Post: #51

Before we get to fruit trees lets talk about Brambles (Blackberries and Raspberries) are easy to grow and some even produce in their first year. Easy low maintenance and keep on giving.

Raspberries: I planted only 6 of Caroline Red Raspberries in Spring 2016 and enjoyed the sweetest red raspberries from summer to fall of 2017.

Do check out this video, all he says is spot on and see how much fruit he is getting from a small area.





Blackberries: I have a ton of wild blackberry growing on the farm, fruit is small and a little sour. I am planning on doing a row of thornless Blackberries this coming Spring.

Fruits:

In spring 2017 I put 10 fruit trees in the ground. Plum, Apricot, Peach, Pear and Apple and did as big a hole in the ground as possible and did some TLC to the ground around it amended the soil with compost, coffee grounds, lime etc and planted a Comfrey Plant around each fruit tree, I cut the Comfrey leaves and add to the soil to provide nutrients for trees. I did water my fruit trees from Spring to fall and all of them did well and grew several feet and are looking happy. My apple tree is over 8 feet tall now.

All my fruit trees were 1-2 yr old when they went in the ground, Apple trees were grafted and first year stayed in 10 Gallon Buckets and went to the ground this past spring. I still have few years left to see the fruit from my labor of love.

Just like vegetables. All depends upon how much passion, time, finances one has and how you balance it. You do want a disease resistant and low maintenance tree as you can loose a significant amount of money if you do not tend to your trees.

I would suggest doing some research on the fruit trees that grow well in your climate zone and get the best variety you can afford.

Visit your local farmers market and ask the person with the best tasting fruit about the tree and ask for a scion if possible. That would be the cheapest way to get the best tasting fruit or look for someone who sells the grafted fruit trees. Do not buy your fruit trees from Lowes or Home depot. If I am going put my attention in a tree for next few years I want to make sure that tree is worth it.

Post: #52

(12-19-2017 01:35 AM)Suits Wrote:  

(12-18-2017 06:30 PM)ms224 Wrote:  

(12-18-2017 06:07 PM)Mercenary Wrote:  

(12-18-2017 05:04 PM)ms224 Wrote:  If you can get local eggs from homegrown chickens
They taste much better, more filing then the grocery store kind.

Raising chickens (or other animals like cows or pigs) would need its own thread

I think the chickens would be a lot simpler then the cows and pigs and goats.

They sell dried centipedes to feed them in bags, like dorito's at the farm supply place.

Rabbits are where it's at. Not as your only protein source, but as an efficient, clean means of turning feed into meat.

Interesting, what does rabbit taste like? I don't think I've ever had it .

Post: #53

My family used to have an allotment when I was a young child and I miss it. It's not "pointless". Food grown yourself is so much tastier, it's like food 2.0 when you bite into a tomato grown in rich soil without pesticides. I plan to get back to it when I have my own home and land. Few things are as fulfilling.

Post: #54

(12-25-2017 09:13 PM)ms224 Wrote:  Interesting, what does rabbit taste like? I don't think I've ever had it .

It tastes like delicious. This recipe is a good start.

Post: #55

Hey Lothario and others, how did you keep birds and venomous snakes from getting in your Raspberry patch? I recall and old lady once telling me here in the Houston area, that she built a aluminum cage like thing to cover hers, because squirrels, birds, and other stuff would pick at them constantly.

Post: #56

(12-26-2017 09:48 AM)TravelerKai Wrote:  Hey Lothario and others, how did you keep birds and venomous snakes from getting in your Raspberry patch? I recall and old lady once telling me here in the Houston area, that she built a aluminum cage like thing to cover hers, because squirrels, birds, and other stuff would pick at them constantly.

Aluminum Foil hung on the trellis wire shines and scares the birds away. During harvesting season pick your berries before birds get to it. It is race and early bird gets the worm

I have not had any problems with snakes, I have garter snakes in my area but they like to be around the creek and limestone crevices. There are some copperheads in this area but I have not spotted one on my property yet. Call me crazy but I think snakes like any other animals can sense your vibe, do not bother them and they do not bother you.

Post: #57

(12-19-2017 01:35 AM)Suits Wrote:  

(12-18-2017 06:30 PM)ms224 Wrote:  

(12-18-2017 06:07 PM)Mercenary Wrote:  

(12-18-2017 05:04 PM)ms224 Wrote:  If you can get local eggs from homegrown chickens
They taste much better, more filing then the grocery store kind.

Raising chickens (or other animals like cows or pigs) would need its own thread

I think the chickens would be a lot simpler then the cows and pigs and goats.

