Preserving (rec.food.preserving) Devoted to the discussion of recipes, equipment, and techniques of food preservation. Techniques that should be discussed in this forum include canning, freezing, dehydration, pickling, smoking, salting, and distilling.

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Hello all,
Does this look like a good deal?
John

http://www.foodsaver.com/vacuum-seal...L3461-035.html
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On 9/19/2014 10:09 AM, wrote:
> Hello all,
> Does this look like a good deal?
> John
>
>
http://www.foodsaver.com/vacuum-seal...L3461-035.html
>

Not to me, I've never had to pay that much for one and have owned three
or four. Last two I bought I got on Amazon, always cheaper than the
Foodsaver site. Go here to take a look:
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&key...8j1k98 l0vl_p

If there is a Bed, Bath, and Beyond nearby take a look there. Bought one
for one of the grandkids there at a hefty discount. Found another one
for son at a thrift store, still in the sealed box.

Do a search on "vacuum sealer" and you will find a few brands that are
much better than the Tilia units, some a little more expensive because
they last longer. I've not had a Foodsaver last more than ten years but
that was suitable at the time. My main complaint about Foodsaver is that
they have increased the depth of the vacuum seal in order to sell you
more bags, and that's where they make the most money. My original unit
25 years ago used up less than a half inch of bag, now it's nearly two
inches. I buy generic bag material in both 8 and 11 inch widths on line
much cheaper.

I have mentioned on here before that I turn the used bags inside out
after a first rinse, then hang them on the top shelf of the dishwasher
with wooden clothes pins to get them thoroughly clean then hang them to
air dry. I reuse the bags until they only hold one wiener <G>. Thrifty
is as thrifty does.

Hope this helps.

George, in very wet SE Texas, over six inches of rain since day before
yesterday.
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Thanks for your help George. I have some research to do. John
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Thanks for your help George. I have some research to do. John
Tuesday Morning usually has those gizmos pretty cheap.
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Ihanks for the tip Bigwheel. I checked out Tuesday Morning & they didn't
have any but I did find some heavy winter caps for half price :-) John
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On 9/23/2014 10:21 AM, wrote:
> Ihanks for the tip Bigwheel. I checked out Tuesday Morning & they didn't
> have any but I did find some heavy winter caps for half price :-) John
>

Tuesday Morning, as near as I can tell, is a lot like Big Lots,
remaindered goods and goods from businesses that failed. They often have
good deals though, we visit them frequently.

A heavy winter cap in this part of Texas is a ball cap. I still have my
Navy wool cap from umpteen years ago for that rare cold snap. I hope
this winter isn't like last winter here, then we had rain, hail, sleet,
and snow, all on the same day. After a few North Atlantic cruises back
in the late fifties I swore off cold weather.

Not preserving anything today but did get the brand new 20.5 cubic foot
freezer loaded up this morning. The old 15 cf freezer is going to our
daughter and her older 11 cf freezer is going to her middle son.

Realized while cleaning out the old freezer that we have lots of vacuum
sealed packages of chard, cauliflower, green peas, kale, broccoli, and
chopped onions and peppers going back to 2012. I'm beginning to think
we're hoarders. Put all the old stuff up front in the new freezer and
will try to eat them up. Of course the 2013 and 2014 stuff is in there
too. The 2013 and 2014 stuff is from our new gardens, all 128 square
feet or raised beds. Also found lots of stuff in the canning pantry from
2012, mostly pickles, pickled cauliflower, sunchokes, things we don't
eat daily. Reckon we need to eat that too, most of our descendants don't
like those types of pickles.

Fall garden is slender this year, mesclun mix, spinach, radishes, a few
beets and carrots, one lone cucumber plant that is producing heavily,
and the sweet chiles, eggplant, and a few other things left over from
spring and summer. The very young kumquat tree is loaded with green
fruit about the size of a dime right now. I braced the limbs so they
wouldn't break. Might get enough to make a couple of pints of kumquat
marmalade. Dehydrated the last of the basil, a goodly batch of Russian
tarragon, and another batch of leaf celery yesterday.

