What to plant...

[LowKey]

If you want some interesting takes on 1800s style intensive gardening for food production, check out this website.
http://www.lostgardensofheligan.blogspot.com/
You have to back up through the season of blog posts for occasional tips and hints. The new person writing the blog is more into flash-wow than the earlier blogger who got more into the nitty gritty of the actual work.

I visited Heligan about 3 years ago and would have loved to stay and work there. The Productive garden is amazing. If you can find their Kitchen Garden book for a reasonable price, I highly recommend it:
http://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Garden...garden+heligan

[Chris]

I like to think in terms of yield per square foot and storage.

Butternut squash is one of my favorites, it can sit on a shelf for 6-12 months. Sweet potatoes and beets can also last a really long time in storage. Regular potatoes, decent amount of time, onions of course. All the root vegetables really.

I also like plants like kale, though it isn't going to give you a lot of calories, but I like it because you can harvest it as it grows, leaves here or there, rather than the whole head as is the case with it's relative broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, etc.

But the main thing yes is preservation. Plant tons of fruit and turn it all into fruit leathers or jam. Plant apple trees and make lots of apple sauce. Many dried veggies take up almost no space.

Then, learn to eat seasonally.

[CNL]

Fruit leather yeah is awesome and lasts forever. You can even dry veggies in a similar fashion with a little honey or sugar to liven it up and it is good. I forgot completely about cabbage and it is a definite must have in any of my gardens. We used to get dandelions growing around the property as well and they are actually great eating (the leaves) and some people make wine from them though i have never done this myself. If you are going to grow squash be ready to manually pollinate if you want good yields as left to their own device they do not come close to their potential.

[Rick]

I've never had a problem getting yields from Butternut squash. I generally get more than I can use but they certainly do last a very long time. I generally dip them in a light bleach bath to kill any organisms on the skin, rinse them then dry them very well before storing them in the garage over the winter. Like apples, you have to keep an eye on them. If one does go bad the rest will too if you don't get rid of the bad one. Very good flavor though for soup and baked.

[CNL]

I've never had a problem getting yields from Butternut squash. I generally get more than I can use but they certainly do last a very long time. I generally dip them in a light bleach bath to kill any organisms on the skin, rinse them then dry them very well before storing them in the garage over the winter. Like apples, you have to keep an eye on them. If one does go bad the rest will too if you don't get rid of the bad one. Very good flavor though for soup and baked.

Yeah i was a wee bit confused lol. I meant Zucchini not squash...seems I have squash on the brain.

[gryffynklm]

Great post (28) Lowkey, Reinforced some things and learned some new.

This year I'm planting "Cheese Squash" It is another long storage squash. A friend used one in a years worth of historical presentations and ate it after one year. It got slightly damaged on its last trip. It was fine.

http://www.monticelloshop.org/631117.html

[Tootsiepop254]

Cheese squash? Never heard of it!

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[1stimestar]

Hmmm, I'm thinking tomatoes, lettuce, green beans, peas, and onions. I'll only have a small garden this year. The tomatoes are probably just going in buckets.

[MamaBear]

We are in the same boat. Trying to expand the garden and relying on grocery store much less. I think it depends on what you and your family enjoy eating, what foraging/wild edibles are available to you, and what preservation methods you will be using. Also a huge factor is your gardening zone and what you are able to grow.

Right off the top of my head, I would think potatoes/sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, beans, cabbage, carrots, corn, cukes, squash, tomatoes, peppers lettuce/spinach/greens. Fruit such as berries are also a great addition. Don't forget your medicinals such as chamomile, echinacea, calendula, mints, etc. Consider companion planting such as the three sisters method (planting corn, beans, and squash together) to organically support your garden.

To get an idea of how much you should plant, I found a handy guide a while ago:
http://newlifeonahomestead.com/2013/...hould-i-plant/

of course this will change depending on your personal situation.

