When tough times roll around people naturally start to think about growing some of their own food, not just because it costs less, but because uncertainty quite often breeds fear, and when there is fear, people begin to worry about being able to feed their families. And while it doesn’t have to go that far, there certainly are a lot of good reasons for growing some of your own food; that they are healthier should be at the top of the least.
At any rate, the way to use a vegetable garden to help you get through tough economic times is by first figuring out if it is even plausible for you. First of all, do you have property that you can use for growing vegetables? It depends on where you live. Some homeowners associations in some suburbs specifically outlaw growing vegetables on the grounds it makes things look tacky. Others allow them so long as they are in the back yard.
But even if they are allowed, you need to consider how much sunshine you have on the property because most backyards are too shady to grow most vegetables, as vegetables generally need an awful lot of hours of direct sunshine every day.
If you don’t have the space, or sunshine, perhaps another member of your extended family does and would let you grow your garden at their place; or many communities now offer community gardens where those who sign up first come first serve get to use a plot of land in a shared garden that is owned by either the local community or the county. As a last resort, you can try growing as many vegetable plants as possible in containers in any available space you can find.
If you are able to find a place to grow your garden, the next thing you need to do is ask yourself what types of vegetables you and your family eat currently, because there is not much use in cooking vegetables that no one will eat. For the most part, most families eat a lot of potatoes and tomatoes. Also some eat a lot of onions or peppers. These are the main staples. After that, there are all kinds of beans, peas or carrots; all the kinds of vegetables that show up on grocers shelves.
Next, consider your options for storing some of the vegetables that you grow so that your garden will help you through the winter. Vegetables can be frozen or canned (sealed in jars) or if you live in a cool climate, sometimes under the house.
Then, once you have decided what to grow, do some online research, or head down to the library to learn how to grow vegetables if you don’t already know how. Pay particular attention to when your vegetables should be planted, how much water they need, and how to properly prepare the soil.
After that, be sure to take good care of your garden, as the better you take care of it, the more produce it will give you. And while it’s growing, try to find as many different recipes for all the different kinds of vegetables you will be growing so that you and your family won’t grow tired of them too quickly. Also, try to grow as much potatoes as you can, because after all is said and done, potatoes are the one vegetable that most everyone will eat, and that can be cooked in an almost unlimited number of ways. They are also very nutritious and can help fill hungry bellies.
