Gain Food Independence Forever
Food prices are higher than ever in America. Food contaminations are announced nearly every day.
Food shortages are likely to occur due to drought conditions in different areas of the country. Extreme weather regularly disrupts the food supply chain. People are more worried than ever about the quantity and quality of their food.
But there is one activity that can protect Americans from many of the outside influences they can’t control. And that’s growing your own food in your garden and freezing much of it for the colder half of the year.
That way, even if the price of vegetables were to spike by 30 percent, you’d have fresh vegetables handy that you grew. With a garden, you are in control of at least a portion of your family’s food supply.
According to the National Gardening Association, a 600-square-foot garden will yield approximately $600 worth of produce in a year. Many gardeners say that’s a conservative estimate and that they get a lot more out of their gardens.
The average American consumes close to 2,000 pounds of food per year, so you can see how valuable a home garden can be.
This Used to Be the Norm
Growing one’s own food might seem somewhat “novel” these days, but it wasn’t that long ago that almost all of a family’s food production was accomplished in their yard or on their farm. Only in the past 200 years or so has that changed.
Recently, gardening has become more of a hobby than a way to support a family’s food needs, but the time is quickly approaching when that might all change.
Two more reasons to grow your own food are because the taste is better than what can be bought in most stores and it contains more nutrients. The vitamin, mineral and protein content of today’s supermarket food is less than what our parents ate, in some cases by as much as 40 percent.
A former researcher with the Biochemical Institute at the University of Texas-Austin analyzed the nutritional content of 43 fruits and vegetables from 1950 to just before the turn of the century.
He found that broccoli, for example, contained 130mg of calcium in 1950 but only 48mg 50 years later. Here are a couple of other statistics comparing recent food with that from 1950:
- Potatoes have lost all their Vitamin A content, 57 percent of their Vitamin C and iron, and 28 percent of their calcium.
- Spinach has lost 45 percent of its Vitamin C content and 17 percent of its Vitamin A.
In order to protect crops from insects, many food growers have used pesticides and herbicides on their apples, celery, strawberries, peaches and many other crops.
They’ve apparently believed that merely washing off those food items will keep them fit for human consumption. But it’s been discovered that those harmful chemicals can be absorbed by fruits and vegetables.
Are GMO Foods Safe to Consume?
The Food and Drug Administration informs us that genetically engineered foods are safe to eat. Many scientists disagree. Who do you trust? GMO fruits and vegetables have higher yields and longer shelf lives, but at what cost?
At the very least, you would think that manufacturers would be required to label their food as genetically modified so that people who want to avoid them can do so easily.
Those who fight against GMO foods contend that not enough testing has been done yet to warrant making these foods widely available for Americans. Others who take a stand against GMO foods say that the testing that has been done conclusively points out that GMO foods are dangerous
This includes results demonstrating they interfere with the immune systems of animals. GMO corn has been shown to cause damage to the kidneys, livers and hearts of test animals, while impairing fertility in mice. GMO cotton kills sheep that graze on it.
It’s time for us to grow our own healthy food using open-pollinated, non-hybrid, heirloom seeds with strong germination rates. These authentic seeds produce offspring that stay true to their parentage and produce good-tasting and nutritious vegetables.
If planted in healthy soil, exposed to enough sunlight and bathed in water, they should produce to their full potential.
Following are some of the factors you should take into consideration when choosing which foods to grow in your garden:
SPACE. It’s best to choose the vegetables and fruits you’ll grow based on what kind of space you have. Some vegetables do very well in small spaces, while others need much more room, especially for their roots. If you don’t have a yard in which to plant a garden, perhaps you can do window gardening or rent a patch of nearby land.
SUNLIGHT. The amount of sunlight that plants need should also be a consideration in what you plant. If your garden gets a lot of sunlight, plants that should thrive include rosemary, tomatoes, onions, beans and squash. But if it receives much more shade than sun, you might want to choose lettuces, spinach and parsley.
SOIL. Yet another factor is soil. Dirt is not just dirt, regardless of how it looks. Different types of soil include clay, sandy, loamy and various combinations. Dirt is made up of organic materials, minerals, water and air, all of which contribute in one way or another to plant growth. It may be a bit smelly, but composting is a great way to keep your soil rich with nutrients. They say that 30 percent of what we toss in the garbage could be used for composting.
WEEDS. And, of course, there’s always the weed problem to deal with. Weeds are not merely ugly, they also can rob your plants of water, nutrients and light. Not to mention giving harmful insects a place to hang out. So, watch out for them and pull them up as soon as you can, before they cause damage.
