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Weekly Gardening Thread (Catalog Fever) Vol. 1 Jan 6, 2012
January 6, 2012 | JustaDumbBlonde

Posted on 01/06/2012 9:53:54 AM PST by JustaDumbBlonde

January is not the most hospitable month of the year to be sure. If you're like me those cold dreary days are best spent curled up in a chair (for the guys that don't *do* curl -- sit there very manly) with a cup of tea (insert the manly beverage of your choice) and a stack of garden catalogs that you need a front-end loader to move (got you with the front-end loader, didn't I?).

I've got to hand it to the catalog people, the covers are exceptional this year and, by golly, with all of the $25 to $100 coupons right there on the front ... I saved $475 just walking in from the mailbox!

Your first five minutes spent thumbing through will tell you something, regardless of which catalog your choose: Prices. Are. Up. Must be that ol' supply-n-demand thing, because I choose to believe that MY favorite seed suppliers would never take advantage of a market that is growing by leaps and bounds as people discover that you can feed your family the highest quality foods and save money at the same time. Not to mention, you know exactly how your food was handled and by whom. It must be said -- produce from Mexico just doesn't have the same tropical appeal that it once did.

These are the catalogs I've received as of this morning. I've put these in the form of a link that you can take to that company, if you so desire. You can request a catalog of your own or, do what I do, which is peruse the paper catalog and then place an order online.

Gurney's Seed & Nursery Co.
Musser Forests, Inc.
Michigan Bulb Co.
Agri Supply
Growers Supply
Stark Bro's Nursery
The Greenhouse Catalog
Gardener's Supply Company
Totally Tomatoes
The Cook's Garden
Burpee
Henry Field's Seed & Nursery Co. *
Gurney's Seed & Nursery Co. *
Jung's Seeds & Plants
R.H. Shumway's Illustrated Garden Guide

* Henry Field's and Gurney's are one and the same group. I suspect that Burgess is also owned by them, but haven't confirmed

Please let us know about your favorite catalogs and gardening-related companies. I know that we all love to discover something new that will further our fun in the garden.


TOPICS: Agriculture; Food; Gardening; Hobbies
KEYWORDS: catalogs; gardening
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To: Ghost of Philip Marlowe
"How much land do you need to farm to sustain a family of four?"

Depends. Lousy answer, I know. Tell me more about what you want to do ... do you want to financial support a family of 4, or are you looking just to feed a family of 4. Were you thinking row crops or more of a gardening venture? Do you want to totally live "off the land"?

301 posted on 01/11/2012 7:51:47 AM PST by JustaDumbBlonde
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To: ApplegateRanch
...tuck & roll isn’t much of an option any more.

It must be a regional thing as I find my body has added a new Tuck N Roll at least once a month...

302 posted on 01/11/2012 8:11:15 AM PST by tubebender (I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific.)
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To: tubebender

ROFLMBO ... have mercy!


303 posted on 01/11/2012 8:27:17 AM PST by JustaDumbBlonde
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To: JustaDumbBlonde

Don’t get me started or you will have to set up a Chapel in the equipment shed...


304 posted on 01/11/2012 8:32:30 AM PST by tubebender (I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific.)
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To: JustaDumbBlonde

Gator tail? It it solid meat? Sounds like a butcher we need in this part of the world.


305 posted on 01/11/2012 10:40:10 AM PST by tillacum
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To: JustaDumbBlonde

Thank you, I’ve seen something like that. It’s interesting.
People grow a lot of corn around here...I think I’ll check and see if they have “left over” cobs. When the corn is harvested, the cob is then just left on the ground? See, I’m just ignorant about some farm stuff, actually quite a lot. Life is a learning experience.


306 posted on 01/11/2012 10:46:57 AM PST by tillacum
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To: JustaDumbBlonde

What time is dinner tonight?


307 posted on 01/11/2012 1:55:45 PM PST by painter (No wonder democrats don't mind taxes.THEY DON'T PAY THEM !)
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To: tillacum
Yes, the gator's tail is almost all meat. Cut into nuggets, breaded and fried it is very tasty. You have to eat it hot from the grease, or it is chewy. I've put gator into gumbo in the past, but my favorite is fried.