This year, I am planting tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, onions, garlic, cukes, lettuce, arugula, spinach, carrots, cabbage, okra, beans, dill, and as many herbs as I can cram in. Will be canning, freezing, and drying. I can't wait for spring! Starting seedlings in a month or so!

Its what most of us ask ourselves every year.

My goal is to feed myself completely from my garden (excluding meat products). With that goal in mind, a complete garden list escapes me. What would YOU plant, and when, if your only food came from your garden?

Maybe we can have some fun with this.

[Tootsiepop254]

I will be doing gardens at both my house and a friend's, with companion planting, square foot gardening and some verticle gardening. Wish us luck!

I know the reality of growing enough to negate the grocery store, while living in town is unrealistic, at best. But its a fun project, and when I buy my acreage in a year or two, its a skill that will be invaluable.

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[Rick]

I'm planting leaf lettuce, spinach and radishes on Friday. Spring is surely around the corner!!

[Chris]

I'm planting leaf lettuce, spinach and radishes on Friday. Spring is surely around the corner!!

Indoors right, because I look outside and I have 3 feet of snow on my garden and you're not THAT far south from me.

I recently ordered 14 fruit trees from Stark Bros to be planted at my future home site in Chattanooga, they told me the recommended ship/planting date for that area was the end of February, I couldn't believe it. I'll be happy if it is above freezing at the end of February here. My birthday is March 9th and I remember growing up going snowmobiling, on a still frozen lake, on my birthday, and in Chattanooga Spring tree planting starts a little after Valentine's Day? It isn't fair. Don't even get me started about cheaters like Crash who live in Florida. Totally unfair.

[Tootsiepop254]

Snow? That fluffy white stuff? I see it at my dad's sometimes.

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[crashdive123]

Indoors right, because I look outside and I have 3 feet of snow on my garden and you're not THAT far south from me.

I recently ordered 14 fruit trees from Stark Bros to be planted at my future home site in Chattanooga, they told me the recommended ship/planting date for that area was the end of February, I couldn't believe it. I'll be happy if it is above freezing at the end of February here. My birthday is March 9th and I remember growing up going snowmobiling, on a still frozen lake, on my birthday, and in Chattanooga Spring tree planting starts a little after Valentine's Day? It isn't fair. Don't even get me started about cheaters like Crash who live in Florida. Totally unfair.

Soooooooo - you probably don't want to hear about planting tomatoes yet do you?

[aktrekker]

I will be doing gardens at both my house and a friend's, with companion planting, square foot gardening and some verticle gardening. Wish us luck!

I know the reality of growing enough to negate the grocery store, while living in town is unrealistic, at best. But its a fun project, and when I buy my acreage in a year or two, its a skill that will be invaluable.

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Search YouTube. There are many videos of people who have grown massive amounts of food in the city on a normal size lot (1/10 acre). Especially in CA.Some have grown enough they can't use it all.

[Rick]

Indoors right

Nope. I broadcast the seed on top of the snow. When the ground warms up, presto, instant salad. Well, almost instant.

[Tootsiepop254]

Lol

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[Rick]

My grandfather always planted lettuce on Valentine's Day and so did my dad. I picked it up from them. If you think about it, plants drop seeds in the fall and they lay there all winter long then germinate in the spring. Planting on Valentine's Day is really no different.

[Canadian-guerilla]

Jerusalem Artichokes

not in your garden per se
but in a marked remote location you know of
the tubers stay fresh until you dig them up ( even in winter )

" guerilla gardening " out in the bush

[MamaBear]

I've heard of these - I thought about planting some simply because they seem so easy to care for. But doing research on it I read the fiber in them wasn't exactly "digestible" and could result in tummy issues mainly horrid gas. Although people still do eat it so maybe it doesn't affect everyone?

Jerusalem Artichokes

not in your garden per se
but in a marked remote location you know of
the tubers stay fresh until you dig them up ( even in winter )

" guerilla gardening " out in the bush