Homesteading Handbook Guide On Self Sufficiency Everything You Need To Know

Growing Your Own Food In Your Back Yard Homesteading 101

By: Dalbert Burton

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents

Publishers Notes

Dedication

Chapter 1- Planning a Garden

First Step – Be Aware of the Consents and well as Restrictions in Planning

Chapter 2- Improving Your Soil

Chapter 3- Conserving Water

Chapter 4- Mulching in Your Garden and Yard

Chapter 5- Organic Gardening

Chapter 6- Start Your Own Vegetable Garden

Chapter 7- Container Gardening

Chapter 8- Pest and Disease Management

Chapter 9- Edible Wild Plants and Mushrooms

Chapter 10- All The Best Crops To Grow And How

About The Author

PUBLISHERS NOTES

Disclaimer

This publication is intended to provide helpful and informative material. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health problem or condition, nor is intended to replace the advice of a physician. No action should be taken solely on the contents of this book. Always consult your physician or qualified health-care professional on any matters regarding your health and before adopting any suggestions in this book or drawing inferences from it.

The author and publisher specifically disclaim all responsibility for any liability, loss or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, from the use or application of any contents of this book.

Any and all product names referenced within this book are the trademarks of their respective owners. None of these owners have sponsored, authorized, endorsed, or approved this book.

Always read all information provided by the manufacturers’ product labels before using their products. The author and publisher are not responsible for claims made by manufacturers.

The statements made in this book have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.

Copyright © 2012

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Kindle Edition 2012

Manufactured in the United States of America

DEDICATION

I want to dedicate this book to Robert, he introduced me to the homesteading and my life has never been the same since, thanks Robert.

CHAPTER 1- PLANNING A GARDEN

FIRST STEP – BE AWARE OF THE CONSENTS AND WELL AS RESTRICTIONS IN PLANNING

If you are in the country or town area, the same thing applies before you plan to build a garden from the ground up. That is, you might be required to make application for planning approvals prior to making any alteration to the garden landscape.

Usually, if your building is not a sale list and you do not reside in a protected region, then you may go ahead and design the garden as you desire but with the provisos which state that there should be no trellis, garden or wall fence exceeding a meter in tallness if adjacent to road; or two meters anywhere else in the garden.

Anything outside of this requires permission from the district council in the local area.

Tennis courts as well as swimming pools usually do not require planning permission even though you might be required to obtain consent for the draining of a pool. If however, your house is up for sale, you should be careful.

Every alteration to outbuildings, main buildings, gates or walls will require Listed Building Consent. Any structure, such as pergola that is joined to the building is also included.

Planning Landscaping (Hard) in the Design of Your Garden

Restrictions also exist regarding the discarding of water from the surface from hard landscaping and portico. This should not be released in a sewer that is already in place without getting approval. More often and widespread demands are being made of local councils about the employment of leaky surfaces, in particular in the front area of town gardens.

The authorities responsible for conservation area will have their individual regulations regarding the kinds of materials which can be utilized in landscaping. The rules will also include which trees are allowed to be downed or pruned and not need permission.

The permission required for party walls is considered convoluted. The 1996 Party Wall Act should be consulted two months in advance of the intention if you desire to make any alteration to a concrete fence or garden wall standing across a boundary.

A written consent should be obtained from neighbors prior to making any change to a boundary wall that is shared. Any change to accessing classified highways or roads requires planning permission also.

CHAPTER 2- IMPROVING YOUR SOIL

The most essential task in the garden may be to make improvement to and maintain quality soil. For plants to grow well, there must be healthy roots; healthy soil provides healthy roots.

What can Improve Soil?

A soil that has high level of organic matter offers food for useful soil organism like worms that further create magic when they mix and improve the soil. The most ideal method of improving soil is to throw in a good amount of matter that is organic-rich. Soil Conditioner and Farmyard Manure are known to be great soil improver.

