Face the fear, Part 2: Grow something to eat
Face the Fear is a series about a dozen things that you can do right now to feel better about what and how you eat.
(right: the first chives poking out of the snow in my back garden a few weeks ago)
Go one better than the 100-mile diet and try the 100-foot diet this spring–by planting something that you’ll enjoy eating all throughout the summer. Fifty years ago, nearly every household had a vegetable garden–probably the most famous were the Victory Gardens that provided millions of people with home-grown food during World War II. But in the post-recession boom of the 1980s and 1990s, the number of people growing their own food really dwindled. How many times do you see ‘vegetable garden’ listed as a home feature on present-day real estate listings, especially on new suburban developments?
But food gardening is starting to make a comeback. In the UK, vegetable seed sales are soaring, and a similar trend is being seen in North America and Australia. These days, the humble vegetable patch goes by many different names–edible landscaping, micro-farming, urban agriculture, potager, or (my favourite) the kitchen garden. But the basic aims are the same as they always were for previous generations of gardeners: to grow fresh, delicious, healthy produce and save money on grocery bills at the same time. The added bonus of growing your own food these days is that it not only increases your personal food security amid rising food prices, but it can also cut your CO2 emissions as well.
But I don’t have anywhere to garden, you might wail. It’s true, not everyone has a nice big sunny patch all ready to go in a backyard (I’m personally challenged by the nearly-hundred-year-old maple tree and the orientation of our lot). But nearly everyone can find somewhere to sow a few seeds or pop in a few nursery vegetable seedlings–maybe on a balcony, or a sunny back step or window ledge. If you can find space for two or three large pots (and you re-seed at regular intervals), you can keep yourself in lettuce and herbs for most of the summer. In fact, very small spaces can be amazingly productive, especially if you use some simple vertical gardening techniques.
You could also try finding garden space elsewhere (but still close by–you don’t want to have to drive to it!). Do you know someone in the neighbourhood with an old vegetable patch that is lying dormant? Many elderly people don’t have the energy to garden for themselves anymore, but would love to see their old garden back in action. You may also have a community garden in your neighbourhood that has plots available. Or how about that front lawn?
It may not seem like a few pots or a dozen plants on a small patch will amount to much at first, but every scrap of food that you grow yourself is something that doesn’t need to be put on a truck and shipped 1000-1500 miles, burning expensive fuels and creating harmful CO2 emissions. It’s also something that you don’t need to pay for at the grocery store till. Just imagine the impact this could have if everyone tried it. This spring, join the growing revolution!
Further reading:
Northern Gardening’s kitchen garden resources
University of Saskatchewan Gardenline (vegetable advice section)
Lois Hole’s Vegetable Favourites
Square Foot Gardening
