Fruit trees & Fruit bushes we are currently growing (Garden update July 2014)

Over the last three years, I have bought several different varieties of fruit trees, bushes, vining fruits. For example we bought three blueberry bushes and bought five more this year (one died). The blueberries we harvested a couple months ago, came from the blueberry plants we bought this year. 

First blueberry from the garden

7 blueberry plants

I believe the birds ate most of the blueberries, I harvested maybe four of the 50+ blueberries I saw growing. Well the birds also ate most of the strawberries, but I fortunately placed Garden figurines beside the Strawberry plants. The very day the birds quit touching the berries. 

Garden figurines to prevent birds

the figurines kept the birds away

You may have read that I transplanted nearly 300 Tomato starters this year. The majority of the Tomato plants (approx 200) came up volunteer from the strawberry beds you see below. I am convinced that next year I will be able to rely on

Strawberry bed 1

Logs used as frames, pine used as mulch, compost for soil and nutrition-- all resources that were free. The strawberry plants will cost you about $1 per plant. Strawberries are one of those Fruits that put off the same year you plant too!

Strawberry bed 2

Strawberry bed 3

The Blackberry bushes ripened at the beginning of July after a cool front. Of course the birds got to most of them especially around our yard.

My (two) grape plants are progressing. Actually I ate one grape today that turned purple. It tasted much like sour apple jolly rancher and the texture was like the candy too.

To see both grape plants & how they're grown, see video "2 yr old grape plants".

Below are pictures of my old Peach tree (30+ years old). It has approximately 10 Peaches growing. Last year we had over 100 Peaches growing. This year however a Late Frost killed most the blooms, and several have fallen too early.

Old Peach Tree

Peach fruit

Peach Tree fruits

Below is a picture of my younger Peach Tree (3-4 years old). I bought this Peach tree from Arbor Day, which states this variety produces fruit after 3 or 4 years, so I expect it to fruit next year. This variety is Golden Jubilee which self-fertilizes.

3-4 year old Peach Tree

The Fig Trees and Cherry Trees are putting off shoots to make new trees. I was worried the two Fig Trees and two Cherry trees were completely dead.

I hear Fig Trees grow well in Pots, so I may purchase several more to experiment in growing them in containers. My variety of Figs are called Chicago Hardy Figs, suitable for Growing Zones 6 or higher.

The other photo below, a Plum tree called the Damson Plum (tart) variety, self-fertilizing, grows up to 10 to 20 feet tall and wide.

Fig Tree sprouts

Fig Tree sprouts

Cherry tree sprout

Plum tree

Other Fruit Trees I have, two Pear Trees, and Kiwi plants. As I done with the Fig Trees, I purchased a Cold Hardy variety of Kiwis. Simply called Hardy Kiwis, they are a fast-growing, climbing vine, and is capable of surviving slow temperature drops to -30°F (-34°C). Kiwis take approximately threes years to begin producing Fruit. Flowering usually occurs in May, and they need a male pollinator. A male pollinator can enable six female producers to Fruit.
Kentucky was hit hard last Winter, one of the worst in 30 years! Around November I cover mulched these plants in leaves halfway up those poles.
The poles you see were re-purposed from an old playground. I almost always obtain free materials within the Garden. My goal is to avoid purchasing resources altogether, but we do what we can in the meantime.

2 of 3 Kiwi plants survived the Winter

Video of my kiwi plants at "2 yr old Hardy Kiwi plants"

Below are the 3-4 year old Pear trees, the Kieffer variety. They are self-fertilizing but do best with two trees for better crop; Very hardy and tolerates hot climate, from Zones 4 to 9; and grows to 15' to 30' tall, 12' to 20' spread. I also purchased the Pear trees from Arborday.org (as well as the young Peach Tree and Plum tree).