They sell dried centipedes to feed them in bags, like dorito's at the farm supply place.

Rabbits are where it's at. Not as your only protein source, but as an efficient, clean means of turning feed into meat.

Very quiet as well, as and where it's relevant, and you can also sell them as pets from time to time. Unfortunately like most uncommon meats you have to be fairly specific in how you cook it.

Post: #58

(12-27-2017 09:19 AM)Leonard D Neubache Wrote:  

(12-19-2017 01:35 AM)Suits Wrote:  

(12-18-2017 06:30 PM)ms224 Wrote:  

(12-18-2017 06:07 PM)Mercenary Wrote:  

(12-18-2017 05:04 PM)ms224 Wrote:  If you can get local eggs from homegrown chickens
They taste much better, more filing then the grocery store kind.

Raising chickens (or other animals like cows or pigs) would need its own thread

I think the chickens would be a lot simpler then the cows and pigs and goats.

They sell dried centipedes to feed them in bags, like dorito's at the farm supply place.

Rabbits are where it's at. Not as your only protein source, but as an efficient, clean means of turning feed into meat.

Very quiet as well, as and where it's relevant, and you can also sell them as pets from time to time. Unfortunately like most uncommon meats you have to be fairly specific in how you cook it.

I've had it a number of times. The closest comparison in taste that I could suggest is actually duck. It's kinda like chicken, but with some added heartiness and texture.

However, there's actually some variety in the meat, as there are specific varieties breed to be eaten. I have no idea what the source was for rabbit that I've had in restaurants.

At some point, when I'm in the position to do so, I'm hoping to investigate more closely, as a more efficient means of producing protein may become essential at some point in our planet's future. Beef for example, although extremely tasty (and my personal favourite protein source), is not all that efficient. You need a lot of input per gram of beef protein produced, whereas with rabbits, you need far less input to get the same produce of protein and they are more than happy to eat your carrot peelings.

Post: #59

(12-27-2017 09:13 AM)Lothario Wrote:  

(12-26-2017 09:48 AM)TravelerKai Wrote:  Hey Lothario and others, how did you keep birds and venomous snakes from getting in your Raspberry patch? I recall and old lady once telling me here in the Houston area, that she built a aluminum cage like thing to cover hers, because squirrels, birds, and other stuff would pick at them constantly.

Aluminum Foil hung on the trellis wire shines and scares the birds away. During harvesting season pick your berries before birds get to it. It is race and early bird gets the worm

I have not had any problems with snakes, I have garter snakes in my area but they like to be around the creek and limestone crevices. There are some copperheads in this area but I have not spotted one on my property yet. Call me crazy but I think snakes like any other animals can sense your vibe, do not bother them and they do not bother you.

I once used foil as a pinwheel to scare birds off my fruit trees, at it worked too. That sounds like a good idea.

Yeah Copperheads are pit vipers, so they can sense your body heat and your carbon dioxide laden breath. Since they can usually tell how big something is from that sense, they tend to avoid going near lifeforms larger than themselves, so yeah, they have a vibe.

I guess if I can keep the birds off them, the snakes won't lie in ambush inside my bushes, which is a common problem here to have if you grow blackberries. When I was about 8 I almost stepped on a 4 foot long Cottonmouth picking blackberries.... so yeah....

Post: #60

Glad to see there are some other guys here into hydroponics. I'm currently sitting across from my sweet homemade aquaponic set up enjoying the sight of a dozen tropical plants and 30+ fish in a 20 gallon tank while outside it's -5. In the other room I have 3 Aerogardens growing lettuce and arugula. During the summer I keep a couple pots with different herbs growing on the patio by the grill. Nothing beats salmon with fresh picked dill.

I have a goddamn garden plant wishlist for my dream home. I don't see it as feminine at all - working out in the sun, getting dirty, being more self sufficient, all sounds pretty masculine to me.

Post: #61

Question for you guys doing hydroponics - do you buy a pre-made system or make your own? I like my aerogardens but they're expensive, and while my homemade aquaponic system is awesome, it was a shit ton of work to get it right.

Post: #62

(12-31-2017 05:19 PM)Alpharius Wrote:  Question for you guys doing hydroponics - do you buy a pre-made system or make your own? I like my aerogardens but they're expensive, and while my homemade aquaponic system is awesome, it was a shit ton of work to get it right.

Built my own, but it has design issues. I need to redo the drain system as the plant roots clog it up. I need large drain pipes.

I designed a combo deep water re-circulation system with fog-ponics. Both deal with heat issues since my system is outdoors on a roof vs. being inside. Excessive heat will kill your plants. Pythium is a bitch.