We are deep inside of the season. I plant something daily and I’ve been able to harvest food daily (right now spinach and lettuce. Today I’ll prepare the raised beds (thank you Mr. Mercat) for planting the rest of my baby plants, mostly tomatoes and peppers. Next day I’ll plant the rest of my corn.
Good news. There was concern that lock downs could lead to less gardening which could lead to a vegetable shortage.
I had already read that seed companies were having trouble keeping up with demand.
We planted two weeks ago here in PA. Of course we had to cover everything last night since it was 30 degrees with ice coming down!
During WWII almost every home with a yard planted “Victory Gardens.” It was a huge deal!!
“We are 500% busier than we normally are this time of year,” said Mario DiGrande, owner of Oakland’s Thornhill Nursery. “I’ve already sold as much soil in six weeks that I do in an entire year. It’s just crazy.”
...
I’ve been told by some of the FR economic experts that all small businesses are shutting down permanently.
My Daughter and her family moved to a cabin to wait out the virus. Her husband works in a hospital
She told me a couple of weeks ago that she has started a garden. Tomatoes, peppers, strawberries and sunflowers. So far they have eaten a single strawberry.
Yep, we started a raised bed garden, are planting 6 fruit trees, and have chickens that will start laying in about 3 months.
My piano tuner said that during the month he wasn’t working, he and his wife built at 50’ x 25’ greenhouse on their property for this very reason.
Life always gets back to the basics like growing one’s own plants.
Lol...the skinny pants crew discovers the joy of growing vegetables.
Just got home from “attempting” to get some items from a local nursery where we shop weekly.
AT LEAST 50 cars there and multiple people per vehicle.
We’re gonna try again Monday.....
It takes a pretty good-sized garden to get quantities of produce that are enough to tide one over until next year’s comes in. A few tomato plants doesn’t do much.
Better off going to the store weekly and picking up a dozen cans of various veggies (which haven’t been scarce around here except for a week or so last month). By Labor Day there’d be a couple hundred cans in the house and that number can keep being added to.
Much less labor involved and probably no more expensive when considering all the supplies, equipment, effort, and time that goes into producing and preserving that much stuff. Not to mention, one August hail storm won’t wipe it all out.
Back in the day it was done by farm families with no “town job”, plenty of time, and eight kids to help out.
Every little bit helps though, I suppose, and it’s good, wholesome, healthy activity.
“Hey! Let’s be careful out there!” /Brian May
Our back yard soil is poor, rocky, and at 72/80 we are in no physical condition to fix it. No tiller, we have 2 of the Made in the USA Tartar horse tanks with no bottom that can hold 4-6 tomato plants.
Our Upright freezer isn’t large and is getting old.
Grocery stores, Sam’s, Costco are rationing meat to 2 packages total. Go past planting season we will be looking like Venezuela. They have all kinds of excuses that Congress built into our food production system. Like you can’t sell raw milk. Good grief, heat it to kill any bacteria then cool it. Milk Freezes for a while. Liquify eggs and store in freezer. Most fruit, veggies will freeze. Just don’t wash fruit till you are ready to use it. Hybrid does NOT reproduce, you want Heirloom seeds or plants. People forget why we had cellars.
Shad Sullivan - We Are Being Forced To Dump Your Food Supply
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2ortQpF-5I&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR3Sg_57_neKqTLDsInOPLmJi4sUo_el75GykzVc7u-OQGTU4XbgoSDTtts
The cost of the pandemic for America’s farmers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8dDgeJLqOg
How the COVID-19 pandemic is sending American agriculture into chaos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zlpx2UARByo
Costco to limit meat purchases
https://kfdm.com/news/nation-world/costco-to-limit-meat-purchases-05-04-2020
Oregon farmers dump produce as COVID-19 shuts down big customers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMxkb-YrqIY
Michigan beef farmers feel the effects of COVID-19
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGHpOda9jFM
McDonald’s CEO says he is confident in the company’s supply chain, as the fast-food giant changes how restaurants get beef and Wendy’s runs out of burgers
https://www.businessinsider.com/mcdonalds-chief-executive-confident-in-meat-supply-chain-2020-5
Dairy Farmers Forced To Dump Milk Say It’s ‘Devastating’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3V9c4JvPRyQ
Farmer is forced to dump his crop with decreased demand
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRcVp1MbCcI
Shad Sullivan - We Are Being Forced To Dump Your Food Supply
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2ortQpF-5I&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR3Sg_57_neKqTLDsInOPLmJi4sUo_el75GykzVc7u-OQGTU4XbgoSDTtts
The cost of the pandemic for America’s farmers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8dDgeJLqOg
How the COVID-19 pandemic is sending American agriculture into chaos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zlpx2UARByo
Costco to limit meat purchases
https://kfdm.com/news/nation-world/costco-to-limit-meat-purchases-05-04-2020
Oregon farmers dump produce as COVID-19 shuts down big customers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMxkb-YrqIY
Michigan beef farmers feel the effects of COVID-19
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGHpOda9jFM
McDonald’s CEO says he is confident in the company’s supply chain, as the fast-food giant changes how restaurants get beef and Wendy’s runs out of burgers
https://www.businessinsider.com/mcdonalds-chief-executive-confident-in-meat-supply-chain-2020-5
Dairy Farmers Forced To Dump Milk Say It’s ‘Devastating’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3V9c4JvPRyQ
Farmer is forced to dump his crop with decreased demand
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRcVp1MbCcI
The wife has staked claim to the dollar rack at Lowe’s. Many, many less-healthy plants for one, three or five dollars. She only buys the dollar plants...and brings’em back to good health. The yard is flush with green growth.
Cross-Ping to the Weekly Garden Thread Gang!
Having managed a Garden Center for 10 years...I cannot express to you all how RELIEVED I am to be retired from that life these days!
I’m glad to see more people giving it a try, but I predict more failures and quitting versus learning and improving their skills for many that are jumping on the bandwagon for the wrong reasons. :(
We saw this with people buying baby chicks this spring so they could have a few laying hens at home. Lots of fatalities. :(
However - if any Freepers want advice, we are here to help - and we will! We have a HUGE knowledge base and we all LOVE to grow food and flowers and raise small (and large!) livestock. Just ask! We’re glad to help!
Here in Connecticut, we had police cars directing traffic at these nurseries. I hope they protected their plants last night though because the temperature was 28 degrees this morning.
This year I started a whole flat of tomatoes and peppers just to share with the neighbors, in case the stores run out.
It hasn’t happened yet, but we’ll see. I can plant them myself if no one wants any.
This, on top of the 8 flats I started for my own garden. I’m also growing a bigger potato patch than originally planned, and a 50x50 patch of wheat.
My “garden” is over an acre, and could be expanded to 4 acres without cutting into the soon-to-be-orchard space. This year I’m really glad I have it, as well as my chickens. They’ve been keeping us supplied with eggs through the shortage.
I myself have planted a garden. I did this in the past and have become bored now and now do the same. I have time on my hands.
Relative to food I have ample and have had such for years in dried form. I am a prep-per. On my land is abundant game of which about 100 pounds are in the freezer in the garage. Much more is out their if needed to harvest. I can kill game, and harvest them. If we have electricity I can take them and make them hamburger. We do this every year and the meat is most great.
I will survive! I know how to live in the desert of West Texas or the swamps of South Louisiana. I prefer the swamp. Not much in West Texas that will kill you except rattlesnakes and dehydration. The swamp is full of food and also full of things that will kill you.
I hate water moccasins. I think they are democrats.