George
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Here in SE Wisconsin a heavy winter hat is a necessity, especially last
winter. We had one of the colest winters in about 25 years. It was a tough
one. It would snow then start to defrost & then freeze. My driveway which is
about 100 ft. long & uphill to the garage was a sheet of ice for days at a
time. I did very little driving last winter. Did you ever consider
catalogueing your freezer? I have 3 stand up Frostless freezers & I keep
track of everything in them & my pantry: I even mark the location .
Otherwise I would never find anything. Hope this helps. John



Here's an example of my Pantry inventory:

Fruit Jams, Jellies, Butters
===================

Raspberries

07/06/14 1 2.5 lbs, Bag Fresh Raspberries #1 FR__1__SH_3
07/11/14 1 2.5 lbs, Bag Fresh Raspberries #2 FR__1__SH_3
07/13/14 1 2.5 lbs, Bag Fresh Raspberries #3 FR__1__SH_3
======================================
Heirloom Beans (Canned)

08/07/14 7 Pint Jars Cranberry Green Beans Box__M
08/19/14 3 Pint Jars Cranberry Green Beans Box__F

==================

08/09/14 5 Pint Jars Sultan's Golden Crescent Beans Box__M
08/12/14 2 Pint Jars Sultan's Golden Crescent Beans Box__F
08/19/14 3 Pint Jars Sultan's Golden Crescent
Beans Box__Beans_2014_A

08/26/14 1 Quart Jars Sultan's Golden Crescent Beans Box__G
======================================
Brussel Sprouts__Fresh

11/08/13 1 Gal Bag Brussel Sprouts ( 1 Very Small, 2 Small Braise, 2 Large
Braise) FR__1__SH_4_Left

======================================
Tomatoes

09/03/12 5 Qt. Bag Tomatoes (Equal to 10-14.5 oz. Cans in
Total) Freezer__1__Shelf_3__Left

09/05/12 1 Qt. Bag Rose Tomatoes (Equal to 2-14.5 oz. Cans in
Total) Freezer__1__Shelf_3


======================================
Bean Soups

07/13 3 Qt. Bags Cannellini Bean Soup with Swiss Chard #1 GE__Door
07/13 2 Qt. Bags Cannellini Bean Soup with Swiss Chard #2 GE__Door
08/13 3 Qt. Bags Cannellini Bean Soup with Swiss Chard #3 GE__Door

