Vegetables Needed for Survival

Gardening When It Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times by Steve Solomon

Solomon shares the realities of composting, use of manure, and advises spacings for irrigated, rainfall, and dry-cropping. Pictures of roots on various vegetables helped me understand why these spacings are important for optimal plant performance.

There is also a valuable section on recommended seed dealers according to climate. Solomon recommends only ethical seedsmen who actively test the varieties they sell, to insure that the gardener receives the very best seeds and consequently, the best results.

Steve says that low germination rates may not be your fault! Don't take to heart your failure to start plant from seed and resign yourself to buying costly transplants. Read the seed chapter and you are going to learn a lot from an ex-seedsman about what makes a good seed, how to save and buy seed, and for how long seed can be kept to contain your purchasing costs.

Solomon who describes himself as "gardening grandfather" is like all grandfathers, set in his ways, a bit crabby and way past any pretense of political correctness. When he trashes a practice he admits to his negative tone but does not soft peddle his recommendations. He shoots straight from the hip and be prepared to hear some of your more cherished notions challenged.

     

Vegetables Needed for Survival

Index of Articles about Gardens

Vegetables Needed for Survival
Why We Must Practice Organic Gardening.

The essence of organic growing is soil management and fertility maintenance: feed the soil, not the plant -- the soil will feed the plant very much better than you can. In an natural or manmade collapse there will be no chemicals available, so one will be forced to do practice organic gardening.

Below are ideas to consider:

1. The praying mantis is a fascinating insect with a voracious appetite. Not only will they eat aphids, crickets & grasshoppers, they are one of the only insects fast enough to catch mosquitoes.

2. Fennel is an excellent plant for attracting ladybugs. The statuesque plants are usually covered in ladybug eggs and larvae. Set aside a space in your garden for this beneficial herb.

3. Keep garlic in your toolkit. If insect pests like aphids become a nuisance, use the crush the cloves to make your own insect spray. Any garlic that sprouts can be planted in the garden to help repel other pests.

4. To prevent damping off in your seedlings, sprinkle the top of your potting mix with cinnamon, a natural fungicide.

5. Before starting your seedlings, make sure your containers are clean. Wash them out with warm soapy water and sterilize them with a 10% solution of bleach.

6. While soil temperatures are still warm, fertilize leafy greens like spinach, corn salad & sorrel so that they have enough nutrients to take them through the fall

7. Don't let powdery mildew ruin your garden. Control it easily using milk! Mix 1 part milk to 9 parts water and spray affected plants once a week

8. Whitefly can cause considerable damage as temperatures rise. Keep their numbers down by using sticky traps & organic sprays such as pyrethrum or neem.

9. If carrot rust fly is a problem in your garden, spread onion and shallot skins around your carrot seedlings to repel the flies and prevent them from laying their eggs.

10. To repel many common insect pests, use members of the allium family such as chives, onions, scallions and garlic as companion plants. Plant whole rows or slip in seedlings wherever you can fit them.

11. Ladybugs will control a variety of pests in your garden, especially aphids. Keep them in your garden by providing nectar plants like dill, parsley & fennel. You'll soon see their bright orange eggs all over your garden

12. Attract beneficial insects to your garden by planting angelica, cilantro, dill, fennel, & parsley and allowing them to go to flower

Join Us

Fall Meeting October 30 -31 & Novermber 1 - 2 , 2010

We welcome anybody that wants to start a Withdraw Center or wants to join the Oregon Coastal Center. There are no dues, fees or costs.

We will be holding two identical Sessions this fall. One session on the weekend and one during the week. Both Sessions will be about our experiences with our Peaceful Preparer Center, our plans, our dreams, our fears, and brainstorming.

There is no charge for either Session if you provide your own lodging. If you want to stay at the meeting resort, the following is the pricing for Eagle Crest lodging.

We ARE NOT “back to landers.” We do not want the hardships of homestead. Instead, we like our comforts and are willing to prepare for them to continue. That is why we have picked the Eagle Crest Resort for our First Annual Fall Meeting. The Eagle Crest Resort has all the comforts you want in a resort. Just check the features of Eagle Crest Resort

If two people want to share a bedroom, then both can attend the Sessions with no additional fees. The bedrooms vary with king size beds, queen size beds and twin beds.

The early bird gets their choice.

Session # I - October 30 - 31, 2010 2 nights ($100/night*) - Starts on Friday night October 30 at 7 pm and last until 11 am on Sunday November 1, 2010.

Session #2 - November 1 - 2, 2010 - 2 nights ($100/night*) - This part starts on Sunday night and 7 pm and last until Wednesday at 11 am.

*Lodging Scholarships are available. The above fees include lodging at the Eagle Crest at Redmond, Oregon (11 miles from Bend, Oregon)

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