Growing Food

During World War II, backyard gardens provided a food source for millions of Americans.

From LivingHistoryFarm.org:

They planted gardens in backyards, empty lots and even city rooftops. Neighbors pooled their resources, planted different kinds of foods and formed cooperatives, all in the name of patriotism.

Many Americans are using similar concepts to supplement and, in some cases, replace the local supermarket as the primary source of food to feed their families.

While living in Florida several years ago we decided to start a backyard garden. We planted an above ground square foot garden spot that measured 8' x 4' in a corner of our postage stamp sized yard. We were able to grow an abundance of carrots, lettuce, radishes, and collard greens.  Eventually we added a couple of self-watering Earthbox containers planted with cucumbers.

Above ground garden

After our move to Michigan we expanded our efforts much further. We added 10 additional Earthboxes to accompany an 4' x 4' above ground garden area and 20' x 4' in ground spot. We grew 100's of Cubanelle peppers, green bell peppers, red bell peppers, jalapenos, pole beans, canteloupe, baby watermelon, squash, Malabar spinach, onions, carrots, tomatoes, strawberries, Swiss chard, and zucchini. We also planted rhubarb, blackberry bushes, and a lot of garlic this fall. During the height of the season we grew enough food to eat entire meals grown completely in our backyard. We harvested enough food from the backyard to eat regularly from it for several weeks in late summer and throughout the fall. We even canned 15 to 20 jars of pickles and pepper relish for winter enjoyment.

Above ground bed with 4 Earthboxes

In ground gardening spot just outside our back door

Pole beans and peas in some backyard Earthboxes

We've improved the in ground spot with additional compost this fall and with better planning and crop rotation methods next year, we anticipate doubling the in ground production. We were also able to harvest two different rounds of vegetables from our Earthboxes.

Our strategy for growing food encompasses vegetables that "keep on giving" throughout the season. To maximize yield for the space, we avoid 1 time items like cabbage and iceberg lettuce. The Malabar spinach, Swiss chard, lettuce, squash, and collards started producing in June and were still harvesting edible food the dinner table well into the fall months. The addition of more Earthboxes and proper management techniques could easily double or even triple our production from teh self-watering containers.

I hope this gives you some ideas for just easy and practical it is to grow your own food no matter where you live and no matter how small your yard is. You can even garden from a balcony or roof top. I'll be expounding on specific gardening techniques in later posts.