Create Food Security

I read this great article the other day and wanted to share it with you. Link to the original is at the bottom if you want to read more from realfarmacy.com. There are also additional pictures at the original site if these are not enough below.

Jon

This is What Happens When You Decide To Create Your Own Food Security

If you’re fed up reading labels in the grocery store trying to find some real food that won’t kill you, I feel your pain. Not to worry, there is a solution and it’s awesome. The truth is, you don’t need to depend on food corporations or the government to keep you healthy. Why would you want to anyways? The U.S. government’s just about as corrupt as they come.

All you need is a bit of space (provided you don’t live in a cave, in which case you’d have to settle on button mushrooms). Even if you have a small apartment or a small yard you can still grow quite a bit of food. You can even grow tomatoes in a small studio apartment. For those of you that have a moderate to large sized yard, follow suit on the picture story below. This is how to create REAL health security. It’s time to stop consuming and start producing!

This used to be a lawn.

It started with eight 6’x4′ raised beds with 1″x10″x10′ reclaimed redwood barn siding.

The beds were lined with cardboard, sprayed down with a hose, and then filled with fresh compost.

Many seeds were sown directly, some were germinated in a backyard hoop cloche.

Setting up an irrigation system might be a little extra work, but it sure paid off quick! If you’re strapped for cash a typical sprinkler from your garden center will suffice. Or if you have a little extra money, investing in soaker hoses is well worth it too.

The pathways were covered in cardboard and wood chips.

Cinder blocks were filled with compost and used as a border to contain wood chips. Lavender, rosemary, thyme, and basil were planted in them to create a honey bee sanctuary. Planting a border of fragrant herbs is always a good way to deter pests.

Some beautiful arugula came first. By supplying plenty of nitrogen and pinching off flower buds as they appear, arugula’s harvest can become quite continual. The buds go great in salads too!

Next came the spinach, which too benefited from the nitrogen rich compost.

And beautiful beets.

The radishes shot up quickly.

And plenty of carrots.

The loose medium produced some great results. One major advantage to raised beds is that the lack of foot traffic keeps the soil loose. Perfect for root vegetables!

The peas came in nicely. A bit of extra magnesium will do wonders. Add a bit of epsom salt to your soil before planting and supplement 1 tablespoon epsom per gallon of water as feed every now and then. It’s also important to keep phosphorus levels under control. Too much and the plant is unable to absorb the vital magnesium required for vigorous growth. (That’s the P in N P K)

The harvest became overwhelming.

This sign was installed by the sidewalk, next to a box filled with extras. The neighborhood ate an unbelievable amount of zucchini. I love this. If a few people on every block grew some food, there would be more than enough for every one.

The green onions were amazing.

You can prune them for extended harvest. If the bulb is left in the ground it will grow another green stalk out of the stump. You can even bring them indoors in a cup of water. Here are some other veggies that will regrow similarly.