Have you ever considered what you’re growing in the garden to know if it’s actually working for you or against you? This week on the Pantry Chat we’re diving deeper into this topic and sharing some of the changes in our mindset (and gardening strategies) that we’ve made.
Shaping Our Diet Around What Grows Well
Historically, people grew what worked well in their climate. For some reason, we’ve gotten it into our heads that our gardens need to be these well-rounded growing spaces where we give space for every crop we typically find in the grocery store.
After all, we’re very used to eating tomatoes in the dead of winter because we can buy them from the store. But you and I both know those tomatoes are a far cry from the flavorful tomatoes you can grow in your own garden.
But what if tomatoes don’t grow well where you live? We have this struggle every year because our growing season is so short. Even with starting seeds indoors, using the DIY hoop house for added insulation, or even utilizing something like a greenhouse, we simply haven’t found a way to grow enough tomatoes for all the tomato products our family enjoys.
We thought we should be able to grow what we had when we lived in southern California or Tennessee. However, we recently had this paradigm shift from growing what we want to eat to eating what grows well.
This is especially true in our area, where many of the crops that grow well are very hands-off when it comes to the growing season:
- Root Crops (carrots, parsnips, potatoes, beets, etc.)
- Brassicas (cabbage, kale, broccoli, etc.)
- Squash (both summer and winter squashes)
These items grow well and store themselves without any processing in a root cellar (or a root cellar-like space). They stay fresh throughout the winter with very little attention besides regular checking for spoilage.
We want to encourage you to think about your growing zone. Is there a specific crop you constantly struggle to grow? Consider removing the stress of that crop and, instead, increasing the number of crops you plant that do grow well in your area.
Maybe plant more perennials? An edible food forest should provide food for years to come with very little maintenance.
We think this will help you to find more bandwidth in your day and perhaps even more time to layer on new skills.
School of Traditional Skills Summit
Speaking of layering on new skills, be sure you sign up for the third annual School of Traditional Skills Summit on September 23-27, 2024. It’s all about breaking free from the systems!
There will be multiple teachers like David the Good, Joel Salatin, Sally Fallon Morell and even the both of us! It’s free to join, so sign up for the summit today.
More Posts You May Enjoy
- How to Get Rid of Grass in the Garden
- How to Keep Weeds Out of the Garden
- Garden Watering Strategies (How Much, How Often, When…)
- How to Make Compost the Easy Way – Composting 101
- When and How Often to Turn Compost
- Home Composting (Troubleshooting & FAQ’s)
- Making Raised Garden Bed Rows & Supercharging Your Soil
