[Mrknot]

Many of us talk about growing our own food in a ZPAW.
How many of you have ever actually tried to grow your own food from seed.
This year marks my first real gardening experience since I was young.
Let me tell you, it has been a real eye-opener.
My tomatoes are dying.
My beans are doing OK.
My corn is @ about 50% sprouting rate.
Potatoes are doing OK, (as far as I can tell).
Growing your own food is harder than I thought.

[Underdude]

I've had good luck with tomatoes, peppers, and green onions on the balcony.
Sun and temp restrict growing much else aside from herbs. We had a nice one in the valley when growing up.
I found tomatoes to be the easiest. What's your setup?

[Boomstick Mike]

I've had a garden off and on for 8 years or so. I decided to just do a few plants this year and not having a tiller played a part in my decision. I have 6 tomato plants, because I love fried green tomatoes. I have a few cuke plants and a few zucchini. The growing season isn't very long here so hot peppers are really a waste of time. Maybe that is just me. But growing in a ZPAW you would not only need a supply of seed, you would have to know how to recapture and store viable seeds after harvest.

Not much would likely be found for fertilizer so we would need to look to the old ways. If fish are bountiful in your settlement, group,family, or even a UD hermit, fish parts can fertilize as they breahdown. I read somewhere where Indians would place one fish and one corn seed or corn plant in each hole, which would feed the plant until harvest. Some modern cultures use human sh!t as fert. Animal poo from live stock is also an acceptable option. I don't think I would use Human or canine crap, even though they breakdown into these same nitrates. It is likely more mental than a sanitational issue that makes me say no to this method. Plus I was taught, you don't **** where you eat. Second most viable fert behind livestock poo, would be compost. Compost is pretty easy to care for. You get used to it quick. Temps can get to 150 degrees during the process. The temps also kill any weed seeds out of your new dirt. Some hardcore eco people have compost toilets that capture pee and poo and make fert that way. Once again not for my corn. I'd keep thinking the corn silk that gets in my mouth was pubes!!!

[Underdude]

Aaahhhhhhhh, I'm flattered you classed me all alone.................

UD hermit.
It's official now, a hermit I am I am I am..
I think I would embrace squatch or yeti tags more.

[DarthJoe8]

Human waste is used as fertilizer.

[Underdude]

Just loot a nursery..........

[Zombreach]

I plant a vegetable garden every year and my success depends on the weather here in NC. Most of my plants are started from seed in my greenhouse/shed. I also have a compost pile which I use in the spring to fertilize my seedlings. This year I have more than I can use--I am giving away a lot to co-workers and freezing what I can. I also know how to harvest the seeds for next year if the need arises. In past years, I have collected rabbit and deer droppings and used that as fertilizer--I have also used my dog's yard scraps in the past---LOL--being that I work at an animal hospital, I know my dog did not have worms, the main reason not to use their stool in the first place.

[mattifikation]

I grow things very well... by accident... using the "Oh my God I can't believe I forgot to throw this away" method.

[CAVU45]

Mrknot, on 08 July 2011 - 08:00 PM, said:

Many of us talk about growing our own food in a ZPAW.
How many of you have ever actually tried to grow your own food from seed.
This year marks my first real gardening experience since I was young.
Let me tell you, it has been a real eye-opener.
My tomatoes are dying.
My beans are doing OK.
My corn is @ about 50% sprouting rate.
Potatoes are doing OK, (as far as I can tell).
Growing your own food is harder than I thought.

I wouldn't worry too much about it. I've had several gardeners tell me that the first two years of planting will be less than impressive. I guess it takes that long for the novice to gain the necessary experience and for the soil to really be ready for planting.

[Underdude]

You can ask what's best for your area, soil, and climate. Probably online as well.

[Mrknot]

The soil I started out with was pretty much hard clay. Almost broke the rototiller a couple of times getting it turned.
At my house we are now composting like a mo-fo, so hopefully by the time I need to start again next year I will be able to add all of that back into the ground and radically improve the soil quality.

