Thesis
Application
Events
About us
home page forums

Gardening and food skills

Aside from housing and transportation, food is the single most expensive necessity that most families have to deal with. A USDA study published in August, 2007, indicates that the average monthly grocery cost for a family of four is somewhere between $600 and $1000 depending on whether it is a low, moderate, or liberal cost plan (see Reference). This is far more than the average monthly cost of utilities like electricity and water. Thus, learning and implementing self sufficient food skills can impact a family's expenses far more and far quicker than anything else.

Here are some basic skills/goals:

  • Buy in bulk. Buy locally grown produce in bulk.
  • Canning and freezing. Develop food storage skills like canning, freezing, dehydration, and root cellars.
  • Gardening. Grow your own vegetable garden.
  • Fruit trees. Plant your own fruit trees and berry plants.
  • Poultry. Raise your own chickens if you're into eggs.
  • Milk products. Make your own cheese, etc.
  • Gleaning. Some farms will allow you to harvest their non-store-quality produce.

General planting principles

  • The dilemma: Home gardeners seek to emulate industrial agriculture practices in their garden. Why? Industrial agriculture has to make concessions in order to allow few people to tend massive acreages, and drive giant machines for harvest. We should not be seeking to mimic that in a home garden. The moment we do, we give up our biggest advantages. Yes, we home gardeners can have MASSIVE advantage over industrial agriculture. If you aren't taking advantage of that, then you are doing more work than you need to do, and creating problems that you don't need to be dealing with.
  • This will change how you garden, forever. Basic permaculture concepts discussed. Rule #1: Never leave soil bare. Rule #2: Maximize photosynthesis. Those are the rules, but you need to know why.
  • <<Ellen G. White Tree Planting>>
  • Grow lights.
  • Top of the line LED: Sonlipo LED Grow Light Samsung Full Spectrum ($370 at Amazon, coverage area 4*4 to 6*6 feet, suspension height 24-30" VEG, 12-16" BLOOM)
  • (Affordable) Middle of the road LED: MARS HYDRO TS 1000W Led Grow Light 3x3ft ($150 at Amazon, coverage area 3*3 feet max at 16"). DISTANCE: 12” - 4,150 LUX; DISTANCE: 18” - 2,160 LUX; DISTANCE: 24” - 1,450 LUX
  • Epic 6-Cell Seed Starting Trays. Durable trays will last a lifetime. $60 for 24 trays. Sold by EpicGardening.
  • <<Greenhouse>>
  • Cover crops. PlantCoverCrops.com. Crimson Clover is a top choice--grows 3 foot root system with 2-inch above ground plant, adds lots of nitrogen, earthworms love it.
  • Cuttings. Duration 8:28. Shows how to start all kinds of garden plants from cuttings.
  • Top 4 Vegetables That You Should ALWAYS Grow In A Garden (Preparing For Worldwide Food Shortage). Duration 22:13. 1. Potatoes. 2. Peas and beans (large production, nitrogen fixers, versatile). 3. Corn/greens - corn needs a lot of nitrogen, so plant fall-crop (nitrogen-fixing) greens to refeed the soil, such as kale, turnips, collards, mustard. 4. herbs.
  • Fall-crop nitrogen fixers. See The Whys and Hows of Fall Cover Crops. Plant in September, after corn harvest. Oats/field peas, fava beans, austrian winter peas, cowpeas.
    • Fava beans. See How to Grow Fava Beans: 8 Tips for Growing Fava Beans. High protein content (26%). You can plant in October/November for harvest in April/May. Grows 2-4' tall; bushy, rigid stems. Best winter variety is Aquadulce Claudia. The most common is Windsor varieties; however, the Windsor Longpod variety is the best for fall sowing. Plant 2" deep with 6" spacing, 4-8 plants per square foot. Germinates in 10-14 days. Apply mulch to suppress weeds. Use row cover to protect against aphids and black flies. Takes 8 months to mature if planted in the fall. Where winter lows stay above 10°F (-12°C) sow in August through September. At Amazon.
    • Hairy vetch (3-4' thick by May). Seed is expensive (buy from seed catalogue in bulk). Seed will last at least a decade. Sow 0.2 to 0.5 lb/100 ft2. Cut and work in the soil, 2-3 weeks before planting corn in June.

