I used to post on voat under a different name and have been lurking here since the switch. I figured I'd make an account so I could shill "Fire Cider" in some other thread so here I am.
Right now I'm trying to learn more about gardening, deepen my faith, and get a fat salaried tech job so I can make enough to buy some land and start living right.
[ - ] baad73e [op] 1 point 2.5 yearsNov 9, 2021 13:24:26 ago (+2/-1)
It's not complicated, they take way too much from you and you get six figures in exchange. Then you take that money and go build a cabin in the woods and live off of very little money until you eventually die in a hail of gunfire because an ATF agent mistook you for a dog or a child.
The traps along the way are getting used to money and spending too much so you never get to save. Not hard to get around, though, the excess of people who work in tech jobs will disgust you into spending next to nothing.
If you want to be proficient in gardening, focus your attention on soil. That is the secret to all of it. Making rich compost, compost tea, establish a humus layer in your garden and then everything explodes. I did this in Colorado for several years and inspired all of my neighbors to start gardening as well. Of course they all wanted to know my secrets. They all struggled to grow anything and so I gave away buckets full of veggies to them.
[ - ] MaryXmas 1 point 2.5 yearsNov 9, 2021 19:30:14 ago (+1/-0)
Worm composting is called vermicomposting. It is good but it takes a long time to actually be enough for a garden. Save food scraps for compost at the very least and have a pile. I throw in bones but some people don't like to do that. In the winter you can plant nitrogen fixers or cover crops (beans and things like winter wheat) to fertilize the soil. Manure works great too if you have access.
I did about 64 sq ft of raised beds and just found it easier to buy in organic soil, at least when I was starting. Maybe 3 cubic yards. Without the soil, my garden only grew weeds.
Colorado already has fairly alkaline soil. Which is could for many crops but not so good for some others. I did test from time to time but I didn't take any great measures to mitigate. I let the compost do all the work. I didn't really have a huge yard and I didn't really plan how i planted things. Just kinda happened random. But I learned a lot. And I had lots of very good production.
Also...you don't necessarily need to dig, especially in heavy soil. Add the compost/soil on top. Having said that...I am an enthusiastic but lousy gardener in terms of produce. In my home the missus dictates gardening policy i.e. she keeps all the kitchen waste compost to herself.
[ + ] account deleted by user
[ - ] account deleted by user 8 points 2.5 yearsNov 9, 2021 12:49:26 ago (+8/-0)
[ + ] baad73e
[ - ] baad73e [op] 1 point 2.5 yearsNov 9, 2021 13:24:26 ago (+2/-1)
The traps along the way are getting used to money and spending too much so you never get to save. Not hard to get around, though, the excess of people who work in tech jobs will disgust you into spending next to nothing.
[ + ] recon_johnny
[ - ] recon_johnny 5 points 2.5 yearsNov 9, 2021 16:38:11 ago (+5/-0)
[ + ] baad73e
[ - ] baad73e [op] 2 points 2.5 yearsNov 9, 2021 17:19:55 ago (+2/-0)
[ + ] Battlefat
[ - ] Battlefat 4 points 2.5 yearsNov 9, 2021 13:11:42 ago (+4/-0)
[ + ] Jerd34
[ - ] Jerd34 3 points 2.5 yearsNov 9, 2021 16:20:52 ago (+3/-0)
[ + ] baad73e
[ - ] baad73e [op] 2 points 2.5 yearsNov 9, 2021 17:24:20 ago (+2/-0)
I heard about a pass-through compost worm bucket, I'll probably try to make one of those and then learn what compost tea is.
Do you ever test the soil for PH and nutrient levels, or just use compost and maybe crop rotation?
[ + ] MaryXmas
[ - ] MaryXmas 1 point 2.5 yearsNov 9, 2021 19:30:14 ago (+1/-0)
Save food scraps for compost at the very least and have a pile. I throw in bones but some people don't like to do that.
In the winter you can plant nitrogen fixers or cover crops (beans and things like winter wheat) to fertilize the soil. Manure works great too if you have access.
I did about 64 sq ft of raised beds and just found it easier to buy in organic soil, at least when I was starting. Maybe 3 cubic yards. Without the soil, my garden only grew weeds.
[ + ] Jerd34
[ - ] Jerd34 0 points 2.5 yearsNov 9, 2021 20:04:53 ago (+0/-0)
[ + ] paul_neri
[ - ] paul_neri 0 points 2.5 yearsNov 9, 2021 17:25:46 ago (+1/-1)
[ + ] Jerd34
[ - ] Jerd34 1 point 2.5 yearsNov 9, 2021 20:05:58 ago (+1/-0)
[ + ] Jiggggg
[ - ] Jiggggg 1 point 2.5 yearsNov 9, 2021 22:38:06 ago (+1/-0)
[ + ] bosunmoon
[ - ] bosunmoon 1 point 2.5 yearsNov 9, 2021 19:46:08 ago (+1/-0)
[ + ] baad73e
[ - ] baad73e [op] 2 points 2.5 yearsNov 9, 2021 19:57:07 ago (+2/-0)
[ + ] MaryXmas
[ - ] MaryXmas 1 point 2.5 yearsNov 9, 2021 19:23:50 ago (+1/-0)
[ + ] baad73e
[ - ] baad73e [op] 1 point 2.5 yearsNov 9, 2021 20:05:10 ago (+1/-0)
I'm still gardening even though I'm on a rental property for now, working to minimize consumption etc.
[ + ] paul_neri
[ - ] paul_neri 0 points 2.5 yearsNov 9, 2021 17:00:37 ago (+1/-1)
[ + ] baad73e
[ - ] baad73e [op] 2 points 2.5 yearsNov 9, 2021 17:20:19 ago (+2/-0)
[ + ] paul_neri
[ - ] paul_neri 0 points 2.5 yearsNov 9, 2021 17:22:54 ago (+1/-1)