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Gardens to the Rescue – Two of my Favorite Ways to Garden
By Brendan Riordan, Family Herbalist, Certified Garden Coach
It’s a good time to start a food garden! Food gardening was a normal way of American life since our inception as a nation. We can thank the Indigenous Peoples of Plymouth Massachusetts for teaching the pilgrims how to grow food and sustain themselves. All of what the Indigenous Peoples grew then, including beans, squash, and corn (three sisters) are still
viable sustenance crops. If those Indigenous peoples were to give us some advice today, I believe they would emphatically advocate “growing your own food” and growing it locally! It just doesn’t make sense that we would rely on supply chains from cross country or China to sustain us.
In 2008 my wife Dawn, I and three young children moved from an inner city to the Adirondack Mountains of New York. Over the next twelve years we cultivated a one-acre area and began growing our own food. After a while we had food to eat, started a roadside farm stand, and sold to local restaurants. Our children are now grown but my wife and I will continue
to grow our own food at our new homestead in North Carolina. None of our children became farmers yet are successful in their own fields, having learned a good work ethic on our small family farm. Dawn and I encourage everyone, everywhere to “grow your own food.”
Gardens to the Rescue then:
Again in 1942 Americans learned the lesson of “growing your own food” locally, as WWII created leanness on our food supplies. Public parks and even the White House lawn were tilled in to create food gardens. These food gardens were called Victory Gardens. I see Americans getting back to growing their own food locally again, out of necessity. In
Micah 4:4 it says that each person should sit under their own vine and fig tree. And when God’s people entered the promised land, one of their main rewards was to inherit food gardens already set up and wells they did not dig (Deut 6:11).
Gardens to the Rescue now:
In 2016 the government of Venezuela told their citizens to plant vegetables in their back yards and every available space in light of their food crisis (chicagotribune.com). Even more recently, on March 24th, 2022, our own President Biden warned of soon coming food shortages at a NATO summit (foxnews.com). With ongoing supply line failures, grocery prices
rising, and intermitted empty shelves right here in America, the writing is clearly on the wall: “Grow your own food” and “grow it locally.”
How can I grow enough food to provide for my family?
The 2009 book, “The Backyard Homestead” by Storey Publishing, claims that a small family can grow all the food that they need on a quarter of an acre.
What if you don’t have a quarter of an acre?
You’d be surprised how much food can be grown in a small space. Better yet, coordinate with your neighbors or with your church to form food co-ops. With everyone growing some food, a substantial amount of food can be grown to be bartered with one another.
Two of my favorite ways to grow food:
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No- Till Wood Chip Method- I like this method the best as it cuts down weeding and watering and it feeds the soil. Following the principle of covering you can use just about anything to cover the ground. Just look in God’s creation. Nowhere except maybe a desert is the ground uncovered. The purpose of ground covering in nature is to prevent erosion and
to provide a continual source of food for the soil and plant life. As organic coverings like leaves, grass, woodchips etc. break down they compost into usable nutrients for plant life. I like woodchips the best as they are easy to manage and readily available. And no, they do not make the soil overly acidic, as long as you do not till them in. Following Paul Gautschi’s Back to Eden method (backtoedenfilm.com), I converted a 60x100 plot on our vegetable farm with great success. You
can use just about any organic matter, leaves, grass, pine needles etc., but woodchips work well because they are neat and easy to walk on as well as holding moisture during dry spells. An added benefit of the no-till woodchip method is that it gets better every year as the woodchips continually break down and compost. You need to start with ten to twelve inches of woodchips directly over low grass or bare soil the first year and every year after that top-dress with two to three inches of
additional woodchips in the fall. After about one year you will notice that the woodchips turn into rich compost filled with soil friendly worms that encourage sustainable growing of vegetables. And it’s practically a no weed and no water system. What’s not to like about that? If you sign up for the Chipdrop app you will likely receive more free woodchips delivered to your property than you know what to do with. I did. Or, you can certainly use whatever organic covering that are readily
available by you such as leaves, straw, pine needles, grass clippings and more. I like woodchips as they are neat, make muddy areas stable and passable, and retain moisture when it’s dry.
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Kitchen Garden Boxes- If you want an instant grow area build a Kitchen Garden Box. Kitchen Garden boxes are raised beds, usually eighteen to thirty-six inches tall, and approximately 8x4’ in length x width. Here again there are many materials that can be used to create this growing area, from wooden planks to concrete block to metal roofing, the sky is
the limit. The idea is to position the Kitchen Garden Box close to your kitchen to grow everyday foods that are easily accessible, like basil, cucumbers, parsley, lettuce, carrots and other herbs. Kitchen Garden Boxes are instant gratification as they are easy to construct and you can start with ready made perfect soil. In fact, most garden centers now sell bags of soil labeled for raised beds. You can easily find bulk potting mixes as well for a fraction of what bagged soil costs. I like to
make my own mix of half compost and half professional potting soil. Any way you slice it, you can have a grow space with ready soil to grow crops right now. At our new North Carolina homestead we built a kitchen garden box, bought ready made bulk composted potting soil and planted garlic last fall. Now, the beginning of April the garlic is over two feet tall and we have just planted lettuce seeds between the garlic. Witnessing the miracle of life from seed to harvest is a joy of my life. This
God given joy is provided for you as well!
I encourage everyone, everywhere to “Grow your own food, your garden may very well rescue you!”
Brendan Riordan is the owner of Homestead Food Gardens, offering food garden design and coaching (virtually or in person) To book an initial garden consult with Brendan or to learn more please visit https://www.homesteadfoodgardens.com/ or email brendan@homesteadfoodgardens.com
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Dr. John R. Christopher founded The School of Natural Healing in 1953 with the intent to teach people how to cleanse and nourish their bodies in order to heal and prevent disease. His dream was to have an
Herbalist in every home, and a Master Herbalist in every community. Join his legacy at The School of Natural Healing!
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Strawberry Mango Salad from Rawmazing by Susan Powers
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1 head romaine lettuce or other spring greens
1 cup strawberries, sliced
1. Tear romaine and place on plate
2. Mix together fruit and jicama. Place a handful on the lettuce bed.
3. top with Blueberry Vinaigrette and pumpkin seeds
Ingredience:
1 cup blueberries
1 Tablespoon agave nectar (or sweetener of your choice)
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
¼ cup olive oil, cold pressed
1. Combine all ingredients in a blender
2. Pour over top of salad
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Dr. Christopher's Herbal Legacy Newsletter is sponsored by:
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