So who grows things?

[HillBill]

We can all argue about the definition of Bushcraft....

But we cant argue about the usefulness of utilising nature, to suit our own needs. Hunter gatherers became farmers by learning about plants, and making plants work for them. Same for livestock.

So what do you grow? And why?

I wish (dream even) That i had actual land to do with as i see fit. I live in a back to back terrace, but lucky enough to have the south facing side. I have a double drive way, all covered in tarmac. Well it was, now it seems to have developed a life of its own. Pineapple weed for the most part... makes awesome custard.

Cant have a proper garden really, though over winter, its getting some proper raised beds.. I have some planters which my dad made, and they get the winter stuff.. Alliums, Garlic and Onions.

For years, its all been what i can grow in pots.. I have a couple of apple trees (talking big pots here... 2ft wide kinda stuff) A fig tree (Brown Turkey) of which i have several cuttings from, now small trees in their own right. A bay bush, was like 5ft tall, multi stemmed.. but just cut it down a little back to 3 ft and removed some stems. It kept getting blown over, caught the wind to easily. Like a bloody sail.. Nelson would have loved it.

Blackcurrant, blueberries, Rhubarb, Rosemary, Thyme, Chives, Lavender, Sage, Oregano, mint... Anything i can fit thats Perennial (comes back every year) I have a dozen Sweet Chestnut trees just finished their second year... They need one more, and they will be moved to a new home (already sorted)

Indoors, on my windowsills.. mainly basil and coriander (cruiser and Calypso) but thats changing too. Got some Thai basil on the go (still in the heated propagator though) And more parsley. Chilli's are going in early part of Jan.... much more to follow once i get the raised beds established.

So, what ya got? What you plant? Why?

For me, i just do it because i can. I wish i could say it was to save money, but i'd be lying. Costs more to grow it this way, than it does to buy the damn stuff. So i try keep it limited to what costs the most, and i use the most often. Or what i can't just go buy locally.

 

[William_Montgomery]

I'm getting pretty good at growing fat hen, stinging nettles and ground elder.

 

[William_Montgomery]

Tend to grow a lot of the standards such as toms, courgettes, spuds, snips etc. Put in a few fruit trees a couple of years ago which are starting to produce more now. Soft fruits are great and did really well this year, although the dog has developed a gooseberry habit. It's quite mesmerising, watching her carefully pluck each one off.

Started off growing mushooms not so long ago. Got a handful of oyster species and some shiitakes on the go. Also got our first beehive up and running this year (if that counts).

Anybody had any luck growing ginger?

 

[Stew]

We can all argue about the definition of Bushcraft....

But we cant argue about the usefulness of utilising nature, to suit our own needs. Hunter gatherers became farmers by learning about plants, and making plants work for them. Same for livestock.

So what do you grow? And why?

I wish (dream even) That i had actual land to do with as i see fit. I live in a back to back terrace, but lucky enough to have the south facing side. I have a double drive way, all covered in tarmac. Well it was, now it seems to have developed a life of its own. Pineapple weed for the most part... makes awesome custard.

Cant have a proper garden really, though over winter, its getting some proper raised beds.. I have some planters which my dad made, and they get the winter stuff.. Alliums, Garlic and Onions.

For years, its all been what i can grow in pots.. I have a couple of apple trees (talking big pots here... 2ft wide kinda stuff) A fig tree (Brown Turkey) of which i have several cuttings from, now small trees in their own right. A bay bush, was like 5ft tall, multi stemmed.. but just cut it down a little back to 3 ft and removed some stems. It kept getting blown over, caught the wind to easily. Like a bloody sail.. Nelson would have loved it.

Blackcurrant, blueberries, Rhubarb, Rosemary, Thyme, Chives, Lavender, Sage, Oregano, mint... Anything i can fit thats Perennial (comes back every year) I have a dozen Sweet Chestnut trees just finished their second year... They need one more, and they will be moved to a new home (already sorted)

Indoors, on my windowsills.. mainly basil and coriander (cruiser and Calypso) but thats changing too. Got some Thai basil on the go (still in the heated propagator though) And more parsley. Chilli's are going in early part of Jan.... much more to follow once i get the raised beds established.

