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Durgan -question about your garden

1K views 4 replies 2 participants last post by  Durgan 
#1 ·
You may have already answered this somewhere, but I'm curious what percentage of your own food do you grow? And how big (square feet or acre) are your gardens?
 
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#2 ·
There is about 1000 square feet under cultivation for vegetables. This is more than sufficient with intense cultivation. I grow about 80 percent of my immediate food, preserved by pressure canning,dehydration and root cellar. Freezing I avoid except for meat of which I eat very little. Eat no eggs.The 2012 preservatives are almost ingested about 400 litres of juiced vegetables. There are only 15 litres left, mostly tomato juice.

Experience has indicated that about 400 litres is adequate for one person.I use the supply liberally.My potatoes, garlic and onions from the root cellar are depleted.Still experimenting but seem to have a good handle of the food supply.
 
#3 ·
80% - that's awesome! How did you get started gardening? That is, did you just start out with a few plants and build up gradually to where you are now, or did you just "dig in", so to speak, and starting growing all kinds of vegetables? The reason I ask is that I hope in a few years to have a sunny place where I can have a real garden. I don't have very much experience growing anything other than a few tomatoes, so its good to learn how successful gardeners got started.
 
#4 ·
I usually diddled like most people, then decided to grow vegetables in earnest to their full potential. This for the first few years entailed some failures and modifications to correct. Not much land is required to produce an abundance of produce with a bit of care and effort.

The biggest issue was what to do with all that produce when it matured. Preservation in other words. My solution was juicing amongst other methods. By juicing one can preserve anything and still get all the nutrients.

I am of the opinion that our commercial food supply is not particularly healthy. I decided to bypass it as much as possible, with some success. Mind you I am still experimenting.

Don't forget fast food takes little effort, hence its attraction. Most people consider working in the garden as hard labour. They would sooner view than do.
 
#5 ·
Copied from another forum. Gardening (Philosophical) - Tomatoville® Gardening Forums
Redbaron
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 1,912

You want philosophy?

Growing your own food is the ultimate freedom.

Why? Whoever controls your food, controls your very being. It is the ultimate form of slavery.

When you grow your own food, you take control of the most basic portion of your life. One seed multiplies many times over. It's like printing your own money. In today's world we cant control the quality of the air we breath. The factory, cars etc... send the pollutants into the air and everyone has to deal with it. We can move, but the pollution in the air will eventually find us. The water is controlled by others too. Even ground well water is starting to show traces of pollutants. But we can control our little piece of land we live on. We can make our own little oasis and nurture it. It won't be perfect, but it can be better. Much better. That's freedom and it is a good freedom. Don't let anyone take that away. Use that freedom to make your little oasis a better place, and ultimately the positives will multiply to others too.

As far as the mechanics you mentioned: Germination, Growing to maturity, Harvest, Utilizing. That is simply the cycle of life. The life you now control by growing your own food.
 
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