Growing your own food.

So you want to grow your own food. Why? Isn't there enough in the supermarkets for you to buy every week?

Actually if there were ever a major problem in this country the food supply would probably run out within 3 days. Not one bean on the shelves of our favourite supermarket within 3 days. That is a frightening thought and can be backed up with hard facts but basically all of the big supermarkets are run on a “need it now” or “just in time”. This has come about because the tills are all computerised they can tell the managers what stock they have left at any given moment so when it gets to a pre determined level that product is re ordered. Take for instance milk. That is ordered certainly every day if not more than once a day where as say tofu might not be ordered every day.

If we have another fuel protest strike or a major terrorist strike that paralyses the road network how will the food get delivered?

Other reasons for me to grow my food are
1, I enjoy it
2, I know it's organic
3, it's there when I want it
4, it's not subjected to miles of transport or food miles as they are known. My fruit and veg have food metres not miles or kilometres.

Obviously at the moment I cannot grow all my own fruit and veg but after 1 year I have been about 60% sufficient and we eat a lot of veg. In general we have a cooked meal approximately 5 times a week and at each meal there is at least 5 different veg with sometimes 7 different veg. All of these are seasonal so no air miles bringing me green beans from Zambia when I can go into the back garden or around to the allotment and pick enough veg for a meal for how ever many people are at our home. 

This was my first year in growing the majority of my veg and I just stuck in as many plants as I could in the available space to get as much produce out of the given soil area. I found out that this could be better planned for a number of reasons. Firstly weeding, I was on my hands and knees having to weed in between each plant, which is ok because once I was down I, was able to shuffle about but it would have been easier and faster if I had been able to use a hoe to weed. Secondly we had a massive wind and rainstorm one night and because all the onions were planted so close together the wind and rain pulled them all out of the ground. Consequently all had to be lifted and dried in the first week of July rather than the third week of August so the resulting crop was smaller onions.

I intend to plan the area a lot more precisely for the 2010 season and also do sucessional planting.

This is where you plant a few plants every few weeks to prolong the cropping season and not get a glut of produce in August. All year round Cauliflowers are an example of this although these are probably hybrid or F1 varieties you can essentially set a few seeds away today then in 7 days sew some more seeds then in 7 days after that sew some more and so on. After about 6 weeks the first of the cauliflower plants should be ready for planting out in the ground, weather and frost permitting and then every week after that you plant the next lot. When the first lot are ready to eat the second lot of seeds that you had sewn will, in theory be ready the week after and the next the week after that.

If you think that you are going to get a glut of caulis ready at the same time or close together then rather than sew new seeds every week do it every two weeks.

On these pages you will often see me refer to notes and taking notes. Please, please, please get a small notebook or make one from scrap paper (see tutorial section) and take notes. I haven’t got a good memory but even so I didn’t take notes and because of this I didn’t do the sucessional planting as well as I could have done.

Whilst this severe weather is still with us it is prudent and sensible to become aware of some basic survival tips. There are three situations to think of. These being:

1: In case you break down or get stranded in these cold situations in a car or veichle.

2: If you are walking or using public transport.

3: Staying at home.  

What to take with you when in a car or veichle.

By all means this is not an exhaustive list and also not in any particular order so please feel free to add or subtract from the list if you want but if you are in a vehicle then this list forms a basic kit that I carry in my car at all times.

 It is also wise to

 KNOW HOW TO USE THE ITEMS.

A change of clothes including headgear, socks and gloves. Not only to use if you are wet but also it is easier to keep warm with your clothes in a layered pattern rather than one thick item because thin-layered items keep air trapped between the layers and this keeps you warmer.
A supply of fresh drinking water. Stands to reason you will become dehydrated if you don't drink but a nice warm cup of tea makes you feel better. This is also a good barter tool. It cost next to nothing to have a 2lt plastic bottle in your bag or box kept in the boot.
A heat source. A small hexi burner or gel stove will cost about £5 but will save your life by giving you a heat source to boil water and warm up some food. You can of course go further and buy a storm kettle but for emergency a small hexi burner will suffice.

Waterproof matches and / or a fire steel /fire flint and striker.  Speaks for themselves really but worth mentioning as you need to light the hexi or gel burner. It could be wise to also add a couple of storm candles which keep alight even in bad weather.

A set of mess tins and a cup. Again this enables you to boil water and make a brew but also if you have a supply of rations or rat packs then you can not only make a brew but also make a meal of high calorific value to see you through the immediate dangers.

A thermos flask. If you are boiling water then it makes sense to keep any excess ready for a quick use. 
Ration packs. You can buy many different ration packs of dehydrated or pre packed food that are generally high in calories and also taste quite good. I carry a three days supply at all times in a vehicle because after that you are either in some serious shit or help will be with you.
Mobile phone and car charger. Obvious but often overlooked. Should you not have a fully charged mobile, (and don't forget mobile batteries run down faster in the cold) if you have hot drinks and food you can barter to use other peoples phones. 
A 4/5 season Sleeping bag. These days a good sleeping bag is relatively cheap and a good 4/5 season sleeping bag will keep you warm in temperatures down to minus 20. Obviously you get what you pay for but in any case how valuable is your life?
A wind up torch/ head torch. Again a necessity because you then don't need to keep the engine running to provide light.
A selection of glow sticks. Glow sticks don't seem to be too effective but they do make a difference if you have no light and they can be seen a long way off by rescuers. They also come in various colours these days including white.
A wind up radio. Always good to know the up to date info and the fact that there is a voice can help in the darkest of times.
A 2-part shovel, preferably plastic. Plastic is lighter to carry and use. A two part one is smaller to handle.
A piece of thick plastic sheeting, some bungee cord or purlon (para) cord and some tent pegs. If you are going to have to make a fire to boil water or make a warm meal then obviously you don't want to attempt to do it in the vehicle (you would be surprised that some have tried it). Thus you need to have a clear area to prepare your burner and you can easily get wet quickly with the snow so a piece if plastic sheeting placed on the floor enables you to work your burner easier.  

First aid kit. A basic first aid knowledge is imperative in daily life but if you find yourself in an emergency situation then either you or a fellow human may well be glad that you took a course in basic first aid. It might raise eyebrows but saving someone’s life in an emergency situation can be a good barter point.

Obviously not an exhaustive list but one that can help save your life so give this subject some serious thought and above all...
practice what you need to do