So, what ya got? What you plant? Why?

For me, i just do it because i can. I wish i could say it was to save money, but i'd be lying. Costs more to grow it this way, than it does to buy the damn stuff. So i try keep it limited to what costs the most, and i use the most often. Or what i can't just go buy locally.

If you like squash, have a look at real seeds. They’ve got some trial seeds in now for some smaller squash plants that they think will work well for smaller spaces.

 

[William_Montgomery]

If you like squash, have a look at real seeds. They’ve got some trial seeds in now for some smaller squash plants that they think will work well for smaller spaces.

My partner gets a lot of stuff from them, decent company. Mostly heirloom seeds if I recall correctly.

 

[Chris]

I accidentally grew some onions in my compost bin if that counts?

 

[Broch]

My veg plot was left fallow last year as we were away quite a bit over the growing season. It's been covered with compost to supress the weeds and I'll turn it over in the next week or so.

Then comes the best part - planning what to put in. Though these days we stick to the norm - carrots, parsnips, leaks, beans - then, depending on our mood, mange tout, broccoli, sweet corn, maybe cabbage (but we are infested with slugs) and, usually, something different to try.

It doesn't save money in the long run but the taste straight out of the ground is what makes it worthwhile.

 

[British Red]

We grow

All our own fruit
Most of our own veg (we buy rice & maincrop potatoes)

Fruit cage by English Countrylife, on Flickr

All our own chicken, venison, duck, rabbit & pigeon are shot.

Chicken feeding by English Countrylife, on Flickr

Crispy duck by English Countrylife, on Flickr

Venison portioned & packed by English Countrylife, on Flickr

Lamb & pork come from friend (paid for by selling extra chickens)

We can, dry, pickle & brew
Pantry by British Red, on Flickr



We heat and cook on wood that we cut, split & season.

Woodyard by English Countrylife, on Flickr

The reasons are many. But probably break down into

1) We stopped enjoying our day jobs
2) Food in the shops is usually low quality & inferior varieties
3) We wanted our meat to be raised more humanely than most supermarket meat is
4) We wanted to live with more environmental consciousness
5) We find the idea that we can continue to expand population , increase debt, reduce pollution, increase standards of living, extend life expectancy, consume less & grow the economy all at the same time to be absurd.

Since we can't fix the world, we chose to fix our corner of it.

 

[Keith_Beef]

I accidentally grew some onions in my compost bin if that counts?

A butternut squash grew out of our compost bin. Three flowers appeared, one of which grew into a squash.

For about the past twenty years, I've been carefully tending to a spare tyre, trying to make sure it stays within a reasonable size.

We have a small fig tree about three years old today gave us four figs this year. Last year it gave three or four to the birds.

We have a decent sized bay tree and rosemary bush in the garden; in pots by the kitchen door we have chives, purple veined sorrel, thyme, straggly mint and in summer we have basil and oregano.

I've tried growing tomatoes (killed by train two years in succession); rhubarb, peppers, chilli, aubergines, killed by slugs; redcurrants, blackcurrants, forgot to water them.

We have two vines that give take grapes; three indoor Chasselas vine is very productive, the outdoor black grape vine not so much.

Squirrels get all the hazelnuts from the very small tree.

I've not yet had much off the medlar. I see the flowers, see the young fruit, but rarely see any left by first frost; maybe birds get them.

 

[Kepis]

The garden pretty much looks after itself at present as i can't get out there to do anything.