 

Aside from Fruit trees, I am growing many Vegetable fruits including Yellow Squash, Zucchini, Butternut Squash, Pumpkins, Tomatoes, Peppers, Cucumbers. Also I am growing beans, corn, potatoes, and greens.
I am most happy with the progress of one cantaloupe plant, which has five medium to large-sized fruits and three are small to medium-sized. See video of cantaloupe growing strawberry bed, go to video "progress on Cantaloupe & pumpkin n the compost". And for the Watermelon & Cantaloupe Garden tour, go to video "watermelon cantaloupe & corn ready to harvest".
Considering melons are high maintenance and Kentucky weather is not the best conditions, I am excited to harvest several healthy melons. Then again, I purchased $10 worth of seeds this year on Cantaloupe and Watermelon seed, after several transplants most died, and the remaining melon plants have no produced any fruit. Last year I had the same success with the Melons.

For now, we have a small variety of fruit trees, but of course we buy additional fruit every year to add to the collection.
Ultimately, a lifestyle that represents lessening the amount of cruelty, environmental impact, and exploitation of workers or customers is a diet and lifestyle centered around growing your own food, specifically living off the land of your fruits. When you grow your own fruits and vegetables, you can control avoiding harm to bugs and animals and the environment when you avoid pesticides, herbicides, etc. There are many cruelty free techniques in gardening. Matthew David gives examples on Ethical & low maintenance gardening here. Another aspect of eating a diet of fruits and vegetables is spreading the seed to create future food, in abundance.

View my other posts for photos of Fruit harvests from my garden.


I am interested to know or see your own collection of Fruit trees. Are you growing a food forest?

How to Save/Recycle/Conserve Water

1. Collect rain water with barrels, 5-gallon buckets, jars, and other containers. Even the smallest container will be able to water your starter plants. Also mulch around your plants in order to retain moisture (allows for less watering); and watering your plants in the morning or evening will reduce water evaporation.

2. Collecting water in larger containers (like rain barrels) will allow you to clean flower pots, trays or your dirty hands.   

3. Take 3 to 5 minute showers. Instead of showering everyday, wash your body and face with a wet wash cloth. You could even put a bucket or small container in the bath tub as you shower. This will collect some if not most of the water coming from the shower head.

4. Instead of drinking water from the tap, collect water with (clean/sterile) bottles or mugs as it is raining. Drink the water immediately, and do not let it sit outside for too long. Boil the rain water (if you're reluctant). You can also do this in place of showering. My cousin Lisa swears that rain water makes your hair softer and much more vibrant. 

5. If you eat raw vegan, you may notice a reduction in the amount of dish washing. Actually I use my blender to blend smoothies and drink out of, and I use a large bowl for my salads. I also have a ceramic skillet for cooking. Overall, I only use these utensils and do not wash dishes much. If you cook your food, you may find that you need to scrub longer or use more water to clean your skillets, pots, etc. 

6. Also when washing dishes, save up any contained water for Keyhole gardening, or reuse water when soaking dirty dishes.

7. When brushing your teeth or washing your face, do not let the water run. 

8. It is understandable to flush the toilet every time you defecate, but there's no need to flush every time you urinate. It's polite to flush outside of your home, but otherwise if you're drinking lots of water and eating high water content foods, you do not have harsh smelling urine! Actually, urinate outside or in a bucket to pour in compost (if possible).

9. Repair any leaks or make adjustments to kitchen/bathroom appliances. 

10. Do not wash clothes regularly. Most often your clothes are not dirty enough to need washing. Actually I have two pair of pants, one for gardening and outdoors and one for going to the groceries/hanging with friends. My garden pants are worn over and over, usually at the end of the week I will wash them. Same for my dress pants, I re-wear them until they need it. Because I have little clothing and I do not have a full time job, I wash one load of clothes every other week!!

I understand that this may seem extreme, or dirty and perpetuates the dirty hippie stereotype. But I find that teaching others these practices will allow us to look passed our dependency on modern conveniences. 

For other blog posts I have done on our consumption of water, please visit the links below:

April 30th 2014 Garden Update & How to Save Water

Extreme Environmentalism

Smoothies v. Juices v. Whole Food (Fruit, Greens, & Veggies)

Anyone that has been a raw foodists or vegan for long-term, begins to accumulate all sorts of food prep equipment throughout the years (juicers, blenders, food processors, and the like).

