i would like some help designing & maintaining a victory garden for next spring any suggestions and links would be most apprieciated.i have about 12 adult family members that would need an extra source of {nutruition sp?} i have a backyard that is about 1/4 acre in size but there is a old septic tank and leach field system under some of it. the house is now hooked up to the city sewer system. i am between portland,oregon & salem,oregon.

thanks in advance.

-- victor (victor@victorygarden.net), December 08, 1999

Answers

Vitamins are cheap. Buy a bunch. Rice is cheap. Protein (beans, soybean/tvp, pork) is cheap. Buy a bunch. Wheat is cheap. I got 50 pound bags (organic, no less!) from a local "green/hip" bakery for about $35 a bag. Cheap, I thought.

Get some yeast; also cheap.

Oil (vegetable, canola, etc.) is cheap and very high in calories (energy). There's a reason that oil has always been precious in history; it keeps you alive. Buy a bunch.

That being said, I've gardened as a hobby for many, many years. Go the library and read up; learn about "making good soil" (the key) and about bio-intensive gardening -- which lets you grow the most in the smallest space.

You don't need snippets of info from here. You need a few good books and some enjoyable time reading them.

Good luck!

-- joe (joe@adeveroper.net), December 08, 1999.

I'm an amateur. I just started. So far I have some brocholli coming up and some onions. I also bought some cauliflower in little containers and they are getting bit--the leaves. We'll see. I will plant more; I do have seeds. It is a bit exciting.

-- Mara (MaraWayne@aol.com), December 08, 1999.

Veector my friend, jus lissen to mee, plahnt lots n lots of marawaaahnaa plahnts, and yeeewwweell bee jus fiiiine, my friend. Deees is aaall you neeeed, beeeleeve mee maaahn.

-- rhasta mahn (smokin@beeg.spleeefs), December 08, 1999.

Get this book: Square foot gardening. It's the best way to intensively farm that much land, but do like Joe says, and get your food storage! Read those books!

-- formerly (formerly@nowhere.zzz), December 09, 1999.

Look in the archives here, you will find the categories at the bottom of the page.

The Square Foot Gardening book is at amazon.com or most any book dealer.

I plan on using that info, plus Basket Gardening, and a Tire Garden for potatoes. You can get really creative and have some type of veggie garden for all physical capabilities or limitations.

Buy extra seeds so you can plant 2 weeks to a month apart and have a continuous supply of vegetables spring, summer, fall. Good Luck!

-- Sammie (sammiex0@hotmail.com), December 09, 1999.

Nonhybrid seeds if you can get them. Your local county cooperative extension service office (check directory assistance or phone book under government listings) usually has good gardening set-up info, pamphlets, instruction sheets, and a network of Master Gardeners with free advice.

-- (normally@ease.notnow), December 09, 1999.

Victor,

I agree with the above.... get books!

But if you have no time and need instant answers.....

1) buy potting soil (to start your seeds in)

2) plenty of hybrid seeds (to plant in the year of 2000. Hybrid seeds taste better, have a better yeild, and are more hardy.

3) buy a good verity of non-hybrid seeds.... for the following years.(I would try to plant 'some' of the non-hybrid seeds this comming spring. See how they do... and best case, increase your stock)

4) buy canning jars, lids, canner, and a book on how to can. (having fresh veggies are great.... but even greater is being able to enjoy them in January)

5)You will need gardening tools.... tiller if you have the extra $s, and some gas stocked up. Otherwise... hand tools (plenty of them... if you have 12 adults to feed....they can hoe)

6)Plant wide rows. (Less weeding, more produce, less space needed)

I cant really tell you 'how much' to plant... because it all depends on too many other things. But my best guess would be... plant as much as you can. Your biggest problem will be getting that lawn turned into a garden.... it is not easy. Grass has a way of comming back. You will have to spend every morning, EVERY morning hoeing! 'How much' to plant also depends on if you want to suplament you food supply for the summer only or if you plan on canning also.

I will tell you what I do... maybe that can help you.

We have a garden 60'X 60'. Fenced in so the chickens cant get to it. I plant 5-60' rows of potatoes... that is about one 50# bag of seed potatoes. It yeilds about 300# back. (We carried 15 5gal buckets, then put them in nylon bags and on into our cold storage). 1 row of green beans. 1/2 row of peas, 1/2 row of carrots. 1 row with a verity of broccli, cauiflower, etc.. 1 row of tomatoes.....you dont need many tomatoe plants to produce alot of fruit. 2 rows of sweet corn (cant have too much corn). We have a peranual section of the garden too.... it has strawberrys, herbs, grape vines, onions, garlic, and chives. I'm sure I forgot a few things... but you get the idea. Now all of this feeds a family of 2 adults, 3 children. I can much, freese much, and give some away. But I dont buy canned veggies at the store... only lettice in the winter.

Hope this helps. Bulldog

Mara,

If you havent already... get 'seven dust' for your cauiflower. If you plan on having an organic garden and not use some sort of pesticides....then you should plan on not having any cauiflower, broccli, or brustle sprouts. You just cant keep bugs from totaly destroying these wonderful veggies. At least I can't without 'seven dust'. It sounds like the plants are fairly new.... not too late.

Hope this helps.

-- bulldog (sniffin@around.com), December 09, 1999.

go for the weeds.

No, not like rhasta man.

Put in some "weed" plants that will take very little care, will self- propagate, and/or plants that few people will see as stealable food.

Some good candidates are Jerusalem Artichokes (aka sunchokes) Burdock Dandilions Daylillies Nasturtiams (sp?) dock amaranth scarlett runner beans

Another area to consider is "odd" vegetables that are not the normal varieties, things like tomatoes that are still green when ripe so they do not get raided as badly, beans that people in your area may not know if they are edible or poisonous, plants that look like part of the landscaping but are actually edible.

More ideas at the PFAF site

-- tree (thetrees@bigfoot.com), December 09, 1999.

BullDog...you are very wrong re not being able to have organic bug free califlower, brocalli, etc. I know...I have been both a master gardener and my farm was certified organic by the State of Washington. There is a product that is a bacillus that you spray on those crops every 10 days and you won't have any problems. This bacillus works on anything that eats the leaves or fruit...mostly worms. Its called Bacillus Thurengis (sp)and is available everywhere. It will not hurt bees, you could drink the bottle down and not have any problems. My garden would not live with out it. Now....if someone would just invent something for all the viruses and fungis that we have here in Florida.

Taz

-- Taz (Tassi123@aol.com), December 09, 1999.

On how large, the consenses by most is 400 sq. feet per person. That's when you grow successive crops. Grow plenty of what you want to can or dry for the following winter. GROW ONLY WHAT YOU REALLY LIKE TO EAT! Good luck. Oh, yeah, get that soil in shape. Take samples to your local farm extension service (check white pages) for testing, then buy the amendments you need now.

-- D.J. Phillips (gardengal@land.com), December 09, 1999.

How to Grow More Vegetables Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine : A Primer on the Life-Giving Biodynamic/French Intensive Method -- John Jeavons; Paperback

or How to Grow More Vegetables : Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops by John Jeavons

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), December 09, 1999.

Read the labels on the seed packages. Some will tell you how many years the seeds are good. Most will go a couple years, tomatoes may go four years. So if you can's find nonhybrid seeds go ahead and use the other. If you have left over for next year save them in a cool dark spot. Some may not make it, but many will.

God Bless

-- Gay Boling (wilber@montanasky.net), December 09, 1999.