I just set out 2 gardens. One at my son's house and one at mine that both families are going to share in. Make sure you have picked a very sunny spot for your garden.
Corn...very easy. Plant in the row 4 inches apart and 1 to 1 1/2 inches deep. Space your rows about2 to 3 feet apart.
Tomatoes.....just go buy some ready to grow plants at LOWES or Walmart. Dig a hole deep enough for the base of the plant. You can also tear of a couple of the leaves at the bottom of the plant to help stimulate growth. Water with a bit of Miracle Gro every other week. I try not to fertilize mine too much. Never water a tomato from the top of the plant; always at the base and preferably NOT in the HEAT of the day.
Potatoes....dig your furrow 'row' pretty deep. I cut my potatoes where there is an 'eye' on each part. Then I plant them close together in the furrow. Cover and "HILL" them up. You will have to 'hill them up' on occasion as they need plenty of room to root out. Also you want to make sure you don't have any potatoes showing through the dirt causing them to turn 'green.' There will be what we call "potato bugs" on the plants at times. They look like an orange beetle. Get you either some pesticide dust or simply go down the plants and pop the bugs between your fingers which is much better than adding pesticides. (Your fingers will turn a bright orange) but is well worth it.
Green beans and beans of all types except "pole" beans. Plant these as you would corn. Most of these are 'bush' type beans and grow in the row together in one long line.
Squash and zucchini, okra, and other veggies...just read the back of the package and it will tell you how to plant, how deep and your row spacing. Don't forget to water preferably in the late afternoon. Don't forget to save some space on the side or in a spot by itself for some good watermelon and cantaloupe.
You can make your own 'natural' fertilizer by adding leaves, twigs, pine cones, potato and veggie peelings and other organic matter that will break down. NO MEAT. Add water and cover. Put in a sunny place and let the stuff break down naturally. Make sure it is a big enough container. Stir periodically. After about a month, get an old jar and gather the juice. Add the juice to your watering can and add water to make it look like tea. Your plants will love it.
Also collect and rake leaves and grass cuttings and simply put them to the side of your yard somewhere. Add organic material, peelings and such and let these ferment for a time. Continue adding stuff periodically. Turn with a pitchfork or some tool on occasion. This will eventually turn to some great garden mulch.
Some say only some roaches would survive a nuclear holocaust… but these roaches would be mercilessly crushed by our beloved indestructible u/Mary911 (and end in the compost) should they try to disturb her Godly peace.🤗💐
Oh thank you for making me laugh. I got home at about 11:30 with the kids. That was after I cleaned a few things for her and went outside to plant some onion sets and some garlic cloves, then I hilled up my potatoes and got the weeds out from between the rows. It was hard trying to do that and keep up with Ninky because her other 3 brothers refused to watch her while I did this task; but I got it done. You simply have to look at it as a 'Labor of Love' for when the time comes to 'chomp' into some of that fresh produce that God's loving sunshine and rain so tenderly helped spring to life for our benefit.
I did leave out a few crucial things like Make sure you weed and hoe the garden; unless you're laying down plastic between the rows. But with todays inflation, who's got the spare money. I put on my "Gumbo Mudders" that is my rain boots and some garden gloves and a floppy straw hat and go to work. Thats all there is to it. You work hard, then you reap the benefits of a good harvest. Amen.
Got to go, time to cook Supper. I'll read you when I can. Take care my friend.
Also you can throw down certain herbs and flowers which will actually improve the taste of the veggies and keep bad bugs away. Thyme, marigolds, basil are all very easy to grow.
Not an expert Gardener myself but I've done tomatoes the last few years and yes, this kind of thing (basil around the tomatoes) is supposed to also help with pests.
Late on my garden this year, been injured. This OP serves as a much needed reminder!
Nasturtiums also kept the aphids away. Also using big tin cans cut on both ends around the plants keep out varmits and then the plants draw the heat from the can.
My experience with marigolds is they attract slugs so when cooking we keep all the egg shells all year long in a bucket and we crush them and pour the shred on the soil when we plant the tomatoes and others : slugs hate crawling on shredded egg shells. Then, before the sun gets down, I take my shears and go behead any slug approaching the vegetables for a night snack, the ones coming later will focus on eating their cadavers. Slugs really are a pest.
George is fine too. Wish I could get some extra sleep; but it seems that next week I will be having to get up at 3AM so I can wake up to be at their house at 4AM. Just when I was getting used to 6. It's always something. How's Anne and the kitties? Hope they're all well and cuddly fine. I'll try to get on here when the chances are right. I'll be hearing from you.
Dear Mary, so honoured to have you spend some more energy giving me news though you should be asleep… and so should I be. Back from a classical concert (opera) where a friend was acting. Beautiful music by Vivaldi.
Everyone is fine here: my lack of quality sleep once again makes me inflate (thirsty, drinking lots of water and not getting rid of it properly…until I get enough rest and joy).
