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Self Sufficient Gardening
Self sufficient gardening is becoming more appealing as a way to use gardening to provide your own food.
Is there a way you can raise your own food, even if you live in an area with limited growing space?
While you might not be able to raise all of the food you eat, you can raise at least a portion of it, benefiting both your health and your pocketbook.
The secret to self-sufficiency is to make the most of the growing space you have, according to John Seymour in his excellent book,
The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It
. Obviously, the more space you have, the more food you will be able to provide for you and your family.
Self Sufficient Gardening
How Much Space Will it Take?
If you live in the city, make the most of every spot you have by using raised beds, containers, supports for climbing plants and hanging containers.
If you live on one acre, at least half of it should be devoted to growing food.
If you live on five acres, at least an acre or more should be devoted to growing your own food.
What Should You Grow?
For self sufficient gardening at its best, you should grow a large variety of vegetables,
including potatoes, legumes (all members of the pea and bean family), brassicas
(all members of the cabbage family) and root vegetables, including carrots, beets, and parsnips, as well as salad items, such as tomatoes and onions.
You should rotate your crops every year to keep them from getting overrun by disease and pests.
Seymour also recommends using a cold frame in the winter months, to lengthen your growing season.
In addition to vegetables, you should make room for the soft fruits, such as raspberries, blackberries and grapes.
Grapes are a climbing plant that can grow in narrow areas, such as along a fence.
And finally, plant a couple of apple trees, along with other fruit trees, such as pear, peach and cherry.
Fruit trees are a long-term investment - you won't see instant results, but in the years ahead, you'll reap the benefit of an ever-increasing crop of fruit.
Storing it All
If you have the space and can afford to hire someone with a backhoe, consider putting in a root cellar.
If stored properly, apples, potatoes, carrots and onions will last for months.
You'll have fresh, organically grown vegetables just a few feet from your house.
An excellent resource, that includes designs as well as suggestions for the best varieties of storing vegetables is
Mike Bubel's book, Root Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of Fruits & Vegetables
.
Extra Gardening Tips
Comprehensive Course on Gardening! Increase the value of your home by 30%.
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A garden kneeler and seat
makes daily weeding chores much easier by easing the strain on your lower back and knees while protecting your clothing from stain and injuries.
To protect your back, use a lifting tool
for heavy pots and other objects.
Long-term exposure to the elements will damage your tools and shorten their use.
Store your tools and other gardening supplies in a portable storage bin .
To make yard and garden cleaning easier, use a Kangaroo Gardening Container .
Invest in a sharpening tool
to keep your shovel and other gardening tools sharp and easier to work with.
Grow a successful hydroponic gardening with this helpful resource.
Protect your hands from insects and other injuries by wearing good quality gardening gloves.
More Homestead Gardening Links
Thinking about gardening the organic way? Follow these simple steps first.
Want to save even more money when gardening? Purchase bulk seeds for cost savings and self reliant preparation.
Get an early start on your gardening by starting your seeds indoors. Here are some tips.
Ready to grow your own vegetables, but you're not sure where to begin?
Learn which vegetables are the easiest to grow by clicking here.
The most comprehensive gardening instruction available on the internet!
Learn more.
Are you thinking about putting in a garden?
Follow these tips.
For healthy strong plants, put in raised beds.
Or avoid the digging altogether and put in these easier raised beds.
For truly rich, healthy soil, learn how to make your own compost.
Protect your plants and keep down weeds by mulching. Here are some mulching tips.
Build up your soil, and you'll keep pests down to a minimum, but what happens if pests do attack your garden? Here are some pest control tips
100's Of Wonderfully Frugal, Eco-Friendly and Highly Resourceful Gardening Techniques.
click here to learn more.
Gotten into poison ivy lately. Learn how to treat that awful itch. Here's how.
Do you have limited space? Consider growing your organic garden in containers.
Ready to have your own container garden? Here are some tips on finding the right garden container
Gardening can be much more than a hobby; it can also be a way to raise most of your food. Here's how.
An good resource for raising your own food is this ebook.
If you want the richest humus for your gardening, consider composting with worms
Save Thousands of Dollars a Year With This Fully Illustrated Guide.
Click here to learn more.
Want to have fresh greens for your salad all winter? Then build this easy, effective cold frame.
Get your garden off to the right start with strong growth and an early harvest. Learn how you can germinate seeds.
So why should you pursue organic gardening? Learn the benefits by clicking here.
True self sufficiency means being able to produce your own excellent-quality seeds. Here's how.
To save seeds, you must start with quality plants. Learn why you should purchase the seeds of heirloom plants by clicking here.
Have you thought about organic gardening but don't know where to begin?
Try these tips.
Have a Bountiful Organic Garden using a tiny amount of space.
Learn more.
As homesteaders, we primarily think about gardening to raise food, but beauty is also important.
Learn the importance of cottage gardening.
When planning your garden, don't forget to grow herbs. Not only do they smell nice and add flavoring to food, many also have healing qualities.
Learn more.
Got a bumper crop of potatoes or other root vegetables this season?
Learn an economical way to store them to keep them fresh all winter by clicking here.
If you want to extend your growing season, a small greenhouse might be just the ticket.
Learn more.
If you are thinking about adding on a lean to greenhouse, there are a few things to keep in mind.
Read more.
The winter months are a perfect time for planning your spring garden.
Learn more.
Summer garden not all you hoped it to be? Consider putting in a fall garden, but be sure to protect your plants from frosty nights.
Learn how.
The ins and outs of storing produce from your garden can be found by clicking here.
If you had an abundant harvest of root vegetables this year, don't let them go to waste; store them using this time-proven method instead.
Read more.
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