SEASON. Depending on where you live, the growing season may not be a long one. If you want your crops to feed you and your family year ‘round, despite the weather, you need to do a good job of preserving your harvests. You can accomplish this by freezing, canning, drying and dehydrating your bounty. There are plenty of books and online resources to learn about these processes.
Once your garden starts producing a significant amount of your family’s food intake, you’ll be on your way to achieving food independence.
Dirt gardening is a thing of the past. Aquaponics or hydroponics are what you should be looking into. Year round gardening with no weeds very limited and easily controlled pests and you are raising fish (trout, bass, talapia etc.) to eat as well. If you haven’t researched this you are missing out on the future. I have peppers (bell, banana, hot) string beans, tomatoes, salad greens, herbs etc.
no animals to eat your crop. No pesticides. Pure untainted food.
The website is not mine just a source of info.
After struggling for so many years trying to grow a garden in sorry. white clay soil, I discovered Straw. Now I grow best veggies and don’t need a shovel, don’t have weeds and very few insects or plant diseases. I don’t even have to bend over to tend my garden and don’t need much fertilizer. I plant everything in straw bales. With straw bales you don’t need any dirt at all, you can set straw bales on your concrete driveway and grow great vegetables with very little work or just place them on your lawn, no soil preparation needed. Work much less and have much better yield. Get the details…search “straw bale gardens” and pick up a complete book on “how to” for under five bucks. Now you can have a garden even if you don’t have any dirt.
i found the very best way to have food all the time ,and the very highest quality. no sprays or fake fertilizers and you dont need to waste your time growing either. and to top it off they are free. wild food is everywhere and super abundant even in the cities. i have over 100 plants that are there year around and easy to find. the dandelion is 100 % edible as an example and its many times more nutritious than spinach ,the pilgrims brought it over on the mayflower . we are so dumb we treat it with distain and call it a weed. its everywhere . steam it dry the roots and they make coffee. and they are anti-cancer to boot. you just need to take a little time to learn the lost info of which ones are good. i will be teaching classes for people soon.
This was very good and full of important information for all. Thank you
I am 65 and living on my SS income. I can’t stand what is going on in the world right now and I do get a little worried. I can’t get all that you offer so I’m doing what I can and have to live with that. Thanks for what you do.
I had gotten 4 tomato plants, but had room for only 3 in my garden, so I stuck the last one in my compost pit. It wasn’t long before I pulled out the other 3! that one plant gave me over 400 tomato’s, and I was giving them to all the neighbors!! it was unreal!!!
I doubt that everyone has a team of mules and a plow. I suggest a shovel, mattock and a good digging stick along with a hoe.
Concerning the soil involved in raising a garden, we have become too old to do a lot of garden work so we have to rely on the addition of all of our compost directly to the surface of the garden area elected to be next years garden. It feeds a few animals and birds while decomposing into the soil readying it for next years rototilling and preparation. Over the years it has proven to be beneficial to the soil and plants we decide to raise the next year. Being old and tired will not stop you from raising a valuable supply of fresh vegetables. Shredded paper added to the mix will also help dispose of your protected mail and add humus at the same time, Just scatter it out and winter rains, snow or what ever you get will add it to your soil for next spring.
Most important if you in a new house or any house plant as far away from the foundation S possible. If the soil has lots of clay or sand dig it up and put it against the fence in back of house.,and replace it with organic garden soil
I Ed with compost. Found that in spring Costco has a 55quart of organic garden soil for less than $10:00 also same size organic potting soil. Save your grass clippings and crushed leaves mi Ed with some lime and a few sprinkling of lime pellets makes great compost in spring
There are many aspects to survival which failure in any one of them can be difficult, tragic or cause death. People are use to hearing catch phrases and when they do certain ideas comes to their little minds. If I was to say survivalist what comes to your mind? Some guy all by himself sitting in the wilderness somewhere living off the land? A guy that is dirty, with a scraggly beard perhaps, carrying his meager supplies along with him? What if I said prepper? Does a guy with a house full of supplies and gear come to mind? His only concern is his family, right? What if I said boy scout? A clean cut kid that is trustworthy, honest, perhaps helpful comes to mind? Now what if I called you out by name, what comes to mind? Not a pretty picture is it.