As of Thursday next week, I will be in Burgundy until the beginning of June with reduced work hours. I shall finally complete my songs and get deeper in my piano study. I love piano. We always say nasty things about Reddit but the specific subreddits are fine. r/piano is a goldmine where many aspiring virtuosos successfully communicated me their love of this instrument: on a guitar, there are many ways to play one note, on a piano, there is one, but beware who finger plays it as you have to be ready for the next note.
The lady in red is a Ukrainian pro-Peace person. She’s having lots of hate sent towards her for her moderate opinions. Many agents cancel her concerts.
I hope you like this song and see like me the way she’s looking at her piano rather than her provocative dress. The people in the room had no zoom so I guess it was not supposed to look that glamorous from a typical seat.
There’s something I don’t quite understand: were you not supposed to work that hard for your children a few months ago? I hope everyone finds his comfort zone again and you get the rest you desserve. Why 4AM? Do Ninky and Brayden wake that soon?
In soul with you, praying for your happiness every chance I get.🙏🏻💐
If you plant corn, plant a lot. Even 10 stalks is not enough. Two dozen would be a minimum to ensure the flowering process is successful.
YouTube and rumble videos are verrrrry helpful. Lots of backyard farmers out there sharing their experiences. It can be a lot of r&d and expenses. Learn from their mistakes! Less costly.
YES! Everyone loves that corn on the cob in the summer months. Fresh cut fried corn on the stove. Mmmm! Reminds me of my grandmothers. And how we canned the corn by the quarts. Nothing like home canned good corn in the cold winter months.
Thank you! Anything else you recommend I plant in 7a for August? I have seen cabbage and root veg do well. I have a greenhouse that is getting way too hot and humid so im moving it into a shady spot of the yard to try to use it this year.
If your dirt is still workable in August (not baked to stone), then peas, beans, broccolli, cauliflower should all do fine planted in Aug and harvest in late October.
Good. We are all here to help one another out in times of need. God bless. Hope your family are all well and safe. Always ask if you need something. Someone on here will come to your aid; that's what we do.
Potatoes are super easy. I am using a tower method which uses straw/soil mixture for dumb ape harvesting and already have 6 - 1' plants growing from dried quarter chunks planted last month.
I think potatoes are easy as even in Phoenix I can grow them. However, I suspect Rooftoptendies lives in SoCal. If you have cockroaches, this tire method results in cockroach heaven and if you live in a super hot area, the tires get very hot in the sun.. Grow bags are better if the climate isn't too dry, plus they are light and easy to store. Potatoes need a little supplemental fertilizer. Harvest when the tops start dying.
Sweet potatoes. You can start them in a rather similar way as potatoes, but another way is to buy a sweet potato, use popsicle sticks or whatever to prop it up, and soak the bottom in water until it sprouts leaves, roughly 3 weeks or so. Then just plant it. in most places they will go wild and may even take over your whole garden.
Depending on where you live you can plant a fall garden too. I love planting a variety if greens, turnips, and red beets for the fall and early winter. Where I live I’ve had a few mild winters where my greens survived and produced all winter long. And the are super easy.
Underrated comment. Climate and seasons are crucial! E.g. in Phoenix the best time to start many things is Sept. or Oct. and protect from short frost season. Starting in "spring" results in withered stalks by May.
Almost everyone is already growing them! And trying to get rid of them! They make a great salad. However, the later in the season it gets, the more bitter and tough they taste but they are still edible. I believe all parts are edible (except perhaps the roots but that might be used for other things, such as a drink). Source of protein, calcium, iron, Vitamins A and C.
Also, plantain, another weed (not talking about the banana-ish thing here). Google the images so you'll know what you're looking for. It's likely you played with the stem as a child to shoot the seed heads of them off into the yard somewhere. The leaf is great in/as salad.
Also, wood sorrel, yet another weed. Heart shaped leaves in a 3-leaf clover pattern, tastes like lemons.
If you're a horrible gardener, consider buying a paperback guide to edible wild plants in your region. BUT do also try to grow other things that the other pedes on here mention because you want a variety of nutrition.
BEWARE: As these are "weeds" make sure you aren't pulling/eating weeds that have been sprayed with chemicals. Unless you LIKE having a penis grow out of your forehead.
Thank you for bringing back a great old memory. We foraged for a lot of things when I was a kid. Mushrooms, wild asparagus, dandelions, raspberries, blackberries, and nuts. Simpler times.
My mom didn’t really use a recipe. She mixed bacon fat, salt, pepper, sugar, and apple cider vinegar until it was steaming. I never remember her measuring, just cooking to taste.
My personal favorite recipe came from a collection of Amish recipes called Cooking from Quilt Country. I can’t find a version of it online.
Here is one pretty close. I personally prefer apple cider vinegar over white vinegar.
