Grow Your Own…Revisited
by John Weckerle
Let us turn our thoughts for a moment away from the winds of political intrigue and conflict and contemplate once again the simple joy of growing things. Especially edible ones.
During the First and Second World Wars, the U.S. government asked citizens to plant gardens (Victory Gardens) to help reduce pressure on the food supply and support the war effort. Millions of people in all environs – rural, suburban, and urban – planted gardens in the name of patriotism, growing food to feed themselves. This lessened the need for domestic food distribution and freed up resources to feed the troops fighting abroad. It is somewhat unfathomable, therefore, that today – with gas prices nearing $4.00 per gallon and substantial military efforts abroad – the U.S. government is not once again calling on the people to start growing at least small gardens and take some of the pressure of the food production and distribution system.
Well, if we wait for the government to promote every good idea before getting to work on it, we’ll be waiting a long time for the world to change. By some estimates, food travels an average of 1,500 miles from farm to table, and the reality is that our economy is not as well equipped to handle the cost of transporting food all our as it once was – if it ever really was able to do so in the first place.
All this food must be packaged, loaded, transported, and placed in stores before we pick it up, and each step along the way consumes resources. Every mile the food travels, and every minute it spends in a grocery store, puts carbon dioxide into the atmosphere – and regardless of what you think about global climate change, putting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is putting money into the atmosphere. Not one bit of whatever that carbon dioxide was before it went up the stack or out the tailpipe was free, and every bit of it figures into the cost of feeding our families. Imagine what we could save if half of us grew just a few servings of vegetables a week during the growing season – not to mention how much healthier we’d all be.
In switching to small-area, raised-bed vegetable gardening this year, I have been stunned by just how easy it is to grow in this manner. The beds were remarkably easy to build, and overall required far less work than my old large-area preparations. Despite a little frost damage last week, the vegetables are doing well and growing rapidly; both the green and red bell peppers are already beginning to bear fruit, and we should be able to start snipping lettuce in another week or two. Broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts are about five times the size of the “control group” that was planted in unamended soil nearby; the high organic content provides vital nutrients and retains moisture fabulously, and we have plenty of reason to be optimistic about the yield!
The plan was to try the method out for a year and add more beds next season if it worked – and at the rate things are going, there’s little question as to whether we’ll expand. And for those of you who haven’t started yet: there’s still time! Get yourself a couple of 2 x 12s, some deck screws, and some chicken wire, and grow yourself some food – and help yourself, your family, your health, your country, and your planet!
5 Responses “Grow Your Own…Revisited”
Thanks – I too have been thinking about starting a small garden and have gardening on my to-blog list. That I have no experience and lack the proverbial green thumb has so far limited my efforts to composting and window sill pots for herbs. Admittedly not very ambitious, but it’s a start. By the way, searching “urban gardening” or “urban farming” turns up good resources for small scale gardening. If you think “urban farming” out here is ironic, consider this: while we worry about paving more streets, some cities are working to put paved areas back into growing food.
Those interested in gardening on a community scale might want to contact Roger Holden (505-286-4518) Edgewood’s Parks and Recreation Director. The Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee has, in the past, hosted a presentation from a gentleman who advocates for community gardening.
Also, Town Councilor John Abrams has expressed his interest in community gardening on Section 16. Eventually (probably sooner, rather than later) potable water will be available for such a project. Councilor Abrams can be reached though the same number as that given for Mr. Holden.
Having done most of my successful gardening in Louisiana, where all that was required was whatever seeds you wanted to plant and a space to sow them, I have been, for the most part, unable to grow anything here other than short-lived rabbit food. Thanks for reminding us all that we need to slow down, get away from the television, and enjoy the great outdoors in New Mexico. Your article also reminds me that I’ve committed myself to begin a long overdue compost pile this summer. And, in my many conversations with concerned citizens from this area, I’ve also seen that I’m not the only one who would like to see some sort of real recycling plan begun. If anyone would like to join in on a discussion of a recycling effort, please feel free to email me at techsmiths@gmail.com. Or, perhaps this would be a better venue to being the dialog.
I’ve been a proponent of getting a recycling program available here for years. How about writing an article for us on how we might go about it?
I’d love to write an article about it! Now that things are getting back to normal around here, I’ll be able to find more time.