Mar 2010 Personal Preps

[Watchman]

Prepared for the worst, praying for the best.

[Toepopper]

Have been trying to get a garden established on the hillside behind my house. I got a good deal on a bundle of 25 used railroad ties and brought them home in 2 trips in my P.U. truck. They are oak and weigh 185 pounds apiece so getting them into the truck was a major weight lifting workout. I took a chance and backed the truck up the hill in the slick mud to position the truck at a downhill angle so to be able to slide the ties out of the truck as close as possible to where I need them in the garden, to terrace the hillside for planting beds. Still had to move them about 85 feet. I tried to pick up one end and flip it over. That only lasted one try and it was all I could do to flip it so I slept on it and devised a way to drag them into place without killing myself. I looped a small choker chain around one end of a tie and ran a 10' long pipe fence post through the chain with about 3 feet sticking out on the other side of the timber. By lifting up on the fence post I could propel the tie across the hillside about 8" at a time, by making the movement you would make while rowing a boat. The end of the pipe digs into the ground and by pulling up and towards you, the timber has to move forward. I could do this with one hand. A little leverage goes a long way and my terrace wall is starting to develope. I spend about an hour per day digging on the hillside to make the planting beds level and fill in the low spots. One hour is enough digging for this oldtimer. Eventually it will get done.

[acet7]

Just bought some gmo free non-hybrid seeds. Now have to figure out where in the back yard I'm going to plant them. Will do some though in a topsy turvy, my brother in law build his own topsy turvys out of five gallon buckets.

[Toepopper]

OK, I'll take the bait. What is a topsy turvy?

[acet7]

OK, I'll take the bait. What is a topsy turvy?

No bait, they are pretty popular down here in FL as the ground bugs do get at your plants. My brother in-law build one that has 5 differant plants growing in his out of 5 gallon buckets. One plant on the bottom and four on the sides http://www.topsygardening.com/

[Watchman]

Because of unfolding events - politically, earth changes, financially, etc. - we are re-doubling our efforts to completely finish fulfilling our "provisions" list. The provisions list is simply a hand-written list of things we need to accomplish our preparedness goals. It is divided into: food, medical/health, personal care, and other. I believe we will be dragged into an Iran war by the one-worlders (such as Rick Perry in TX - no matter what, these people are still being elected by dumb [Wash My Mouth]). Sometimes I get the feeling that no matter what the population wants, either a downright socialist will (has) be elected, or a one-worlder - both after the same goal - enslavement.

[SS5R]

Last week there was a stone and tile shop that was getting rid of some shipping crates and pallets. I picked up two shipping crates. They are really nice. One measures about 3ft X 3ft X 18” deep the other is a little bigger and a little deeper. I am going to use them as raised beds in addition to my garden. The shallower one is going to be for herbs and onions and since the other one is deeper I am going to plant potatoes in it as they like a little more acidic soil. I was thinking it would be easy to make one of these into a rabbit hutch and with Easter around the corner there will be a lot of people giving away rabbits in a month or so when they get tired of them and the novelty wears off.

[whitewolf]

Preps.....

Just a quick note with Good Friday just around the corner. My wife and I are getting our potato bed ready for this year's planting. We use only heirloom red seed potatoes and we grow them in straw instead of soil. This might sound a bit strange to some but the potatoes are wonderful. You don't need to dig or prepare the ground with back breaking work and you don't lose any to shovel damage. Our potatoes are planted on Good Friday and in August we begin enjoying our "taters" with a full harvest after the fall frost. If you're interested in trying this method this is how we do it. Lay cardboard on the ground in the area you have chosen for your potato bed. Wet cardboard throroughly, cover with compost add another layer of cardboard, wet thoroughly. Lay seed potatoes on cardboard, cover with straw, put more compost on top of straw. As plants begin to poke through keep adding straw and compost until you have approx 16 inches deep. As straw thins keep adding more straw to keep potatoes in the dark. Keep straw moist, but not soggy. When you are ready to enjoy some spuds just move the straw and take what you need. Replace straw and enjoy your harvest while the rest of your corp keeps growing. It is fun and few corps yield more than the potato. In hard times you can feed alot of hungry mouths with just a little effort and they store all winter at approx. 34 degrees, anyone can do it.

This spring we found a 1800's working farm and have enjoyed gleaning from the "old timers". Their wealth of knowledge and teaching skills as been a highlight of this March's prep. One of the teachers has saved sweet potatoes and still plants from his grandfather's saved seed some 75 years ago. We have also tapped maple trees and made syrup (42 gallons of sugar maple sap makes 1 gallon of syrup)! On the southern side of a tree, bucket height from the ground make a 7/16 inch hole with about a 10 degree slope towards the bucket. To make the sprue we used a 6 inch stem from a straghorn summac tree. We then whittled 4 inches to 1/2 diameter carving the pith from the middle. On the full round end we whittled to 7/16 and inserted into the tree. On a warm day following a cold night you can expect a full gallon of sap per day. So far, this spring has proven to be quite a blessing.

Whitewolf