Growing your own food

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mteague277
mteague277 Posts: 145 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Any other gardeners that grow some/all of their own produce? My husband and I grow everything we possibly can grow in each season. It would be nice to meet others who do the same!

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  • myukniewicz
    myukniewicz Posts: 906 Member
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    i love gardening! I always grow herbs (dill, parsley, thyme and rosemary) and then 1 -2 vegetables (i live in an apartment, so i can only fit 2 planters on my deck). I have grown tomatoes, zucchini, butternut squash, spinach, bell peppers, hot peppers and cucumbers.
  • jayjay12345654321
    jayjay12345654321 Posts: 653 Member
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    I grow summer veggies. We mostly go through tomatoes, yellow crookneck, cucumbers, green beans (this one's a favorite and never fails to produce bushels for months), plus all of the herbs. Basil is a good one to have around. Rosemary is actually an evergreen bush, so if you grow it, be mindful of where you plant it. Perhaps even a pot if it gets cold in winter.

    I try to stay organic and not use any pesticides since the kids like to nibble right out of the garden, so no 7 Dust for us. To keep aphids in check, I buy live lady bugs off Amazon and release them in the garden at night after giving it a good watering. My kids laughed at me the first year because I kept yelling at the lady bugs when one or two would fly away. "Get back here, I paid for you!"

    This is the time of year to get seeds started for planting next month.

    I gave up on winter crops. The vines would take off just fine, but the fruit would grow halfway and just quit. Too much clay in the soil for where I have to put the vine plants because they get 15-25 feet long.
  • aquarabbit
    aquarabbit Posts: 1,622 Member
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    I bought "You Grow Girl" not too long ago and am totally wanting to grow a few herbs. I'm a total beginner and those seem pretty fool proof. I can't wait until I have a yard. I would love to grow some veggies as well.
  • Tigg_er
    Tigg_er Posts: 22,001 Member
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    Yes ! Turned half my backyard into a garden. I plant -onions, garlic, watermelon, strawberries, cucumber, beans, taters, tomatoes, peppers and varius herbs. I enjoy it a lot as it gives me some quite time. I grow the tomatoes and peppers from seed in the basement and sometimes some flowers.

    My biker buddies all laugh at me but they sure eat up the salsa when its time. :drinker:
  • mteague277
    mteague277 Posts: 145 Member
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    I grow summer veggies. We mostly go through tomatoes, yellow crookneck, cucumbers, green beans (this one's a favorite and never fails to produce bushels for months), plus all of the herbs. Basil is a good one to have around. Rosemary is actually an evergreen bush, so if you grow it, be mindful of where you plant it. Perhaps even a pot if it gets cold in winter.

    I try to stay organic and not use any pesticides since the kids like to nibble right out of the garden, so no 7 Dust for us. To keep aphids in check, I buy live lady bugs off Amazon and release them in the garden at night after giving it a good watering. My kids laughed at me the first year because I kept yelling at the lady bugs when one or two would fly away. "Get back here, I paid for you!"

    This is the time of year to get seeds started for planting next month.

    I gave up on winter crops. The vines would take off just fine, but the fruit would grow halfway and just quit. Too much clay in the soil for where I have to put the vine plants because they get 15-25 feet long.

    We have been growing veggies and fruits for years now. We have over 101 varieties of fruit trees and probably an equal amount of seasonal vegetables. I don't go grocery shopping hardly ever, and we even have pressed our own olive oil. So trust me when I said I know all of the tips and tricks, lol. I was just looking for more friends who also garden! Feel free to add me though!!
  • Tigg_er
    Tigg_er Posts: 22,001 Member
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    I bought "You Grow Girl" not too long ago and am totally wanting to grow a few herbs. I'm a total beginner and those seem pretty fool proof. I can't wait until I have a yard. I would love to grow some veggies as well.

