Grow your own food/ home, yard and garden DIY stuff/fixing your own home issues

[YJ02]

Initially, I had to buy the three cat trees (probably could have done with the tall Ikea pieces I have instead ). I also bought the food dishes, and the 3 pet fountains and of course, their toys (they have about 50 different ones). I grow fresh cat grass for them and also fresh catnip. Outside of that initial purchase, it is just litter and food I have to buy. The seeds bought in bulk (6 packs of seeds) lasts a year, and the bag of high grade potting soil is about $15.00 and lasts a year. I also use that soil for my other plants.

But this thread is about growing your own and doing stuff at home and I am now fully confident I could grow some kale or lettuce or broccoli or even tomatoes...inside, easily.

Hey, our cats are (mostly) DIY feeders!

 

[Rac80]

I am pleased we are finishing up the butternut squash we grew last year.

 

[shavedape]

I am pleased we are finishing up the butternut squash we grew last year.

Whatever happened to that ungodly amount of zucchini you put up last Summer?

 

[Overmind One]

I am pleased we are finishing up the butternut squash we grew last year.

There is something to consuming what you have grown yourself.

 

[Rac80]

ape I still have several quarts of shredded zucchini in my freezer- muffins and bread are always a welcome treat.

OM1 - when I see people fret over the way their food might be grown I tend to smile to myself - it's easier to know exactly what you get when you are in charge of the growing.

 

[YJ02]

Whatever happened to that ungodly amount of zucchini you put up last Summer?

zucchini "secret recipe" --aka leaving huge unasked for amounts of 'gifted' zucchini on the porches of your friends and family

 

[YJ02]

suckers! (not that there is anything wrong with zucchini)but if the recipients knew just HOW MANY zucch's grow on one vine and just HOW MUCH ppl cannot use up all of it, they would be less impressed

kind of like giving away snowballs in Wisconsin mid winter to tourists from florida

 

[Overmind One]

ape I still have several quarts of shredded zucchini in my freezer- muffins and bread are always a welcome treat.

OM1 - when I see people fret over the way their food might be grown I tend to smile to myself - it's easier to know exactly what you get when you are in charge of the growing.

THIS. When I use seasonings from my little herb garden tray in my cooking, I do not have to worry about what I am eating. Cooking your own meals from the basic ingredients makes for a hearty, healthy meal which has no preservatives or anything you do not want in there.

 

[YJ02]

if one can't produce what they need,and therefore control the ingredients (fertilizer/water,etc) then all one can do is mitigate the possibility of harm/low quality available from the stores--I don't care what store it is.

we have the same problem in the winter of course

for example-we can't grow tomatoes in winter (don't have a big enough greenhouse) so instead of buying the "fresh" toma's at the store we buy canned toma's without sugar

why? "fresh" are picked while still green ('organic" non organic or any other label has no bearing on this--it is a shipping practice/necessity and no grocer wants soft-post ripe toma's on their shelves) so they do not get smashed or bruised while in transit--a tomato must be fully ripened before being canned or they just do not taste right

 

[YJ02]

so i was perusing some info on amending the soil of a raised gardening bed, when I saw a link to this YT video

seems this guy had/has neighbors (in Cali) who are quite the snoops

while he was out of town, someone called the police and said he was growing MJ in his house when he was actually just growing (probably seed starting) veggies in his home


then at this YT site I saw on the side bar videos on "illegal gardening/House Bill on safe food production will make home gardens illegal"

i have just been kidding on this, I didn't know that the monsanto dickheads had actually got a bill onto the house floor--what is its status? (i don't have the heart or will to look it up for fear of becoming pissed off/depressed)

 

[YJ02]

So not food, but something I did do on my own (I'll edit the thread title)

started out about 15 yrs ago as a small hole I dug with garbage bags as a liner and a couple of carnival goldfish

then got bigger with real liners and carpeting,etc as under layment

got some Koi

got "addicted" to it

in this pic, I had 2 ponds side by side, decided to unite them

had to get one side deep enough for a lotus to winter over and also, deeper is better for fish to hibernate and to hide from the eagles and hawks and herons in the area

just got it done--i had to splice 2 liners together with butyl tape and spray on rubber coating

it is now about 16 ft long and about 9 ft wide at its widest

about 3 1/2 deep at its deepest

did it all by hand and no power tools,etc--all over time-starting with that original garbage bag lined hole in the ground


View attachment 30454 View attachment 30455

So, now that things are green and blooming again...

first bloom (I plant stuff so we get flowers all summer long not to mention hummingbirds and butterflies too)

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200846604324662&set=pcb.10200846606964728&type=1&theater

 

[YJ02]