We had them in the woods, in Oregon. Better than spinach. Also fiddlehead ferns. Take a bag or basket and scissors, cut the tips of the nettles into that so you don't touch them. Although, handling them with gloves will break off the little poison spikes and make them safer before cooking.
Sweet potatoes. Grow like weeds. Can eat the leaves if lightly steamed. Come back every year. At least in the south anyway, they do well.
Theyre vines and make pretty flowers, kinda look like morning glorys, (fun fact, theyre in the same family) so if you have a fence thats perfect.
If not. They will grow over a yard space horizontally no problem. You can litterally lawnmower them to keep them in check and theyll be fine (trust me, youll have to)
Dont mix them up with yams or regular potatoes. Theyre actually completely different and grow differently.
Rightnow is the time to plant them too. Just buy a sweet potatoe, cut it up into 4 sections and toss the peices in the ground. Ive had a ton of luck with these pretty Japanese sweet potatoes I found at the super market. Theyre my fave so far.
I thought you had to start them with "slips" that you propagate from sweet potatoes? I've been working on that, and discovered that it's not as foolproof as some would say. But, I finally have some slips that are coming on. Required some heat from a seedling mat and a grow light. We've also had a somewhat cold and cloudy spring too.
Hm idk, I live way south so I may have more heat and humidity than yall do. I just planted mine directly in the ground and its been sweet potatoe city for me ever sense. I move them around, get different kinds, they all do well.
My soil can also be a factor. Every area is very different, even a couple of hours drive makes a huge difference. So I guess they aren't fool proof for everyone.
Corn practially fails to NOT grow. I threw leftover kernels out when I had my garden fully planted, and they sprouted in some bare clay and are actually doing slightly better than the ones I made an effort to give the best start.
If you're gonna grow any peppers, I suggest buying seedlings from a garden center as their seeds are a nightmare to get to sprout. Once they're established, you can prune them back severely in winter onces the leaves die off, and they'll regrow in spring as they're technically perennial.
We have one in my town. It's an old hardware store that has been there for over a century. There aren't even any old farmers around here but at this store, guess what. Old farmers. I don't even know where they come from. It's fucking awesome. You wouldn't even know anything was different about the store from the outside though. It looks extraordinarily inconspicuous near a pawn shop and a used car lot.
We have a 100 yr old hardware store too. For a minute I thought we were from the same town. But our used car lots are quite a distance from the hardware store, so, nah.
In-ground things like carrots, beets and turnips are fairly easy to grow. If you cover them with straw, that might keep some of the critters from digging them up. And, it will provide the right kind of environment for growth. Squash is also easy as they don't need to be in a garden, just in the ground.
Sprouts are easy and you have food in a few days, low calorie but high nutrition. Sprouts can get you past the intimidation of growing food too.
Also check out permaculture gardening, some plants will come back year after year and once sowed are very little effort, tons of videos on YT. Just a few generations back people would get their rhubarb, garlic, dill, apple tree, mulberry bushes, etc. going and have a yard to forage.
We compost with red wiggler worms to produce fertilizer.
Easiest...
Amaranth. Harvest at about 10" tall
Leaves taste like spinach, stalks have a texture like asparagus.
They can take heat.
(Quinoa is similar but for cold and high climates)
No plant will ever be as efficient as animals, when it comes to getting protein, fats, vitamins, and minerals, which are the only things we need for good health.
Grow animals.
Here is a guy who did an experiment to only eat broccoli for one week.
The results were so horrible that he damn near died.
ALL plants have little to no nutrition for humans (cows do just fine on grass, but we can't). It's not just broccoli. Why do you think Bill Gates wants to you eat your plants -- even fake meat plant foods?
I believe you are correct. Though not sure how easy it is to grow animals. Chickens, I'm guessing, would be the easiest. Others you probably need a bunch of land to support.
I remember something Otto from "Alaska, The Last Frontier" said. He raised cattle to feed his family. He said:
So far, I have seen 2 of the fattest rabbits in my front yard, and several deer roam the woods behind and beside my house. There are plenty of squirrels in the trees as my yard is basically Oak trees. So guess what I will be having for dinner if the Need calls for it?
Can confirm. I grow vegetables for a living. I live by the rule of don't get high on your own supply because vegetables don't nourish my body from the abuse I put it through farming vegetables by hand with no tractor and no sprays. Meat, eggs, dairy are real food, vegetables are vitamins and minerals.
bush beans (easier to manage than climbers), beets, zucchini (pick them small and you can use them for many more things--it also encourages the plant to produce more), pick some other squash. radishes are fast. dandelions. put some herbs around the outside to damp down the smell for the critters.
oh, and find some carpet on the side of the road. cut it into strips and put it between the rows. cuts down the weeding and holds in the moisture. old carpet won't have much chemical left to leech. can be reused for several years.
