#growveges

[pumpkinupsidedowncake]

I recently went through a phase of watching/reading a lot of homesteading content online, and I’ve been looking up gardening information as well. I can’t speak as someone who’s actually done this stuff, just as someone who’s looked into it. (Actual recommendations in bullet points below)

The majority of homesteaders making content are some flavor of right-leaning. It doesn’t always come up, but there’ll be undertones of “ew government” and “preservatives are evil”. The term self-sufficiency specifically seems to appeal to that collection of people, with less emphasis on broader communal ties and more on the nuclear family.

There are exceptions, but expect a degree of woo-woo to be present if you’re looking at random blogs and youtube videos. Herbal remedies may be brought up. If you aren’t looking at stuff about livestock, there will hopefully be less of that. Or less of the attitude of using plants as a replacement for medicine, anyway.

I haven’t focused on cooking, and my advice is to find homestead/plant information separately from cooking info. I think all my recommendations that have recipes attached are ok, but I haven’t checked in detail. If you have any go-to sources of recipes already, you may be better off using or modifying those. Otherwise if you want to read a recipe without the commentary in front of it, you could use the “just the recipe” website. (Copy and paste a recipe page’s url, see the recipe without the preamble or pop-up ads.)

Gardening guides vary in many ways, but I’ve had a better experience with them than homestead related content. If you want an article or video on how to grow a specific type of plant, there will be a good amount of practical advice. Video titles are more likely to tell you how much B.S. is present, in general.

Below are some sources of information I’d recommend.

Youtube recommendations:

Parkrose Permaculture: based in Portland, Angela talks about a broad range of topics. Even if you’re not interested in permaculture design, I find her takes to be a breath of fresh air. She cares about sustainability and inclusivity while occupying a similar niche to many creators who do not. Also there’s guides on unusual fruits!

GrowVeg: what it says on the tin. A lot of great guides on how to grow specific vegetables. Minimal shilling of a garden planner. Meant to appeal to a wide audience. Good information on common pests and diseases.

Epic Gardening: a greater variety of content than GrowVeg, also has a different vibe. More millennial-ish. There’s more clickbaity thumbnails, but also more guides on unusual plants. Side channels include Epic Homesteading and Jaques in the Garden. I’m fairly certain they’re the individual channels of two of the guys. They have a similar vibe to the main channel, maybe a little more conversational or laid back. They also have/are a gardening store.

MIGardener: also is/has a gardening store. Growing guides and tips, and insight from someone who’s both a home gardener and has experience working in the commercial gardening world. Good information on starting seeds indoors.

Website recommendations:

Almanac: you know the old farmer’s almanac? This is their website. If you’re in the U.S. they have planting guides specific to any zip code or city, which is really neat. They do have guides for planting by the moon, which at the very least doesn’t work for the reasons people say it does, but its status as a traditional planting technique makes me care less. Either way you’re planting it at an appropriate time. Their food content seems good, the introductions are short and to the point. They have growing guides for fruits, vegetables, flowers, and more.

National Center for Home Food Preservation: if you’re into canning or other methods of preserving food, this has safety tips and some recipes.

Plants For A Future: database of a bunch of plants with different uses. I would use this to see what’s out there and then find a different source with specific information on one plant you’re into. If you want to see what plants of specific types could grow in your area, it’s pretty handy. There’s sections on different uses of each plant, like how you can eat it, which is cool. However, it also has a section on medicinal uses, which is interesting historically, but as soon as the uses go beyond curing a stomachache I get concerned. This recommendation isn’t particularly relevant if you’re sticking to widely gardened foodstuffs, but I found it neat so it’s here.

