“…It takes time to grow food. You can’t grow food in a panic. It takes planning.”
So said Michael Levenston of City Farmer, on the eve of the year 2000, otherwise known as Y2K – the year of panic.
That wisdom is just as relevant now as it was then, although perhaps in a slightly different setting. We don’t expect (at least most of the time) to wake up tomorrow morning to a world that’s suddenly reverted fifty years in technology.
There are other concerns right now, though. One would have to be blind to not notice that the price of groceries have gone up drastically over the last few months.
We can’t control the price of food, but we can control how much of it we buy. A home garden can make a definite difference in how much you need to buy.
I’m not just talking about salad greens and maybe some tomatoes for sauce, I’m talking about serious gardening and putting away the produce for the winter months.
How to plant and care for various plants is far beyond the room we have here, but there are good gardening books to guide and
Plant what you’ll eat; but don’t be afraid to experiment. You might be missing some wonderful foods.
Garden tools should be bought with the thought that they’ll last forever. It’s frustrating to have to buy new tools every season (and it puts a dent in your profit). Buy good tools to begin with and you’ll end up with them, too.
Not only will you save money by growing your own, you’ll be healthier. Fresh, real food is much better for you than food that’s been trucked in from heaven knows where and stored for heaven knows how long.
To save your wonderful garden produce, plan on canning or deydrating it – two time honored methods. (Freezing is fine as long as you know you’ll never lose power and your freezer will never develop problems.)
Don’t have room for a traditional garden? Try container gardening. Even if you only have a doorstep, you can grow a few things that will cut your grocery bill.
If you plan on saving money this year, plan on a garden!