And, the new and improved garden

I built 12 raised beds from unsellable lumber from a local store

a huge stack of 2x4"'s/ x 8"/ x 10"'s of varying lengths

over $200 of lumber for $75 delivered

anyhow

built the frames, put cardboard under, filled with our 'homemade' dirt then made walkways from burlap and coconut fiber mats covered with pine shavings

my wife started everything you see from seeds in our greenhouse on the deck in march

we have a ton of tomatoes and peppers in pots on the deck she started also

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200846627565243&set=pcb.10200846628925277&type=1&theater

 

[Overmind One]

And, the new and improved garden

I built 12 raised beds from unsellable lumber from a local store

a huge stack of 2x4"'s/ x 8"/ x 10"'s of varying lengths

over $200 of lumber for $75 delivered

anyhow

built the frames, put cardboard under, filled with our 'homemade' dirt then made walkways from burlap and coconut fiber mats covered with pine shavings

my wife started everything you see from seeds in our greenhouse on the deck in march

we have a ton of tomatoes and peppers in pots on the deck she started also

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200846627565243&set=pcb.10200846628925277&type=1&theater

Is all that produce just for you and your family, or do you also sell some of it? It's awesome! With chickens (and their eggs), fresh produce (and I assume herbs and seasonings), you are almost self-sufficient! With LED and solar, you could go off the grid. Maintain an internet service and that is all you need.

 

[Overmind One]

I am pleased we are finishing up the butternut squash we grew last year.

I just discovered this fruit! OMG, who knew that it tastes almost exactly like potato? It makes mad delicious oven baked crispy fries! And it tastes great in beef stew. I understand you can make pies with it?

 

[Gatefan1976]

I just discovered this fruit! OMG, who knew that it tastes almost exactly like potato? It makes mad delicious oven baked crispy fries! And it tastes great in beef stew. I understand you can make pies with it?

If you can do it with a potato, you can do it with a butternut, just slightly sweeter overall. I am not a huge fan of it myself, but if you like potato, but are a bit leery of pumpkin, it is the perfect midpoint.

 

[Overmind One]

If you can do it with a potato, you can do it with a butternut, just slightly sweeter overall. I am not a huge fan of it myself, but if you like potato, but are a bit leery of pumpkin, it is the perfect midpoint.

I like them because I am not fond of sweet potato fries, although I prefer to eat them over regular fries because of the carb and starch content. Jicama and daikon radish make passable chips, but they are nothing like actual fries. But enter the butternut squash, and you get crispy baked fries with soft centers that have the taste and texture of potatoes (to me). There is a tad sweetness, but if you use coconut oil to coat these before you bake them, and season them properly, they will taste like french fries.

I wonder if I can grow these?

 

[shavedape]

I like them because I am not fond of sweet potato fries, although I prefer to eat them over regular fries because of the carb and starch content. Jicama and daikon radish make passable chips, but they are nothing like actual fries. But enter the butternut squash, and you get crispy baked fries with soft centers that have the taste and texture of potatoes (to me). There is a tad sweetness, but if you use coconut oil to coat these before you bake them, and season them properly, they will taste like french fries.

I wonder if I can grow these?

Being a squash they are a vine plant and need to spread out. Even though they grow well here it's just easier to buy them in Fall as they are fairly cheap. Hell, come autumn we're drowning in an avalanche of Autumn squash around these parts.

 

[Overmind One]

Being a squash they are a vine plant and need to spread out. Even though they grow well here it's just easier to buy them in Fall as they are fairly cheap. Hell, come autumn we're drowning in an avalanche of Autumn squash around these parts.

I had no idea how tasty they were! I have to admit, the bland bouled yellow squash I remember as a kid has kept me away from them for most of my adult life. But after tasting them prepared in a dish which subbed them out for potatoes, that changed my mind. I have been experimenting with them, but the first thing I tried was the oven baked fries (because that was the first butternut squash "faux potato" dish I had). They came out flawless:

• Preheat oven to 375
  
• Slice squash in half lengthwise.
  
• De-seed squash, and cut into fry-sized strips.
• Do one or the other of this:

1) toss squash in mixing bowl with olive oil and your seasonings (I used salt and a dash of garlic powder) OR
2) arrange squash on bare cookie sheet and spray with cooking spray (turn to do other side)

• Bake until edges on some of the fries are crispy
• Remove from oven and serve with ketchup, ranch dressing or just eat them hot and fresh.