These should be spread over the dug up area surface and worked into the waiting soil using a fork. There is a high amount of organic matter in Soil Conditioner combined with a good quantity of Farmyard Manure. They work to absorb in the soil then hold water for improving the structure, offering necessary air pockets to be used for drainage as well as for the roots to easily breathe.

Sandy Soil

If the soil you have is sandy and drains nutrients quickly, then it would be beneficial to use a substantial amount of soil conditioner. This should be mixed in bare soil as well as used as dressing to be put on the top of plants that already exist.

Clay Soil

Clay soil can be challenging to dig organic material into the soil on the top. This should be done gradually. Use a lot of compost for planting when putting down new plants; back fill using a lot more, allowing it to mix into soil creating a steady change from that of compost to useful soil in the root area. Leave large, chopped up clay lumps on the surface of the soil so the sun can bake it. This can be crumbled afterwards and combined with the organic material of Farmyard Manure.

Organic Gardeners

Individuals growing organic gardens can opt for Vegetable Growing Compost which is organic to make improvement to soil and made addition to its structure for plant growth considered healthy.

Another ideal choice is Organic Farmyard Manure for breaking in the soil and adding essential nutrients as well as water. This holds the organic material to the area of the garden where feeders that are heavy diminish the soil nutrients rapidly, like the rose beds or vegetable plot.

Top Soil is great for general improvement of soil or for replacing top soil that has been depleted. It is required that you plant in specialized compost like West+ Rose, 4 Month Feed and Tree & Shrub Compost, with high levels of root builder for aiding in the firmness of plants..

CHAPTER 3- CONSERVING WATER

Dry climates gardening is being threatened by the water crisis which is affecting several regions of the globe, such as the Middle East and Australia. A rather complicated procedure is gardening that requires water conservation.

This involves questions regarding design, irrigation of a professional nature and also good documentation of useful guidelines on the method of saving water.

However, if you do not know much about things like these, there is a single golden rule of gardening that you should know. Plants should be grouped together which have similar water requirements. Not a lot of gardeners are aware of the necessity of this and a lot of times, for example, palms trees are seen beside olive trees among other mismatched planting.

This wastes the water because it forces you to irrigate the entire garden in accordance to the requirements of the plants that are most demanding.

Therefore, if there are two types of plants with drastically different needs which are mingled together, the potential of the plant species that is drought-hardy to conserve water is lost, since you allow them to grow on an irrigation system which is in addition to being unnecessary, might be harmful also to the growth as well as development of the plants.

For a fact, several genera which are drought-hardy like Carissa, Callistemon, Grevillea and Pistachio as well as Cotoneasters and Junipers negatively experience continuous moisture in the area of the root.

They respond more sensitively to the absence of oxygen than they do to water shortage, and will perform much better with irregular yet deep soakings.

In grouping different kinds of plants, each of the group must be provided with irrigation line that is separated, in order for them to be watered completely separately from one another. It is frequently not remembered that ‘water requirement’ refers not only to the quantity of water that is needed by a plant, but the interval between the watering also.

A few as mentioned required almost continuous moisture, while there are others that require a period when it is dry, for allowing air to come back into the zone of the root.

Therefore, if you do gardening in a climate that is dry, ensure that you are water-wise. Flowers should be separated from shrubs, foliage, tropical, lush plants from trees and you might find out that, in addition, to controlling water more efficiently at your convenience you eventually get a plant that is more composition-satisfying in the course.

CHAPTER 4- MULCHING IN YOUR GARDEN AND YARD

An organic topping that is utilized in the process of retaining moisture in garden soil is garden mulch which is organic. While the mulch is degraded naturally overtime, the soil absorbs the nutrients and contributes directly to the long life of garden plants. Garden mulch that is well laid also can be utilized for improving the home garden aesthetics, without the need to spend a great deal of money.

There are several organic materials that mulch can be produced from:

Newspaper (shredded): can be used to spread over the soil in the garden. The damp pulp will decompose naturally with time.

Animal manure: Ensure that manure is adequately composted prior to applying it to the soil.

