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I am going over my seed supplies, planning what I need to reorder. I keep a supply for a few years, rotating the seeds as they are used.

I have my graph paper out, plotting our garden areas down to the inch. Anal-retentive? Maybe. I get a lot out of space.

Once the temps stay above freezing, we cover the low hoops with plastic to spped warming of the soil. The onions, garlic, spinach planted last fall should come up, finishing by June, when we can direct-plant seeds and starts. Any areas that are free of these plants get forked 2’ deep, and compost and nutrients formed into the top 1’ of soil.

This is our 5th year of growing most of our food. It took that long to figure out what grew where best with 4 areas all having their own “climate”. We have everything planted so when one thing is harvested, another plant is coming up near it.

This has kept my canned and dehydrated stuff in constant supply, a good amount goes to our daughter and her family to help them out. It works for us.

Anyone else try to stay off-grid food-wise too?

Debbi

We do a little more each year. We also plant a few more perrenials each year. Bluberries, Blackberries, grapes, fruit trees, etc.

We probably won’t ever go totally off grid until we need to, but each year we experiment a little so that if we have to we are not facing a huge learning curve.

During the winter, is when I like to dehydrate and can stuff that is on special-usually meats. When we get cool fall days, that’s a great time to dehydrate some of the summer’s crops.

The last three years’ gardening has been one disaster after another between constant 110 temps and drought except for freak hail storms and flash floods. I had to replant the garden 3 times, and some things 4 times, last summer so I simply gave up on a fall garden. This year, I’m determined to have enough to stock the freezer and put up. Mother Nature enjoys playing wicked jokes though so I may have opened my mouth too soon. But I have to do whatever it takes to cut the grocery bill even more.

The past couple weeks, I’ve searched every edible plant that can be grown here and am putting together a notebook. I can’t find harvest lengths on the majority so that throws off knowing what can go where and when in a fall garden. I guess I need to make a serious stand against Mother Nature in the spring garden first. The other problem has been our first and last freeze dates are a month off from what “they” claim.

The other day, we dug the random carrots that were left. Nasty things. Garlic is the only thing out there now. We need to get it tilled while the weather is good. Next week is indoor seed starting time.

The freeze did a number on the amaryllis here. They had good mulch so maybe they’ll bounce back. There were a couple daffodils or something poking up but I haven’t checked to see how they faired through the cold. The poor ginger had to stay inside for several days and it didn’t like the central heat but it’s back outside where it likes to be.