01/14 1 Qt. Bags Serbian White Bean Soup___A GE__Top_Shelf_Rear
01/14 1 Qt. Bags Serbian White Bean Soup___B_With Tomatoes & Butternut
Squash GE__Top_Shelf_Rear
01/14 2 Qt. Bags Serbian White Bean Soup___C_With Tomatoes & Butternut
Squash & Tomato Soup GE__Top_Shelf_Rear
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On 10/1/2014 11:36 AM, wrote:
> Here in SE Wisconsin a heavy winter hat is a necessity, especially last
> winter. We had one of the colest winters in about 25 years. It was a tough
> one. It would snow then start to defrost & then freeze. My driveway which is
> about 100 ft. long & uphill to the garage was a sheet of ice for days at a
> time. I did very little driving last winter. Did you ever consider
> catalogueing your freezer? I have 3 stand up Frostless freezers & I keep
> track of everything in them & my pantry: I even mark the location .
> Otherwise I would never find anything. Hope this helps. John
>
>
>
> Here's an example of my Pantry inventory:
>
> Fruit Jams, Jellies, Butters
> ===================
>
> Raspberries
>
> 07/06/14 1 2.5 lbs, Bag Fresh Raspberries #1 FR__1__SH_3
> 07/11/14 1 2.5 lbs, Bag Fresh Raspberries #2 FR__1__SH_3
> 07/13/14 1 2.5 lbs, Bag Fresh Raspberries #3 FR__1__SH_3
> ======================================
> Heirloom Beans (Canned)
>
> 08/07/14 7 Pint Jars Cranberry Green Beans Box__M
> 08/19/14 3 Pint Jars Cranberry Green Beans Box__F
>
> ==================
>
> 08/09/14 5 Pint Jars Sultan's Golden Crescent Beans Box__M
> 08/12/14 2 Pint Jars Sultan's Golden Crescent Beans Box__F
> 08/19/14 3 Pint Jars Sultan's Golden Crescent
> Beans Box__Beans_2014_A
>
> 08/26/14 1 Quart Jars Sultan's Golden Crescent Beans Box__G
> ======================================
> Brussel Sprouts__Fresh
>
> 11/08/13 1 Gal Bag Brussel Sprouts ( 1 Very Small, 2 Small Braise, 2 Large
> Braise) FR__1__SH_4_Left
>
> ======================================
> Tomatoes
>
> 09/03/12 5 Qt. Bag Tomatoes (Equal to 10-14.5 oz. Cans in
> Total) Freezer__1__Shelf_3__Left
>
> 09/05/12 1 Qt. Bag Rose Tomatoes (Equal to 2-14.5 oz. Cans in
> Total) Freezer__1__Shelf_3
>
>
> ======================================
> Bean Soups
>
> 07/13 3 Qt. Bags Cannellini Bean Soup with Swiss Chard #1 GE__Door
> 07/13 2 Qt. Bags Cannellini Bean Soup with Swiss Chard #2 GE__Door
> 08/13 3 Qt. Bags Cannellini Bean Soup with Swiss Chard #3 GE__Door
>
> 01/14 1 Qt. Bags Serbian White Bean Soup___A GE__Top_Shelf_Rear
> 01/14 1 Qt. Bags Serbian White Bean Soup___B_With Tomatoes & Butternut
> Squash GE__Top_Shelf_Rear
> 01/14 2 Qt. Bags Serbian White Bean Soup___C_With Tomatoes & Butternut
> Squash & Tomato Soup GE__Top_Shelf_Rear
>

I have most of the freezer food in plastic baskets, labeled on the front
as to contents, then each bag is dated and has the contents on it. I put
all that on the strip above the sealing area of vacuum bags.

The canning pantry is actually a two foot deep by six feet wide closet
that I put five extra shelves in. Jars are marked with date and contents
on the lid and like items are shelved together. That closet also has
most of our canning pots, empty jars, lids, etc. all on their own shelves.

In addition I keep a running inventory on the computer of the contents
of both freezers and the canning and other odds and sods pantry. Well,
mostly keep it up, sometimes I forget.

Miz Anne's little sister and her husband are coming to visit on Friday
and then going on to Corpus Christi to visit her husband's daughter and
her hubby who is a USN officer. Went to the supermarket this morning and
they were loading up the "used meat" bin. Since we're hosting our entire
family again on Sunday next I stocked up on cheap beef. Even found a
three lb bacon package that had been marked down by 75%, plus some
packages of sausage links. Going to cook a 4 lb eye of round roast,
grill some squash and eggplant and the sausages and will make a big mess
of potato salad and lots of beans. Feeding about eighteen people is a
chore for me anymore. Will start prepping on Saturday, that makes it
easier. Two parties in a week is a lot for me to do.

