This years tomatoes

[Sunna]

thanks will do

[Mongrel]

Some times I think we are growing the wrong things! Up here in the north of Scotland the growing season is short is we have to use green houses or poly tunnels to get good crops, which is all very well but outside in the wild weeds seem to do incredibly well without any help from us.

And most are eat able. Try growing a crop of stinging nettles or dandelions, couldn’t be easier and both are delicious when served correctly, Sorrel or “sourdock” as it's known up here again grows easily.
Chard is another green that grows like a weed, great for soups and stews birch trees for sap and the leaves for salad, pig nuts and wild mushrooms, the list could be extended to meet most of your needs, and without much effort in the way of gardening

I'm not saying abandon all the modern plants but from a preppers point of view the easier to grow, the more reliable the better

Mongrel

[Scythe13]

(2 October 2013, 07:52)Mongrel Wrote: Some times I think we are growing the wrong things! Up here in the north of Scotland the growing season is short is we have to use green houses or poly tunnels to get good crops, which is all very well but outside in the wild weeds seem to do incredibly well without any help from us.

And most are eat able. Try growing a crop of stinging nettles or dandelions, couldn’t be easier and both are delicious when served correctly, Sorrel or “sourdock” as it's known up here again grows easily.
Chard is another green that grows like a weed, great for soups and stews birch trees for sap and the leaves for salad, pig nuts and wild mushrooms, the list could be extended to meet most of your needs, and without much effort in the way of gardening

I'm not saying abandon all the modern plants but from a preppers point of view the easier to grow, the more reliable the better

Mongrel

Funny you should say that. My wife said a similar thing the other day. I laughed, but it did get me thinking a bit. I still love courgettes,peppers, and chillies though.

[Mortblanc]

I have to agree with growing what the area will sustain. If you are growing something with the assistance of poly tunnels, artificial heat sources, irrigation or aqua phonics I would not want to rely on that as a food source post-SHTF.

Probably the best guide would be to find out what the crops of your area were before the introduction of greenhouses and commercial agriculture.

I'll bet you will find they were fast growers like peas and beans, hardy greens like the afore mentioned chard and kale, and a strong group of root crops like onions, carrots, parsnips, beets and turnips.

You also have to remember that the Romans were a very smart group of pre-industrial people. They were not adverse to wasting a few lives to obtain a bit more good land for food production or tap into recourses for tribute. Therefore, Hadrian's wall was placed where it is for a reason. Is it possible that the land above that wall was simply not worth fighting over?

[Binnie]

(3 October 2013, 16:39)Mortblanc Wrote: I have to agree with growing what the area will sustain. If you are growing something with the assistance of poly tunnels, artificial heat sources, irrigation or aqua phonics I would not want to rely on that as a food source post-SHTF.

Probably the best guide would be to find out what the crops of your area were before the introduction of greenhouses and commercial agriculture.

I'll bet you will find they were fast growers like peas and beans, hardy greens like the afore mentioned chard and kale, and a strong group of root crops like onions, carrots, parsnips, beets and turnips.

You also have to remember that the Romans were a very smart group of pre-industrial people. They were not adverse to wasting a few lives to obtain a bit more good land for food production or tap into recourses for tribute. Therefore, Hadrian's wall was placed where it is for a reason. Is it possible that the land above that wall was simply not worth fighting over?

thats what we WANTED them to think haha

some of the best produce (and alcohol!) in the world comes from the other side of that wall lol

[Prepared Chick]

I have always been able to grow tomatoes in abundance with no problems. I usually plant 6 varities.

Start off indoors from seed in early February and as they get bigger transplant into bigger pots, each time adding some growmore. They grow on my window sills, so get good light and natural warmth from the sun coming through the winder Then plant out late May early June in about 30inch diameter pots to allow deep roots (depending on the weather).

I only grow my toms in pots to avoid soil contamination from foxes, cats, dogs etc After first truss is set then I add tomatorite. I also plant sunflowers in the garden to encourage bees for pollination and marigold which is a natural pest repelant and they grow about 5-6ft tall.

NothernRaider - have a go at this method and see how it goes next year?

[Sunna]

this year im growing from seeds from last year, slugs hav done in most of the plumbs but iv several cherrys going fine one has a tiny green tom on it[im going to be a father again lol].
i was told to treat the slugs, but i want to find a nateral way to do it shtf their be no more BnQ to pop to.

[Devonian]

Have you tried copper tape?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Times-Up-Slug-Sn...opper+tape

Was going to give it a go myself after the number of slugs we had last year, but this year there are hardly any in my garden, but I do have far more birds in the garden this year after having put up additional seed feeders which I have kept topped up all year (unlike previous years), so it could be the birds taking the slugs in my case.

[Sunna]

no but ill keep my eye out for it, mrs c from difo recomended coffee which i tryed sprinkled around plants, to be honest could not tell if their was a difference.