Hello from the swamps

[Ruler of the Roost]

Hello,
My wife and I are embarking on quite a journey. We bought a 2 acre home this year and we are beginning down the road to creating a homestead. We got chickens and stuff, so now we are planning a large garden and small orchard. We are currently experimenting with Celery, Romaine Lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and carrots. We are getting ready to expand into banana trees, Mango trees, and we looking forward to starting onions, bell peppers, and I managed to save some cantaloupe seeds. Currently I'm building a larger chicken coop from pallet wood and I'm going to be building a bunch of earth boxes and raised garden beds and trellises. I'm also drawing up plans for making my own green houses, and eventually hydroponic and aeroponic set ups for certain crops. Anyway, we're still in the novice stages of this endeavor, but wish us luck!!!

 

[Meadowlark]

Enjoy the journey...none like it!!


p.s. folks like you are the reason I visit this Forum. I hope you will include us on your journey.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Wishing you luck, sounds like you have quite a bit going on.
Welcome to the forum,

 

[Meadowlark]

.... We are currently experimenting with Celery, Romaine Lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and carrots.

I've been successful at killing several celery plants over the years...but this year I'm on the road to growing an incredible crop of celery. If you're interested, I'll post a picture tomorrow.

Romaine lettuce, although difficult to grow here in a similar climate to yours, is much easier to successfully grow than celery. If interested, I've learned a few things about growing it in this climate over the years...experience is the best teacher

Carrots, no problem. I grow plenty and we almost never buy carrots in the store. Danvers half long is a good one but they all are good I have found. Nantes is the sweetest tasting and Chantenay which is a shorter carrot does very well here also.

Likewise, cherry tomatoes, no problem to grow more than a family can eat. I like the "Super Sweet 100s" as the best tasting cherry tomato and the most prolific of all others I have tried here. In fact, still have a producing plant out there loaded.

I've been growing about 95% of the veggies our family consumes for several years now...all without synthetic fertilizers and pesticides/fungicides/herbicides. No question in my mind that growing your own is absolutely the way to go no matter how you choose to do it.

 

[Meadowlark]

... we looking forward to starting onions,

I have grown well over 200 pounds of onions each year for the past three decades. We also grow some "walking onions" to kind of fill in the gap between harvests when needed but the bulb onions are far superior.

I grow the "Texas Super Sweet 1015 yellow" onion as my primary go to but also have some reds and always a couple of experimentals. Short day onions.

In my climate, which as I mentioned is very similar to yours, I have found over the years that starting the onions from seed on Oct. 15 (thus 1015) and growing them to harvest the following late May is optimal.

Sets are very bad at bolting in our climate. Late planted transplants are also bad at bolting the later you wait to start them in the ground. I have confirmed also that onions started from seed will on average produce significantly larger bulbs at harvest than started sets or transplants. Also, onions started from seed will withstand considerably lower temps than others (down to about 10 deg F without significant loss).

Typically, my bulbs approach 6 inches diameter and weigh in around 2 pounds. The reds which I also grow are smaller, however.

Yellow Super Sweet 1015

Red and yellows

Here's my crop for next year...about 500 or so plants started from seed Oct. 15. About half of them will be used as green onions when thinned.

We also grow a good crop of California soft neck garlic each year with the onions:

Throw in some American leeks for variety:

 

[Meadowlark]

..., bell peppers,

I grow tons of peppers here...haven't bought a store pepper in I can't remember.

I like the mammoth jalapenos. I start from seed (saved seed) each spring and they keep producing all spring, summer, fall. and winter (have several out there right now).

Bell peppers are also excellent, but I have found they virtually stop producing in the heat of summer. My go to is now the Corno Di Toro (aka bull's horn pepper) which is a sweet pepper that produces copiously through the summer heat here. A few chilies now and then but I skip the Carolinas and Habaneros...just too hot to handle.

Sweet Bell Peppers

I have found sweet pepper plants that grow much better in TN hot dry weather than other sweet bell pepper. The name is, Carman Peppers. They look like 7" long Mexican chili peppers but they are very sweet with a very good flavor. The best thing is, they grow ripe peppers all summer in hot...

www.gardening-forums.com

Today's Pickings | Page 52 | Gardening Forums

bells in July

Overwintering Pepper Plants results

I decided to overwinter a Jalapeño plant and a Habanero plant last year.

www.gardening-forums.com

Bull's horn and mammoth jalapenos

 

[Meadowlark]

Hello,
My wife and I are embarking on quite a journey. We bought a 2 acre home this year and we are beginning down the road to creating a homestead. ...

Suggest you consider growing potatoes also. No homestead would be complete without them, IMO.

I grow two crops every year (and have for decades) supplying several hundred pounds of new potatoes each harvest. I save some for seed which you almost have to do for a fall/winter crop here.

I did an experiment you might find interesting...see these threads:

Continuous Supply of Garden fresh New Potatoes | Gardening Forums

In search of potato for East Texas | Page 2 | Gardening Forums

Best Potatoes for Zone 8b ? | Page 2 | Gardening Forums

 

[Meadowlark]

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention corn. It is in my experience the most rewarding veggie one can grow in the home garden. It offers unequaled taste when consumed fresh.