You can replant celery hearts as well as green onion bulbs. I know specifically with the celery hearts you just put the hearts in a bowl of water, wait for them to start sprouting and plant them, basically the same applies to green onions.
I just set mine in the flower bed behind the back porch. I didn't plant flowers in there this year. So I spread a bag of cow manure and planted a few radishes, a grape tomato plant, 2 bell pepper plants and so I decided why not. I took the heart of a romaine lettuce and the heart of a celery and a sprouting mushy onion from my bin and put them in the bed with the radishes etc. The romaine has sprouted up through the middle, the onion has shot a couple of large sprouts through and the celery has flowered out and I believe will recrop. I got this off of youtube on how to replant garden veggies. Everyone needs to give it a try. They really work. Thanks for the info and spread the word. Every little bit helps.
I don't know anything about calorie effeciency. I do know if you put a green bean seed in the ground, you will get green beans, with very little effort.
What is easy to grow for one person, is impossible for another. It all depends on your garden environment. Soil, temperature, climate, quantity of sunlight, and, how much land space you have to allow large plants/trees to grow. It also depends on what you like to eat, too. My advise for you is to first figure out what kind of growing environment you have to work with, then figure out what kinds of plants will work for you.
Taters, zucchini, cabbage (red and green), kohlrabi, brussels sprouts, celery, tomatoes, peas and beans are by far the easiest. Same goes for chives and herbs in general. I had good luck with eggplant and spicy peppers as well.
Broccoli and cauliflower for me is hit or miss. Broccoli loves bolting on me for reasons only it knows but then going into fall it’ll be super happy and grow non stop.
I find corn can be super bitchy when young if your soil isnt quite right. Once it gets older it doesn’t seem to care as much anymore. Also takes a lot of nutrients out of soil.
Onions, carrots, root veggies in general can be tricky depending on what soil you have. Taters on the other hand for some reason don’t seem to care much about it despite also being a root veggie. Loose, dense, clay… it’ll grow.
I just put in a garden. My soil is crap, so I have a couple of raised beds and everything else is in grow bags which are very cheap and I can move them around easy. Easy stuff to grow that I will freeze or can...spinach, zucchini, tomatoes, squash, several pepper varieties, collards. short term stuff like lettuce and sprouts will plant in intervals to have daily. I also have berry bushes and fig trees
I literally just watched a video about this yesterday. The youtuber said beans, butternut squash, and potatoes. Reading the comments, other people argued for replacing potatoes with sweet potatoes because those are healthier plus you can eat the greens. Other commenters replied that the natives of North America subsisted on what they called the three sisters - winter squash, maize, and climbing beans. Those three crops apparently do not compete for the same nutrients from the soil. Others made the case for adding tomatoes.
I just set out 2 gardens. One at my son's house and one at mine that both families are going to share in. Make sure you have picked a very sunny spot for your garden.
Corn...very easy. Plant in the row 4 inches apart and 1 to 1 1/2 inches deep. Space your rows about2 to 3 feet apart.
Tomatoes.....just go buy some ready to grow plants at LOWES or Walmart. Dig a hole deep enough for the base of the plant. You can also tear of a couple of the leaves at the bottom of the plant to help stimulate growth. Water with a bit of Miracle Gro every other week. I try not to fertilize mine too much. Never water a tomato from the top of the plant; always at the base and preferably NOT in the HEAT of the day.
Potatoes....dig your furrow 'row' pretty deep. I cut my potatoes where there is an 'eye' on each part. Then I plant them close together in the furrow. Cover and "HILL" them up. You will have to 'hill them up' on occasion as they need plenty of room to root out. Also you want to make sure you don't have any potatoes showing through the dirt causing them to turn 'green.' There will be what we call "potato bugs" on the plants at times. They look like an orange beetle. Get you either some pesticide dust or simply go down the plants and pop the bugs between your fingers which is much better than adding pesticides. (Your fingers will turn a bright orange) but is well worth it.
Green beans and beans of all types except "pole" beans. Plant these as you would corn. Most of these are 'bush' type beans and grow in the row together in one long line.
Squash and zucchini, okra, and other veggies...just read the back of the package and it will tell you how to plant, how deep and your row spacing. Don't forget to water preferably in the late afternoon. Don't forget to save some space on the side or in a spot by itself for some good watermelon and cantaloupe.
You can make your own 'natural' fertilizer by adding leaves, twigs, pine cones, potato and veggie peelings and other organic matter that will break down. NO MEAT. Add water and cover. Put in a sunny place and let the stuff break down naturally. Make sure it is a big enough container. Stir periodically. After about a month, get an old jar and gather the juice. Add the juice to your watering can and add water to make it look like tea. Your plants will love it.
Also collect and rake leaves and grass cuttings and simply put them to the side of your yard somewhere. Add organic material, peelings and such and let these ferment for a time. Continue adding stuff periodically. Turn with a pitchfork or some tool on occasion. This will eventually turn to some great garden mulch.
