PRimative farming techniques

[jeremy]

Where is a good source for this? I am thinking it might be good thing to learn. If for nothing more than making my garden more efficient.

 

[Richard]

Jeremy,

Well I have a Garden Claw & Garden Weasle that I keep around for touch up work in the garden &/or if SHTF & fuel for my garden tractor becomes unavailible.

Believe it or not those stupid "as seen on TV" gadgets makes breaking up packed soil & maintaining the garden awhole lot easier than using shovels, hoes & rakes, not only do they save alot of back breaking labor they are also alot quicker to use too, meaning I can/could tend more garden than with the traditional garden tools.

They are well worth the minimal investment in my opinion.

 

[Sailor]

What kind of land to you have access to?

Suburban, urban, rural?

 

[jeremy]

rural, very rural.

I am looking to increase my knowledge of how it used to be done.

 

[Sailor]

Good,

Then how about some apple trees, nut trees.
Day lillies blossoms are edible.

Some Jerusalem Artichokes, potatoes, beets, can be planted and will grow year after year. You could have these out side of a formal garden and use them if needed.

The Encyclopedia of Country Living is a great resource.

Good hand tools, and experience. This is only my second year with a garden, and I already know what produce will do well in my area/conditions. Primitive fertilization, start farming worms? the castings are great for the garden. Rabbit droppings I believe are safe to be put directly in the garden.

Just having a garden set up already puts you ahead of the game. Many just think, I just grow a garden and shoot a squirrel. Right. I went for a 12 hike Sat in the woods and did not see one squirrel.

 

[hornadylnl]

What type of seeds are reproducible? Are they called heirloom seeds? I need to get some. Thanks

 

[Richard]

I tend vegetable gardens indoors as well as outdoors year round & have a couple of perennial bushs & vines that produce fruits/berries (grapes, black rasberries & blue berries), we (me & my daughter) also gather several baskets of wild mulberries in the spring & black walnuts in the fall, as well as regularly harvesting fish & game.

I've been doing this stuff so long that it's really more of a life-style than a hobby, shame I can't build a chicken coop (local ordinance prevents me) but I do the best with what little land/resources that I have.

 

[Richard]

What type of seeds are reproducible? Are they called heirloom seeds? I need to get some. Thanks

Yup heirloom seeds are what you want, I usually buy mine from heirloomseeds.com, they are a little slow in shipping out the orders so try to place your orders early, but they have a really great selection of seeds to choose from so it's worth doing.

 

[melensdad]

Where is a good source for this? I am thinking it might be good thing to learn. If for nothing more than making my garden more efficient.

Honestly I don't know of a source, you may want to look for books that feature Amish or Mennonite techniques for farming. However, I'm not sure that those methods are 'more efficient' than many modern methods that can be used by home gardeners. You may want to look at the current issue of MOTHER EARTH NEWS, it has a story about a family that produces THOUSANDS of POUNDS of produce on 1/10th of 1 acre. I know they blow away my 1 acre garden in terms of productivity, but then my garden is typically laid out for ease of harvest rather than maximum production. I've not seen primitive farming use modern raised beds, and raised beds, while very low tech, increase productivity. Modern, yet low tech, mulching techniques also increase productivity of a garden.

What type of seeds are reproducible? Are they called heirloom seeds? I need to get some. Thanks

Heirloom seeds refer to OLD varieties that are not commonly commercially cultivated. Heirloom varieties seeds can be saved for use. However there are ALSO many non-heirlooms that can also be harvested and saved. ANY of the NON-HYBRID varieties of seed can be harvested and saved and then used the next season.

 

[Sailor]

Rabbits are pets you could have them instead of chickens.

 

[melensdad]

Rabbits are pets you could have them instead of chickens.

And they taste like chicken

 

[haldir]

Up in my neck of the woods they have old time farm days about every summer. You get to come out and watch them work with horses and such.

Are you looking at that large of a set up, horse/mule, or all hand work? The old Victory Garden used to show some of that type stuff. Using a large fork to double dig the beds instead of a tiller.

 

[Richard]

Rabbits are pets you could have them instead of chickens.

Sailor,

Yea I raised rabbits (New Zealands) for meat & fur back in the 80's so that's something that I probably could start right back up with very little effort.

It did well for several years up until about 86 I think it was when all of my hutches got hit with distemper and I had to destroy all of my rabbits, even my giant English Lop (which was a pet).

But yea raising rabbits are always an option for folks who's local ordinances prevent them from having "livestock".

 

[melensdad]

Up in my neck of the woods they have old time farm days about every summer. You get to come out and watch them work with horses and such.

Good point.

In Lake County there is the Buckley Homestead park, they have demonstrations of old techniques. We've participated in candle making and other activities with our daughter.

Not sure if it still exists, but Connor Prairie outside of Indy used to have things like that too with some sort of heritage days/demonstrations.

I'm sure there are many others around the state, many of these rely on volunteers to operate so these folks would be a fountain of information on the old techniques.

 

[Wabatuckian]

Three Sisters: Corn, Squash, Beans

Plant the corn and the squash at the same time. The squash will protect the corn's roots with its leaves.

After the corn grows a bit, plant your choice of climbing bean. It will use the cornstalk as a pole - you will not need separate poles.

Fertilize using fish buried in the ground.

This is the old, I believe, Miami way. It works well.

Josh <><

 

[haldir]

I have planted pole beans in my corn on occasion and both will do well. I don't know about the squash though. Are you talking about winter squash or summer. It would be a PITA to pick the corn and beans without stepping on the vines it would seem like. I may have to think about that one. I usually plant the winter squash along the garden fence and let it run over and into the yard. I don't mind letting the grass grow a few inches longer in that area. We still have quite a few good acorn and butternuts in the cellar along with the taters.