Food Self Sufficiency

3. Food Self-Sufficiency

Like our food-gathering predecessors, we can also be self-sufficient in obtaining our daily food. (Editor’s note: Of course, this is not possible now for most people but, most people can be largely or wholly food self-sufficient as many people in this country and the world over are.)We do not have to rely on supermarkets for tasteless, overfertilized, and oversprayed fruits and vegetables. Since all of the food that we require is easily cultivated, and since we do not have to rely on animal products, we can easily grow our own foods.

Even the city dweller can grow fruits and vegetables in containers and be able to at least significantly contribute to their food needs. Many cities now have started community gardens where you can rent a plot for the season and grow all of your own vegetables. In the warmer sections of the country, this can be a year-round project. There will never be any need to purchase any supermarket produce. Even in the cold regions, the use of cloches, cold frames, and hotbeds can greatly extend the growing season. With a root cellar to preserve many of the vegetables and fruits, you can be self-sufficient even in the North. Lets take a look at some of those aids to food self-sufficiency.

3.1 Cloche

A chloche is a glass or plastic tunnel not more than 24 inches wide and of any length. It is designed to cover crops that are in the field or garden and thus offer them protection from extremes in temperature.

Thus, with a cloche, you can get a jump on the season and set out plants weeks earlier than you normally could. You will be harvesting fresh lettuce before most people think of putting the plants in the ground and other more tender crops such as tomatoes can be gotten off to super early starts with earlier harvests.

At the end of the season, plants can once again be protected by these handy devices and you will be still harvesting weeks after the first frost.

3.2 Cold Frames and Hotbeds

Using cold frames and hotbeds will bring us one step closer to food self-sufficiency. One main advantage of these devices is that you can start your own vegetable plants and not rely on the few select varieties that are offered by the local nurseries. You can select those particular varieties that do especially well in your particular growing area and suit your needs and tastes. You will also be assured that your seedlings are not given chemical fertilizers and pesticides that result in weaker and less desirable plants.

Cold frames and hotbeds are of similar construction. They both have a wooden frame with glass windows on top that allows sunshine to reach the plants. These windows can be opened and closed to regulate temperature and for ventilation.

What is the difference between a hotbed and a cold frame? A cold frame has the same construction as a hotbed, except that there is no extra heat introduced into the cold frame. In a cold frame you can propagate such cold-loving plants as cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower. Or you can use cold frames to acclimate to outdoor temperatures plants that have been started in hotbeds. Start heat-loving plants—peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, and others—in a hotbed.

There are two types of hotbeds. One is heated by a great deal of fermenting straw or fresh manure, which has been placed in a pit 2 1/2 feet deep. Another type is made by arranging electric heating cables five inches below the surface of the topsoil seedbed. The coils produce a steady heat day and night while the fermenting straw method is only effective for a few weeks.

3.3 Greenhouses

There are several advantages that all-year gardening greenhouses afford. Summer and fall crop yields can be stretched one season longer, often through the otherwise
deadly winter season. Gardeners also use their greenhouses to gain a head start on springtime planting.

Another important plus to greenhouse gardening comes with the opportunity to control the growing environment. Frosts, blizzards, rainstorms, and other weather threats can be virtually ignored behind the protection of greenhouse windows and walls.

Further, there is a health-promoting aspect of home gardening. Tending fresh fruits, vegetables, and ornamental flowers throughout the year is considered by many doctors to be of value to help overcome daily stress and work tension.