At present i have mainly fruits out back ;

• Apple
• Pear
• Greengage
• Damson
• Cherry Plum
• Bullace
• Rhubarb
• Loganberry
• Fig
• Apricot
• Cherry
• Black Grape
• Oregon Grape
• Quince
• Blackcurrant
• Pomegranate (very small fruits and not really worth bothering with)
• Hazelnut

Herbs i have

• Bay
• Rosemary
• Mint
• Thyme

We used to grow a few veg but not for a couple of years now due to illness, but once i'm able to get back outside, i will grow most of these again.

• Carrots
• Onions
• Shallots
• Leeks
• Garlic
• Purple Sprouting
• Parsnips
• Runner Beans
• Tomatoes (Greenhouse)
• Peppers (Greenhouse)
• Cabbage
• Kale

I have a gardener who comes in twice a month during the spring, summer and early autumn to cut the grass and do the weeding, but the growing activities have ceased for a little while.

If I go over the back wall/up the lane i can get;

• Alexanders
• Hogweed
• Garlic Mustard
• Nettles
• Fat Hen
• Blackberries
• Crab Apples
• Beechnut
• and many more besides.

 

[Glow_worm]

We can, dry, pickle & brew

Looks grand! A pressure canner and bulk buy of Weck jars was one of the best decisions I have ever made! It seems bizarre how few people do this in the UK.



I only eat organic food, so grow what veg I can and get the remainder from a farm I occasionally work at, and barter veg with neighbours. I mostly grow squash, peas, brassicas and cucumbers/melons in the greenhouses. No poultry at the moment as there is an endless supply of eggs from the farm, currently the only UK organic farm of any size using 100% British grown soya free feed. I couldn't keep laying hens to the same standard they do.

 

[British Red]

No poultry at the moment as there is an endless supply of eggs from the farm, currently the only UK organic farm of any size using 100% British grown soya free feed. I couldn't keep laying hens to the same standard they do.

It's great to hear of farms keeping to such a high standard. We really struggled to find advice and equipment to do it ethically - which is one of the reasons that we started our shop.

 

[Glow_worm]

Good for you, I'm naively hopeful that the future is with people like yourselves- doing things on a small scale locally with animal, soil, human and planetrt health in mind.

So many domestic poultry keepers seem blind to the fact the protein they are giving their birds is unsustainable genetically modified soya from Brazil. Even organic farms struggle, and import Chinese grown soy.

The farm I am involved in has been on a mission to make home grown feed viable. The issue is UK grown legumes contain too many antinutrients to be useful, they stop the birds absorbing other vitals. I overhauled an Edwardian feed mill which allows field beans and other pulses to be cleanly cracked apart, the skins can then be removed in a cyclone which does away with a lot of the phytic acid. The rest is killed off in a rotary oven, powered by solar panels covering a barn roof. And useful farm grown protein, easy as that! Actually everything is automated so it is commercially viable. Attempts to spread this systems countrywide are meeting a lot of opposition unsurprisingly ....

This forms part of a diet containing over 20 different ingredients. The birds are older varieties which are poorer layers than hybrids but (amazingly in this day and age) commercially viable as they are reared from chicks and the mortality rates are almost zero so things balance out. Watching a healthy 2-300 strong flock dustbathing in the hedges and trees around their shed is a joy. They form friendship groups within the flocks and perch together every night, bless em!

 

[RonW]

I used to (try), but I can no longer work the soil, weed to even cut the grass in one go. Or suffer the consequences from it for days.
we still have a good number of fruittrees and berrybushes, though. But sadly this year's yield got completely spoiled by mould after harvest. And the cherries got eaten by birds before they were even fully ripe. A massive load of plumbs got destroyed by 2 severe hailstorms in the same amount of days.
We had chickens, but sold them, because we were more feeding brown rats then hens and the coop was falling apart.
We tried bees too, but ended up emptyhanded there too. A number of bad beeyears in a row made for weak hives/swarms, which starved during subsequent winters.

So now I use my head, my love for books and knowledge and my apparent knack for teaching to my, and hopefully others, advantage.

 

[British Red]

Good for you, I'm naively hopeful that the future is with people like yourselves- doing things on a small scale locally with animal, soil, human and planetrt health in mind.