Fruit trees, shrubs, vines, etc.

2021 Schedule

Growing vegetables

Winter crops

  • Spinach.
  • Carrots. Are sweeter when harvest in the winter.
  • Mache (aka lamb's lettuce, corn salad). Sweet, slightly nutty leaves are tender and juicy. Sellers: Seedman (has good description), HighMowingOrganicSeeds (400+ seeds for $2.95), Etsy.
  • Claytonia. Succulent tender, flesh flavor. Sellers: HighMowingOrganicSeeds (1,400+ seeds for $2.95).

Grow from seeds

Grow bags

  • Price. Generally, under $3 for a 10 gallon bag at Amazon (as of March, 2021). For example: 10-Pack 10 Gallon Grow Bags.
  • Suggestion. Purchase 7-10 gallon bags as a minimum size for most vegetables. Roots need room.
  • Does size matter? Growing tomatoes and making your own compost. Duration 3:18. The author grew Roma tomatoes using three pot sizes: a 5 gallon, 16-inch (roughly 10 gallon), and 21-inch (roughly 20 gallon). See Pot Size Conversion. Larger pots allow for larger root systems. Tomato yields at the end of the season by pot size:
    • 5gal = 38 tomatoes
    • 10gal = 51 tomatoes. 34% more than the 5gal.
    • 20gal = 71 tomatoes. 39% more than the 10gal and 87% more than the 5gal.
  • Shallow height bags. Consider using "shallow" height grow bags for plants with shallow roots, such as blueberry plants. For example: iPower 10-Pack 15 Gallon Grow Bags (20" diameter, 14" height) or iPower 10-Pack 20 Gallon Grow Bags (21" diameter, 15" height)
  • Soil for grow bags: Suggest by NorthernHomestead. By volume (not weight), use:
    • 1/3 compost (or composted manure) - to hold nutrients
    • 1/3 vermiculite (or sawdust, wood chips) - to retain moisture
    • 1/3 peat moss (or Coco Coir, leaves, or straw) - light growing medium
  • Soil maintenance: The soil for grow bags are mixed new every year. Empty all the grow bags at the end of the growing season, add more compost (10-20%) and mix thoroughly. This loosens the soil and it's just like the first year.If the soil is completely full of roots, it is better to add it to the compost pile.

Shade cloth / Water barrier / Biochar / Pergola

Raised Garden Beds

  • Raised beds using wood. It is best to burn the wood with a torch (flame thrower or whatever) then coat with Tung Oil. The burning will create a layer of carbon.
  • Shou sugi ban garden boxes. Duration 4:07. Create garden boxes using burnt wood and coated with Tung Oil.
  • Tung-oil, an Environmentally Safe Wood Preservative. Natural tung oil is derived from the tung tree in Southern China. Tung oil is water-resistant and mildew resistant, so it is an excellent choice for sealing a planter box. Pure tung oil is used for finishing kitchen tables, chopping blocks and boards, children's toys and furniture, and other items that require non-toxic surfaces. Gardeners rub this oil onto their metal tools to inhibit rust, and wooden handles are strengthened and preserved by an occasional coat of tung oil.
  • Tung Oil. More information. The polymerized (heat treated) variety is done to get faster drying results. Naturally, this oil will polymerize (or solidify) by a chemical process that requires oxygen to create cross-linked compounds that make the oil get hard little by little, until it is completely hard all the way through. Apply multiple coats for best results. The first one or two coats should be thinned with mineral spirits (which evaporate and leave nothing behind) for easier and deeper penetration, then apply direct coats for the finish.
  • Tung Oil for sale. Make sure to get pure tung oil, otherwise it may have been mixed with harmful solvents to aid in application. Sellers include Walmart, Amazon, eBay, etc.
  • Linseed Oil. Do not use. Linseed oil is a food source for mildew, and mildew will grow on wood treated with linseed oil.
  • Concrete Pavers for Raised Garden Bed. Simple design using inexpensive concrete pavers. Total cost for a 3.25' wide x 8' long x 16" tall using 34 pavers (8x16x2 inch) is approximately $50.
  • Make Perlite Concrete Garden Boxes PART 3.5 - Lightweight Perlite with CSA and Portland Cement. Duration 14:38. Using portland cement, perlite and sand. Also added one pound of glass fiber per cubic yard of mix.
  • Creating a Concrete Raised Garden Bed with Fast, High Performance Mix. Duration 6:37. Using Buddy Rhodes Vertical Mix.

