Grow your own?

[Mike A1]

The first post about growing techniques is very useful. The other moaning and cursing those responsible not so much. The crisis is upon us and will likely get much worse. Time to do what is needed for you and yours to live. The politicians will not be helpful.
I just cut a bunch of bananas down. They have been hanging there since early summer and just did not want to get ripe. Likely not getting enough sunlight and just cut down an offending oak. I still have persimmons on the trees and my satsuma oranges are getting ripe. I am in zone 8b northwest florida. Winter gardens are possible here for mainly vitamins. For calories plant root crops like sweet potato, yams, peanuts and other starch crops for calories.

First let me say I have 0 batteries in any piece of survival equipment save 1.
I don't trust batteries to work when your life is at stake. Same with your hose power it is temporary at best.

I am in zone 8b northwest florida. Winter gardens are possible

I'm in zone 6 Western NC Mountains, & just had the best Fruit & vegetable grow.
We have on Nov 28 Carrots, Cabbage, Napa. Bok Choy, Napa, Radish, all in our Winter garden.

Never stop growing, it's colder than last winter so far, however our raised covers protect our plants from burning frosts
& helps keep the heat from the sun in the soil. We have been growing fruit & vegetables for the past 51 years & have learned so much.

I have intentionally bought/traded or found LOL only open pollinated seeds & saved them from year to year, they are mine after all.
Do you grow Papayas? Want to trade? Things. Do you know what a guinep is? https://jamaicanfoodsandrecipes.com/jamaican-guinep-fruit/

Grew up on this fruit in Panama, & everything tropical.

 

[Mike A1]

Post your biggest Tomato for 22.
This bad boy made 6 mater sandwitches.
The wife's Whole wheat bread.
mortgage lifter Tomato.

 

[barnetmill]

First let me say I have 0 batteries in any piece of survival equipment save 1.
I don't trust batteries to work when your life is at stake. Same with your hose power it is temporary at best.



I'm in zone 6 Western NC Mountains, & just had the best Fruit & vegetable grow.
We have on Nov 28 Carrots, Cabbage, Napa. Bok Choy, Napa, Radish, all in our Winter garden.

Never stop growing, it's colder than last winter so far, however our raised covers protect our plants from burning frosts
& helps keep the heat from the sun in the soil. We have been growing fruit & vegetables for the past 51 years & have learned so much.

I have intentionally bought/traded or found LOL only open pollinated seeds & saved them from year to year, they are mine after all.
Do you grow Papayas? Want to trade? Things. Do you know what a guinep is? https://jamaicanfoodsandrecipes.com/jamaican-guinep-fruit/

Grew up on this fruit in Panama, & everything tropical.

Papaya requires warmer winters or at least those i know of than zone 8b will provide. I am going to try avocados. What I mainly have are fruit trees that can grow here and those take the longest to establish.

I will be looking for sugar cane, cassava, and some other things.
Standard fare like tomatoes take a lot of effort to grow, but most other veggies are not too hard. One must pick the varieties that are most suitable for my climate.
The open pollinated ones whose seeds you can save is a very good idea.

 

[Mike A1]

Papaya requires warmer winters or at least those i know of than zone 8b will provide.

The old man retired in Sebring & planted Papayas as an annual it still frost in sebring at times.

will be looking for sugar cane, cassava, and some other things.

Ginger & Tumeric would be good as well.

 

[barnetmill]

The old man retired in Sebring & planted Papayas as an annual it still frost in sebring at times.

Ginger & Tumeric would be good as well.

Sebring, FL is hundreds of miles away from and is warmer. What I am looking into getting is the pineapple guava that will grow locally for me. I am near pensacola, about an hour and a half from mobile, AL. We can do cold hardy citrus like satsumas here. But eventually I have to look into papaya. normally for me it is persimmons, pears, mulberries, dunstan chestnuts, american paw paws like you have up where you live, jujube dates, figs, peaches, plums, and maybe something that I forgot like medlar.
Edit: I forgot mayhaw.