In an effort to have fresh garden corn all summer, I stagger plant for three crops one in June, a second in July and a third in August.

Several folks here like the Honey Select and several the G90.

This is typical daily picking of Honey Select corn:

Here's some relevant threads you might find interesting

Please LMK what sweet corn to grow | Gardening Forums



Best corn varieties for Southeast Coastal Georgia zone 8b? | Gardening Forums

Ready for picking

 

[Meadowlark]

How about some beans?

Beans Beans Beans The Magical Fruit...

They are very easy to grow, very healthy, very easy to store, and best of all taste very good. We grow Blue Lake pole beans, Blue Lake bush beans, Bingo pole beans, Pintos, Canelli, Navy, Cranberry, Asparagus (long) , Missouri Bill and several I've forgotten. The Blue Lake pole bean gives us spring and fall crops which keep us in supply of fresh green beans. Limas and Favas don't do well for me here and I grow them only infrequently.

Some samples:

I like to use cattle panels for my pole beans trellis

Bingos

Canelli

Blue Lake saved for seed next crop

Navy

Cranberry, Bingo, Navy

Pintos...unequaled in refried beans, dips, tacos, etc.

Asparagus (long) beans

Missouri Bill

Cherokee

 

[Meadowlark]

Peas...cow peas, field peas, southern peas by various names are simply excellent in this climate. I grow them primarily for soil replenishment...something that is critical if you garden in the same spot for years. I developed a method that for just pennies will restore your garden soil without synthetic fertilizers.

See thread

Chop and Drop Cow Peas | Page 2 | Gardening Forums

But peas are also great on the table. Black eyes, the old fashioned variety are wonderful eating

Purple hulls are great

My personal favorite is the pink-eye

I also grow varieties of Crowder and Cream peas for slightly different tastes. Field peas will grow here not much else will...100 deg F, 100% humidity. They are my go to crops for summer here.

 

[Meadowlark]

I managed to save some cantaloupe seeds.

The old time Hale's Best is still the best variety for me to grow here.

Hybrid variety Ambrosia is excellent here.

For a different taste, the Israeli melon is delicious

While you are at it...watermelons are fantastic here and very easy to grow. I grow them three sisters style with corn and beans. I love the new seedless varieties such as harvest moon

and triple crown

typical harvest

extras make a terrific healthy juice

These long pie pumpkins do make a wonderful pie for Thanksgiving

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Sets are very bad at bolting in our climate.

It may be climate, but onions are two year plants which flower in their second year, sets of course have grown the first year and would normally flower the second, but should be heat treated. This is not a simple process, it means keeping them at a set temperature for some time, off the top of my head I think it is around 80degrees for most of a fortnight, but I could be quite a bit out. This kills the flower bud without killing the bulb, so it has to be just right, might be climate, might be someone your way doesn't get it quite right.

 

[Anniekay]

It may be climate, but onions are two year plants which flower in their second year, sets of course have grown the first year and would normally flower the second, but should be heat treated. This is not a simple process, it means keeping them at a set temperature for some time, off the top of my head I think it is around 80degrees for most of a fortnight, but I could be quite a bit out. This kills the flower bud without killing the bulb, so it has to be just right, might be climate, might be someone your way doesn't get it quite right.

Growing from seed they flower/ bolt the second year, yes, but sets are second year bulbs so, bolt they will if the temps are really high. I've had it happen, here and there too. our sun is so strong that even when the temps are in the 90's, the bulbs are frying. I've hilled mine up to stop that. It helps, I think.

And to the O P: Good luck growing in the florida muck. If that's what you have.

 

[Meadowlark]

...We are getting ready to expand into banana trees, Mango trees,

No banana trees or Mango trees here.... the Polar Vortex we usually get once a winter precludes those here.

However, we grow some outstanding plum trees that produce fruit that a neighbor uses to make the best jelly you have ever tasted. That stuff is to die for.

Typical plum harvest

Peaches are a bit iffy but the Florida variety seems most dependable. Doesn't require many chilling hours.

Typical peaches we get

Fig trees do very well especially the LSU variety we grow.

Nothing like the taste of Muscadine grapes. We grow several varieties and absolutely love them.

I like a straight Muscadine juice drink...unbelievable

The Razz Mataz grape is completely overpriced, overhyped, and underperforming

Blackberries are a complete natural here especially the Arkansas prime...fantastic!!

Persimmons do very well here especially the Japanese varieties.

Pomegranates are a bit hit or miss here on fruit, but mine admittedly aren't in the best sun location.

Kumquats and Loquats are okay until that aforementioned Polar Vortex takes the temp down to 10 deg F.

Pears are absolutely incredible. My trees are over 50 years old, have never been fertilized and produce stunning numbers of pears...one a cooking variety and the other an eating variety. Wonderful.

Lots of pecans...both native and grafted. They are as good tasting as anything on the market...you just have to beat the squirrels to them.

Native American black walnuts

A Mulberry tree keeps getting knocked back by the PV.

I had raspberries and logan berries but did not like them and found them very invasive.

Strawberries too much work when a neighbor down the way has lots of excess.

Probably missed some but you can see that there are a lot of possibilities.

 

[Meadowlark]

This shows there are a lot of good options for you...and I haven't even begun to touch on the fall/winter veggies...which I will do upon request.