i just read an article on gardening- and my opinion- it's a start. this person still believes in purchasing a great amount of food and sounds like they dabble- but they have the right idea. and there are other links to seeds i will check out. my personal opinion- just make a start. if you have the seeds and the understanding that our food production system is not sustainable, well, it makes you determined to become one with the soil. the reality is- eventually, there won't be enough local farmers being able to grow food even for organic buffs- which is one reason agri business took over. our demand for food grew- and they could make money so they squeezed most of the family farms out- remember reagan and all of those farm foreclosures? remember 'farm aid?'
anyhoo, add to the fact that where those farms once stood- are probably suburban mcmansions and you realize that much of our arable farmland has been paved over. that's an issue with food production and water. just a head's up and an fyi- it was largely due to the family farms that we got through the last great depression. we don't have that anymore.
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woah! *Twilight Zone music playing hauntingly in the background
So I just sent you an email about genetically engineered corn and stuffs and revamping my desert gardening post for another venue and thought I'd pop in and say hi and here you are talking about gardening! We must be psycho! Err... psychic!! LOL How are you my friend?! I'm not posting as often as I'd like, and I'm kinda revamping my blog a bit (even thinking about moving to wordpress, but the verdict's not in) Blogrolling died, so I'm redoing my links a lil at a time between (yikes) job applications! Arrgghh!
xoxoxo miss ya!
no, not as many farms, or protected land in general. we each make our own sanctuary..........and hopefully, as a nation, in abt 5 days, we will do more collective farming.
Hello Betmo,
"Food glorious food."
The (linked) article on gardening is good.
Particularly the advice about knowing your soil and climate.
Some species are best avoided by the beginner...asparagus springs to mind, whereas string beans and potatoes seem to be fool-proof, apart from pest infestation.
There is an organic product however, called Neem oil...
It`s good to "stagger" the planting, as this spreads out the harvests.
If you do have "more than you can eat", then trading with friends/neighbours is always good.
Particularly if your results exceed expectations!
Fruit bushes and canes, such as gooseberry and raspberry are easy to care for, as is an old favourite, rhubarb, all delicious in pies or preserves.
A really useful resource is a glasshouse or windowed potting shed in which seedlings can mature prior to planting.
Stuff like mint, sage, rosemary, once planted and established, can prosper for ever, and adds flavour to so many dishes.
Next thing you know, you`ll be getting a pond, chuck in a few ducks,geese, trout even, and there`s meat to go with the veg.
Que approveche.
i may have just had some chickens and a goat if i was zoned for it :) neem oil is very good- we have japanese beetles here in the states and they eat just about anything. neem oil helps with that- as does rue. i am going to plant rue amongst my roses- and geraniums. apparently, cats don't like rue either so that's a bonus as we have at least one in the neighborhood that bothers mine.
starting out with the basics this summer and adding a cold frame if time permits. i also intend to install rain barrels this year. little by little. i also want to research how to make my house more energy efficient as it has been fairly cold here lately- and i know we could do better. it's nice in the summer- we have cooling trees and i close the blinds and curtains to keep the sun out as it comes around the house. that works well. plenty of sun in the back for gardening.
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