Straw: This is inexpensive and easily accessible. This material might be considered among the oldest kind of mulch utilized worldwide.

Garden clippings: grass becomes decomposed easily and quite attractive when it is used for a mulch.

General compost: anything which is found in nature may be used for compost purpose such as vegetable peelings, fruit peelings, tree barks and leaves.

Advantages of Utilizing Mulch

There are advantages with employing garden mulch. We will discuss the benefits one at a time:

Shredded barks – Any mulch obtained from fallen trees barks is great for letting the soil that surrounds the live trees remains relatively cool and moist. This kind of mulch should be used in areas where there is not much landscaping to be done in the months coming. This way you do not have to change the barks around for making a path for new plants, lighting and decorations, and other thing.

Garden clippings – Weeds fear clipped grass which is known to be among the best blocking method. Simply spread the mulch over the garden bed and watch it works.

Animal manure – This is a great plant nutrients source. Ensure that this is composted for a good while before it is used on the plants. The plants may get poisoned if the manure is partially composted or fresh.

Composted leaves – Leaves are found everywhere and are free of cost, making them a very popular mulching choice. They are also very easy to collect and use.

Shredded newspapers – This mulch usefully keeps the roots of plants moist and cool during transfers. If the plant is in storage temporarily, like a truck going to another location, shredded newspaper allows the temperature of the soil to remain constant.

This form of mulch may be placed in your garden bed a little before winter months start to come in. For the duration of the months of the year when it is colder, the mulch continuously protects the garden soil and it starts to decompose, allowing the nutrient to remain balanced in garden soil at its peak level.

CHAPTER 5- ORGANIC GARDENING

Organic gardening has been called several names. These include: natural gardening, chemical-free gardening, and earth-friendly gardening among several others. However, the phrases appear to be complicated and end up being the cause of confusion. For instance, the term ‘chemical-free gardening’ is misleading as synthetic or organic pesticides and fertilizers used in the garden are chemicals. ‘Natural gardening’ supports sights of weeds running all over and tomato plants that are infested with hornworm. ‘Earth friendly’ gardening is useful for the most part, but it comes up wanting because several people have different views of what is considered planet ‘friendly.’

We will make an attempt to narrowly bring it down. Organic gardening has three key tenets: feed the garden soil; pay attention to prevention measures; make use of the solution that is simplest first.

Feed the Garden Soil

Soil serves as the foundation for everything which is grown in gardens. If there is not much nutrient in the soil or if it is compacted or lack helpful microorganisms, plants will not be supported by it.

You may make attempt to ‘fix’ the soil using fertilizers, but the plant cannot grow ideally as any plant that is grown in soil that is crumbly, rich and healthy. When the soil is fed, the plants are provided with a great and healthy foundation for growth. Healthy plants hardly have disease and pest issues.

The soil is fed by putting in it organic soil improvements such as manure, mulches, chopped leaves and compost as well as on the soil surface. You will be informed of any existing deficiencies in mineral and the best way of remedying the situation when a soil exam is conducted.

Pay Attention to Prevention Measures

A lot of things can be done to aid your plants in thriving, which will restrict their vulnerability to disease and pest issues.

Focus on the soil preference, moisture and light of the plant. Ensure that the plant is matched to the correct area in order for it to grow more healthier and more apt to fight against anything having to do with disease and pests.

Buy varieties of plants that are resistant to disease.

Keep the garden clean. Remove any foliage with disease as well as fallen fruit from the site. Focus on pruning. Prevent black spot and mildew by cutting back stems that are weak or diseased.

Make Use of the Solution that is Simplest First

When you notice the amount of garden and lawn chemicals that can be easily accessed at the home center in your local area, you right away think that gardening is simple. That is, if you find that you have an aphid problem, you believe that you simply purchase a chemical to be used to get rid of them.

However, the truth is that it is in fact easy to take care of majority of garden problems and it does not require as much dramatic measures as soaking the garden with harmful or useless chemicals.