I long to have a vegetable garden, homestead & cook all of my meals one day - but in trying to learn about the lifestyle I encounter a staggering amount of fatphobic/diet culture “WELLNESS” and “clean eating” crap. there’s a lot of supremacy in their attitude, almost as if saying “i’m smarter and better than everyone because I don’t eat ___.” I see creators who grow their own food because they claim that “the government is poisoning you!” the conspiracy nonsense is everywhere. the wellness to alt-right pipeline is real, y’all.

that being said, does anyone have any recommendations for resources on gardening, homesteading, and self-sustainability that aren’t fatphobic or woo-woo? it’s getting hard to avoid!

[ediblegardenspointloma]

In My San Diego Garden and Kitchen

Not everyone likes beets but they’re on my top ten favorite vegetables list. They store well in my fridge for several months and the enjoyment and recipe trials are extended. I plant them close together—about 80 seeds using a wire grid in a 24 x 48 inch area. I use the recommended seed priming method described at GrowVeg. Their method resulted in about a 90% germination rate.

I planted them mid-October and over the winter they are established but only size up in the spring with more daylight. I pull larger ones as the season progresses, leaving room for smaller ones to grow. Most years I grow Baby Ball, a Dutch variety from Renee’s Garden. They maintain their quality small or oversized.

With my mandoline, I sliced the harvested beets 1/8 inch thick. The task would have been nearly impossible without the tool.

A beet galette was a new adventure for me. I sauteed spring onions in olive oil then added brown sugar and balsamic vinegar and reduced to a spreading consistency. Herbed goat cheese and fresh thyme proceeded the sliced beets.

In haste, I forgot to sprinkle with fresh thyme. The beet galette was memorable—tender, sweet beets enfolded in a flaky crust. I may repeat this soon.

The three large beets yielded more slices than needed for the galette so I sliced them for salads and also sauteed strips in olive oil as a side dish.

My neighbor who only likes beet greens happily takes beet greens beyond what I can use.

With extra beet slices I also made a black bean and rice entree. Lime juice and roasted pistachios added interest. This is an “every beet season” favorite.

A second sowing of golden sweet snow peas supplements the meager first round.

The patio Bountiful Blue blueberry bush is just starting to produce. This just as I saw a lovely male bluebird in the backyard. My neighbor covers her blueberry bushes, preferring not to leave them for the bluebirds.

The calendulas were just waking up from a cool overnight as I gathered them for Sunday’s church bouquet.

Check the What I’m Planting Now page as I begin to plant the summer garden. Then head today to Harvest Monday, hosted by Dave at Happy Acres blog and see what garden bloggers around the world harvested last week.

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[scarletwitchie2]

What's Cookin' Italian Cuisine FB

GrowVeg FB Yep!

My Twisted Inner Child FB

[justsuri]

Harvesting my Chinese spinach.. #rareseedsdotcom #chinesespinach #feelingblessed #thankful #growyourownfood #growveges #homegarden #abundance #homesteadinglifestyle https://www.instagram.com/p/B1e6QDbgEpK/?igshid=myef15xrxasn

[bumblebeeappletree]

💛 📖 See the GrowVeg book here: https://www.growveg.com/growveg-the-b....

Spring is finally arriving, so to help you save a little money why not try our simple homemade plant pot ideas?

Whatever you're planning to grow this year, using common materials from around your home you can quickly create environmentally friendly pots in a range of useful sizes.

In this video we explain the best recycled materials to use when making your pots and demonstrate how to produce containers which are perfect to start your seedlings in.

If you love growing your own food, why not take a look at our online Garden Planner which is available from several major websites and seed suppliers:

http://www.GrowVeg.com

http://gardenplanner.motherearthnews.com

http://gardenplanner.almanac.com

and many more...

To receive more gardening videos subscribe to our channel here: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_c...

