working with Nature

I have been Experimenting for about 5 years, trying to grow vegetable plants that can be grown with out the use of any pesticide-or sprays-just organic fertilizer-I am trying to make a list of things that can be grown for food with out buying anything.
I have discovered that GMO's are out, bugs devour them first,- some things sustain bug damage, but still make a good crop, like Sweet Potatoes,--so far I have, Jerusalem Artichoke, Prickley Pear,Taro [Casia] Family,inc. Malanga, Dioscorea's, Chayote, Amaranth's, Okra, Hot peppers, Potatoes, Malabar Spinach, Bananas, Strawberries-
In the event that we have to feed our selves with out going to the store,Our family is making some preparations, and gathering some info, plants/ seed/bulbs, etc.
I would welcome any suggestions--[I realize every one is not in zone 9-but neither is all our family]

I never use any chemicals in my garden, on veggies or ornamentals. I will use on occassion homemade remedies for certain things with simple ingrediants (soap, vinegar, tobacco juice, etc.)
Most of what I can't keep whole I can............
Potatos, carrots, beets, squash, beans, peppers, tomatos, radishes, artichokes, some cukes, apples, grapes, plums, cherries, and blackberries.

Good for you-I like to can also--I wish I could grow Cukes out side here--the bugs are ammazing--they are biger, stronger, and more in number than any place I have gardened before

I was never able to grow cukes in the midwest nor in California for that reason....bugs! For some reason here they do fine. Especially the lemon cukes (great size for slicing onto sandwiches)

This is also the first place I coulden't grow Carrots in the spring--here I plant in the fall -or they get infested with fly larva [Carrot fly maggots, I suppose]

Never heard of em...don't want em....you can keep em. :-)
My biggest problem is slugs and snails. I have found ways of dealing with them on everything but my hostas....those it seems are like candy to them.

I guess Chickens arn't an option?-that and Toads are my slug removers

Michaelp, I would think you'd be looking at heirlooms where you can keep the seeds for next year (or also eat the seeds, like beans).

In what part of FL is Orange Springs?

ps... I put some recipes for prickly pear jams in the new Canning & Freezing forum.

This message was edited Jul 27, 2004 10:15 AM

I don't have any experience at all in your climate/area, I'm at 45°N. From my experience though Leeks are tough, as are Onions & Garlic, bugs don't want anything to do with'em around here. YMMV =)
My only other bug-free plants are my hot peppers, which you have listed already.

Hey, Oregonics... Welcome! I hadn't thought to add leeks and garlic to his list but they would be a boon.

I love Jerusalem artichokes, but just found this comment:
Helianthus tuberosus. JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES are a fairly well-known root crop that is occasionally cultivated. The plants are very vigorous, growing up to 10ft tall, and some people have been growing them successfully as part of a woodland garden, planting them on the sunnier side of the woodland.

Slugs absolutely adore the young shoots in spring, so give the plants some protection at this time of the year. We find that a mulch of oak leafmould works well. The main drawback of this root is that over half of the carbohydrate it contains is in the form of inulin and this cannot be absorbed by the body.

It does mean that you can eat quite a lot of it without putting on weight, but it does also mean that many people will find the inulin fermenting in their gut causing quite a bit of wind! The tubers can be eaten raw or cooked and the flavour improves if they are left in the ground until frosted.

I also inderstand they are more difficult to grow in Florida. Guess it depends on where in FL?

Orange Springs is in the North Central part of FLa. near I-75 -between Gainsville and Ocala---about 2 hrs south of Ga.
I forgot to list Garlic and Leaks Thanks-I planted my leaks last week but they haven't come up yet--sometimes I get a good crop of beets but the heat sometimes ruins them about the time they are ready to can.--the fast growing Carrots will grow in the winter and do fairly well.

It is hard to grow J -artichokes here--they struggle--some of our people in the North and West have better crops than I do--even in N-Calif. South of Redding ,it was much hotter than here--and I always got better crops then I do here--OH -WELL---Heirlooms are about the only ones that will work with out spraying or dusting something--I have noticed that the bugs eat the Hybrids first-and of course GMO's--and leave the heirlooms alone or until last.--Has anyone read the One Straw Revolution. ?---It tells about our future with Chemical Fertilizers--and Hybrids--and Bugs--from Japan [who cant afford to loose 20 to 50,000 acres a year to Chemical Burnout.

Michaelp, NO, I have not read that book but just now looked up reviews on it on Amazon. It's now on my Wish List!

It is one of the books I will remember-

I have gardened in Sylva, and Bryson City,--NC. --I liked it there.

Michaelp, I am within an hour of each of those towns. I, too, like it here.

Have you thought about trying Chard? I have had good luck with it two years in a row, even the rabbits & flea beetles leave it alone, and it tolerates heat and dry soil. I am using Broadstem Green Chard, I don't remember if it is Heirloom, but I used the organic one. I like to pick a few leaves as we need them, it just grows back more. It is very tasty with a little milkweed.

Never ate Milk weed-just put it on worts-it works good for that-----I grow Fordhook Giant-it produces dependable seed--I can grow it in the winter-here but the deer and rabbits must be fenced out--as soon as it stops freezing once in a while, the bugs eat it down--but now that you mention it --Chard was always a good crop and mostly trouble free other places I have Gardened--do you grow Ruby red Chard it works about as well--for some reason when I grow Bright Lights-it is much more susceptible to bugs-maybe the bugs think it is a mutant and therefore must be destroyed before it can make seed--