HAPPY PLANTING. Hope this helps.
Some say only some roaches would survive a nuclear holocaust… but these roaches would be mercilessly crushed by our beloved indestructible u/Mary911 (and end in the compost) should they try to disturb her Godly peace.🤗💐
kek!
Oh thank you for making me laugh. I got home at about 11:30 with the kids. That was after I cleaned a few things for her and went outside to plant some onion sets and some garlic cloves, then I hilled up my potatoes and got the weeds out from between the rows. It was hard trying to do that and keep up with Ninky because her other 3 brothers refused to watch her while I did this task; but I got it done. You simply have to look at it as a 'Labor of Love' for when the time comes to 'chomp' into some of that fresh produce that God's loving sunshine and rain so tenderly helped spring to life for our benefit.
I did leave out a few crucial things like Make sure you weed and hoe the garden; unless you're laying down plastic between the rows. But with todays inflation, who's got the spare money. I put on my "Gumbo Mudders" that is my rain boots and some garden gloves and a floppy straw hat and go to work. Thats all there is to it. You work hard, then you reap the benefits of a good harvest. Amen.
Got to go, time to cook Supper. I'll read you when I can. Take care my friend.
Also you can throw down certain herbs and flowers which will actually improve the taste of the veggies and keep bad bugs away. Thyme, marigolds, basil are all very easy to grow.
Not an expert Gardener myself but I've done tomatoes the last few years and yes, this kind of thing (basil around the tomatoes) is supposed to also help with pests.
Late on my garden this year, been injured. This OP serves as a much needed reminder!
WWG1WGA
Nasturtiums also kept the aphids away. Also using big tin cans cut on both ends around the plants keep out varmits and then the plants draw the heat from the can.
Chamomile keep some bugs away
Yes Ma'am. I hear that marigolds are the best flowers to plant along the edges of your garden. Great hints. Thanks.
My experience with marigolds is they attract slugs so when cooking we keep all the egg shells all year long in a bucket and we crush them and pour the shred on the soil when we plant the tomatoes and others : slugs hate crawling on shredded egg shells. Then, before the sun gets down, I take my shears and go behead any slug approaching the vegetables for a night snack, the ones coming later will focus on eating their cadavers. Slugs really are a pest.
Quit stealing my ideas; haha. That's what I've been doing with mine.
Mary!🤗💐
How are you? Can you still find some time for a due rest? How’s Dear George?
TIRED.
George is fine too. Wish I could get some extra sleep; but it seems that next week I will be having to get up at 3AM so I can wake up to be at their house at 4AM. Just when I was getting used to 6. It's always something. How's Anne and the kitties? Hope they're all well and cuddly fine. I'll try to get on here when the chances are right. I'll be hearing from you.
Dear Mary, so honoured to have you spend some more energy giving me news though you should be asleep… and so should I be. Back from a classical concert (opera) where a friend was acting. Beautiful music by Vivaldi.
Everyone is fine here: my lack of quality sleep once again makes me inflate (thirsty, drinking lots of water and not getting rid of it properly…until I get enough rest and joy).
As of Thursday next week, I will be in Burgundy until the beginning of June with reduced work hours. I shall finally complete my songs and get deeper in my piano study. I love piano. We always say nasty things about Reddit but the specific subreddits are fine. r/piano is a goldmine where many aspiring virtuosos successfully communicated me their love of this instrument: on a guitar, there are many ways to play one note, on a piano, there is one, but beware who finger plays it as you have to be ready for the next note.
I love Franz Liszt… https://youtu.be/MD6xMyuZls0 piano should not be boring.
The lady in red is a Ukrainian pro-Peace person. She’s having lots of hate sent towards her for her moderate opinions. Many agents cancel her concerts.
I hope you like this song and see like me the way she’s looking at her piano rather than her provocative dress. The people in the room had no zoom so I guess it was not supposed to look that glamorous from a typical seat.
There’s something I don’t quite understand: were you not supposed to work that hard for your children a few months ago? I hope everyone finds his comfort zone again and you get the rest you desserve. Why 4AM? Do Ninky and Brayden wake that soon?
In soul with you, praying for your happiness every chance I get.🙏🏻💐
If you plant corn, plant a lot. Even 10 stalks is not enough. Two dozen would be a minimum to ensure the flowering process is successful.
YouTube and rumble videos are verrrrry helpful. Lots of backyard farmers out there sharing their experiences. It can be a lot of r&d and expenses. Learn from their mistakes! Less costly.
YES! Everyone loves that corn on the cob in the summer months. Fresh cut fried corn on the stove. Mmmm! Reminds me of my grandmothers. And how we canned the corn by the quarts. Nothing like home canned good corn in the cold winter months.
Do i still have time to germ seeds? Zone 7a
Seeds germinate quickly for corn. You should be good to start now, but don’t plant outside until consistent 70 degree temps.