[the-re-farmer]

Recommended: GrowVeg

Welcome to my second “Recommended” series. Here, you’ll find various sites and channels that I’ve been enjoying and wanted to share with you. With so many people currently looking to find ways to be more self sufficient or prepared for emergencies, that will be the focus for most of these, but I’ll also be adding a few that are just plain fun. Please feel free to leave a comment or make your own…

[casaceoil]

All sizes, shapes and colours...who said beetroots had to be deep red. I love the variety of vegetables you can grow and never find in the shops. .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ ⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ #growsomethinggreen #vegetablegardening #kitchengarden #gyo #ediblegarden #growyourown #vegetablegarden #homegrown #eatwhatyougrow #vegetables #growveg #harvest #homegrownveggies #loveireland #tourismireland #thisisireland #discoverireland #rawireland #ireland #exploreireland #holidayhome #airbnbhost #airbnb #holidayrental #makeabreakforit #westofireland ⁣#farmlife #countryliving #farm #countrylife (at Casa Ceoil) https://www.instagram.com/p/CD6zEr6h3xp/?igshid=1o3g1lo5z01jb

[thelivingcentre-blog]

Just harvested #growninsg #supportlocal #urbanfarming #growveg #vegetables #lettuce (at The Living Centre) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5AbV9lgyxV/?igshid=qucwrr79a4s4

[dashvegan]

Using locally grown seasonal organic vegetables is at the very heart of what we do here at Dash Garden Cafe and what could be more local than our own cafe doorstep and courtyard?! We have herbs planted up for us by @amcgardens in upcycled @honest_toil cans, nasturtiums in upcycled @sumawholefoods cans and salad leaves in a beautiful old container owned by @thinkin_ng A sustainable zero waste garden cafe in action! ♡ . . . #zerowastelifestyle #zerowasteshop #zerowastenottingham #nottinghamplasticfree #nottinghamzerowaste #zeowastecafe #vegancafe #sustainable #growyourown #gardencafe #vegannottingham #nottinghamvegans #lovelycontainers #upcycled #recycled #livingsustainably #zerowastelife #zerowasteliving #growveg #growherbs #eatlocal #notforprofitscafe #whatsoninnottingham #potd (at Dash Garden Cafe & Zero Waste Store) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx5ArmLJ4Bh/?igshid=1wtcnyjz1fer6

[notquiteahomestead]

This little stinker is wicked excited that the #rootcrops are doing so well! #notquiteahomestead #urbanhomestead #urbangarden #gettoknowahomesteader #letthembelittle #growveg #vegetablegarden #gardentonevstrifecta #firstyeargarden #veggies #gardenerintraining #radishes #carrots #beets #seedsnow #migardenerseeds #huerta @highmowingorganicseeds @migardener @seeds_now @espomaorganic (at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia) https://www.instagram.com/p/BwsELlAFHSb/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=o9g02ufux1kr

[greenstuff-garden]

The new garden is getting its first beds!

I'm going for a more organic design than the straight lines on my growveg plan. The veggies will also be mixed, the only system will be one kind of brassica per bed (if they look similar as young plants). Hoping it'll work, but still a lot to do!

[ediblegardenspointloma]

Saving Tomato Seeds

This tomato was the most luscious and well-formed one from my summer garden. It is a ‘Black Krim’ grown from seed saved four years ago. Saving seed allows you to select the highest quality tomatoes with the characteristics you want and grow them the next year. Each successive season the plants are better adapted to the local climate and growing conditions.

This was the tomato to save the seed for next year’s crop. I carefully teased the seed from the tomato then savored each wedge. The dark red-purple skin was perfect, the flesh firm but juicy and the flavor rich and sweet. ‘Black Krim’ is an heirloom from Russia and scores high in taste tests. The brown/green/purple shoulders darken with more heat and sunlight.

Since it had been several years since I had saved tomato seed I did a search to review methods. I was pleased to find an excellent piece by my online garden mentor, Barbara Pleasant at GrowVeg.com. Check her concise descriptions of three ways to save tomato seed.

Three Ways to Save Tomato Seeds

These little salad tomatoes came from Suzi’s Farm in San Diego. I was so taken by their flavor, appearance and performance I saved the seed four years ago. I suspect the tomato might be Stupice. In a difficult tomato-growing season this year they were reliable so again, I selected the best for seed saving.

