Just do this one thing......

Hi all! If you do one thing this year, I would encourage you to plant something edible! Whether you have a huge garden plot, a few raised beds, some veggies planted in with your landscape, or just a few buckets on your patio or driveway, I believe that growing some of your food this year could be one of the most important things you do! Eating is THE MOST BASIC human need. We have to eat, and yet we leave this most important need to be fulfilled by others! Well, what happens if they don't take that need as seriously as you? What happens if there are crop failures? What about the government imposed drought that's been happening in California? Do you have any idea how many crops are grown in California that are at risk of not being produced? What if there was a truckers' strike or horrid weather that stops deliveries?

What if there is food on the shelf but you can't afford it???? Planting a garden allows you to do something proactive to fulfill that basic human need of feeding yourself.

Did you know that you can buy a packet of seeds for around .99 and you could get tens of plants from it, yielding pounds and pounds of tomatoes! Or, you could go to the store and buy a tasteless tomato for .99/lb. I know which option sounds better to me! There is an overabundance of companies selling veggie seeds by mail, or you can buy the seeds (very often Burpee) that will be sold in your local grocery, hardware store, or Walmart. Look for seeds whose plants do well in your area with your growing conditions.

You know, if you put a garden in you may have failures! Some seeds might not sprout, a late frost or soggy weather may get them, bugs may eat your food before you can get it. Even so, gardening is still an incredible, satisfying, self-sufficient thing to do. And in spite of the failures, you're bound to have some successes! The satisfaction of raising your own food, of not having to go to a store for what you need, is beyond compare! The food is cheaper, healthier, tastier, safer, and it's yours! It is something you did for yourself!

Some friends of our planted their first veggie garden last year. The husband remarked that he thought gardening was good for a marriage. The garden gave them something to do together, from picking out seeds, to planting and weeding, and then the excitement of checking the garden to see what was growing. He would call her at times and say, "Guess how many tomatoes I picked today"? Feeding themselves became something that interested them both and brought them together!

So, I would ask you, encourage you, beg you to plant something for yourself this year! Take an active and, I believe, necessary role in feeding yourself and your family. The potential problems in our economy could be greatly relieved if we were able to use our monies on other important things because the task of feeding ourselves had been taken care of by ourselves! It's nearing time to start seeds indoors for some veggies. We'll discuss some of those plants, and how to start seeds in another post. For now, get out pencil and paper and figure out what you can grow and where! Get ready!

Prep on!
Gen-IL Homesteader