent on pain relief in a while.
Today is supposed to be workday around here, wife has already shampooed the carpet. we plan on re-potting some stuff outside, drying some peppers, work out in her studio getting it ready to use during the cooler months. I am going to start the process of moving shelves and contents from our garage out to the detached building, preparing to paint the inside of the garage and transform it into a workshop instead of the other building.
The 2 million Motorcycle March for America on 9/11 was strictly grassroots organized !
The Lamestream media ignored their 4 mile long convoy with no press coverage ; but the "Support America" statement was made by the bikers , none the less .
The hyped media event of the Million Muslim March scheduled for 9/11 ,totaled 8 people on a stage , with 20 people in attendance .
There was more press and media than people there
The proposed October Truckers 3 Day strike is to support America, show support of veterans ,re-direct legislators , and develope appreciation for the millions of truckers
who travel the roads despite government restrictions , taxes , and apparent trucker income reducing legislation .
Unknown yet is how effective such a strike will be , or how many participants (Union and independent operators)
I don't contribute to gossip that's why I waited until there were at least 2 sources ,
but wanted to let folks know that supplies and perishables may be delayed .
The container garden is the source of fresh food or home canned food. The closer the fresh food is to furnishing what the body needs in a day, the better off the body will be.
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Which is exactly why I started off by saying that what is the best to grow is an individual decision. If I understood you correctly, you have enough wheat and other stuff to last a year.
What if you need more than a year? Texas is the 3rd largest wheat producing state in the nation-You can grow wheat during the winter season, when other stuff isn’t growing-if you need to. If you think you might need to, then you could be learning today.
It would be a good use for that patch of ground you have where the garden used to be. You could plant a small amount just for learning purposes if you want to. Alternatively, you could grow rice in gallon jugs, in the houses even.
The main point was that the protein in Beans which you are growing, is not a complete protein, and your body needs a complete protein. I thought I was answering your question as to what else was needed.
I grow wheat to learn, and to use for compost, and to get closer to self sufficiency.
It is also a hedge against inflation, should there be a repeat of the Nixon/Carter years, I won’t need to buy stuff, because I will be able to grow it all.
I gave you a list of about 25 foods, which when taken together provide a complete diet from a self teaching mini-series “Learning To Grow All Your Own Food”.
I hope you found something useful in the list.
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