George
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Sounds like we both think alike. Good luck on your party. John


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On 10/1/2014 1:02 PM, wrote:
> Sounds like we both think alike. Good luck on your party. John
>

You must be an old geezer too. <G>
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On Wed, 01 Oct 2014 16:28:07 -0500, George Shirley >
wrote:

>On 10/1/2014 1:02 PM, wrote:
>> Sounds like we both think alike. Good luck on your party. John
>>

>You must be an old geezer too. <G>


Hi, George,

Judging by the activity on this group it almost seems like us old
geezers are about all who are left doing home preserving.
BTW, a belated Happy Birthday to you. That's when you closed the (by
the year) gap on me but, in another couple of weeks I'll be five years
older than you again ;-).
We had a terrible cool, wet summer for the garden this year. Early
blight, then late blight on the tomatoes, poor flavour but, at least a
bit better than supermarket cardboard varieties. Wasn't worth putting
any down this year though.
Garlic did surprisingly well but, of course, we planted it last
October. Almost time to think about putting it in again. Might not get
as much planted this year since Gerry is the Chief Gardener and she is
going in next week for a hip replacement, actually a replacement for
the replacement she had done in '96, so she won't be doing much
gardening this fall.
We did manage to blanch, vac-pak and freeze a lot of green beans as
well as making a couple dozen jars of dilly beans.
Along with two batches of pepper jelly yesterday, that about sums up
our preserving for this year. Pretty skimpy compared to some years!
One thing I am kind of proud of though, with Gerry's invaluable
assistance, we managed to build a new 10'x 10' garden shed. She's
wanted one for years and this year it happened. Our old barn suffered
some serious wind damage so we rescued some of the old barn boards and
used them as siding on the new shed.
http://tinypic.com/r/2ahwao5/8
Enjoy your nice warm weather. Our forecast is for 6ºC (43ºF) by this
week-end.
All the best to you, Miz Anne and Tilly Dawg.

Ross.
Southern Ontario, Canada
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On 10/1/2014 6:29 PM, Ross@home wrote:
> On Wed, 01 Oct 2014 16:28:07 -0500, George Shirley >
> wrote:
>
>> On 10/1/2014 1:02 PM, wrote:
>>> Sounds like we both think alike. Good luck on your party. John
>>>

>> You must be an old geezer too. <G>

>
> Hi, George,
>
> Judging by the activity on this group it almost seems like us old
> geezers are about all who are left doing home preserving.
> BTW, a belated Happy Birthday to you. That's when you closed the (by
> the year) gap on me but, in another couple of weeks I'll be five years
> older than you again ;-).

I sure hope we are both around to catch up again in five years Ross.
Most of the men in my family line die early from heart attacks. My Dad
at 71, his Dad at 56, and his Dad at 24. One uncle at 33, another at 76
and one made it all the way to 96, a miracle for the Shirley men.
> We had a terrible cool, wet summer for the garden this year. Early
> blight, then late blight on the tomatoes, poor flavour but, at least a
> bit better than supermarket cardboard varieties. Wasn't worth putting
> any down this year though.

Ours was extremely hot and mostly dry with spurts of heavy rain. Our
gardens did do well as the contents of our freezers tell us.
> Garlic did surprisingly well but, of course, we planted it last
> October. Almost time to think about putting it in again. Might not get
> as much planted this year since Gerry is the Chief Gardener and she is
> going in next week for a hip replacement, actually a replacement for
> the replacement she had done in '96, so she won't be doing much
> gardening this fall.
> We did manage to blanch, vac-pak and freeze a lot of green beans as
> well as making a couple dozen jars of dilly beans.

Ha! Opened a package of frozen green beans this afternoon for dinner,
put up in May 2012. Need to get in that section and root around and put
the old ones up front.
> Along with two batches of pepper jelly yesterday, that about sums up
> our preserving for this year. Pretty skimpy compared to some years!
> One thing I am kind of proud of though, with Gerry's invaluable
> assistance, we managed to build a new 10'x 10' garden shed. She's
> wanted one for years and this year it happened. Our old barn suffered
> some serious wind damage so we rescued some of the old barn boards and
> used them as siding on the new shed.
http://tinypic.com/r/2ahwao5/8
> Enjoy your nice warm weather. Our forecast is for 6ºC (43ºF) by this
> week-end.

