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Wella Balsam 34 posts |
Oct 15, 2001, 00:39
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I've been forced (without wanting) to move into a flat for the next 9 months due to job changes and a lack of respect from the powers that be. I was so shocked when I couldn't find a nice dwelling in the new town (the second in a month!) that I stared at a bottle of Wella Balsam for an hour as I soaked in the bath, hence my name til I regain my rural dignity. But the thing is, it has turned out to be pretty cool. I have already visited huge Celtic forts and gorgeous landscapes around here (one must not forget the land surrounds us all wherever we may be) and I still do not spend more than is needed, except for travelling. No shops, no crap. So I was wondering, after buying some local produce from a lady in the mountains, how easy it is to go self-sustainable? Say, grow your own produce and all. I know this has been talked about previously but I don't remember the conclusions. We're all city dwellers but this is my ultimate aim. Food is a necessity, the rest is not. Where should I start? M'Lard of Tal-I-Qu'am
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RiotGibbon 1527 posts |
Oct 15, 2001, 16:18
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all depends what you're after, really you can probably grow/forage all your own food, but if you want to, say, pick up your email, then you're in trouble We got by for millions of years in self-sustainable communities, so it should still be possible now - we're bred to depend on others for things that (hush now) we might not actually really need. The question isn't really *can* you do it, but more do you *want* to break the chains that keep you in "civilisation" It's like our rabbit ... in the wild, a noble, self-sufficient beast, bowing to no-one in it's quest for carrots and sex. In our back garden, a cute bundle of fluff who's idea of a laugh is to hide under the shed for a bit, until it gets hungry and comes out for a nutritious bunny-grub meal ... RG
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Wella Balsam 34 posts |
Oct 16, 2001, 00:10
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Heh! H&S is shite. Was actually thinking of summat more natural, like egg yolk...you know?
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Wella Balsam 34 posts |
Oct 16, 2001, 00:14
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ta, master gibz, I relate to that. I'll be more specific, having seen how easy it is to grow plants I was wondering how much space do I need for, say, a few tomatoes, carrots and potatoes and how long will it take before the insects get to them? I am not a landowner so I am thinking in terms of gardens or backyards maximum. Has anyone got any practical experience on this? I guess I'd ultimately never say no to an ice-cream from time to time but you know what I mean.
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FourWinds 10943 posts |
Oct 16, 2001, 09:00
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Last year I said to my daughters that they could buy some seeds and have part of our garden for themselves. My eldest (and MTV-est) daughter plumped for sunflowers and some other pretty things. My youngest (and hippy-est) went for carrots and obergines. Anyway, for the carrots I built a box about 8ft in length and 18 inches wide. As carrots need at least 4 inches between them this harvested a fair amount of large carrots and a lot of beautiful baby carrots as we thinned them out. The space is needed to stop root rot (and such like). 99 pence and some scrap wood for 4 months carrots. pretty good gowing. The obergines produced only 1 fruit, but I think that was down to them being uncovered. Tomatoes can be easily grown in similar troughs or grow bags. 3 good plants to a bag. All you need is a cloche or homemade baby greenhouse. Any old polythene stretched around a wooden frame will do, a great way to reuse some of the stuff. Potatos need a lot more room, say 3ft x 3ft per plant, and a lot of digging. One recommendation from a friend of mine is to grow runner beans up tee-pee like frames and carrots in the middle. I don't know how well this works or how much it depleats the soil. There are so many books on growing veg in an urban garden, full of good tips for rotation practices. A visit to a large library should do the job.
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Proserpine 195 posts |
Oct 16, 2001, 15:18
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Just this summer, started planting a few pots & a window box. Used seeds from bought veg - peppers, tomatoes, apples, oranges to see which would work, if any. Don't think I'm giving them the right spacing, but all seem to be popping up OK - the best seem to be the peppers (got one or two baby peppers coming on now!). Even buried an avocado stone & that shot up at first, now not a lot happening. Any hints on avocados? Let's Grow Together, as Zion Train say!
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Estelle 89 posts |
Oct 18, 2001, 12:46
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The best way to grow potatoes in a small space is in a tower of old tyres. You plant 3 tubers into one tyre, filled with compost, on the open ground. When the leaves are about 6" above the top of the tyre, put on second tyre and fillup with more compost. As plants grow, keep adding tyres and filling till you see flowers. remove flowers, wait a few days. Knock over tower and collect potatoes, most will be inside tyre area. This method avoids digging and produces large crops. Regular watering and plant feed are your only other jobs. I would advise you to buy seed because seed saved from bought food are either commercial strains that require chemical support or hybrids(a marrow can be pollinated by a gourd, for example, and the plant grown from the resulting seed will taste disgusting) Borrow a copy of 'the Vegetable Expert' from the local library, or any of Geoff Hamilltons books. They will be the most usefull. Tomatoes are hard work, and need a lot of care,best in a polytunnel or greenhouse. Try tough plants that need less effort, like chard, lovege,carrots. Most beans and peas are good croppers, but the soil has to be prepared beforehand. If you have a freezer, 2 rows should provide as many as you will want in a year. DTBrown s catalogue sells organic seeds of loads of veg, herbs and the helpful plants that encourage the good bugs. Good Luck.
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RiotGibbon 1527 posts |
Oct 18, 2001, 12:50
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"I'll be more specific" heh --- I thought you were going to go for a full "back-to-nature" job --- running naked through mountain streams and all that ...
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Wella Balsam 34 posts |
Oct 20, 2001, 11:42
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yo, 'pine! hope yer fine! already planted some leeks and amazing how fast they've rocketed up!
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Wella Balsam 34 posts |
Oct 20, 2001, 11:45
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me? the third earl of tal'i'qram? running naked thru mountain streams? with my reputation?
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