It is late to germ seeds now as they will be trying to mature in high summer, but you can plant in August and have a nice October harvest before frost
Thank you! Anything else you recommend I plant in 7a for August? I have seen cabbage and root veg do well. I have a greenhouse that is getting way too hot and humid so im moving it into a shady spot of the yard to try to use it this year.
If your dirt is still workable in August (not baked to stone), then peas, beans, broccolli, cauliflower should all do fine planted in Aug and harvest in late October.
Thank you!
You can do it in an InstantPot.
Wealth of knowledge! Thank you!
You're so welcome. Hope it is beneficial to you and others who may never have had the opportunity to plant something. Good luck and God bless.
Saved this post as informative!
Good. We are all here to help one another out in times of need. God bless. Hope your family are all well and safe. Always ask if you need something. Someone on here will come to your aid; that's what we do.
I recommend planting bacon. Everybody loves it.
I wish!!!
Gotta get me some of those bacon seeds!
Just had 6 new seeds born two days ago. The future is full of bacon and chops
I know if you bury a dead cat, you get a pussy willow.
Cock rot!
im getting into quail, seems like a better choice then chicken for a number of us.
Probably overwatered.
You have to power boil them first ! Gosh !😆
Potatoes are super easy. I am using a tower method which uses straw/soil mixture for dumb ape harvesting and already have 6 - 1' plants growing from dried quarter chunks planted last month.
https://greatawakening.win/p/15HIckgS85/potatoes-the-best-survival-crop/c/
You can stack old tires and plant potatoes that way. Easy to harvest and no digging.
I shudder to think of the toxins leaching into your soil from tires and possibly contaminating your crop. Just dig the dang hole.
I think potatoes are easy as even in Phoenix I can grow them. However, I suspect Rooftoptendies lives in SoCal. If you have cockroaches, this tire method results in cockroach heaven and if you live in a super hot area, the tires get very hot in the sun.. Grow bags are better if the climate isn't too dry, plus they are light and easy to store. Potatoes need a little supplemental fertilizer. Harvest when the tops start dying.
Weed. Everyone will trade food for weed.
Can confirm. Would definitely trade food for weed.
Sweet potatoes. You can start them in a rather similar way as potatoes, but another way is to buy a sweet potato, use popsicle sticks or whatever to prop it up, and soak the bottom in water until it sprouts leaves, roughly 3 weeks or so. Then just plant it. in most places they will go wild and may even take over your whole garden.
https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/good-growing/2020-04-22-how-grow-sweet-potatoes
Depending on where you live you can plant a fall garden too. I love planting a variety if greens, turnips, and red beets for the fall and early winter. Where I live I’ve had a few mild winters where my greens survived and produced all winter long. And the are super easy.
Underrated comment. Climate and seasons are crucial! E.g. in Phoenix the best time to start many things is Sept. or Oct. and protect from short frost season. Starting in "spring" results in withered stalks by May.
wow, ya, didnt think about doing that. I will this year
Short answer: dandelions
Almost everyone is already growing them! And trying to get rid of them! They make a great salad. However, the later in the season it gets, the more bitter and tough they taste but they are still edible. I believe all parts are edible (except perhaps the roots but that might be used for other things, such as a drink). Source of protein, calcium, iron, Vitamins A and C.
Also, plantain, another weed (not talking about the banana-ish thing here). Google the images so you'll know what you're looking for. It's likely you played with the stem as a child to shoot the seed heads of them off into the yard somewhere. The leaf is great in/as salad.
Also, wood sorrel, yet another weed. Heart shaped leaves in a 3-leaf clover pattern, tastes like lemons.
If you're a horrible gardener, consider buying a paperback guide to edible wild plants in your region. BUT do also try to grow other things that the other pedes on here mention because you want a variety of nutrition.
BEWARE: As these are "weeds" make sure you aren't pulling/eating weeds that have been sprayed with chemicals. Unless you LIKE having a penis grow out of your forehead.
Happy weed pulling!
When I was a kid my mom would send us out with a bucket and little spade to dig up dandelions. She would make a wilted salad with hot bacon dressing.
what, a hot bacon dressing? that sounds tasty.
Oh stop, I'm getting hungry!!! That sounds divine.
Thank you for bringing back a great old memory. We foraged for a lot of things when I was a kid. Mushrooms, wild asparagus, dandelions, raspberries, blackberries, and nuts. Simpler times.
Tsearch would you share a recipe for hot bacon dressing. Thanks. That brought back some memories.
My mom didn’t really use a recipe. She mixed bacon fat, salt, pepper, sugar, and apple cider vinegar until it was steaming. I never remember her measuring, just cooking to taste.
My personal favorite recipe came from a collection of Amish recipes called Cooking from Quilt Country. I can’t find a version of it online.