An example in such case is, when aphids are noticed in the garden, the first thing that should be done is to make attempt to use the hose and spray them from the plants. This normally fixes the problem. Another option if there is not enough water is to make up a home-made spray that is natural and simple to deal with the issue. Chemical spray is generally the last resort and which is not frequent.

CHAPTER 6- START YOUR OWN VEGETABLE GARDEN

To gain optimum success, you should carefully plan a vegetable garden way in advance before actually putting it together.

Where the garden will be positioned is the most important feature. The spot that is usually most convenient is one where there is full sunlight. However, the quality of soil, drainage, and shading from trees or buildings might indicate that the garden should be placed in a zone further from where the house is located.

A vegetable garden that will yield healthy and properly matured food should have a minimum of six hours with full sun every day. Sunshine cannot be substituted with water, care or fertilizer.

Selecting the Vegetables to be Grown

Your vegetables selection will be greatly dependent on your family’s dislikes and preferences. If you are planning on eating large amounts of a kind of vegetable, it generally is more economical to allow your plants to start from seeds indoors.

There are some plant types that do not take well to transplanting and have to be directly sown in the garden that they will be grown.

You must first think about as well the quantity of what you want in the planning process of your garden. It is practical to first draw a diagram of the expected garden, with mapped out rows in accordance to plant requirements, height as well as other criteria. It is usually better to maintain a garden that is small than a big one that may become neglected and loaded with weeds.

Priming Soil for Garden Planting

It must be emphasized that a beneficial garden requires soil that is well prepared. This means it has to be well drained and also having adequate and useful organic matter, relatively stone-free and retains moisture.

The soil found under the surface of the top soil is also to be considered. Things like rock ledges, hardpan or hard shale etc found under the soil’s surface might cause the garden soil to be extremely difficult if not impossible to develop.

However, soil that is infertile but have excellent properties can become productive when it is tilled in organic material, commercial fertilizer, lime as well as other materials used to improve materials.

If very wet, there should be no working or plowing of the soil, expect in the case that this work is being done just before it is freezing. If there is ball clumping of the soil and it does not easily smash under light pressure with the finger and thumb, this indicates that it is not adequate for working or plowing. In this state, it gets to a cake status while it dries and therefore not suitable for plants that are young.

If the garden was used before and was already cultivated in years past, there is not a lot to do except to put added organic fertilizers as well as material. Soil that is infertile usually comes out being successful when large amount of the chemical fertilization is used, but it should be carefully noted that too much should not be added because of the threat of what is known in gardening as fertilizer burn. As mentioned earlier, manure should be composted before planting as hot, fresh manure burns soil.

Testing, Making Adjustment to Soil pH

Vegetables require soil acidity of varying degrees. The alkalinity or acidity of soil gets measured using pH and should be tested then adjusted in accordance to which plant or crop that will be in that particular area. Normally, soils that are in climates that are moist are acid while the ones in climates that are dry are alkaline.

Any soil that have pH that is less than 7.0 is known to be acid soil while the one that has a higher pH than 7.0 should be considered as alkaline.

You may purchase low-priced kit for pH testing and several of these garden store centers will be willing to do a soil sample testing for you. When the pH is determined, you may now make amendment to the soil as required.

The soil’s pH should only be tested following the site already prepared, there is mixing of conditioners and soil, the soil is well watered and also settled. There should be no wetness in the soil being tested. If you find out from the soil test that you are required to fix the soil pH, there are materials that you can use that are readily available at the garden center in your area.

Getting Your Vegetable Garden Planted

Use the map layout of the garden which was previously created while at the planning state, to use stakes for marking out the areas that there will be planting of different rows.

Make mounds for placing vining plants like pumpkins, melons and cucumbers. Pathways should be established at the early stage so that there will be no walking across zones that will be used.

The time is now right to sow seeds and put in bedding vegetable plants.

The depth as well as spacing is critical for planting so plants should not be crowded in space allotted as the plant will look spindly and bare. Use market tags on each row or region so that you know beforehand what will grow at what spot. The garden should be thoroughly watered one day before you decide to do any planting.