Mulch

  • Horticultural Pumice. Also sold as DryStall--not "Stall Dry" which is kitty litter made up of Diatomaceous Earth, etc. Succulents (herbs, etc.) love a soil that drains well, but hold onto moisture and nutrients long enough to meet the needs of the plant. The size of the pumice determines the amount of water retention and drainage. The larger the particle size the less the water retention and the more the drainage. Also further described here: Acme Sand & Gravel. Sellers: Try your local CO-OP or Tractor Supply store. It is sold online but will be more expensive. Drystall will cost around $20 for a 40 pound bag.

Grow Lights

  • Spider Farmer SF-1000 LED Grow Light. Only 100 watt draw. Good LED for 3 ft x 3 ft area for seedling vegetable growth. Place 24" above plants and get 28" square area of even lighting.

Water barriers

  • Description: Water Barriers protect hardscapes and landscapes from subterranean water movement. When used around building foundations they prevent tree and plant root intrusion and maintain water equilibrium.
  • Sellers:
  • PondLiner.com. 10' x 25' 30 mil PE (Polyethylene) Pond Liner, costs $87.50
  • Landscape Discount. Water Barrier: 24" x 100' Roll, 30 Mil, can be cut with utility knife, costs $140 + shipping. The 30" wide one costs $174.
  • Americover - 20 Mil, 6' x 50', $153 shipping included, actually two 10 Mil pieces glued together which could delaminate

Rainwater collection

Olive/Pickle barrels

  • Just be aware that no matter what tricks you use, you will never, ever, ever be able to get the smell of olives/pickles, out of plastic barrels. Trust me, I have tried. I have soaked straight bleach, peroxide, baking soda, wadded up newspapers, Dawn dishwashing soap, every thing I could find and the smell becomes part of the plastic in the drum. It doesn't mean you can use them, it just means that whatever you store in them, especially if you put the top on, will always smell like olives.

Fertilizing / Composting

Links

Fencing

Garden Tools

The BCS tractor (links below) is a sturdy, Italian-made machine. However, it's slow when cutting grass versus a small tractor which can do double the work. A John Deere 850 (22 hp) can be picked up for $4,000 to $5,000 in used condition, plus another $500 to $1,000 for a tiller.

  • BCSAmerica.com. Sells an all ger drive 2-wheel tractor. Handles rotate 180 degrees to accomodate front and rear mount attachments. Attachments include: rear tine tiller, rotary plow, flail mower, rotary brush mower, rotary lawn mower, sickle bar mower, power sweeper, snow thrower, front blades, chipper shredder, sulkies, utility trailer. They sell various tractor models, ranging in price from $1,600 to $4,500.
  • (YouTube) BCS: Performance. Durability. Versatility.
  • (YouTube) BCS Mower Attachments. Mow an acre in 2-3 hours. Cuts saplings more than 1.5" in diameter. Sickle Bar as big as 53". (Rotary) Brush Mower as big as 32". The Lawn Mower attachment as big as 38" two-blade (for tractor with 10" wheels).
  • (YouTube) BCS Flail Mower. BCS attachment for very difficult mowing. Size as big as 30".
  • BCS Model 853 with attachments. The gas-powered (Recoil Start) with attachments (mowing sully, brush mower 32", lawn mower 38", rear tine tiller 30", rotary plow 10", sickle bar mower 53" + sickle bar mower transmission upgrade) costs $11,600.