That's a nice barn Ross, y'all did a good job. Our backyard shed is a
resin package bought at a local big box store. Took us two days to put
it together and then another two days to square it up. Works well but I
need to put a vent on the roof to keep it cooler.
> All the best to you, Miz Anne and Tilly Dawg.
>
> Ross.
> Southern Ontario, Canada
>

Thanks, Miz Anne and Tilly Dawg are out walking the retention pond path
at the moment. Both of them like that late afternoon walk. Used to walk
a lot myself until the strokes came along and minimized my right leg,
now I look like Lurch on the old TV show when I walk.

George, SE Texas
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Hi Ross,
We also got hit with 2 blights on the tomatoes this year. It cut down on
the amount of tomatoes but what I got tasted pretty good. Last year I put
24 Qts. of San Marzano Tomato sauce in the freezer but this year only 4
1/2 Qts. went in. Also the San Marzanos were about 1/3 of the size of
last year. I did spray with copper fungicide & the plants are still
producing new tomatoes as we speak. My Rose tomatoes are about 6 1/2 ft
high but are done producing. I already pulled the Defiants. They did well,
they are very resistant to blights.I also had good luck with beans this
year. I planted 8 different types of Heirloom beans. I canned 36 pints, 5
quarts og green snap beans. I canned 13 pints, 4 -1/2 pints of Dilly
beans. I put about 5 lbs. in the freezer, about 6 llbs in my belly. I also
abou 11-12 lbs. of dry beans. Not a bad haul. I also did well on the
Zucchini this year. My raspberry bushes produced another 22 lbs. this
year. I'll have to step up my Polish Raspberry Cordial production :-) And
I am an old geezer. I'll be 71 in January. John
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On 10/2/2014 10:40 AM, wrote:
> Hi Ross,
> We also got hit with 2 blights on the tomatoes this year. It cut down on
> the amount of tomatoes but what I got tasted pretty good. Last year I put
> 24 Qts. of San Marzano Tomato sauce in the freezer but this year only 4
> 1/2 Qts. went in. Also the San Marzanos were about 1/3 of the size of
> last year. I did spray with copper fungicide & the plants are still
> producing new tomatoes as we speak. My Rose tomatoes are about 6 1/2 ft
> high but are done producing. I already pulled the Defiants. They did well,
> they are very resistant to blights.I also had good luck with beans this
> year. I planted 8 different types of Heirloom beans. I canned 36 pints, 5
> quarts og green snap beans. I canned 13 pints, 4 -1/2 pints of Dilly
> beans. I put about 5 lbs. in the freezer, about 6 llbs in my belly. I also
> abou 11-12 lbs. of dry beans. Not a bad haul. I also did well on the
> Zucchini this year. My raspberry bushes produced another 22 lbs. this
> year. I'll have to step up my Polish Raspberry Cordial production :-) And
> I am an old geezer. I'll be 71 in January. John
>

How much land are you gardening on John? On this small property we have
256 square feet of vegetable garden in raised beds 4X8. In addition we
have about ten running feet of two foot wide bed along the back fence
where we grow tomatoes, and a six foot by six foot herb garden in
another bed in a fence corner. We're so short on land that I grow Swiss
Chard, brightly colored, as a background in a front flower bed. We've
been harvesting that chard since August of 2013. It is well shaded in
the afternoon.

I don't want ten acres anymore but about 10,000 square feet would be
nice. In Louisiana our city lot was about 14,000 square feet but a good
bit of it was taken up by a nine foot diameter cherry bark oak, plus a
12X12 garden shed and several fruit trees. Not to mention a big house
with lots of driveway. <G>

The beauty of the raised beds is that old people can sit on a scooter
and just push yourself around the beds to work in them. No stooping or
squatting anymore for this old man. Plus we don't have dirt in them, we
use Mel's Mix from Square Foot Gardening and it works well but we have
to amend it with compost regularly to keep things growing well. Have a
friend who gardens in a wheel chair and has raised beds that are on
stilts. Works for her and keeps her outside a good bit.