 

[barnetmill]

I am also trying to get a patch of pokeweed growing.

 

[Mike A1]

Sebring, FL is hundreds of miles away from and is warmer. What I am looking into getting is the pineapple guava that will grow locally for me. I am near pensacola, about an hour and a half from mobile, AL. We can do cold hardy citrus like satsumas here. But eventually I have to look into papaya. normally for me it is persimmons, pears, mulberries, dunstan chestnuts, american paw paws like you have up where you live, jujube dates, figs, peaches, plums, and maybe something that I forgot like medlar.
Edit: I forgot mayhaw.

View attachment 29417

Sounds like a great plan, we have also jumped down to the ground by focusing on plants closer to earth.
Blueberries, raspberries, Grapes, Semi dwarf fruit trees, etc. At 71 my parachute days are over & I feel better
closer to terra firma.

First if I lived where you did, I would grow my Hot peppers all year long.

This is a Dwarf Tamarillo a real tree where you live.

We grew them from tiny seeds, & they grew over 8' foot tall & produced flavor bombs of tropical delight.

Some like it HOT!




Yes indeed if only I lived where you did, all my girls would be still alive & producing. Thank God for Frost LOL I'm tired of
anything peppers but eating them.

Got to post this now. My ATT DSL is going in and out. DSL Obsolete!!!

I'm tired.

 

[barnetmill]

I may grow some mild peppers.

 

[Mike A1]

I may grow some mild peppers.

I grew up in the oyster bars in Panama with Beer & hot peppers lol. My dad took me, what a set of values LOL.
I grew some Chili Poblano, Chili Guajillo, & Chili Chilica all very mild but soo important in making Mexican Moles.

This pepper is the Lesya from Ukraine an Open pollenated save the seeds, Super sweet pepper with super thick flesh.
Stuff them raw vac pack & freeze take um out bake them for 40 mins & gobble them up.

 

[barnetmill]

Sounds like a great plan, ............

This is a Dwarf Tamarillo a real tree where you live.
View attachment 29418View attachment 29419
We grew them from tiny seeds, & they grew over 8' foot tall & produced flavor bombs of tropical delight.

Some like it HOT!




.........................DSL Obsolete!!!

I'm tired.

I quickly looked up dwarf tamarilla and I am not sure if it will survive our winter. But worth looking into.

This South American native produced well in our Missouri garden, but may need greenhouse cultivation in the North. In frost-free conditions, it eventually grows into a small tree. Super delicious and easy to grow!

• 8-12 hrs of Sun
• Sprouts in 14-21 Days
• Ideal Temperature: 75-85 F
• Seed Depth: 1/8"
• Plant Spacing: 18"
• Frost Hardy: No
• Cyphomandra abutiloides

Growing Tips: Start transplants indoors 12-24 weeks before last frost, barely covering. Hold at warm temps, 70-85F; do not allow soil to dry out. Transplant after last frost.

 

[Mike A1]

I quickly looked up dwarf tamarilla and I am not sure if it will survive our winter.

In your zone it should drop its's leaves & come back in spring.
I have 2 sleeping in the basement & one in a 4" pot in the Kitchen window.
This should give us the jump start in spring & get more fruit next season.

 

[barnetmill]

In your zone it should drop its's leaves & come back in spring.
I have 2 sleeping in the basement & one in a 4" pot in the Kitchen window.
This should give us the jump start in spring & get more fruit next season.

That is what the banana plants do.

 

[Mike A1]

Planting a Winter Garden in Zone 8b

It is August which means lots of gardeners are planning and planting their fall gardens, but I am more concerned about my winter garden. Don't get me wrong I planted some more squash and cucumber seeds in the hopes of getting a late fall harvest but most of my summer plants are still producing...

www.amysveggarden.com

My safe planting date is May 15 for peppers, Tomato's etc.
I am just starting my seedlings inside in March. WOW!

