Gardening

[DB_Hunter]

OK so after watching the news for some time now go on and on about the credit crisis affecting the entire world and how the world financial system is going to end, it got me thinking as to what steps I could take to shield myself against such an event or at least soften the blow somewhat.

The images that keep coming to my mind are those of black and white grainy video I saw in history class about 10 years ago on the topic of the Great Depression and Germany after WW I. There were bread/soup queues in the US streching for some like a mile for each row, and three or four rows in one street. In Germany, due to hyperinflation the currency became so worthless that you needed a suitcase of cash just to buy bread. Kids were making little houses out of stacks of money in the street, which shows how worthless currency had become.

Soooo... relating history and the curent global financial crisis to my new found interest, I wanted to discuss the idea of gardening. More specifically, how to grow different kinds of plants, mainly vegetables and possibly fruits. Now if know most of you guys are like me you won't have the kind of land needed to feed you even for a couple of weeks, but I still find it really interesting to see what I can grow.

Right now where I am, we in Autumn. My older brothers, who have done this sort of stuff since before I was born, planted some pumpkins and they are growing quite well in this kind of weather. Myself, I just planted four cloves of garlic and two potatos, as I think that's the sort of thing that will grow right now and something that could be useful in cooking.

Do you guys have any tips in this area? What to grow in what kind of weather? How to grow it? What to do?

[Ryllharu]

Pretty obvious, but you should make sure that the climate you are in (dry, hot, wet, drenched, muggy, sudden frosts, etc) is suitable for the specific variety of plant you are going with. Some of them can't handle lack of water (usually fixed with a cheapo sprinkler) but other will simply rot in the ground if the dirt is sodden all the time. I believe potatoes are one of those.

Living in the gloriously unpredicable and confusing weather region known as the Northeast (of the US), my family has never had much luck with fruits. The best kind grow on trees, and those can be a pain in the ass to care for. On the other hand, I have an aunt in the Northwest who owns an orchard, and they are doing very well with it. In addition, while the water table is shallow near me (but doesn't flood) due to the high acidic content in the dirt where I live, vegetables have been less than cooperative.

Herbs on the other hand...grow beautifully.

There's a lot to think about, but I'm not sure if I'm particularlly qualified to give you more specific advice than that. So you need to take into account all these different factors in deciding which vegetable or other produce is best suited for the terrain you are growing in.

- Tomatoes in a small greenhouse are one of the best things worth growing. I highly recommend Black Tomatoes. They are really satisfying and fulfilling, and have a really superb taste.



(One gardening tool you will need, if the world really goes to shit, is a quality shotgun and plenty of ammo to keep the bankrupt investment bankers from stealing your food ;) )

[Animeniax]

I plan to get an AeroGarden for my house/apartment when I go back to school. I want to grow herbs for cooking, as buying them in the little Lowry's bottle is both expensive and doesn't taste as good as fresh herbs.

[The Heretic Azazel]

I was thinking of that too. A little basil here, thyme there, purple hair kush on the side...but I think they don't lift high enough to properly grow bud.

[Ryllharu]

Go with the short herbs, Chives, cilantro, oragano, mint, etc.

Just don't put mint or wintergreen in your yard. They are fairly invasive and can be hard to get rid of when you no longer want them.

[DB_Hunter]

I just had my back yard done up, most of it is tiled over now.

Thing is I want to grow something substantial, but I guess its just not the right weather right now. I'm hoping my garlic at least takes root and doesn't rot, apparantly mid-october is the best time to plant it in the UK. Thing is though its supposed to be kept properly drained, and I like a fool drenched it yesterday :O

[Animeniax]

How big is a typical backyard where you live?

In the US, backyards like at my parents' house are big enough to raise vegetables to feed a family of 6 months. We also have enough room to raise one or two livestock for slaughter, and maybe some chickens. (Notice I didn't say cow or pig because that might be offensive to some religions).