Sowing Seeds in Your Vegetable Garden

For marking the row, use a string to stretch between two stakes. You could also use a piece of straight lumber and utilize it as some type of guide for opening a furrow with your hoe. Follow the seed packet and arrange the depth accordingly.

Tear off the corner part of the seed package and use a finger for lightly tapping the package while moving up and down the garden row, evenly and carefully distributing seeds. The seeds that are larger may be individually placed in a row.

Firm the fine soil over seeds to ensure adequate moisture contact, as well as to help in the retaining of the soil moisture and thoroughly water with gently spray. Moisture is required for germination and should remain until seedlings have sprouted and now growing.

Follow instructions provided on the package for the seed regarding spacing or thinning the remaining plants after they have emerged, developed their true leaves and promising to be strong plants.

Bedding Plants - Vegetable

To start your vegetable garden, you probably bought bedding plants; another option is to start the seeds inside a building in pots. Whatever the case is, dig a little hole slightly deeper and wider than the new plant’s root ball. Reduce transplant shock by thoroughly watering the plant before replanting it in the bed of the garden. Firm soil around the plant, ensuring that contact of root to soil is good. Thoroughly water it.

Preserving the Vegetable Garden

Throughout periods of dryness, extra watering is needed for vegetable gardens, particularly when they are in the fruiting stage.

Weeds can be controlled by mulching between rows. Mulching also conserves soil moisture as well as offers you pathways for accessing the plants. You may use black plastic or straw, grass clippings, garden debris and wood chips.

During the growing phase, carefully look out for insect pests so it can be discovered early and relevant action taken to get rid of them. Avoid pesticides if plants have reached fruiting stage unless it is extremely necessary. If pesticides are used, follow the recommendations of the manufacturer very carefully.

Pull out weeds regularly to prevent them from robbing the vegetable of root space, light and water and to develop into thousands from only a few.

When your crop is harvested, place plant as well as other vegetable material into existing compost pile for recycling once more, the next year.

CHAPTER 7- CONTAINER GARDENING

Evaluating the physical features of garden space that is available for operation is the first thing you need to do. The most vital element that you must consider is sunlight. Vegetables are not able to survive without it, and this is the single gardening factor that you cannot control.

This is because you can create other features and feed, water as well as protect from cold but sunlight cannot be created. Direct sunlight for a minimum of six hours is required for fruit, eggplant, peppers, squash and tomatoes.

Three to four hours will be good for chard, spinaches, kale, lettuces, radishes and carrots.

For the evaluation of sunlight quotient, you should observe the patterns of the sun in the space you have available. The longest phase of sunlight at its strongest is enjoyed by southern exposures. Western exposure receives the longest afternoon sun.

The shorter sunlight in the morning is what eastern exposure receives and northern exposure receives the smallest amount of the sun.

Also, to be taken into account are obstructions nearby which will allow shadows to be radiated on the spaces used for growing, such as a tree in the neighbor’s yard, a building, a fence or tall hedge. Prevailing winds can also be of concern in addition to the sunlight as they have the potential to blow over containers that are top-heavy.

You should next conduct a bit of research on the toughness of your zone. Presently, eleven climate zones exist in the US, but you should be conscious of the fact that you might live in a zone with micro-climate which is slightly different from the regular zone that you are in.

You can get additional information from an extension county office. The system of zone is applicable to perennials such as berries, fruit trees, perennial flowers and herbs.

The next thing that is up for consideration is the height you expect plants to get to at maturity as well as how wide it will spread. Some, like berries, small melons, cucumbers and squashes can be pruned and also trained and restricted to trellis.

Others, such as spinaches, chards and lettuces remain reasonably short and prove to be quite manageable in small-size garden beds or containers.

Another important consideration relates to the plant’s mature size; the type and size of the root system. Some issues to be considered include whether the roots need deep soil, if they require to spread out (or need both), and what will be the size of the ball of the root when it is fully grown. Normally, the mature plant size reflects root system size but this is not always the case.

