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samwheat | 10-31-2008 06:54 PM
Gardening - Questions Do I need a soil testing kit available at AGWAY? What about stocking up on fertilizers or nitrogen? Lime? How big a compost pile do I need? How many Ball mason jars do I need for a family of four and 1/2 acre of harvest? I already cleaned out the local Ace store. What about gardening tools? The only seeds I have are the ones in the can from Nitro-Pak. I plan on dehydrating (Excalibur) and vacuum sealing (Weston) in the mason jars.

Tn...Andy | 10-31-2008 07:40 PM
Re: Gardening - Questions Do I need a soil testing kit available at AGWAY? They are a good idea for the basic NPK test + PH. IF you have a county extension agent there, you can get a cheap test done thru the State Ag Universities, also....but most of them won't test for micro nutrients. What about stocking up on fertilizers or nitrogen? Based on the test + add micro nutrient organic additives. Lime? Same How big a compost pile do I need? Hard to have one TOO big..... How many Ball mason jars do I need for a family of four and 1/2 acre of harvest? I already cleaned out the local Ace store. Hard to say what you'll get off a 1/2 acre.....but I figure one quart per day per person....that means a family of four needs about 1500 quarts. You probably can't grow 1500 quarts of stuff on a 1/2 acre, but that would include fruits, and meats you should try to get, not from the garden. What about gardening tools? Plenty of hand tools....for 1/2 acre, I'd get a GOOD tiller also. The only seeds I have are the ones in the can from Nitro-Pak. Start shopping local sources, and mail order catalogs....buy "heirloom" or open pollinated seeds....then learn to save your own. Corn, beans, melons are easy ones......onions, carrots, tomatoes are harder I plan on dehydrating (Excalibur) and vacuum sealing (Weston) in the mason jars. Learn to pressure can also.......you'll NEVER dry enough to make do, IMHO.

Gin | 10-31-2008 07:40 PM
Re: Gardening - Questions I do not know about chemical fertilizers. You would need a large compost pile to sustain a garden that you were using for years. My father's garden has been exhausted afters five years of continuous gardening. This is even with constant amending with compost, ashes from a fire pit and the occasional chemical fertilizers. Once the land has been exhausted its night and day. This year my father's return on his garden was minimal except for the most of the tubers. And this was with a longer than normal growing season. I think with gardening or subsistence farming lots of compost and fertilizers will be necessary after exhausting the land.

Dude | 10-31-2008 07:54 PM
Re: Gardening - Questions Quote:
Originally Posted by Tn...Andy (Post 1390001) What about gardening tools? Plenty of hand tools....for 1/2 acre, I'd get a GOOD tiller also.
How about a 4 hp Briggs and Stratton rear tine for a 1/4 acre?

GreenSpirit | 10-31-2008 08:05 PM
Re: Gardening - Questions Quote:
Originally Posted by Dude (Post 1390017) How about a 4 hp Briggs and Stratton rear tine for a 1/4 acre?
Don't confuse gardening with horsepower.

RaccoonRiverRadical | 10-31-2008 09:50 PM
Re: Gardening - Questions Quote:
Originally Posted by Gin (Post 1390002) I do not know about chemical fertilizers. You would need a large compost pile to sustain a garden that you were using for years. My father's garden has been exhausted afters five years of continuous gardening. This is even with constant amending with compost, ashes from a fire pit and the occasional chemical fertilizers. Once the land has been exhausted its night and day. This year my father's return on his garden was minimal except for the most of the tubers. And this was with a longer than normal growing season. I think with gardening or subsistence farming lots of compost and fertilizers will be necessary after exhausting the land.
Sounds worse than it should be. Fields used to be rotated out of production 1 year every 4 years and then continue producing.

Merlin | 10-31-2008 10:29 PM
Re: Gardening - Questions Quote:
Originally Posted by Gin (Post 1390002) ... You would need a large compost pile to sustain a garden that you were using for years. My father's garden has been exhausted afters five years of continuous gardening. This is even with constant amending with compost, ashes from a fire pit and the occasional chemical fertilizers. Once the land has been exhausted its night and day. This year my father's return on his garden was minimal except for the most of the tubers. And this was with a longer than normal growing season. I think with gardening or subsistence farming lots of compost and fertilizers will be necessary after exhausting the land.
I have a tiny garden, only 162 square feet. I have two compost piles that I feed with kitchen waste and brown waste from the garden (pea, bean, and plant material that has dried), plus some dirt that I throw in from time-to-time and the occasional dry grass clippings, etc. I try to avoid anything with seeds in it (like weeds.) The two compost heaps that I maintain are 3x3 feet square and probably 3.5 to 4 feet deep. They are barely adequate to provide compost for my 162 square foot garden. It takes a lot of compost to do the job!

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