    If you have a porch or a patio you could grow some small bush cucumbers and Bush style tomatoes or a cherry type, They dont take up that much space and the herbs grow well in pots as well.
  • Tdacks
    Tdacks Posts: 136 Member
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    I had a nice, big garden at my old place. Now, I've moved North, and into an apartment with a small balcony. I'm going to try to keep up at least some tomatoes, eggplants, and basil. I eat those pretty much nonstop when they are in season. In fact, I was just dreaming/planning out my container garden yesterday!
  • sjmitchner
    sjmitchner Posts: 121 Member
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    My hubby and I do about a 1/2 acre garden every year, we've had chickens for two years now, we also have wild blackberries and black walnut and apple trees and discovered really old pear trees last year. We had 45 pepper plants (various varieties) our first year, thank goodness they dry well!
  • richh963
    richh963 Posts: 78 Member
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    I don't grow my own food, but my grandmother did, she grew everything she needed, she made her own sauces, jams, jellies, canned her fruits and veggies. she said going to the grocery store was a convenience and wasn't necessary, she bought flour, sugar, & salt at the store, she bought her meat from the local farmers. she had a garden until she was 103, at that time she felt she was old enough to live in a senior home, which is where she moved. she lived too 110, she died from a overdose of a painkiller the doctor administered. keep growing.
  • mteague277
    mteague277 Posts: 145 Member
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    My hubby and I do about a 1/2 acre garden every year, we've had chickens for two years now, we also have wild blackberries and black walnut and apple trees and discovered really old pear trees last year. We had 45 pepper plants (various varieties) our first year, thank goodness they dry well!

    We have a million reistras in our house from growing soooo many peppers too. My husband eats them with every meal like they are nothing! Even ghost peppers and scorpion peppers. Just chomps down!
  • Tigg_er
    Tigg_er Posts: 22,001 Member
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    I don't grow my own food, but my grandmother did, she grew everything she needed, she made her own sauces, jams, jellies, canned her fruits and veggies. she said going to the grocery store was a convenience and wasn't necessary, she bought flour, sugar, & salt at the store, she bought her meat from the local farmers. she had a garden until she was 103, at that time she felt she was old enough to live in a senior home, which is where she moved. she lived too 110, she died from a overdose of a painkiller the doctor administered. keep growing.

    Sounds like my grandma also, she didnt make it to 110 though but she tried -made it to 89. She was a Grand Lady, I miss her.
  • mteague277
    mteague277 Posts: 145 Member
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    I don't grow my own food, but my grandmother did, she grew everything she needed, she made her own sauces, jams, jellies, canned her fruits and veggies. she said going to the grocery store was a convenience and wasn't necessary, she bought flour, sugar, & salt at the store, she bought her meat from the local farmers. she had a garden until she was 103, at that time she felt she was old enough to live in a senior home, which is where she moved. she lived too 110, she died from a overdose of a painkiller the doctor administered. keep growing.

    That is so inspiring!
  • mteague277
    mteague277 Posts: 145 Member
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    I had a nice, big garden at my old place. Now, I've moved North, and into an apartment with a small balcony. I'm going to try to keep up at least some tomatoes, eggplants, and basil. I eat those pretty much nonstop when they are in season. In fact, I was just dreaming/planning out my container garden yesterday!

    Planning is almost as much fun as doing it!
  • Slippyslope
    Slippyslope Posts: 47 Member
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    This spring I am going to become a grower! Any tips are welcomed.
  • Tigg_er
    Tigg_er Posts: 22,001 Member
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    This spring I am going to become a grower! Any tips are welcomed.

    Good for you ! Start small so you dont get overwelmed at first ! It can be a lot of work the bigger it gets. Plan ahead the things you would like to grow , then find out if they grow good in your area. Seed catalogs can be a great source of info. One I use a lot is Johnnys Seeds and Pinetree garden seeds. Even if you buy your plants already started local the catalogs have some good growing tips in them.

    Then you get to feel like a kid again playing in the dirt. :smile:

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