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Bacpacker

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Been thinking about starting to look at and purchase some garden seed to next year. Probably won't get everything as most seed at this point will be left over from winter/spring. But some stuff keeps pretty well and might be worth picking up, even if I order more later that would be fresh.. I'm thinking that seed might be a huge barter item for some folks if things got bad.
Has anyone else thinking or doing anything along these lines?
 
Been thinking about starting to look at and purchase some garden seed to next year. Probably won't get everything as most seed at this point will be left over from winter/spring. But some stuff keeps pretty well and might be worth picking up, even if I order more later that would be fresh.. I'm thinking that seed might be a huge barter item for some folks if things got bad.
Has anyone else thinking or doing anything along these lines?

Yep, I got seeds in the freezer that I don't even plant anymore , because we just can't handle all of it.
I only planted peas and green beans , canteloupe, watermelon this year.

Got lots of those also in freezer.
Good barter stuff.

Jim
 
I'm thinking I my try a fall garden in my raised beds this year. I've never done much in the fall, but I about to create some space in one, maybe both beds when I pull my onions. Thinking about cabbage and more parsnips, maybe some bean, and greens. May try brussell sprouts as well I think I have a way figured out to put up a cold frame/low tunnel, over them once it gets cool, or at least before frost.

BTW Jim, do you have any old heirloom varities of Cantaloupe or watermelon you would want to swap? I'm always looking for something new and different.
 
If I did , I'd share but I don't.
I use to keep heirloom tomatoes seeds , All my canteloupe and watermelon seeds are just common store bought. Crimson Sweet and sugar baby.
I just keep adding them to the freezer pack with all extra ones .

I have planted corn seeds that were 8-10 years old...no problem .

Jim
 
Seems like you have to grow turnips to have turnips. I rarely see them in the store or produce markets.
I was thinking same thing today about seeds, that I should get a supply of them. I already have some. Jim, that is amazing that you can store corn that long and it will still grow after freezing that many years. I've tried with freezing seeds and then planting, but didn't work too well for me.
Really do want to get to a place where I can grow stuff easier. I'm not like these other Texans, especially that one guy that visits the forum once in a while and grows rabbits. He's got a great set-up.
What other seeds have you frozen and had success with growing?
 
Seems like you have to grow turnips to have turnips. I rarely see them in the store or produce markets.
I was thinking same thing today about seeds, that I should get a supply of them. I already have some. Jim, that is amazing that you can store corn that long and it will still grow after freezing that many years. I've tried with freezing seeds and then planting, but didn't work too well for me.
Really do want to get to a place where I can grow stuff easier. I'm not like these other Texans, especially that one guy that visits the forum once in a while and grows rabbits. He's got a great set-up.
What other seeds have you frozen and had success with growing?
All the peas we grow are from frozen seeds.
They are a cow pea called whipperwill peas. I got the first seeds from a friend over 30 years ago
And been growing and always keep seeds every year. When we grew a garden . Never have found a place to buy them.
This year was our first year to grow anything in 7 years . The peas came out of the freezer from 7-8 years ago.
They are just starting to turn for picking I the last 2-3 days , already froze 6 pints.
I showed a picture early in spring , I'll try to get another picture now.

I also have frozen Lima bean , great northern Beans, green beans , okra, corn, cucumder, watermelon , and canteloupe.

I've never had a problem unless you let them thaw first. Gotta plant them frozen.

Jim
 
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My Grandpa would sow his entire garden in turnips at the end of the season. He loved them! One of my favorite memories is he would pull a turnip and cut the leafy top off leaving just enough of the top for a handhold then peal the turnip and hand it to you. Every time he would say it looks like a ice cream cone. I learned to love those ice cream cones and would give everything I have for him to cut me just one more turnip like that.
 
Seems like you have to grow turnips to have turnips. I rarely see them in the store or produce markets.
I was thinking same thing today about seeds, that I should get a supply of them. I already have some. Jim, that is amazing that you can store corn that long and it will still grow after freezing that many years. I've tried with freezing seeds and then planting, but didn't work too well for me.
Really do want to get to a place where I can grow stuff easier. I'm not like these other Texans, especially that one guy that visits the forum once in a while and grows rabbits. He's got a great set-up.
What other seeds have you frozen and had success with growing?

These melons were grown last year from seeds we had frozen about 5 years ago. We freeze all our seeds.