It is now time to prepare or purchase containers. There is no need to invest in costly pots. Take a look at what you currently have. Check garage sales and thrift stores for items which may be utilized as planters. Ensure that the container did not hold petroleum products or chemicals that are toxic. Also, it should be something which can be drilled and holes cut in it.

See if you get some heavy secondhand plastic barrels. Ensure that they are food graded and were not used for storing any of the above-mentioned chemicals or products. A small food processor might have these and not for more than $20 for one. They can be used when cut in the middle horizontally or vertically and are great for planting for shallow or deep root plants, determined by how they are cut. They can also be used as strawberry planters. In addition, to it taking up a minimum of 1/10 of the garden space needed for in-ground planting, this convenient planting also allows much easier harvesting. Placing it on two palates like I do will require not much need to bend over.

Now that the containers are gathered, the next move is to plan the planting. There is no need to provide a single planter for every kind of vegetable. When you do companion planting with the ideal vegetable combinations, you are able to produce an amazingly high yield from a little place. As an example, carrots and tomatoes may share space as the requirement for moisture, soil and sunlight is the same. Chards, spinaches and lettuces are compatible. One thing that might be a little more challenging growing in container is melon as it requires plenty water, adequate drainage, and also more soil. Pumpkins and large watermelons should be grown by persons who have about two acres available.

Once everything is planted and is now wonderfully growing in their little communities, you should now bear in mind that they need to be fed. They have a restricted amount of soil where they can get their nutrients; these nutrients require periodical replacement determined by the feeder level that the crop is.

Perennials such as compact blueberries are known to be slow feeders and need to be fertilized only two to three times each year. They will do great growing in pots 15 gallon plus for the duration of their lives. As tomatoes are known low feeders, you should know that excess nitrogen will result in the rotting of the blossom end and excess water will result in the fruit splitting.

CHAPTER 8- PEST AND DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Managing diseases and pests in the garden are done in an environmentally safe way using a technique known as Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Instead of going out and spraying all the time when diseases and pests are found, using the IPM approach helps to solve such problems and it is environmentally friendly.

Once the Integrated Pest Management technique is going to be used, then a comprehension of the biological factors such as the diseases and pest and the non-biological elements such as the weather, nutrients, light and soil condition ought to be thoroughly understood. Once management of the condition is factored, some of the biological problems can be eliminated. However, it should be noted that once the IPM techniques are used then some amount of losses must be expected, as not all life in the garden must be controlled.

Thriving integrated pest management programs involve four (4) main parts and must never be seen as a single action, however instead as a collective action that determines the need for control. These actions are described as follows:-

Setting An Action Threshold

Once a pest is discovered, panicking is not the action that should be taken; instead establish a point to determine the appropriate time to take action. One would need to look at what type of pest will cause harm economically to the crop as well as factor in whether the condition affecting the crop is weather related or influenced by other external elements prior to taking any action to solve the problem at hand.

Check And Identify Pests

It is impossible to take any kinds of action before the pest is correctly identified. This may be accomplished by inspecting the plant and looking properly at the pest. It should be noted that not all insects, weeds and garden organisms are harmful. Therefore, the need for you to appropriately identify the pest is pertinent and also the use of the pesticide that will be used to control the problem.

Prevention

Prevention is always the first line of defense. Through planting a variation of disease resistant plants and adequately watering them as well as giving these plants sufficient nutrients, be it manure or plant food and proper cultivation will help in the prevention of a lot of pests that affect plants.

Control

Once you have arrived at the point where monitoring and prevention are no longer options then you would have gotten to the final step, which is control. The time to assess and see the most effective method that poses the least amount of risk is sorted after at this stage.

Normally, gardeners will attempt to manually remove these pests or use biological components like pheromones to disturb pest mating. If the need to have other monitoring or detection involved, then the action thresholds show the less uncertain controls, if these do not work then further pest controls would be utilized.