George


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Hi George,

I have a double lot which is 134' x 135' which comes to 18090 sq ft.My
garden is about 28' x 30', but this year I didn't plant the whole garden.
I was going through Physical Therapy for my hips at rototilling & planting
time. My friend from Chicago came up & rototilled my garden & planted 12
tomato plants. He also helped with the tomato cages & spreading the straw
in the garden. The he chopped down some small trees & shrubs in the back
of the garage.

I grow my beans in rows running east & west starting from the north side
of the garden. I have successfully grown Kentucky pole beans, cucumbers, &
Kirby pickles in the past years on 2 trellisses in this location.This year
I decided to grow 8 different kinds of Heirloom beans. I built a third
trellis.One trellis consists of a 4 ft. wire fence to which I attached
some wooden uprights to extend it to 6 ft. Then I ran some old 17 lb.
green Trilene fishing line horizontally so the beans could climb up. For
the other 2 trellisses I used 4 ft high steel fencing stakes to which I
attached 1/2 " electrical conduit pipe with Plastic wire ties.I I used to
work at a company that made the wire ties & they would let us take any
rejects. I have a couple of boxes of various sizes in the garage.I the
attached 5' x 15' Nylon netting material which I purchased from Burpees
again using wire ties. I space the trellisses about 3 1/2 feet apart. I
planted Tarbais, Lazy Housewife, Brockton Horticultural, Cherokee Trail
of Tears, Turkey Craw, Good Mother Stallard, Sultan's Golden Crescent, &
Speckled Cranberry. using 75' of space . On the other 15 ft I tried to
grow cucumbers but because of the weather & the rabbits I retilled the
soil after a month & planted Kentucky pole beans. I the planted 2 rows of
6 tomatoes each 5 ft. to the south and 5 ft. apart. I the planted 5
Zucchini Squash plants south of the tomatoes & 6 Butternut Squash around
the perimeter of the garden to run onto the grass around the garden. Two
feet south of ths garden I built 2- 4ft by 8ft raised beds. In the first
bed I planted Swiss Chard & Boomingsdale Spinach. I didn't get the second
one finished in time to plant.

The Raspberries are in a row running east to west in front of my deck.I
built a box about 14 ft by 2 ft & planted 5 Elliot Raspberry bushes that I
bought from Burpees. I built a Vee shaped trellis using steel fence
supports on an angle & Aluminum aircraft wire tightened by turn buckle
around ths bushes & when I prune them back in the Spring I attach the
prima canes to the wire using wire ties. Last year I got about 20 lbs of
berries, this year 22lbs.

I am very interested in this "Mel's Mix from Square Foot Gardening". I am
going to research it. Seems easier than using dirt, especially when it
comes ti tilling & weeding. I would appreciate any info that you can
share on that subject.
Didn't mean to write a book :-) but once I get started.

John

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On 10/4/2014 9:56 AM, wrote:
> Hi George,
>
> I have a double lot which is 134' x 135' which comes to 18090 sq ft.My
> garden is about 28' x 30', but this year I didn't plant the whole garden.
> I was going through Physical Therapy for my hips at rototilling & planting
> time. My friend from Chicago came up & rototilled my garden & planted 12
> tomato plants. He also helped with the tomato cages & spreading the straw
> in the garden. The he chopped down some small trees & shrubs in the back
> of the garage.