 

[YJ02]

Is all that produce just for you and your family, or do you also sell some of it? It's awesome! With chickens (and their eggs), fresh produce (and I assume herbs and seasonings), you are almost self-sufficient! With LED and solar, you could go off the grid. Maintain an internet service and that is all you need.

you know i looked into some private industry "modelling" for solar and wind

that is- you volunteer your home for a setup and the company does efficiency tests, etc and in payoff you get to keep the whole system

i am no daddy warbucks here so was looking for a little help ( the govt can keep their silly tax breaks too-hell, i don't even have 'earned income' so i pay no tax so thats out)

nope-solar "not in a suitable sun exposed area" Bullshit-we dont grow all you see in those pics with no sun

wind? "Your location does not seen to be in a location currently being studied"

BS again-they are building wind farms all up and dwn the Alleghenies and Laurel Mtns and we do get a fairly constant breeze here

I am looking to power my water well pump and my sewage lift pump with maybe some more juice for the essentials if not everything--not looking to light up Pittsburgh

----------------------------------------
No, we will eat all of what you see.

Most of the greens you see are some variation of cabbages and other 'wild' greens grown from seeds from Korea (a Korean store in so CAli sells them through amazon --"HOLT SHOP") many of the dry land cress type

also, Korean cabbage (also know to us as Napa or Chinese cabbage BUT here it ALWAYS Korean !), garlic chives, annual leeks, onions, carrots, korean hot peppers, korean melon, watermelon, squashes (summer and winter) beans, sweet peppers and of course, lettuce and spinach

we also have a 'jungle' of peppers, tomatoes and basil growing in pots on the deck (keeps them high and away from blossom end rot and other nasties)


I did the raised beds to cut way back on chem use (mostly bugs and weeds) and increase water drainage

We also bough silver lacewing eggs and praying mantis eggs (not yet hatched) too eat up the bad guy bugs and worms

going to get some adult mantises in a couple of weeks

-------------

and then there is the grapes, blueberries, strawberries, apples and pears all on track for a good season

also planted "kiwi berry (cold hardy kiwi)" this year and a big assed arbor to spt it (you can see it in the background of the pond shots)

if we wanted to get really stingy on the food bill, we have a smaller pond that we use mainly for cress--when it came in iit evidently had fresh water shrimp and snail eggs attached to them--that pond is filled with the things

also have some minnows in there--a veritable "fish fry" just waiting for doomsday

 

[Overmind One]

you know i looked into some private industry "modelling" for solar and wind

that is- you volunteer your home for a setup and the company does efficiency tests, etc and in payoff you get to keep the whole system

i am no daddy warbucks here so was looking for a little help ( the govt can keep their silly tax breaks too-hell, i don't even have 'earned income' so i pay no tax so thats out)

nope-solar "not in a suitable sun exposed area" Bullshit-we dont grow all you see in those pics with no sun

wind? "Your location does not seen to be in a location currently being studied"

BS again-they are building wind farms all up and dwn the Alleghenies and Laurel Mtns and we do get a fairly constant breeze here

I am looking to power my water well pump and my sewage lift pump with maybe some more juice for the essentials if not everything--not looking to light up Pittsburgh

----------------------------------------
No, we will eat all of what you see.

Most of the greens you see are some variation of cabbages and other 'wild' greens grown from seeds from Korea (a Korean store in so CAli sells them through amazon --"HOLT SHOP") many of the dry land cress type

also, Korean cabbage (also know to us as Napa or Chinese cabbage BUT here it ALWAYS Korean !), garlic chives, annual leeks, onions, carrots, korean hot peppers, korean melon, watermelon, squashes (summer and winter) beans, sweet peppers and of course, lettuce and spinach

we also have a 'jungle' of peppers, tomatoes and basil growing in pots on the deck (keeps them high and away from blossom end rot and other nasties)


I did the raised beds to cut way back on chem use (mostly bugs and weeds) and increase water drainage

We also bough silver lacewing eggs and praying mantis eggs (not yet hatched) too eat up the bad guy bugs and worms

going to get some adult mantises in a couple of weeks

-------------

and then there is the grapes, blueberries, strawberries, apples and pears all on track for a good season

also planted "kiwi berry (cold hardy kiwi)" this year and a big assed arbor to spt it (you can see it in the background of the pond shots)

if we wanted to get really stingy on the food bill, we have a smaller pond that we use mainly for cress--when it came in iit evidently had fresh water shrimp and snail eggs attached to them--that pond is filled with the things

also have some minnows in there--a veritable "fish fry" just waiting for doomsday

I am seriously putting together an "indoor apartment farm" setup. I received my heirloom non-GMO seeds from Amazon, and I am almost ready to plant. I need to get some more self-watering pots (6" - 8").

This variety came with some great greens to start, but I have chosen to grow Romaine Lettuce and Spinach because I eat both frequently. They are non-GMO.