The holidays are approaching, and if you celebrate Christmas with your family, these devices are some things you could ask for as gifts, if you also want to avoid buying food prep equipment for yourself. Or even better, you could buy someone a blender or juicer in order to encourage them to eat healthier.

I remember my Dad bought me a blender back in 2005 when I went vegan, and have bought several since then. My partner bought me a juicer in 2009 or '10 --which I am still using-- he got it from Walmart for $30 (GM brand). I think the 'Ninja bullet' food processors are $15 (good for blended small portions).

I am currently using a blender that I bought from Goodwill for $2.50. I am not ashamed to use a second-hand blender instead of the Vitamix! Usually thrift stores have well-priced junk to repurpose.

 

Time to start saving seeds (& dehydrating/storing garden harvests for winter)

The past two months have kept me busy, replanting lettuce (for Fall) and harvesting, storing and dehydrating excess food. My tomato garden produced over 200 pounds of fruit this year so my partner and I have been feasting on large quantities of tomatoes. Yet, we couldn't eat them all, some went to the compost and some tomatoes ended up getting canned and dehydrated.

dehydrating tomatoes with basil from the garden

tomatoes ready to be eaten fresh or dehydrated

Garden Harvest & Grocery Hauls (Raw Vegan budget)

**The photos are produce hauls from my garden harvests including fruit from the grocery store**

The Snicker's tag line You're not you when you're hungry speaks volumes to those who tend to be short-tempered or irritable. Another saying I often use an angry man is a hungry man suggests that a starved individual is a starving brain (i.e. irrational thinker, temperamental, binges on junk food).

peaches, peppers, and tomatoes from my garden;
plus mangoes, bananas, watermelon, and Asian pears

What vegetables to grow during the summer (May, June, & July)

Hello everyone! It has been several months since I lasted posted. Obviously, I have been keeping busy in the garden: hoeing, weeding, staking tomatoes and beans, and planning my Fall garden. I have also been remodeling my youngest brother's room (which has taken several weeks of my time.) Also, my Mother is working on her Masters, so I've been involved with helping her write essays. Moreover, I wanted to make sure I was able to reconnect with you all, and detail what I have been growing in my garden.

 

Within a couple of weeks I will do another entry that will list NEW practices I have learned as a gardener and highlight the mistakes I made this year that I will improve on next year. You can check out what I learned last year from my first time gardening, here "4 Mistakes I've made as a First-year Gardener"

 

To see what I have harvested in the last four months from these gardens, please visit: Garden updates & Harvest photos (& what to plant during summer to fall season) and "You're not YOU when you're hungry". You'll be surprised how much you harvest with little growing space.

 

Furthermore, the intention of this entry is to show you what I am currently growing and harvesting from this Summer's garden, and what food I was able to harvest from my Spring garden. Hopefully these pictures will inspire you to grow a Fall or winter garden, or perhaps inspire you to plan your spring and summer garden for 2014...Enjoy...



Basil, parsley, sage, and dill

Basil

Northern (white) beans

northern, kidney, pinto, and lima beans and black eyed peas

Beet greens




Broccoli/cabbage patch

Broccoli from spring garden...very delicious!






Broccoli head



butternut squash



Corn/okra/tomatoes

corn and okra

 

green peppers

hot peppers

 

rain barrels

 

lettuce, arugula, and spinach going to seed (the weeds have taken over!)

My partner and I also have a large watermelon and cantaloupe patch, but the location was not ideal. Melons need sandy soil, which I could not simulate for them this year. Perhaps next year I will ask a generous farmer if I can grow melons near his creek bed. Also close by the squash and melon patch is a large cucumber patch which is producing great! I'm eating lots of cucumbers and squash every day from my garden in the last two weeks. Being vegan is easy and inexpensive when you grow your own food!



zucchini/yellow squash/pumpkin/butternut squash patch

zucchini/yellow squash/okra







strawberry patch with 1 year worth of compost and pine needles

sunflowers...can't wait to eat the seeds!

tomatoes from our compost



tomatoes from a generous farmer



100+ tomato plants

"What are you going to do with all of them tomatoes?" says the meat-eaters

Sun-dried tomatoes, tomato juice, tomato soup, tomato salad, tomato sandwich - so many options!