I know, your very busy. Too busy to keep tract of everything that you need to focus on, like your own survival and that of your family, friends, and neighbors. It is just to hard isn’t it. Not really. All you have to do is to sit down and do some planing gather your supplies in advance, ensure that you have a good source of water and food. This means that you need to grow some of your basic vegetables and fruits. It doesn’t matter if you live in an apartment complex or a quarter acre or larger piece of property; all you have to do is grow your vegetables in pots and put them on your patio, plant a small section on your property or even create a larger garden on your larger piece of property. If only it was a tomato plant you would help supplement your food purchasing. Just think of the pride you would feel serving your vegetables for lunch or dinner to your family or friends. You can grow some herbs to add that spice of life to your meals.
The bottom line is this: plan to survive, look at where you live. See if the various emergencies can happen to you in your area, like flood, fire, wind storms, droughts, economic disasters like a major employer was to leave the area, earthquakes and so on. Gather your supplies in advance, plan your get-away, have a means to leave the area; but most importantly, don’t stop learning.
Plant basil in between your tomatoes and the flavor of your tomatoes will be fantastic!!
We grow more than we consume, so neighbors also enjoy our gardening. We have a fair size plot, but add to the variety we grow by growing up with trellises. We water directly at the base of our plants with home made sprinklers assembled from PCV, and plumbed into a small pump and our rainwater storage. We are fortunate to have a greenhouse, so get an early start each spring with transplants from there. In the greenhouse we grow winter crops in grow boxes purchased online. Our compost is from our efforts and by using it we don’t use commercial fertilizer. We also till in grass clippings each fall collected over the summer from neighbors who don’t use insecticides. By using Epsom salts we enjoy awesome tomatoes and peppers as well as a variety of squash and salad stuff. We are just now planting our second crop of lettuce, kale, and spinach. Actually the point I want to make is that even a small garden can grow quite a bit of food by growing up rather than spreading out, and with a little effort water cost is reduced. Much of our seed that we don’t always collect is from 4 Patriots seed bank Thanks , we appreciate all that you do and take advantage of what you offer. God Bless and keep up the good work. Andy
We grow our own organic vegetables. We are on sandy land. We have an acre that we have fenced in for our garden. We grow many vegetables in out garden. We freeze most of it. Even whole tomatoes for cooking with and some cabbage that’s wonderful. We had cantaloupe, watermelon, onions, spinach, green beans, 3 kinds of peas, onions, spinach, all kinds of peppers, corn broccoli, potatoes, carrots – although a ground hog ate a lot of those. All of these freeze well and tastes wonderful! My large freezer is full,
I always have plenty of good food to share with company, and we raise cattle on a ranch as well. Its hard work – but so rewarding harvesting and knowing your family is eating healthy! Great article!
I have tomato seeds I got from you I think last year.
They are now producing and taste great.
Not real deep red color, but instead a bit on the orange side. They look like the ones my Dad planted in the 1930s. The variety is RUTGERS and I have never seen those seeds in the seed stores
or Home Depot, etc.
My Rutgers tomatoes did not grow or produce very good. Everything else in my garden did well so I don’t think that the soil is not good. I was very disappointed with these seeds. What I did get from the crop had some kind of disease on the tops of them that I had to cut off before I could eat the tomatoes. What I did have tasted very good but it would have been even better if they produced and did not have problems on top. I don’t know what else to do to make them better. If you have any ideas please forward them to me as I have a couple more packages and want to plant them again next season.
Monsanto, Bayer, DuPont, Dow Chemical, and Syngenta just own 100% of the commercial farming business as they control their GMO designed seed stock & sue farmers who save seed. Our food is not near healthy as it once was. Grow heritage seeds that are not controlled by these giants. These companies are merging from 5 companies into 3 companies. Many experts that within a decade their will only be one or two of them left. Do you want your food access through farmers seed stock to be controlled by one or 2 companies. Grow your own from survival & heritage seeds!
We live in woods out on a river. The deer and racoon got to tomatoes before we did last year. I met a man in the grocery who solved our problem. He said to buy bales of hay and cut holes in them large enough for the plants (2 per bale). We put them on the deck and could just walk out the door and water or fertilize. Why law, all I had to do was walk out the door when I wanted to make salad. We took the black plastic off the tops of the bales only, and the straw did not get out on the deck. Doris Brooks
I make a manure tea for fertilizer using grass clippings, rabbit droppings and water. I have a tank I mix it up in and let it set and leach for several months, then draw off the water to use on the plants and fruit trees.
I make a manure tea for fertilizer using grass clippings, rabbit droppings and water. I have a tank I mix it up in and let it set and leach for several months, then draw off the water to use on the plants.