Author Topic: Very Basic Gardening  (Read 2925 times)

Offline Jackalope

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Very Basic Gardening
« on: June 03, 2022, 11:25:24 PM »
    What would you do if there's no petroleum based fuels available, and electricity no longer flows, yet you need to prepare a garden bed?

    Well, as a limited experiment, we're attempting to turn over our garden using old-fashioned tools.  Now our garden has been rototilled previously using a tractor and later an electric rototiller, earlier in the spring.  However, now we're adding soil amendments, i.e., natural fertilizer(animal manure), and minerals such as dolomite (lime).  We're using a wheel hoe that has five finger harrow attachment, and a four tined broadfork.  Our garden is about three quarters planted already, and we've used the wheel hoe for most of the bed preparation.  In my estimation, the wheel hoe worked as quickly as our electric rototiller, though it required more physical effort.  I could vary the depth of harrow penetration by pushing down more forcefully on the handlebars of the wheel hoe.  I prepped probably 750-800 sq ft of the garden so far.  Results have been positive thus far, as we did some soil preparation on Tuesday, and we've already got okra and zucchini plants popping out on Friday.  i intend to use the wheel hoe on all the garden paths, to control weeds, throughout the summer.

     Tomorrow, we'll be adding the soil amendments to the remaining un-planted garden area, using the broadfork, to ensure the new nutrients get deep into the existing soil.  The wheel hoe will be used for final soil preparation.

      I thought it would be a good idea to try these techniques while we still have a supermarket safety net.  At this point, it looks like a workable solution for a family garden.  The same equipment could be used for a limited market garden; the farmer would need to be in good shape and he/she would need to be prepared for some long days.  The broadfork is a heavy implement, on the order of 20-25 pounds, and using it is a very physical activity. 

      For the most part, this experiment has been a non-event, except for the additional physical activity.  The final soil preparation results have been similar to a traditional rototiller, yet it has less impact on soil biomes.  We're not organic gardeners, but we do try to avoid un-needed chemicals in our gardens, and this non-mechanized tilling method does seem to work well in our situation.  We'll continue the experiment, for now.

Online JohnyMac

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Re: Very Basic Gardening
« Reply #1 on: June 04, 2022, 09:10:04 AM »
GREAT Report and experiment. Thank you for taking the time to share.

Please include links to the implements so we can check them out and buy.  ;)
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Offline Sir John Honeybucket

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Re: Very Basic Gardening
« Reply #2 on: June 04, 2022, 12:49:57 PM »
Though we have an electric rototiller, I tend - like you - to use hand tools, like a pick and mattock, HEAVY grub hoe, spading fork &etc. to DOUBLE DIG the beds and to break-up what we laughingly call 'soil' here.  It's very hard parked dirt with basically no organic material in there - but that is improving with year on year gardening. I use leaves, forest floor 'mulch and grass clippings, run through a small walk behind mower while we can still afford gas.  Make a THICK layer of this mulch and if the bed is not needed right away, I cover it with cardboard to speed the break-down of the organic material until the bed is needed. Once this is noticed by worms, the result is gratifying.

Sources for ideas:

youtube: David the Good 

Survival Gardener:      https://survivalgardener.com/
YT : David The Good:         https://www.youtube.com/c/davidthegood
YT : The Wartime Garden: https://youtu.be/rLBRK5Tf1I4 - In English, which I can translate to AMERICAN if required ;-)
YT: The Dutch Farmer:  https://thedutchfarmer.com/  see especially how yo convert a law/unused land to food garden.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aNOPuXHCLQ

I enjoy pipe tobacco and the occasional cigar.  I specifically save the cigar butts in a capped can, to be used for making off-grid nicotine insecticide.  Because tobacco and tomatoes are in the same 'nightshade family', I do NOT use it on the tomatoes, because is might infect within the same species, if disease in present in my spent cigar butts. It did wonders on the apple tree &etc.



- Sir John Honeybucket
« Last Edit: June 04, 2022, 10:18:15 PM by Sir John Honeybucket »
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Offline Jackalope

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Re: Very Basic Gardening
« Reply #3 on: June 04, 2022, 07:39:59 PM »
I've attached a couple of photos of the wheel hoe and the broadfork that we're using.  The wheel hoe was made by Lambert Company, and I believe that it's close to being an antique, though it works well.  I like the solid steel wheel, as it's practically indestructible.  A similar wheel hoe is available on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Earthway-Tubular-Steel-Cultivator-6500/dp/B0009U5RDG

The brooadfork is available in different models from LAM Welding in Ohio.  They sell their products on ebay and amazon.  Here's an amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/LAM-Forks-Small-Broadfork/dp/B07532DHND/ref=sr_1_3  The LAM broadfork is very sturdy and robust, I've pried up a 40-50 lb. rock without any problems. 

We actually have two wheel hoes, as I feel it's that important to have a spare.  In a total grid down situation, these tools could make the critical difference in food production.

Sir John's recommendation regarding David the Good is spot on.  David the Good has written several books too regarding gardening, and they're excellent, and of course, available on Amazon.  We actually bought hard copies, so they're in our civilization reboot library, one is Grow or Die and the other is Push the Zone.

Online JohnyMac

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Re: Very Basic Gardening
« Reply #4 on: June 05, 2022, 02:22:54 PM »
Sir John and jackalope. Thanks you for all your information.  :cheers:
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Offline Nemo

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Re: Very Basic Gardening
« Reply #5 on: June 05, 2022, 04:03:54 PM »
YT : The Wartime Garden: https://youtu.be/rLBRK5Tf1I4 - In English, which I can translate to AMERICAN if required ;-)

- Sir John Honeybucket


Joke if you must but I have been to Britain and there is great differences in the spoken language.  They nearly require one to be bilingual to get more than boiled meat and beer.


Nemo
« Last Edit: June 05, 2022, 04:06:27 PM by Nemo »
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