    Why would I choose a Diesel Engine?

    1. Properly maintained, a diesel engine will easily last 3 times as long as a gasoline engine.
    2. In these small air-cooled engines, diesels use 1/2 to 1/3 the amount of fuel a gas engine consumes doing the same work.
    3. Diesel engines give the option of running lower-cost and/or environmentally friendlier BioDiesel fuel.
    4. Better low-speed torque on a diesel engine (Note that the Diesel engine options on most of the tractors have a lower horsepower rating than the gas option...but from a working standpoint, they have as much or more torque than the "larger" gas engine. For example, the 11hp diesel has virtually the same working torque as the 13hp gas, actually more at low engine speeds).

And, to be fair, here are some 'cons' to the diesel engines:

  1. More noise than a gas engine
  2. More vibration than a gas engine
  3. More initial cost than a gas engine
  4. Harder starting in cold weather
  5. Virtually requires the electric start option, while the gas engines start easily with manual start
  6. Heavier than Gas engines (may require extra implement counter-balancing

Growing Corn

Growing Rice - SRI (System for Rice Intensification)

Using techniques taught in this video series, farmers have been known to increase rice crop yields by an astounding 200-300%...but yet the techniques require no new technology or any heavy investment in machinery. These techniques are all about discarding traditional ways that rice crops have been grown and using new methods which optimise plant strength. This video is a must see for small crop farmers of any nationality.

An example difference in results: 5 to 7 tonnes per hectare using conventional methods versus 10 tonnes per hectare using SRI. By comparison, in the United States, slightly over 6,000 pounds of rice per acre was harvested in 1996, which is equivalent to 6.72 tonnes per hectare.

Seeds

Mittleider Method of Gardening

  • The Mittleider Gardening Method: Answers to All of Your Questions. Published 2/23/2017.
  • Please note: When mixing ingredients do NOT mix Epsom salts with Calcium (as in CaNo3) together, since the Magnesium in the Epsom salts will precipitate out and you will get gunk at the bottom of your mix.
  • Pre-plant mix:
    • 20 pounds of garden lime (if over 20 inches of rain per year) or gypsum, CaSO4 (if less than 20 inches per year).
    • 1 pound of Magnesium Sulfate—MgSO4 (Epsom Salt)
    • 1/4 pound (i.e. 4 oz) of Borax (i.e. Boron).
  • Weekly Feed mix:
    • 25 pound of all-purpose fertilizer (13-13-13 or similar)
    • 4 pound of Magnesium Sulfate—MgSO4 (Epsom Salt)
    • 10 oz. of Mittleider Micronutrients (use Kelp Meal instead).
  • Mittleider Micro-Nutrient Mix. The micronutrients in the packet are calcium, magnesium, sulfur and 7 trace elements.
  • Expected analysis after mixing in a 25 pound NPK 13-13-13 percent compound:
    • Sulfur, 3.000%
    • Chloride (table salt), 2.000%
    • Calcium, 0.700%, probably Calcium Nitrate—CaNO3
    • Zinc Sulfate—ZnSO4, 0.300%
    • Manganese Sulfate—MnSO4, 0.120%
    • Iron (Fe) Sulfate (or Chelate), 0.030%
    • Copper Sulfate—CuSO4, 0.030%
    • Sodium Molybdate (Molybdenum, Mo), 0.015%
  • Micro nutrients in grams: See here
    • Molybdenum—0.8 grams Molybdenum Acid or 0.8 grams Ammonium molybdenum oxide
    • Iron—1.5 g Iron (Fe) chelate #330 or 20.5 g Iron sulphate
    • Manganese—6.1 g Manganese sulphate
    • Zinc—12.2 g Zinc sulfate
    • Copper—1.5 g Copper sulfate
  • Micronutrients (in crop nutrition). Micronutrients are just as important as macronutrients, but the amount required is very small. The article lists how much of each micronutrient to apply per acre. Thus,
    • Boron—apply 0.5 to 2 lb/acre. Note that the range between boron deficiency and toxicity in most plants is narrow.
    • Copper—apply 3 to 10 lb/acre of CuSO4. However, residual effects of applied copper are marked, so soil tests are essential to monitor possible copper accumulations to toxic levels.
    • Iron—Soil applications of most iron sources generally are not effective for crops, so foliar sprays are the recommended application method. Read the article.
    • Manganese—apply 2 to 20 lb/acre as MnSO4. There are no residual effects of applied manganese for the same reason, so annual applications are needed.
    • Molybdenum—very small quantities are needed. Some will apply Molybdenum to the seed as a coating before planting.
    • Zinc—apply 1 to 10 lb/acre. As with copper, residual effects of applied zinc are substantial, so soil testing is essential.
  • Micronutrients Essential for Plant Health. Recommends foliar spray of kelp (and seaweed).