When to Plant in Zone 8b

Detailed planting guides for Zone 8b based on USDA zone date and last frost date.

frostdate.com

 

[barnetmill]

Planting a Winter Garden in Zone 8b

It is August which means lots of gardeners are planning and planting their fall gardens, but I am more concerned about my winter garden. Don't get me wrong I planted some more squash and cucumber seeds in the hopes of getting a late fall harvest but most of my summer plants are still producing...

www.amysveggarden.com

My safe planting date is May 15 for peppers, Tomato's etc.
I am just starting my seedlings inside in March. WOW!

When to Plant in Zone 8b

Detailed planting guides for Zone 8b based on USDA zone date and last frost date.

frostdate.com

My weather is a bit warmer than:

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	March 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	November 15
Lowest Expected Low	15°F
Highest Expected Low	20°F

This year we got a very light frost about mid Nov. Sometime we do not.
We rarely see 20F. When we do it starts killing our cold hardy citrus.
In Late Feb with a hot box one can often plant seeds or plant potted plants. Most of the plants in that list with a frost blanket have a good chance of surviving a hard freeze. We occasionally will get a bad northern storm here. Happens ever so often. Not as bad as texas was the other winter. We have got down to single digits: was 5 degrees Fahrenheit (-15 Celsius) on January 21, 1985. Does not happen often. Lately the weather has been warming a bit too.

From your link: Here's what you can plant in the winter in 8b:

• Peas (snap/shelling etc.)
• Fava Beans
• Arugula
• Mustard (there are a TON of different varieties)
• Lettuce
• Kale
• Spinach
• Chard
• Brussel Sprouts
• Cauliflower
• Broccoli
• Kohlrabi
• Cabbage
• Garlic
• Leeks
• Onions (bulb and bunching)
• Shallots
• Chives
• Garlic (plant 4 weeks before last frost)
• Carrots
• Beets
• Radishes
• Parsnips
• Rutabaga
• Celeriac (celery root)
• Celery
• Thyme
• Oregano
• Rosemary
• Mint
• Sage
• Parsley
• Calendula
• Borage

 

[Mike A1]

My backyard this morning, fog rising from the frost.

 

[barnetmill]

I am doing a little outside work just now with having to come in to dodge rainstorms. Seem clear at the moment and I will check outside see if I can get back to work.

 

[Mike A1]

We have some rain moving in tonight, it's been very dry so far with some forest fires breaking out.
US Forest reports.
Mars Hill, NC, November 28, 2022 – Firefighters are working to contain the Hurricane Ridge Fire, which has been burning since Wednesday along Interstate 40 in the Harmon Den area on the US Forest Service Appalachian Ranger District in Haywood County, NC. The fire is located east of Interstate 40 off Cold Springs Road.



The Hurricane Ridge Fire, which was reported on Wednesday afternoon before Thanksgiving, is estimated at 150 acres with no current containment.



Due to the proximity to Interstate 40, smoke may impact visibility on the roadway, particularly in the mornings and evenings through this coming Wednesday. Flames may be visible along the east side of the road. Drivers are urged to use caution in this area. Interstate 40 is expected to remain open. The US Forest Service has issued an emergency closure for Brady Road (FSRD #3526).

 

[barnetmill]

We get fires here. We had a big one a 'controlled' prescribed burn done on a windy day several years ago under dry conditions that went for several days. It is sort of wetland that had forest and brush. Done to preserve our local pitcher plants.
A smaller 196 acre fire in about the same place, also prescribed on last april is still under investigation.

 

[Mike A1]

We get fires here. We had a big one a 'controlled' prescribed burn done on a windy day several years ago under dry conditions that went for several days. It is sort of wetland that had forest and brush. Done to preserve our local pitcher plants.
A smaller 196 acre fire in about the same place, also prescribed on last april is still under investigation.

7: 15 EST. Stay safe.

 

[barnetmill]

7: 15 EST. Stay safe.
View attachment 29454

That is a standard weather pattern for our locale, Comes out the southwest as as line and will go north east. lighting is the biggie for me.