Anybody Garden out there?

[Keith_Hixson]

Just came in from the garden. I always grow a few vegetables every year. Nothing tastes better than fresh vegetables. Fresh sweet corn (Chris doesn't like fresh roasting ears), tomatoes, peas, potatioes, squash, cucumbers, green beans, broccolie, caulflower, cabbage, carrots, beats, etc. Just enough for Susan and myself and she always cans the string beans for the kids because "that in store stuff don't taste good." I think its theropy and keeps me in touch with my roots. Grew up on a farm way out in the sticks (Umapine, Oregon - go find that one a map). 90% of all the food we ate came off the farm or from hunting in the fall. We put Beef, Chicken, Pork, and game meat. Had our own milking cows (we had a small dairy heard of about 30 - 35 cows). On the farm our main crops were hay, sugar beets, wheat, peas and corn. But we always had a big garden - about an acre I'd guess. Grew almost everything. Made our own sour kraut, so much better than that store stuff. Makes me think I'm back on the farm again.

Keith

[sfc_darrel]

We both grew up with gardens but don't have enough land here for a good one.
Just a few tomatoes, squash, onions, peas and beans planted in the flower beds.
Mom's house has a yard made for grazing by grandchildren. Peaches, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, grapes plus a small garden.

Family tradition-you can eat all the vegetables you want when picking them for dinner.

Joy

[Timothy R. Kuhr]

and when you go for those tomatoes, everybody has his/her own salt shaker, tight?!

[sn-e3]

Thanks for mentioning the sweet corn I remember us sitting around last year and roasting the on the gas grill still in the shucks um um good there were only the three of us at that first campout but it did grow ten fold this year I wonder how big the one in texas will be next year?

[Sgt_Tropo]

how m,any are planning on attending the Campout in Texas, but I have room for well over 100. Once we get a concensus on the month / timeframe, I'll get the local motels to give us a special rate (for those who can't or chose not to actually camp out). also, I'll notify the rest of the family that I will be "using" the farm that particular week-end.
I propose thatt he campout be no later than the end of May, for a spring-time camp out, and between mid-October to the end of November for a late fall camp out. Of course, if y'all prefer cooler or hotter temps, then you pick the time. However, remember, we have some very big and agresive mesquitos and high humidity during the summer months.

[Seascamp]

Yup, I do gardening when I can. All ya need here in Northern Nevada is some reasonable soil hauled in, a trick drip irrigation system ala Israeli style. Then a hope and a prayer that the critters and bugs don?t discover your secret; word travels fast ya know, then some or a bunch of Miracle Grow, no summer gully washers or hail storms and bingo, snow peas, tomatoes, radishes, potatoes, zucchini but no corn. The song doesn?t go ?Corny as Nevada in August? I believe. I?ve tried corn many times but no luck thus far. Oh well, I?ll take what I can get.
Fair seas, Bill

[Keith_Hixson]

Hey Bill you live in Gardnerville. I would guess everybody in town gardens.

We live a very similar climate as yours in Nevada. The high desert. Corn should do well. Of course our valley is dominated by irrigation canals so we have have more than enough water most of the time. Even though we only get 6 - 8 inches of rain a year.

Fresh vegetables are just so much better than the store stuff.

Keith

[SEATJERKER]

...farming is not....
...my in laws are farmers from "Dad" who was an "insemenater" who still milks by hand every day, we get 6-7 gallons a week from "friendly"... nothing like fresh cream... they slowed down now, 40+ years and do the flower thing now as there is more money in it, still grow a lot of veggies,but not enough to survive on it at their age...
...we have a 20x20 this year, and plant lots of lettuce as the price has gone crazy on it, brocolli grows well into late Oct, early Nov. . .
...Tomatos buy the bushel as my "FIL" has one greenhouse just for them on raised beds 100x25, must be 250 plants, so easy to grow, just don't water the leaves, kill em quick...
...lots of squash, esp butternut, onions will grow ANYWHERE, scalions, and fresh spices basil with parsley, oregano, even planted asperigus, but will take a couple of years for it to show up...
...potatos, or is it potatoes, do well here as it is sandy soil...
do as much canning as poss, grand ma makes jams, and jellies, we pick the wild grapes, and it takes a weekends worth of picking but the juice puts "Welch's" to shame...
... buy the cow by the half, one pig butchered, and fresh sun fish by the 100's for an after noon fry from the pond...
..."DADDY WON'T SELL THE #*%@%^*& FARM HABIB"...
...Ya'all come back now, ya hear.............

[Seascamp]

Keith,

I have worked a power plant project near Spokane and that seemed a similar kind of climate and area except you folks have the wisdom to keep the gambling away. If ya look on a topo map, you would see my problem. I?m nestled right up against the Sierras in the knee of Nevada so we don?t get a long day of direct sunshine before the shadows set in. That can be both a blessing and a curse. In the winter ya got to stoke up the wood burner about 2.00 PM or it gets real burrrrrr. But in summer the shadows cause a nice up draft breeze and that is mighty nice, mighty nice. Humidity is nil so living outdoors in the summer is the deal. I suspect that the shorter growing day is why my corn doesn?t work out. Actually, Gardnerville is more known for ranching and growing ranch feed stock and that is another reason why gardens can fail. This is more or less open range country so if ya don?t put four-strand barb up them steer critters just kind of help themselves. As well, the deer like to hop the fence once in a while and set about munching. And I have had some wild horses come on in once also. Last but not least, the skunks and jackrabbits can get real hungry as well. But what the heck, It?s something to talk about I suppose and they all seem to like my fresh veggies real well. LOL.

Fair seas, Bill

[DMZ-LT]

Got a 30 x 60 garden that I tend to everyday - love watching the growth almost as much as eatin em - almost. Give a lot away to folks that don't have gardens - older folks really appreciate fresh veggies. My neighbor is an ex Vietnamese Ranger guy , about my age , that speaks no English. In the summer I'll give him cucumbers and about once a week he sends a kid over to ask me to come over and eat with him. What a hoot - I have no idea what I am rolling up and dipping into but it's wonderful food. I think soldiers bond with food more than others.