1596162995575.png
 
My Grandpa would sow his entire garden in turnips at the end of the season. He loved them! One of my favorite memories is he would pull a turnip and cut the leafy top off leaving just enough of the top for a handhold then peal the turnip and hand it to you. Every time he would say it looks like a ice cream cone. I learned to love those ice cream cones and would give everything I have for him to cut me just one more turnip like that.
what a sweet memory. Can you cut them just like that too?
 
You bet! I grow them in the fall just to cut a couple like that.
You'll have to show us a pic this fall.
Phideaux, those peas must be in some kind of Guinness book of world records. Didn't somebody else post something here about generational plants from great grandparents etc.? Where's @Peanut ?
 
@Patchouli , my grandpa grew the same peas when I was a kid. We loved them. I never seen anymore until until a friend from Hazel KY, brought me a bag full when I was living in WI.
That was in 1984, he called them Riley peas, because the old man that had given him some many years before that, his name was Mr Riley.

To this day we call them Riley peas. We purposely let many of them dry on the vine for seed.

We have taken some of the dried seeds , soaked them overnight , cooked them, and can't really tell much difference in the green frozen ones.
Great buttery flavor.

Jim
 
Been thinking about starting to look at and purchase some garden seed to next year. Probably won't get everything as most seed at this point will be left over from winter/spring. But some stuff keeps pretty well and might be worth picking up, even if I order more later that would be fresh.. I'm thinking that seed might be a huge barter item for some folks if things got bad.
Has anyone else thinking or doing anything along these lines?

We ordered this seed from Morgan Seeds a couple years ago, and plan to try it this Fall.
Midori Giant Soybean, cerified organic $13. I've kept them in the crisper and they still look ok, we'll see.


OME » Fertilizers - All Types » Home Fertilizers & Fertilizer » Masterblend Tomato Fertilizer 4-18-38

Masterblend Tomato Fertilizer 4-18-38
Masterblend Tomato Fertilizer 4-18-38

Morgan County See is also where we buy our hydroponic fertilizer ' Master Blend ' from since beginning always worked with a little epsom salts.
Morgan County Seeds - Your seed and gardening tools supplier


@Bacpacker,Bobby is the oen who recommended this to us and we used it every since. for hydros.

 
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I get a catalog from them every year, not sure I have ever ordered from them though. Think I'll take a look there before I place an order.

The Youtube vid is one I have watched and bookmarked before. Well done vid, and the chart on the white board is awesome. He describes his reasoning pretty well to IIRC

We have learned so much from Bobby, watched him for years.
 
I showed a picture early in spring , I'll try to get another picture now.
Jim

They are just now getting ready. When the hulls turn to a yellowish color ..it's time to harvest.
They are loaded, just waiting to turn.
We are picking a couple pints each day, but soon we will be getting 5 gal buckets full. Then the work starts.
IMG_20200731_165022979.jpg

If you zoom the pic, you can see the peas.

Jim
 
They are just now getting ready. When the hulls turn to a yellowish color ..it's time to harvest.
They are loaded, just waiting to turn.
We are picking a couple pints each day, but soon we will be getting 5 gal buckets full. Then the work starts.
View attachment 47398
If you zoom the pic, you can see the peas.

Jim

Jim that looks fantantic! .we'er so busy still building soil and learning ,we stated late in life middle age when we bough this place,hubby left home at 14. He wasn't reallly plantign crops back then he was harvesting them. He did hunt and can kill,dress clean any meat animals though if he has to.Havingdinner with his family was liek eating at the Clampents ,never knew what you were eating.I'd whisper in his ear, what did they cook this time.
 
@Meerkat , that's a tiny garden,

For 40 years, we always grew a huge garden , many years 2 huge gardens.
About 7 years ago , we stopped , age and health just didn't allow it
This year I thought it a good idea to grow some extra to stash away . 3 rows of peas, 2 rows of Green beans...that's it , other than easy to grow watermelon and canteloupe.

Jim
 
Thats a lot of peas Jim. I had a 4' row of snow peas. LOL
I'll bet you'll have a ton of them when they ripen.
A few years ago I grew almost an acre of garden, including a row of wheat that was 25'x 125'. I just don't have time to do that now and wife really isn't able to do everything we needed with that either. I cut back to a couple of patches and 2 raised beds this year and doing good to maintain it. I hope to build more beds this winter and plan them and plant them better next spring to produce what we need.
 
@Meerkat , that's a tiny garden,

For 40 years, we always grew a huge garden , many years 2 huge gardens.
About 7 years ago , we stopped , age and health just didn't allow it
This year I thought it a good idea to grow some extra to stash away . 3 rows of peas, 2 rows of Green beans...that's it , other than easy to grow watermelon and canteloupe.

Jim

Well its impressive to me.
 

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