While not all pesticide use is eradicated by practicing Integrated Pest Management, it is surely reduced greatly. Having a better comprehension of the needs of your plants, as well as how growing conditions can influence them, places you in a better position to help in reducing the amounts of unwanted pesticide in the environment.

CHAPTER 9- EDIBLE WILD PLANTS AND MUSHROOMS

Many people are surprised about the expense that is associated with special gourmet mushrooms that people pay a lot of money in top end restaurants for. These mushrooms are in fact available free of charge, actually several could be growing very close to your location.

Bolette, which in fact is a wild mushroom, have several varieties. They are thought of as being the most delicious of all mushrooms. The Bolette grows in around summer or autumn in different types of forests. Mushrooms enjoy wet, moist or damp conditions, the Bolette variety benefits from growing on close proximity to Beech and Oak trees, in the midst of grass since the perfect conditions are provided.

The truffle is a tiny round dark fruit body that appears at the base of old beech trees, it is a type of fungi which is delicious and occasionally is found a few centimeters below the surface, however with appropriate knowledge they can be found.

To sniff out these truffles, people from time to time will use pigs and dogs, as they have a strange but powerful smell. This type of business has also been found to be lucrative, since in the past superior truffles were sold for thousands of pounds.

Morels are another type of edible mushrooms. These again are used in high end restaurants and are not very inexpensive. They are somewhat special in their growing parameters when compared with the typical mushrooms, as these mushrooms emerge during the Spring Time and like the metropolitan environment better. Morels are also known to emerge in odd locations like between or by concrete pavements and car parks; so many of these types of mushrooms are not likely to be found in forest areas.

The three listed fungi (mushrooms) are very expensive and heavily sorted after because at present they cannot be cultivated by anyone and are wildly grown. It should be noted that people have undertaken the task of researching how to grow Truffles, and they may be available in the future.

CHAPTER 10- ALL THE BEST CROPS TO GROW AND HOW

Having a garden that is practical is a wise idea since it would help should the Millennium Bug hit hard. Gardens of a particular magnitude require that much consideration is given to the kinds of produce and that they are, and the types that are capable of being harvested as well as dumped in dark closet or root cellar without the need to be processed and left until needed.

Another consideration is the types of crops that are grown in a little area, next to each other or in the midst of other crops to save on space.

Potatoes

Cultivated Irish potatoes are rich source of complex carbohydrates, which are among the essentials of a good diet. Several experienced gardeners cultivate potatoes using potato hills that are six feet apart in rows spaced; this allows the gardener to get their tillers and garden tractors in between the rows.

However, if your garden space is small, then the space linking plants and rows would be wasted and would become an excellent breeding ground for weeds as well as other garden pests. Irish Potatoes do not require the wasting of space as the tubers only require growth in eighteen inches in diameter beneath the plants.

Sandwiched between the rows, a variety of vegetables can be grown. If space can be spared, it is suggested that you plant four rows that is 200 feet long.

Corn

Another great Millennium garden crop; an old-fashioned kind known as roasting ears. Once the space is available in your garden, it is suggested that you plant an entire field. If the space is small, then you can plant an entire row in the midst of the Irish potato rows, also adding some beans beside the potato rows can be done as the beans would climb the cornstalks.

Planting fifteen ears per week, sixty per month and seven twenty per year would permit you to feed a family of five. In order to preserve these, it can be canned, dried or even frozen. Corn is not a high-acid vegetable; therefore it will require pressuring at high levels for 90 or so minutes.

Normally ten pounds of pressure is enough, however look at the details in the canning books to confirm. If the corn is dried, then it will remain on the cob for many months unless it has absorbed too much moisture. You also need to protect your corns from rats, mice and squirrels as they too love corn.

A meaningful crop in any garden, several types of corn exist and can be grown. The more these corns are picked the more they seem to produce.

Beans

Beans can be shelled and allowed to air dry before storing in bags as well as leaving these beans on the plants and permitting them to naturally dry. A point to note is that, if you cease picking beans they will either stop producing or slow down their production.

