by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
According to seed and plant merchants sale are up year on year recently and that despite the Great Recession that is still with us. Or, maybe, it is because of this Recession that the interest in growing one's own food has become resurgent.
When I, personally, wanted grow bags for my own “grow-you-own” projects at home they were virtually impossible to get and those that we did get in the end the soil in which was rather lumpy. The stuff will work but... then again they worked out cheaper than bags of soil in general.
Garden tool manufacturers and tool sellers state similar increases in sales of tools which means that there are many newcomers to the “game” and also the choice seems to be for quality tools, in many cases, which are a little more expensive but will last for a long time to come, rather than cheap.
All of this points to real and serious, hopefully, resurgence of “grow-your-own” in the line of the “Dig for Victory” of World War Two.
The reason for the “grow-your-own” phenomenon of today is about as varied as the people taking up home growing of food. Making your own bread is another one of those phenomena.
Some take to growing their own food for reasons of taste and freedom from chemicals, etc., other for reasons of food miles, and others for reasons of cost, especially as your home-grown food is or can be organic, and thus a lot cheaper than organic produce in the stores.
Obviously, if you consider your labor and work and time input then the cost factor may look different and the cost may, in fact, be higher to if you'd bought it but... it is the connection to the soil, to growing things and especially to knowing where the produce came from and went into it.
With the end of oil other fossil fuel firmly on the horizon we best learn and get proficient in growing our own food and that better later.
Personally, I don't think that we have any more time to dilly-dally, as we do not know when it will happen.
Supermarkets and most other stores have a maximum of two days stock in their stock rooms and if trucks, etc. suddenly fail that is not very long and the shelves will be bare very soon and especially as far as fresh produce is concerned.
In most places in Britain allotments cannot be had for love or money with waiting lists from here to the moon almost. Demand for allotments is THAT great.
In other places before unseen and unknown, in the UK, community garden ideas are being turned into reality and community-supported agriculture is starting up as well.
At other locations garden s are being dug up that once just were lawn and flower beds to make way for beans, cabbages and potatoes, as well and many other vegetables, exotic ones in many instances even, such as Okra, Pok Choi, and others. And, yes, many of those vegetables can be grown even in Britain.
Home-grown is going to have a great role to play in making this country – and the same applies for other countries – more self-sufficient in food production and with view to the coming “Peak Oil” this is important for all of us everywhere.
© 2010