Our garden in Louisiana was 17' wide by 28' long, started out with
railroad ties as the edging, took that out and put in 8"x16" cinder
blocks, then filled the openings in the blocks with good dirt, etc. Grew
smaller plants, primarily bunching onions, scallions, New Zealand
spinach, etc. in the blocks.
>
> I grow my beans in rows running east & west starting from the north side
> of the garden. I have successfully grown Kentucky pole beans, cucumbers, &
> Kirby pickles in the past years on 2 trellisses in this location.This year
> I decided to grow 8 different kinds of Heirloom beans. I built a third
> trellis.One trellis consists of a 4 ft. wire fence to which I attached
> some wooden uprights to extend it to 6 ft. Then I ran some old 17 lb.
> green Trilene fishing line horizontally so the beans could climb up. For
> the other 2 trellisses I used 4 ft high steel fencing stakes to which I
> attached 1/2 " electrical conduit pipe with Plastic wire ties.I I used to
> work at a company that made the wire ties & they would let us take any
> rejects. I have a couple of boxes of various sizes in the garage.I the
> attached 5' x 15' Nylon netting material which I purchased from Burpees
> again using wire ties. I space the trellisses about 3 1/2 feet apart. I
> planted Tarbais, Lazy Housewife, Brockton Horticultural, Cherokee Trail
> of Tears, Turkey Craw, Good Mother Stallard, Sultan's Golden Crescent, &
> Speckled Cranberry. using 75' of space . On the other 15 ft I tried to
> grow cucumbers but because of the weather & the rabbits I retilled the
> soil after a month & planted Kentucky pole beans. I the planted 2 rows of
> 6 tomatoes each 5 ft. to the south and 5 ft. apart. I the planted 5
> Zucchini Squash plants south of the tomatoes & 6 Butternut Squash around
> the perimeter of the garden to run onto the grass around the garden. Two
> feet south of ths garden I built 2- 4ft by 8ft raised beds. In the first
> bed I planted Swiss Chard & Boomingsdale Spinach. I didn't get the second
> one finished in time to plant.
>

Our rows also ran east to west to get more sunshine on the plants, used
the steel fencing stakes on the south and north sides and used 6 inch
reinforcing wire, found in a scrap yard of a plant I worked in at the
time, got it free, for the plants to climb. Was all there after 20 years
of that garden when we moved away.
> The Raspberries are in a row running east to west in front of my deck.I
> built a box about 14 ft by 2 ft & planted 5 Elliot Raspberry bushes that I
> bought from Burpees. I built a Vee shaped trellis using steel fence
> supports on an angle & Aluminum aircraft wire tightened by turn buckle
> around ths bushes & when I prune them back in the Spring I attach the
> prima canes to the wire using wire ties. Last year I got about 20 lbs of
> berries, this year 22lbs.

Our blueberry plants are slowly dying, I think they don't get enough
sunshine as my loverly wife planted them in the shade. Am thinking of
taking them out and putting in a Doyle blackberry,
http://www.ehow.com/facts_7712599_in...ckberries.html.
>
> I am very interested in this "Mel's Mix from Square Foot Gardening". I am
> going to research it. Seems easier than using dirt, especially when it
> comes ti tilling & weeding. I would appreciate any info that you can
> share on that subject.
> Didn't mean to write a book :-) but once I get started.
>
> John
>
>

The latest version of the book is available online and in many garden
centers and big box stores. The mix is basically peat moss, vermiculite,
and compost. We use composted cow manure for the mix. Does well but it
has to be replaced periodically. Our raised beds now have soaker hoses
as do the beds along the fence line. I bought enough soaker hose to do
the job and had a bunch of busted hoses in stock so cut them down. Put a
four outlet faucet gadget on the backyard faucet and ran separate lines
to each bed. May decide later to drill 1/2 inch PVC piping for the beds,
bury it in the middle, then run separate in ground lines to each bed.
Easy to do and not very expensive in a small area. We do use commercial
fertilizer on occasion as we get heavy rains on occasion. A few weeks
ago we received 6 inches of steady rain in two days so put in a light
amount of 8-8-8, everything perked right up. Square Foot Gardening is
time consuming but works well in small spaces like ours.

Most of us on this list are both gardeners and preservers, nothing wrong
with being long winded about our dedicated things to do. Miz Anne and I
started gardening with our parents over 60 years ago and the same with
home food preserving. Now our job is to try to teach a younger
generation how to do the things we love.

George

George
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