[DarthJoe8]

I grow lots of things.

Raspberries
Strawberries
Blueberries
Concord Grapes
White Grapes

Macintosh Apples
Granny Smith
Cherries
Peaches
I plan on planting pears in the future, maybe some others....

Basal
Oregano
Parsley
Tyme
Chives
Horseradish
Garlic
Sunflowers

Potato
Plum tomato
Grape tomato
Squash
Bell peppers
Pumpkins
Cucumbers

I'm sure I'm forgetting some...

I have plans on expansion.

[razorreilly]

They are pushing something similar to these at my local Home Depot, seems all the rave
http://www.curbly.co...-Tomato-Planter

[Bob]

DO NOT USE HUMAN WASTE AS FERTILIZER!

Humans concentrate heavy metals and pathogens.

Do you dare doubt Bob?
Hit the links and learn.

http://en.wikipedia....wiki/Night_soil
http://thecoachingpa...-as-fertilizer/




There is a good article here but the popup sucks.
If you want to read it register with "verbal abuse"@ a real provider like knology.net
screwyou@knology.net

[Boomstick Mike]

mattifikation, on 09 July 2011 - 01:16 AM, said:

I grow things very well... by accident... using the "Oh my God I can't believe I forgot to throw this away" method.

Hope you are the one that found it growing!

[DarthJoe8]

Bob, on 09 July 2011 - 10:48 AM, said:

DO NOT USE HUMAN WASTE AS FERTILIZER!

Humans concentrate heavy metals and pathogens.

Do you dare doubt Bob?
Hit the links and learn.

http://en.wikipedia....wiki/Night_soil
http://thecoachingpa...-as-fertilizer/




There is a good article here but the popup sucks.
If you want to read it register with "verbal abuse"@ a real provider like knology.net
screwyou@knology.net

http://en.wikipedia....iki/Milorganite Milwaukees finest.

[Bob]

I think in the old days when people at much less meat and things were more pure human waste was not as bad for fertilizer as it is today.
I would not fertilize any consumable with human waste.

[Mrknot]

Bob, on 09 July 2011 - 06:52 PM, said:

I think in the old days when people at much less meat and things were more pure human waste was not as bad for fertilizer as it is today.
I would not fertilize any consumable with human waste.

I was just going to respond with something akin to this...
I would not use sewage to fertilize my garden right now, but imagining a couple of years down the road in a ZPAW, when we no longer eat processed foods, take prescription meds, or breathe in the exhaust from millions of cars, I am thinking the quality of sh!t will be quite a bit better.
I have read a couple of books by some modern homesteaders, and both of them talk about composting human waste.
This is not the "sludge" that your article talks about, but rather waste that has been aged for a year or so, mixed with hay or grass and allowed to break down into more basic components...
That being said, I still don't think I would use it for food fertilization, but many do, with seemingly no ill side effects...
I just think there are quite a few better options out there...
I am betting that there will be no shortage of chemical fertilizers left at Home Depot after the apocalypse. Who's going to loot that stuff? I mean, besides me...

[Cornflakes]

I've been really excited I moved into a house with a garden.
So I'm now planning to start growning my own veg and as I'm a girl a few pretty flowers.
I have only grown herbs as they are handy for cooking and thrive really well especially with someone like me who dosen't have great green fingers.

My parents are big gardeners and my dad has his own allotment. Its this area where people rent out land or buy it and everyone has a plot of land and a shed, when growing up I used to help my dad on weekdays at it. It is handy I have gotten free veg for many a years now. I'm now gonna have to look at what I can be able to grow as my new garden soil is quite acidic.

After reading Darth's post has anyone else gotten garden envy?!!?

[Sluggo]

When I was a kid living in California, our backyard was a bountiful garden of strawberries, figs and the best peaches ever.
Living in the mid west, I can grow tomatoes and pumpkins quite well. I miss my peaches....