Fastest growing edible plants.

Vege's are great and tasty but they'll keep you alive but humans over the last 10k years have become acclimated dietarily to grains. In the US, corn is the main native grain and you should plan on growing some as well as potatoes. They're packed with carbohydrates. There is always some form of carbohydrates plant that is native to your particular region. Mesquite grows very well through out the Southwest deserts for instance. Rice will be well suited to the swampier areas of the Southeast. You should also pick plants that grow well without irrigation. Your yield will be greatly reduced but at least you'll have a yield. You should never count on a single crop for survival because the weather might not cooperate. That's what caused the Irish potato famine. The most important tool a person can have for survival is well thought out but flexible plan and in-depth knowledge of your environment/surroundings.

reply to post by reblazed


reply to post by bigfoot1212



Of course you can grow tomatoes in a 5 gal bucket, but that doesn't mean the endeavor is worthwhile in terms of cost or efficiency, and if it's not, then what's the point other than satisfying some need for a hobby that wastes more resources than it provides.

I have grown tomatoes in everything from rockwool to SoCal clay, and there is no way you can tell me that a tomato plant in a five gallon bucket reaches anywhere near it's potential, be it in terms of size or yields (not talking hydro).

I'm sorry, but I do this for a living, so I kind of know what I'm talking about. If you want to yield big, and grow big, check out the link I provided earlier, at some three odd dollars per unit, you can't grow wrong. If you made your own soil, even at a high end of $300, that would come out to $20/pot, for a grand total of $23/pot for everything including fertilizer. Still above ground, still growing your own, and still portable, without getting raped at 50 bucks per "box".

[edit on 16-2-2008 by phoenixhasrisin]

Originally posted by worldwatcher
reply to post by phoenixhasrisin

 

I also bought a "potato bag" which I'm looking forward to try getting a crop from. Supposedly you can get a 13lb yield from one bag and you don't need to dig or have yard space.... sounds cool I'll advise if it works.

I'm wondering if those potato pots would be good for other veggies.
Not badly priced, might be worth a shot.

Do you already have the other fabric bags from Smart Pot??


I found this for the do-it-yourselfers:
forums.gardenweb.com...

[edit on 17-2-2008 by DontTreadOnMe]

Originally posted by phoenixhasrisin

Of course you can grow tomatoes in a 5 gal bucket, but that doesn't mean the endeavor is worthwhile in terms of cost or efficiency, and if it's not, then what's the point other than satisfying some need for a hobby that wastes more resources than it provides.

Thanks for your insight into the EarthBoxes!
I have no direct knowledge tht they are actually better, and have had horrible experience with tomtoes in 5 gal pots. They are grainy and don't taste like "home grown" at all. Not worth the effort, unless a cherry tomato is chosen.

Being a gardener myself, I can attest to the difference between in the ground gardening and container gardening, even with flowering plants and roses.

reply to post by DontTreadOnMe


No prob about the earth boxes, they seriously are nothing more than glorified pots, and ain't worth the price at all.

As for the rest--To tell the truth, the best tasting tomato that I've ever had was grown hydroponically, then again that was in the Netherlands.

For sure though, unless you know what you're doing, growing in the ground will always yield bigger, and better tasting results.

[edit on 21-2-2008 by phoenixhasrisin]

Garden peas are fast to produce but you need cool weather to start them, Like I could plant them now in NC and maybe in 60 to 90 days be picking them. But the weather here in NC is way to hot for peas in the summer so its kind of hard to plant here. But radishes, and leaf lettuce as well as Swiss chard is really fast, and always string beans or wax beans.

Hilda

Originally posted by phoenixhasrisin

Originally posted by Relentless
Great thread!

I would like to know if anyone is doing hydroponics (for food thank you). It's something that's has interested me for quite a while, but I can't seem to decide if it is actually cost effective. So far, beyond the hobby value and organic produce perks, I can't seem to find a set up that would really be worth the investment.

FYI-Growing is growing, certain plants have certain requirements, but as long as you meet them then all is well. If you are growing lettuce, tomatoes, aubergines, or a little cannabis indica, it's all a matter of just providing what the plants need. All that differs is pH, nutrient, water, humidity, and light requirement's.

Yes I grow tomatoes, zuchinni, rasberries, blueberries, blackberries, orchids, and some of my mushrooms hydroponically. I am currently experimenting/trying to perfect hydro organic techniques. (hydro growing methods using only organic nutrients) Yes though, it is very cost efficient and there are even ways of setting it up so that you do not need to depend on the electricity usually needed for pumps and what not.

