I want to grow food in a field.

[lurley]

You might also look to varieties from the Arabian peninsula and the like, all the way to India.

[fortyonenorth]

You might Google "low input crops" or otherwise search on the terms "low input." There are land race varieties which have been optimized to perform well in less than ideal conditions.

I'll add in a note of caution, though. You CANNOT grow nutritious crops on depleted soil without adequate fertility. Sure, from a horticultural standpoint you may be able to produce a vegetable, but it is scientifically impossible for healthy nutrients to be present in your vegetables unless they are in the soil to begin with. This is an especially important principal if you plan to be self-sufficient and hope to get a significant share of your daily food from your own garden.

Google "Soil Fertility and Animal Health" and you'll be able to read much more about this.

[PaulO]

Originally Posted by tuk50

Paul, I've been playing with drought resistant varieties for a few years and have found the seeds found here to be the best ones I've found so far.. http://nativeseeds.org/catalog/index.php?cPath=1
these are seeds collected from indian tribes and remote areas in the U.S. and Mexico. You might check the squash and especially the tepary beans out: http://www.nativeseeds.org/catalog/i...?cPath=1_14_42 you can't believe how little water they can produce in. The old varieties haven't been crossed so much that they will produce like modern vegetables we see now, but they will survive in unbelievable soil and arid regions. They still spend a lot of their energy developing roots that are much deeper and wider than modern types and this is the trade off .. also these are great varieties to use like the Indians did with the three sisters... squash for shade of the soil, corn (with strong roots and short stocky stalks) and beans for nitrogen. I've tried a lot of the cowpeas on this site and some of the pole beans are tiny, but very prolific ... I have been trying to plant them with what we call the monsoons here in the arid deserts of the southwest like the Indians did and it really works. Be sure and read a lot of the descriptions and it will help you decide which ones you want to try. The squash and pumpkins here are not thick walled, but most are thin walled, but still tasty and usable, I've grown some of the squash that had 3 or 4 different shaped squash on the same vine and also different tastes... There is also a site in New Mexico by an ag. prof. that I've traded seeds with and I will try and find that site for you. He's into sustainable foods for arid regions and I've found him very experienced and helpful... also some of the people at the Native seed search that I've talked to have helped.. the tribe here in the Tucson area are called the Tohono O'odham.. and I have been trying their beans with great success. Hope this helps some.

Hey, thanks for the suggestion. I did buy some seeds from Native Seeds for last year's season and had mixed results. The squash and black-eyed peas did better than varieties did really well, better than other varieties I tried. But then the lentils and tomatoes I bought from them never germinated. Although after trying a whole slew of other stuff this year, I think I will buy some more things from them--definitely the tepary beans you mention.

Originally Posted by lurley

You might also look to varieties from the Arabian peninsula and the like, all the way to India.

Yeah, I guess I need to do some more googling.

Originally Posted by fortyonenorth

You might Google "low input crops" or otherwise search on the terms "low input." There are land race varieties which have been optimized to perform well in less than ideal conditions.

I'll add in a note of caution, though. You CANNOT grow nutritious crops on depleted soil without adequate fertility. Sure, from a horticultural standpoint you may be able to produce a vegetable, but it is scientifically impossible for healthy nutrients to be present in your vegetables unless they are in the soil to begin with. This is an especially important principal if you plan to be self-sufficient and hope to get a significant share of your daily food from your own garden.

Google "Soil Fertility and Animal Health" and you'll be able to read much more about this.

Understood about the nutrients. I am very interested in healthy food. Like I said, I am building up the soil over time and apply fertilizer, but am still interested in varieties that are reliable and easy-to-grow, so I appreciate the "low input" information. It is interesting how certain words or phrases are necessary to be known before you even know what to google. For example, a few weeks ago I learned that "dry farming" refers to growing without irrigation.

[delltraveller]

Were you direct seeding your tomato and pepper seeds? If so, you may find it much better to try starting them in pots to get them going, then transplanting.

[lurley]

Native seeds also has several drought tolerant corn varieties, for flour or hominy. I just ordered some a few days ago for next year. It does say they are low yield though. Larger seeds like beans, peas, and corn you can pre-soak for a few hours to overnight like my grandparents did to get quicker germination before your soil crusts back over.

[tuk50]

A trick for germination I used the past year in my virgin soil was to dig a 5 or 6 inch trench and fill with a cheap potting soil then I planted the beans in the trench and it helped to allow the sprouts to pop up and not fight the crusting of my native soil. Don't get me wrong, I love the native seeds and use it a lot, but I do think they may keep seeds a bit long sometimes... I've had a spotty and NO germination from a number of their seeds.. also they don't give very many seeds in a pack, so I usually get a pack and grow out the largest seeds in the pack and save those for a full row the following year.

[dagrainmaka]

Bo, you gonna have to have some form of irregation. Remember the month and a half drought we had this year? Lime and 10 10 10 fertilizer will work wonders for your dirt. Try clemson spineless okra.