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Fat Rabbit Iron's avatar

Excellent post, Rob. I started gardening in April 2020. I'm nowhere near as good as you, but every season gets better. My big experiment this year will be winter kale. I live in NC, so I think it's doable.

I'm sick of talk. It's time for action. Taking control of our food supply is the logical first step.

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Rob D's avatar

My kale is full of aphids this year. It's driving me nuts! lol. I can't wait to hear how your experiment turns out. We experiment with things every year. One amazing thing we can do to make things hardier in our area is save seeds! The plants become acclimated to the environment they are growing in and pass those traits on to their babies (seeds). I've found that in many cases the new generation is more robust, more pest and disease resistant etc. I agree with you 100% on taking back our food supply. Been screaming this almost my entire life actually. Keep on growing! :)

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Fat Rabbit Iron's avatar

Thanks for the tip about saving seeds. I didn't know that, but it makes sense. I'll try that next spring.

Caterpillars are destroying my kale. Every place I've looked recommends neem oil to get rid of them. Do you have any experience / recommendations?

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Rob D's avatar

Seed saving is important. Just remember that you can only save from open pollinated varieties. If you purchase hybrids you can usually save seeds from those plants as well, but you might not get the same results next time. Heirloom veg open pollinated seeds is what you should try to purchase if you're going to let some things go to seed and collect them. Soooo glad we don't get those pesky caterpillars here. Neem oil is great for pretty much every insect. It's expensive and has to be reapplied often, but it's very safe. I use it myself. Get one of those pump sprayers and mix up a batch in it. It makes applying much easier. But you have to saturate both sides of the leaves. It's tedious, but worth it. If you use it, be sure to apply before the sun hits your plants. It can burn the plants otherwise.

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Fat Rabbit Iron's avatar

Got it. I'll give it a shot!

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Richard Seager's avatar

Harvested some celery here mid-winter a week ago. I like juicing it up with pears or apples.

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Rob D's avatar

People think I'm nuts because I have come to love celery and also now celebrate it as one of my favorite vegetables. There's absolutely no comparison to the tasteless stuff in the store is there? I should juice more, but we have such a poor selection of safe vegetables and fruit available most of the year that I feel like juicing what is available would be on par with drinking a refreshing glass of Roundup! 😝

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Richard Seager's avatar

Well the celery is organic at least. I do try and buy fruit and vegetables that are as well at the Farmers market every week. Not available at all in the supermarkets.

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Rachelle's avatar

I love your garden and wish it were mine lol. I didn't plant much as I'm brand new to gardening, but you can bet next season will be different. Thank you for sharing!

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Rob D's avatar

It takes time to get things established. There's nothing wrong with starting small and working our way up as we find what works for us and in our area. I just know you'll accomplish whatever you set your mind on doing. 😊

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Brian Lincoln's avatar

Beautiful pictures Rob. Thanks for walking the talk and sharing. Truly inspiring!

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Rob D's avatar

You bet Brian. I remember you mentioning your own plans months ago. I look forward to hearing about your accomplishments!

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Aug 9, 2022
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Rob D's avatar

Thanks Just Me! I'm glad I was able to help motivate you to keep on expanding and trying different things. I believe even if we are just growing a basil plant in our window sill it's better than nothing. The more we can get back in control of some of the food we eat, the better we'll be able to stand up and stand firm in the years to come. Growing some of our food builds confidence and knowing we can do it quells anxiety. Sorry for the mini rant. Haha. Keep on growing! I'm not a Master Gardener by any means, but if anyone here ever needs tips or advice, I am willing to help. And if I don't know something, I'm happy to help find the answer. Thanks for stopping by. 😀

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