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Episode-575- Planning 2011s Gardening and Homesteading Activities

The Survival Podcast Posted on by

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I thought this would be a great subject for today.  Over the past few weeks many of my seed catalogs have come in, the garden is now producing only greens and other frost hardy crops and today is the Winter Solstice which is the longest night of the year.  In other words we are about to go into the Christmas holiday and the first day of winter has just fallen upon us.  We now have a long cold winter ahead which will not officially end until March 21st.  To me winter is a time of planning, contemplation and evaluation.

Join me today as we discuss..

  • Winter has begun but the coldest days lie ahead
  • The first step is to review your successes and failures of 2010
  • Do you reattempt or abandon your failures
  • What do you want to add to your production in 2011
  • Determine your average last frost date and counting backwards
  • Time to build that cold frame, greenhouse or both
  • Is 2011 the year you add livestock, if so what
  • If  you are going to start keeping bees now is the time to order
  • Seed and Orchard Catalogs – Knowledge and Shopping All In One
  • Evaluational goals for 2011
  • Irrigation System Planning for 2011
  • Setting realistic time lines and priorities
  • Some of my goals for 2011
    • Sell the old house and move
    • Install Garden Beds
    • Install Irrigation Systems
    • Develop Extensive Herb Gardens
    • Install Out Buildings
    • Develop Orchard Plan, Irrigation, Swales, etc.
    • Install small ponds
    • Build and install greenhouse and aquaponics system
    • Continue to develop our mason bee population
    • Evaluate small live stock choices
    • Install fencing
    • Develop Composting and Mulch Systems
    • Encourage Local Wildlife
    • Install Gun Range

Resources for Today’s Show

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Comments

Episode-575- Planning 2011s Gardening and Homesteading Activities — 13 Comments

  1. One thing I am doing to get ready for the next year’s gardening is filling in the water feature/money pit (water to fill it, electricity to run the pump and maintenance adds up) in my backyard and turning into a couple of garden beds.

    Thanks for this show, it is giving me more ideas.

  2. The rounds are beautiful Jack!!! Congrats – and i can’t wait for mine to arrive!!!

  3. During your show today my copy of Family Preparedness Handbook arrived, so #1 on the list read the book then make my lists of lists for the year. As always thanks for your work ethic for without it I would still be looking.

  4. Loved todays show. I am very interested in seeing a list of the seed catalogs, I thought you said you would put something in the show notes. Anyone know where I can find such a list? Normally I would just search, but I thought others might come here to look for the seed catalog links. Thanks for putting so much effort into the podcast.

  5. Jack you had mentioned putting a link to some plans for making cold frame/hot frame and possibly green house plans. I am looking at building a Green House in the frozen tundra of Minnesota and I think I can do it but would like to see some plans that you might have. I think were going to have to use compost/hot frame or some heating ideas like a wood stove. Also if you have a link to some of those seed catalogs you mentioned-I found some of them online but not all. Thanks

  6. @Ben, Sorry about the oversight the links have now been added.

    @Dan, I will get those added by tomorrow. Sorry as well, kind of had something pop up today.

  7. Another great show, especially when you went through your list. It’s going to be fun hearing the updates and sort of going through it with you

  9. Just want to mention that Nick’s podcast with the barefoot beekeeper on SOS was outstanding. Jack, I would love to see you make very detailed videos with your medicinal garden next year. What you plant, what to use them for, how to make tinctures, salves, etc. Thanks so much.

  10. Funny that you wrote that Kathy-I was thinking the same thing. My wife and I are talking about making an herb garden this Spring and were discussing what we would grow in it. Any thoughts would be appreciated-were in zone 4 so we only get about 120 days between last freeze and first freeze.

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  12. Great show Jack. We’ve already started planning this coming season, and the goal is to double the 1100lbs we reached last year. Seed catalogs are marked and ready to order, chicks are picked out (meat birds), fruit trees are ordered, and everything is planned & plotted down to every last square foot of space. I can’t wait to get things started……

  13. This summer i am planning to build a greenhouse with the intention to grow/produce strawberries in December. (I have a friendly bet with a coworker that thinks a Zone5 gets too cold and too little light)

    Is there a forum thread anyone can recommend?

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