Here is one pretty close. I personally prefer apple cider vinegar over white vinegar.
https://www.acoalcrackerinthekitchen.com/2018/09/10/pa-dutch-hot-bacon-dressing/#wpzoom-recipe-card
Not really a Q topic, but let’s just say saving your bacon fat is a survival tip for when the storm is upon us.
Thank you. Will make survival tastier.
The big old bitter dandelions are the ones that are best for medicinal tea, though.
Also try nettles, you cook it like spinach and you may also use it to create textile if they’re not tender anymore.
Yes! Just don't touch them (to harvest) with your bare hands lol. Voice of experience on that one.
We had them in the woods, in Oregon. Better than spinach. Also fiddlehead ferns. Take a bag or basket and scissors, cut the tips of the nettles into that so you don't touch them. Although, handling them with gloves will break off the little poison spikes and make them safer before cooking.
Potatoes, squash including winter squash (can be stored for up to a year some of them). Tomatoes etc.
I don't recommend corn as there are too many problems. Takes up a ton of room, water and beats the shit out of your soil.
Beans of many types (high in protein), carrots. Leafy greens of all sorts.
Sweet potatoes. Grow like weeds. Can eat the leaves if lightly steamed. Come back every year. At least in the south anyway, they do well.
Theyre vines and make pretty flowers, kinda look like morning glorys, (fun fact, theyre in the same family) so if you have a fence thats perfect.
If not. They will grow over a yard space horizontally no problem. You can litterally lawnmower them to keep them in check and theyll be fine (trust me, youll have to)
Dont mix them up with yams or regular potatoes. Theyre actually completely different and grow differently.
Rightnow is the time to plant them too. Just buy a sweet potatoe, cut it up into 4 sections and toss the peices in the ground. Ive had a ton of luck with these pretty Japanese sweet potatoes I found at the super market. Theyre my fave so far.
I thought you had to start them with "slips" that you propagate from sweet potatoes? I've been working on that, and discovered that it's not as foolproof as some would say. But, I finally have some slips that are coming on. Required some heat from a seedling mat and a grow light. We've also had a somewhat cold and cloudy spring too.
Hm idk, I live way south so I may have more heat and humidity than yall do. I just planted mine directly in the ground and its been sweet potatoe city for me ever sense. I move them around, get different kinds, they all do well.
My soil can also be a factor. Every area is very different, even a couple of hours drive makes a huge difference. So I guess they aren't fool proof for everyone.
Corn practially fails to NOT grow. I threw leftover kernels out when I had my garden fully planted, and they sprouted in some bare clay and are actually doing slightly better than the ones I made an effort to give the best start.
If you're gonna grow any peppers, I suggest buying seedlings from a garden center as their seeds are a nightmare to get to sprout. Once they're established, you can prune them back severely in winter onces the leaves die off, and they'll regrow in spring as they're technically perennial.
It depends on your location, but try to find out where the old farmers go to get their seeds.
What works easy peasy for me here is definitely potatoes and squash. Butternut squash are hardy. Also delicious.
If you want some greens that are easy, arugula (aka rocket.) They're a little spicy so the bugs don't eat them as much.
They go to the Old Farmers Seed Store. Of course.
We have one in my town. It's an old hardware store that has been there for over a century. There aren't even any old farmers around here but at this store, guess what. Old farmers. I don't even know where they come from. It's fucking awesome. You wouldn't even know anything was different about the store from the outside though. It looks extraordinarily inconspicuous near a pawn shop and a used car lot.
We have a 100 yr old hardware store too. For a minute I thought we were from the same town. But our used car lots are quite a distance from the hardware store, so, nah.
That username tho
Plenty of gardening advise on YT. Yeah, I know but still good advise!
In-ground things like carrots, beets and turnips are fairly easy to grow. If you cover them with straw, that might keep some of the critters from digging them up. And, it will provide the right kind of environment for growth. Squash is also easy as they don't need to be in a garden, just in the ground.
Good advice in this thread, I’ll add
Sprouts are easy and you have food in a few days, low calorie but high nutrition. Sprouts can get you past the intimidation of growing food too.
Also check out permaculture gardening, some plants will come back year after year and once sowed are very little effort, tons of videos on YT. Just a few generations back people would get their rhubarb, garlic, dill, apple tree, mulberry bushes, etc. going and have a yard to forage.
We compost with red wiggler worms to produce fertilizer.
Yes please loop up sprouts. Very nutritious!
Easiest... Amaranth. Harvest at about 10" tall Leaves taste like spinach, stalks have a texture like asparagus. They can take heat. (Quinoa is similar but for cold and high climates)
Easy Calories... Potatos in a tower.
Wheat, corn are also good calories.
Amaranth is a good green with no effort, so is lamb's quarters.
Yes.
Amaranth seeds are also edible.
Get all of the information that you can collect on foraging and hunting in your locale.
Scope out some foraging spots (for example where you can find lots of cattails).
