easiest food to grow in the summer.? in the southern usa?
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sweet potatoes, tomatoes, figs.
check out Lazy Dog Farm's vids, he's down in South GA:
check out Lazy Dog Farm's vids, he's down in South GA:
easiest food to grow in the summer.? in the southern usa?
Crickets, mealworms and soldier fly larvae are healthy and rich in protein and fat.
Feed them the refuse from your garden.
Chauncey Gardener
Flashaholic
Does one grow them or raise them? 🧐
If the soil is clay it will struggle to absorb water quickly. Plants get their food from the water they drink, absorbing the nutrients in the water.
Adding sand to the clay will allow water to absorb quicker and stay in all of the pores between the particles.
Mixing in leaves in the fall helps too.
Soil prep is probably the biggest factor in a successful garden.
Earthworms are also great at aerating the soil. Introducing them into a garden spot is also a good thing. Aerated soil allows roots to spread and find nutrients.
Adding sand to the clay will allow water to absorb quicker and stay in all of the pores between the particles.
Mixing in leaves in the fall helps too.
Soil prep is probably the biggest factor in a successful garden.
Earthworms are also great at aerating the soil. Introducing them into a garden spot is also a good thing. Aerated soil allows roots to spread and find nutrients.
Flying Turtle
Flashaholic
I always have a garden. Not a very good gardener, however. Tomatoes and cukes require some effort, but peppers (bell or hot) don't need much more than water. They seem to take their time producing, but they'll continue til the first frost.
Geoff
Geoff
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Tomatoes and peppers need to be grown from seedlings first. Tomatoes are nightshades and you have to avoid growing other things around them or you'll poison yourself with the nearby crops. Peppers take forever to grow and the gophers end up getting most before harvest. Best to grow 50+ in a bucket or two in coconut core. Plant them all early in the season as seedlings taken out of the coconut core, then when they get large enough for the gophers to go after them, start transplanting them from soil to pots.
Potatoes, get some large IKEA bags and poke holes in bottom with soldering iron. Then line bottom of bag with gravel. On top of gravel mix a third dirt, potting soil, and fertilizer (horse poop). Put in some potatoes and water regularly. Don't leave in area that will overheat.
Easiest plants to grow are lettuce, spinach, radishes, carrots, and onions. Plant these directly in soil. No need for growing from seedlings. Lettuce will grow year round in warmer climates and can be harvested in a month or two. Same for spinach, though it doesn't like the cold quite as much. Carrots can handle some mild freezing as well. When their leaves grow out, throw some dirt on them. Do this at least a couple times as they grow for large carrots. Onions are not liked very well by gophers. They will eat them, but they'll only take one bite out of a big onion before looking elsewhere for food. It's best to plant onions at the edges of your garden to keep the critters out. Some onions can grow to 3 lbs.
When I grow onions, I usually also grow cilantro for tacos. Crack the seeds in half. Put them on a paper towel. Wet the paper towel with warm water. Place the paper tower in a zip lock bag not sealed shut in a warm, completely dark location for a couple days. Then plant in soil, potting soil, or coconut coir. In the summer, grow cilantro in a partially shaded area. Too much heat and it will bolt.
Potatoes, get some large IKEA bags and poke holes in bottom with soldering iron. Then line bottom of bag with gravel. On top of gravel mix a third dirt, potting soil, and fertilizer (horse poop). Put in some potatoes and water regularly. Don't leave in area that will overheat.
Easiest plants to grow are lettuce, spinach, radishes, carrots, and onions. Plant these directly in soil. No need for growing from seedlings. Lettuce will grow year round in warmer climates and can be harvested in a month or two. Same for spinach, though it doesn't like the cold quite as much. Carrots can handle some mild freezing as well. When their leaves grow out, throw some dirt on them. Do this at least a couple times as they grow for large carrots. Onions are not liked very well by gophers. They will eat them, but they'll only take one bite out of a big onion before looking elsewhere for food. It's best to plant onions at the edges of your garden to keep the critters out. Some onions can grow to 3 lbs.
When I grow onions, I usually also grow cilantro for tacos. Crack the seeds in half. Put them on a paper towel. Wet the paper towel with warm water. Place the paper tower in a zip lock bag not sealed shut in a warm, completely dark location for a couple days. Then plant in soil, potting soil, or coconut coir. In the summer, grow cilantro in a partially shaded area. Too much heat and it will bolt.
Excellent point! Mash and compact the meat into a solid protein bar.
Chauncey Gardener
Flashaholic
Start with some garden soil offered at most big box home improvement stores. Mix it with your existing soil or build yourself a 4' x 6' raised bed.
Miracle-Gro Garden Soil All Purpose 1.5 cu. ft. for In-Ground Use, Gardens and Raised Beds, Flowers, Vegetables, Trees, Shrubs 70359500 - The Home Depot
Miracle-Gro All Purpose Garden Soil is ideal for in-ground planting of fruits, flowers and herbs. Improves existing soil to build strong roots.
www.homedepot.com
Yeah definitely put organic material mixed in with your garden soil (have you been composting your kitchen vegetable waste?) but one metric some of us use is not spending more money on gardening stuff than what it would cost to buy quality vegetables from a store (assuming horticultural success, which is not guaranteed).
I would strongly advise NOT buying food at any .99 cent store or Dollar Store. Stick to the supermarket.
Raggie tell us what nutritious food is for sale at a dollar store.