Tomatoes

Only a few other meals are quicker to prepare than a tomato packed in with a plate of beans as well as an ear of corn. Tomatoes may also be canned or frozen. Tomatoes may also be stored by wrapping them in newspaper and storing them in a cool dry area. It is during the last part of summer that this method works best as it is before the first frost of the season that it is advised that you pick all the green tomatoes in all shapes and sizes as the frost will destroy them if they are left on the vine.

Cucumbers

If you have a lot of space, you may grow lots of cucumbers. Cucumbers thrive best when they are near fences, as this type of environment gives it enough room to climb on, however if you do not have fences, then you can use the spherical wire cages as it provides the exact effects as the fence. Nevertheless, if you prefer, you may grow these cucumbers in the corn patches, as the vines of this plant will run along the ground throughout the corn field. Moisture will be held through the ground cover and weeds will be kept to a minimum in your garden.

Squash

Winter squash or acorn is another plant that can be grown in your garden. Having a dozen of these plants is a great idea as no preserving technique is need to keep them. Another point is that the plants will produce in huge numbers and can be kept without the need for canning, freezing or other storing methods for months.

Yellow squash or regular crookneck gives a fast and generous harvest. A very delicious meal can be obtained if these squash are fried, baked or raw in salads.

Cabbage

Cabbage is an easy crop to grow as well as preserve; in the form of kraut it will keep for weeks or a year or more.

If space is allowed, you may set out a dozen hills or more and for each week or three you could add another hill. Sufficient time should be allowed to take care of the profusion of squash that will be harvested. Never let it go to waste, preserve it by canning it or drying them.

As a hill dies, commence another one in its place. Cabbages usually produce well once the weather condition allows for it. Cabbage does not grow well in cold weather conditions.

Carrots

Carrots require very little space to produce. You can as a gardener further dissect the soil finely around the perimeter around other plants or beneath the corn and scatter the carrot seeds in the soil. This crop does not need plenty of attention and when they are harvested you can hang them in the cool and dry place as long as you would like to.

Lettuce

Create an all-weather lettuce bed then scatter the spinach seeds along with the lettuce, this allows you to reap greenery for your salads and sandwiches throughout the year. Allow the full-grown plants to re-seed the space again.

Herbs

A millennium garden should have its own herbs. Only a small amount of space is needed to grow rosemary, thyme, basil, mint, as well as the other popular herbs. These plants dry easily and the spiciness can be kept for months. It is not an exhaustive process or list; clearly many favorites were not there. Whatever is your personal favorite include them to your list and omit anything that you are allergic to or overly sensitive as well as if you simply do not like it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

There are several successful projects that the author, Dalbert Burton, has undertaken and homesteading is certainly one of them. In fact, he believes that this has by far been one of the most rewarding things he has ever done in his lifetime.

His wish is that his readers who have been considering this for a while and those who have just started out will receive the same if not better rewards as well as a sense of accomplishment from successfully growing their own food. As such, Dalbert has provided extensive details on how, when and why you should consider doing your own homesteading project.

He is sharing what he has learnt, after much trial and error, about useful soil and how to improve them to make them perform to their optimum level. Not ignoring the fact that there are concerns regarding the conservation of water, Dalbert Burton gives his readers advice on how to go about doing this. One method involves grouping certain plants together that have water requirements that are the same.

The advantages as well as the simplicity of mulching are offered in his book where readers will realize how accessible materials are that can be used for this purpose.

Table of Contents

Publishers Notes

Copyright

Dedication

Chapter 1 - Planning a Garden

Chapter 2 - Improving Your Soil

Chapter 3- Conserving Water

Chapter 4- Mulching in Your Garden and Yard

Chapter 5- Organic Gardening

Chapter 6- Start Your Own Vegetable Garden

Chapter 7- Container Gardening

Chapter 8- Pest and Disease Management

Chapter 9- Edible Wild Plants and Mushrooms

Chapter 10- All The Best Crops To Grow And How

About The Author