TOWARDS SELF SUFFICIENCY
Our gardens are a wonderful place to start towards our self sufficiency journey, whether you want to become virtually totally self sufficient, or just provide your family with some healthy home grown produce.
The following article is designed to provide ideas, outlines, and stimulate inquiry for anyone interested in finding out more, or setting up their own productive food producing garden. Of course, these principles are not limited only to producing food, although that is our focus here, and can be applied to whatever type of garden you desire.
Our gardens are a wonderful place to start towards our self sufficiency journey, whether you want to become virtually totally self sufficient, or just provide your family with some healthy home grown produce.
The following article is designed to provide ideas, outlines, and stimulate inquiry for anyone interested in finding out more, or setting up their own productive food producing garden. Of course, these principles are not limited only to producing food, although that is our focus here, and can be applied to whatever type of garden you desire.
BENEFITS OF GARDENING
- Working with our gardens allows us to become more aware of the season and natural cycles.
- Getting hands-on with the soil and living things connects us to the earth in deeper ways.
- Gardening can be very mentally soothing and replenishing.
- They joy of seeing things come alive and flourish with our care.
- Sunshine, fresh air and exercise!
- Healthy food grown with respect and care.
- Wonderful hands-on experience for children!
GROWING FOOD
Growing your own food means you know
exactly what you put into it... and don't put into it! You create your
own healthy soils, fertilise and control pests naturally without toxic
chemicals, allow produce to grow in season and ripen naturally, and can
eat it fresh... even directly from the plant! You food doesn't end up
travelling hundreds of kilometres to your table, spending months in cold
storage or ripened unnaturally by gas.
It is probably best to start off with just a few of the easier to grow veggies, when starting out, and then increase as you get the hang of it.
It is probably best to start off with just a few of the easier to grow veggies, when starting out, and then increase as you get the hang of it.
Some questions to ponder:
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ORGANIC GARDENING
Organic gardening means growing
plants using only natural fertilisers such as composted material and the
work of worms. It takes advantage of natural pest control methods by
planting plants that have natural repellant properties and by attracting
beneficial creatures to your garden. Healthy living soil is of utmost
importance, as is choosing the right plants and the right place for
them.
Some things to consider:
Some things to consider:
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COMPANION PLANTING
Utilising plants which are beneficial to each other in some ways is the principle behind companion planting. And, of course, separating those that are detrimental to each other. Some plants help by releasing substances into the soil that other plants need, or by changing the composition of the soil to be better suited. Some help repel the pests that attack certain plants. yet others provide valuable shade or shelter to young developing plants until they are better able to deal with conditions themselves.
Some plants just don't do well in
close proximity to certain others, because of substances released,
vigorous competition for nutrients, different water requirements etc.
There is some disagreement as to how
useful companion planting actually is, but why not give it a go and see
how it works for you.
So...
So...
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PERMACULTURE
Permaculture is a holistic approach
to all human endeavour, including growing food, regeneration, building
homes, creating communities, using sustainable methods based on the
observation of, and working with, nature.
In our gardens it means creating gardens which mimic the principles of nature, using symbiotic relationships and where there is no waste and everything produced is used somewhere in the cycle in a never ending loop. Plants, living creatures and micro-organisms, and humans are all part of the loop.
Here are some permaculture principles to research further and possibly put into use:
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LIVING SOILS
Soil used in most modern agriculture is virtually "dead" soil, because the use of toxic pesticides and fertilisers has basically killed all of the beneficial organisms in the soil. Even much of our garden soil is depleted, or poisoned by toxins, and needs restoration.
Soil used in most modern agriculture is virtually "dead" soil, because the use of toxic pesticides and fertilisers has basically killed all of the beneficial organisms in the soil. Even much of our garden soil is depleted, or poisoned by toxins, and needs restoration.
A lot can be achieved by adding rich
composted material to the soil. This also encourages worms to migrate
into your soil, who then carry out their vital work in creating rich
soil. Other micro-organisms also may "move in" and you can also buy
live micro-organisms to add. Manures also play an important role in
adding nutrients to soil, as can "worm castings" and "worm tea" produced
in a worm farm. Nitrogen fixing crops can also be grown and left to
decompose into the soil, as can any prunings or discarded parts of
plants.
Here's some suggestions to start getting your soil in rich, living condition:
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COMPOST AND WORMS
Having a compost heap is one of the
important systems in an organic self sufficient garden. It eliminates a
lot of "waste" and returns it to the soil where it once again helps
provide valuable nutrients and soil structure. It isn't hard once you
get the hang of it, and is usually fairly correctable if things start to
go wrong.Compost Considerations:
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Worm farms take a little more
precise care as you are dealing with living creatures, however, with
some knowledge and the right conditions, your worms can live contentedly
and provide you with an excellent source of fertiliser... as well as
munch through a large amount of kitchen waste.
Worm Wonderings:
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ANIMALS AND MANURES
The relationship between animals and
the land is an important part of permaculture, and any gardener can
benefit from either what they produce (as in manures) or their actions
(as in tilling the soil, eating insects, keeping down grass and weeds.)
Chickens and ducks are common
choices for gardens. Not only do they carry out valuable garden work,
but they can provide you with eggs- if you eat them. Rabbits are also
good at eating down grass and provide an ideal manure, which is very
gentle. If you have large areas of weeds or grass that need "mowing"
you could go for a cow or goat, and get milk too, if you use it.
Of course, keeping animals does require certain considerations:
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WATER IN THE GARDEN
Without water, life on earth would
cease. The same applies in your garden. Not only is water essential
for the very things you are growing, but to attract the beneficial
creatures to your garden. Supplying water to these things needs to be
thought through properly so as to do it in an efficient, non wasteful
manner.
Things to consider about managing water in your garden:
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ATTRACTING BENEFICIAL INSECTS, BIRDS ETC
Birds, insects, reptiles and all
kinds of micro-organism play a very important role in your garden. They
help control pests, fertilise flowers, spread seeds, provide manure and
condition the soil... not to mention the pleasure they can give to
humans as we see them busy about their tasks.
Creature Comforts:
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PLANTS FOR SHADE AND MICRO-CLIMATE
Plants can be used to help with
temperature control inside your house as well as outside areas.
Deciduous trees are a wonderful way of keeping out the summer heat when
they are in leaf, and allowing the sun's rays to warm in winter when
they have lost their leaves. Thick plantings of bushes can insulate
walls. Creepers and vines can shade pergolas and verandas, or even
shade houses and aviaries. Areas of greenery, even ground covers, are
much cooler than areas of concrete or paving.
They can also create micro climates
in your garden, which then allows for more diversity and more climate
sensitive plants to be grown, than a barren, windswept, open to heat and
cold area would allow. Shade by trees or well covered ground by low
growing plants also helps water retention, by cutting down evaporation.
Ways plants may be helpful in controlling climate at your place:
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COMMUNITY GARDENS
Community gardens serve important
functions within a community. First, they enable people who may not
have much, or any, land available for veggie gardens to access land and
grow fresh, healthy produce for their families. Secondly, it brings
community together and builds a shared goal. Other benefits include
increased health from exercise and an improved diet, and from getting
out in the fresh air and sunshine, as well as the accompanying mental
benefits.
So why not join or start a Community Garden?
Some things to consider:
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