So many domestic poultry keepers seem blind to the fact the protein they are giving their birds is unsustainable genetically modified soya from Brazil. Even organic farms struggle, and import Chinese grown soy.

The farm I am involved in has been on a mission to make home grown feed viable. The issue is UK grown legumes contain too many antinutrients to be useful, they stop the birds absorbing other vitals. I overhauled an Edwardian feed mill which allows field beans and other pulses to be cleanly cracked apart, the skins can then be removed in a cyclone which does away with a lot of the phytic acid. The rest is killed off in a rotary oven, powered by solar panels covering a barn roof. And useful farm grown protein, easy as that! Actually everything is automated so it is commercially viable. Attempts to spread this systems countrywide are meeting a lot of opposition unsurprisingly ....

This forms part of a diet containing over 20 different ingredients. The birds are older varieties which are poorer layers than hybrids but (amazingly in this day and age) commercially viable as they are reared from chicks and the mortality rates are almost zero so things balance out. Watching a healthy 2-300 strong flock dustbathing in the hedges and trees around their shed is a joy. They form friendship groups within the flocks and perch together every night, bless em!

Would love to see a video of this system in action! It sounds fantastic

 

[Stew]

I used to (try), but I can no longer work the soil, weed to even cut the grass in one go. Or suffer the consequences from it for days.
we still have a good number of fruittrees and berrybushes, though. But sadly this year's yield got completely spoiled by mould after harvest. And the cherries got eaten by birds before they were even fully ripe. A massive load of plumbs got destroyed by 2 severe hailstorms in the same amount of days.
We had chickens, but sold them, because we were more feeding brown rats then hens and the coop was falling apart.
We tried bees too, but ended up emptyhanded there too. A number of bad beeyears in a row made for weak hives/swarms, which starved during subsequent winters.

So now I use my head, my love for books and knowledge and my apparent knack for teaching to my, and hopefully others, advantage.

It might be worth you looking at no dig and giving that a try. Potentially less demanding on the body.

 

[HillBill]

Tend to grow a lot of the standards such as toms, courgettes, spuds, snips etc. Put in a few fruit trees a couple of years ago which are starting to produce more now. Soft fruits are great and did really well this year, although the dog has developed a gooseberry habit. It's quite mesmerising, watching her carefully pluck each one off.

Started off growing mushooms not so long ago. Got a handful of oyster species and some shiitakes on the go. Also got our first beehive up and running this year (if that counts).

Anybody had any luck growing ginger?

How do you grow the mushrooms? Did you just get a kit with all the growing medium etc? It's something i've been wanting to have a go at for a while, just not got round to it yet.

I want to grow lions mane mainly. I did buy some plugs a few years ago that were drilled into an oak log. It was covered in black plastic bags and left in the cellar for a while until the mycelium colonised the wood. Which it did quite quickly, the entire log was almost white with it.

Then i 'planted' the log outside in the shady area of garden that never really sees direct sunlight, and nothing happened, the mycelium disappeared after a short period and i didn't get anything at all from it. Quite frustrating really.

I watched a couple of videos on youtube about growing ginger from the supermarket and it seemed straight forward enough, but needs a greenhouse i think, or a big windowsill of which i have neither.

 

[HillBill]

If you like squash, have a look at real seeds. They’ve got some trial seeds in now for some smaller squash plants that they think will work well for smaller spaces.

Not something i've really tried Stew. My space is very limited and its already quite populated with things. The annual stuff i normally take up little space, Garlic, Onions, new potatoes in planters. Just things we eat reglularly.

 

[HillBill]

My partner gets a lot of stuff from them, decent company. Mostly heirloom seeds if I recall correctly.

We use Simply Seeds as they are much cheaper than most of the online retailers. Atm a lot of their veg seeds are less than a quid. Can get some carrot seeds for 30p etc.

 

[HillBill]

I accidentally grew some onions in my compost bin if that counts?

Did you eat them?