The corn stove burns the corn kernels, not the cob. Holds about 75 lbs. in the hopper and augers the corn in as needed to keep the heat setting you've selected. A full hopper will last us nearly 3 days.

308 posted on 01/11/2012 6:26:57 PM PST by JustaDumbBlonde
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To: Ghost of Philip Marlowe
You might be interested in this one: Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre [Paperback]
309 posted on 01/11/2012 6:35:29 PM PST by JustaDumbBlonde
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To: JustaDumbBlonde

I was thinking in a bug-out scenario after TSHTF.

I’m not sure what the best arrangement would be, but we’d need fruits and vegetables and meat. I was thinking chickens, sheep (for wool, too). And in that situation it would only be enough to feed a family of 4 and perhaps have a bit for barter.

I was thinking of a hydroponic system, but the BOL would probably be in New England, and I don’t know how I’d maintain a stable temperature in a greenhouse through the winter months.


310 posted on 01/11/2012 6:37:33 PM PST by Ghost of Philip Marlowe (Prepare for survival. (Ron Paul is the Lyndon Larouche of the 21st century.))
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To: o_zarkman44

Got to Guillory’s this afternoon. Picked up a smoked rabbit, 10 lbs. of boudin, 5 lbs. andouille, a london broil, couple of stuffed pork chops and quail. OMG, it is so hard to stop!!!


311 posted on 01/11/2012 6:43:20 PM PST by JustaDumbBlonde
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To: Ghost of Philip Marlowe
One of the bullet points in the description of How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It: Garden, Orchard Trees, and Small Livestock: Gardening basics, non-hybrid seeds, greenhouses; choosing the right livestock.

Might be helpful.

312 posted on 01/11/2012 6:54:29 PM PST by JustaDumbBlonde
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To: JustaDumbBlonde

I can’t wait to go in Guillory’s to see what they have. Never know, but I have never been disappointed. We clean out their freezer of the packaged boudin. Stuffed pork roast, stuffed chops and take it back to the hotel to stick in the freezer so it will make the 800 mile trip home to Missouri. Next trip down will be Mardi Gras.


313 posted on 01/11/2012 7:05:53 PM PST by o_zarkman44 ("When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty." Thomas Jefferson)
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To: JustaDumbBlonde

working on my frame design and material list. This has been a dream for years having a greenhouse.


314 posted on 01/11/2012 7:11:35 PM PST by o_zarkman44 ("When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty." Thomas Jefferson)
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To: JustaDumbBlonde

Oh, ok, the corn stove is similar to the stoves my family in the Northwest uses. They use wood pellets and the pellets are augered into the stove, very clean burning.

I’ve wondered about gators. I’ll eat most everything from the sea, blow fish, seal, whale, and everything else that won’t get me first. It’s some of the “new” land stuff that’s new to me, ie, gator and nutrea.


315 posted on 01/11/2012 7:37:11 PM PST by tillacum
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To: JustaDumbBlonde

OK. Thanks for the lead.


316 posted on 01/11/2012 8:39:41 PM PST by Ghost of Philip Marlowe (Prepare for survival. (Ron Paul is the Lyndon Larouche of the 21st century.))
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To: greeneyes
We have been talking about how we could raise some sort of fish, on our extra lot, but just talking for now.

aquaponics is the way to garden with fish on the side, I started with goldfish but you can use Talipia, bluegil and others

317 posted on 02/27/2012 7:58:35 AM PST by The Bat Lady (Learn to grow your food, ...easiest "the square foot garden")
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To: JustaDumbBlonde

Below is a list of Good Gardening Sites too I’ve came up with:

http://www.onlineplantnursery.com

More of a retail-wholesale Outlet
_____________________________________
http://www.lowes.com
Retail For Sure
________________________________________
http://www.tennesseewholesalenursery.com
Killer prices on bulk


318 posted on 12/02/2014 3:24:44 PM PST by plantluvr
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