VEGETABLE GARGENING FOR SELF SUFFICIENCY

Self-sufficiency is a very complex and involved subject, and implies that one can actually survive and even live well without other people.  I somewhat disagree, but that is the subject for another day (or perhaps many other days).  In terms of food, however, one can go a long way toward the goal of eliminating others from the process, and a vegetable garden is a good place to start.

Vegetable gardening can be as complex or as simple as one chooses.  You can spend thousands of dollars having truck loads of soil hauled in and mixed to perfection, and thousands more on just the right tools and power equipment.  You can spend another small fortune ordering just the right seeds.  Irrigation systems can be as elaborate and expensive as you choose, and tall fences to keep critters out.  OR you can go to the other extreme, digging up a small patch of dirt with a sharp rock and plant seeds saved from something you enjoyed last season, and carrying water to it in any vessel at hand.  The choice is yours.

Obviously, the more complex your garden, the more other people are involved and the more expensive your vegetables, while the extreme of simple, takes others out of the picture altogether and doesn't cost anything.  I recommend something in between, for example, metal tools such as shovels and hoes come in handy and for people who can't use a shovel that much, a garden tiller can make it all possible.  Open pollinated, heirloom seeds are available for a price, though I try to save a many of my own as possible.

Whatever level you choose, anything you grow in your garden is something you don't have to buy, and there is the added benefit of knowing how it was grown.  You are in control of what kind of fertilizer is used (compost is my preference), what pest control is used and whether or not it is GMO.  You also know how fresh it is.

Removing other people from your food production is possible, however, the forces of nature and other factors cannot be removed and do not always cooperate.  My garden this year is a prime example.  As you can see, my garden is a bit overrun with grass, and you can also see that my one row of okra (which should have been three rows) has a gap in the middle.

Believe it or not, my entire garden was tilled up several times through the winter, with compost tilled in each time.  By planting time, I was ready to plant everything on time and in fine style.  The weather had other plans.  Potatoes and onions were planted early and were up right on schedule, after the normal time of our last freeze.  Normal being the key thought here.  The potatoes froze back and regrew three times before it stopped freezing.  For this reason, everything else was late.  Ok, everything else that got planted was late.

After planting, carrots, beets, okra and cucumbers, it came a flood, not only damaging most of the things already planted but delaying further planting.  The cucumbers were not damaged as they were on higher, rockier ground, and the potatoes grew beautiful vegetation.  It continued to rain just enough to keep the ground too muddy to walk across, much less cultivate or plant, pretty much through the entire month of June.

Water standing in the garden killed part of the okra, thus the gap.  It also killed all the carrots and beets.  The potatoes, with their beautiful tops, were not making any potatoes, as I discovered when it was time to harvest them.  Tomatoes, planted far too late, haven't done much either though I hope they will revive enough for a fall crop.

Meanwhile, the combination of rain, loose fertile soil and warm weather made it perfect for growing grass and weeds which have been growing faster than I can keep it cut with a scythe (I have been feeding it to the goats).  Each time it dried out enough to till, I would fire up the tiller and till a few passes, before the next rain.  Then the tiller broke down, so I am back to using a shovel and hoe until I can get time to fix it.

On a more positive note, the cucumbers are actually producing.  I have never been able to grow cucumbers before, but this time I am actually making pickles (over 20 quarts so far) from my grandmother's recipe.  As you can see, there are only a few vines but they are producing enough for a quart of pickles almost every day, with enough left for fresh eating.

The okra is producing enough for fresh eating and to share with family, though not enough to store for winter.  I was so hoping for at least a few jars of pickled okra, but the season is not over yet.

Also, there is still time for a fall garden.  Though I don't normally plant for fall earlier than the first week in August, I planted a row of green beans among the grass a couple of weeks ago.  I planted them in mud and they have had plenty of rain since.  Certainly not normal for this time of year where I live.

There is also hope for the squash which is blooming now, and hopefully the ground will dry enough to plant more and have a fall harvest (though we are having rain as I type).

As you can see, it is not always a good growing season, so it's not a bad plan to store enough for a couple of years when the harvest permits.  Speaking strictly for myself, the good years are more than worth the not so good ones.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to any questions or comments.