Depending on what you are trying to grow, hydroponics, or aqua culture usually produce both an increase in yeilds by 30%, and a decrease in growing time by the same percentage, on average.

What kind of things do you want to grow? Tell me and I can probably help you out.

On average try to stay away from commercial hydroponic systems, One can usually build their own at a fraction of the cost.

The most economical medium I have ever used for hydro was lava rock, which can be purchased at most hardware stores for as little as a dollar fifty for a shovel full. Lava rock is almost perfectly neutral as far as Ph is concerned, and contains many trace elements. It is a good way to start for the beginner, without having to get into stabilizing pH for rockwool, or whatever.

Once again tell me what you want to grow, and I can probably give you an idea of how to go about it.

Depending on what you want to grow, on average setting up a beginning Hydro system will cost you anywhere from 50 to a couple of hundred dollars. You can do it for cheaper if you are willling to put a little effort into building things yourself as I already mentioned.

Figure- 20 for containers, 20 for a pump, 20 for a H2O resevoir, 20 -50 for nutrients, initial investment of 75 for an EEC meter to test conductivity. 20 or so for substrate (lava rock)....

Of course this is all for outdoor use...If you want to grow inside then you have to figure in an additional 200 or 300 for a high intensity discharge lamp (1000 wt HPS, or MH). One does not need to grow indoors though to grow hydroponically.

What you also need to realize is-The relatively high start up cost is offset after two or three harvest, considering the fertilizer,water and space being conserved. True it might cost more than digging some manure into the ground and watering every day, but in the long run it is much cheaper, and ecologically friendly (cosidering you are not using rockwool).

[edit on 7-9-2005 by phoenixhasrisin]

Awesome!!! So glad this Thread is in play
It beats the hell out of arguing over Martial Law or Nibiru or if it's UFO, a balloon, or smudge on the lens...
I've started to design my dream home, thinking of going with a geodesic dome home and pretty much try to live off the grid using solar and wind
I was just discussing Hydroponics the other day and pretty much concluded that this is the way I want to go
Thank you for validating the idea!!!

I came across this thread searching google for fast growing edible WEEDS...funny that so few (I think only 2 or 3) mentions of weeds are in the thread!

The fastest and easiest I've got here in New Hampster is chickweed - high in nutrients and easier than anything to grow - all it needs is partial sun and lots of water (actually had a pretty good harvest from gravel where seeds fell before a rainstorm!)

Other weeds I've had success with include yellow dock, sheep sorrel, dandelion, lambs quarters, plantain and beggars ticks (bidens alba, but this one I harvested in florida). Most are volunteers and will drive you crazy if you just go out trying to weed them - if you eat them instead, you get free food. Cultivate them a little and you get a true bumper-crop for practically no investment that grows faster than you can keep up with.

As far as traditional veggies, I've found that pole beans and edible pod peas are excellent - they produce like crazy and peas are self-pollinators (they can be grown indoors or in sunrooms/makeshift greenhouses for the winter months super easy)

I had excellent experience with roma tomatoes grown in relatively small pots as well - they aren't the tastiest tomatoes out there, but anything that tastes good and you can get in abundance goes a long way in my book. Besides, the best use of romas is for a pasta sauce and pasta is one of those things that we tend to stock up for the SHTF times

Another thing worthwhile is sprouting. I have found clover and pea sprouts to be fast and efficient, very easy to grow, though the seed has to come from somewhere. A good stock of clover seeds, well protected in the freezer, can last for years - plus they're relatively cheap.

One more thing - buy seed in bulk where you can and go for "microgreens" - I've done this with spinach, spending maybe $15 on over 10,000 seeds. You sow them thickly in containers and start harvesting as they sprout up. Basically, you're eating what you thin until you're left with the right number of plants per pot at the right spacing for optimal mature plants (that you then let go to seed for future sowings)

Growing in the ground is always ideal, but with long, harsh winters and the constant threat of needing to bug out, containers are an excellent way to ensure you have constant greens. Going with variety and using weeds as crops greatly enhances your yields for whatever garden type and size you end up with.

>>>>ImportantI would really urge you to not grow things like tomatoes and corn the first 6mo.s as this will eventually handicap you. If you plant on larg tracts, please be sure to have dogs, as protecting your crop will be as important as growing them in the first place. Added is a link that you guys will find most informative... Search for whatever subject that you find yourself curious about:

www.instructables.com...

reply to post by shadow watcher


I am very interested to have the instructions on how to build this. We looked it up on the Zoom PBS site, but the instructions are lacking.

Thank you.