Urban homesteading

  • Urban Homestead. Here's a Homestead Revolution Trailer video. On this tiny city lot (1/10 acre), a beautiful and productive oasis was created, producing 6,000 lbs of food annually and is a model of urban sustainability. Located at: 631 Cypress Avenue Pasadena, CA 91103.

Notes from BereaGardens.org

  • 4 types of crops: (1) Field (grains, potatoes, legumes, squash/melons, (2) Vegetables/Garden, (3) Orchard/Vineyard, and (4) Cover
  • SeaAgri.com. Sells SEA-90 the most complete mineral and trace element product.
  • Cover crops: Alfalfa, clover, vetch, fava beans.
  • Cation exchange capacity (CEC) refers to the media’s ability to hold nutrients having a positive charge, such as NH4, Ca, Mg and K. The term “buffering capacity” is often used interchangeably with CEC. It refers to the ability of the media, as a result of its CEC, to resist changes in pH and nutrient levels.
  • Formulafor liming: Tons / Acre (limestone) = 0.5 X CEC X H%. For example, CEC=11.4 and H%=0.34 then 1.938 tons/acre (i.e. 0.5 X 11.4 X 0.34). Thus, 1.9 tons x 2,000 lbs/ton = 3876 lbs of limestone per acre. 3,876 / 43,560 = 0.089 lb/sqft or 8.9 lbs/ 100 sq.ft.
  • Types of limestone: (1) limestone (calcitic) -- 40% Ca of CaCO3, (2) hydrated lime -- 54% Ca of Ca(OH)2, (3) dolomite -- 21% Ca + 12% Mg of CaCO3 + MgCO3.

Sonic Bloom

Enclose Porch with Clear Vinyl

2021 Schedule - Trellis Tunnels

Row Bay1 Bay2 Bay3 Bay4 Bay5 Bay6 Bay7 Bay8
1 butternut, butternut pole bean (9 plants) - Rattlesnake melon (D.51), melon (E.Gem) tomato (Carbon), tomato (TTC) squash (Honeynut) x2 cherry, cherry pole bean (9 plants) - King of the Garden --
2 butternut, butternut pole bean (9 plants) - Blue Lake melon (Sakatas), melon (Honey Rock) tomato (Paul),, tomato (Lifter) squash (Kabocha), squash (Tatume) cherry, cherry -- --
3 butternut, butternut pole bean (9 plants) - Scarlet Runner

melon (Charentais), melon (Haogen)

 tomato (Krim), tomato (B.Pink) squash (Delicata), Cucamelon dwarf1, dwarf2 -- --
4 butternut, butternut pole bean (9 plants) - Xmas Butterbean melon (G.Flesh), melon (Sugar Cube) tomato (Tomesol), tomato (B.Yellow) squash (Butterscotch) x2 dwarf3, dwarf4 -- --