I decided to use fermentation as described by Barbara Pleasant. This process cleans the seed of the gelantinous sac that surrounds each seed and prevents germination. I let my seed mixture sit on the kitchen counter for the recommended 24 hours. Older methods prescribed four to five days with the formation of a moldy scum. I’m happy to have the shorter time frame and no mold.

The seeds are ready to wash. Some sources recommend non-chlorinated water so I used boiled and cooled tap water.

The seed is cleaned and ready to dry.

The seeds have been drying for a week and I’ll leave them a little longer in our climate where the humidity runs about 70% most of the time. Barbara says they are ready to store when “they feel dry and papery and crack when folded in half with tweezers.” Be sure to write the name of the seeds on the plate if you are drying more than one variety. My seeds have stayed viable for as long as five years when stored properly.

You may also want to read her instructions for simple drying if you only need to keep the seeds for one to two years. I plan to try that method too. The Seed Savers Exchange also has instructions for saving tomato seeds. At the end of the post you’ll also find an older post with a link to a webinar on saving tomato seed.

It’s that time of the growing season for many gardeners. Pick your best tomatoes and save seed.

[diygabl]

9 APPS THAT CAN HELP ANY GARDENER OR FARMER From garden planning, plant identification, and pollination, here are 9 apps that can help make a difference Most are available in both the Apple and Android store Grow & Tell https://goo.gl/xbPaOv What grows where? On Grow&Tell, share what vegetables grew well, which didn't grow so well, and which ones tasted best. See what other gardeners near you are growing, and download your own personal gardening journal. Agsquared https://goo.gl/rJLy2w Record keeping software tailor-made for your farm. Pocket Rain Gauge https://goo.gl/6AeZBJ Brings accurate, location-specific rainfall measurements delivered instantly. FarmLogs https://goo.gl/IxQSbU FarmLogs provides field information, alerts, and recommendations to help you prevent unnecessary yield loss and improve profitability across your entire operation. CANOPEO https://goo.gl/uGk2nC RAPID AND ACCURATE GREEN CANOPY COVER MEASUREMENT TOOL BeetClock https://goo.gl/LepjDo BeetClock is a record-keeping app designed to meet the unique needs of small farmers. Use your smartphone to track the time you invest in every crop. ID Weeds https://goo.gl/HkUC5T Identify weeds in your garden Burpee Garden Time https://goo.gl/Yeiurw The Garden Time app from Burpee is the perfect tool to help gardeners know when to sow, transplant and expect to harvest vegetables and herbs specific to their garden region. The app automatically creates a task list to notify the user when their next sow or transplant date arrives. Included within the app is a full database of plants, local weather, and links to how-to gardening videos. GrowVeg https://goo.gl/t9y36T Garden Planner helps you design the best layout for your vegetable garden. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv_7WbEn_gM/?igshid=my7o2eqv1wit

[granny-core]

hi!! do u have any youtube channels related to gardening to suggest?? have a great day 💚

Hi! My faves are GrowVeg and California Gardening (the guy runnning California Gardening has such a calming, kind voice)! If anybody else has some channels to share, please do! I hope you day is lovely too 🧡🧡

[tracytomchikppbytt]

Grow Salads in Winter - Here’s How...

Learn essential gardening techniques in next to no time with a Gardening How-To video series

The main growing season may be drawing to a close, but that doesn’t mean you need to go without luscious fresh salad leaves during the months ahead from GrowVeg – the creators of the Garden Planner. Grow Salads in Winter – Yes, Really! Many popular salad leaves can be harvested right up until the darkest days, and then bounce back into growth again in spring. In this short video follow…

[gardeningpromo]

Here are some clever gardening hacks to make gardening a little easier this year. They’re six simple tips that I found on a Youtube channel called GrowVeg. http://gardeningpromo.lebenstyle.fun/2020/02/here-are-some-clever-gardening-hacks-to.html