Special contributor to Real Mama, Inc.
Quick Facts: Tending a vegetable garden was once a common skill in America. Families would grow much of their fresh produce for the year, preparing their own healthful meals and sharing the abundance with neighbors and friends. For several decades gardening fell by the wayside as our country mass produced more and more of its food, and people worked more and cooked less. Today, as the resources of our planet reach their peak, once again, people are looking to become more self-sufficient and are planting their own gardens. They are also sharing their knowledge, their yards and their food within their communities, reaching the more synergistic goal of “self-efficiency”, a state of interdependence among friends and neighbors.
At one time we all had gardening in our blood. Most families kept a garden to provide their own fresh produce for part of the year. Some stored their produce by stocking the root cellar, canning, drying or freezing. Over the years Americans who didn’t live on a farm began to depend more on what the local grocer had to offer and no longer opted for the homegrown. Once we began to depend on the local grocery store we no longer had to worry if we could grow enough to sustain ourselves. As the generations passed, many of the skills were either lost or no longer passed on.
Recently, there has been a lot of interest in gardening. I think we are experiencing a “gardening renaissance”. It’s not by accident that it’s occurring right now. We are living in a time of “Peak Resources” where scientists around the world are saying that oil and coal extraction is on the decline, water sources are drying-up around the world and topsoil is being depleted at an alarming rate. We may or may not be aware of these dire scenarios, but it is up to each of us to do something about it. Growing our own food is no longer a skill to be taken for granted; we all need to remember this skill that was once handed-down to us by our parents and grandparents.
Start by considering your relationship to food. Where does your food come from? How far did it travel? Do you know the conditions in which it was raised or grown? Do you know the farmer or the laborers who toiled on these farms? Are you in alignment with their growing practices? Then, start to consider what you love to eat; is it something that can be grown in our region? Once you take the initiative to grow your own food you will see that there is tremendous variety that you probably were unaware of because it’s not readily available in grocery stores.
One of the things I’ve realized over the years as an experienced gardener is, as hard as I try toward becoming “self-sufficient” with a garden that meets all my needs, I will never be truly that. Maybe that’s not the point. In his book, The Transition Handbook, Rob Hopkins says it more aptly; to be “self efficient“. This means doing more by ourselves, but depending on our community, joining with others who are doing the same and sharing our abilities, skills and fruits of our labors. So in the case of gardening: not carrying the burden of growing it all. For instance, I don’t have the space to grow potatoes or winter squash, even though I know they’re a good keeper for the winter. But I do know of a very small farm that I like to support that does grow them and I’ll purchase from them, in abundance.
Growing even a portion of your own food is an enriching experience. This simple act plays a significant impact on our personal and collective future and is quite empowering. I encourage you to try growing something this coming season. If you think you don’t have any space, consider that people in the cities are starting to grow vegetables not just on their fire escapes, but also vertically in their windows. Try growing in containers (see http://www.gardenguides.com/685-guide-container-gardening.html), dig up the front yard (see www.thefrontyardfarmer.net), use the grass strip between the sidewalk and the street, rent a plot in a community garden in your town, or try yard sharing with a neighbor.
Once you have a garden, watch who shows up. Soon the insects (pests and pollinators) and animals will arrive because you’ve created a habitat; what was once grass becomes a micro environment and a home. Neighbors who were strangers will start chatting over the fence; passers-by will start asking you questions about your garden and the curious will just show-up to admire! This is how to rebuild your community and to feed your family!
If you are a novice, it’s easy to find support by taking a class at your local extension service, from the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA), or at an adult education class. Peek over the fence and speak to your neighbor who is already gardening. From having spoken to friends and neighbors over the years, I’ve seen the twinkle in their eyes when we speak of their garden. Don’t be afraid to fail. Making mistakes is how we learn. If something isn’t working, pull it out and try again! And remember, there is never too much! There are many people in need of fresh food who are willing to take what you have in abundance. Bring your harvest to your local food bank or soup kitchen.
Wendy has been gardening for more than 25 years. She has grown herbs for the herbal medicine industry, maintained perennial gardens, been a gardener for a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and has most recently started a service in which she installs, maintains and teaches vegetable gardening to homeowners, apartment dwellers and businesses. Currently she is a student of Permaculture and plans on integrating the principles into her gardening practices. You can contact Wendy at wendy@thefrontyardfarmer.net
Information used in this article was found at the following sources, which you can visit if you want to find out more about this topic:
www.thefrontyardfarmer.net
www.njfoodbank.org
www.njfoodbank.org
www.visitmonmouth.com/page.aspx?ID=3062
www.nofanj.org
hyperlocavore.ning.com/
www.landshare.org
www.digginfood.com/2008/10/need-a-place-to-garden/
www.indoorwindowgardening.com/
www.transitiontowns.com
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peak_oil
www.peakoil.net/
Tags: gardening, interdependence, peak oil, peak resources, transition town
