We've all seen the empty shelves. Mostly drygoods, but also some things run out faster than others. It kicks off something in our brains and a part of us goes into 'worry mode'. The comforts of our existence rest on a very narrow edge of 'normality' and if that 'normality' falls through, what then? How do we ensure food security?
Now, let's be honest. Very few people are going to be capable of producing as much food as they and their family need to survive. Remember the feudalist concept of peasantry? It took a peasant all day, every day, year in, year out, to provide enough food for themselves and their overlords. Granted, some of that might have been because their overlords were nasty pieces of work, but some of it was because working the soil is HARD. The curse of Adam in Genesis 3 is that Adam will work the soil and it will be labourious and difficult. And even farmers - who work off the economies of scale and the advantages of machinery, GMO, and pesticides - can tell you that working the land is no picnic today.
That doesn't mean you shouldn't grow anything. Don't be so absolutist! A little bit here and a little bit there, and you will appreciate both what it takes to put that perfect green lettuce, those round red tomatoes, those huge fragrant onions, and that big moist avocado into your salad, as well as that we have this kind of food to excess in our societies.
But where do you start?
1. start with what you already eat
If you don't eat zucchini, don't plant a dozen plants. If you hate tomatoes, don't sow tomato seeds! If you dislike kale don't think you're going to love it just because you grow it! Start with the vegies that you're already eating.
I mean, you're probably screwed if all you eat is, say, apples. You need low-chill ones in Sydney and the right microclimate can certainly help, but it's a bit more effort than you should probably start with.
2. pick the vegies that are easiest to grow
Salad greens, Asian stir-fry greens, spinaches and swiss chard and mustard leaves, sweet potato vines (mostly for the leaves with bonus tubers). All of them just need a good steady water source which you can probably give them even in hot, dry weather from the water that you use to rinse your vegies, or the warm-up water caught in a bucket from your shower, or the runoff from your roof.
We're living on the 2nd driest continent on Earth (but the 1st is Antarctica, which is honestly a category all its own) so we need to be more circumspect with water usage and wastage. And growing food requires steady watering. You need to work out where that water is coming from.
3. pick vegies that are bad value for money when you buy them in the shops
Herbs. ALL THE HERBS. Because unless you're making pesto, half the time you only want a few sprigs of it. Rosemary, coriander, basil, thyme, parsley, sage. Coriander and basil are annuals - they need re-seeding every year, but the others are pretty much perennials that will grow back and grow back and grow back. Have a permanent part of the garden that's dedicated to herbs, and then sow the annuals (lettuces, Asian greens, etc) between them.
4. Try growing 'perennials' - re-seasonal plants
Perennials are ones that keep growing back season after season. See the herbs section above - rosemary, sage, thyme, parsley. There are perennial spinaches, and some kales and lettuces can be grown perennially so long as they are kept watered. Believe it or not you can grow garlic as a perennial - just so long as you don't mind the garlic being the leafy greens rather than the white bulb (they still taste pretty much the same).
But what should I grow RIGHT NOW in March 2020 with social separation looming and a desire to build a garden?
If you're in Sydney, it's the perfect time to grow any of the following:
spring onions
lettuces, spinaches, rocket
Asian greens
swiss chard/silverbeet
radishes
peas
broad beans
brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflowers, brussel sprouts)
For spring onions to radishes, the soil doesn't have to be fantastic. Just sow in rows and keep watered - particularly the leafy greens.
For peas and broad beans, the soil doesn't have to be particularly rich, although it helps if you want a crop.
For brassicas, they're hungry beasts; not as hungry as corn, maybe, but they still like a good feeding.
But in all seriousness, just get a pot and start growing things. The sooner you start, the sooner you'll get a crop. And right now, we can all do with a crop...
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