If we have a famine many people will starve for walking right past valuable nutrients.
No plant will ever be as efficient as animals, when it comes to getting protein, fats, vitamins, and minerals, which are the only things we need for good health.
Grow animals.
Here is a guy who did an experiment to only eat broccoli for one week.
The results were so horrible that he damn near died.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbTqsiysiOs
ALL plants have little to no nutrition for humans (cows do just fine on grass, but we can't). It's not just broccoli. Why do you think Bill Gates wants to you eat your plants -- even fake meat plant foods?
I believe you are correct. Though not sure how easy it is to grow animals. Chickens, I'm guessing, would be the easiest. Others you probably need a bunch of land to support.
I remember something Otto from "Alaska, The Last Frontier" said. He raised cattle to feed his family. He said:
So far, I have seen 2 of the fattest rabbits in my front yard, and several deer roam the woods behind and beside my house. There are plenty of squirrels in the trees as my yard is basically Oak trees. So guess what I will be having for dinner if the Need calls for it?
Can confirm. I grow vegetables for a living. I live by the rule of don't get high on your own supply because vegetables don't nourish my body from the abuse I put it through farming vegetables by hand with no tractor and no sprays. Meat, eggs, dairy are real food, vegetables are vitamins and minerals.
bush beans (easier to manage than climbers), beets, zucchini (pick them small and you can use them for many more things--it also encourages the plant to produce more), pick some other squash. radishes are fast. dandelions. put some herbs around the outside to damp down the smell for the critters.
oh, and find some carpet on the side of the road. cut it into strips and put it between the rows. cuts down the weeding and holds in the moisture. old carpet won't have much chemical left to leech. can be reused for several years.
You can replant celery hearts as well as green onion bulbs. I know specifically with the celery hearts you just put the hearts in a bowl of water, wait for them to start sprouting and plant them, basically the same applies to green onions.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/celery/how-to-plant-celery-bottoms.htm
https://www.hungryhuy.com/regrow-green-onions/
I just set mine in the flower bed behind the back porch. I didn't plant flowers in there this year. So I spread a bag of cow manure and planted a few radishes, a grape tomato plant, 2 bell pepper plants and so I decided why not. I took the heart of a romaine lettuce and the heart of a celery and a sprouting mushy onion from my bin and put them in the bed with the radishes etc. The romaine has sprouted up through the middle, the onion has shot a couple of large sprouts through and the celery has flowered out and I believe will recrop. I got this off of youtube on how to replant garden veggies. Everyone needs to give it a try. They really work. Thanks for the info and spread the word. Every little bit helps.
I don't know anything about calorie effeciency. I do know if you put a green bean seed in the ground, you will get green beans, with very little effort.
What is easy to grow for one person, is impossible for another. It all depends on your garden environment. Soil, temperature, climate, quantity of sunlight, and, how much land space you have to allow large plants/trees to grow. It also depends on what you like to eat, too. My advise for you is to first figure out what kind of growing environment you have to work with, then figure out what kinds of plants will work for you.
Taters, zucchini, cabbage (red and green), kohlrabi, brussels sprouts, celery, tomatoes, peas and beans are by far the easiest. Same goes for chives and herbs in general. I had good luck with eggplant and spicy peppers as well.
Broccoli and cauliflower for me is hit or miss. Broccoli loves bolting on me for reasons only it knows but then going into fall it’ll be super happy and grow non stop.
I find corn can be super bitchy when young if your soil isnt quite right. Once it gets older it doesn’t seem to care as much anymore. Also takes a lot of nutrients out of soil.
Onions, carrots, root veggies in general can be tricky depending on what soil you have. Taters on the other hand for some reason don’t seem to care much about it despite also being a root veggie. Loose, dense, clay… it’ll grow.
Be prepared for slugs… hate them so much!!!!!!!!!
Potatoes 🥔!
Potatoes definitively.
I just put in a garden. My soil is crap, so I have a couple of raised beds and everything else is in grow bags which are very cheap and I can move them around easy. Easy stuff to grow that I will freeze or can...spinach, zucchini, tomatoes, squash, several pepper varieties, collards. short term stuff like lettuce and sprouts will plant in intervals to have daily. I also have berry bushes and fig trees
Winter Squash, big yield, calorie-dense, super long storage and easy to grow
Potatoes, wheat, and corn provide the most calories per square foot.
Cowpeas are great if you're in a hot climate. Not the most calories but easy to grow, drought tolerant, and protein rich.
Potatoes
I literally just watched a video about this yesterday. The youtuber said beans, butternut squash, and potatoes. Reading the comments, other people argued for replacing potatoes with sweet potatoes because those are healthier plus you can eat the greens. Other commenters replied that the natives of North America subsisted on what they called the three sisters - winter squash, maize, and climbing beans. Those three crops apparently do not compete for the same nutrients from the soil. Others made the case for adding tomatoes.